Hmmm ... It's Friday Again !!

It's a warm, sunny day here in Melbourne. However, the sun is invisible behind a haze of smoke, wafting over the city and suburbs, and the whole of the state as well, I imagine. The air is stinky ... my house also smells of smoke, but I am hesitant to close it all up, as it gets too stuffy. It's not hot enough for the air conditioner .... so I guess smokey is the way it's gonna be today !! I guess I should be thankful that we are just getting smoke, and are not in the line of the fires .... as so many people potentially are. Explanation .... there are many, many fires burning through the high country in Victoria. The high country is in the central north-east part of the state ... heading down south, also. I am trying to find a map to show you. Stay tuned !! The fires started from lightning strikes, last Friday (I think), and have been burning ever since. Many of them are still out of control, as the land is quite inaccessible.

The circles denotes fires under control, the stars are fires contained, and the flames are fires that are still out of control.

A large number of fire fighters have been flown in from New Zealand, to assist our Aussie boys and girls, who are going day and night to try and get these horrific fires under control. The admiration I feel for all the fire fighters, many of them voluntary, is enormous. They are risking their lives, to save lives and property. I think we should all pray for all their safety, during this dangerous and challenging time ... I know I will be. They are amazing people.

On to something not-so-serious ....

I started Christmas shopping today !!! I am probably half way through, and will continue next week. I am feeling really good about it all, too.

I still haven't started writing Christmas cards. I intended to yesterday, but I was feeling really blah !! Wonder if it was like a "let-down" after finishing all my work, and suddenly everything sort of caught up with me !?!?! I feel fine again today, so hope to do the cards over the weekend. Don't think they'll arrive overseas before Christmas ... sorry ... they will arrive eventually, though !!

Chicky is playing in her netball grand final tomorrow. It is the first time her team (The Falcons) has made it to a grand final ... they were on top of the ladder all season, only losing one game. What champions. Win or lose tomorrow, they are still amazing kids. Go Falcons !! The only problem is that is forecast to be 37C (98.6F) tomorrow. Fortunately, the game is at 10am, so hopfully it won't be quite that hot yet !!

We have a street Christmas party on Sunday. Hopefully many of the families are able to make it (there are around 35 houses in the street), as it is usually a fun day. This year, it is being held next door to us, so we don't have to lug our chairs and stuff too far !!!

Oh well, I'd better leave it here, as I have a mountain of laundry to get through (don't know how it will go hanging outside on the line, though, as it might get a bit smokey-stinky !!). Unfortunately, the laundry won't do itself, as much as the machines are all automated and stuff ... no machine will remove from the line, fold, iron and put away. Hmmm, time for a new invention, perhaps !! Or a maid !!!!

So, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. Enjoy any pre-Christmas functions and get-togethers you may be attending. Don't drink too much (if you drink), and if you do ... for goodness sake, don't drive !!

Take care,

MEOW

I've Finished .... Yay !!

Yay, I have finally finished the Grade 6 Yearbook, that I have been working on for what seems like forever !!! There is a page or two of finalizing that still needs doing, but the bulk of the work is done. No more sitting at this darn computer till all hours (well, at least not typing ... blogging, perhaps, though !!). What a weight has been lifted off my shoulders !! It was really starting to stress me, not having time to do stuff I wanted to (although I did want to do the Yearbook ... I had volunteered, and I did enjoy doing it.). Now, I can get down to writing out Christmas cards (hopefully I will get them out by the end of the week, and hopefully the OS ones will arrive sometime this year ... perhaps not before Christmas, but somewhere near there would be nice !!). I also need to get down to some serious Christmas shopping. I will be starting Thursday (pay-day!!). Fortunately, I pretty-much know what I am getting people, so that makes it easier.

I took some time out over the weekend to put up my Christmas tree, and decorate my house a little bit. I think I need to buy some more decorations for the house (the tree is fine), but for the time being, it will have to do. I took some photos ... hopefully Blogger will let me share them with you !!

Here's my Christmas tree ... it is an artificial one, but I like it. Being Summer here, I don't find real trees very practical, as they drop their needles too quickly. And, we go away on Christmas day, not returning until mid-January, so you can imagine the mess on my floor if we had a real tree !! I guess a real tree, growing in a pot, would be OK, though. Worth thinking about, I guess !!

I picked this up last year ... I just love it. It has little numbers, so you can count down the days until Christmas. Chicky enjoys changing the numbers daily, along with removing a chocolate from her Advent Calendar.

I found this little guy a few years ago ... my mum has the same one. He is really cute, quite heavy, and looks very proud standing there.

These are a couple of Christmas Stockings I made, probably about 15 or so years ago. As you can see, I was already mad about cats then !!

There you go, just a little glimpse of some of my favourite Christmas decorations. I have many more, some hand made, some store-bought, some that I received as gifts. I have a few special decorations on my tree, that I have received from a couple of wonderful bloggers ... you know who you are !! They look wonderful ... I should take a photo of them, just so you can see where they now are !!

I must go now ... places to go, people to see. I hope to drop by many of your blogs in the next day or so ... look out for me, won't you !!

Take care, have a great day ...

MEOW

CATS ON TUESDAY # 1

This is my first CATS ON TUESDAY ... thanks Gattina for starting this up. I wasn't able to participate last week, due to having too many other things to do, so to make sure I could do it this week, I actually typed this last Friday night (1st December) !!! Anyway, on with the show.

You have probably already met my current kitty, Bambi, in various posts over the past 12 months. She is an almost 2 year old tabby girl, who we got when she was about 8 months old, from an animal shelter.

She is a wonderful little cat, and has been an endless source of fun and laughter since we adopted her in September 2005. She can be very affectionate, very naughty, very cute ... she is simply a gorgeous kitty. However, she can be a typically 2-faced critter !! I think all you cat lovers know exactly what I mean !! One minute smoochy, enjoying endless cuddles ... next minute, attack !!! I guess it's her way of telling me she's had enough (I could think of less painful methods !!). We don't know where she was, or what she did for the first 8 months of her life, before the shelter found her, but she was a very frightened kitty when we brought her home. Over the year she's been living with us, she is becoming more and more comfortable in her surroundings, and loves us to pieces (as we do her). However, she is still very nervous around other people, and in particular, other cats. There is a cat over the road who constantly stalks her, and picks on her ... but that is a whole other story (which I have already told in an earlier post, anyway!!)

Anyway, we got Bambi after being cat-less for just under a year. Prior to that time, we had a beautiful, big tabby boy, Ratbag (by name and nature !!). He was an amazing cat, the biggest sookie-la-la I have ever met, an endless face-smoocher (which I must admit, I really miss, as Bambi doesn't do this!), and a totally butch boy. He got himself into so many fights, I spent a fortune over the years on vet bills, to fix endless abcesses !! He was such a character, and I loved him so very much. We lost him at 16 years old, when he developed lymphatic cancer. Fortunately, it was very quick, he didn't suffer much (although being so quick, we weren't anywhere near prepared for it). Waiting with him in the vet surgery, as he went to sleep for the very last time, was the hardest thing I have ever done. However, I couldn't leave him on his own at that moment ... he was my baby. (Sorry, I am getting quite teary as I write this.) To this day, I still miss him dearly, and could quite easily sit and cry over losing him. We have the best memories, though. And he will always be with me, in my heart.

So, there is my first Cats On Tuesday post. I hope to share many more stories with you over the coming Tuesdays. If you are interested in joining, feel free .... I hope my Mr Linky thingy below is working ... I've never done one of these before. Please leave me a comment to let me know you have joined !!

Thanks, and take care,



MEOW

I Can't Believe It's December !!!

Oh My Goodness ....

It is the First Of December ... where has the year gone ???

A PINCH & A PUNCH FOR THE FIRST OF THE MONTH

It is officially Summer here in Australia .. whoo-hoo !! And from all reports, it looks like we are in for another scorcher. I cannot imagine a "White Christmas" ... that is just something I see in the movies, picture books, Christmas cards, and, of course, all the wonderful photos shared by all you Northern Hemisphere blog friends. I guess the same (although opposite, but you know what I mean!!) can be said by those of you in the Northern Hemisphere about our "Sunny Christmas". It's what you are used to, I s'pose !!

Only 3 weeks left of primary school for kids here in Victoria ... less for those in high school. Then they don't go back until the end of January ... not as long a Summer break as many of you on the other side of the big pond get, but it is a decent break just the same. As I've mentioned before, my Chicky will be starting Year 7, which is the first year of high school here. A big step for her, going from being the eldest year-level at a school, to being the babies again !! I'm sure she will handle the transition really well, but it will be a bit scary, I imagine !!

I haven't written any Christmas Cards yet ... ooops !! Please forgive me, for those people who I plan on sending cards, if you don't receive one until after Christmas !!!! I haven't had a chance to do any yet, and it may still be a few days before I can.

I finally thought about my Christmas present shopping list. It's not looking quite as daunting as I thought it would. I can probably get most of the gifts done in one or two shopping sessions ... yay, that works for me. I HATE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING !! Well, it's not so much Christmas Shopping, it's more that I hate shopping around Christmas time ... there is a difference, really there is !! Everything is so crowded ... I am not a big fan of crowds. I hate waiting in the queues at the registers in the shops. I have never been a fan of shopping at the best of times ... I go there, get what I need, and get out as quick as I can ... how boring am I !?!?! Oh well !!

I plan on putting up my Christmas Tree over the next couple days ... I usually like to put it up on the 1st December (whoops, that's today !!), but the way my life is at the moment (busy), it may not happen quite like that !! I will share some photos, hopefully, when I have it all done.

I had better go now, too much to do, too little time. I hope my life can get back to a slower pace soon ... maybe that should be what I write on my Christmas List for Santa !!

Have a magical weekend, everyone.

Take care,

MEOW

One Year Of Blogging ... Whoo-Hoo !!

Hello, Dear Blog Friends ....

IT'S MY ONE YEAR BLOG ANNIVERSARY !!

HIP-HIP-HOORAY !!

I can't believe I have been doing this for a whole year. It has been so much fun, and I have met such wonderful people (take a bow, you know who you are !!).

I still remember when a friend first told me about blogging ... I had never heard of it. It sounded interesting, so I thought I'd give it a go. I haven't looked back since !!! I loved it so much (and still do), I was posting almost every day, sometimes twice !! Gosh, where did I find the time ??? Unfortunately, my blogging-time has taken a battering, and I am lucky these days if I can post and visit once or twice a week. Hopefully, soon, my time will be less busy, and I can come out and play more often.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to visit my blog, and become regular readers. I consider you all to be such very special people, and I love coming by and visiting your blogs, too, to see what you have been up to.

There is such a diverse range of blogs out there, covering all sorts of subjects. Some are serious, thought provoking type blogs. Some are actual journals, where people share what they do every day. Some are full of jokes, which always make me smile. Some are just very strange !!! Some are fluffy, fun-loving blogs, which are there just to give others a smile (or perhaps a cringe !!) ... I think this is the category where mine belongs (smile, or cringe !?!?!). No matter what category, or subject, a blog is part of, there are readers out there who will come back again and again. That's what makes this blogosphere so fascinating, and amazing. I am proud to be a part of it.

I had better head off again, to do a bit of blog visiting (hopefully I will drop by and visit you all within the next 24 hours !!), then back to my typing. I am still working on the Grade 6 Yearbook, for Chicky's school, but am on track !! I still need to get onto my Christmas cards, Christmas shopping, writing some more postcards (yes, I know I owe quite a few people cards ... sorry, I haven't had a chance to write them ... they will get to you eventually, I haven't forgotten you !!), and get on with all the other pre-Christmas stuff that needs to be done.

I hope you all have a great week.

Take care,

MEOW

Happy Thanksgiving & Have A Great Weekend

I just wanted to wish all of you who are celebrating it,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

(Ooops, just realised that it is actually TODAY ... I apologise if I am late ... we don't do Thanksgiving over here, so I wasn't sure of the date !!)

I hope you are able to share this day with all your loved ones, and have a wonderful time.

Don't eat too much (wouldn't be a turkey for quids, at this time of year !!).

Don't drink too much (or if you do, please don't get behind the wheel of a car).

Tomorrow is the end of the week, so ....

I still have a huge amount of typing to get through, and this weekend has a lot of stuff happening ... netball for Chicky on Saturday (with me as taxi-driver and cheer-squad), out to dinner on Saturday night with another 3 couples (I think I'm taxi-driver again ... bugger !!), Christmas party in the park for Hubby's work on Sunday (Santa will be there ... whoo-hoo!!). Somehow, I also need to sit at this computer and continue typing ... oh well, guess I won't be sleeping much ... tee-hee !!

Take care, everyone and ...

I'll be around and about, here and there, even if only lurking.

Hugs and best wishes to you all,

MEOW

Bonnie Doon

Seeing as how I always seem to be writing about Bonnie Doon, where we go to frequently, I thought I might share some information about the place !!!

Bonnie Doon is a small town situated in North East Victoria on the edge of Lake Eildon. It is most well known these days as a holiday/weekend destination for waterskiiers, fisherman and boat enthusiasts.

It has a small population, but in holiday periods the population swells to several times its normal size. There are three caravan/camping parks in and around the town and one Hotel which is situated on the waters edge.

The area of Bonnie Doon was first passed through by white man in 1824 by the explorers Hume and Hovell. It was first settled in 1834 and the township originated in the 1860's. The town was originally called Doon but the name was later changed, in 1891, to Bonnie Doon. The discovery of gold in the area caused a immense growth of the town, and from this emerged a strong farming community. There was once quite a few Hotels and other shops as well as a butter factory.
In 1955 Lake Eildon was enlarged to store more water for irrigation and unfortunately Bonnie Doon township was going to be submerged. The town relocated nearby further up a hill where it currently stands today. This involved moving the highway and railway and the building of new bridges. Many residents moved elsewhere rather than rebuild in Bonnie Doon.

After the enlargement of the lake, the potential for tourism became apparent and a caravan park was built. Then boat ramps, picnic areas, hotels and motels were built to cater for waterskiers.

Today the Bonnie Doon area contains 3 caravan/camping grounds, 3 Motels, 1 Hotel, numerous housing estates dotted around the lake and is growing in popularity all the time.

Map of Victoria ... Bonnie Doon is to the left of the words High Country, sort of underneath Benalla !!

Map of Australia ... Victoria is the Southern-most state on mainland Australia ... Tasmania, however, is further south, though not connected to the mainland.

The caravan / holiday park where we always go, and have been going since early 1996 when we bought our caravan there, is about 9km out of Bonnie Doon, on the shores of Lake Eildon (well, when there is water there, anyway !!). For those of you who were wondering what I am always talking about when I say we go to our caravan at Bonnie Doon, here are some pictures. This one is from the front of our site ... it is actually a big, old (1970s era) caravan, with an aluminium annexe (on a concrete slab) connected to it. It is all roofed over, and we have added a big decking area out front.

This one is looking from the back ... you can actually see the old caravan there !!

Inside the caravan ... looking from the front towards the back ... our bedroom !! (The kitchen is to the right of the photo !!)

Inside the caravan again, looking from the bedroom to the front.

Looking from the stairs of the caravan, into the annexe, out the front door !!

Looking from the front door, across the lounge, at the caravan door (Hubby lined the outer caravan wall with pine panelling, so the caravan cannot be seen from inside the annexe ... looks really cosy !). We have stacks of photos on the wells. The wall on the right backs onto the bathroom, and there is a hallway down toward the right, along the caravan wall.

A peek into our bathroom (the loo is to the left, beside the vanity unit, behind the shower).

Chicky's bedroom, and storage space (always a mess !!) ... there is a double bed, and above a single, with a couple spare mattresses, also.

So there you go. That's our home away from home at Bonnie Doon. (Apologies for some of the photos ... Blogger decided to cut off the bottoms of them ... don't know why !!)

We had a wonderful weekend up there, this last weekend. The park was very quiet, but we had a productive weekend, doing some long overdue spring cleaning. It's incredible the amount of stuff that can be accumulated over the years. I had a huge cleanout of my pantry ... gosh, the amount of food that was past it's use-by date ... so wasteful !! So, we are now all ready to take up more junk at Christmas, to spend a wonderful couple of weeks of well-earned R&R.

Now, back to the typing, and the business of Christmas shopping !!

Have a great week all, and I hope to be by to visit within the next day or so.

Take care,

MEOW