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Christmas 2010
...May be my only Christmas ever in which by pulling open a bon bon I will send two pairs of tiny newborn socks flying across a formally set dinner table. -
Philosophy and the Five Year Old
The youngest member of our household was burrowing into a beanbag, pretending he was a mole, in order to avoid going to bed. I hauled him out and snuggled him onto my lap, and this is the conversation we had ( Read more... ) -
Tyrannosaurus Drip
This is an excerpt from the daybook I keep at work. Written, I notice, with the slightly insane bounciness that is part of my preschool teacher persona.
The preschool children are particularly enamored with Tyrannosaurus Drip - another wonderful story by Julia Donaldson (who in my opinion should be canonised or something). In the story, there are ( Read more... ) -
The right to choose
Some time in the eighties, my aunties started to have their babies at home. I was eight when my cousin Liam was born, gently and without drama, in the upstairs bedroom of my parent's house in Newtown. Bunch of other home births happened when I was a child, and countless female discussions over cups of tea in kitchens, about the safety, wisdom etc. ( Read more... ) -
Guilty Pleasure
Getting into the spa at dusk on a cold evening, and watching the stars brighten as the sky darkens above the eucalyptus branches. -
Matters Scientific
Child: I want to be a scientist!
Alison: That wonderful! What does a scientist do?
Child: Holds up signs! -
Letter to a stranger
Dear Yvonne ( Read more... ) -
Goodbye
Tonight is my last night in this house ( Read more... ) -
On Names
A child said this to me today:
Alison the chicken has started to go "cock-a-doodle-do". So we have to give her away.
While I do appreciate the honour of having a pet named after me, I would prefer it not to be one that says "cock-a-doodle-doo". -
When I heard the election results...
I shrieked profanities at the sky. Not exactly an analytical response, but certainly heartfelt.
And now I plan to sleep. My body has denied me proper rest for days, but something tells me I'll sleep beautifully tonight.