Testing, 1, 2, 3! :o)

This is by way of a test. Been having trouble logging in to blogs....so hope this works!

Welcome Back Me!

Well hello folks! I don't know if anybody still visits this blog. I hope they do.

Now I guess you know Vanessa and I had a little boy, way back in April. The 5th, a Thursday, at about 5.30 in the evening. That weekend was Easter. A huge thank you to every one who phoned, emailed, send cards and gifts! All were very, very much appreciated.

We named him William Samuel Hamilton. Actually originally we named him Samuel William, but I couldn't get over the Sam Ham thing, and Vanessa's mother, Rita, made a bit of a face when I said his name was Samuel. Guess she didn't like it much. Anyway we changed the order just as the midwife was recording his details. So William Samuel it is. Not after anybody in particular, although some might argue that it's William after his great grandfather on his dads side. Maybe it is, in a little way. And Samuel is after a character from literature I admire. It's not Sam Becket, he's not a character. And yes, it is possible to admire a fictional character. Why not?

I guess the little guy is lucky really because up until the very day of his birth we were sort of struggling with the choice of name. To be honest he came very, very close to being called Ulysses Xavier Hamilton. Holy moly! What were we thinking? The thing is though, like all of us over here he has two names. He's William or Will to Vanessa and me and everybody else who speaks english and to his Biz Nonna (ie Great Grandmother in Italian) he's Ullio. It's pronounced oo-LEE-oh. I took a look online and can't find where that's the Italian version of William. It is a surname there, but doesn't appear to be a christian name.

To Mrs. Maria Caristo, a 90 year old Italian woman from Calabria, who came to Australia in 1946 (don't mention the war) and has never really learned English, we all have alternative names. I'm Marco. That's what she calls me every time. She asks after my mum and dad as Paulina and Franco. Her own grandson who's name is Paul is of course Paulo. His two children are Catherine and Alexander. Catherine becomes not Katerina as I thought she would but Concetta. Both names mean 'pure'. Alexander is simply changed to Alesandro. Karen, her granddaughter is Charonia, and her husband, an Englishman named Richard becomes - and no prizes for this one - Ricardo. But he's from Yorkshire and a bit of a mealymouthed mumbler. Actually the only Anglo name she hasn't altered is Vanessa. And maybe because it was invented by Dean Jonathan Swift and so has no comparison in Italian. Or possibly it's because some say Vanessa comes from the Greek for "butterfly" and much of Mrs. Caristo's dialect, although Italian, is generously peppered with old Greek - that part of Italy having been colonised by the world and it's granny over the last five thousand years or so. In fact in the mountains of Calabria there are whole villages that to this day only speak ancient Greek! How wonderful is that? Probably not very if you're trying to fill in an Italian tax return. Then I reckon you're buggered. Ha ha suckers!

Food is fantastic though. Especially at this time of year (Spring in Australia) when if you know the right people you get to chow down on Carciofli. I'll let you guys work that one out for yourselves. Yum and yum!

The Little Fella may never get to enjoy old Mrs. Cariso's traditional cooking, let alone her individual way of trolloping the English language. Sadly her own grandchildren have no passion for learning her kitchen art and they all speakee the english real, real good. To be honest all three of them have university degrees in the language to some level or another - Vanessa and Karen have Doctorates, while Paul is a PhD. And her own daughter, and my mother-in-law, Rita, has a basic uni degree in English and speaks 14 Italian dialects with fluency - something that's extraordinarily rare among Italians. To be honest it's remarkable if an Italian speaks more than their own dialect and Florentine.

Heehhhhh.........

William Samuel is doing very well. Even if he doesn't respond to either his English name or his Italian name. What's in a name? He's very Shakespeare like that. He's a chunky monkey. Thriving is the medical term. In many ways he's well ahead of the pack. He's a vocal little burble boy. He can sit up almost unassisted. He loves to stand, with aide. He smiles at the smallest provocation. Giggles, laughs and chortles with extraordinary ease. Getting down to the proverbial wire, he is an absolute charm.

We only wish he would sleep.

Anyhow, see photos attached. The little Amadan is screeching with pure baby joy off in the other room when he should be in slumber land. But what can a new parent do? One delightful smile and he has me around his cute little finger. I just can't win this one. It's all down to gas. The poor little guy just can't handle his own flatulence. I once thought it was comical. Once. These days, after close to six months of broken, or more often rationed sleep, it's far from hilarious. Anyway next week (and it's our own fault for not being squeakier wheels) he's going to be seen by an local yet eminent paediatrician, who happens to be married to an Irish woman and spent five years working in Temple Street in Dublin. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sorry there are no photos to bolster this. Google wouldn't let me attach the photos I chose. I'm a graphic designer, I know what I'm doing when it comes to images. Frankly, Google is arse. This didn't happen before they took over. And lets not go into what they did in China.

Lots of love.

Malcolm

Great Work Lads!

I'm sitting here reading all the great blogs that the Malcolm and Sean fellas have been putting on the site and hopefully in the not too distant future we will have an additional one...I have just invited Vivienne Hamilton to join us bloggers...and I wish more people would get involved. Come on gang ... what you all up to out there? Oh...and Daniel has also indicated a desire to blog on the site...

Anyway...I want to add my own congratulations to Sean on his new job..and hope all goes well for him. I did try to add a Comment but without success...I'll have to figure out how to do that.

OK...it's 8.31 am and I must get ready for work..you know for us full time workers it's all go!

Stone The Flamin' Crows!

Hey folks, it's been a while. Well I must apologise for being away for so long. The past couple of months have been chocker-block with this and that. The 'this' being the ever increasing Vanessa, while the 'that' would be the new business I've founded. Both are pretty demanding right now, and for oddly similar reasons.

Otherwise things are all good. I know what you're thinking though. You're thinking that after a couple of months I should have a hoard of golden information that even the most descerning of dragons would be proud of. Well, nope. Or maybe I do but I'm just a little tired and can't think well enough to put together a decent rant. Yeah that's probably it. I'm lazy. You're lazy Malcolm! Pahh!

I'll tell you this though. I am so totally over the feckin' Australian summer! Nine months of hot, hotter and hottest can make a mind all wonkey. Yep, it's been a bad summer this one. Very hot, very dry. That's all I have to say about it. But take a look at the picture (I Scream!) above. It's happening all over the country. Terrible, terrible thing it is too.

Well done to the Sean fella regarding the new job. Woohoo! Listen buddy, you know what you're doing and don't let anybody tell you different! Huge congratulations!

Okay, okay... calm down. Baby news. People, some people anyway, want baby news. Well so far it's all quite good. Vanessa is 32 weeks and only now really starting to feel in anyway uncomfortable. The baby is a bit ambitious, seeing as it thinks it's the size of a 35 weeker! That's a Hamilton for you. We'll have to sort that out. Otherwise everything is text book. Although after the antenatal class we attended on Saturday last, I'm a little shaken....

It was similar to being part of a Uniting Church congregation. Everything said was about pain and suffering, but in the end it's all worth it, angels, paradise, Mozart etc. One of the future mothers there works with Vanessa. She and her husband are really quite young, only just passed their mid-twenties. By the end of the day the poor bloke was looking rather green. The midwife charged with preparing all us newbies for labour day kept dashing off to find a placenta to show us. Our young fella grabbed his missus and legged it before said organ could arrive. Probably a good thing as he managed to miss watching the child birth dvd they presented at the end of the day. Shudder....

Well afterwards, in the car home with his pregnant wife he told her there was no way he could be her support person unless he had a support person of his own. He simply can't see himself being there, watching her go through all that pain! Feckin' mush head! I mean he sort of got her into that situation, so from my point of view he can suck it in and deal with it! After all it's not him who'll be in labour, suffering quietly or screaming wildly with agony for hours as he struggles in whatever position helps him feel even slightly human. As he attempts to get a fricken baby out through his jaxie! Nor will he be the one who looses all dignity in the process! I tell you ladies, there's still a good way to go before you manage to get it through the thick heads of men, the world over, that you are equal to them in every respect except one. Only one. And that is that no man has, or ever will have, the incredible power, gift, ability to carry and bring into this messed up world, a life.

Well I've got to get back to work now. No more slacking off especially as I'm the boss.

Malcolm Hamilton

Managing Director
Double Dare Design & Advertising
Adelaide

Check us out at www.doubledare.com.au

From Wet and Windy Dublin!

Well hello everybody! It's good to see another new blogger! About time too! Now we need some more to get this blog really going.

I had a good Christmas. The Simpsons spent from Christmas Eve until the 27th with us until they they departed for their pad in Berlin for a weeks holiday...and by all accounts had a great time. Christmas was most enjoyable and Santy was good...to me anyway.

It's only a short one this time...but maybe next time, eh?

Jolly Old Man in Red!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Merry, merry Christmas to all readers! The silly season is almost here and I just want to wish you all a fantastic Christmas and a wonderful New Year! This time I hope all your dreams come through - or at least get a bit of a kick start! Yaaahooo.

Maybe 2007 is the year the World will correct itself? Lets get rid of all the rightwing loonies, mad feckers, nut-bags and fools! Bright new days await us all in 2007! So eyes to the future, a sunny new dawn is waiting!

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.....

Although equally....

Early to rise and early to bed makes a man healthy, wealth and dead!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Happy Christmas and a fulfilling New Year!

Father Malcolmas!

Fire in the Hole

Bloody hell it's hot. Crazy hot. Hot, hot, hot!

We're all watching the Hills with traffic accident ambivalence.

Okay a bushfire would shake up the emotions... It would be truly AWFUL.

Ask my Dad, or my Mum they'll explain how close to the tinder we are.

This has been one monster of a winter, followed by a hellish summer. No rain and plenty of sun.

Fire is on it's way. The flames are knocking on the door. Whooomp! Fire in the hole!

Thing is the "hole" is my back yard.

**dramatic pause**

Vanessa is good. She has well popped out now. Full bump in front. As a dad I really got my first joy of the pregnancy on Thursday. Hands on Vanessas' belly I felt the baby kick! Ohh how totally wonderful! Kick - Punch - Boot - Thud! Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!

It's alive..... muuuuwhaaaahhaahhaaa MMMMMHHUUUUUUWWAAAAAHAAHHAAAA

Later guys. I'm off to keep one eye on the Hills and the other on my fantastic wife and her glorious belly!

Whallop! Goes the baby....

email me at malcolmjhamilton@yahoo.com.au

New photos will be up in the new year.

Love Malcolm