Birthday parties are chaotic

Life is rolling past very fast at the moment. Still don't know Mum's fate  and in the meantime I have been busy with work and a couple of extra meetings at work to try to get set to go up to Qld if I am needed. I am realising how 'involved' I am with art classes, work, and a photography class due to start.  If I have to go up to Queensland I need to be free to leave so  I have been organising refunds or transfers to other classes and I feel a real tug at my heart leaving Ziggy. We have been having the best time on our Tuesday's together. His imagination is so vibrant. 

Last week it was a mini monster in the botanical gardens we were playing with. A group of Chinese tourists must have thought I was completely looney talking to imaginary monster dads about taking his mini monster to the children's gardens with us!

The big excitement is that Jetstar released incredibly cheap flights to Japan.  I booked flights to Tokyo so we can go on the Komano Kodo trek. I have persuaded Kim & David, Bill & Irene and Anne to join me. It isn't till May next year but the flights were so cheap we just had to do it. Now I am doing my Japanese research. It was all such a flurry because the flights go so quickly!

On Saturday it was Ziggy's party for his third birthday. The theme was Teenage mutant ninja turtles so there were ninja turtle masks and cloth eye masks. The party was held at the park and his friends from Childcare were invited. They are a lovely little multicultural group of girls and boys and there parents as well as the aunts, uncles family friends and the Grandmothers.

Trying to keep an eye on a plethora of kids, slipping down the fast slide with different kids( their parents couldn't fit or weren't keen) and listening to the squeals of delight and feigned fear as they ran helter skelter made it a quite tiring affair. The food was almost healthy pizzas with ninja turtle printed on the boxes courtesy of Jonathan's graphic skills, lots of really delicious salads which the kids ate and fruit sliced. Then a box of ninja turtle donuts for the cake and later small packets of popcorn. Not a sweet or fairy bread in sight.  The kids had a ball and the parents enjoyed themselves too. I only realised Champagne was on offer when I got home! As the party drew to a close Ziggy asked me to come home to play with his toys. He was so sweet. I left the family after we had all had stiff coffees to go on to the movies with a friend. A Big day.

Guarding the donutsPlaying under the fountain 

 The after party wind down with the girls.

The world shifted slightly

My life has been chugging along steadily. An overnight stay with friends and some early planning for a walk in Japan next year a new interest. My brother-in-law Gary and his wife Micky visiting from Sydney was a delightful distraction.  Getting on with the teaching and enjoying the classes more than last semester. 

The group is small and I have  some students with significant challenges but overall a good group. It is heartening to see some of those students really staring to blossom now. The confidence is growing and I hope their people skills are improving too. The first group work activity has been difficult for one group and I have tried to guide rather than intervene to get them to solve their issues themselves.

I had a freewheeling painting class that I almost didn't attend because I felt too tired but I loved just exploring colour and techniques with different tools. Very abstract but emotional. It was only after a few days I noticed I had splashed my new shoes with paint in my unbridled enthusiasm.  As my darling husband would have said" too much gusto Kath!"

Dawn Csutoros my teacher was curious about the Camino because she feels it is something she is being called to do.  I of course was only too happy to talk about my experiences. She has a colour installation that is touring various churches or spiritual spaces in Europe and is thinking of other places she can exhibit. It seems remarkable to have such a creative artist as my teacher.

Then the bombshell.  Mum has been diagnosed with ( I hope) early stage lung cancer.  The whole family is in shock. She seemed so indestructible. She is so physically well and mentally alert that at 91 she seemed destined to keep on keeping on. The blindness of children. I am still her child even though I am 63 and she has been the constant in our life all that time. It is a reality check because Cancer is a disease of old age or the odds of developing it increase with age. Anyway she isn't dead yet so I shouldn't be talking as if she is about to leave us right now. 

 A photo of the amazing Edna  and me.

We will see what treatment options are offered and how bad it is first. It has disappointed her because she was going to come down for Ziggy's birthday next week and spend some time with him. We have cancelled the flight and the same might happen for the New Zealand cruise in late November too. We will wait and see. 

My idea of going to Japan will wait until I have more information. It is only a two week trip so not impossible to do  regardless of what transpires. 

Life isn't predictable so I don't know why we think we can control everything. What will be, will be.