My Apprentice

Today was Ariel's first work day. One of my clients needed some assistance with filing and office management so I arranged for Ariel to attend with me on my next visit.
Naturally she was very nervous and had a restless sleep last night. I have been helping this client for over 12 years so we know each other pretty well and he has spoken to Ariel on the phone before and have visited us socially too.
Today meant waking at 6:30am and leaving at 7:00am for a two hour drive to Sydney. Then a busy day before leaving at 5:00pm for a two hour drive home. A very long day to first experience work.
Ariel did very well, creating the folders and files as well as labelling and sorting. She did so well she can come with me next week too. This has been a good opportunity to experience life in the workforce, but in a controlled way. This isn't a full time thing, maybe it will be a day or two a month which fits in well with her existing studies. We intend to provide a rounded education and this works very well all round.

Comparative Medicine - updated

I noticed that my earlier post was noticed by an English blogger, so I better include UK prices in my comparisons too! He mentioned the doctors appointment was free, and the prescription was £7. This works out to about $16.20 Aust or $12.10 US.

We really have a hybrid public/private system in Australia. That way we try to get the best of both - a health safety net for everyone, with access to specialist care and services for those who don't want to wait. Also enough scope for profit to allow innovation, and an Insurance industry which hasn't taken over the system. Also, we get the bad parts of government sloppiness and bureaucracy, but that compares to the sea of paperwork of the monolithic private Insurance Industry (note the capitals!)
Still, it is very scary in the US without any health cover. Our health insurance cost $1400 (US) per month!

Bushdancing

Last Saturday the local homeschoolers organised a bush dance. This is similar to square dancing with a caller, traditional country music, and lots of swinging and set moves. As this was not far from home we just walked, and the boys rode their bikes.
Twelve families attended which meant about 24 adults and around 80 children from a baby just two weeks old to an older brother 24 years old. This photo was taken earlier in the day with only some of the attendees dancing. Ariel is in the red going round in a circle.
Whilst the sun was still shining many of the boys were outside playing footy or running around playing other games (dancing was not the boy's highest priority). In fact, there were so many boys playing some of the village boys joined in after telling their Mum, "There are boys in the park playing footy. Lots of them!"
Many of the adults socialised outside (officially keeping an eye on the children) or in the back dining/kitchen area.
Each family put in $10 to cover hall hire, some drinks and disposable plates and cups and also brought a dinner and dessert to share. From the start at 4:00pm to 9:00pm the time flew quickly by. Everyone dancing had red faces from the pace of dancing. Peter was spun a bit fast in one set and went flying face down onto the floor. He went home with Lana and a tired Rose.
We have this type of event several times a year. Homeschooling families attend from up to two hours drive away and is a perfect example of positive socialisation. Our children think this is normal, as it has been normal for countless generations going back in time. We are getting to experience fun times with other families and children ranging widely in age. Bigger children assist smaller ones, and the smaller children learn from older ones around them. Adults are in authority, but it is the loving authority of parents. When it was getting a bit chilly outside I called my smaller ones in and then asked the others to come in too. As I was a Dad, they saw the "Dad look" and came along without a fight.
All in all a most enjoyable afternoon.

Comparative Medicine - US vs Australia

Last night Rose was feeling absolutely miserable - in pain from a sore throat and slight temperature. So from 10:00pm onwards she dozed for 10 minutes and then awoke screaming. It made for a very sleepless evening for everyone in the house.
Today we went to the doctor's and obtained a prescription for Rose's throat and made sure it wasn't anything more serious. Today Rose just stayed attached to Lana. Just like previously.

I was reminded of the difference in medical systems. This country practice of two doctors has one full time admin assistant. We walked in and let her know we were in and she gathered our files ready for when the doctor came out. He finished with a patient and then gathered the next file calling their name. When Rose's name was announced we went into his office and he asked what was wrong and examined her for various symptoms. On his computer screen was any history he had of the patient (none for Rose) and then entered his diagnosis and prescription on the computer. The prescription printed and we left together, paying our bill whilst he saw the next patient. Very efficient and anyone could read the prescription. No duplicated data entry or chance for transcription errors. And the total cost - not counting the government rebate for which our taxes pay - was $44.00 AUD (about $33 US) The prescription cost $14.95 ($11.20 US) with no insurance discount.
The US comparison?
A two doctor country practice has between six and eight extra staff. The appointment time and time you are called are mutually exclusive. You arrive at the scheduled time and enter your name on a list then join the other hopeful patients who have been waiting for ages. About an hour or more past your appointment time you are called by a nurse/assistant who takes your weight and blood pressure as you are led to a small cell. Between 10 and 30 minutes later the doctor rushes in and tells you what is wrong with you and determines his favourite prescription. He then rushes out and you wait in the cell until he returns with a piece of paper that allegedly has your name and prescription written in heiroglyphics. Then you go out and pay between $75 and $125 ($100 AUD to $167 AUD) before insurance. The prescription will be between $10 and $30 US ($13.50 and $40 AUD) after insurance. You just hope the pharmacist is able to translate the handwriting and gives you the right medicine and dosage.
I have excluded the Australian rebate provided by the government scheme. The price for the Doctor's visit is determined by the practice and is not controlled by government policy. The primary difference is the level of computerisation. Any government or insurance paperwork is provided by the computer system.

Molasses Ginger Biscuits/cookies

Lana noticed this recipe on one of the Cross stitch groups and gave it a go yesterday. We doubled the recipe and it made about 6 dozen or more biscuits/Cookies. Very tasty.

Wet Ingredients:
2/3 cup veg oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg (well beaten)
1/4 cup molasses (Treacle in Aust)

Sift together flour mixture
2 cups plain/all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda (Bicarb Soda in Aust)

Add flour mixture gradually to wet ingredients
Use a teaspoon per cookie/biscuit, roll into a ball and dip into sugar and place about an inch (2.5 cm) or so apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350F/180C for about 8 to 10 minutes.
Try 8 or so minutes for soft chewy cookies.....

By Angela from Lana's Cross Stitch group

Now that's a Sand Pit!

We had promised Clare and Rose a sandpit so the day after the cubby house was moved, Lana's Dad built one. It is based on one we built earlier but made smaller and with more reinforcing and built to last!
The pit also has a cover (not shown) made from wood and shade cloth. Clare was shown very carefully what she must do each evening. Run a special piece of wood across the top levelling the sand and then close the bi-fold cover. That way cats won't use the sand pit for their own nefarious purposes!
Clare reports this of her new house and sandpit: (We asked her what she would tell her American friend Christiana)

The Sand pit and cubby house has things in it. Like toys, books and dollies. A cot, chairs and a table aaaaannnnndddd cooking things too. And nothing else. Me and Rose play in it. We play some games. Lots of Mum and Dad and Baby games, and kid games. There's boys and girls. Only.

There! A striking recommendation for a job well done.

The mystery flower - it's American!

The mystery flower (posts here and here) is an import from the US called:

Coreopsis Lanceolata

Lana's dad has done some research and come up with the following info:

Legend of its spread in Blue Mountains (A fascinating tale of irresponsible spreading of non-native seeds)

Weeds of Blue Mountains Bushland

Dept of Agriculture information

Also check out Images on Google

Was Calliopsis, and is also mentioned as Choreopsis and Choriopsis in Images (National Park in California USA)

Moving House

Today we moved the cubby house from the back corner of the property to near the house. In this way Clare and Rose can play and not be too far away.
As we gathered around the small house planning the proper methodology, Lana's Dad arrived and said we had 30 minutes before a huge rain and thunder storm would hit.
I was on one end with the two wheeled trolley whilst everyone else held the other end. Together we pushed and pulled it and its deck to the new position.

It began to get VERY dark as we hurriedly joined the little deck to the cubby house and we settled it into place. As the first large drops began to fall we raced to cover and watch sheets of rain drench everything. There was so much rain that the tanks overflowed after 10 minutes, which meant we received enough water to cover several washings and two days of water use.

Now Clare and Rose have a little house in which to play, and we plan on building a small sand pit right next to it too.

The luxuries of business travel

I often need to travel interstate or overseas to assist my clients. This sounds very exciting - visiting new places, seeing new people, and so on. But business travel is really just seeing a different airport, hotel and office. Often you are so busy that you spend long hours at the client and then some more work afterwards in the hotel room.
For a number of my clients I organise to stay at the business owner's home. This saves on hotel and food bills and also makes it a more interesting stay for me.
In this photo I am resting on the bed I recently slept on whilst away. It is a very fast bed (being red) and if you were to check out the front of the car, it had an "ELVIS" number plate (tag). This was certainly memorable and much better than a boring old hotel room.

Going walkies

Today was a wet and dark day. Then just before dinner the clouds parted and the sun gave a last show.
Once dinner was over we went for a walk to enjoy the break in the weather. Clare was in her Snow White costume and wanted to pick flowers for Mum and Grandma. Can you tell what type of flowers they are?
Yes. The hayfever flowers. (see the previous post)
So we didn't keep the flowers, but I did get a good photo.

On Hayfever

One side affect of the rain after a long drought is that the flowers and trees are going berserk with their pollen. Hayfever is rampant, even amongst those who don't normally get any symptoms.
In our area grows this flower. We don't know what it is, but it was introduced about 60 or so years ago and spread like a weed. It probably is. But it is mostly within a 15km radius from here, along roadsides and unkept paddocks and fields. It's very pretty but it's pollen really affects anyone susceptible to hayfever and Lana is just waiting for them to die off once Summer takes hold.

A Big Black Boy

There are lots of uniques plants in Australia and this is one of them: Xanthorrhoea or "Black Boy"
It is called a "Black Boy" because it looks like a spear in the air with an Aboriginal boy hiding in the bush. The plants are also knows as "balga grass" which is the Aboriginal word for black boy.

As you can see from this photo, the stem can grow quite tall. You will probably have to click the photo to see the details as the stem blends in very well with the trees in the background. This stem is in flower. After flowering the top is black.

The boys have found that the stem when dried makes a great spear or jousting stick, being long, light and relatively straight.

Should we build another water tank?

We have had so much rain that even with lots of baths and showers all our tanks are overflowing. The children put buckets at the bottom so the water goes out of the tank and overflows the buckets!
This means they can play in the water without wasting any. At one time they had a huge array of gutters and buckets leading water all over the place from the overflow.

Hmmm. How can we tap this water?

Seasonal Topiaries

This is another of Lana's free cross stitch patterns. This pattern is from Passione Ricamo, an Italian site with many beautiful patterns, including many nice ladies.
However, I think this has the last tree incorrectly. It shows the Winter topiary with snow and Christmas tinsel and baubles, but we all know that Christmas is in the middle of a hot Summer.

The time when family and friends gather round cold meats, cold drinks and lovely desserts with Summer fruits - and always with the risk of those in the volunteer fire brigade having to rush off and fight bush fires.

A Shaggy Gromit

This is the latest stage of the stitch-a-long Lana is stitching. The newest part is the shaggy dog which looks a bit like Gromit from Wallace and Gromit - but shaggier.

Now Lana needs to wait for the next part.

Spittle Bugs

The tell tale sign of a spittle bug is what looks like spittle on the stem of a plant. Lana and the children discovered this one on one of their recent walks.
The foam is very like spittle. Ariel knew what it was, remembering it from her science books.

It uses the spttle to keep itself cool. If you wipe the spittle bug clean, and watch it long enough, you can see it create more spittle.

Another fascinating one of God's creatures.

Update: Ariel found this as she was looking for more flowers. She knew what it was and has wanted to find one ever since she read about them. (by Lana)

Men in White

There was an advertising campaign recently for vacations to the priesthood entitled "Men in Black" with a picture a various priests in their distinctive black gear with white collars.
The priests of the Order of St Paul the First Hermit have white habits. Here are two of the priests getting ready for the procession with the replica of the image of Our Lady of Jasna Gora.
Behind the image you can see the feet of Clare and her friend in their position.

In Memory of Pope John Paul II

Pop John Paul died in April this year. He often visited the Monastery of Jasna Gora in Poland, and in memory of this very good man the local monastery erected a statue in his memory.
The inscription says:

Be Not Afraid
Open the Doors Wide
To Christ and His
Saving Power.

The statue is life sized and is quite impressive.

White Dresses

Here is Clare and her friend looking very pretty in their white dresses. The monastery often has special events in which the girls get the opportunity to dress up and participate in a procession in which the priests, brothers, altar servers and everyone else walks along behind.
On the 13th day of each month Our Lady of Fatima is remembered and the procession goes from the church to the grotto, a special area containing many various sites containing remembrances of different saints. These sites ("shrines") assist the faithful remember those who have gone before us in the faith and are now with God in heaven.

Waiting for Clare

Yesterday we attended the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy at the nearby Monastery run by the Order of St Paul the First Hermit. The monastery has a replica of the miraculous image of Our Lady which has a fascinating history.
As part of the Mass, Clare and one of her homeschooling friends were dressed in white dresses and small veils (see next post) and assisted in bringing up the offertory gifts. Clare took this role very seriously and walked up the aisle VERY slowly. Waiting patiently was the Bishop, James and the prior of the Monastery. You can tell from the Bishop's expression that they are watching the progress very carefully. In the background is one of the Brothers of the monastery wondering what is taking so long. James is doing his job standing patiently.