You know you have been away from the UK for a long time when ....

[ghosty]

... You have no idea who the Slebs in the "In The News" thread are...
I have NO idea who Lily Allen or Fran Lyons are
(one's had a miscarriage and the other has had a baby)

[TabithaTwitchett]

Get Heat magazine for the Lily Allen type gossip, but I have no idea about Fran and have never been away!

[ghosty]

And from where would I procure Heat magazine pray tell??
Ooops, sorry, still in Georgette Heyer mode ...
I don't think you can get Heat magazine here (Australia). And the magazines here go on about american slebs (Brangelina - yawn) and obscure (to me anyway) Aussie Rules Footie stars or Home and Away stars.

[TabithaTwitchett]

I got Heat for a friend when in Boston from Borders. Don't know if they have that in AU though. They do have a website heatworld.com with the latest. It is only rubbish gossip but it gets me through my commute!

[ghosty]

Ah, OK, Keith Allen's daughter you say? I LOVE him - rather dishy in an older man who is a bit Bad kind of way ...
Good for Fran though, not that I know the story but ......

[eidsvold]

ghosty - they played that Robin Hood series on ABC last year.

I did not know who she was until dh told me. I also had to ask who Leslie Ash was but I plead aussie who had a brief sojourn in the UK as my excuse.

[ghosty]

I was in NZ up until April eidsvold so I probably missed it

I can see how MNers would lose sleep over KA - I got sweaty palms watching Bodies on UKTV ...

[ghosty]

mile palpitations? Sorry, I am all overcome ... I meant mild ...

[OverRated]

My mum always brings me a copy of OK or something similar and I never know who the celebrities are. I do know who Fran is (from MN) and Lily Allen too (played a lot on local radio station here). I do not know who Keith Allen is though.

New 20 pound notes? What else has happened?

[OverRated]

I love the new Lily Allen song!

[ghosty]

I heard that there is a different Prime Minister OR ...

[OverRated]

lol

Actually, that's not really funny because I still think Tony Blair is the Prime Minister.

[eidsvold]

ghosty - am fine - just very anxious over dd1 starting prep ( 1st year of formal schooling.)

She will do three days mainstream and two days special ed unit - very very very nervous about how mainstream will go. Staff are very keen and seem very lovely - but more concerned about other parents and children. Anyway - dd1 is all ready to go - uniforms, school bags, lunch bags and boxes, cool bricks and so on all prepared. She is raring to go - I am packing it!

Been hot enough in Melbourne for you??

[ghosty]

Ah ... bless her little heart ... is she really really excited about it all? It's a big deal when your PFB starts school anyway but obviously you have more worries than most. It sounds like a great school and they are putting all the right things in place to start her off well.
I remember on DS's first day I stared at the clock ALL day and was half an hour early at pick up time (the first parent in the playground)as I was so worried about being late ...
Nice and cool today at 23 degrees - I nearly put a jumper on earlier

[Starmummy]

Ghosty 21 degrees or thereabouts here for the last 2 weeks, have body warmer and jumper on!!! Ds in flip flops and hoodie . Has also been raining - alot!!! ie 4 inches a day, cars floating down the road, roundabouts submerged. had forgotten all about rain, it hadnt rained for at least a year. Everything is so lovely and green now.

Good luck to eidsvold dd.

[ghosty]

Where are you Starmummy?
We were excited watching the news last night to see that Melbourne had 4mm of rain
I never thought I would love rain (as in Auckland it rains for about 8 months out of 12) but right now my kids are outside jumping in puddles and loving it!

[eidsvold]

you don't dare moan about the rain - we have had soo little. Where friends of mine live - country QLD - their local creek/river has not run for three years!! at the moment they seem to be in a rain shadow and so are missing out again.

Oh ghosty that will be me too - get there far too early for fear of missing her.

Dd1 keeps talking about big school/prep all the time. We had to take her booklet to show grandma yesterday and again today when we went to visit my db and sil. She was telling them all about it using her little intro book.

A week and a bit to go.

[eidsvold]

you don't dare moan about the rain - we have had soo little. Where friends of mine live - country QLD - their local creek/river has not run for three years!! at the moment they seem to be in a rain shadow and so are missing out again.

Oh ghosty that will be me too - get there far too early for fear of missing her.

Dd1 keeps talking about big school/prep all the time. We had to take her booklet to show grandma yesterday and again today when we went to visit my db and sil. She was telling them all about it using her little intro book.

A week and a bit to go.

[ghosty]

Eidsvold - plan something lovely to do on her first day ... with your other two dds obviously ... don't spend the whole day at home - you will first cry then spend most of the time thinking, "I wonder what she is doing now" and "I hope she liked her lunch" and stuff like that. You will do that anyway but if you at home alone it feels a bit lonely ...
I have one more year before my PLB (Precious Last Born) starts school ... I am already feeling wobbly ... am terrified I may do something silly this year, like have another baby to combat the pending Empty Nest

[happychappy]

I know I live overseas when your kids sings italian cheese adverts

[happychappy]

I know I live overseas when your kids sings italian cheese adverts

[eidsvold]

ghosty - will probably go for coffee with a friend whose first born is also starting prep and going to the same school as dd1. Her dd1 also has sn. So hoping she has nothing on and we can go for coffee and commiserate!

I know what you mean - I am thinking about what I will do when no3 starts school and she is not even 1!!!! Dh has a plan - go back to work !