Short break to say hi

I can't believe I have found a couple of minutes to come and say hi. Last night I went out with some old friends of mine from when I worded at the bank. We were the last to leave the restaurant. In fact they were already set up for the breakfast rush. :)

It was great to catch up as we are all now working in different areas thanks to a recent cut back in jobs at the bank (thank God I left when I did). One works for the court house, another for an air conditioning place, one in a local council and the other is still at the bank but wants to get out and study psychology. It is amazing where working in a bank can take you. We are all happy as well. No one looked stressed and withdrawn.

I have been working on my cousins wedding album. I am very happy with what I have done so far though I hate that I can spend hours just deciding on what colour paper I am going to use with certain pictures. I wish I could have an eye that would pick out the best piece straight away and have it work.

I have a group of friends coming over tonight for a small birthday get together. It should be fun. I am going to have the Wii set up as well as some board games. We may even have Mamma Mia playing in the background. :)

For Chocolate Cat

Just because you asked for an update on the exercise and because my cousin Maree should be looking here to make sure I am on track with our agreement.

Food wise I kinda reverted back to the old habit of two iced coffees at work. I did however manage to get in some painting time and an hour of exercise. I did 10 minutes on the bike at a steady pace. I then did 10 minutes on the treadmill with a slight jog. My calves got very stiff after that so I stood (listenning to my new Mamma Mia soundtrack) and did some aerobic moves to keep my legs moving and get my arms going. After that I turned on the Wii and had 3 rounds of baseball and 5 games of tennis. Finally to finish I stood for 10 minutes on the wobbly machine (I got one of those vibrator ones from ebay for a third of the price of what they charge in the stores and on TV) and then stretched as my mother smashed my record at bowling on the Wii ... and I mean smashed.

What a week

First of all today I turned the big 36 and to celebrate I went grocery shopping. I also bought a new bra and my Aunt seemed to think that was really exciting ... yay! She needs to get out more.

I had my first week back at work last week which was boring because they haven't put me on the phones yet. Got some great gaming time in on facebook though (if you are reading this at work - shhh). Finally convinced them to let me on the phones today.

I have just finished my dare for January which is based on the theme hot. I did not scrapbook at all but I painted instead. Keep an eye out for it on the Aussies Dares sight early next month.

Yesterday was Australia Day. A lot of people get agro about it because it celebrates the day that the first fleet arrived in Sydney and therefore marks the invasion of aboriginal grounds. Seriously I am tired of those people who live in the past. This is now. The government and the Australian people have apologised. Move on and get on with life. There is not one country in the world that has not been invaded and taken over by another at some stage. Look at the Jews and what they have been through. There are many cultures living here in Australia now. Many of them have come here to escape atrocities in their own home. To them Australia Day is about being thankful for a country they can walk down the street in without getting shot at or have their house blown up. I personally look at the day as one of everyone uniting to celebrate a wonderful country despite our differences. Those who live in the past will also be bitter and not learn to forgive. I am not responsible for what my ancestors did, but I am responsible for now and it is about time we all take responsibility for moving forward. So get over it, learn from the past, be thankful for the future and work together to make it a better country.

Ok lecture over though I could have said a lot more. Anyway yesterday was also Chinese New Year and mum and I were invited to a Chinese New Year/Australia Day Party. It was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and had a little giggle when I saw the Philippino kids running around with the Aussie Flag tattooed to their arms upside down ... does that make the Southern Cross the Northern Cross then?

Not sure how many blog posts I will get done in the next few weeks as I have a wedding album to create and exercise to do every night.

Home Alone for 2 weeks

My mother stayed in Qld for an extra two weeks and will not be home until this weekend. I have been back at work for a week and it has certainly opened my eyes to all the little things my mother does for me:

By the time I get home I have 4 hours before I go to bed (remember I need as much sleep as possible due to sleep apnoea). You would think that 4 hours would be sufficient to get things done. Nope!

1. I am not a gardener so the garden is lucky that the retic is working otherwise the lawn would be dead! The plants are going ok (just). I water them every two nights and when they look like they need it (not that I would know - I dehydrate cactus').
2. Give Rambo a tablet and then get the dogs dinners (thank God I don't cook them).
3. Get my own dinner, normally spend a good 15 minutes staring into the cupboard or fridge wondering what I feel like and what can be made in small portions. The same thing every night gets boring.
4. Catch up on emails why my dinner settles before organising myself for some exercise.
5. Have a shower.
6. Let the dogs out for a wee time :) and then organise myself for work the next day. Depending on how much there is I may even do the dishes.
7. Let the dogs in and give Rambo 2 more tablets - it was easier when it was just one a day but now he has 4 a day and he is starting to get really snarly. I have taken to wrapping it in peanut butter. That worked for the first 3 days now I have to shove it down his throat as well!
8. Somewhere in there I have been shopping twice for supplies and started a bad head cold.

WHERE IS MY DOWNTIME?!

WHERE IS MY CRAFT TIME?!

THANK GOD I JUST HAVE ANIMALS AND NOT KIDS!

Kitty and Lucas' Wedding Photos

I took over 400 photos at the wedding. This is just a selection. You may want to click to view them in a different screen. They are bigger then as well.

Wii

I have finally come into the technical age and bought a Wii. It was a good decision because I have once again started a diet (yeah I know) and I have been playing tennis. It is just what I need for my back and arms. When I have the money and when it is in stock I will get the Wii Fit. Believe it or not it was my mother who convinced me to get it. She who tells me off for spending too much time on the computer. She wants the Wii fit to help with her balance.

As for the diet I am more determined than ever to do this. I hate being this size, I have Carmen as my diet buddy, my cousin Maree who promised to keep in touch if I lose weight (actually she is terrible at keeping in touch but I told her that she had to in order for me to lose the weight because it was both our new years resolution) and an Aunt promised me $100 when I have lost 10kg. I told her to wait until I had lost 30 because that is just over the half way mark.

I have been exercising all this week and have been enjoying it (even in this heat wave). I can already feel a little more flexible in some things and the old rump doesn't hurt so much on the bike anymore.

The only downfall to losing the weight is that I might suddenly find I have wrinkles to go with my greying hair!!!

Tessa the Traitor

While mum and I have been away Jackie's brother in law house sat and dog sat for us. Yes it was a man, and yes my dogs don't like men. We were uncertain as to how Tess especially would go considering she can take a week to stop growling at them when they stay here.

I phoned Jackie 2 days into my holiday to check up on things. Apparently Tess realised that James was the food provider rather quickly and was no longer growling. When I got home this week I got the full story. My dog is a traitor! She slept on James' bed with him, she snuggled up to him at night. How could she replace me so quickly!

When I got home though she was really excited. Her tongue went into hyper drive for the first two days licking me whenever she got the chance. I would love to get James back here to see if she will growl at him again. Such a turn coat she is, but she's mine.

Australia Zoo: Megan the naughty wombat

This is Megan. She is a Common Wombat. In my previous post you would have seen a picture of a wombat eating. He was at the bottom of the hill close to the enclosure wall. Megan was at the top of the hill digging. The carer was down with the one eating and looked up to see Megan having a great time digging away near the main gate to her enclosure. "Megan"! she shouted out. Megan look up and looked at the carer, then casually went back to digging. She knew full well that she was digging in a no dig area but that is what made it all the fun.

The carer left the other wombat and calmly marched up the hill. Megan saw her coming and quickly ran away from the fence. She knew she was in trouble.

The carer finally rounded her up and directed her down the hill where she could get some food.

Megan decided to jump over a log but soon realised the jump down was higher than the jump up and wasn't sure if her stubby legs could handle it.

So after a few seconds of contemplating she decided to turn around and take other route.

Of course she chose a route that was like a mine field. There was a hollow log with twigs blocking the entrance, a tree and long grass plants surrounding its trunk and general area. When she finally found a way through she stood and watched as the other wombat ate. It did look delicious but she was still hesitant to go down because she was still in trouble.

Fortunately for her, the carer was a forgiving soul and had a large bowl of fruit and a gentle pat waiting for her.

Astralia Zoo

On the weekend Mum and I went to Australia Zoo. Yes we saw Terri Irwin as she drove by. She waved. That was my star spotting for the day.

I have added a slide show of photos from the zoo at the end of this blog. If you put your mouse over the picture you will see a comment I have made.

In the meantime I thought I should do the elephants bath on its own as it is a story to be told.

Part of the elephant show was to bath and elephant. What I found ironic is the elephant in the background. One takes a bath while the other gets dirty on a dirt pile.

I missed the spraying of the dirt all over her back but she was very content and happy to roll around in it.

This is Sabu getting her bath while the other one is still enjoying the dirt. If you click on the picture you will see dirt flying.

Dirt, bath, dirt, bath which is best

This side is done now to get up for the other side.

Getting up can be a real struggle

"I loves the water!"

Full Moon Flying

This time last night I was on a plane flying back from QLD. Let me tell you that place is so humid! It is great to visit but no way could I live there with that sort of humidity. I think the least humid day was around 60%. Anyway that is off the topic.

The flight home was 5 long hours. I had a window seat just on the edge of the wing. Once the cabin lights were turned down (due to the late hour of the flight) I was able to get a better view outside. There was not a cloud in sight and the full moon was so bright at first I thought it was one of the lights on the plane and then realised it wasn't flashing.

I believe at the time we were flying over Lake Eyre (not sure of the spelling) which is one of Australia's biggest inland lakes. Most of the time it is a salt lake with little to no water. This is one of those times. Most people would know how much a full moon can light up a dark night but I have never seen the earth from 12,000 feet on such a night. There was a halo around the horizon of the earth and the salt lakes beneath us glowed in dark landscape. On the edge of the lakes I could just make out the ghostly shadow of the creases in the folds of the landscape. It was an eerie but beautiful sight.

We soon passed over some small towns. From the air you can normally see all the lights of the houses and the roads. One of these towns was different. It was like everyone had tuned in early for the night and the only lights that were on were the street lights. It was like looking at a road map. Each road was a dotted line of light but the area where the houses were was dark. You could see how each block was laid out. It was fascinating.

By the time we hit Perth the plane flew in from a northern angle. As we slowly descended I looked out the window again and noticed that there appeared to be a trail of really bright white lights that seemed to be following the plane like a beacon to tell people we had arrived. The brightness would last a mere second before it faded to a pale dot on the landscape. Obviously I knew it wasn't lights but I couldn't figure out what it was until we descended even lower. The lights were in fact the reflection of the moon on pockets of water. I can only assume they were people's dams as they were quite rounded in shape. It wasn't until it hit part of the river that I realised what I was seeing. It was beautiful and so bright. I wish I could have had a video camera on the wing to show you what I saw.

Over the next day or so I will post some photo's of my trip to QLD. At this stage I am being lazy thought Jackie did get me exercising tonight. Must go shopping for food tomorrow as there is none in the house. :)

LOL Dogs - What I did for Christmas

QLD First Week

I have been in QLD for a week now. I tried to download photo's but the rip off hotel connection is not allowing it so you will all have to wait until I get back home to see the photos.

The wedding is tomorrow and let me tell you, my little cousin certainly has found herself a nice catch. He can cook, has a great sense of humour, loves to cook, gets on well with the whole family, can cook, puts up with our sarcasm and teasing, loves to cook, has a real caring quality to him and did I mention he loves to cook. He has made the most wonderful meals since we have been here.

Considering that most of mum's family is in and around Brisbane area we had a family Reunion last Saturday. It was the first time I met some of my cousin's children and the eldest is 14! I also met up with some that stayed with us for Christmas 4 years ago and boy have they grown up. Mind you Liam was still as annoying but that is just because he loves me and doesn't see me often enough. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

Ok now to wedding issues:

1. The bride had a cold on the weekend and then had gastro yesterday but appears to be doing fine now.
2. The groom is exhausted and not sleeping well which is why I think we are getting lovely meals because that is his downtime.
3. Me (the photographer) got a bad head cold yesterday which touch wood is now much better.
4. Brother of the bride also had bad gastro yesterday.
5. The maid of honour and sister to the bride woke up this morning with a cold after having nightmares that all the decorations came falling down in the middle of the ceremony.
6. Mother of the bride also woke up with a cold.
7. Maid of honour dumped her wedding jewelry out of the bag and lost an earring (which was found when mum stepped on it this morning).

In all everything is going well.

On a side note the funny story of the week is what my male cousin and his wife did. The apartments have two phones. One is the buzzer to let someone in the security gate. It sounds like a smoke alarm. Tina buzzed to get in one morning after going for a walk and tried them first because they were on the ground floor. They thought they had set off a fire alarm because they had toast in the toaster. They unplugged it and shoved it in the cupboard hoping they wouldn't have to pay a fine for the firemen coming out.

OK more wedding stuff to organise. I won't have access to a computer until I get home now so there will be no update until then.