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Friday, February 29, 2008

A Poem

I just received this poem in an email from a friend, and I knew I just had to share it. I know many of you can relate ...

I asked the Lord to tell me
Why my house is such a mess.
He asked if I'd been 'computering',
And I had to answer "yes."

He told me to get off my backside
And tidy up the house.
And so I started cleaning up...
The smudges off my mouse.

I wiped and shined the topside.
That really did the trick...
I was just admiring my work...
I didn't mean to 'click.'

But click, I did, and oops I found
A real absorbing site
That I got SO way into...
I was into it all night. ((sigh))

Nothing's changed except my mouse
It's very, very shiny.
I guess my house will stay a mess...
While I sit here on my hiney.


Take care,

A Nomination

It appears someone has nominated my blog in the PetWellbing.com Pet Website Awards ... here is the badge I am allowed to display on my blog ...



I'm not sure who nominated me, but a huuuuuge THANK YOU to whoever it was. The awards program ends in September.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Hello ....

Hey There,

Just letting you know I'm still alive, but still pretty busy, so haven't had the chance to get around to visit you all yet. I have been visiting here and there, but not everyone. Life is still keeping me away from blogging ... but I don't intend quitting ... I'm here for the long haul.

Work, as usual, is keeping me busy ... three days a week, and the remaining weekdays are generally full with various things, running around, cleaning, shopping, and all sorts of other things.

I have become a little bit obsessed with Facebook at the moment ... I have been playing a number of Scrabulous games (a form of Scrabble), which has been fun.

This Sunday is my mum's 60th birthday (although she really doesn't want to acknowledge that she is turning SIXTY ... OMG !!! We went out and bought her a lovely present today, and I have put together a great collage / poster thing for her, which should embarrass the heck out of her, or make her cry, or both !!! Hopefully she doesn't read this before her birthday, or she will know all about it !!! I will take a photo of it, and share it with you another time.

We have a long weekend coming up soon ... not this weekend, but the next. Our aim is to go camping, however the new tent we have bought, hasn't arrived yet, so we may be just heading up to Bonnie Doon, as usual. We decided to buy a new tent (as our old one has a gazillion pegs, and takes ages to set up, and we like to do short overnight stops, so taking a lot of time setting up is just a pain !!). We chose to buy a new tent in the interim, until our caravan sells, and we can get the money together to buy our Tvan (off road camper). We love camping and getting away, so it was either this, or not go !!

School holidays (2 weeks thereof) are coming up in mid-late March. We have a 10 day trip planned, a very busy 10 days, with a fair number of stops, and a lot of travelling. This is the sort of trip we love, and I just cannot wait. The camera is raring to go, and I can't wait to share some photos with you when we return.

Here is what we have planned ....

Day 1 ... Melbourne to Pink Lakes (in the Murray Sunset National Park, north western Victoria), set up camp (the only facilities here are toilets ... no other amenities), and explore
Day 2 ... Dismantle camp, explore the Murray Sunset National Park, then head to Rocket Lake (still within the park) for an overnight stop ... set up camp (facilities ... toilets only).
Day 3 ... Dismantle camp, head into Mildura (on the border of Victoria and NSW), then along the Sturt highway into South Australia, for our next stop in Renmark ... set up camp (full amenities ... a beautiful caravan park).
Day 4 ... Explore Renmark (and hopefully catch up with some friends who are houseboating on the Murray River, in the vicinity of Renmark). Overnight again in Renmark.
Day 5 ... Dismantle camp, head back into Victoria, then over the border in Mildura to NSW. Head up approx 90 km to Lake Mungo National Park. Set up camp (full amenities, I think), and explore.
Day 6 ... Explore Lake Mungo National Park. The last time we were here, in September 2006, it was mega-windy, so we were unable to stay, and the photos turned out a bit wierd, and we didn't catch the magnificent (so they say) sunsets and sunrises. Hopefully this time all will be perfect. Overnight at Lake Mungo again.
Day 7 ... Dismantle camp, head back to Mildura and Victoria, head down the highway a while, then turn into the Wyperfeld National Park. Explore, and set up camp at one of the camping areas therein (facilities ... toilets only)
Day 8 ... Head south, through the Wyperfeld National Park, through Dimboola, Horsham and down into The Grampians. Arrive at Halls Gap, set up camp (full ameneties ... a glorious caravan park). Explore (if there is enough hours left in the day !)
Day 9 ... Explore The Grampians. Overnight at Halls Gap again.
Day 10 ... Dismantle camp, explore a little more, then head home, back down to Melbourne, and the end of our trip ... sigh !!

All in all, when written down in this manner, it sounds like madness, too much driving, too many putting-ups of the tent ... all in all, too much !!! But .... we're gonna love it, it's what we love to do, and we just cannot wait. It is just the three of us going, so it will be some bonding time, too. I hope to take heaps and heaps of photos ... I will then put together another DVD of them all, putting them to music, with transitions, and stuff. It's great fun.

We haven't ever been to the Murray Sunset National Park, or Wyperfeld National Park. There are quite a few salt lakes therein, and apparently, some amazing scenery. We've also never been to the Grampians, so that should be fun, too. Totally different areas will be visited throughout the trip ... desert, Murray Riverland, desert, desert, lush rocky mountains. Cool !!!

So, that's what we will be getting up to.

I hope everyone has been well, and keeping busy, and out of mischief (or in mischief, if that's what you prefer !!).

I hope to get by and visit you all eventually (I'm sure I have said that numerous times now ... but it will happen, I promise).

Till we next catch up ....

Take care,

Thursday, February 21, 2008

The Brain Test

I found this on someone's blog the other day (for the life of me, I cannot remember who it was though ... sorry!), and thought it was interesting. I took the test, and here are my results ... mostly fairly accurate, I thought. Let me know how you go, if you give it a go !!

Take this test!
Most right-brained people like you are flexible in many realms of their lives. Whether picking up on the nuances of musical concerto, appreciating the subtle details in a work of art, or seeing the world from a different perspective, right-brained people are creative, imaginative, and attuned to their surroundings.


People probably see your thinking process as boundless, and that might translate to your physical surroundings as well. Some people think of you as messier than others. It's not that you're disorganized, it's just that you might use different systems to organize (by theme, by subject, by color). Straight alphabetization and rigidly ordered folders are not typical of right-brained behavior.


You are also more intuitive than many. When it comes to reading literature, you probably prefer creative writing or fiction over nonfiction. And when it comes to doing math, you might find you enjoy geometry more than other forms like algebra.



Take care,

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Friendship

Hello everyone, just a quick one from me today, basically to let you know I am still alive. Life, as usual, has been keeping me away from blogging, but I am always thinking of you all, and when I get a chance, I pop onto Google Reader to check out what you all have been writing.

I have a day off work today, and have been busy doing housework, changing sheets, vacuuming ... you know, same old, same old.

I am now quickly fiddling with the internet, then I have some other stuff I need to do (I will go into that in a week or so ... it's still a secret, for reasons you will eventually find out !!).

I just spent a wonderful almost-45 minutes chatting on the telephone to a gorgeous blog-friend on the other side of the big pond. I won't say who, but you know who you are !! It was a great catch up, with both of us talking over the other, in order to get in what we wanted to say (the time delay makes it confusing, as one person starts talking, while the other is still listening, or something like that. Anyway, the time delay makes it wierd !!) The time just flew, and I know for sure that I still had heaps I wanted to say, LOL ... oh well, there's always next time, or MSN, or Facebook, or emailing ! It's funny how someone who I have never physically met, can feel like someone I have known a lifetime. When we talk, we can usually relate to what the other is talking about ... it is almost like we are two peas in a pod, or kindred spirits, or something like that. Whatever it is, I am so very thankful to have made this friendship, and hope it can last a lifetime. The following picture is for you, dear friend ...

Anyway, must go and get onto my next project. Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Take care,

Thursday, February 14, 2008

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

Happy Valentines Day, everyone

Hope your day is magical, and filled with love and happiness.

Take care, huge Valentines Hugs to you all .....

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Life Continues ...

Hello again, thought it was time for another post ... it's been nearly a month since my last one. I feel like I am being a bad blogger, and all my readers are forgetting me through my neglect. I haven't been by and visited like I promised last post ... life has just been such a whirlwind ... will it ever slow down again !?!?!

Anyway, since I last wrote, we have been pretty busy. I have been working 3 days a week, usually Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and the other days have been full of other stuff. It has been school holidays, too, which has kept me busy, although the kids returned to school last Thursday (31st January). My Chicky is now in Year 8, her second year of Secondary School (High School). She is happy to be back, I think, as she missed many of her friends, who she didn't have a chance to catch up with during the holidays.

We had a long weekend a week or so ago ... Australia Day Weekend. We, as usual, headed up to Bonnie Doon. We went for a drive into the High Country again on the Sunday ... this time with only one other car. It was a nice day, not too hot, but apparently very windy down at the lake (which we missed out on whilst we were driving ... yay !). I have some photos to share with you .....

This first photo was one evening at Bonnie Doon, we thought a storm was coming, the thunder and lightening sure happened ... but ... no rain.


This time, we headed around to the right of Mt Buller. We went up toward the Bluff Hut, which had suffered terribly during last Summer's bush fires. Here is just a photo of some burnt trees ...


The following photos were taken a few years back, but they show what the Bluff Hut used to look like (before the fires) ...

They have now started work to rebuild it. This is what it currently looks like ...

It is terribly sad to see how much of the high country was destroyed by the bush fires ... it is even sadder when you see how much of the bush is actually still black (besides the undergrowth). In so many places, the trees are just dead ... no regrowth is happening at all.

We headed in the direction of Lovicks Hut (which is also gone, and apprently no restoration has started), although we decided not to go there, as there wasn't anything much to see, anyway. We stopped at a little clearing for some photos. This one shows a distant glimpse of Mt Buller resort ...

More trees ... this one looks like it is trying to regenerate !!

The following photo was taken through the car windscreen, which had a fine film of dust over it, hence the photos may be a bit milky looking !! This one shows more forest, which doesn't look like it will ever be green again ...

After driving some distance, we arrived down at Pikes Flat, and this wonderful river. It is quite shallow, and crossing over it brings you to another track, taking you further up into the hills again. We didn't do this, this time, but the kids did paddle a bit in the river. It is very beautiful here.

From here we drove a short distance to Bindaree Hut, where we had lunch. This is an old hut, full of spiders and webs, but quite photogenic.

We had to do a bit of a river crossing here, which was quite rocky. If you weren't careful, some damage could be done here. This photo is of the river, near the crossing.

From here, we travelled some way, heading up towards Craigs Hut again. It was the grand opening weekend, for the newly build and finished Craigs Hut. Some of the tracks had been graded, taking away much of the challenge for 4WDers ... I'm sure these tracks will become chewed up again in no time, though. It was like the city centre up there, with so many cars. We had to move aside to let cars pass, in places where the track was just barely wide enough for one car, let alone two. We had never seen it so busy. We weren't actually aware of it being the opening weekend, we only discovered this on the day. We missed all the pomp and ceremony (thank goodness), but there were still many cars in the carpark when we arrived. Someone had even towed up a trailer-load of porta-loos !! There were many people using the facilities that had been built up there ... picnic tables, shelters, bbqs ... it was amazing to see. Although, it has now lost it's sense of loneliness up there ... it used to be just the hut ... very touristy now, unfortunately, but still beautiful.

This photo was taken inside the hut, showing what it used to look like, and how it was after the fires went through.

A view of the surrounding mountains from outside Craigs Hut. The views from this mountaintop are just incredible, and you can see for miles. It was a little bit hazy, though.

The group of us, minus the photographer ... that would be me ... on the verandah of Craigs Hut (a typical pose ... I'm sure many people have, and will, take a similar photo with their own groups of people) ...

The finished hut ... it is just beautiful up here ...

Driving through the Snow Gums on the way to the top of Mt Stirling. It was like driving through an avenue of trees, that were trying to reach over and touch our cars ...

From the top of Mt Stirling, a view of the Mt Buller Ski Village ... the opposite side of the mountain to an earlier photo in this post ...

We had a great day, leaving at around 9am, returning to the caravan park around 5pm. We were all tired, and dusty, but very happy with the day we had. The cars did wonderfully ... it never ceases to amaze me the places one can go in a 4WD vehicle. There were many, many campers in many places throughout the high country. This is something I haven't ever done, but when we sell our caravan, and get our off-road camper trailer (a TVan), we intend to rectify this. Apparently, the TVan can go anywhere the 4WD can go. We aim to prove this !!!

As I mentioned, Chicky is now back at school, so my life is back to being routine. I drive her to school in the mornings, and Mon, Wed & Fri I head off to work. She then comes home by bus. This week, Tuesday, I am heading straighto over to my parents, after dropping Chicky off to school, for a visit. We haven't been catching up as often as I would like, which makes me sad. On Thursday, I will be doing some work over at the boarding cattery, where I always take Bambi when we go away. I often help out there, in varying capacities, usually bookwork or computer stuff, though. Chicky's dance classes resume Monday night, 1/4 to 6 until 7.30pm ... I take here there, and use the time she is dancing to go to the library, do some shopping, or just sit in the car and read. A bit of "me" time, really. Her netball training resumes on the 21st Feb, and the matches resume on the 1st of March. So, that's my life again ... busy, busy, busy.

I have been getting in some reading, though. I have gotten into Di Morrissey novels ... wow, she's brilliant, and her books are set in this wonderful country of Australia. Her writing is just amazing, and I find I cannot put down her books once I start (this has also contributed to my lack of blogging, I'm afraid !!). So far, I have read "The Valley", "Barra Creek", and "The Reef".

I also enjoyed watching alot of the Australian Open Tennis recently. I had many late nights, through watching some amazing matches. Too bad my favorite, Roger Federer, didn't make the finals. Also, it would have been nice if our Aussie, Leyton Hewitt, had've made it to the finals. Oh well, there's always next year.

Anyway, I need to get moving, I have a spare bedroom which I need to attack. It appears there is a floor in there somewhere ... time that I found it again !! I guess it is fortunate that I can keep the door shut on this room, and nobody needs to know what it looks like in there (except me ... sob !!).

So, sending you all big hugs and best wishes. Hope to drop by your blogs soon.

Take care,