Look at Ethan now!! 14 weeks old and a big beautiful smile! I think he's going to be a little blue-eyed blondie like his big sister Lauren. Lauren is chattering away really well now and always asks to talk to Aunty Jodie when I call for a chat. I spoke to her a little while ago and she knows that I'm coming 'on an aeroplane and bringing presents'! I am really looking forward to seeing how much she's grown and meeting little Ethan for the first time next March. We're back in Perth for Mum's 60th for the first two weeks of March and I'll be emailing you all soon to find out when your diaries are free!

Slowly finding the balance again between work, study, my marriage and a life! Feeling not quite so swamped by it all, as I have been the past few weeks. Third year is definitely a lot more work, a lot more reading, a lot more assessment. But I'm aware of it and preparing for it. I just printed off previous year's exam papers for all my courses so I can start exam prep! Yes, they're not til May next year. But the amount of information to learn this year has pretty much quadrupled so I'm going to stay on top of it all. I'm absolutely loving this degree, and know I'm going in the right direction. I am constantly fascinated by my reading, be it about schizophrenia, depression, the visual or auditory pathways, brain structures, and, dare I say it, statistics! I don't love stats, but I am learning to appreciate it. Still managing to have a life in amongst it all. Had a wonderful evening with Cathy last night at a gorgeous little restaurant called Sea Bass off Oxford Street (I had grilled monkfish and it was divine!), saw Marie and Iain and the delightful little Freddie the weekend before too. This weekend Stu is at the football today with Doug, so I'm doing some study, housework, shopping, catching up on a few things. Tomorrow, more of the same! Oh what an exciting life I lead during the university year!

We went kite flying on Hampstead Heath on Sunday afternoon. Or, rather, I went kite flying and Stu recovered on a bench after I accidentally divebombed my two-line stunt kite into his head (sorry love, the bruise will be gone in a few days!) Let's just say that two-line kite flying is ever so slightly more challenging that single line kite flying. It was intensely relaxing though, almost meditative; just me and the kite, trying to master it's seemingly random manouvres through the sky. Towards the end of the afternoon I did manage to keep it in the air more than on the ground (not dissimilar to riding a bike, pull right and it turns right etc), but I still need a lot more practice! And fewer people around - when it heads for the ground it does so at high velocity. Just ask Stu!

Autumn is definitely on the way - leaves are starting to crisp and fade, scattering across the ground and crunching underfoot. Autumnal mistiness is also appearing, with a heavy pea-souper fog appearing early one morning on the way to work. I was half expecting Holmes and Watson to walk past!

Aaaaaaaaand deeeeeeep breaths, I'm back into uni and work again, three nights a week, ten times as much reading, it's quite full on, but I'm enjoying it :) Bye bye social life til summer next year! Mondays is Abnormal Psychology, Wednesdays is Perception & Attention, and Thursdays is statistics. We have a group project for stats. I hate working in groups when 30% of my grade is at stake. I'd much rather rely on my own abilities than have to negotiate the terrain of other people's motives and abilities. At least I get to write the experiment up by myself. Halfway through the degree now :)

A recent pic of Beth and Matt in Merredin. Beth, red is definitely a great colour on you!Look at all the wide open empty space behind them...wow, I don't see that often over here!

One of my favourite paintings by Beth, who is currently going through her 'Abstract' period.