The past two weeks have been busy because of the mid term break but the first week of school is now almost done and I, OMG it's Friday tomorrow and it's been so full on I haven't had time to draw breathe. Where on earth did this week go.

For the next couple of next I am going to have to write everything down in diary just to prevent double bookings. I've finally convinced my folks to hand over more money which I'm using for built in robes and I'm living out of boxes while they get installed which is proving more difficult than I first imagined. My house is in choas as it's not like when you move house where you unpack when you get to the destination. I've lived like this for 10 days now and it took me 45 minutes to find my work boots on Monday before work as my footwear & clothes were packed by Olivia & her brothers while I moved furniture. I was a bit late for work but finding them was a relief because footwear is our big thing at work. The OH&S sticking point, protective, non-slip footwear.

I wasn't prepared to still be at Pembroke in 4 weeks so I lined up extra work with my other employer odd hours here and there which worked well over the break but apparently I must have a wage assessment completed before other options are explored on my behalf so until Bec returns and the assessment complete I'm stuck but I decided that I have to find the positives and presently they are I have more $$ coming my way and that I can now count days until Bec returns and brings some calming sanity with her and dem are quite large expectations for anybody to carry. 

It's not often I write twice in a day ...

Over the past 5 years or so there has been a lot of scrutiny over what celebrities have named their newborn children a yes while Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay's Chris Martin named there first child Apple and that is out there most of are not so far fetched. Many of the names are rare, but believe me that's a good thing.

Depending on the decade you grew up in how many Margaret, Roberts, Sue, John, Karen, Andrews, Joannes, Ben's, Sarah's Jessica's or Sam's do you know

In 1973, a baby girl was born to Steve and Lesley Murray, they named her Sarah Kate. They loved their baby daughter and the name their bestowed her, only years later while researching the family tree it was discovered that another Sarah featured in our family tree.

I have never really loved my name, in the early seventies Sarah was the most common girls name in the nation and if you believe the baby names books, my name is described as princess and graceful. I never grew to the definition as I am neither but this is no the point I set out to make.

I am very good  at remembering faces and names, I often astound others when I recall names of people I haven't seen for eons. It frightens me when after nearly 20 years I can still recall almost all names of students I went to primary school with.

Spelling of names of people that have been a part of your life is also amazing to me earlier I mentioned my Mum Lesley. She and my Dad have been a part of the Coomandook district for 30 years but cards and invitations still pop up addressed to LESLIE Murray.

Lately I have been encountering a similar problem, here on these pages but even though I have jokingly started my emails hinting at this  the penny hasn't dropped yet but never fear I am also a victim of what I speak of about 8 months ago a new neighbour moved in next door within days I had met him and he had introduced himself as Ben and his 2 children, Claire was 15 months at the time and Sam, 3 who were visiting that weekend. The kids names stuck the permanent resident I keep calling the wrong name, I kept calling the guy Dan and I have no idea why it was happening as he shares the name of my eldest nephew.

However a few months back there was a moment of word association that finally made the correct name of my neighbour gel. My brother and his clan were at my place a few months back to lay floorboards in my unit the neighbour was in the street putting his kids in the car when me nephew, Ben jumped from the car into the street to meet me, James called out to him and the neighbour turned around to respond to the command before realising that nobody was talking to him.

So now I need suggestions of celebrities with the name Sarah with a 'H" to reinforce the spelling of my name to that certain someone that is committing this sin.

Well, the mid year break is over and every kid in SA will be in class as I write this.

A few days back I wrote about Olivia coming to stay for the first week of the hollies and she was a welcome distraction as I wasn't thinking of my school predicament the entire time but it has weighed heavily on my mind.

This term I will be working Monday, Wednesday and every 2nd Friday, but for how long I will remain at the school Who Knows?

The exception to this rule is today because Thomas is unable to work tomorrow so I will be doing that shift instead of today. I will go to work thinking positives but how long that resolve lasts will to be seen.

Roll on Wednesday when my my wage assessment is finally starting. 18 months overdue, I think a pay rise will re justify my worth not only to my employer but to myself.

Last week I wrote about my sponsored child but tonight the reflection is on the state of food crisis the world is facing. This point of reflection comes from a few things that have occurred over the last week.

Today I received the annual report and the latest newsletter from CCF. The newsletter's leading headline was addressing the global food and oil crises.

In Australia we are hurting, the drought is affecting our primary industries, petrol prices are crippling motorists and the CPI is making it difficult just to hold on and to balance the budget. For some families keeping the basics together is causing poverty in Australia that has never been observed before.

But Australia is not alone, the developed world is struggling to keep it's head above water just as the world's poverty ravaged have in years prior.  In the US news lately is littered with big businesses going belly up, many of these are mortgage brokers. Sometimes I wondered how a continent such as America can have so much wealth in the northern part but in the south and Latino parts of the continent rely on child sponsorship for survival. In saying this I am not saying there is no problems of this ilk in the USA it is just less in our faces.

Today in the United States Australian dollar reached 98 cent per US dollar which is great for international trade and there is hope that some of that money will flow on to the continents that are effected in the article link below.

http://www.childfund.org.au/static/s/9/b34448ea5683a92a88ce52dc9215bfa4.pdf

Right now its the first week of the school holidays for SA and to time to ship my goddaughter, Olivia back to her parents. She has been staying with me for the past 4 nights while attending a choir camp.

You often heare people say this, the best part of hen having other peoples kids it is great to hand them back but that is not true in this case, we had lots of fun.

Olivia is 12 and has 2 younger brothers, They live in Underdale which is in the western suburbs. Life in that house is very manic like most when both parents are working and when the kids have extracurricular activity most nights and at all different times and places. It's a wonder I can ever get their mother to myself.

Jo and I lived together while I was still at school and 20 years later she is still in my life, our relationship has had to morph in that time.

I'm not sure if it's that she likes the 1 to 1 time with me or something else but Olivia would stay with me every weekend if she coulld but she has to make do with when I'm available. I love having her and as she gets older we have a lot of fun together even if it is just eating popcorn and watching DVD's that aren't just G rated. As much as I love the new age animation there are only so many times 1 can watch Shrek or Ice Age.

Although Olivia is not sports oriented she has her fair share of after school activities and currently is a member of the Adelaide Children's Choir. She loves to sing but I won't ever be telling her to audition for Idol anytime soon but I would never say this to her face (personally can see how she passed the trials for choir).

At the  beginning of last term, I got a call from Jo the choir was holding a day camp at Walford school in the July holidays which Olivia was going to be a part of. The children involved would be preparing for a concert and also recording a CD. There was one problem the camp ran from 8.30 till 3.30 and getting her there was going to be a problem. This is where I came in could Olivia live with me for the week? I would have the days to myself and after choir camp had finished we could do the fun stuff she wanted to do.

And so it was arranged she came to stay and after 2 days she was even catching the bus to and from Walford herself (something she never does at home)which saved me time and money and we had a great time even going to the movies on Wednesday night.

I love Olivia dearly but as much as I enjoyed her company and she was very well behaved I was glad to hand her back to the folks so I could momentarily return to my routine but not for long because tomorrow Olivia's younger brother has staked his claim on my house, Izaak is 8 and wants to know "if Livvy can stay for 4 nights why can't I" well that's simple, I would not have Olivia here for 4 days if she wasn't occupied and you're higher maintenance than her!

This is part of my birthday wishes for a little girl I may never met, Thalissa Maria Costa Araujo. She turns 8 today but while I sent her birthday present a month ago she can not call or email me to let know that she recieved it.

Why? Well Thalissa is my sponsored child. She lives in Brazil and I have been sponsoring her for 8 months. She writes to me regularly (with the translation) and sends me the pictures she draws. 

I have made reference to child sponsorship and charity a few times of the last few weeks as I attempt to focus on something other than the cosmic forces that appear to be punching me down and sideways. I might appear to be feeling sorry but I am still clear on one thing there is always somebody worse off than me. 

The decision to sponsor a child for me wais not just about helping the child's community but the money I give is helping solve another issue I am passionate about the HIV/AIDS crisis which grips the many poverty striken countries that need many more sponsors to give them the hand up rather than out. Because in these countries the poverty cycle will never be broken but it can be loosened.

Hell hath no fury like a scorpion scorned... the saying goes. If astrology means anything to you I was born on the Libra/ Scorpio cusp and although it could fall either way the traits that Scorpios are identified by are the ones I clearly have especially my temperament.

I am a little calmer since my last blog, I'm still feeling betrayed. Karen showed an element to her I'd never seen and what hurt the most was her being disgruntled my performance had never been discussed prior to Wednesday's meeting. The meeting I was not present for.

This sequence of events reminded me of GOAGM's predicament just prior to her leaving Orange. I recall chatting to her and Max in the chatroom when she was fired just after completing the probation period. At the time I remember thinking all that is behind me I'm finally at peace in my job. God, how wrong was I. 

The absolutely rope-able mood I was in when writing the last blog is passing at least until somebody wanted to extend my expression of "just holding on" when asked how I am?

Hindsight being a magnificent thing, a meeting of this sort was not the best thing to happen just hours short of my last day of term. What ever the result it was going to involve feelings of loss but something positive has come from it, communication I received today I says that I will be returning next term to Pembroke even temporarily which brings closure to the question of How I did lose my job when I've done nothing to bring it upon myself?

But it will never be the same, words that were spoken can never be taken back. The belief I held of that kitchen being a great place regardless of how I feel about my role has been shattered beyond recovery.

Most weeks I buy a That's Life! magazine. It's not the only mag I read but it's cheap, is not full of celebrity "paparazzi screw ups", not too intense that I miss my bus stop and the puzzles keep my mind occupied.

The reason I'm telling you this is this week's issue had a little Did you Know? fact in it that I want to share with all of you, my fellow bloggers.

DID YOU KNOW?

Bloggers feel more satisfied with their social networks than people who don't blog.

Social networking is thought to be a new thing but facebook or myspace before it did not create the social network it just revolutionised it in a completely different way.

For those of Max's generation, social networking was the dance hall, those of sunflower mum's age group it was the dinner party  or god forbid the Tupperware or fondue parties, for those under 30 who hasn't spent the night in a blue light disco or nightclub. All these things still exist it's just that the movement of time brings new experiences and being online is the way we socialise at present because we can interact people who don't even live on the same continent by the press of a button.

I have a happy medium, I like to share the mixture of opinion and socialisation so facebook and Australian blogger are going to be in my Internet history for some time to come. 

A meeting was held today to discuss what employment options are open to me. I was not at this meeting but along with Karen and Carolyn (who has been reappointed my JSO) and senior members of my employer discussed me.

Some might find this scenario odd but I was OK with that. This meeting was always going to be on the emotional side and presently my explosive temper is doing me no great service. 

To counterbalance my absence Carolyn asked me if I would write  down my list of objectives for her, which I did. Making the list was easy, much easier that writing the blog of that day.

After 5 years at the school I have built a great repore with some of the students and staff and as the time to move on approaches I will be full of emotion. To follow my dream I realise there will be a location change have within the company because there is no way the school kitchen can accommodate 4 chefs.

Since speaking to Karen a few weeks back about finding me some alternate work, I'm actually feeling a lot better within myself, about work anyway there is so much still to be resolved in other areas.

I hadn't given the meeting any thought until Carolyn rang to meet for coffee. I was on my way to the Chiropractor anyway and as long as I got to work by 4.30 it was fine.

Little did I know my world was about to get an dealt expected blow. While attempting to veil my resentment of my job over the last months looks as if it has lost me a job which is going to be hard to move on from.

Last night just before I went to bed I noticed the entry from Energy but I didn't read it but as I sat down to write this one I did and it appears we have reached the same crossroad.

We are both rattling the employment cage, but unlike Energy I do know what I want from a career but am having difficulty trying to convince others of it. I am so focused on what I want my goal is that I scare myself. Why? Well I have decided that I need to step away from the sink and achieve the goals I want.

Getting my licence and proving to myself I can drive has made me want to achieve other goals. My main problem is that although I have self belief those around me think that of all goals this is the one that will be "just setting me up to fail"

Before going on I need to clarify that others include my parents, the staff I work with and at this point to degree my job support manager but only because that is in limbo since he has started chasing other personal goals and who comes next is in limbo.

Employment is not the only area that this is a problem, my driving for example I will end up paying for the entire 50 hours experience I need because their is nobody willing to teach me since Jo is busy with her family and has no longer got the time. There was a showdown with M & D a few weeks ago where I slapped Dad in frustration as they would not let me drive them somewhere because they were not comfortable with it. How am I supposed to gain confidence behind the wheel if I can't grab the opportunities as they appear. This whole experience is going to cost me dearly about $3000 (shudder). Atop from the cost it has not occurred to them if I have the freedom of wheels I can see family (something that is important to them) more often because I'm not restricted by bus timetables and somebody always coming out of their way to accommodate me.

A few weeks back I was writing about the happenings at work and (relating it to a pregnancy), some people reading that series of events may have been wondering wtf I was talking about and here is the answer. I have found the last year quite difficult there has been lots of changes, comings and goings both to the staff at Pembroke and my case management. I have just been appointed my 4th case manager in 18 months! Everybody is moving on with their goals and I am not despite my best efforts.

And the reality is that my employment goal has not changed in 12 years, I want to work with food and not in the restaurant field. For my needs the restaurant/short order life will ultimately lead to the failure everybody is expecting and I agree, if there is one thing I know it is what my weaknesses and restrictions are.

I'm tired of being a loyal employee but not being recognised as having skills above being a dishpig. I' m bored and stuck in a position I no longer want to endure and although it hasn't been said out loud my disability is the largest factor at play here and as I said above very aware I have one, now more so than I was a kid or teen.

This disbelief people have in me is affecting my health both physically and mentally. How am I supposed to grow as a person if others aren't supporting me or offering inspiration and hope.

I was going to have a whinge about how I wrote a blog last night and when I came back today my mug wasn't even on the page.

Why? Another blogger had written several blogs and posted them separately. I've read them all and they are all valid points but I'm having a rotten end to my day and am a bit cranky, this annoyed me. But as I set about to add a comment to my own blog I discovered a very sweet note from the author of these blogs.

So humbly I am reminded of this, although I have an angry temperament my friends say my best quality is my compassion. Which is why I wanted to comment on homelessness in the first place.

Sunflowermum posted a few days back about homelessness and it's had me thinking ever since. Her blog ties together with the final paragraph ties in with the final paragraph of a blog I wrote a few weeks back on Internet sites we visit. The common link is charity. There is the old adage "charity begins at home" and while this may be true how many actually just handover money to just a somebody on the street who is begging their next meal.

Sunflowermum's post was taken from a ABC radio program transcript but it's a question we rarely think about. We go to work then get the car and go home to get a meal on the table. In settling in this pattern many don't have the eye-opening experience of seeing the homeless in environment that they live. Working nights and being in the position where I catch public transport at night I see the reason that we must give to the homeless. It becomes particularly relevant during winter when the forgotten appear like magic in doorways and other areas providing shelter because the cold is not forgiving like the warmth of summer. During our cold months, beds available in shelters are like hens teeth.

Today I've been thinking of this especially as read an advertisement for a charity in the Women's Weekly, Mission Australia have used results from the most recent census to highlight and headline the fact that 100,000 people sleep rough each night. Sleeping rough included parks, vehicles and squatting.

As  I spend  a lot of time standing about at bus stops I am often approached as I have mentioned before but I have found over time that if instead of giving money I offer to feed them or physically buy them the bus ticket taking them with me to the closest convenience store (only 5 metres away). This way I am in a place of safety if something where to go pear-shaped yet if they are legit they get a meal, possibly their 1st in days. I feel this is doing my bit for providing local charity.

 So how does this tie in to my other blog, I am very passionate about the welfare and health of those who don't have the resources that many of us are accustomed. In Australia with the notable exclusion of our far north. I made reference to the child sponsorship program CCF who I sponsor a 8 y.o girl from Brazil the other cause I'm strongly passionate about is AIDS but I've realised that while my contributions do help people in need I do so because of the larger global picture.

Once I finish this rant, I will write what I wanted to this morning but right now I have to vent my spleen.

My Internet costs get taken from my credit account. Usually this is fine, Optus takes money and I receive an invoice in by email. I'm happy with this agreement.

Then yesterday, I received a letter headlined by PENDING SUSPENSION. After opening the letter I trawled my inbox looking for communication, I found the last month's invoice so was confused as to why I got this letter with no prior feedback.

Ringing Optus, I got a (amazing) quick response. The guy was very helpful but while we were on the phone, their computers crashed. The guy said he would call back which he did but the payment still couldn't be processed, so could I ring back tomorrow. No problem.

Today, same scenario, frustrating results. Had to be transferred to another operator, the person I spoke to was in India and after a repeat computer crash I waited for the callback that didn't come. And the unbelievable, my Internet was disconnected while I was on hold.

Two hours later another call, another operator, another transfer and finally success the bill is paid and because of my frustration, I've been compensation of 1/2 price net for the month.

I know system failure is not the operators fault. These guys cope lots of abuse but I was happy with the outcome meaning the instant reconnection more so than the subsidy. Then the unbelievable 20 minutes after I the Indian I spoke to this morning rang back saying the computer could now process my payment. My response I know and gave him the receipt number and politely hung up. 

Over the long weekend a terrible accident happened to one of the local families in Coomandook. The youngest son of the family ran into a tree with his motorbike. He survived but was air lifted to Adelaide with a broken sternum, fractured eye socket and as well as other less major injuries. Aaron is currently going to school in Adelaide and was home on the farm just for the weekend.

This accident has shaken the community back in time as 2 years ago his father was killed but driving a quad bike into a fence and severing his carotid artery. It was a tragic accident which pulled the town together to show support for the family. 

The contribution my dad made to helping get this family back on it's feet was one reason to why he was nominated for Council citizen of the year 2007. But the latest development has bought another similar incident to his mind. An accident I had.

In 1990, I had just completed my Year 12 studies and returned to Coomandook to wait for my results with were to sculpt my future. I had been away onthe farm for a few weeks, living a carefree life of the farm chick I was back then. You can take the girl out of the country etc, etc.

On the farm we had a 3-wheeler motorbike that my brother and I had many hours of enjoyment on and used to get to school but by this stage the motorbike had seen better days. Dad had been promising to fix the brakes for months but still had not done it, we didn't care though we had got used to managing without them. 

The date was December 14th, the last formal day of lessons for the year so James & I had made an agreement that I pick him up from school so I could use it during the day. This agreement was fine until 3pm rolled around.

You see December 14 1990 was also mum's 41st birthday so I was cooking up a celebratory feast. Mum was now working at her first ever teaching job since graduating after 12 years of study so I had planned to have dinner ready for her but I wasn't quite ready when the time came to leave. I figured it would be a quick trip so leaving everything turned off I rode very fast to the school.

James was not at our designated spot, the school was just finishing their final 1990 assembly so to curb the impatience and frustration I rode to the end of our property took a large turning circle and collided with a tree.

I did not lose consciousness but in my bloody, banged up state I had a problem, nobody knew I was there and all surrounding housing was owned by teachers there was only one option I must start the motorbike and get back to the school.

I was very lucky with my timing as that very day a mock injury exam had been held at the school and an ambulance was in attendance as a part of the scene but nobody imagined that the ambulance would be used for a real accident that day, mine.

As a result of going too fast with no shoes, or helmet on and no brakes I had broken my nose, all toes and needed a massive amount of blood put back in and wound up with 2 of the blackest shiners you'll ever see. And it was all my own fault.

All these years later, that accident is still very clear to me, I remember James using swear words I'd never before heard him say, the transfusion of 1 litre of blood, a hazy discussion of how to classify the accident and lying in a hospital bed Mum holding my hand when doctors put stitches in my face while I screamed. It was so long ago yet each time there is an accident in our area I still reflect on that day and I assume my parents do too.

Lately, some hurtful remarks have been made by my parents about me learning to drive, up until today I had believed it was they had no faith in what I could achieve but tonight Mum rang. There had been a fatality on the Adelaide to Melbourne Highway near where they live.  She was asking about driving lessons and how they are going and I brushed her off because she made some comments about how come I had changed schools but I'm still driving on the roads.

But as I sit writing this it has occurred to me, my life is precious to them and just one simple error could take away their child, like the fatality on the road this afternoon has taken somebody elses child.

I logged on tonight to add a brief paragraph on something else but when faced with 5 entries from Choupette whatever it was I was going to say dissolved.

This is possibly because I'm tired but mainly it's because I find it amazing the way people us the Internet for all sorts of uses.

Sunflowermum is often writing about things she has learnt on www.simplesavings.com.au  and Frazzledmum (AKA choupette) is currently promoting www.emailcash.com.au and as a regular user of both these sites I'm not saying that flogging sites in this way is a bad thing. Actually the complete opposite.

Emailcash is great because with a press of a few buttons or the click of the mouse I'm earning points which I can covert into a true money cheque by participating in surveys and forums. And while I'm awaiting the cheque from emailcash I'm saving my coin by looking at the great ideas that people have on the simplesavings. The site has so many great ideas and some that when you read them your left thinking, that's so simple why didn't I think of that.

My history list of addresses lists the all the sites I've visited in the past 30 days rarely varies. I have my favourites and my life necessities there's Internet banking (2 banks), Centrelink and the old faithful, Australian blogger and of course the newest seemingly permanent addition facebook.

www.facebook.com has quite literally changed the planet but while I spent more time that I should on this strangely alluring site my current passion at the moment is children's sites especially ones full of facts. You see just before Christmas last year I sponsored a child through CCF or the Christian Children's Fund. The child I sponsored was a 8 year old girl from Brazil and with education sadly not the most important part of these kids lives what better way to communicate than with pictures and short paragraphs about  things that children truly love with multiple layers of merchandising. 

I knew I could do it, it was just going to take a patient instructor. I have now been driving a car for 25 hours and while I hear you all laughing that I feel a great sense of achievement.

After a wobbly start and feeling like I could never do this I changed driving schools and the lessons with Darren Davis driving school began. The latest instructor name is Keith and the only similarity between Harry and Keith is that they are both English.

The new school was one that I took out of the phone book but as it turns out it was a great choice. The guy who runs the school is the showpony for defensive driving on Adelaide's version of Today Tonight, the instructor recommended for me is more inserested in the skills I need. The sessions with Keith are shorter and I find that 60 minutes are much less taxing and as an added bonus the Darren Davis driving school also encourages having another person in the car. That somebody is then learning the techniques that the school teaches their learner driver. This means the same, correct techniques are maintained in practice and lesson times.

It may be that as I acrew more time behind the wheel the more comfortable I become but I have now had 4 lessons with Keith. The first was a lesson of driving around the streets to gauge my experience but from then new challenges have been given to me to tackle. In the second lesson it was roundabouts and in the two lessons I have had this week I have tackled turning, 3 point turns and U turns and yesterday I had my first shot at parallel parking. What an eye opener!

But with each lesson I'm gaining new skills and as the memories of my first driving experiences fade I'm growing in confidence and am encouraged by the things I'm learning. And that what driving is all about.

Two weeks ago the Pembroke kitchen was meant to undergo a routine audit. The audit is meant to be hush, hush business a bit like a restaurant critic or health inspector.

The head of the site is given an approximate date of their arrival, everything goes a bit warped as we turn into a pack of cleaning dervishes and Karen locks herself in the office working more hours than acceptable to get paperwork straight. It of course is a facade, the only time these signatured task analysis sheets appear is for audit. We have probably all experienced this at one time or another.

The problem for me was that as I celebrated ANZAC Day at my old workplace at the local War Veterans Home as I do annually I see my old boss who is now the internal Compass Australia auditor. Compass no longer holds the catering contract at WVH since they decided to go in-house but the old employees still gather there each year to catch up on gossip. That day, Russell informed me that it will be him visiting our site.

The audit however never came, instead we were visited by the executive management who had just got word that the catering contract with Loreto was under threat. They needed to borrow Rebecca until the site manager returned from long service leave. You may say so what, cut the site loose. The situation was crazy. The site manager had gone on long service leave and gone overseas and because the school was not impressed with the temporary change in service Loreto, another local girls only boarding school they were prepared to pull a contract. My gut instinct tells me that there is something more to it given Bec's experience, but that what we are told.

This is where the heart strings are being tugged, there are 3 past coworkers who are now at Loreto. The site manager in question is Melinda our past chef, so this was personal. Friends were going to lose their jobs if we didn't react. My response is so be it, but that's not charitable apparently.

From the beginning of Bec's employment she has maintained that she wished to stay at Pembroke to learn about the company of which she had no prior knowledge of.  After the agreement that Bec will only be spending a short time, 7 weeks at Loreto the deal was sealed.

Pembroke was again being thrown into chaos and from all accounts not just my own it's been painful. Karen is working a huge amount of hours to support the relieving cook and if I am on there has to be another kitchen hand because it is unsafe for me to wash the floors. That make 4 of us in the kitchen at one time which is not just crazy but expensive too.

But to return to my analogy of pregnancy after all this could be considered as the birthing process. Those women out there who have given birth will understand that after the pain of delivery and the emotion of it, all the bad parts are usually forgotten and replaced with joy. My joy will return when Bec returns and I'm not being overcrowded.

In the 1st installment of this series I compared that time at work to a nine month pregnancy. So with that in mind this installment is like the second trimester.

Following the tumultuous period of losing both Mel and Wayne close together and a long, rocky period where every time I walked in the "office" door I was faced with another new face who was floundering with the enormity of feeding such a large group, regardless of how many years they have been in kitchens. It was unsettling so I was overjoyed when our permanent and current site manager, Karen arrived.

Karen is lovely and most bizarrely Wayne's partner(these 2 really are polar opposites, but it woks) but I don't see a lot of her. Wayne liked to work at night the new boss is working days and has usually left to take care of the banking by the time I arrive for my shift.

Although it took a few extra weeks after Karen's arrival we finally scored a chef,  Rebecca arrived and fitted right in. Unlike Mel who I had to mould to Bec and I gelled together very well which surprised me.

The end of the school year was madness as always and Christmas holidays 2007 came and went and while we were on our break all new cooking appliances and flooring was installed, everything was peachy.

Just like the middle part of the of a pregnancy life just rolled along with the staff at Pembroke finally settling into a routine but having a little hiccups in the middle where the only staff member who had been there longer than me decided due to injury she wanted a less straining role moved to another site, another school and me taking far to long to snap out of holiday mode after my trip to NZ.

But as the weeks of pregnancy extend, life takes a turn, in pregnancy they call it childbirth but in our kitchen we call it Rebecca got seconded....

Stay tuned for the next installment and thanks for reading, Sarah 

Max, this one is for you to try, I use it often and it never fails.

125 grams butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 eggs, 3 bananas (the riper the better), 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 & 1/2 cups of SR flour

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees & grease a 20 cm cake tin

Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla

Beat in eggs and mashed bananas

Sift in SR flour, mix gently

Blend baking powder and milk together in a cup

Add to mixture

Stir till well combined

Pour into tin

Bake for 30 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean.

Just a note: This recipe is really sloppy, it's meant to be that way.