Tuckers Downunder

Great to have Stephan Moyes in Sydney last week, although I suspect he thought living downunder was slightly more relaxing than it is in reality. Timing was poor all round and I feel bad that there was so much going on, but I think it worked out well and he had a good time, but if you know Moyes, you’ll realise that it may be hard to tell.

Moyes is defined by a few things, loyal friend, laid back to the horizontal, resentful Grangemouth dweller, re-educated Network Administrator and, possibly most of all, ex Electrician who hates all electrical work! So I guess that his arriving in Sydney to find that we have a constant stream of Electrical needs was something of an unpleasant surprise, oops – Pure coincidence Steve honest! Anyway, he chipped in with his own inimitable style, and we were grateful for his help. 

It’s incredible, and frightening just how fast Scarlett and Ivy are growing up… Just look at those cherubic little faces. Butter wouldn’t melt, right?

Back to beautiful Bombay…

Bombay really is a memorable place, as are the other parts of India I have been lucky enough to visit (New Delhi and Agra, home of the Taj Mahal). The people seem warm in spite of their circumstances, although, that could be considered a patronising western view? Each and every one of the children I see on the streets in Bombay look happy, and the adults seem oddly, well, satisfied. Could be religion, culture, or the fact that the burden of aspiration weights heavier on the fallen, that on those who have never contemplated betterment? That’s my philosophical point of the day, well, just today.

Comedy weather entry in the Sydney Morning Herald, I’m reading it on the plane as I head for Singapore… Is the weather in Mumbai really SMOKE?

Ivy decided to give up the commando drag she’d spent most of April perfecting in favour of a full on Crawl, typical second child syndrome meant that I don’t even blog this important milestone until half way through May, by which time she has decided she no longer likes being on the floor at all, preferring instead to stand!

So much for the quiet, placid Ivy we once knew, the sibling who was always happy to sit in one spot, quietly watching the F5 tornado that is Scarlett rip through the house, so much too for the tranquil, calm toddler we looked forward to. No, this child is mobile almost a month ahead of her sister, and that’s a scary prospect.

Scarlett continues to cut a dash in the most unusual of outfits, clearly we love her regardless. Her best moment of late was when she slid into the kitchen in nothign but her pants and socks while Diana and I were talking, she held out her hands and said “hey, guys, listen… excuse me guys, stop talking, listen, I need my fairy dress, you seen it?” later that day, she found it. 

Even though our new place is less than a mile from the old one, I now get a ferry to work instead of the long monotonous bus ride, it makes for a pleasant change!

The weather these past few days has been good, 15c at 7:00am and bright sunshine… making for a far more pleasant ride to work than being stuck on a bus for over an hour in crappy Sydney traffic….

Another reason for writing this post is to show off the new Maps and images we have on our Search product, it looks pretty good! Click on the image on the right to browse downtown Sydney…

I listened to an interview on my way to work yesterday with the McCann’s, one year after Madeleine had disappeared… Take all these terrifying thoughts, you left your kids alone as you went out for dinner, your little girl was abducted, there’s no trace, it happened in a foreign country, double that pain as you become a suspect in the eyes of the very people whose energies should be laser focused on finding your little girl, then double it again as your strength and character leads you to be demonised by the predatory UK tabloids casting doubt in the minds of your family, who’s faith you must so desperately need… It’s unimaginable. Reminded me of the Lindy Chamberlin saga, which I don’t know enough about to confidently form a view, however her strength and detachment from the horrors of her ordeal meant she was also demonised by the people she needed…. Too hard to think about.

Madeleine McCann 

We love Scarlett’s independent streak and, as the picture below shows, her dedication to getting herself dressed and out the house to explore… However I think we have some polishing to do yet…

Thoughts?

Our family blog can now be reached by typing fromdownunder.net into your browser, www.fromdownunder.net works too. Thanks once again to Mark Britt for pointing me in the right direction with my blog… (he insists I say that when I take his advice)

We have a nice little park just a few minutes walk from the house, so we went to check it out today… (the stuff on Scarlett’s face was from a faceplant she did a few minutes earlier…)

Ivy’s coming on well, eating almost anything and just about crawling. She’s at the 75th percentile for weight and the 50th for height

Just stunning and cute as a button she also has an incredible tolerance for Scarlett’s, eh, attentions.