Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Sunday, Windy Sundy !!

Hello Everyone,

It's been a week again, since I last blogged. Time flies, doesn't it. I have been pretty busy, as usual, and won't go into what I have been up to. Suffice to say, I haven't had a lot of time to blog ... darn it !!

It is a very windy Sunday here where I live. The sun is out, but I have had to put the outside awnings up, as the wind was buffetting them around, and I was fearful that they might be damaged.

It was a glorious, rather warm day yesterday. We had a 40th birthday party to go to during the day, which was outside, so it was lovely. Then in the evening, Chicky had a 13th birthday party to go to, which was at a roller-skating rink. She had heaps of fun, and came home exhausted. It is just after 10.30am, Sunday morning, as I write ... and she is still asleep !!

Daylight Savings time started at 2am this morning. I love Daylight Savings. I love that it is light for longer in the evenings ... it almost makes it feel like we have a longer day (although I know this isn't true). It allows for more time after school and work to do things outside. Lovely.

I have been busy scanning in all my wedding photos (we have been married almost 19 years). I thought it was time to put them on the computer, as I want to turn them into a Photostory DVD, like I did with our Cape York trip photos, and our Broken Hill trip photos, and also our recent trip to the Shepparton area. It makes looking at the photos more enjoyable, when you can watch them on the TV, and there are lovely transitions, zooms and music added to them ... it almost looks like you are watching a movie, rather than a bunch of still photos. It's been rather nostalgic, looking at all these photos ... 19 years is a very long time, and boy, have fashions changed !! And how we have all aged !!! It is also kind of sad, as quite a few of the older people who attended our wedding are no longer with us. The memories of it all are wonderful, though.

Ooooh, I got an award, check it out ....

Angela at The Life And Times of Gran awarded me with the Sweet Treat award. I am truly honoured to receive this award, and it is such a cute award, too. Thanks, Angela ... you are sweet !

Here's how it works:

1. Once you've been awarded the Sweet Treat Award, make a post and award it to bloggers who you deem "One Sweet Treat to Read" everyday.

2. Make sure you inform those who you awarded that they have won!

3. Grab the button and proudly display it in your sidebar for all your old/new readers to see!

You can read the history of this award at Trista's blog, The Pumkin Patch. I'm going to give this award to those that I feel it is a treat to go and visit, and read as often as I can. If you would like to pass this award on to those that you feel are also deserving, then please do!!

So, who to give the award to ....


Wow, I could go on ... I think 10 is enough ... there are so many of you out there who are worthy of this award ... gosh !!

Anyway, I had better get moving. I need to wake up Chicky, have some breakfast, and get her to a special dance rehearsal at 1pm this afternoon. I also need to do some washing, and some housework ... yuck !!

So, to all of you, enjoy the remainder of your weekend, and have a wonderful week.

( Oh yeah, we have a (sort of) long weekend next weekend (for the Melbourne Cup), and we are going away for a few days ... Friday afternoon until Tuesday evening. Can't wait !! )

Take care,

Sunday, October 21, 2007

What Flower Are You ?



I am a
Snapdragon


What Flower
Are You?



Take the Test and Find Out

Saturday, October 20, 2007

The Week That Was

Hello Everyone,

I hope you have all had a great week. Mine has been busy, hectic, weird ... as per usual !!

I worked Monday and Wednesday (which seems to have become my regular days). Tuesday I was meant to go on a picnic with some fellow bloggers (Val, Gina & Miss Eagle, and others), but some family stuff prevented me from going ... judging by their photos and blog commentary, it was great fun ... wish I could've been there.

Thursday was a day of shopping, housework and cooking ... I had my parents over for dinner, and we had a lovely dinner, and a lovely evening.

Friday was off to the vet with Bambi. Basically for her yearly vaccination, but also for a check-up, as she had been off colour since Monday night. She didn't eat all day Tuesday and Wednesday, and just slept all day, not even going outside, barely moving. I was horrified that something terrible was wrong, and I basically had her dead and buried (in my head) ... that's how freaked out I had become by Thursday. Anyway, turns out she had hurt herself, somewhere in the joint of one of her back legs, and, as cats are prone to do, she decided to sleep herself better. By Thursday morning, she had had a little to eat (some sliced turkey meat, which I hand fed her !!), and some water, and went outside briefly. Friday morning she was almost back to her usual cheeky self. The vet, on Friday, gave her a pain killer needle (as well as her vaccination), and said otherwise she seemed in excellent health. So, we came home, and the silly kitty felt sorry for herself, and slept some more (I think the vet may have hurt her sore leg, during the poking, pulling, and prodding, trying to find out where it hurt !!). Then later Friday evening, she was outside, being her normal curious self, and the little sh*t got herself into a cat fight !!! What's with that ?? Of course, then she came inside, felt sorry for herself, didn't want to eat again, and went to sleep. This morning (Saturday) she woke up sore again ... stupid animal !! Self inflicted this time. She seems ok this afternoon, off and running around outside. Still not hugely interested in food ... I guess that will come back soon !! Cats !!!

As you may (or may not !) know, I got a new computer, running Windows Vista, last week. I love it, and I think I have everything set up on it that I want. It is running beautifully, and so much quicker than the other one. I set up a wireless router, so Chicky and I can now be on the internet at the same time (she on my old computer), and she doesn't have to beg me for the computer, so she can do homework (or chat on MSN, or MySpace, or whatever !!). Anyway, I thought I'd show you what the new machine looks like ...

Ain't it purrty !!!

Anyway, that's enough for me for now ... I plan to spend the next few hours visiting some (if not all) of your blogs, checking up on what you have been up to all week.

In closing, I would like to leave you with the following little pic ...

Take care,

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick update ...

I am very happy, as I have pretty much sorted out my new computer, and installed most of the programs I want.

I had a few glitches, with not being able to install Itunes, or upload photos to Ebay, or even not being able to open many comment boxes on blogs ... now that is tragic !! Anyway, turns out it was to do with an AdWatch program I had running, part of my Norman Anti Virus Software Suite. So, I sorted it out, and all is working as it should.

I went out and bought a wireless router, so that I can run both laptops, wirelessly, off the same broadband connection. Simple process, and we were up and running in no time. It is such a liberating feeling, knowing I am no longer stuck at the desk when I want to be on the 'net !! And Chicky is pretty happy, too, as she doesn't have to compete with me for computer time !!

I was supposed to be attending a picnic lunch yesterday with some fellow bloggers, Val, Gina & Brigid, and a couple others, but some family things came up that I had to attend to. Shame, as I was really looking forward to going. The weather wasn't really brilliant, though, so I wonder how it all went ... must go and check out their blogs !!

Anyway, enough for me ... I need to take Chicky to school, then get myself sorted for work (I am starting at 10 this morning).

So, have a happy Wednesday, everyone, and a great remainder of the week.

Take care,

Sunday, October 14, 2007

A New Computer

Hi There Everyone,

Hope you are all well, and enjoying the weekend.

I have been a bit distracted from almost everything these past few days ... I got a new computer !!

Yep, a beautiful new toy.

It is a Toshiba Notebook, with lots of goodies ... makes my old (well, only 3 1/2 years old) NEC Notebook look downright dinosaur-like. And the speed ... whoo-hoo, going from 256meg Ram to 2gig Ram is just amazing. I'm having so much fun. This new one runs Windows Vista, and I am having a few teething problems with some software I want to run ... but it is all gradually working out.

For some reason, though, I cannot install Itunes ... it just doesn't want to do it. Also, when I tried to upload some photos onto Ebay, to sell something, it wouldn't let me do that either. If there is anyone reading this who can fill me in on how to solve this, please do ... I would love to hear from you. Thank you.

(UPDATE: I now have Itunes working ... not sure why it didn't want to install initially, but I eventually got it ... yay !! Now I still need to figure out why Ebay wouldn't let me upload photos !!)

Anyway, I'd better go, still got lots of stuff to install on this lovely new toy (oh, and I spose I'd better do some housework, laundry, cooking, too !!).

Will be back soon.

Take care,

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

She's Back (for now !!!) ...

Well, hello there ...

It's been awhile (again) since I last posted, but I have a pretty big post for you all today.

As you may (or may not) know, my family and I spent the past 2 weeks on holidays, at 2 seperate locations. For the first week, we took along one of Chicky's best friends, Chooky. The 2 girls had an absolute ball, as did we.

Our first week was spent at Lakeside Country Club, in Numurkah, in North/Central Victoria. It is a gorgeous place, with heaps to do ... an indoor heated pool, spa, sauna, an outdoor pool, tennis courts, beach volley ball court, mini golf, BMX park, a huge lake for canoeing and paddle boat riding, and many, many other things.

Lakeside Country Club is essentially a resort for Timeshare patrons. We have had Timeshare for quite some years now, but don't use it as regularly as we wish we could. The format of our timeshare is that we don't have to go to our nominated resort ... we can go anywhere we like, within the group of eligible resorts.

Anyway, we arrived at Lakeside on Friday evening, settled into our unit (which was great ... 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room, huge kitchen with eating area within, and a laundry - washing machine, dryer, trough - off the kitchen behind a bifold door). We then decided to have a bit of an explore throughout the resort, with the girls deciding to go for a swim !!

Next day, we decided to have a lazy day, staying around the resort. I took the opportunity to take numerous photos (this one, below, is of the extraordinary gardens around the resort ... cactii, how interesting !!)

Hubby had a bit of down-time, as he had hurt his foot on Friday evening ... not really sure how, but it was very painful ... we almost had to make a trip to hospital (he thought it might be broken). He struggled through, though ... he was brave, and didn't want to spoil the holiday for the girls !!

On Sunday, we made a trip into Echuca, which is a town on the Murray River (which borders Victoria and New South Wales). Echuca used to be a thriving port, in the days when paddle steamers did all the fetching and carrying ... before trains and semi-trailers. These days, it is a historical town, with many interesting things to look at.

We took a paddle steamer cruise along the Murray River, on board the PS Pevensey, which was built in 1911. The Pevensey is quite famous, it was used in the filming of "All The Rivers Run", a wonderful movie/mini series from a number of years ago, starring many famous Aussies.

It was a wonderful cruise, with many interesting sights along the river. The old paddle steamers are just fascinating, and are still operated in just the same manner as they were almost 100 years ago. The following photo is the 3 of us ... Hubby, Chicky and myself (I wasn't sure if Chooky's family wanted me to include a photo of her on this blog). We were sitting at the back of the boat, and the view down the Murray is just magical.

This next photo is of a portion of the Old Echuca Wharf, and a couple of old paddle steamers. The river is quite down, around a couple of metres lower than normal ... but still a beautiful place.

The next day (Monday) we had another lazy day at the resort ... more swimming and playing for the kids, more relaxing and reading for me, and hubby watched some TV and played Playstation ... resting his foot !!

Tuesday we took a trip up to Cobram, and checked out a lovely beach (again on the Murray), where we have camped. Once again, we were quite shocked at how low the water was. We then travelled closer to Yarrawonga, to another beach (Dead River Beach) where we spent many wonderful holidays in years past. We also stayed there back in 2005, prior to going to Cape York ... it was sort of a test weekend for all our camping equipment !!

We were horrified at the number of trees exposed by the low water levels, and realising that this was where we always boated and water skiied ... gosh were we lucky that there were never any accidents.

Dead River Beach is a gorgeous place, and it got taste for camping going again ... we can't wait to pack our tent (or our new TVan - when we get it!!), and spend some quality time just sitting on the banks of this mighty river.

Afterward, we headed up the highway to Yarrawonga, briefly, to see how the town looked these days. We hadn't been there for quite some years, and were pleasantly surprised with how it had progressed ... it always was a beautiful town, and still is.

Wednesday was another lazy day at the resort.

Now, Thursday was a special day ....

We went into Shepparton, had a brief shop, and I wandered around the parks taking photos of the cows, which are part of the Shepparton Mooving Art display. Each cow was painted very differently, and were just amazing. I had seen them on Merle's blog some time ago, and knew I just had to see them for myself. The following two photos are my favorites ...

So, after my photographic expedition, Hubby and the girls dropped me off at Merle's house in Shepparton, where I was joining Merle, Gwen and Jeanette for lunch ... a sort of Bloggers convention. (Hubby and the girls headed back into Shepparton, where Hubby supervised the girls getting a bit of retail therapy) !! Jeanette's sister, Pauline, was also there. It was a lovely afternoon, spent with some amazing women ... thank you, ladies, for the great time. I had a ball. Thank you, also, Merle, for your hospitality. Merle put on a wonderful spread for lunch ... I didn't really need to have any dinner that evening ... I was still quite full !! The 5 of us had quite a few laughs, and despite the fact that we hadn't ever physically met, we got along like a house on fire. I hope we get the chance to get together again sometime. Thank you again

Here's a photo of the four of us (sorry, Pauline ... I didn't get one with all 5 of us). Gwen is on the right, Jeanette is beside her, then Merle, and moi !!

Friday morning, we packed up, and headed over to good old faithfull Bonnie Doon, for another week of R & R. Did much of the same old - same old whilst there, but had a lovely time. A few of our friends were there just for the weekend, and we headed off on the Sunday to the Strathbogie Ranges, for a bit of 4WDing ... had a wonderful time, despite it being a bit damp earlier in the day. Half the drive was just basic dirt roads, then we stopped for a picnic lunch, then on to the "real" 4WDing ... quite challenging in places. Didn't get a lot of good photos, due to the strange light from the overcast, bright sky. This photo is just looking down a hill at our "beast". Hubby is just rapt with the truck at the moment, he had spent some money on getting the suspension fixed and many other things underneath the car, as well as new tyres and rims. It's like being in a new car again (despite it's old body !!).

After a week at Bonnie Doon, we headed home. The weekend was spent doing washing, housework and all the same old stuff that needs to be done when returning home after an extended time away. I haven't spent much time on the computer, which is why it has taken me till now to post this. I worked on Monday, today is Tuesday (I spent the day at my parent's, then pricing new notebook computers ... hopefully by next week I'll have a new one ... yippee !!). Tomorrow I work again, then hopefully will have more time to visit.

I hope you have all been well, and look forward to catching up on what you all have been up to.

Till we catch up ... big hugs to you all.

Take care,