Smitten Saturday : My First Born

So what am I loving just now? Its not what, it's who and I'm reluctant to share in case I jinx it!!

Its my eldest girl. She's been a pretty challenging wee girl since we arrived in Oz, but to be fair she was in the months leading up to this move. I'm riddled with guilt, that we've done the wrong thing for her and her future. She loved her life in Scotland, she had great friends, a great school and at 9 she'd more or less mapped her wee life out. She was secure, confident and really happy!! Then we moved to Australia.

It could well be that her demeanour and behaviour would have been the same in Scotland, it's hard to say, it may have been her hormones, but her and I have been at each other's throats for nearly a year now and it really had started to take its toll on me and her and her daddy! And then this last week, someone somewhere has flicked a switch and my funny, kind, quirky and generally amazing 10 year old daughter has emerged. I'm not sure where she's been or how long it will last, but I've had the most amazing time with her over the school holidays, we've laughed and laughed. Had lovely cuddles, "big" chats about her "future" (she's a pretty determined wee bugger) and generally enjoyed each others company.

I know it might not last, but whilst it does I'm loving it.

Making Friends at 41 Part 1

Before I arrived in Australia, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE told me I'd meet soooooooo many people through the kids!! That has been the case, but what I failed to think about was the friends I was leaving behind. Some of these people have known me over 30 years, some have held my hand through my darkest days, and some have literally made me pee myself laughing, the vast majority have done at least 2 of these and I have to say I miss them out of everything else.

 Since arriving in Perth I've met some great girls, I've also been looked up & down at by more woman than I ever was at high school! You know that look? From the shoes to the top of your head and back down again?? Its not a good thing, I find it really bitchy, OH says I should be flattered!!

At first I would take the little ones to the park daily and hope that someone might talk to me!! (sad but true). For those of you who know my youngest, you will know this was not perhaps the best strategy, she has a tendency to attack other kids like a WWF wrestler, the Australian call it "feral behaviour", the British "spirited". We've never made a friend randomly at the park!!

My next strategy was to hang about the school with the eldest. This proved disastrous! She's year 5 and the "cliques" had been fully formed before I arrived. I unfortunately don't fit into the "stay at home and knit your own knickers" group, nor the "I've got a great career and tons of money" clique. I've yet to find the "drink vodka in the afternoon & pee yourself laughing" clique, but am quietly recruiting members as I write this.

I joined 2 playgroups and have met some great woman through that. The 2 wee ones have met some lovely friends and youngest is starting to learn some social graces.

My netball experiences have been pretty funny, but I'm gonna write that as another blog with some photos.

So where am I at? I've reached the conclusion I'd like to maybe get out and about a bit more, see some bands etc and try and meet some friends with more interests that are the same as me!! Bit depressed to find only person who wants to go to gigs with me is my eldest!! And I don't want to see Bruno Mars.

Smitten Saturday

My lovely friend Sarah has been blogging for a while now, we've even been featured a few times!! (Let's not mention Bob)!!! I'm hijacking her post to try & get me thinking more positively!! 

Weekly we've to write about what we're loving that week, can be anything!! So trying to think about what to write about I thought would be hard, but here it is!! 

I'm an island girl, Isle of Bute,Scotland. The island is teeny & I spent most of my teens desperate to leave and it's only since arriving in Perth I've realised just how much I've missed living by the sea. I'm down there at least 3 times a week, I love the smell and I especially love it when it's raining & the wind is blowing! That doesn't happen much here, but it makes me feel alive. I guess that's a cliche? But I don't know how else to say it. I'm easily drawn in to the daily bullshit of 'things', you know house, car, etc etc. I try not to be, I know it's not important, and I love this move cause its given us a fresh start, but when the anxiety starts to rise, and I question what we've done, the beach is where I head. 

On Bute I can remember loving walking at night when it was almost a gale & knowing that I was alive, that I was part of something bigger. The same is true here in Perth, the sea & being able to take a deep breath is why we're here!