Teenage Daughters!

Many of you probably already know Amy has been battling depression for the last 18 months. Last year was particulary rocky but she has come along way and is doing really well most of the time. She is doing lots of different things and has a good circle of friends. School seems to be a bit of a battle at times for her but school has been very good and supporting us through it.



One of the problems we had in the last part of last term was lots of headaches. Come the school holidays not a single headache. After getting her eyes tested and getting the all clear, we decided the problem was managing stress and anxiety and the key was relaxation. Of we headed for some counseling to find the miracle cure and learn relaxation techniques in one easy lesson! Wishful thinking!



Well Amy certainly managed the relaxation technique in one easy lesson - she fell asleep on the psychologists couch for 20 minutes! I figured that little snooze cost me $20 and the taxpayer $40! I guess the money wasn't completely wasted as I got some counselling while she was asleep- but I wasn't too impressed with her at the time - at least I can laugh about it now!

Devoted Wife or a Plot to Discover Secret Mens Business

It is 5:05am on a May Canberra morning, the temperature outside is 1 degree celsius. Most normal Canberrans are still warm and snug in their bed, but normal people do not reside at the Frost residence! The alarm has just gone off and it is time to rise and put on layers of clothing, cycling gear, shoe covers, gloves, anything you can think of to keep warm and head out the door by 5:30am leaving the dogs and teenagers to guard the house!

Flashing red tail lights and headlights on, it is a quick 30 minute ride at a brisk pace behind Bill to get to the waiting bunch in Philip about 13 km away. There we meet the bunch and ride at an even brisker pace. Fortunatley is is only for about 15 minutes and then we peel off from the bunch and head into the bakery at Manuka. Quick glance at the clock shows it is 6:20am! Most normal Canberrana are still asleep!

Time for a hot chocolate and fruit bun, chat to the others that have also pulled off the bunch, before we dash home on the bikes, make sure the teenagers are awake and ready for school, shower breakfast and ready to start the day, having been awake for 3 hours and already ridden 44km!

Yes, madness you may say, apart from those first few minutes rolling out of bed when the alarm goes off and the first few minutes on the bike in the cold I do enjoy it. And it is one way to spend quality time with your partner!

It is usually a bunch of about 6 to 8 of us at the bakery, usually all blokes but me - so it is a chance to discover what they talk about- well I must report nothing very exciting - motorbikes, fishing, bikes, more motor bikes, (I think 90% of 50+year old men have a motor bike) RFD or some other techno gadget, jobs and more motorbikes - that is about it- nothing too exciting

That is my Friday morning, so if you ring at 7am and wonder why no one answers thats because we are not home yet!