30 March, 2011

Footy Tipping 101

It was a baby-fest at TP Hospital on Friday! We were celebrating the return to town of one of our doctors, who has recently had twins (one of each) and one of our nurses, who just had her 4th baby (a boy after 3 girls!). Also in attendance were a couple of other recent TPH staff offspring and lovely neighbour/colleague whose second babe is due in May. I don't know what was more delicious...the splendid morning tea (nurses do an awesome morning tea!) or the babies.
Hmm, I clucked more than chooky-la-la. The talk of the morning was that one of our other docs is about to get his vasectomy license!! It seems many of the women of TP have put their partners on the waiting list, Ade and I are out in front with regards to this trend!!!
Here's another fantastic Pilbara sunset...
Little bit of trumpet blowing now...I am taking part (for the first time ever) in a footy-tipping comp. For the non-Aussies/ non-betting: Australian (Rules) Football League (AFL) season has just started and I am in a TPH competition to tip the winners in each round. I tipped 8/8 in Round 1!!!! Allow me to let you into my secrets...
I tipped Carlton because I like Rebecca Twigley who is from Perth and, despite being very beautiful and stylish chose terrible bridesmaids dresses for her pals (she's married to Chris Judd who plays for Carlton).
I tipped Geelong over St Kilda because The Secret Life of Us was filmed in St Kilda and all of those brats irritated me at some point and I'm only just forgiving Joel Edgerton. Also my pal Jo currently lives in Geelong (although may be moving to Bali soon, which is nearer to TP than Geelong is!!).
I tipped Collingwood beacuse Chris would be disappointed in me if I didn't ;)
I tipped the Eagles and the Dockers because I am one of a minority of West Aussies who cares little for either side and so can tip both.
I tipped Sydney and Adelaide because neither are Victorian sides (I believe 'footy' is a Victorian invention and certainly the league is Victorian heavy), I am a believer in a fair go for every state!!
So, you'll understand that I am likely to tip the same teams each week, and subsequently am unlikely to be able to sustain my lead!
On the trumpet blowing theme: I was in TP's unexpectedly good gift shop, Curio Corner, last week when a fellow customer started raving about me to her visiting mother, "Mum, this is the fantastic nurse I told you all about who was so brilliant when little Johnny had one of his dreadful migraines" (there were superlatives but I can't remember exactly which ones!). I was chuffed :)

27 March, 2011

8 drumsticks

Chooky-la-la wasn't alone for long, she has been joined by three hen-pals with a laying pedigree (although the heat is still delayin' the layin' for most of the TP chooks- or so I am told...).
Henny, Penny and Jenny (who is making sure Penny has some tail feathers to shake).
The latest additions are called Henny, Penny and Jenny (acknowledgements to Pop re names). Chooky-la-la is an 'Isa Brown', if someone out there can help me identify H, P & J's breed I would be v grateful.
It was my intention that they wouldn't have to contemplate the axe unless we went 6 months without an egg, however today they ate my seedlings...
I would set the cat on them but he has rather lost his nerve now that he's outnumbered :)
Ade requested that I post this picture of one of his new work colleagues...
I don't think she's very pretty.
Last night the TP Drive-In was in operation, the double feature was a fundraiser for TP SHS.
Rotten pics coutesy of m'iPhone, Pentax is back but ran out of battery juice :(
They showed 'Yogi Bear' which we stayed for and 'The Next Three Days' which we didn't; this was due to young children and not Russell Crowe but today I found this review: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2010/aug/25/russell-crowe-the-next-three-days
and I was both pleased and disappointed to have missed it! Could have lived without Yogi Bear but the girls enjoyed the movie and the opportunity to hang out with their pals.
Esther awaits complete darkness!
Today I played netball............................(long pause for effect).........................I haven't played since school and by 'school' I mean primary school so I you-tubed netball all of yesterday for tips and a rules refresher! Today was grading, A or B. I probably could've saved myself the embarrassment of actually playing since I am definitely a B minus. I rolled both ankles, not the best start to the season, and was completely exhausted despite not even playing a full game. Still, for me it's about exercise and camarardarie and I'm hoping there are other gals of a similar age/standard in the B minus grade to make it a level playing field (court!).
Me, rubbish in defense :(
  Postscript: it is the next morning and I HURT all over!

24 March, 2011

Delivery boy

Byblos didn't provide a happy working environment so Ade quit. 55 hour weeks are only tolerable if you're enjoying your job so he had the full support of L, F & E.
He spent his 2 week hiatus on home duties, doing the school run and parent roster, cooking, cleaning and 4-wheel-driving (!). However, he wasn't unemployed for long  (a lot of work in this town if you have accommodation!).
This week he started working for Pilbara Foods, a small, friendly, family-run business that supplies and delivers food to mine sites, construction and exploration camps across the Pilbara. He drives a refrigerated truck and is having a blast. I have asked him to take photos so we can all see what the rest of the Pilbara looks like.
Ade's truck.
Spoke to my dad yesterday and found myself explaining what 'the Pilbara' is. So for his benefit I have borrowed some info from Wikipedia:

Pilbara

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Pilbara region according to the Regional Development Commissions Act 1993
North of the Pilbara looking south at the range
The Pilbara (pronounced as "Pillbra") is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia known for its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore.

Etymology

The WA Gas Industry claims that the region takes its name from pilbarra, an Aboriginal word for the mullet and that the name was derived from the Pilbara Goldfield, discovered in 1885, which was itself named after Pilbara Creek (originally spelt "Pilbarra") a tributary of the Yule River.
Alternatively, Wangka Maya (Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre) says in its publication Bilybara (p. ii) that it derives from the name for the Pilbara region in Nyamal and Banyjima, bilybara meaning 'dry'.

Location and description

Under the Regional Development Commissions Act Pilbara is situated south of the Kimberley, and is made up of the local government areas of Ashburton, East Pilbara, Port Hedland and Roebourne.
The Pilbara region covers an area of 507,896 km² (including offshore islands). It has a population of just under 40,000 people, most of whom live in the western third of the region, in towns such as Port Hedland, Karratha, Wickham, Newman and Marble Bar. A substantial number of people also work in the region on a fly-in/fly-out basis.
The Pilbara consists of three distinct geographic areas. The western third is the Roebourne coastal sandplain, which supports most of the region's population in towns and much of its industry and commerce. The eastern third is almost entirely desert, and is sparsely populated by a small number of Aboriginal peoples. These are separated by the inland uplands of the Pilbara Craton, including the predominant Hamersley Range which has a considerable number of mining towns, the Chichester Range and others. These uplands have a number of gorges and other natural attractions. Pilbara contains some of the world's oldest surface rocks, including the ancient fossilised remains known as stromatolites and rocks such as granites that are more than three billion years old.
The climate of the Pilbara is semi-arid and arid, with high temperatures and low irregular rainfall that follows the summer cyclones. During the summer months, maximum temperatures exceed 32°C (90°F) almost every day, and temperatures in excess of 45°C (113°F) are not uncommon.
The Pilbara town of Marble Bar set a world record of most consecutive days of maximum temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) or more, during a period of 160 such days from 31 October 1923 to 7 April 1924.
The Terra satellite captured this image of Cyclone Fay, over the Western Australian coast on March 27, 2004.
Flooding is a major hazard in the Pilbara with periods of torrential rainfall between November and May. Like most of the north coast of Australia the coastal areas of the Pilbara experience frequent tropical cyclones. Due to the relatively low population density in the Pilbara region cyclones rarely cause large scale destruction or loss of life.

Economy

The Pilbara's economy is dominated by mining exports and petroleum export industries.
Most of Australia's iron ore is mined in the Pilbara, with mines mostly centred around Tom Price and Newman. The iron ore industry employs 9000 people from the Pilbara area. The Pilbara also has one of the world's major manganese mines, Woodie Woodie, situated 400 kilometres (250 mi) southeast of Port Hedland.
Iron ore reserves were first discovered by Lang Hancock, and considerable portions of the Pilbara region are still claimed by his daughter Gina Rinehart and the family company Hancock Prospecting continues to gain from its interests in the region - as well as commencing its own mine workings. Blue asbestos was first mined in Wittenoom Gorge in 1943.
Geoscience Australia calculates that the country's "economic demonstrated resources" of iron currently amount to 24 gigatonnes, or 24 billion tonnes. It is being used up at a current rate of 324 million tonnes a year. In the 1960's it was reportedly called "one of the most massive ore bodies in the world" by Thomas Price, then vice president of US-based steel company Kaiser Steel.

The region also has a number of sheep-grazing stations and a substantial tourist sector, with popular natural attractions including the Karijini and Millstream-Chichester national parks, the Dampier Archipelago and the Ningaloo Reef.

Transport

Iron ore train arriving at Port Hedland
The first railway in the Pilbara region was the narrow-gauge Marble Bar Railway between Port Hedland and Marble Bar.
Currently four heavy-duty railways are associated with the various iron-ore mines, with a fifth line proposed to serve the Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. mines. The railways are all standard gauge and are built to the heaviest North American standards. Between 2008 and 2012, Rio Tinto proposes to convert to driverless trains on its railways. An additional 300km line is planned from the Roy Hill mine to a port at Boondarie, near Port Hedland.

Weano Gorge in Karijini National Park

Ecology

The vibrant colours of the outback in Karijini National Park
The dominant flora of the Pilbara is acacia trees and shrubs and drought-resistant Triodia spinifex grasses. Several species of acacia (wattle) trees are endemic to the Pilbara and are the focus of conservation programs along with wildflowers and other local specialities.
The Pilbara is home to a wide variety of endemic species adapted to this tough environment, including dozens of species of stygofauna; microscopic invertebrates which live underground in the aquifers of the region. The Pilbara olive python, the Western Pebble-mound Mouse, and the Pilbara Ningaui of the Hamersley Range are among the many species of animals within the fragile ecosystems of this desert ecoregion. Birds include the Australian Hobby, Nankeen kestrel, Spotted Harrier, Mulga Parrot, budgerigars, and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos.
Wildlife has been damaged by the extraction of iron, natural gas and asbestos but the protection of culturally and environmentally sensitive areas of the Pilbara is now advanced by the delineation of several protected areas including the Millstream-Chichester and the Karijini National Parks.

20 March, 2011

Return of the Pentax

Joy, I found my camera! It was in Esther's toy box (of course!). So this post will be photo heavy...starting with the missing Asian banquet kindly provided by Lauren and Sarah a couple of weeks ago. Sarah has just left, Lauren goes shortly; transiency is the downside of TP :(
Had a bake-athon with the girls yesterday after my morning nap (hurrah for finishing nights). Made Nigella's Butterscotch layer cake. Here it is after baking, Esther thought we might not notice if she nibbled all around it...
Here is the cake after we decorated it/ disguised the nibbles:
We also made lemon syrup loaf cake, it is delish...
We took a trip to K-Mart this morning, got a plastic chair which acts as a step for the girls to help them climb the tree in our backgarden and...
...more pots! The fancy terracotta one on the right was today's best find, it is already planted with capsicum seeds. The other pots are from previous wombles, the seedlings in them are marigolds (2 varieties), poppies and nastursiums. This weekends other sooper-dooper bargain was...
A chicken coop!! Jim-over-the-road was flogging this for $50. Since we're neighbours he gave it to us for $30 with a dozen eggs, feed, shell grit and...
...a chook!
Kidding ;)
Above is dinner, below is Chooky-la-la:
Isn't she cute?
Speaking of cute:
Self portrait

19 March, 2011

What I missed while I was asleep....

Pilbara sunset (actually I did see this, I'd just got up). Isn't it beautiful? This was taken from our front door.

Ade's trek...water crossing.
More from the bush...
So I slept and Ade explored. Hmph, no fair :(
He also did parent roster in Esther's class...
Here she is in her "Indian" head band, the class also made "Indian noises" (hand to mouth 'woo-woo'). Ade said there was no context (!). Not ever so comfortable with this...


17 March, 2011

Nighty-nights

My penultimate night shift tonight (4 of 5!!).
While 'on nights' I work (or watch Foxtel when the good peeps of TP stay well), eat and sleep.
So not much to tell...
Wanted to post though to express LAFE's horror and sadness about the apocalyptic goings on in Japan.
Freya is learning Japanese this year and there has obviously been some talk in her class about the devastation suffered by and facing the country. Her Japanese teacher has a cousin who is missing.
We at Chez Jonker don't pray, but we are believers in positive energy, good vibes and the power of love and we are sending a whole heap of it North and East to the people of Japan and Christchurch xxxxx

14 March, 2011

(M)iPhone

I've lost my camera :(
No worries though, I still have my iPhone (j'adore my iPhone!) so I can still illustrate m'blog:
Did a bit more planting this w/e. The Jonkers lurve the little Pilbara frogs, although their wee-ness makes me suspect that they are only good for snake food and hopeless at controlling the steroid guzzling insects that roam these parts.
Feel like chicken tonight? (Like chicken tonight) Well tough bananas! This morning TP Coles showed how cutting edge it is by being short of food.  http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1214782/Food-shortage-the-next-global-challenge
Cute! However parents more grateful than child me thinks: Lauren and I held him down while Sarah stitched his brow!! Incidentally, loss of camera means loss of photo of Thai-Magnum feast consumed at Sarah's last w/e. It was v v yummy :)
Jamie's 30 minute meals arrived last week (thanks mum, love you x). This is Jamie's chicken pie, I didn't have fresh thyme (seeds not in yet!) so used dried tarragon instead, it was delish.
Esther recycles...breakfast cereal sentry is on permanent duty in our hallway.
Freya and her pal I. The girls had their first TP sleepover last w/e. Freya invited I to stay with us and Esther went to stay at I's house with her little brother. All the kids had a great time.
Accepted! We have been given a booklet with directions to all the local water holes and camp sites. They like us!!!

10 March, 2011

Happy Ending

Patient:   Hello, I'm 36 weeks pregnant and I've been having 'tightenings' since last night.
Nurse:    This patient appears to be in labour.
Doctor:      She has a urinary tract infection and is also a bit dehydrated. Lets give her some intravenous antibiotics, hydration and some other medicine to see whether the tightenings stop.
...
Patient:   I've had 3 doses of this medicine now and the tightenings aren't getting any easier.
Nurse:   This patient had her first baby at 37 weeks, her labour lasted 2 hours.
Doctor:   Braxton Hicks.
Patient: (pushing)
Doctor:   Braxton Hicks.
Nurse: Let's see if we can't find a midwife!!!
Baby:   Waaaahhh!!

Next day...
Doctor: (smiling and a little sheepish) She wasn't in labour you know!

06 March, 2011

Apology

Ahem, it appears that with just a small amount of fiddling (and a prompt from Amanda), I may have enabled anyone to comment on this blog...go on, give it a go!!!
:)

05 March, 2011

Child-care challenge

Hello and thank you to all of you lovely friends and family who read this blog. I know you are out there and enjoying it because of the lovely phone calls, emails, fb messages and comments we get. I also have access to statistics which show me what a popular and widely read blog LunaRover has turned out to be!! Big hugs to our 3 'followers' and those who have 'commented'; these people, it seems, jumped enormous hurdles because blogger requires you to have a royal wedding invitation, or at the very least a Gmail account, before it will allow you to comment!
This post is dedicated to Lisa (xx) who wondered about childcare...
F & E in the staff room, eating breakfast in front of  the Foxtel (ah Foxtel, you are a great babysitter and a totally awesome companion on night shifts!!)
So, when I work an early the girls join me at the hospital. They eat breakfast while I get handover. School starts at 8.00am so just after 7.30am they make their way over to TP Primary.
Walking to school (it's not really raining but the English in them loves nothing more than putting up a brolly!). This photo is taken from the hospital back door and the school is just visible at the end of the street.
The pre-primaries finish at 2.00pm and the kind Mrs Astbury entertains Esther until Freya finishes and collects her 10 minutes after that.Then they walk back to the hospital where they have a further 20-30 minutes in the company of Foxtel (and all the kids whose mums work at the hospital) before we can all go home (I finish at 3.00pm).
They both do a heap of after school activities so I have also called on other mums to assist; each morning we have a pow-wow to make sure everyone knows everyone else's movements!! It's not an ideal arrangement but it has worked so far. Freya has been a marvellous and responsible chaperone for her little sister, we are very proud of them both.
This week was Esther's turn to do the Jonker family proud at the school assembly! She received her honour certificate "for a fantastic effort to the school year and her comprehension of stories". I think maybe E's teacher needs to put a bit more effort into her grammar.
While I'm on an Esther trip...
A bit more awesome Esther art and writing 
I frequently wonder how such plain and photogenically-challenged parents produced such gorgeous daughters :)

03 March, 2011

Fish Truck

Every Wednesday the fish truck comes from Exmouth and spends the afternoon in the community centre car park. It has a smorgasbord of seafood onboard! It's not cheap but the choice...
I bought 3kg of endeavour prawns, 0.5kg goldband snapper fillets and some Norwegian Atlantic salmon portions (not from WA waters but Esther loves pink fish!).