Matthew & Kim

Goodbye Alan

2011-08-04T23:57:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful 18 months with us Alan has gone to the great nap time in the sky.

On July 24th he didn't get up for breakfast and we figured he was having a sleep in as he often did, but when he wasn't up by the afternoon we went looking for him. He wasn't on his bed in the kennel or even under the bed in the kennel. We searched the backyard, down the side of the shed, in the shed, around by the water tank, in our new garden beds. He wasn't anywhere to be found. But we did find a hole going into our neighbours backyard. We left a note for them but couldn't get in touch with them for days. In the meantime we notified the pounds, the rangers, all the veterinary surgeries near by and put up signs at the shops, parks and big intersections. We even visited the police who were going to try to help us get in touch with our neighbours the next day, but finally after eleven days, we caught them at home and found they had no idea what had happened to Alan and there was no way he could have gotten out of their yard.

For what felt like the millionth time but was probably more like the fifth, we searched our backyard for him and finally found him. On July 23rd after a day of naps on the couch, cuddles with his favourite person in the sunshine, an early dinner and bedtime with Denny his best buddy, he had curled up inside the mattress of the dog bed and had gone to sleep and not woken up again. We're relieved that he died peacefully doing one of his favourite things (sleeping), and despite us not finding him for so long, when the vet came to pick him up he looked just like he was having a nap and didn't even smell anymore than usual (he was a bit of a smelly dog). He has now been cremated and sits in a lovely wooden box with his name engraved on top. We miss him dearly and it seems so strange to not hear his constant farts, snores or snorts or see him waiting at the door or hopping up on the couch for a cuddle. But after at least 13 years on this planet - we'll never know how old he really was - we are thankful that he wasn't in pain and we didn't have to make any difficult decisions about his life.

Of course, the family member who misses him most is Denny who has not coped well at all. He wasn't bothered by Alan's body, but he hasn't known what to do with himself without his best buddy by his side. He hasn't been eating even though he's hungry, or sleeping even though he's tired. He wakes up with panic attacks at 4am each night. He can't be more than a metre away from one of us at anytime and has been sleeping with us on the floor of our room for the first time in his life. We're hoping as time goes on he'll settle a bit but our vet agrees that until he has another doggy friend by his side he's going to have a hard time. We have a lot to think about at the moment but will probably start visiting shelters in the hunt for a new family member in a few weeks.

We have been surprised and really comforted by all the kind messages we've gotten since Al went missing and by the really helpful & lovely people we've met in our search. As sad as it is that we didn't have a happy ending, it's really comforting to know that people care and there were so many people prepared to help us. It's also nice to know that another little old, mostly blind, mostly dead Jack Russell who went missing a few days before Alan did make it home to his family thanks to the actions of another family nearby. It's so good to know we live in a community where people will take the time to make sure much loved pets find their way home.

June Veggie Garden Update

2011-06-28T01:57:00.001-07:00

We don't have much going on in the garden right now since we've been busy building things rather than planting.

But we do have lots of celery, heaps of broccoli plants, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and both of our strawberry plants that are still going strong.

Dogs In The Sunshine

2011-06-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful sunny Winter's day. Both of the boys were enjoying the sunshine while I did some weeding.

Denny looking very serious waiting for me to throw his ball. You can see the new pavers we've put down around the raised garden beds. We still need to put in the grout.

Here's a very cheerful looking Alan hoping he can sneak his way inside with me. He spent the morning sleeping on the decking in the sunshine. He has a hard life. :)

Matthew's Uni Update

2011-06-26T04:35:00.000-07:00

I've just enrolled at Open Uni for two units in Study Period 3 -

And another two units in Study Period 4 -

I've also registered for my degree, which will be a Bachelor of Technology (Information Systems) with Swinburne University, including two minors, one in Business Studies and the other in Economics. I'm half way through the degree now, and expect to finish in 2013.

So far I've completed -

Texts & Contexts
Information Systems & Fundamentals
Programming Concepts
Foundations of Statistics
Information Methods
Electronic Communications and Applications
Introduction to Management
Microeconomics
Cultural Perspectives on Science and Technology
Managerial Support Systems
Database Concepts and Modelling
Project Management

Once I've finished the units I'm currently enrolled in I'll also need to complete -

Environmental Economics
Programming in C
Scripting Language Programming
Business Analysis and Modelling
Accounting Fundamentals
Professional Computing Practice
Human Computer Interaction
Professional Reading & Writing in Information Systems Strategy

Just Planted - Winter Roses

2011-06-25T22:38:00.000-07:00

Today we planted some Winter Rose's under our dwarf peach tree which is looking quite naked at the moment. They're an evergreen that love the shade and should do better than the ground cover we tried first that never seemed to get going. They promise to have beautiful flowers too -

Winter Rose Peggy Sue - Helleborus x orientalis

Paving Progress!

2011-06-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend we finished paving around the veggie garden. It was a big job that was trickier than the paving we've done before with the narrow twists and half a dozen pavers that needed cutting. We still need to put down the grout around them to fill the gaps and hold them in place but we've got to wait for a dryer day for that. The two posts you can see are for a gate that will keep the dogs out. Denny will be very disappointed as he likes being able to see into the lounge room that's on the right of the photo and the pavers make for good ball bouncing ground - that's his favourite ball up on the right.

June Adoption Update

2011-06-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

We've moved up one spot to 3rd on the list. They now estimate we'll start our home study in September.

A New Type of Weed

2011-06-11T23:02:00.000-07:00

Butterhead lettuce growing in the gaps of the pavers.

Birthday Cakes - Flowers & Lego

2011-06-05T22:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had lunch with Matthew's family for his Mum & brothers birthday's. These are the two cakes that I made - white chocolate mudcake on the left and a very rich dark chocolate mudcake on the right.

Construction Complete!

2011-06-04T00:30:00.000-07:00

Soon we can fill it with dirt and all sorts of fruits and veggies.

Slippery Work

2011-05-27T00:31:00.000-07:00

Slow progress in the mud, and I nearly slipped and died.

Slowly it Comes Together

2011-05-21T00:30:00.000-07:00

Doggy area and paving for compost bin!

May Adoption Update

2011-05-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

We're still 4th on the waiting list for a home study.

Progress On The Dog Run

2011-05-01T01:34:00.000-07:00

This has been my view for most of today. We've worked together first leveling the ground, then packing down gravel, then sand, then pavers, followed by more gravel down the side to help hold them in place.

It was cold, wet, dirty work but we got it done.

You can see it's all slowly coming together.

Our 6th Wedding Anniversary - La Boheme

2011-04-30T01:48:00.000-07:00

For our 1st anniversary we saw a one man play called Saving Henry.

For our 2nd anniversary we went a comedy show by Mark Watson.

For our 3rd anniversary we went to the Witches in Britches theatre restaurant.

For our 4th anniversary we saw the musical Wicked.

For our 5th anniversary we went on a two week cruise around the South Pacific.

This year was our sixth anniversary and we went to the opera.

La Boheme was really wonderful. Neither of us had been to the opera before and though it was slightly terrifying to be sitting so close to the edge, we both really enjoyed it. The set was particularly impressive with snow gently falling across one beautiful scene.

It was a beautiful Autumn day, very much like the day we were married, and just down the road from where we had our wedding reception.

After the opera we went for a wander through the NGV - International. There were very few people and it was lovely to walk around and have the place almost to ourselves.

Kim is thinking of using the stained glass ceiling of The Great Hall as inspiration for a cake for the Royal Melbourne Show Decorated Cakes competition.

After the NGV we went for a walk down Southgate and ate gelati as the sun set. It was another beautiful anniversary celebrating a very special moment in our life together.

Home Grown Potatoes

2011-04-29T22:59:00.000-07:00

Today I finally got around to digging up our potatoes. I don't think I'll grow them again because of the amount of space they take up but it was really satisfying to dig them all up.

Blue Skies

2011-04-29T01:13:00.000-07:00

From our backyard you can see all the way to the Kinglake Ranges.

Caterpillars & Butterflies

2011-04-25T01:13:00.000-07:00

We have had an invasion lately. They are eating everything but they are also quite pretty and nice to see flying around the garden. I wouldn't mind them if they didn't eat so much.

Our Friend Mr Frog

2011-04-24T01:16:00.000-07:00

This little guy has been living in the little pond we built that serves as a giant water bowl for the dogs. He's been hanging around for a few weeks growing some legs, and when Alan accidentally licked him while having a drink he didn't seem bothered at all - Alan was quite confused. :)

Since this photo was taken he has moved out of the little pond and we found him under a paver we were moving. He hasn't been seen since, but it was nice having him around for a while.

Lots Of Holes!

2011-04-24T00:27:00.000-07:00

What we achieved with a new post Hole digger!

Home Grown Tomatoes

2011-04-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

This tomato season was a bit hit and miss. We ended up with about 7 plants from my Pa and only one of them did really well. Of the others, half slowly died or idled along but never did anything, while the other half produced some fruit but never ripened. This plant here started small in January but had taken over most of the veggie garden by March when it was still fruiting but nothing was ripening. It was also full of caterpillars and starting to crush our new little celery seedlings so we pulled it out today after picking about 20 more green tomatoes. Hopefully next season will be a better one.

Big Plans

2011-04-17T01:34:00.000-07:00

We have big plans to build a much bigger raised veggie garden around the small one we built a few months ago. Looking out from the back of the house it will go around the original veggie garden in a horseshoe, with a small garden bed of lavender on the left which will look onto the lawn area; at the back there will be a dog run which will have the dog kennel at one end and will go up to the right where there will be a dog poop area with lots of tanbark and a raised paved area for the compost bin next to the water tank. When it's all done we'll also pave around the inside of the veggie garden where it's currently more like a swamp than anything else.

April Adoption Update

2011-04-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

We're still waiting to start our home study and are 4th on the list. They estimate we'll start our home study some time in June.

Cuddles

2011-04-02T01:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Isi & Annie are best friends. Especially when it's cold. :)

Birthday Cakes - Aston Martin DBS

2011-03-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

For Matthew's James Bond themed party he asked for a Aston Martin DBS cake. I found blueprints for the car online and used them to shape the cake before covering it in buttercream and fondant and adding all the little details. I decided to keep it simple given how much else I needed to do to prepare for the parties.