Ooh, me too!

I just found a 40% off coupon. That's a sign, right?

Absolutely, Dana. Go get it.

I clicked on that link and the page said "Item Not Found." So I assume Dana bought it and destroyed the internet evidence.

[link]

Try that one, maybe? If not, it's a faux-wrap houndstooth dress. I long for something in houndstooth.

That link didn't work, either, but I went to the dresses section and found it -- that's a great dress!

I love that dress. And I do believe a 40% off coupon is a definite sign.

I'm currently in Canberra. Ryan had a big day today. We went to the National Dinosaur Museum, which my little dinosaur-mad chap looked forward to with great enthusiasm. Until we reached the first exhibit and an animatronic T-rex roared at him. One major meltdown later, we were headed for the exit.

It wasn't a waste, the Museum also had a number of (motionless) dino statues in a yard outside. Ryan was very excited to tell us their names. I thought the Brachiosauruses were the most impressive. Ryan's favourite is Triceratops, which was well represented (as was T-rex). The trickiest name he came out with was Parasaurolophus; perhaps the most impressive was Minmi, a relatively small Australian relative of Ankylosaurus.

The next stop was to see more dinosaurs, or at least their modern incarnations - the Canberra Aviary. I was hesitant about this; they give you some apple slices to feed the birds, and some lorikeets get pretty insistent. With a little boy already a touch worked up, I wasn't sure how he'd react.

I needn't have worried. He was utterly thrilled, jumping out of his skin with the thrill of feeding all these birds. After he ran out of his own slices, he started scavenging other's apple bits that had landed on the ground. (I got frequent updates, where he would race up to me and say "Excuse me Daddy, the bird flew past me and flew very fast and flew over my hat!" Of course, every time that happened to Biyi she'd start yelping.)

The highlight: they're now up to three golden pheasants. I was most surprised to find that they also now have a few California quails.

After lunch, Biyi found a fabric shop that had some excellent prints, including penguins, wildlife, dinosaurs in a wide variety of styles (realistic, cartoon, silhouette etc), Dr Suess and the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Meanwhile, Ryan and I sat outside, and he explained to me that he was the Triceratops and I wsa the Tyrannosaurus rex (and Mummy was the Parasaurolophus). And there was a monster coming, so we needed to grab our "gunks" and shoot it. However, due to my tiny T-rex arms, I had great trouble reaching my shirt pocket, so Ryan obligingly moved the pocket over for me.

Next stop was the Australian Reptile Centre. They've done a lot of development since my last visit. I was pretty impressed, but Ryan was flagging by this stage. (They now offer the opportunity to pet shinglebacks and blue-tongued skinks.)

We then visited a friend of mine, way back from my first job. He and his wife have five chickens in their back yard, which also delighted Ryan; and his wife's niece, also of Ryan's age, was visiting. (They were absolutely adorable together, and when we left they gave each other a hug and a kiss.) Ryan had his nap there too, which was his first occasion sleeping in a big bed.

Our last great accomplishment of the day was catching up with my older brother for dinner. I am genuinely happy to see him, and he is good company. (Plus, I want Ryan to know more of his family.) It does take some management, however, to avoid certain pitfalls. (For instance, letting slip that I'm catching up with other family members tomorrow night and he's not so much invited; especially since his small children are.) But it was a good dinner.

He's having trouble finding work - did have one very promising interview, to manage a supermarket's ilquor store (which he's done before successfully), and got a couple of good references; but the interviewer also called up one of his past employers where he left on bad terms, and said employer let them know that he'd served gaol time and was a former drug addict. Gareth brings most of his woes on himself, and this one isn't exactly an exception; nonetheless, none of that relates directly to his job performance, past or future. It's fairly rough to miss out on a promising job because of it.

All in all, a great day. (Beautiful weather too.) The best part was unquestionably watching Ryan in the Aviary. So much joy to fit into one little person.

Aidan: maaaaaa I'm a goat! I can make milk and cheese!
Me: You're a boy. You can't make either.
Kara: Let him dream, Mommy!

Hah!