Karl Roff

Don't cut it off!

Elijah Thomas Roff, born 25th Feb, 2009

7'15" and doing well. Neil and Eileen were the Microsoft of the industry but with two boys Sarah and I have just entered the sausage factory market.

Geneology of the name? Eli was a swashbuckling sword wielding Hebrew prophet who sought to abolish idolatory and had it out with the Devil on Mt Carmel, then rode off into the sky on a flaming chariot.... cool.

Fw: A special song for mothers (really good)!!!

Hi Adam,

I'm not sure how to get this on the blog. It is something all Roff mums
would understand. Can you post it for me please?

Cheers
Marianne

Milly in Melbourne

Milly is alive and well. The doctor said she might have glandular fever but to get that you have to kiss a boy so I think we can safely dump that diagnosis. Here's a picture of last night (Wednesday). Paris arrived with Dom after their touch-footy game (victory!) and there's a big game on next week which Nick MIGHT be able to play in as his doctor gave him the all-clear this afternoon. He's back at work tomorrow. Annika took the photo and she's back at uni this week. I'm having a number 4 tomorrow (or perhaps on Monday) so this will be the last pic where I look like Karl Marx. Lara is, allegedly, in NSW at the moment which is why she wasn't playing footy and joining us. We had a vote over dinner and decided if Paris and Lara split up, we'd prefer it was Lara who stayed in the family. Indi couldn't make it either becasue he's started uni this week as well and is clearly taking it very seriously. Amanda is rehersing (probably) for the upcoming gig at a giant festival the name of which has temporarily excaped me. Milly is out at the moment looking at potential squats but there's a curry on the stove that only she could have cooked. Her room is spotless and she's polite and cooperative around the house. I can't see what Stuart and Marianne have been complaining about for the past 22 years...

Darb and Joan at home

I have just popped the cork on a champagne and am waiting for Stuart to get home. He is somewhere in Gateshead on a bike ride except his muffler fell off and Alaine has had to do a dash with some tools to help him fix it. Milly leaves us tomorrow and heads to Melbourne to terrify the Melbournians for a while. It will be quite strange for Stuart and I to be at home alone. No one attacking the fridge, watching Sex and the City on the TV, leaving mess all over the place and generally giving me grief. I got to sleep at 6am this morning, when Amelia finally came home from an engagement party at 6:30 last night.



Stuart and I attended Amelia's graduation ceremony on Friday. She received a Bachelor of Oral Health and can now be let loose on the unwitting public as an oral hygienist. For those of you who have been out of the loop, Milly is working for a private dental practice in Melbourne for 4 days a week and will be earning a tidy little sum for her efforts. Grant and Julia are looking after her for a few days until she finds accommodation in Melbourne. We are greatly appreciative of them for looking after her and wish them luck. With Nick recuperating and Dom doing all the driving, they have their work cut out for them.

We have a series of visitors over the next few weeks until we head to Fiji during the April school holidays. Brad Forrest is making an appearance, Daniel, my niece Sophie, and we are off to Brad and Debbie's in 2 weeks for Leila's baptism.

Cheers
Marianne

Division 4

First Day of School

I was hoping to set a Roff family record by not having done an honest days work until the age of 32. Then I found out that Joe has only just got his first real job and that Dad was basically a vagrant until he was 35. Still... 32 isn't a bad effort.

I've been in slacker paradise for long enough so I finally joined the workforce this week as a "Senior Remote Sensing Specialist" for the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change. If anyone knows what any of that means please contact me because my new collegues at work have been asking what I do. I have no idea. I hear it might have something to do with mapping the vegetation of the Murray-Darling with satellites.

They are letting me start one day a week till I hand my thesis in, which is awfully sweet. Only a couple of weeks now. Thanks for putting up with me being such a slacker and make sure you get a few rounds off me at the pub before I retire (Harry currently has the record for earliest retirement but I will give it a good crack).

It's ALIVE!

Let this be a lesson...

You will note in the post below that Nicholas has found some spare time to tease his father. He is currently in the Freemasons' Hospital (memo to Nick: don't put "Catholic" on the forms which ask for your religion) having his appendix removed. He went straight from the doctor's surgery to the hospital so they took his symptoms seriously. Julia is doing the early shift and it looks like he might get home on Friday. Any nephew or niece who still has his/her appendix should note that being disrespectful to their father may bring on an attack.
Melbourne is still covered in smoke but the fires seem to be under control. Flooding in Lismore? Report please.

Go Go Dancing on fire!

Rock Lobster started just appearing in Japan and Taiwan at random places.......
Some of them will make more sense if you have seen Madagascar but Harry insisted that I put them all on.... sorry
ROCK LOBSTER at Kyoto City Zoo
ROCK LOBSTER at Osaka Aquarium with some deep sea crabs

ROCK CRAB????? at Teramachi in Kyoto
ROCK CRAB in Namba, Osaka


ROCK LOBSTER! Taichung Science and Natural Museum

ROCK LOBSTER with Marty at Taipei Zoo
ROCK LOBSTER with Moto Moto at Taipei Zoo

ROCK LOBSTER with cheer leading rehearsals at Cheng Kai-Shek memorial Hall, Taipei.

Just a bit of a laugh, but we are thinking of the guys and girls caught up in the fires, it is all over the news here and sounds terrible. I hope life can return to normal soon.
Vicky

i know some of you might be worried about me

I will survive....

Puffing Billy Update

Hi to all prospective Puffing Billy runners.
Attached is the PB website. If you're in then send them your email address. Registrations open late February. Hopefully the area won't be damaged by fire. Pleased to hear all Victoria Roffs accounted for, but so sad for so many others.

Jenny

www.puffingbilly.com.au

BIRTHDAY BOY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Ashley Sherwood Roff - 53 today! We hope the weather is kinder to you today than it has been. Enjoy!

Also happy birthday to Mitchell Thomas - it was great to see you at Lismore and hope we see much more of you.

Cal and Lily start school.

Cal starts high school and Lily starts Kindergarten. How much fun would it be having Lily in your class! So far so good with everyone enjoying school.

Dodgey Uncle 2008/09

It's official - The dodgey Uncle for 2008/2009 is GLENN!!!

Yes, he may have selflessly organised the Roff/Seage/Forrest Bi-yearly reunion. Yes, he may have selflessly driven all the cousins to the dogs, and the pub. Yes, he selflessly cleaned up after everyone left.

....but the stats don't lie. He has the most strikes against his name, and as Toodey says "GLENN, GLENN, GLENN" - Everyone has his name on their lips.

Congratulations Glenn. Good luck you other 5 for the coming year.