MEGA CRYSTALS

The Mega Crystals of Naica mine!

I just LOOVE minerals and rocks - have been fascinated with them all my life. Probably comes from fossicking in Outback Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia with my parents when I was a child. Digging around in the old mine rock heaps and finding those precious gems! Nothing more than treasured rocks as a child - but now worth soo much more, not to mention the sentimentality. (Even my engagement ring is one of these "rocks"!)

So when I saw this article I was awestruck by the wonders of what our earth can create with a little human intervention!

http://news.discovery.com/earth/naica-big-pics.html

Note how dangerous it is for these people to enter these caves - not only the threat of being impaled on one of these crystals - but the shear intensity of the heat!

Yobbo Aussies

I hate using this term! BUT I hate it even more that it is actually true. It is a disgrace that people are acting in such stupid and unsafe ways, let alone sending it out for the world to watch on youtube! It really makes me sad that my "home" country and more specifically the area in which I used to live is portrayed in such a way. I loved spending time on Fraser Island when I was younger - it's a pity it is receiving soo much negative media attention of late.

It is an extremely selfish act not only to the other Island users but for the people that are involved in helping should something go wrong - the Island is not connected to mainland. There are limited Emergency Services available on the Island and usually a helicopter must be bought in to take people to hospital. There have been MANY accidents recently on the island due to unsafe driving and lack of knowledge in how to 4wd on sand. People don't think that they need to obey the road rules on the island and disregard the conditions that they are driving in.

See the article below for the full story.

http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/story/2010/02/11/youtube-yobbos-fraser-disgrace-disgusted-viewers-c/

Yobbo Definition: (British slang) A rowdy, a ruffian, a hooligan, a disruptive, annoying young man. (www.yourdictionary.com)

Fraser Island is definitely one of the world's most beautiful places. It's a pity some "YOBBOS" have to go and ruin this image for others! Not to mention risk other people's lives who are also driving on those beaches.

http://www.fraserisland.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Fraser_Island

HOWEVER I would strongly suggest that if you are thinking of visiting Australia then Fraser Island should be on your list of must sees! There are many beautiful parts of the island and some luxury resorts that are "YOBBO" free!

Chikoo Ice Cream

On the odd occasion i like to get some Mango ice cream from TROPICAL in Al Khuwair. It's home made and really creamy. This time being a little adventurous, as I have no idea what the various other ice cream flavours are (they have Indian names for many of them), I decided to try the other flavours. So I ask the guy behind the counter if I can try the Chickoo ice cream. After tasting it and being completely surprised - it was actually very delicious, I asked him what Chickoo is and he looks at me with surprise and says it's a fruit - like I should know what it is! Well I have never heard of this fruit before and actually don't even recognise it after googling it!

So according to Wikipedia -

Sapodilla (Manilkara achras [Mill. (Fosberg)]) is a long-lived, evergreen tree native to southern Mexico, Central America and the West Indies.^[1] It is grown in huge quantities in India, Mexico and was introduced to the Philippines during Spanish colonisation.
Sapodilla is known as chikoo ("चिक्कू" or "chiku," "चीकू,") in Pakistan & India and sapota in some parts of India (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka)

I have not seen and did not know that London Dairy make a version of it as well - BUT i must say Tropical's home made version is good enough for me! Mango is OUT for awhile!

BoReD

Don't feel like writing at the moment - have too much to catch up on - too much to say, don't know where to start... Well I do feel like writing just not updating on the last few months!

Too tired, a little sick, injured neck, bored - don't want to rest - but no energy to get up and do what I want to do...

maybe some rest this morning and get out with the kids in the afternoon!

Need to get out and about - see more of Oman before we leave!

Less than 5 months to go till we move!

Our couch is sold and gone - I wonder what will be next? Don't want an empty house still have to live!

I have started doing a photography course - not a technical how to course - more of a (well I can't exactly put it into words) see the world through your camera/photography as a journey - I still can't find the right words to express how I see it! Only 1 class and I already feel like I look at photography from a different perspective! Can't wait to get the camera out - but again no energy to go outside and too dark inside the house to get the shots I want!

Got to get better - have to work tomorrow!

This Wed night (beginning of our weekend) we are going to Ali Campbell Concert. Then what to do where to go on the weekend! Beautiful weather!

My Kiln

About time I actually put a pic of my kiln up...

So here it is Paragon Caldera with Bead Collar added, so I can make my glass beads.

It really is a great little kiln for lampwork bead making. I haven't had the time to test it with clay yet. I really need to make the time to do it!

PACKING PACKING and repacking for Europe - traveling with 2 kids to a cold place certainly requires a lot more clothing than previously estimated. We have certainly spent a lot of money buying a lot of jumpers and tracksuit pants that will only be used for possibly the next 3 weeks in the cold. (Well there is always Australia in June - but that's if it is cold AND if they haven't grown out of them - which my second child seems to be doing faster than his older brother did. Maybe he is going to have his father's height!)

I am starting to get excited!

HE GOT THAT JOB

WOOO HOOO!

Ok so my husband got the job and next June we will sadly be leaving Oman. Home to Australia for a few weeks then to Singapore in August to start our new life there....

I am EXCITED BUT i think because it is soo long till we move that a little of the excitement is gone as the waiting has set in...

What can I do. Too early to pack or organise anything really. Go on living life like normal - but no. Every time I have been shopping the last couple of weeks I think NO shouldn't buy that or wouldn't the kids love that - NO - cause I HAVE to downsize.

So the camping stuff is pretty much sold. Did that today. Yesterday I sorted out under the stairs and now have a room with stuff to sell in it - lots of baby stuff etc that we don't need to take with us. Then only the stuff we intend to keep went back under the stairs.

Crazy you are probably thinking - BUT this time I figure if I do little by little it won't be such a burden to sell all the things we don't want to take with us at the end just before we send off our shipping. When we moved here from Germany I only had a couple of weeks and that was not fun.

Don't get me wrong though we are not living in a half packed up house for the next few months. All I am doing is getting rid of the excess (and we have way too much stuff that we don't use) so I don't have as much to sell at the last minute.

BUT next week we are off to Europe for a 3 wk holiday. A cold winter YEEES! Don't know how I feel about it yet but anyway... have pulled all our winter clothing out and bought heaps more for the 2 boys. My youngest has never experienced COLD and oldest who was born in Germany does not really remember what COLD is like either. So it is going to be an adventure. After a 45 degree + summer here it is going to be fun. My brother is also living in the UK now and will be great to visit him.

OH BUT I AM REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS IN EUROPE - a white Christmas would really be nice!

To go or stay!

Ok so this is probably a little bit of a follow on from (or perhaps reason why I wrote) the previous blog. But now I can actually talk about what's going on.

So my husband has an interview in Singapore on Friday! There were nearly 1000 applicants for around 20 jobs and at the time we thought he had absolutely no chance. We do have friends that work at this school and put in a good word - so this probably contributed a lot!

But after the initial excitement of going somewhere new and after it sank in and the reality that he wouldn't probably even get an interview, I had resigned myself to staying and was actually hoping he wouldn't get an interview. So typically after we had decided that it was a no go - the next day he gets the offer! So I had mixed feelings of course! BUT now I am actually quite happy to go. There are many benefits of living in Singapore.

1. We will be soo much closer to home - only 7 hr direct flight!!!
2. Huge diverse expat population.
3. Many activities and experiences for kids.
4. Great professional dev opportunities for my husband and myself.
5. I can continue to stay at home with the kids.
6. Still have a housemaid.
7. Great public transport.
8. Easy to travel to other countries.
9. I can continue silversmithing, beading, glass bead making etc
AND
10. Easier for family and friends to come to us!

There are lots more and I could go on and on...

So now here's hoping he has a successful interview and we can plan to move!!! But it won't be until June that we leave here and Aug that we move to Singapore