Drenched and Flooding

Today it rained all day.  It had rained all night too.  I thought that soccer would be cancelled because they are playing on the new fields now and the senior players are fairly precious about them.  I was wrong.  The new fields have better drainage and they were able to play.  They got completely soaked.  They had so much fun!  I remember those games as a kid too.  The games where we got to get wet and dirty and play in the mud, all with encouragement rather than derision.  Those games were the most memorable.  Levi and his mates ran around and were cheered on by parents from random teams as they lost a hard fought 6:5.  All the teams are playing so much better and are really fun to watch now.  OK, it wasn't that much fun to stand in the pouring rain and watch but it was still fun!It was hard to take any photos that reflect the pounding rain, especially as the best I had for the conditions was my underwater camera!

You can see how hard Levi is laughing in this photo.  It is such a blessing to watch these kids have fun and run around like mad things. 

A Busy Week

This was an Outreach week.  I went to Cairns this time and Levi stayed upstairs again.  I am grateful that I don't have to do this again for six more months, not because I don't like going but because it is always an incredibly long hard week and for Levi as much as for me.  It started with difficulty and continued in that vein!

First off, it rained!  Of course!  It seems that it is my lot this year to fight the elements to get to Outreach.  It rained and it rained and as the weathermen predicted cyclones and 75% of New South Wales went underwater, our causeway quickly failed and by morning was well underwater.  Levi had the day off and happily built a Pyramid, several in fact!  He settled in with the dog and my sister and created.  I walked.  After putting all my luggage in big plastic bags and the sensitive medical stuff in several plastic bags, I walked.  Jo and I walked out to the road through the deluge.  I called our Office Manager and said; "If you can, please bring the car and meet me partially down Lawson road."  She asked if that was the end of our street and I said that no, instead two random bedraggled humans were going to just appear out of the bush.  That is exactly what happened.  Jo and I appeared out of the bush and she picked me up.  Jo walked back down the hill and I got in, for the drive to the airport.  I will have to say that her thoughtfulness was heartwarming.  As I got into the car, pouring water, mud speckled and shivering, she turned around and passed me a mug of steaming tea, saying;

"I knew you would be cold and wet, so I made you a cup of tea."

You know that is why I love working with the people that I work with.  For all that we are all caring and thoughtful with the clients and their families, it is that and more so within the office itself!  She then drove me to the airport.

This is Levi (and Jane's) finished product.  The pyramids.  He was very proud of them!

It was a very eventful Cairns trip as well!  I will show you!

Reading and Raining

Levi's reading is improving.  I can't say he is anywhere near fluent yet but he is getting there.  If we could just stay away from the Long Word Freakout he would do a whole lot better.  He stresses if there is a word that he hasn't seen before and unless I can make him laugh with the 'freakout' routine, he will either cry or lose interest, depending on his fatigue level.  He is better though every day and it is heartening to watch him.  I am not sure at what point he morphs into an avid reader but I live in hope!  Tonight he was excited because he read 'celebrate' without a freakout.  I love the concept of the Long Word Freakout because:

A.  It is really Dr Ruth and find that hysterical, the idea that they would slide that  in there and

B.  It is a really good way of reminding them to stop and breakup words into smaller and more managable bits.

It is raining again.  It's raining steadily but not hard and although that will boost the creek's volume, it won't make the causeway impassable.  It has dropped the ambient temperature and that can only be a blessing.  I am chilling out too.  It is nice.  I am feeling less stretched at home and at work and finding that I am getting more done at both places because of it.  Some of it is my endless chest infection is starting to let up and I only cough hard in the mornings now.  The only downside of this sort of rain is that the grass loves it and yardwork on the weekend will be inevitable.