Semantically driven

  • Home
  • About
    • Privacy policy
    • Archives
      • Reviews & Giveaways
  • Photography
    • Project 365
  • Contact me
You are here: Home / Archives for JJ

Renewal

August 28, 2015 by Jen

Spring is letting winter know that it's time to go

I’ve let this blog languish almost as long as it’s been winter. Spring is on its way though and is letting winter know it will be kicked to the kerb for another nine months. Maybe spring will help renew me around here too.

It’s been an interesting few months.

I overheard a conversation in a cafe a few weeks ago which could change my life in a fairly major way even though I’d been heading in that direction anyway. Am not spilling beans on this overheard conversation until things are settled though.

I was on the radio recently. I was approached out of the blue to speak about venting online from an online specialist point of view. While I was being briefed/asked if I would go on, part of me was thinking – no, no no. The other part of me thought, what the heck – take a risk. I listened to the other part and did it. Without having listened to myself I think I did okay. And I didn’t embarrass myself or get stuck for words. I was on the other end of a phone which made it a bit easier I think, and they had another person on discussing the same topic so the focus wasn’t totally on me anyway.

My son is a few months into his 14th year now and it’s an interesting journey. I’m finding I have to let the type of control I used to have with him go. I’m finding that really hard. It’s particularly hard around how much time he thinks he should spend playing xbox, compared to the amount of time I think he should be allowed on it. Overall though, he’s pretty pleasant and seems to be liking high school.

Submit to StumbleUponShare on Tumblr Share

14th birthday

July 2, 2015 by Jen

Lunch with Gill and friends

Happy belated birthday to my gorgeous son. His birthday coincided with a visit from his great aunt (pictured bottom right) who was in town for a couple of days. She suggested he take the day off school and when I asked him if he wanted to do this he jumped at the chance. That was before I told him what we were doing.

We drove to Victor Harbor so our aunt could catch up with another relative and a couple of childhood friends and – bless my lad – he went along with it. After all, the choice was to go to school or spend the day with us. A day at home by himself on his birthday was not an option.

He did pretty well sitting at the table playing games on his phone while listening in on our conversations. I took him out for a bit of a stroll and a purchase of some gobstoppers at the nearby lolly shop. I discovered that those things take forever to eat and are really annoying when you’re sitting next to the person sucking on them.

In the evening he had Scouts and I took a cake and some party food for him and his scout mates to share. All in all, he had a pretty good day – I think. He did say that he didn’t mind not having a party because I’d spent a bit of money on last year’s one. Bless him for even thinking that. It’s not something I’d said to him, although I have mentioned the cost of his attendance at Jamboree next year.

Submit to StumbleUponShare on Tumblr Share

Customer service silos

May 19, 2015 by Jen

The bus

My lad started high school this year which means he catches the bus to and from so I got him a Metrocard to use on the bus.

Not even one school term in he lost his wallet and I had to replace the Metrocard and his student ID card. I didn’t replace the small amount of cash and docked some pocket money for my out of pocket costs.

I’d registered the Metrocard so that it automatically tops up when the balance gets low. It beats buying tickets every week. When you’ve registered your card you can see what usage its had one to two days after the event. You can also report it lost or stolen and cancel so nobody else can use it. I left his for a couple of days just incase it turned up like the missing PE uniform did (embarrassingly it was in a bag in his room).

His wallet did not turn up and as someone had used his Metrocard on the other side of town I figured it wasn’t going to appear in our house or his bag.

I rang up to cancel it and asked how I could transfer the remaining balance on the card to a new one and was told I would have to go to their service centre in the city or the main train station – inconvenient to do either when you don’t work in the city.

Luckily I have a day off a fortnight so at my inconvenience I went into town to organise his new card.

Last Friday night I heard a couple of mums talking about having to do the same thing and I remembered I was going to provide feedback about this. I duly filled in an online feedback form and to their credit they replied within a few hours saying that provided I gave them certain details the replacement card could be done over the phone.

I replied with a thanks, and another suggestion to pass this information onto service centre staff.

I’m taking bets on when I’ll have to replace the card again. At least I won’t have to go into the city to do it.

Submit to StumbleUponShare on Tumblr Share

One day at a time

April 3, 2015 by Jen

Love autumn and I love my walk around the lake on a near-daily basis

I love autumn. I love the obvious changing of seasons. I love how the tree leaves change colour and how the weather is noticeably cooling down even though the warmer weather sometimes makes an appearance.

The days are getting shorter and my walking the dog in the mornings is mostly done while dark, the sun just thinking about appearing as I’m getting home. It’s still not cool enough to wear a jacket outside yet, but I know that’s on its way and I look forward to cranking up the slow combustion wood heater.

I hope this season brings along change for me as well. I feel like I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately partly due to missing out on a job that I feel should have been mine but isn’t. Dealing with a moody teenage boy isn’t helping me cruise through day-to-day life either. I don’t know what’s worse, having a three-year old or a 13-year old. There are similarities. He would live on junk food if he could. He turns his nose up at 95% of my cooking. He has little tantrums. However, there are up-sides. I don’t have to be on hand as much to tend to his daily needs like I used to.

One minute he can be quite hateful and the next he makes me laugh and we have fun together. I drove him and two other Scouts to camp yesterday evening. I’d had a shitful time with him prior to going to the hall to pack up the last bits and pieces and was dreading the drive but it turned out to be fun. The boys were all excited about going away and they chatted non-stop about school, about teachers, about friends. Despite the warning from my son not to embarrass him, or talk, I didn’t embarrass him but I was allowed to talk a bit. Although I nearly spilled the beans about what him and a female friend used to get up to when they were three. I stopped along the way and bought us all a flavoured milk drink – a road-trip necessity, especially as I had to drive home after dropping them off, and it won me some browny points.

When I said goodbye he gave me two extended hugs so I know that despite his teenage-ness, he still loves me.

So, I take one day at a time and I’m enjoying the peace and quiet this weekend.

Submit to StumbleUponShare on Tumblr Share

What’s been happening?

December 23, 2014 by Jen

Christmas tree

You know when you keep putting something off and then it gets embarrassing because you’ve put it off for so long? Well that’s me and any updates here. I want to make it a habit to write a lot more regularly and I’ll put it out there now, that it’s my new year’s resolution for 2015. I don’t normally make them but usually when I publicly say something I feel that it commits me to do it.

So what’s been happening?

I have been a bit busy updating this website with pictures of our last safari suit event. I’ve still more to go.

I’ve been busy guiding a boy through the last few weeks of his primary school life.

Year 7 graduation

He graduated from year 7. It was an emotional week with the graduation on the Monday night. He had his high school visit the next morning and consequently is really excited to start high school next year. I’m so glad he’s so ready to go as he was a bit nervous and ho-hum about it all. He met his class-mates and some other boys he knows are going to be in the same year as well. And look, he’s now taller than me.

Of course, I’ve been at work. I work a nine-day fortnight so pretty much full-time and that can be taxing. Himself plays baseball which entails two nights of training per week and game day on a Sunday. Usually when he’s training I walk some laps around the oval with one or two of the other mums so at least I get some exercise in. Oh, and being part of a sporting club also involves volunteering for other things so I’ve done bar duty and canteen duty, and that’s on top of being a scorer every second game. Baseball scoring is full-on and while this is my second year doing it I’ve still got a lot to learn.

Oh, and he’s also in Scouts which for me means being on the committee and helping out at whichever bottle drives I can which has only been two this year I think. He loves it though and is now a patrol leader which he has embraced.

It doesn’t all revolve around him. I mentioned the safari suit event above which was heaps of fun. I also got along to see Nick Cave a few weeks ago at the Festival Theatre. I normally see him at Thebarton so a sit-down show was a point of difference but we had fantastic seats near the front.

Nick Cave at the Festival Theatre

He gets better and better every time I see him and I’ve seen him quite a few times now.

The rest of the year involves a bit more work and some relaxation which I’m really looking forward to. If I don’t get back here before the end of the year have a great Christmas and New Year all.

 

Submit to StumbleUponShare on Tumblr Share

Things I love about him (13)

September 30, 2014 by Jen

Ahem, you there on the trampoline!

I love that he loves our dog. After all the main reason I got another dog after Monty died was because of JJ. When we first met Phoenix he went straight to JJ. He wouldn’t go near me at first. I love that he enjoys playing with him and I think the feeling’s mutual don’t you? Look at the smiles on both of them.

And I love that the trampoline I bought for JJ ten years ago still gets used. Don’t see many of these ones around any more.

See all the things  I love about him.

Submit to StumbleUponShare on Tumblr Share

Things I love about him (12)

September 24, 2014 by Jen

On our way to the game.

I used to add snippets here of the things I love about him (my son) but I haven’t done it since 2006. He was five then. He’s 13 now.

When people ask me how he is I usually sigh and say, ‘he’s a teenager’. Sure, there’s attitude, but there are good things too.

The other day we had to move the dining table back into the kitchen and we were having a hard time getting it through the door. I knew there was a way because it originally got into the kitchen and out again. I was just about to give up when JJ said let’s try this.

His way worked and we soon had the table back into the room.

PS: the photo above was one of many I took, but the only one where he was sticking his finger up.

Submit to StumbleUponShare on Tumblr Share
Next Page »

Popular posts

  • Making tomboy stitch
  • Camping
  • What do you say to someone who says they hate themself?
  • Just Disgusting
  • Damn mosquitos
  • Prison – only visiting
  • Editing photos on the iPhone with Snapseed
  • What my life could have been like in the 1970s in Canberra
  • Cup of tea anyone?
  • Cardigans are my favourite

Looking for something?

Categories

My photos

Copyright © 2023 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in