Friday, Friday ... Where'd It Go !?!?!

Hello again, fellow bloggers !!

Another week has passed us by ... it is Friday evening here in the Land Of Oz, and our weekend is upon us ... can't complain about that now, can we !?!?!

I am quite disgusted with myself, as I have barely looked at any of your blogs this past few days, all I have done is reply to comments to mine. Please forgive me, it is a temporarily lapse from blogging ... I am iPodding !!!!

I am probably 2/3 of the way through my CD collection ... I figure another couple of days and I'll be done. Goodness, I had no idea it would take this long. Anyway, once it's done, it's done !! I am really enjoying the iPod, I also bought an iTrip, so I can play it in the car through my car stereo, and through the home stereo, too. It's amazing that all those CDs can fit onto one little thing ... technology, who can figure !!!

I must say thank you to 2 blog-friends ... FTS and Tonia ... whose postcards I received this week. I haven't scanned them into the computer yet, so they are not up on my Postcard Exchange yet ... soon, I promise. I visited FTS blog earlier today, and he has put together a groovy crossword, where the clues are all related to fellow bloggers on his blog-roll. Have a look, see if you're on there ... I am proud to say that I am !!!

The weather here in Melbourne has been lovely these past few days ... blue sky and sunshine, mild temperatures, Perfect Spring weather ... hang on, it's Winter ... anyway, it's wonderful weather. I think it will turn over the weekend, though ... typical !

Anyway, I had better go. As well as wanting to finish my iPod stuff, I also have a wad of typing to do, again. Chicky is going to a birthday party tomorrow, on the other side of town, so I will be hanging around there, as if I were to go home, I would have to turn around and go right back again. With that, and her netball ... there goes half of my day. Never mind, I'll sort it out !!

So, to all of you, my wonderful blog-friends, I hope you have an amazing weekend. May the happiness fairy sprinkle happiness dust all over you all !!

Take care and keep smiling,

MEOW xx

Just A Quickie !!!

Hello Friends,

Just a quick hello form me today, to let you know I am still alive !

I am busy playing with my music ... yep, I got my iPod yesterday ... yippee !!! I ended up getting the 60 gig Video model ... it is black, and beautiful !! So, for the next while (however long it takes), I will be sitting here, putting my CDs onto it.

I hope you all have a wonderful day. I will be back before the week is out. I will try and drop by all your blogs over the next few days, whilst I am waiting for CDs to import into iTunes (this takes awhile !!). I think I dropped by most of you yesterday ... apologies for anyone I missed out.

Take care,

MEOW

Whacky Weekend ... It's Over ... Aaaaawwwww !!

Hello Friends,

It is Monday morning in Australia, it is a sunny, smoggy day, quite mild in temperature. But ... it's MONDAY ... and that means the weekend's over, and we are back doing 9 to 5 routines !! Darn !!

My weekend was fairly quiet.

Saturday morning was Chicky's netball (they lost ... boo-hoo !!), then it was home to do some housework and cooking, as we were having friends over for dinner that night. It was a lovely evening, we chatted till all hours, and made plans for a camping holiday in the September school holidays. We will be heading to the Broken Hill region (which is in Western NSW). Should be a great trip ... can't wait.

Sunday was quiet ... I fiddled around with iTunes a bit, in preparation for my IPod, which I will get in the next day or two ... whoo-hoo !! I had to turn the computer off mid-afternoon, as we had a ripper electrical thunder storm, and I am paranoid that the computer will blow up, so I turn it off and unplug it from the power during storms. Better safe, than sorry, I always say !! I spent this down-time completing a mail-out I was doing for a friend ... 225 letters needed enveloping, labelling, stamping, and rubber-stamping (return address on the back). Booooring !! It's done now, though, and the letters are posted ... thank goodness !!

Unfortunately, I didn't get around to visiting all your blogs over the weekend, so I must apologise for that (again). I hope to get around to you all over the next couple days. Please forgive me, don't forget about me !!

Today I need to type up the newsletter I do each month for the Australian Multiple Birth Association, which will take me a few hours. Hopefully, once that's done, I can come visiting !!!

I would like to wish a belated Happy Birthday (for yesterday) to Kali ... hope you had a wonderful day.

Thank you everyone for letting me know your birthdates. I am collating them, so that I can acknowledge your birthdays as they occur. If anyone else would like to let me know their birthdates, please leave them in my comments. Thanks.

Anyway, I had better get on with this newsletter ... the day is getting away from me again !!

I hope everyone has a great week.

Take care,

MEOW

Fiddlesticks .... Friday's Finished !!

Hello Friends !!

I've been a tad side-tracked these past few days, and haven't been around blogland very much. Apologies to those people who I have neglected ... I hope I haven't missed out anything I should have known about urgently. I'll try and get by all your blogs over the weekend.

"What has Meow been doing ?", you may ask. Well, I have been in front of the computer, but not blogging (obviously). I have been fiddling with my music, trying to sort stuff out, in preparation for getting my iPod next week. Yep, I am finally joining the real world, and getting an iPod. I cannot wait. Now, I need some advice. I am tossing up whether to get the 30 gig model or the 60 gig model. Obviously the 60 gig one will hold more songs, but does anyone actually fill up a 30 gig one ??? I have got over 300 cds and a stack of music on my PC. What should I get ???? Thanks ... eagerly awaiting your advice !!

We had a ripper of a frost this morning ... the heaviest one yet this winter. My whole car was covered, not just the roof, bonnet and boot ... even the side mirrors and windows, and doors !! It was amazing, and it was such a gorgeous morning ... blue sky and sunshine. It turned into a fabulous day, mild, sunny, gorgeous blue skies. And, did this little bunny take any photos to share with her friends here ??? Nope, not a one !! Don't know what came over me. Sorry !!

I saw an interesting idea on a blog the other day, which I thought I might try. (Thanks, Pea, hope you don't mind me borrowing your idea !!). Here goes ....

I would like to put together a list of all my blog friend's birthdays, so that I can wish you all a happy birthday on your special day. You don't have to tell me the year (unless you want to !), just the month and date. Please leave your info in the comments section, and I will note it down in my trusty notebook at home !! I would love for you all to do this, but don't feel like you have to, if you don't want to ... I'll understand. I'll start ... my birthday is November 17 1964 (yep, I'm turning 42 this year !!). Thanks, looking forward to all your birthdates !!!

Well, I think that's all for me ... it is 10.40pm, Friday night. I'm all tuckered out, and think I will go to bed.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Take care,

MEOW

Wonderful Wednesday ...

It is a lovely sunny morning when I look out the back windows of my house, although when I look out the front there are brooding dark clouds !! The wonders of nature !! We are still awaiting that much needed continuous rain, although we did have some over the weekend ... but not enough. I want to have to build an ark, I want it to rain for weeks, I want our water storages to fill up, I want my beloved Lake Eildon to fill up, I want, I want, I want ..... hmmmmm !!

Anyway, enough of that.

I received another postcard yesterday, check it out on my postcard blog here, or click on the link on my sidebar. It's still so much fun sending and receiving postcards. I've lost count as to how many I've sent out .... the post office must be loving me !!

Don't forget to put yourself on my guest map, if you haven't already. The link for it is on my side bar. Hope to see you there !!

I will leave you now with this lovely quote and picture ...

Have a wonderful day.

Take care,

MEOW

Surprises In My Letterbox ...

Hello again, Friends ...

I got a wonderful surprise when I went to my letterbox yesterday afternoon. There were 3 postcards (which I have posted on my Postcard Exchange blog ... click here, or visit via the link on my sidebar), and a lovely package (well, 2 actually, but one of them was some stuff I had ordered for my Turbo Oven, so I won't go on about that here !!).

The package was from Chloe, all the way from Greece. There was some great stuff in there, mostly Meow / Cat stuff (I wonder why !!). The things Chloe sent me were: A gorgeous pink spiral-bound notebook, with a cat and Meow on the cover; a matching wallet thingy with small note sheets and pen; some cat fridge magnets; a gorgeous CD (which I have played, and love, and will listen to often); some Greek chewing gum (I love chewing gum !); and a beautiful card. Thank you, Chloe, it is a perfect gift. You are so sweet.

(Greeneyes, I am sorry to say that your parcel still hasn't arrived ... when did you send it ??)

We had some weird weather yesterday. One minute it was overcast and drizzling, then the clouds parted briefly and the sun shone, then it rained again. Have a look at this photo, taken from outside my backdoor ... I was fascinated by the cloud formation. Ths sun was in the wrong spot, so the photo is a bit weird, but I think it shows what I wanted it to !!

I experimented with my cooking yesterday. I had never made Risotto, and have eaten it often at restaurants, and at friend's, and love it, so thought it was time to make my own. I downloaded a couple of recipes ... but in the end made it my own way anyway, just using the basic methods on the recipes to get the consistency right !! It turned out to be a yummy Chicken and Mushroom Risotto ... mmmm, the family loved it, so did I. Guess what I will be making more often now. Might have to try other flavours, too !!

I wasn't quite as motivated as I had hoped to be yesterday, and still have things on my list I should have done (which of course, now carry over to today's list !!). I had better hop to it, hadn't I !?!?

I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday.

Take care,

MEOW

Motivation ... Where's Mine ??

Hello Fellow Bloggers,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was quiet, again, and went nice and slowly. I did a bit of housework, read a bit, cooked a bit, played on the computer a bit !! Nothing much, really !! It was wonderfully relaxing, though.

Today is a cold, wet Monday morning. I am trying to get myself moving and get into doing the multitude of things I have on my list for this week ... at this stage, I have done none of them !!

My challenge for today is to "GET MOTIVATED".

What's your challenge for today ??

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Take care,

MEOW

Friday Again ...

Hello Friends,

Yep, it's Friday again (at least it is here, already ... perhaps it is still Thursday, as you are reading this, for those of you not in Australia !!)

My week has been OK, fairly quiet, but somewhat busy, none-the-less. I haven't had a lot of computer time, so haven't done my regular visit to all your blogs. This will happen shortly, so wait for me, I will get there !!

Just an update (for those of you who may be interested) on my kitty, Bambi. I had to take her to the vet last night, as she had begun limping again, and there was a soft squishy lump near her war-wounds. I figured it was probably an abcess forming, and thought it would be better to catch it early, before it did anymore damage. Well, I was right, it was a small abcess, which was already draining a little. The vet opened it up further, squeezed out a heap of puss (eeewwww!!), gave her a couple of injections (antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory), charged me $86, and sent us home with 10 days worth of antibiotic tablets !! I need to keep an eye on it, so that it doesn't close up too quickly and reform, but the vet thinks it should be OK. I am so annoyed with the cat over the road ... he is costing me money again (we spent a fortune on vet bills with our other cat, who also used to fight with him !!) ... but there is nothing really we can do, without causing problems with the neighbours, which is something I really don't want to do. Unfortunately, cats will fight, it is in their nature. Enough said !!

There was a magnificent sunrise this morning, but guess which silly bunny forgot to take a photo of it to show you all ... yep, that would be me !! Oh well, next time !!

I have received a couple of emails lately about ageing ... I wonder if people are trying to tell me something. I am only 41 for goodness sake. Anyway, I thought I would share them with you. (If they are too hard to read, try clicking on them, and hopefully they will come up for you bigger!) Here goes ...

Just in case you weren't feeling "too" old today, this will certainly change things.

The people who started university this year across the nation were born in 1987.

Star Wars is older than them.

Their lifetime has always included AIDS.

Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic.

They have always had an answering machine.

They cannot fathom not having a remote control.

They have always had CD's, never records.

Ray Martin has been on Channel 9 their entire life.

Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave.

They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.

They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are.

They don't know who Mork was or where he was from.

They do not care who shot J. R. and have no idea who J. R. even was.

McDonald's never came in Styrofoam containers.

They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter.

Do you feel old yet? (Sorry) Pass this on to the other old fogies on your list. Notice the larger type, that's for those of you who have trouble reading.

Oh well, I guess that's all for me for the time being. Oh yeah, I forgot ... I got another postcard yesterday. Pop on over to my Postcard Blog to have a look at it ... either click here, or go via the link on my sidebar.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Take care,

MEOW

Job Offer ...

Tuesday Trivia ...

Just a quick post to say thank you to everyone for your kind words and best wishes for my kitty, Bambi, after her nasty cat-fight with the evil kitty, Max, from over the road. Her wound appears to be healing, she isn't limping anymore, and is back to being psycho-kitty ... this photo is of her last night, having a short break from playing, so she could pose for a photo !!

I got another postcard today .... have a look at it over on my postcard blog ... click here, or go via the link on my sidebar.

I finally got around to colouring my hair today. I will take a photo shortly, and show you all (maybe !!). It turned out really nice, if I do say so myself.

It actually rained today ... yes, don't all fall over backward in surprise ... it rained. But it has stopped again !! We really need some constant rain, for days on end if necessary ... I'll build an ark if I have to. But our water catchments are crying out for water, and I hate water restrictions. Could you all please, maybe, do a rain dance for us ?!?!?

I hope your week is going well. I had better go and get dinner ready now.

Take care all,

MEOW

Looking Out My Front Door ...

This is what greeted me when I went outside this morning, around 8am, to fetch my newspaper. The sky was eerily dark (the photo doesn't do it justice, unfortunately), and the air felt odd. I had to run back inside and get my camera so I could show you !! I was looking, sort of, in a south westerly direction.

When I turned around more southerly, I could see the edge of this cloud mass ... was it a "front" ? I don't really know. To the left was blue sky and some fluffy type clouds, to the right was this evil big black mass ... yuck !!

I went back inside, had breakfast, got ready and when Chicky and I went outside again so I could take her to school, it was all gone. Go figure !!! Melbourne weather, 4 seasons in one day !! It is windy, and quite cool, with heaps of clouds ... but the big black yucky one has just disappeared !!!

Thought you might like to see a picture of the front yard and front of my house (not sure if I've posted one before). The building on the right of the picture is our garage, and the house is the one set back further !! It is only a small house, but big enough for the 3 of us and the cat. Oh yeah, that's the letter-box at the front ... I was standing on the footpath to take this photo.

It's a shame the weekend is over, but life goes on, doesn't it. My weekend was very quiet. Chicky played netball on Saturday morning ... they drew 12 all. Better than a loss, I say !! I read a bit, did some washing, and did the typing I had to do ... this didn't take too long, fortunately !! We made a couple of yummy home-made pizzas for dinner last night ... Chicky made one, I made the other. One was a ham, salami and pineapple one, the other was ham, salami, bacon, red capsicum and mushroom. Of course, both of them had sauce on the base, and were covered with mozzerella cheese. They were soooooo yummy !! We have enough remaining to have the rest for dinner tonight ... yay, I don't have to cook !!

Poor Bambi kitty got into a massive fight Sunday morning. I had just let her out (she stays indoors all night, and I only let her out after 6am, when it is starting to get light). Next thing, I hear the yowling and screaming of a cat-fight. Out I run, in my jammies, barefoot (the ground was wet, it had been raining, I didn't care !!), yelling out to Bambi. Max (the big white fluffy cat from over the road ... a non-desexed male) went running (Oooh, I'd love to get my boot into him !!), Bambi bolted to the front door, and krept inside. Poor kitty, she was saturated, and shaking ... terrified. Generally, she is a scaredy cat, preferring to run away, than to fight. Unfortunately, she was cornered, so what else could she do ... she's a cat, and unfortunately, that's what they do instinctively. I think she gave as good as she got. But, for the first time, the poor baby was injured. She has some wicked gashes on her front left leg (which I will keep an eye on, in case of infection / abcesses), and there was heaps of fur on the path where they fought ... more white fur (Max's) than tabby fur (Bambi's) ... but Max got in a couple of lucky punches, I guess. I can't find any other injuries on her, fortunately, except perhaps her pride. I hope she gave Max what-for, though. The rotten cat stalks her (I had blogged about this awhile ago, but it seemed to have stopped ... ummm, nope !!). Hopefully, it will be awhile before he comes back on this property. Anyway, Hubby has now cut through a small opening at the bottom of the gate, in the area where she was cornered, so she has an escape route if it happens again. Hope it works in her favour !! She spent most of yesterday licking herself, feeling sorry for herself, and limping around. She's not really limping this morning, though, so hopefully she'll be OK. I'm off to the vet at the first sign of an abcess, though ... eeeewww.

I hope you all had a great weekend. For all my non-Aussie friends, I hope the Summer is being good to you ... send heat, please send heat, I need heat !!! For all my Aussie friends, I hope the cold weather isn't getting you down ... only a month and a half until Spring !!!

Anyway, have a wonderful week.

Take care,

MEOW

Another Friday ...

Hello Fellow Bloggers ....

I hope you have all had a wonderful week. I certainly have, although I am surprised how quickly the week has flown (again !). Must be an age thing ... I remember as a child the days and weeks went sooooo slowly (particularly the school week !!). The school holidays always went too fast though ... go figure !!

I got my hair cut this morning, finally !! I'm not one for getting my hair cut every 6 weeks, like people recommend ... I'm lucky to get it done twice a year. I hate getting my hair cut, although I am always happy after the fact, that my hair looks so nice again. Now, all I have to do is put some fresh colour in it (to hide the beautiful grey ones that continue to sprout on my head !!), and I will feel like a new woman. Now if only the body were as quick and easy to change ....

I haven't really got much else to say at this stage ... gosh, I'm kinda boring, aren't I !?!?!

I have a bit of typing to do, again, over the weekend, so I may not be able to drop over and visit for a few days ... I will be back.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Perhaps you will be doing a bit of this ....

Hopefully, when you dance, you look somewhat more co-ordinated than this very strange kitty.

So, dear friends, that's it from me for now. I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful weekend.

Take care,


MEOW

5 Things Meme ...

Five things....

( Thank you, Nicole for this tag)
.
in my fridge ...

milk (skinny and fat), the makings for fried rice, cat food, diet pepsi, various stuff which I can no longer identify !!

in my closet ...

outfits in various sizes (depending on what week it is, and what size I am on that day), jeans, t-shirts, books, junk !!

in my purse (handbag)...

wallet (usually empty), cheque book, comb, chewing gum, various pens & notepads, mobile phone, tampons (well, you never know !!), and stacks of other paraphernalia (yeah, yeah, I know that is more than 5 !!)

.
in my car...

chewing gum, blanket, rubbish, magazines, crossword book & pen (for when I am waiting outside school for Chicky), chairs in the boot, grocery shopping bags, more rubbish (oops, that's more than 5 again !!)

Five people I am tagging...

Whoever wants to be tagged ... please, someone !!

7 Things About Me ...

I was tagged by Diane for this one. Here goes ...

7 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME
- I love to read, always have a book or two on the go.
- I really enjoy my own company.
- I love chocolate.
- I hate to wear turtle necked tops ... anything around my neck like that makes me crazy ... eeewww.
- I love spinach.
- I always have to have the TV or music on ... not keen on being in a silent room.
- I start lots of craft projects ... I frequently don't finish them, though. I have heaps of unfinished projects stored in my spare room.

7 THINGS THAT SCARE ME
- I get frightened when people drive too fast when I'm in the car with them.
- I get frightened in speed-boats when they are going too fast.
- I love 4WDing, although always have a fear that the car might roll over.
- I have a healthy fear of fire.
- I am scared of dentists ... really, really scared.
- I am terrified of losing my parents, husband and daughter.
- Hmmmmm ????

7 RANDOM / MUSIC AT THE MOMENT
- Robbie Williams
- Mamas & the Papas
- Rogue Traders
- Elvis
- Classic Rock
- James Blunt
- Beatles

7 THINGS / PEOPLE I LIKE THE MOST
- My family
- My friends
- My cat
- My blog friends
- Life in general
- Sunshine
- Being happy

7 THINGS I SAY THE MOST
- Have you cleaned your room ? (to daughter)
- Have you put your dirty washing away ? (to daughter)
- I'm over it !!
- Bambiiii (in a stern voice, when the kitty is being naughty !)
- Has the postie been ??
- Put the remote down (to hubby)
- Hello ?? (when the phone rings !!)

If anyone else would like to do this meme, if you haven't already done so, please feel free !!

Just a quick post to let you know that I received 3 new postcards today. They are beautiful. Please go over to my Postcard blog and have a look at them. You can there here, or via the link on my side bar.

Aren't I A Cute !!!

Mmmm, this is soooo comfy, just the perfect shape for my cuddly, furry body !!

I don't know why I've never tried this spot before ... I'll have to remember it next time I'm looking for somewhere private to sleep !!

I hope nobody turns on the tap ... that could be disasterous !!

Oooh, look ... Mum's got the camera ... do I look alright ??? Have I got a smudge on my nose ??

Where'd The Weekend Go ?!?!?

Hello Fellow Bloggers !!

Another weekend has passed us by ... it's Monday again.

Sadly, it is also back to school for Victorian school children, after 2 weeks holiday. Shame !! I was really enjoying the sleep ins and the lack of routine. It was a wonderfully relaxing break, we didn't do much, and were able to sleep in lots !!! I imagine there are lots of parents out there who are glad the break is over, and they can "get rid of" their kids again. I don't feel that way at all ... I really enjoyed my time with Chicky (That's when she was home, that is !!! This child has the busiest social life !!).

The weekend just gone was a quiet one. I don't recall doing much at all, not even any obvious housework (other than the usual day to day tidying up, and washing !!). I read a little, watched a bit of TV, played a bit on the computer. Not much else really. The weather yesterday was pretty yuck ... cold and drizzly ... a good day to stay home with the heating on !!

I finished a book the other day. It's called Shiver, and is by an Australian Author called Nikki Gemmel. It was a great story about a female journalist travelling to Antarctica. Here's what the blurb on the back of the book says .... "A young woman gets the chance of a lifetime. To go to 'the land of mythical tragedies, the place of ships' hulls being crushed by ice, of long journeys into darkness and death, of soles falling from feet and being strapped back on, of teeth freezing and splitting, fingers dying, toenails coming away, mates disappearing through holes in the ice, mates walking away into blizzards, saying I'm just going outside and may be some time, and never coming back ...' Surrounded by the cruel beauty of the last great wilderness on earth, she finds herself transfixed by the power of the land. Travelling and living with a close-knit and idiosyncratic team, Fin learns the rules and taboos of community life in Antarctica, and then promptly breaks the strictest taboo of all - she falls in love. The consequences are shattering. Lyrical, haunting and sometimes painfully moving, Shiver is a first novel of great power and beauty." It wasn't a hugely long novel ... only 273 pages. I really enjoyed the book, it was written in the first person ... Fin is telling the story. It is very descriptive, and very well written, I thought. If you can get your hand on it, and if you like stories like this, you will thoroughly enjoy it.

Is anyone else still having problems uploading photos with Blogger Dashboard Posting ??? I have discovered the only way it will let me is this way .... I write my post, Save As Draft, open it up again for editing, Save as Draft again, open it up again for editing, THEN upload my photos (either from My Pictures or from Photobucket) !!! It won't let me after the first re-opening for editing, only the second ... how strange is that !!! It works for me this way everytime, without fail. But it is kinda frustrating ... the darn thing should work first go, not third go ... what's with Blogger ?!?!?! It works first go with I use Hello / Picasa, but I don't always want to use the format this allows me to use. Oh well, these things are sent to try us !!

I found another lovely quote to share with you ...

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.

--Anais Nin--

Isn't that a beautiful quote ???

Today started out cold and drizzly, although the sun has just showed itself !! I really wish it would rain (although it is really miserable outside when it does !). We have had little or no rain so far this Winter, and it is becoming quite worrisome. Our water catchments are once again under 50% ... if we don't get some useful rain soon, things will be looking pretty grim for Summer. We are already on permanent water restrictions, and I imagine we are not too far away from them becoming stricter.

Anyway, enough blabber from me. I hope you all have a wonderful week. For those of you in the USA, have a wonderful 4th of July. For those of you in Canada, I hope you had a brilliant Canada Day. For those of you anywhere else, that may be having some sort of celebration ... enjoy.

Take care, friends ...

MEOW

A PINCH AND A PUNCH FOR THE FIRST OF THE MONTH.

Have a great weekend, friends.

MEOW