Seahorses and Nannying

Tuesday, May 29- 

So maybe I shouldn’t have swam in such cold water… I’m sick L

So, I stayed in and worked on my Blog, talked on skype with Gretch for 2 ½ hours, and then caught up with Granny and Paps.  Amy came over with Nix and we played with him while doing laundry.  Then I taxied the kids to ballet and soccer, then made dinner.  I went to my bible study in the evening.  This was our last new group meeting.  Then off at 9:45 to Manly Wine with Mary. Yay for more girl time.  

Wed, May 30th- still sick, grocery shopping, blog, kids to soccer, dinner

Thursday, May 31

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/view-image.htm?gid=7857

I had a dream about seahorses last night.  This led to my research and discovery of native seahorses.

Below is an article on Seahorses in Sydney:
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/seahorses-thrive-on-shark-nets-expert-20090519-bdqw.html

Seahorses are fascinating marine organisms; these creatures are bony, scale-less fish, with equine-like facial features.  Seahorses swim upright, unlike most fish.  They also have flexible, well-defined necks.  What I find most interesting about Seahorses is their courtship and mating rituals.  

"True Courtship Dance", prior to mating

Baby Seahorses

Before breeding, Seahorses court for several days.  The male approaches the female. They begin to flirt under the sea, changing colors as they swim side by side, holding tails.  They fratrenize closely, gripping onto the same seaweed.  They even perform a "pre-dawn dance" in unison which leads to a "true courtship dance".  After this pleasant soiree, the couple lets go of any anchors and drifts upwards, spiraling, snout to snout.  The female then deposits up to 1,500 eggs in the male's frontal pouch.  The male carries the eggs for 9 to 45 days.  (In other words, the male is the pregnant mate in this scenario, i.e. role reversal.)  


Watch this beautiful video of the courtship dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvGRVWGpdNg


Depending on size, Seahorses can birth anywhere from 5 to 1,500 babies.  Most, however, have around 100-200 young.  When the male gives birth, the couple no longer cares for the young.  Because there is no protected gestation, the survival rate is less than 1% for these tiny upright swimmers, hence the large litters.  Talk about every seahorse for himself.  These little guys have to grow up from the moment they slip into this world. 

Pygmy Seahorse, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
http://underwater.com.au/image/id/9502-pygmy-seahorse/

In my Aquatic Science class in high school, I studied the Leafy Sea Dragon.  This large and special type of Seahorse adapts to its environment with leafy appendages, camouflaging it in the seagrass. 

Leafy Sea Dragon, South Australia

Enlightening Documentary on Leafy Sea Dragons in Australia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuI4ncViU4Y 

In my neck of the woods:

I hope to find Seahorses holding on to the Wharf nets in the swimming pool.  Unfortunately, they are said to disappear during the winter months (June-August), potentially in deep water, so I may not spot any.  I'm just so fascinated with the male pregnancy and overall physical attributes of the seahorse.  I would also love to scuba dive in South Australia and see the Leafy Sea Dragons, but I don't know if I'll make it there this go round.  Some day though.    

After researching much on Seahorses, I worked on my blog.  Then, I met up with the sister of Amy’s host mom.  She has two kids she needs me to watch a couple days a week.  They are 1 and 4.  I figured I could use the extra money for my music video project and future travels.  I’ll watch them during the day while my other kids are in school.  It’s nice because Amy and I can watch the cousins together. It reminds me of growing up with my cousins.  We were all around the same age and inseparable.  I hope to raise kids with my sisters too.

Friday, June 1- I made breakfast, took Stef to school, babysat Ollie and Asher while the kids were in school, picked up Stef, took her to hip hop, fed them dinner and then, at 8:00pm- time off! I went to Amy’s to get ready.  We left one minute late which led to us missing not one but two buses….so we were 2 hours late to meet up with Mary in Manly.  It wasn’t that great of a night.  Public transportation can get old after awhile… I just need a private driver…hmmm… not a bad idea.  

Saturday, June 2^nd – It was pouring outside so Amy and I watched Vampire Diaries and ordered pizza for lunch and Thai for dinner.  We were total bums but it was definite bonding time.  We caught funny lines like “cool as a cucumber” that we now use on a regular basis. 

Sunday, June 3rd- I went to my Redemption class at 2pm and then met Jo at 5:30.  Jo is the wife of one of the assistant pastors at St. Matts.  She’s hilarious and chill. I’m so excited to get to know her better.  Then I went to church at 6:30. 

Monday, June 4^th- We had a momentary fiasco with Stef- she didn't inform me of a project she had to turn in today… It was an oral presentation.  So I worked on it with her early in the morning and we fortunately made it to school in time, notecards in hand. Bullet dodged.  So, I still had the day to myself- I went to my beach, Curl Curl, to cut back bushes and make a trail to my spot on the cliffs.  I found a videographer that can work with me on my music video.  He even lives in Manly.  It looks like my dream is coming to a reality!  However, since the spot where I want to film is on a remote cliff, I needed to forge a way for us to get the harp up there.  So, today was "cut-back-trail-through-forest-to-cliff-dream-spot" day.  No biggie.  Others may call this insane- pruning a trail to record and play the harp at one of the more difficult spots in Australia... But for me- I had to do this.  I saw myself playing here, and so I was going to. So gardening day it is.  We'll record this Saturday, the 9th.  I hope it doesn't rain.  It's been raining on and off for the past several weeks.  Say your prayers...

Curl Curl Ocean Pool

Monday, May 28^th

7:00am- Wake Up

7:15am- Make scrambled eggs and bacon for kids

            -Clean kitchen and dishes

            -sweep and tidy living room

            -Help Stef get ready for school

            -Pack lunches

            -Send Mark off to the bus

            -Help Stef clean room

8:40am-Drive Stef to school

9:00am-Sheets in the wash

9:30am-Work on blog

11:00am-go to Curl Curl

11:30am-Swim laps in ocean pool

2:00pm- Shower, change, rinse wet suit

3:00pm- Pick up Stef

3:15pm- Make kids snacks, go through backpacks, help with homework

4:15pm- Leave for swimming

4:30pm-Swimming Lessons

5:30pm- Cook Dinner: Pork Tenderloins with sautéed mushrooms and onions with a side of mashed potatoes and corn

6:30pm-Wash dishes, clean kitchen, talk with Emila

7:30pm- help with homework, read with Stef

8:00pm- iron clothes, Blog, Facebook, quiet time

Best part of the day- Swimming laps in the ocean pool! SOOO cool. I forgot how much I love it.  I haven’t been in awhile to Curl Curl because it’s autumn here now.  But today was a little warmer, so I thought I’d slip on my wet suit and grin and bear it.  When I tip- toed into the water, a chill went up my spine.  It was much colder than I anticipated.  However, I remembered Granny swimming in the cold water well into winter back home and simply saying it was “fresh”, so with her as my inspiration, I plunged in. 

I swam laps in the ocean pool with my snorkel and mask so I wouldn’t have to worry about taking breaths, and instead was able to enjoy the aquatic life below me. 

The fish were very lively today.  The shells seemed even more bright and diverse.  I have a fancy snorkel that allows you to dive down into the water without letting any water come in, so you can start breathing right away when you surface.  This proved useful when several waves came crashing over the barrier on top of me.  I was a little frightened at first, of their sheer magnitude.  It’s critical to stay closer to the reef in the pool and further away from the wall, so when the wave comes in, you don’t get smashed against the wall.  It makes swimming laps much more interesting, that’s for sure.  But I had my trusty snorkel on so I could breath fine, even when the waves came pounding down.  Eventually, due to the chill, I couldn’t feel my fingers or toes.  So I decided to call it a day and made my way back to my free parking space, just 20 minutes walking distance. Free is free. 

Whenever I swim, snorkel or dive, I always make up my own soundtrack in my head of what I’m experiencing.  I wish I could make those songs come to life, or hear them for real while I’m exploring the world under the surface.  It truly is incredible. 

If I could listen to my ipod while swimming, I would listen to the Avatar soundtrack.  And that gives me a thought-  someone should make underwater ipods.  I would invest. Swimming laps to a beat or favorite song would be awesome. Just an idea. 

Harps and Lawn Bowling

Monday, May 21^st

We woke up early to drive back to Townsville before my flight at 2.  The countryside was gloomier on the way back, with heavy rainfall.  No wonder it’s so green here.

The kindle is a traveler’s best friend.  My flight was delayed but I didn’t mind at all because I was happily in another world with my kindle and ipod.  When we did board the plane, I quickly nestled into my seat, unfortunately not a window seat this time. Sad day.  I continued to read until we made it to Sydney.  It was tragic to watch the sun flicker on the seats but not really be able to see what was just outside the window.  I can only imagine what the sunset must have looked like over Sydney.  It was painful for me to not be in a window seat but I made it, just barely.  Then, I exited the plane, ready for my long trek back home via train, bus and then car.  Tired but back in Frenchs Forest, I walked in only to find…. the harp!!! Jerry picked up the rental harp while I was away and it’s now here!! I was so excited.  I started screaming and found nail clippers right away.  I can’t bare the sounds of long nails on a harp.  Then I tuned the harp.  Once all tuned, I sat down and started to play.  This 36-string lever harp has a surprisingly full sound.  I was so impressed and delighted.  My fingers instantly remembered what to do and danced on the strings, making music to my heart.  I was one with the harp. I was whole.  What a perfect ending to a wonderful weekend of adventure and exploration.  I could express those feelings through my music.  I let out a big sigh through my notes and released the songs in my head that had been trapped momentarily.  The wheels in my head started turning.  I will play this harp on the cliffs at Curl Curl.  

Friday, May 25^th- 

I skipped over to Amy’s to get ready after work. We went into the city for the light show on the Opera House, but we were too late for the main production.  It was still neat to see images projected on the shell rooftops of the Opera House. 

Then we meandered into an Irish pub and talked over a beer.  We took the ferry back to Manly to meet up with a few of Amy’s friends.  I love water transportation.  Then I spent the night with Amy and watched Glee episodes.  Overall good night.

Saturday, May 26^th

I had to watch the kids while Emila and Jerry went to a school function.  Amy came over to have a fun game night with the kids.  We splurged and got KFC and then played a bored game, card game and Just Dance.  We couldn’t stop laughing.  Once the kids went to sleep, Amy and I watched “How I Met Your Mother” with a glass of wine.  I love that show!

Sunday, May 27

What a sunny and fresh day!  We woke up and I made pancakes for the fam and Amy.  Then we made our way to lawn bowling, an outdoor sport in Australia, similar to pin bowling.  The object of the game is to roll weighted balls as close to the "jack" or "kitty" at the other end of the flat green.  Amy and I were the only bowlers under the age of 50.  I have to say, I really liked the sport and demographic it tends to allure.  We were the out-of-country, backs-not-hurting, legs-still-working, hair-not-greying celebrities. The Roseville Lawn Bowling club was having a recruitment day.  They taught us how to bowl, had us for free lunch and a beer.  We socialized with our new elderly friends and then said good-bye, hopeful of returning.  It was legendary. And I wasn't half bad at this outdoor bowling.  It's difficult to judge how the ball is going to curve or how hard to toss/roll the ball.  But it makes for an interesting sport. 

After snapping back to reality, Mary and I met at a bistro for hot chocolate and caught up.  We also ate dinner at the Stein Hotel on the beach.  It was yummy.  At 6:30pm I made my way to church.  It’s great knowing a lot of people at church now.