the continuing story of bungalow bill

August 4: Two for One Tuesdays at Gerties.

Tonight we had dinner with our friends Erika & Nick and Cassie & Milena.

Erika & Nick aren't able to attend our goodbye parties but they couldn't escape having dinner with us mwa-ha!

August 3: I babysat our nephew Noah today. Here he is making his phone calls... He dials then walks around the house while chatting. Occasionally he leans against the wall (or the microwave as pictured here) while he attends to his very important business of "babblebabblebabblebabble"

Shan

the realisation that coincidences may have deep meaning

August 2: Here we are at Gem's Birthday Picnic in New Farm Park

August 1: A far-from-sober night at Dave and Zoe's place.
Timing is funny isn't it? We "meet" a rad crew of people just as we're leaving the country. Bugger. Shan

she's here!

My sister Sally gave birth to little Giselle Hotere at 3.27am. She weighed 7 pound 1 ounce and is 50cm long. She's a mini version of my sister, right down to her big lips and cute nose. She's our first niece, and therefore the favourite niece from today.

Congrats Sal and Brandt and welcome to the family little one! x

we're going to be an aunties... again!

ohmygoodness! ohmygoodness! I just got off the phone with my mum and she said my sister Sally is in labour! It's so exciting! We're going to be aunties, again! This time it's a girl so it feels extra special.

Mum said Sally's contractions have moved from 10 minutes apart this morning to 8 minutes apart this evening so she's doing the only thing you do in that situation... going to my mum's place for dinner! I'm guessing her 'nurse knowledge' is keeping her in control. Plus mums place is only a few minutes from the hospital so it will be easy for Sally and Brandt to head there as soon as they need.

I'll post piccies as soon as I have them! wooooobabywooooo!

nothing but wooooooooooot!

First: We were approved for our US Visas and received our passports back wooooooooooot!

Second: We sold our car - again, wooooooooooot! But not before we visited the carwash twice this weekend (just to be sure Champ was extra handsome).

We're so relieved Champ sold - we really didn't want to have to pay a car loan from Canada.
Champ's handover day is Wednesday, Zanne is already a bit sad about her goodbye :-(
Champ has been a radical car, but at least he's going to new parents who appreciate his racing stripes as much as we do.

Shan

PS. We came across an advertisement for our next car, check it out:

How rad is it?!

hey hey! ho ho! homophobia's got to go!

As I mentioned a few days ago here, 1 August was Australia’s National Day of Action for Same-Sex Marriage.

Demonstrations were held in every capital city of Australia as our community called for the right to be legally married. Zanne and I were stoked to attend Brisbane's rally - we waved our placards and screamed our lungs out for same-sex marriage.

The result of our collective efforts?:

"Gay rights advocates lost a backroom battle at the ALP National Conference to advance the recognition of same-sex couples.

Instead Labor agreed to a compromise removing the explicit definition of marriage being between a man and a woman from its national platform.

And across the country Labor will continue towards a nationally-consistent framework for the registration of same-sex unions."

Read The Age's full article here.

It is a disappointing result however, as Corey Irlam from the Australian Coalition for Equality notes, it is a positive change:

"For the first time ever the Australian Labor Party has the words lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex in their platform."

We have a ways to go, but I believe we'll get there eventually. Why? Well, because figures suggest the majority of Australians support same-sex marriage, and further, because last Saturday there were hundreds of people in Brisbane all passionately yelling:

What do we want?
Same-sex marriage!
When do we want it?
Now!
And how we gonna get it?

Fight for it!

And I honestly believe we're all gonna fight for it. As I mentioned here peeps, write to the government, take action!

Shan

PS. Kat of Rock n Roll Bride has also blogged about Australia’s National Day of Action for Same-Sex Marriage. Read her post and see photos of the demonstations in Melbourne here.

another pumpkin update

My colleague Erika used her pumpkin to make scones and pumpkin soup. The pumpkin circle of life is complete.