Of Ships and Shoes....

Annie finally asleep.
 She is the one on the left...

At the moment, I am sitting next to Annie's cot, where she has finally dropped off to sleep.  She has been in bed for probably close to two hours, but only now have the 'shores of sleep' arrived.  So now I can type in peace... :P

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I have been on a Swahili learning spree the past few days.  I have been trying to learn the language for quite some years now, and have recently been using the Before You Know It program, known, creatively, as Byki.  Byki has a large number of languages, and two programs: express and deluxe.  Express is free and contains quite a few word lists while the Deluxe version costs about $60 or so, and contains hundreds of lists, activites, test etc.  Although I have been doing a list every now and again, I have been really hitting it hard the past few days, hoping to surge ahead with it.  I now know over 160 words and phases in Swahili, ranging from '-a rangi ya urujuani' (purple) to 'Nimetuma maagizo ya kushika chumba' (I have a room reserved.)  The best part of the deluxe version is an activity where you can record yourself saying the word, and they will rate it from beginner to advanced.  I try to aim for halfway there.  Some words, such as 'Kwa heri' (goodbye) and 'Jina langu ni...' (my name is...) I can do quite well, almost advanced, but others such as 'restorenti' (restaurant) and 'Kuro' (deer) I am no where even close.  I cannot roll my 'r's, nor make a really hard 'k' sound.  The other one I have trouble with is 'Unasema Kiingereza' which is a worry, because that means 'Do you speak English?'

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This Sunday is our Mission Sunday, and the missionaries we support are coming to speak.  They are only in Australia every two years, so it is a special service when they come and talk.  The GenKids (the kid's church for primary ages) are baking biscuits, cupcakes and slice to sell afterwards to raise money for the missionaries work.  Lately, James (10) has recently discovered that cooking is fun, and makes Anzac biscuits nearly every Tuesday afternoon, while some of us are at violin lessons.  Now he gets to put his skills to good use, as we will bring in a batch or two of Anzacs to sell.  We are also going to make some raisin slice, which is one of our Church's favourites.  Apparently, a lot of other people are bringing in chocolate based goods, so we tried to think up something different to do to create a variety.  It is surprising how hard it is to choose a recipe for slice or biscuits without chocolate!  

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Dad and I went for a drive on the long weekend Monday, to the little town of Wollombi.  Wollombi is a historical town, and although people live there, is mainly a tourist attraction.  The main street, which comprises most of the town, is lined with small wooden shops, from little cafes to the 'general store' to restaurants and the museum on the corner.  The road from Wollombi to Sydney was built by the convicts and so much of the town's history stems from them.  Parts of the road which was built are still in use today.  On the Monday of every long weekend, Wollombi hosts a country fair.  However, by the time Dad and I got there, everyone was packing up, and so there wasn't much to see at all.  We went there to get some driving hours up.  It took an hour to get there, and a hour and a half to get home because we went a different way. 

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This is a crankshaft pulley for those who
don't know and aren't interested

We have a car! Our Transit (which has 12 seats) has been broken down for the past week, and we have been restricted to the Corolla, (a measly five seater).  We have been having trouble getting the Transit to start for some while now, but the past few times it had been near impossible.  We had to roll start it down the hill of our driveway.  Anyway, last week when Mum went to start it, it wouldn't for ages.  And then finally it started up, but made a clunking noise.  Then the steering and the brakes seized up and then, horror of horrors, a piece from the engine just dropped out onto the ground!  Well, we weren't going anywhere until Dad got home from work with the little car.  Dad said that the piece which fell out was the crankshaft pulley (for those who are interested or who know what it is).  Being unable to buy the correct part in town, he bought the piece on Ebay and we had to wait for it to show up.  Thankfully, Dad was able to car pool with some work buddies all week, so we at least at a car which half of us could go somewhere in.  The part showed up yesterday, and Dad spent the evening on his back under the car fixing and replacing it.  So now we have a functioning car again!  

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That has been some our week, and it is hard to believe that it is Ijumaa (Friday) again already!  I don't know where the week has gone.  It reminds me of the passage out of the Grandma's Attic books where Mabel asks her mother how to make time go more quickly.  Her mother replies, "Plan to do more things than what you have time for.  I know, I have been doing it for years."  It is true though, for the more you try and fit into your day, the quicker the time goes, and sometimes, the less you get done.  Are the days really meant to go that quickly, I wonder?  Something to think about anyway... 

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By the way, if you are wondering where the title of the post comes from...it comes from the 'Walrus and the Carpenter' by Lewis Caroll, part of which is:

Ships and shoes and sealing wax.

Cabbages and Kings

There is a lot more to it than that, but that is the part I know.  Basically, it means this post is about anything and everything that I could think of, and there is no real rhyme or reason to it at all.  :)