Letter 4 / 12 / 83
Church is on - evening service. James has wandered over there on his own - he just loves being with people. Peter is going over soon. I have bread in the oven, and a pizza for tea. Alison is wandering around near my feet. Two services a day are a bit hard on her - and me looking after her.
Morning sickness has set in with a vengeance, and the tiredness. But I am using my skipping rope every day for exercise, and there are a few hours every day when I feel really good. My mind boggles at the thought of a 16 month old and a new baby - and of course a three-and-a-half year old - but we'll face that when it comes!
Kids growing
Thanks for sending us back the photos from the film we sent. I've promised myself to shoot off most of our next colour film on the kids - James is so tall and slim these days, and Alison is a funny little person.
Its funny seeing her face "frozen" in a photo because she's such a lively character and rarely holds the same expression for long enough to get used to it. She's not a real 'girlie' looking baby (I would have to let her hair grow and keep her in ribbons and frilly dresses ...) but she's well-proportioned, not fat (despite the food she stacks away!) and strong.
Strong-willed too. We had a play-pen sent up from down south - as we have shelves rather than cupboards in the kitchen she gets into all sorts of trouble in there. She likes the play pen - stands up and goes round and round - as long as there is someone nearby.
Pre-wet
Big storm brewing tonight - first rain, we hope. Lightning and gusty wind - James is a bit un-nerved by it.
Its been pretty warm lately. Last night Peter was up at 12.30am (killing rats in the translation house) and checked the thermometer: 28 degrees. It was rather humid and sticky too. But other nights we've commented "Isn't it cool this evening" only to discover its 27 degrees.
The kids both sleep in just nappies. They are like peas in a pod when you see them like that. I put a bottle in Ali's cot and she helps herself 2 or 3 times - I replenish it when I get up to go to the toilet (3 or 4 times most nights).
Holiday and Conference
We like to spend some of our free time camping over on Dawar, one of the two uninhabited islands. We've announced an official holiday for this month (when the boat arrives) to make up for not going to
I guess we'll have to go south about May, under the circumstances to give ourselves time for a holiday in Cairns or somewhere before we travel to Darwin and come under the microscope. I won't be allowed to fly after mid-June.
Branch Conference is the last week of July and first week of August - so everyone will be there (we'll have voting rights this time too) and there'll be friends for James, and Alison, and helpers for us.
All is well
We are all remarkably well. Its "cold-sick" time now as the weather changes, so we are getting stuck into the vitamin C.
The ducks are healthy too - and big! They are now covered in white down, no adult feathers yet. We are expecting the first eggs about Christmas time. We ordered another 12 ducks for friends, and they bought them eagerly. Now there are another 80 fowls (ducks and chooks) on order from
At least people will stop coming to stare at ours. Fr Tabo said, "I think I saw a duck once ... when I was a boy."
