Friday 26 May 2006

Not-so-Good News.

Do you remember the Leyland Double Decker Bus going off a couple of months ago, 18th of April to be exact... it went to Smithfield to be painted.... well... after a guestimate of around $17.000 that had me laughing uncontrollably the full estimate came in at over $28,000 plus GST. So today the bus has come home in the same unpainted condition that it left in... but... there are other irons in the fire for a paint job so stay tuned.
Jillian the film maker was on hand to get David's views on the cost of painting.
Not happy with a clicking sound in the gear box David and Craig immediately got down to finding our why... a missing tooth I'm told so with David underneath...
And Craig on top...
Out came the Gearbox in under four hours...
Here is the damage, David will overhaul a spare gearbox he has sitting in the garage.

Thursday 25 May 2006

Update on Gwilym and Emily

http://www.emandgwil.blogspot.com/
Check out their Blog, Gwil and Em's adventures in the old Eastern Block countries sound a little bit fun and a little bit scary at times and there are lots of wonderful photos up now... here are a couple I've stolen.
Emily thought she might like to be a Tsarina but decided against it.
Gwil was dragged out of the audience to perform with the Russian Dancers... he's doing a good job isn't he eh??

Sunday 21 May 2006

A Kiss.


One of many... Charlie Ripley is much loved by big Brudder Jackson Harry.

Wednesday 17 May 2006

All about Briony...

Some of you may remember that we have a daughter called Briony, she doesn’t get much of a mention in our Blog because she and Joon are so busy with their fingers in so many pies it’s hard to catch up with them to find out what they are doing. I have now tied Briony’s fingers to my keyboard and she’s given me a run down of what the two of them have been up to... so here I go... catch up time!!

Travel
They were both off to India last December, Joon presented a paper at the Global Labour Forum with Briony as his co-presenter, the topic being ‘Work Organization of Korean Tile Layers in Sydney’ the conference attendees thought the two of them were quite sweet... something we already know!! Bri and Joon enjoyed India enormously especially the Taj Mahal and Briony loved dressing up in traditional Indian costumes for fun... she does look lovely in the photos!


From India they flew to Korea for Briony to meet Joon’s family, she was made to feel very approved of and very welcome even though only one of them spoke any English and Bri’s Korean is limited to ‘Hello’, ‘This food is delicious’ and she can sing the signature tune of a local TV Soap!! Briony and Joon are very fond of Korean food and the family were very generous cooking all sorts of delicious foods for them. Bri and Joon put their good health down to daily doses of Kim Chi which to me is a terribly hot pickled cabbage but they love it, they even took some to India. I found a recipe if you would like to follow their health routine. http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/kimchi/kimchi.cfm?xURL=making

Briony and Joon spent New Years Eve in Seoul with a million hand held fireworks exploding into the sky which was pretty dramatic. Lots of Korean drums playing and the ancient bell rang to mark the arrival of 2006. They loved their trip to Daegu to visit Joon’s friend who took them to Haeinsa Buddhist Temple. A beautiful place high up in the mountains with Buddhist scripts, protected by UNESCO, housed in one of the temples.

Work and Study
Briony works with a firm of Solicitors in Gordon, while she studies Law three nights a week at the University of Technology of Sydney which her boss Peter is kindly paying for, he is getting his money’s worth because Briony has just been awarded the Roger Shaw Memorial Prize for best performance in Legal Research. This meant she got the best mark out of about 300 students... she got 92%... ‘kicking butt’ being her middle name she recently achieved the top mark in a recent constitutional Law assignment analysing a High Court case on the limits of Freedom of Communication in New South Wales and is Currently studying Federal Constitutional Law and Torts (which is litigation).

Voluntary Work
Briony is a team leader with the ‘Australian League of Immigration Volunteers’ she’s been involved with ALIV for over 4 years and has enjoyed firstly visiting Villawood Detention Centre to play with the Children in Detention and now that they have all been released for Community Detention she enjoys taking groups out on excursions like trips to Luna Park, Clontarf Beach, Darling Harbour, La Perouse and recently the Royal Easter Show. ALIV has also started a volunteer organisation for the kids to run their own charity organisation which entertains sick children as clowns etc.

Play
Believe it or not she does get to play as well with regular noodle dinners with friends and if we are out with her somewhere we all know how many times we have to stop because Briony’s met someone she knows!! Bri parties with her dance friends whom she has known since she was 4 years old as well as the school gals for all the hen's nights, weddings, birthdays, housewarmings happening.Emma, Tomos, Abigail Rose, Briony and Joon at Luna Park.

Sport
Not a lot happening on the Sport front but Bri does manage the odd rollerblade over Harbour Bridge, a dash of yoga, and a splice of tai chi when she can find the time.

Family
Aunt Briony with Abigail Rose.
Aunt Briony with Charlie Ripley and Jackson Harry.

Joon
Joon is due to finish his PhD in Industrial Relations in October this year. So he’s busy finishing drafts and trying not to get in a panic.

This week he was identified as one of the 15 VIPs in the Australian Korean Community in the Korean newspaper ... this is very well deserved!

Joon is in Korea this week having been invited to attend the Democratic Movement Reunion, in recognition of all his hard work in Korea.

Joon also writes articles for the Korean Labour Institute and finds time to party with his Korean buddies in Campsie after Korean Resource Centre meetings.

So to finish catching up with these two delightful people here’s the last word from Briony,

“We are a very happy and busy little couple living in Kirribilli and will start organising our wedding when things are a bit quieter!”

Where is Tomo??

Tuesday 16 May 2006

Skype

Skype is the BEST!! Here is our beautiful Abigail Rose dancing to 'High 5' on DVD, checking us out on her computer and with a mouth full of banana!! This is the next best thing to being there isn't it!


Monday 15 May 2006

Mothers Day...

The family came for lunch on Mothers Day, rather smaller than our usual gatherings, most of my boys are overseas Gwilym in St Petersburg and Tom in London and Joon was in Korea but we were 5 mothers gathered.
Four Generations Rose and Ripley, Pennie and David, Nerys and Tim with Jackson Harry and two week old Charlie Ripley.
Briony with her Grandparents.
My younger brother Nick with Kaye and their three girls, Ellie, Madi and Casey, with Jack and Charlie in the photo for good measure!!
Tim my older brother was here earlier but left before I remembered the camera.

Tuesday 9 May 2006

Charlie Ripley is One Week Old!


Charlie Ripley turned one last weekend, one week old... we celebrated with a work bee to put the cover back on the pool... alas no more swimming for a few months. This was Charlie's second trip in the car after his trip home from the Hospital so we put the BBQ on and enjoyed a relaxing lunch on the veranda.

Jackson Harry is the very proud, gentle and doting big brudder but he was a little concerned for Charlie the other day this is the conversation that happened while he was playing with his Duplo.

JH. Charlie, what would you like me to build for you?
Nerys. Charlie would like what ever you would like to build for him Jack.
JH. Mummy... (long pause) Charlie doesn't talk!!
Jackson Harry making biscuits for Pennie and David.

David's on the BBC

Check out this website...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4962488.stm

Tuesday 2 May 2006

Charlie Ripley Thompson

Day Three in the life of Charlie Ripley Thompson... the Ripley is after my Dad and Charlie's Great Grandfather a very unusual family name that none of us were game to call our kids but with today's enlightend childrens names it sounds rather good we think!