A poem from my sister Rita, the Digital Diva

Lulu Lulu Lulu

You are such a cute shihpoo

We loved you because u were so lovable

We hope you find a lovely soft spot

In the special place in dog heaven

For cute lulu shihpoo

You are sadly missed by

Antony, Billy, Emma and Brice

Our mother Moira, who loved lulu the cute shihpoo

Will always have a place in her heart

For the lulu who stole our hearts

Our father Frank, who blogged about his new baby

Will keep her memory alive on his blog

Lulu we never lost you

because u will live on forever in the Blog and in our Hearts

[listening to: Gimme the Car - Violent Femmes ]
8:22:58 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

The worst possible end to the day.

Our puppy passed away following its encounter with a killer tick.

We laid her to rest in the backyard with the other pets who "have ceased to be".

She lasted 8 days from when she joined the family - a new record. Another victim of the Arrigo curse.

Lu Lu Molly Arrigo Born: April 28 2005 Died: July 15 2005 Friend to all the family

[listening to: The Prayer - Anthony Callea ]
6:53:47 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

One week into the adventure with our new puppy LuLu and already we have drama.

This morning I came down the stairs and saw LuLu lying on the ground wimpering. This is not a normal state, as she is normally very active

The family got ready and took her to the local  vet. The kids were distraught.

The diagnosis is that she was bitten by a tick which causes paralysis.

Poor Puppy!

She is in the vet for the next 72 hours, so we have a dog free weekend. Hopefully all will be well by Monday.

[listening to: With These Hands - Tom Jones ]
9:55:41 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

Over the past 4 weeks, I have taken the kids to see a movie each weekend. It's that time of the year when the US summer blockbusters come downunder.

So far we've seen Madagascar, Herbie: Fully Loaded, War of the Worlds and Batman Begins, but that's not all we still have Fantastic Four, Bewitched and Pooh's Heffalump Movie, in the coming weeks as well as some of the upcoming new releases we have seen trailers for such as Stealth, The Island, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Lots of movies for us to see.

[listening to: Be With You - Beyoncé ]
8:20:01 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family • My Interests

I took the boys to the movies this afternoon, and we *finally* got to see Batman Begins.

It was a good old fashioned blockbuster, with a bit of horror thrown in. Lots has been written about the movie by folks better than me. I really like what's been posted at cinematical, especially the "what it costs to be batman" post.

And of course are all now sporting the Batman Begins skin for Windows Media Player.

[listening to: Return to Sender - Elvis Presley ]
6:49:57 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family • Geek

Here's something I never thought would happen - a puppy joined the family this week.

Her name is Lu Lu, and she is 10 weeks old - her birthday is April 28 - and she is a Shih-Poo, which is a cross between a Shih Tzu and a Poodle.

She is such a tiny little thing.

Moira went out with the kids and just bought it. She didn't discuss it with me or anything. We *had* discussed the possibility of getting a dog, but it had been a hypothetical kind of discussion.

I must admit, she is a really cute dog and the kids all love her - well most of the kids. Antony isn't really a dog person (he takes after his father).  The kids have all agreed to help look after this bundle of fur, and so far this weekend they have been good to their word. I hope this enthusiam lasts a while - we're going to have this dog with us for a while.

[listening to: (Now and Then There's) A Fool Such As I - Elvis Presley ]
5:07:42 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

It was Moira's birthday earlier this week - 3 dozen and one.

For a special gift, I managed to get tickets to The Producers which is running here in Sydney.  She had been wanting to see this show since it started, so it was a nice surprise

We went to see the show last night at Star City, which included a nice pre-theatre meal at one of the local restaurants.

As an even more special treat, we invited Moira's sister Cathy and brother Paul (along with his wife, Kim) for the night out. I suspect it was a bigger treat for them as it was "a big night out  in the city". They are all from Canberra you see, and apparently don't get out much - which I find hard to believe and just think it's a bit of a "woe is me, i am a country bumpkin who doesn't get out much" act.  It gets pretty boring pretty quickly, but I digress, as it was a special night for my wife and she had a good time. I learnt to just hold my tongue. That was another gift for my wife.

The show was a lot of fun. The show was very true to the movie and the Mel Brooks influence was everywhere. I'm motivated to track down that 1968 movie of The Producers on DVD. I reckon my boys will like it. 

[listening to: i should be so lucky - kylie minogue ]
9:59:28 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family