Tuesday 30 December 2008

New Room

So the big surprise for Jr Her is that we completely did her room over. We moved her big bunk to under the window so she has light over her desk, and took out the old battered furniture and replaced it with new wardrobes with doors.



We found a bean bag at Le Cornu for $40 (on sale from $69) and bought her a lime green shag rug to match.



All her clothes were sorted and hung up, put into drawers and baskets inside the cupboards, and all but one shelf of her book case was sorted and tidied as well.

She walked in last night, and stopped dead in her tracks. She loves it! So far she has almost managed to keep it clean but I expect that will only last a few days. But don't you love change? It's as good as a holiday!

Monday 29 December 2008

Party Time


Andrew, Mandy, Tanya, Leanne, Me, Dad and Mum - The Gang All Together for the first time in many, many years!


The birthday boy and mum

So I just realised I hadn't blogged about pop's 70th birthday party. The two readers of mine who were there will know what it was like, and I hope you enjoyed yourselves!

We arrived in Rocky to high 30 degree temperatures, after leaving a cold, wet Adelaide at six in the morning. Of course, the hire car was boiling hot, and black inside too. Welcome back to Queensland!

Anyway, we drove the hour or so to Gladstone in air conditioned comfort, stopping only for a bite to eat outside Rocky. We went straight to mum and dad's, and it was great to see so many people already there - uncle and aunt from Tewantin, my brother and nephew from Tamworth, and the rest of the immediate family. My other sister from Brisbane showed up just after us too, if memory serves me well.

After stopping to see if my in-laws were home (they weren't), we went to Tannum to book into our hotel. It was lovely and the pool was right outside our room. Jr Her couldn't get into her togs quick enough. Even I donned my cossie and spent a little while enjoying the somewhat warm water of the pool. Him had a nap and Jr Her and I wandered down the road to KFC for lunch (it was after 3.00 by this time).

Off to the party that evening, and all dad's family were there. Only one sister living in New Zealand couldn't make it, but luckily, a brother who is quite ill made it, as did his other brother and sisters. He had asked for a couple of friends to come, most of whom made the effort, plus he invited my good friends Wally and her husband, and Rat and her husband, plus two other friends I had not seen for a very long time. It was terribly hot, muggy, and definitely detrimental to one's make up and hair, but really, at the end of the day, we were there for a great get-together! Pop's meal didn't arrive, though, and we had to go chase it. The pub, however, were very helpful, buying candles for me, and shouting the birthday boy's dessert (no one bought him a cake!)


Grace, Joan, Pearl, Pop, Colin and Dud

He had a lovely time, and we got some great photos. As the last of the stragglers were leaving, a severe storm hit and we were all caught in a massive downpour. Drenched just running to our cars! Then we couldn't see in front of us driving down the highway back to Tannum! Scary!

Anyway, Sunday was also hot and muggy, and we met up with Wally, Rat and Rat's hubby for breakfast. That was a lovely chance to catch up and relax. Then back to Calliope for coffee with all the rellies before they departed for other regions. We had a lovely catch up with them. Then down to Tannum with Him's family, and back into Gladstone to see a friend whose birthday it was that day. She got a surprise when I showed up personally to delivery her card. Time for coffee with other friends, then back to Calliope for dinner. Another storm on Sunday afternoon as well, but that seemed to break the heat.

Monday dawned a lovely cool day, typically, and we packed up to leave early. Out to Calliope for a further chat with the family, then we took the car to the airport. Mum and dad came with us, and while Him stayed with the luggage (good boy that he is) Jr Her and I went shopping briefly with Mum and Dad. Mum bought me a lovely top too.

It was sad to leave Jr Her at the airport, but exciting as well, as it meant some "alone" time for Him and I. Wally came to the airport to say goodbye (I think to make sure we really did leave town).

In Brisbane we were met by my friend Pat who was good enough to sit with us for a couple of hours while we waited for our plane. I ended up with a severe headache and the trip went forever, and when we got into Adelaide our luggage was not on the carousel. Man, that's scary! But apparently it had arrived home before us and was waiting patiently out back for our return.

Tuesday Him jetted off to Melbourne for two nights, so I had extra "me" time. I did enjoy that.

Now, Jr Her is back tonight. As I write this she is on a stopover in Brisbane, probably whinging about being bored silly, but excited all the same to be coming home.

I'll let you know what she thinks of her surprise...

Sunday 28 December 2008

End of an adeventure

So it's almost time for Jr Her to come home. I am both looking forward to it and dreading it. She is lovely, she is my daughter, she is fun. But she is also a "tweenie", with raging hormones and a bad attitude!

We have spoken on the phone daily (sometimes more) since we got home, and there have been the occasional time when she has gotten emotional because she didn't get her own way. That I am not looking forward to. But most of the time she is bright and full of fun. That I am looking forward to.

We have a huge surprise waiting, as I mentioned previously, which we expanded on this morning. Details when she gets home. We also stopped at a local dump house which had 50% off everything and bought her a couple of other little cheap things to throw under the tree, and Him bought me a black heavy cotton suit jacket for work (believe it or not, I need it in summer cause the boss has the air conditioning up so high...) and two new pairs of shoes (reduced to $7.50 each). Very nice!

We chose to come home them, too much money flying out the door!

Our Christmas was excellent. After my last post, we went back to the boss's house for lunch. We arrived somewhere around 1.00pm, and left at about 6.45pm... It was a wonderful afternoon, and Him had a few cordials. I don't drink much so I just had water. But it was lovely food, company, and a great afternoon.

Then, I treated Him to a barber shave and massage at Destinations for Men on Christmas Eve. I waited outside until he finished, fully expecting him to come out for a smoke when he was done. I waited half an hour, and finally, after a missed call, found him sitting quite happily inside waiting for me! Just goes to show, when you think you know someone...

Miller's had a $16.95 sale, so he indulged me quickly and I found a pair of red 3/4 pants (several sizes technically too big but just fit), a red singlet with jewels studded around the neck, a pair of black 3/4 pants, and a red and white fitted blouse. All lovely. The red pants had the button missing so I got those for $10.

We went home, connected the van, and about 1.00pm headed over to Point Turton on the Yorke Peninsula. A very nice relaxing trip over, travelling at just over 100kph, and used a whole tank of fuel! Shock! But our site at the caravan park was lovely and it wasn't too busy.

The next day we went to friends in Stansbury for Christmas. We have known these friends for about nine years, and heard all about their families so often, that when we finally met them we felt we had all know each other forever. It was a very lovely day, and we got home about 7.30pm (after borrowing some petrol from one of them who keeps a gerry can spare lucky for us!)

That night a party in the park kept me awake until 3.00am, and we were up at 5.00am to go fishing. We hard the squid are plentiful off the jetty next to the caravan park so we took our chances.

Unfortunately for us, they were only interested in our baited hook, not our squid jig! Very frustrating, because the big king fish swimming below, in full view, were NOT interested in our bait hook. After 4 hours we came home empty handed (and I promptly fell asleep reading).

While Christmas day was cool (I needed a light jacket) Boxing day was actually hot. The park started to fill up with families, and tents and noise, and we just hung about doing nothing in particular at all. I had a little sun dress on and got a lovely tan on my shoulders.

By that evening we had managed to score a trifecta. When we travel, we always get 1) rained on; 2) cold and 3) surrounded by tents and babies. It was cold Christmas eve, and it rained briefly, and on Boxing day a huge family with a baby moved in right behind us! The place was a real hive of people, tents, millions of boats, and noise. But somehow it just didn't matter.

We took our chances at the jetty again after dinner, and this time managed to catch 3 squid with the squid jigs. But that took us another 4 hours to achieve! I did enjoy it though, and wish Jr Her were more patient as I love fishing.

Anyway, we were quite tired by 1.00am when we got to bed, and slept until 5.45 when something woke me up. Then again at 6.30 something else woke me, and finally at 7.30 the garbage truck woke me. I gave up, so we got up and packed up. We left about 9,15am and headed home. It was amazing how much traffic was travelling the other way! We had a great trip home, and only used half a tank this time (weird) as we travelled 10k under the speed limit. Stupid fuel gauge!

Anyway, now we have just today and tomorrow before the peace is broken and Jr Her arrives home in a cyclonic wave of noise and attitude. She is going to get such a surprise... I can't wait to tell you about it!

Tuesday 23 December 2008

Merry Christmas!

So I just thought I would drop all my avid readers (yes, all 3 of you...) a Christmas wish for happiness, health and all things good.

I am about half an hour away from finishing for the year (Actually, I have finished, but have to wait for 12.30 before I can officially say I am done)... then it is off to the Boss's house for the afternoon. My predecessor will be there, so that will be interesting. There is a distinct tension between us but we are both grown up (I think).

Jr Her is in Gladstone for another week, so Him and I are taking the van across to the Yorke Peninsula for 3 nights. I am looking forward to that. It will be the first time it has been just he and I. When we told our friends over there we were going to be around they invited us for Christmas lunch. Very much appreciated! Hopefully the weather will stay nice so we can go fishing Boxing day for a little while. Home Saturday then pick up Jr Her Monday evening.

We have been very busy and gotten a surprise ready for her return. I won't write about it here in case someone she is around reads it... but lets just say, she won't be expecting it at all.

When she comes home we will be having our own Christmas. She doesn't get in until after nine Monday night, so we will do the present thing Tuesday morning, with Christmas nibbles and lunch that day as well. If I think of it I may even buy some bon bons. She loves those.

It has been quite pleasant without her, and Him and I get a chance to bond again, but it will be nice to have her back too, as I know she missed us too. Him misses his little mate, and I miss my argue buddy.

So, anyway, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and a safe and fun New Year. See you all in 2009! xxxx

Tuesday 9 December 2008

Must be nearly Christmas

Last Wednesday we were invited to a VIP sale at Good Guys. Time to update the electrical bits and pieces so off we went.

I needed a new iron (well, the one I was using was about ten years old...) so found a Phillips reduced from $119 to about $75. Him decided I should get a better hair dryer, so found one of those for $44 (from $59) and then a new kettle ($56 down from $75).

Him also bought himself an MP3 player but that was only reduced $10. But he was happy.

But the real treat was the massaging cushion he bought me. It goes on the chair (in our case, the office chair) and has rotating balls which move up and down the length of the back, and another set to do the neck and shoulders. It also has heat if you wish. Reduced supposedly from $300 to $259, but I saw it in other catalogues for $259 as well. Whatever the case, I love it.

Somehow I think I have received all my Christmas prezzies, yes?

Wednesday 3 December 2008

the bane of all parent's existence...

Bloody head lice. Yep, Jr Her has another dose. I had to treat her again last night. That's the 3rd time this half of the year. I did find some stuff that works, called Moov. It is a thick liquid that goes on fairly easily, then you shove a shower cap on for ten minutes. Seems to actually kill them (for a change...)

I think I know where they are coming from. Well, I hate to say that, but I do. Jr Her has mentioned a certain friend of hers scratched some out onto the desk recently. Said little girl doesn't wash or even brush her hair so anything is possible.

The theory is that they only like clean hair, but i beg to differ. All the cases I have known of at the school are in dirty heads, and Jr Her is less than pedantic about her own hygiene, so no, I don't believe that to be entirely the case.

And it always seems to be when we have appointments with the hairdresser. She missed the last one because she had just been treated. We are due again next Tuesday so hopefully we can scrape through after her second treatment Monday night.

Stupid parents not being vigilant. I hate that... Now I have an itch...

Friday 28 November 2008

Sorted


Well, we have bought, but not yet paid for, new computer equipment in our house. Him was lucky enough to find a refurbished lap top for $100. It's been reprogrammed and is a great little machine. Runs Windows.

I, on the other hand, bought a brand new IMac. I use Mac at work, and find it a heck of a lot easier with less hassles. Most of the time. I had to bring it to work for our geek to load the software on, and for a change he actually turned up on the day.

I took it home that night, and found Office wouldn't work on it. I also found Messenger won't work. I brought it back and got Office fixed but it still won't work Messenger, although it did just fine here at the office... which makes me think it may be out broadband.

We also updated to wireless broadband. Also not yet paid for. See, I am salary sacrificing to buy the IMac and wireless router from work. Boss asked Him to run an errand and was quite happy to pay him with the router (worth $199) for his trouble. Him, silly fellow, wouldn't hear of it. He quite rightly believes in not taking advantage of people. He thought the offer too generous and would feel bad taking it.

Anyway, I had been assured the router was safer than the broadband we had been using from an access point of view. So we didn't worry about it, for a whole week, until I noticed our usage was already up to 50% for the billing period (we are only 8 days into it!). I panicked!

I asked the geek what we can do, and he said he would talk me through it. So last night when I got home I went to have a look. It was horribly technical, and although there were notes explaining what to do on the web page, it was a little difficult to understand. So I phoned the geek. He was just on his way out to dinner with the kids, and could I call him later. Groan. Anyway, Him and I sat and read through the various pages on notes, and found what we were looking for. And hey presto! It worked. We now have a secure Internet site. We just can't use the Internet for the next 3 weeks or we will go over our usage! AAAHHH. I guess the people who live near by who have wireless connections (Him's computer did even tell us there are two...) have been having a field day with our network. Never mind. It's all fixed now.

And all I have to do now is pay for it all... yippee....

Sunday 23 November 2008

So What Do You Do When You're Home Alone?

Well, not entirely alone. Yesterday Jr Her got to go for a sleepover. I am always willing to let her go for a sleepover. Yesterday, she was supposed to find her USB stick before she went, though, so she could give it back to her dad in exchange for another.

Anyway, she couldn't find it, they got into a fight, and so when she went, her father and I were knee deep in her room cleaning out under her desk. It was horrible! I found the USB though, and did the swap.

We finished there, then sat around watching car crash videos on the web. As you do. I was really tired and quite pissed that we had spent the time doing that when I really didn't want to. So when Him wanted to know what we were doing for dinner, I said I didn't really care, we could pick up take away.

We actually ended up going to the Tonsley Hotel. It was surprisingly good! For less than $60 we had meals, drinks and lost $5 on the pokies (last of the big spenders, us!). They had a jazz band playing too.

Then this morning, we have stripped and remade the bed, done 3 loads of laundry, Him has vacuumed the entire house and under Jr her's desk where we cleanded yesterday, and I have mopped the floors. Anyway, to sum it up, we cleaned the house. Just finished before Jr Her got home.

Now, we got to go grocery shopping. Yippee....

Friday 21 November 2008

Success!

Well, sort of anyway. I had my 3-month weigh in today. Last time I had put on 2 kg. This time I have taken them off. After 2 years we have finally found the right level of inflation for my band, so everything should go smooth now.

I do need to be careful though, and try to up my exercise so I can shed this last ten kg. That will be enough, just ten kg. But, well, it just doesn't seem to want to go anywhere...

Also, we bought a new IMac for home this week. I am salary sacrificing to get it. I had to wait several days for the IT geek to come set it up, but he has and it now lives here on the desk. Until Monday. Apparently Office didn't load properly and it doesn't work. So he is going to look at that Monday... sure... Also, work had bought a router for our new starter in Sydney but it wouldn't work on his connection, so we are buying that as well.

Tonight, we set up a wireless router. Well, what a comedy of errors that turned out to be. We had it up and running, then Him moved something and it just wouldn't work. I sat on the phone with some Indian fellow, who I couldn't hear properly, trying everything to get it to work. Finally, he decided I had been using the wrong password. I was adamant it wouldn't work, but lo, it did. Next thing Him got the giggles and wouldn't quit. Even after I punched him in the arm! He still gets the giggles when he thinks about it. Rotten sod! Did I mention I don't like him tonight and may withhold priviledges for awhile? (to which he says "what's new?"

Anyway, the long and short of it is we now have an IMac on the desk, and hardly any cables! And Him has wireless broadband on his laptop. Of course, that only means he can use it anywhere around the house, but it is still great not to have cables running everywhere.

So, after I take the machine to work Monday for the Geek to fix, I can probably expect to not have it back for about a week... Lets see how accurate I am.

Monday 17 November 2008

Sniff....

So I have a cold. Everyone gets them. Jr Her always has a blocked nose. But this one came on Thursday, Friday I was sneezing all day, Saturday and Sunday I was really sick. Today, well the nose is still running a bit.

The worst part is when the eyes and nose run. It actually hurts when the eyes start to water. There is nothing you can do except grab the tissues. I hate shopping for cold medication, as nothing really seems to stop the runny nose with me. I found Sudafeds don't do too bad a job.

On Friday I had taken medication (well, that's my excuse) and when I got to work, for the first time in 23 years, forgot to put the car in park. Of course, it rolled backwards. Luckily I leave the wheels on an angle and it didn't go far. Just enough to catch the front fender. I think I put the marks on the mirror when I rushed to open the door. There was this post...

I am convinced that car is jinxed. I have never had so many bumps and scrapes in all my driving career as I have in that car.

Anyway, I am also po'd because the Geek is supposed to be setting up my home computer "Friday or Monday" and of course I haven't seen or heard from him. Were it not for that I probably would have stayed home sick.

Anyway, it's just a head cold and not fatal, so I should quit whinging and get on with it, yes?

Catch you next time...

Saturday 8 November 2008

Ummmm....

So I was asked recently why I hadn't updated my blog. Well, quite simply, because nothing worth writing about has happened.

Like the Melbourne Cup. No surprises there. I put $4 each way on three horses and $4 each way on a horse for Him. Plus a $3 mystery bet. His horse lead for most of the race, only to lose it on the straight. My horses came in 4th and 5th and somewhere down the back. My boss went to a function, and in 3 sweeps, drew the same horse 3 times. On the 3rd he asked for a re-draw. Granted, he then drew a horse for me. Same horse. It came in 2nd so I scored a small windfall for nothing...

Or perhaps the time Him came home from work asking if I had heard about the boat fire outside a block of flats on Towers Terrace. Nope, didn't hear a thing. Our street joins up to Towers Terrace, and our back yard is bordered by a block of flats. Yep, the boat was outside that block of flats, someone set fire to it, and we never heard a thing. Typical.

Or maybe the storm that struck recently early in the morning. I had been having a lovely dream which featured a quiet storm in the background. Suddenly I was woken by a massive BANG and our alarm saying "Hello...." We had experienced a huge thunder clap which caused a power surge. Usually our alarm gives us a spiel about "no alarms in memory, system trouble blah blah.." This time she just said "hello..." That in itself freaked me out. Our back up battery has gone so it has continually beeped for a week now. Little chirpy thing that interrupts sleep. After that, she has been strangely quiet... I wonder if the power surge caused the back up battery to start charging again. Strange.

So, as you can see, the reason I haven't updated my blog is that nothing exciting ever happens here....

Friday 24 October 2008

Too old to party...

So last night was the Triple M party, to cap off their "Date My Dad" promotion. Two kids wrote in to say their dad needed a date, so Triple M's breakfast trio Kym, Ali and Dzelde took up the cause.

They asked ladies to apply, then the Dad selected his favourite 4, with another to be chosen a few days later. Then they kitted the chosen ladies out with new wardrobes and sent them off on dates with Dad. It was apparently a lot of fun, and a huge success.

Listeners were asked to go online and vote for their favourite girl. I did, and was lucky to be one of the few selected to come along to the party where Dad was announcing his choice of lady to get to know better.

Well, Him and I toddled along last night, and while we were standing at the door waiting to get in, the Dad walked past, smiled and said hello to me. Him and I just looked at each other. Inside, we got given a wrist band (green for single, red for taken and orange for keeping options open..) and a drink card each with 4 drinks.

We went to the bar, then found an empty spot, in front of the stage. While standing there chatting and looking around, one of the breakfast team, Kym, walked past, gave me a big smile and said hello. Okay, Him and I looked at each other again... Maybe I have a familiar type face? I am Facebook friends with him, but so are 4999 other people...

A little while later Ali stopped to chat to us. She is lovely! She asked our opinion of the special guests that night, Pete Murry and Vanessa Amorossi. Him said he wanted to take Vanessa home. Ally joked "Me first!" Him suggested she could take her home and he would come too! She made light of that, and checked his wrist band (red). It was very funny.

Anyway, while standing around a little later, Dzelde walked past and gave me a huge grin and hello. Man, this is strange! So I introduced myself and said I was a Facebook friend of his. "No wonder you look familiar" he says. He stood and talked to us for a bit. Very funny, approachable man. Extremely talented as a disc jockey too.

Well, the night got under way with meeting the ladies, the family, then Vanessa came on. More girls, and Pete Murry sang. He is very funny live too. Then Dad announced his choice of lucky lady.

The only bad spot of the evening was when two drunk blondes decided to push Him aside, and dance right in front of us. This wouldn't have been an issue if one didn't have a handbag which was literally poking me in the arm, stomach, side. She didn't relent despite my none too subtle shoving her aside. Drinks were slopping everywhere too. Two lovely ladies in front of them wore drinks down their backs too. Not much, but enough for them to excuse themselves past me and join their friends behind me. The, two other drunken dollies pushed past the gent beside me (pushing him back into me, standing on my foot, for which he was mortified). At the same time Hand Bag lady gave my other foot a stomp for good measure.

But on a good note, the chick that pushed the fellow next to me tried to take a photo of her friend, and he "accidentally" gave her elbow a shove. Ha ha. I liked that one. I think she was too drunk to notice.

Well, after the show we left (apparently just before the Dad and his ladies decided to do the Funky Wombat) and leave before the crowd. I have to say, after 3 hours standing in one spot, I could barely walk to the car (way down the back of the parking lot!) We were given little gift bags on the way out, totally directed at men though, with Bourbon and coke sample, 15% voucher for a men's salon, movie pass to see Rocknrolla, and a drinks card for Thursday night at The Highway. Oh, and a tiny sample of Fruchocs! I bags that one!

All in all, a very memorable night, and one I am not likely to forget.

Here's a link to our photo on the night with Dzelde...

http://www.triplem.com.au/adelaide/galleries/gallery.html?cID=1715635429&imageID=16&postback=true

Here's a link to the website where you can find more info about the evening, pictures, videos etc. Worth a look!

http://www.triplem.com.au/adelaide/shows/kymalidzelde/features/datemydad/datemydad_decision.html

Wednesday 22 October 2008

Ramblings of all things IT

So, we were looking at IT stuff recently. Our IT geek, who has been mentioned in previous blogs, organised an old Mac for Jr Her, for a carton of beer. It's not a bad machine, and she likes it (probably because it's new, but whatever works). Well, she would if she ever got the chance to use it.

We had to bring it in because it was full of rubbish and wouldn't read her memory stick. He said to bring it back he would clean it up for her. We did. It sat on the front seat of the car for a week. Then Him went away, and I had to take it out of the car so we could pick him up from the airport. It sat in the office for several days. Finally we got told to bring it back he was coming. It sat here in the office for 3 days. FINALLY he came and fixed it. Now she has a usable computer.

Until we tried to upload the printer driver. Now it wants a password. No one remembers putting a password in, but it won't accept the driver without a password. So I had to bring it back so he could take out the need for a password.

It sat in the car for 3 days. He is supposed to be here again today. Lets see if he does.

We did buy ourselves a new Epsom printer so Jr Her could have our old one. It's pretty good. Now, we found about the school computer option where the government will pay half of the cost of a new computer up to the value of $750. So, next year we were going to update her beer computer with our old computer, and buy ourselves a new IMac.

Now, we have decided to buy ourselves a new Macbook laptop and just use that for all our stuff, and give her our old machine. Then next year update hers with a new IMac. I have one at work and its fantastic! We will probably get our new laptop through salary sacrifice here at work, which of course, means using the geek to source the computer and load all the software for me.

Wonder how long that will take.....

Friday 10 October 2008

Scary kids





So today is the last day of holiday care for Jr Her. It's dress up day. Halloween theme. She wanted to come as a zombie, complete with bandages. Now, given our shortage of time, and bandages, she started her make up herself this morning and came up with....






A corpse bride. She looks fantastic. We took pictures of her complete, then decided she needed a veil, so took pictures after said veil was placed.






She is so happy, which is very unusual for her, with the outcome and I hope she has a good day. Poor lamb is going on a Guides camp tonight, and as nature always does, guess what she got yesterday. Very heavy, very messy. But being the trooper she is, she never complains about it (just everything else besides).






Well, feedback on her costume will be much appreciated. Tell her what you think....


Tuesday 7 October 2008

Wild Weekend (not)...

Well, what an interesting weekend it was. We decided to take the van for a run, first time this year, down to the Lower Lakes, so booked ourselves into the Lake Albert Caravan Park. We had no idea what this was going to be like but heck, it's away!

I was lucky enough to get off work early on Friday, and Him and Jr Her stayed home, so when I got there they were all hooked up ready to do. All I had to do was collect the last of my stuff and jump in the car.

We made good time, leaving just on 4.00 pm, and had a smooth trip down. It had rained and we figured every time we take the van away it rains, so who cares. After a dinner stop in Tailem Bend we continued to Meningie. We arrived at 6.15pm. and had the van all set up, sitting outside at 7.15pm.

We were on a lovely big site, backed onto Lake Albert, and enjoyed watching the sun set and the pelicans drift in. The amenities block was right near us, and we had no neighbours. Funny thing about caravan parks and long weekends..all the campers arrive in droves with loud cars, loud music, kids.... on this occasion we also got surrounded by dogs! But for once, we didn't hear our neighbours at all.

On Saturday, Him's birthday, we slept in, crawled out of bed, took care of breakfast etc then did the present bit. Him seemed to really like his loot - shirt and cap from his Warbird Adventure Flight the week before, tin of his favourite biscuits, and Bunnings vouchers. Then for the rest of the day we just sat. Well, we did go for a walk around the park, along the beach, drove into Meningie, but all in all we just sat.

Him cooked chicken burgers and bacon for dinner which we put onto toasted buns with salad. Very tasty. And with all that sitting around we fell into bed quite early, after changing our clocks for daylight saving, that is.

Sunday we again slept late. Did the breakfast thing then just sat again. Until Jr Her nagged us to go to the Cheese Factory for a look. Turns out it is a small "museum" to use the word loosely, with a lovely restaurant and coffee lounge attached. We had lunch there and the chicken baguette I ordered filled both Jr Her and myself. Very nice food, the weather was perfect, and we just sat. Again. After lunch we went for a walk down the esplanade along the lakeside. There are some lovely houses there too, and some for sale.

Through the night Sunday we were woken up by horrible wind and rain. We grabbed the chairs and towels, toddled off to the loo (and got stuck in the rain on the way back) then back to bed. We packed up and came home Monday morning, and although it was windy, Him did a terrific job of getting us home in one piece. He even backed the van into the carport, around the stobie pole, down and s-shaped drive, past the floodlights, and onto two planks of wood stopping spot in the middle, all in one go. Man, he's good!

Then it was just unpacking the van, doing all the washing I usually do on weekends (clothes, sheets, towels) plus the clothes and towels from the van, and tidying up around the place. It was a lovely relaxing weekend, and I am looking forward to the next one!

Friday 26 September 2008

Progress

Well, it has been an interesting week this week.

We decided that because my birthday was on bowling night, we would do the present thing Tuesday night instead. That was lovely, and I received some very nice gifts and money. Always good to get presents. Then on Wednesday, I got a video call from the family in Qld (you know who you are!), and text messages from my two best friends in Qld.

I also received emails from two friends wishing me happy birthday whom I wouldn't have expected to remember, so that was a bonus. Then, when I got to work Wednesday, my boss was in Sydney. He left me an email with directions to a small something in his office. He had bought me a $50 David Jones voucher! Plus both he and his wife phoned to wish me happy birthday.

At bowling I didn't escape either. Someone dobbed me into the staff and they put a birthday announcement over the PA. Nice!

Tonight is drinks with friends on the way home from work. Should be a good chance to catch up with people I don't see much of any more.

Yesterday I decided to actually do something with my Facebook page. I signed up months ago for a friend (one of whom left me the message) but never took it any further. The local radio station has a DJ who is very technically challenged. Two local businesses have decided that if he can get 3000 Facebook friends by today they will donate $3000 to Ronald McDonald House. So I revisited my page and added him as a friend. When I last looked he had over 4000! Excellent. Although, some yob thought that his vote was only worth 1c instead of $1. Stupid git.

So, that's my week at a glance. The same radio has been having a top 500 countdown thing going too. Good music. I voted for a couple of songs and the station phoned me today for a chat about my votes, which may find itself on air later in the day. If you are lucky enough to be listening at the right time, and phone up at the right time, and be the first caller through you can win $500. that would have been nice on Wednesday, wouldn't it? But I always get pipped at the post. Today (the last day) it's going to be between 4pm and 5pm. Knowing me I will be in the car....

Monday 22 September 2008

City to Bay

Well I have had requests to blog about my first venture into the wonderful world of the City to Bay Fun Run, held each year in Adelaide.

I convinced Him and Jr Her to come along with me, but decided the full 12km of the "run" would be too much, so we decided to enter the 6km "walk". As the main road across the middle of Adelaide would be closed, we opted to leave our cars early. We left one close to the finish line (so we thought anyway) and the other close to the start line at the local shopping centre.

We arrived bright and early, decked out in our electronic tags, comfy shoes, and comfy clothes (although for Jr Her that meant jeans and a jumper, silly chick). We loaded Him's pockets up with keys, and the eftpos card just in case and made our way through the throng to the start line, about 90 minutes early.

Luckily, amid the strange weather we have been having lately, we had lovely sun with a rather nippy breeze for the walk. We watched all the 12km runners jog past, then they started the 6km runners. Once they had left, we still had about half an hour before they unleashed us walkers onto the road.

We set off in a tightly packed field amid thousands of others (approx 28,000 people entered this year) and made our way down Anzac Highway. We had a pretty good pace going, but Him soon found himself in front of us. We kept him in our sights, but Jr Her and I kept our own pace going. She is hard to walk beside sometimes as she seems to have no concept of "personal space" and keeps bumping into/stepping on me.

We chatted about the people we saw, stuff, and the like, and she didn't complain (for once). I was very proud of her actually. For all her athleticism, she hates walking. Considering she used to walk an hour a day with me when she was six, she hates walking for ten minutes now.

Him kept stopping and waiting for us to catch up, but he was soon ahead again. We didn't mind. I didn't want to push her too much, she did mention once or twice that I was walking a bit fast for her.

It took us an hour and ten to walk 6km. Not a bad effort I thought. It is embarrassing however when you are overtaken by elderly folk. But we didn't mind. The weather was lovely and we just enjoyed the experience.

Well, when we got to Glenelg Him let us catch up to him, and we went through the last km together. We had decided we would all pass under the finish banner together, and we did. Then, we made our way out of the compound, and decided while we were walking we would continue back the way we came to KFC for a drink and bite to eat. After sitting for half an hour or so it was very difficult to get up again, but we had to walk another km or so back to where we had parked the car!

We did, then took some videos back, and took that car back to the shopping centre to pick up the other car. Him left us at that point (chicken) and Jr her and I went shopping. She is going on a Girl Guides camp and needed track pants, so we found KMart had a buy one, get 60% off the next sale. We bought six items, and three of those were very cheap, like the boardies which were originally $16.99 and we paid $6.80, the top which had been reduced to $10 which we bought for $5.80, and the lovely white hoodie which scanned at $2, with the discount cost 80c! We still spent $100 but saved heaps more on top of that - the $10 top was originally $35 and the hoodie was originally $30. Gotta love a bargain!

Then we went home and vegged all afternoon. I spent the afternoon sitting outside reading, Jr Her watched videos and Him napped in the couch. What better way to wind down! We are really looking forward to next year now. See if we can beat our time. Oh, and apparently we can buy the photos from tomorrow. Might just have to do that...

Saturday 20 September 2008

Spoiled Rotten

It's really hard to type when your eyes are blurry and you are trying to preserve your fingernails...

See, I have had the most wonderful day today. First, earlier this week Him told me he was taking me to lunch Saturday. No worries says me. Always up for that. He said it was for my birthday next week, as both of us would be working.

So we all went to Brighton for lunch, to the Esplanade Hotel. Very nice spot, bit cool but lovely day anyway. We ate lunch, then drove up and down the esplanade for a while. Then he suddenly pulls over and tells Jr Her they had to buy something for mum's birthday.

So we all bail out again in the same street we had just left. He found a really expensive dress shop and got me took in there. Luckily for the bank account they only catered for "little" people and not elephants.

So we walked a little further down the street and he opened the door of a beauty spa. Hello, what's going on here? He says to the girl "I'm a little early"... oh dear, what's he done?

He had treated me to a massage, facial and manicure! What a lovely little treasure! I had a very relaxing afternoon, and it was my first full package, and certainly one of the loveliest things anyone has done for me. A friend had bought me a massage for my 40th, but that's all.

This was the full works, and I really enjoyed it. My eyes are watering from some of the stuff that go into my eyes I think, but that's okay. I feel terrific! And I have lovely pink nails. He was going to treat me to a set of false nails but as my nails are pretty good by themselves, the chick recommended just fixing up my own, which we did.

Then when we got home, because I had fresh nails, he even took the washing off the line and folded it for me.

Man, I am so lucky! Love that man!

Monday 15 September 2008

Say Cheese....

Well, what an interesting week it has been.

Last week all seemed back to normal on the health front. Jr Her perked up, had the week off school and managed to play netball on Saturday, as I said. Him got a little sick, but got over it pretty quick. Life goes on.

Then, because Jr Her's school was closed on Thursday, I had to take the day off (my boss must be really sore at all the time I have had off lately!). The weather was lovely and I made lunch plans with a couple of lovely little old ladies I am friends with, but whom I never see much of any more. And I made an appointment with the dental surgeon for Jr Her.

So, before we left home, Jr Her got a call that her new glasses she ordered the week before were in. See, I forgot to tell you, Him took himself and her to eye appointments while she was off school. Anyway, we decided to leave early and collect said glasses. She was happy, and they look great.

Lucky, the dental surgeon was across the road from the shopping centre where the optometrist was, so we didn't have far to go. So, big shock at the dentist. It would appear our little tyke is going to cost us a fortune in dental care over the next few years. Poor little lamb. She doesn't have enough teeth in her lower jaw, and the unexposed adult eye teeth in her upper jaw are almost horizontal instead of vertical.

This means that next week Him is taking her to have the two baby eye teeth she still has pulled, and in six months we have to have her xrayed again to check the progress of the adult eye teeth. If they have broken the surface of her gum it will be okay. However, if not, she will need a small procedure to expose the teeth. Then she will need braces fixed. They will be in place for about 3 years. Toward the last six months of that time she will have a lower set attached to move as many of her teeth toward the front as possible to close up as much of the gap as possible.

So, although she knew from an early age that she would need braces (the school dentist told her she may when she was in about year 2) I think the full extent of the poor kid's deformed dental region was quite a shock. But, you know, she wasn't at all perturbed about the whole thing. She hasn't said much, hasn't asked any questions, or doesn't appear to be worried at all. Course, that may change when we tell her she is off to the dentist to have teeth pulled! Hee hee.

Oh, and the lunch afterward with my buddies was lovely!

Monday 8 September 2008

Medical updates

So Jr Her is mostly over her wog. She ended up having the rest of the week off school. As I mentioned she jumped out of bed eager to go to school, but as the morning progressed she flagged. Eventually she decided not to go. Smart move. But man, was she annoying by the weekend! Him stayed on the couch with her till I got home after lunch, at which point he bailed and went to bed (again, smart move) and I took over. She started to get her appetite back so became a real pain cause she wanted junk food Thursday and Friday.

I hadn't been cooking much because no one was hungry so we had been having small meals. But she is still not eating much at meal time but pigging out between little snot. At least her appetite is back.

The netball game on Saturday was fun. She took along her puffer for good measure, and despite complaining of a painful tight chest, she managed to play 3 quarters. She would have played a 4th but the coach took her off. Probably just as well too. She had a ball and as the team is a new team, with a lot of beginners, they don't play well at all. But it is great when the opposition come over and tell us that the team was a pleasure to play and how much fun the girls all seem to be having, without being discouraged that the opposition are wiping the floor with them. They care, but they don't let it upset them. They just vow to do better next time. I seriously hope they all play again next year. And they all got a ribbon and a bag of lollies for participating!

So now Him is sick. Yep, lying on the couch all week with a sick kid had to have side effects. Poor baby is really sniffly and clogged up. Coughing too. Throat is not too bad now, but he can't seem to stop his nose running despite medicating himself to the hilt. I feel bad he has to go to work tonight, but he is definately not one to take sickies. I can remember only once in thirteen years he had two nights off with the flu, and that was about twelve years ago!

Well, I am in the office by myself as the boss still hasn't come in, and give the time I will assume he won't be in today. He did have appointments which took him out of the office till after lunch, then he had something else to do, and now it is well after three....

So, I had better get back to work and try to achieve something....

Thursday 4 September 2008

Achoo!

So why do you supposed Winter brings colds and flu? Is it because the air is heavier so air-borne germs find it harder to escape the atmosphere? I mean, the common cold is not actually something caused by getting wet, being cold, or anything like that. It is simply an airborne virus that we come into contact with somewhere and voila! A cold.

Anyway, Jr Her has one. Well, it's a virus of some sort. When I picked her up from OSHC on Monday she was almost asleep in front of the telly. The carers commented she was unusually quiet too. She complained of a headache, feeling dizzy, and an extremely sore throat.

Well, Tuesday she had lost her voice (Yay!). She was very poorly so I kept her home. Him napped in the couch until lunch time, when he took himself off to bed. Her friend Tiny's mum dropped in for a bit after lunch to check on her, and when I came home she was a bit brighter but still unwell.

On Wednesday, she crawled out of bed, made a nest in the lounge and went back to sleep. She napped most of the morning apparently. I finished work after lunch and Him toddled off to bed and I took over. I took her to the doctor later in the afternoon, and she was given a Ventolin puffer and a nasal spray. If she starts coughing up green stuff (her wog has gone into her chest so she is getting a nasty cough now) I have a script for antibiotics for her.

This morning she has said she wants to go back to school, but I feel her bravado is failing a bit, so I have left the decision up to her. I think if she does go she will end up coming home at lunch time anyway...see what happens I guess.

She has her netball final game on Saturday and is determined not to miss that. Fingers crossed, even if she only plays one quarter, she will be well enough to go. Well, she will go anyway, whether she plays or not remains to be seen...

Monday 25 August 2008

Don't you love new stuff?

So I got all my new work stuff today. But I also got some new stuff on the weekend. See, Jr Her went for her sleepover. Him and I were going to go to the movies Saturday night, but decided to go to the shopping centre after morning netball to buy tickets, as Gold Class fills up early.

So, off we trot, just the two of us (aah, blessed peace and quiet). We stopped briefly at Bras and Things, where I found a "2 for $30" rack of jammies. I bought a pair of long cotton white, blue, yellow and black striped PJs, and a pair of soft almost yoga pants style in grey marle. The top is a little larger but they both fit perfectly and are sooooo comfy.

Then, we went to purchase our tickets and found that the only free sitting was an 11.50 screening of Dark Knight. What the heck, we had no time limits, nowhere to be, and nothing planned. We bought the tickets. With about half an hour to spare we went to Coffee Club for, well, coffee. For him. Hot chocolate for me. And a slice.

We went back up to Gold Class, and ordered salt and pepper squid and wedges to share, and Him bought a glass of red. We settled in for two and a half hours. Lovely. After, Him wanted a hair cut so joined the queue at Men at Work. I wandered around the corner intending to take a peek into Katies, but went to Millers instead. Guess what I found? Several $5 racks. I came out with 4 tops, one skirt and a shawl. For $30. Not a bad day's bargain hunting I would say.

Then, we went home and watched the Port Power game on TV and saw Jr Her in the crowd with the family she was staying with. Our little hero!

So, today I got to play with my new IMac computer, combination printer, and all the new software. Instead of networking from the original chick's computer, it's all on mine now. Her machine has been disbanded and my old Mac is in her office. Well, I guess it's the spare office now. I chose to remain in the reception area, in my own little corner of the world, and spread out. With the new printer we lose the old printer, a copier and fax. Excellent I say. And my new mac screen is soooo big! I will try to take a photo one day and upload it.

The geek was still working on it when I left work, so hopefully when I get in tomorrow it will be all ready to go. Hey, wait a minute...I just realised I don't even know how to turn it on! I wasn't looking when he did that! Haha. That's going to be interesting. If you know anything about Macs you will know that there is no box, everything is in the screen. Lovely, flat plasma, 19" screen, and a keyboard. That's all there is. So, that power button must be around the back somewhere.....

Oh, and Jr Her and Him were just having a wrestle in the kitchen and next thing Jr Her is in tears with a blood nose. Typical! Play rough and get hurt. She told him she would get her bath when he kissed her. Well, never one to back off from a challenge, he took her on! The table was knocked, and he tackled her. Actually, we don't know quite what happened as Him has no recollection of hitting her, but she thinks she copped his forearm. He thinks she copped the chair. I think they are both nuts and deserve everything they get! Poor Him, though, hates the thought that he hurt his little mate. She has forgiven him though. Ah, what happened to that blessed peace and quiet? Sigh......

Friday 22 August 2008

Here comes the weekend


So it's not like anything exciting has happened recently, but I figured i had better make an entry before I lost everyone's attention.

It's been a slow week this week, although probably not entirely boring. On Tuesday I think it was I was in the middle of speaking to a certain phone company, on behalf of the boss's mobile, and my mobile rang. I ignored it and when I checked the message bank it was my favourite radio station phoning me to take part in a competition! Of course, I missed the call didn't I? The prize was either movie tickets or a set of signed ping pong paddles and a 1 in 5 chance to win a plasma TV.

Then, when I finished on the phone the boss and the Geek told me they were upgrading my computer to a brand new I Mac flash you-beaut computer! Yippee for me! I love those! And, this old one was replacing the ancient Windows machine in the other office.

And, the geek was going to give me a free Mac for Jr Her to destroy at home. Her's is very slow and freezes more often than not (too many games and stuff). Bonus!

Plus, we are buying a new printer/fax/scanner/copier combo, which I ordered Wednesday. So, add to that the fact that Jr Her has kept her room clean (ish) now for almost 3 weeks, it's been a pretty good week. Except for a dentist visit on Monday for Jr Her and a visit with the surgeon on Tuesday for me. I have put on 2 kg. I knew that though. I have been trying recently to be a better eater, less junk and more vegies and stuff. I think I am managing....

Anyway, this morning I was almost at work when my phone rang again. This time I was available to take the call. It was the radio station again! So, while I am hold ready to play the game I have to park the car, come upstairs, unset the alarm, turn on computers etc, then try to focus on winning a game.

I didn't. Myself and a fellow named Rick had to name Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movies. Not necessarily together, but starred in. So, I started. we had a reasonable volley then I got a mental blank. I lost. But, I did score movie tickets and got to make a fool of myself on the radio, which will make Jr Her happy! Haha.

Then at lunch time I went for a walk and bought Him a cute tweed Trilby hat, and a BLT for lunch. Nice it was too. Took me two sittings to eat it but I shall probably never eat again, I am so full!

The computer arrived too. I just need someone to set it up for me now! Yippee! The printer should be here Monday, and I can re-organise my desk on Monday, more room, more workspace, and a whole new makeover. It's the little things....

Oh, and Jr Her is still going for her sleepover this weekend, so Him and I are off to the movies. I have Magnum upgrade vouchers for Gold Class, which I think we will use...

Monday 18 August 2008

These boots are made for walking

So we took Jr Her and her little friend shopping on the weekend. Just for something different. The friend, we shall name her Tiny, had $10 to spend.

The first shop we went into was Valley Girl and they have cheap clothes for $4.95 and $6.95. And you know what? They are almost exclusively Small or Extra Small. I mean, what do they think, that we are suddenly a race of midgets? Jr her and Tiny are both Large! And they are only 11!

Anyway, we found a couple of tops for Jr Her and because I was feeling generous I bought one for Tiny too. Then they wanted to go to the newsagents. So Tiny bought herself some pencils and a little box to put them in. Jr Her bought, um, something....maybe she didn't?

On to a lingerie shop and I had Jr Her measured up properly. I was right, she is already a 14a. Sigh...they grow up so fast...Tiny, who is, um, larger, than Jr Her but has no bust yet, wanted to get measured up too so I let her go too. Anyway, a sports bra and a regular bra for Jr Her, and 5 pairs of knickers for $10 for me later, we left that shop.

In the mean time, Him took himself off for a coffee and read of the paper. I like Harbourtown, he can go do that while we shop ourselves silly.

So, next we went into Ice and the girls found a rack of over sized tee shirts, 3 for $10 so Jr Her bought 3 and gave one to Tiny (generous little thing isn't she?). Tiny's comes down almost to her knees, and goes over her little belly so she is happy. Jr Her's is a bit shorter and she wore one over her jeans all Saturday afternoon, Saturday night to bed, and all day yesterday too. Fair to say she likes it?

After Ice it was time to look for shoes for me, and collect Him. I found a pair of flat heel boots, reduced from $89.99 to $45, and later a pair of Hush Puppies, reduced from $89.99 to $60. Now, those who know me, know I never spend that much on shoes. But, the last time I did, I got 3 winters out of the two pair. So, hopefully I can do the same here. I have the boots on today actually...

After all that shopping it was time for a late lunch, and we had Subway. Then, off home to sort out the stuff. The girls played for the afternoon and Him and I watched some of the Olympics. KFC rounded out the evening nicely.

Sunday and Jr Her and Tiny had a few clashes. They always do. This time though I told them both off. Anyway, by the time Tiny's dad came by they were okay and Jr Her said she had a good weekend. Then promptly complained about being bored for the rest of the day.... Now she just has to keep her room clean for the rest of the week so she can go for a sleepover at Tiny's house next weekend and Him and I can go to the movies! Yay!

Friday 15 August 2008

Bloody car...

Yes, stupid car. If I didn't like it so much I could easily hate it. Him had to take it back this morning because the front passenger door has decided not to lock.

Last weekend Jr Her opened it and set off the alarm. I thought it was because I had previously opened the boot, and that unlocked the car but not turn off the alarm...

But no, it happened again recently so when Him had a play, we discovered we could always open the door, and one in five times it would set off the alarm. Now, as I leave my bag on the seat while I check the mail or duck into the local store for milk, I figured this was not going to be good.

So, back to our favourite service department this morning to get it repaired. Update from Him advises it was just a loose wire and it was fixed in no time. Whew. Stupid car.

Other news. Well, none really. Him is flying out to Melbourne on the 26th for a long awaited course. He is a supervisor at his job, and has been pushing to do a Level 4 Management course. For two years they have overlooked him, sending even Leading Hands instead. He was forced recently to do a Leader of Teams course (what an insult!). But finally they have relented and today we received his itinerary and hotel booking. He goes two days this month, I think two next month and two in November. It's a big thing for him, and I hope he gets a lot out of it.

Jr Her will miss him. She copes okay when he is on night shift, but if he is away she feels very unsafe at night. Don't know why. I can't think of anything. No wait, there was that incident where we were burgled. Well, two actually. Maybe that has something to do with it. She get nightmares so I can expect a few while he is away. Don't you love kids? Sigh...

Otherwise it's all quiet on the home front. The boss is away today so I am here alone. Very slow too (after an initial rush of phone calls in a few minutes.) I had a meeting with some computer sales people, and that's about it.

Better get back to work, hadn't I? Might as well look busy, not that there is anyone here to see....

:-)

Tuesday 5 August 2008

Surprise!

So I came home last night to a lovely surprise! First, a bit of background. Things were a little rocky over the weekend, which I won't go into here, suffice to say we had an argument. So things were still a little shaky yesterday.

I had, in the mean time, asked Him to buy a few vegies for dinner. Yesterday, as he is on night shift and had a few things to do through the day, asked if I could get them instead. I had the EFTPOS card anyway to replace the rent money.

Later in the day I get a message saying that I was to replace a little more of the money as Him had used some. No worries, says I.

I had planned to stop at the shop and get vegies after work, but as it was pouring during an excursion uptown, and I had no desire to make my hair look any more hideous than usual, I ducked into the supermarket to grab some.

Upon my return home I found Him had done a lovely little vegie shop of his own, and I was greeted to the smell of cooking steak, with plates full of salad arranged neatly and chips in the oven. Yes, I had dinner cooked for me again. What a lovely surprise (and lucky I didn't stop after work!). Dinner was lovely and horribly healthy.

Also, in the freezer, were containers of chopped vegies ready to be cooked, and extra salad in a container in the fridge. Jr Her likes salad for lunch so we both had fresh salad for lunch today, and tonight we have a container of chopped vegies to stir fry with beef.

I tell you, it was so nice to come home to cooked dinner. Very, very much appreciated!

Wednesday 30 July 2008

Waffles revisited

It's been awhile since my last blog of any substance, and I am sorry to say this one is no better. I just thought I should touch base and update what has been happening in my boring old life.

Nothing.

Well, not entirely true. Him started night shift again this week. I don't mind night shift, cause I sleep better, but it creates a whole pack of other problems. Like coming home from work and trying to do all the usual stuff - organise Jr Her not to drop her stuff in the middle of the floor; get the cold damp washing off the line before the night really sets in; clear the day's washing off the table; get dinner started. But poor Him wants me to sit with him (if he is awake) and gets a tad upset if I am busy doing other stuff.

I do enjoy sitting with him in the dark bedroom having a chat, but Jr Her feels left out and joins us (that's okay too). We like to spend time talking like this. But the chores don't get done and it puts me behind schedule.

And, when he is still asleep, it is very hard to keep quiet. He doesn't like us to, he feels bad that we have to, but out of courtesy it makes sense to be quiet. We don't know how much sleep he has managed to get so I try to be as quiet as possible. Not easy with a baby elephant stomping around the house wreaking havoc wherever she goes. She does try though, she is just not a naturally quiet person.

So, anyway, Him is on night shift, and my boss has been away for a week, which has meant very quiet boring days at work (which I love....). Jr Her now has an email address at school and was very proud to send emails to her parents (if spelled rather badly). It's the little things...

I have a visit with the surgeon again next week, and if I were to say I was looking forward to it, I would be a big fat liar (literally). I am curious to know how much weight I have put on, but then again, I don't want to know at all. Well, hopefully he can expand my band again and I will stop shoving food at my mouth. Hopefully...

A friend who has had the same surgery is doing very well, and looks great. I am insanely jealous. My own fault, I know, but I am insanely jealous! haha. Anyway, I wish her really well, as she is a beautiful person and will be stunning slim.

I hope to get to Qld at the end of this year (it's been awhile) so I would need to lose a lot of weight first, or I will go home a failure...not looking forward to that....

Thursday 24 July 2008

Winter is Here!

Not to say it hasn't been cold. It's been cold. But evenings haven't been what they should be for this time of the year.

It gets down to about 7 degrees overnight, but only up to about 14 degrees through the day. Well, last night it was 2 degrees. Very chilly! So cold, in fact, that I can't type cause my fingers are numb.

When I hung the washing out this morning, there was frost on the ground (lovely to see) and steam coming from the clothes. I love watching it with the sun shining through it.

Usually, we have a cold snap at the start of the season, it warms up a little, then cools down again. Last year I think we had a week of frosty weather in about June, and the rest was cold but overcast, therefore no frost.

Well, we are supposed to be seeing sun all this week, which as you know, means frosty clear nights with freezing temperatures. It's funny, though, that the same temperature in Queensland means getting about with maybe socks, winter jammies, and a robe. Her it means socks, slippers, flanny jammies, cardigan, robe, scarf and gloves. Totally different. Poor kitty even feels it cause he wants to come up onto the bed all the time and he is not allowed now.

Even as I type this he is trying to sit on my lap or on the desk leaning against me for warmth. However, I am wearing black and dressed for work so I have to say no. Poor kitty (he just sat on my forearms. Makes typing interesting....)

God Bless Winter in Adelaide! Brrrr!

Friday 18 July 2008

Chilli Prawns

Recently I have had requests for a particular recipe, so I figure, what better way to get it out there? This is based on a recipe I saw on Out Of The Blue (SA fans will know what I mean) but when I went to make it I couldn't remember the exact ingredients, so I made it up. I think it is the same though...

Ingredients (serves 4):

3 tablespoons Chili Sauce
1 tablespoon Butter
1-2 cloves crushed garlic (optional)
2-3 cups De-shelled raw prawns, or cooked and peeled
1 tablespoon Lime juice
1 cup Macadamia nuts

1. Melt butter in a frying pan over moderate heat. Add garlic. Do not allow to burn.
2. Throw in prawns and stir till cooked
3. Add chili sauce, stir till thickened
4. Add lime juice and macadamias.

Serve tossed through pasta or with fresh salad.

Of course, the chili and garlic are to taste. The sauce is usually a little thick if you use enough butter. Don't make it too hot, and don't overcook the prawns. We often have this in summer. I will make it one weekend and serve with fettuchini next time.

If you want to know any other recipes, I have load (good old collector of cook books that I am...) or if you want to share any, feel free!

Bon Appetite!

Thursday 17 July 2008

Diets are for losers...

cat
more cat pictures
So at my last visit to the dr I had my band loosened off. I really think this was a mistake. I have put on weight. Don't know how much, but I know I have put some one, probably at least two kg. Maybe more. My pants are a tad tight around the middle now and it makes it uncomfortable to sit for long.

I am due in a few weeks for a repeat visit, and I think I will make him inflate it again, but not quite where it was. I am really disappointed in myself for letting it get this far, but it just seems to happen so fast for me.

The theory is great, isn't it? Only 10kg to lose. Snap! But actually giving up food for long enough is quite a struggle. I do, however, have a little more incentive now. The boss was diagnosed as pre-diabetic so is on a strict diet. That means he and I are going to support each other with our eating. Mind, he already does quite well in that department.

Time to go back through my Weight Watchers cook books I think. And if this weather ever stops I must go back to walking. Been very slack there. Sigh...always a battle...but hopefully with this re-inflation one I can lose. Fingers crossed.

Wednesday 16 July 2008

Romantic?

So I just wanted to tell you about the last couple of days. Nothing terribly exciting, but good all the same. Well most of it.

On the weekend, Jr Her had to clean her room. She did some of it, then we had to go grocery shopping. Then, after a very quick lunch, we unpacked the groceries, made up some snacks, and friends from Stansbury came to visit. We met them in Gladstone while they were staying at the caravan park we lived in. Since we have been here we hardly see them. But they were in town so they spent the afternoon with us.

So when they left, we took Jr Her for a sleepover at a friend's house a few streets away, dolled ourselves up and had dinner at Subway. Then up to Aberfoyle Park for an adult toy party. Well, that was fun! The people there were very open minded, and a heck of a lot of laughs. We really enjoyed ourselves. Turns out the hostess is the sister of one of my bowling members! Small world!

We got home after midnight, and crashed (I had a headache and medicated myself up good). The next morning, I was shocked to see it was 10.00am when I woke up! Do you ever get that feeling of shame that you slept so long? For me, a good sleep in is usually about 7.30 but when Him goes to work and I go back to sleep I will often wake up again at 8.30. That is bad enough, but TEN! Goodness. Anyway, I made us breakfast and we toddled off to pick up Jr Her. We stayed for coffee then went for a drive south.

Not sure where to go we decided on an adventure park. Very expensive to get in, but for that you get all you can use of archery, water slides, ordinary slides, paddle boats, mini golf and other stuff like jumping castles etc. For $5 per person per session you also get to use the climbing wall, electric kids cars, or go karts. Well, I have to tell you, aside from the fact it was FREEZING COLD we had a good day. Him got testy with me because I thought he was unsafe with Jr Her on the go karts.

But on those karts, she was a demon! Having never been on anything motorised before she blew us away. Her foot planted flat to the floor and off she went. Him tried to pass her a few times, and managed a couple. But she wasn't letting him through! She missed the brake coming into the area and rammed up the back of the parked karts which was very funny but that was all. She didn't spin out, didn't even hit a tire around the track! What a legend!

Then, as Him had the day off Monday she stayed home with him. They cleaned the house together, watched some TV, and Him started dinner for me. I asked him to put a roast in the oven, and sprinkle it with garlic salt. Unfortunately I forgot to show him which one...he used an old garlic salt which had been unclearly renamed....cayenne pepper. It was a spicy roast, but lovely all the same. He even got out potatoes for me but I had bought a bag of prepared frozen potatoes.

Then, yesterday he made a salad for us while I cooked a lovely stir fry type meal. It was great! he never helps in the kitchen and it was a great (and tasty) effort. After dinner he came and told me he had a bath running. When I went in he had turned out the light, filled up the bath with bubbles, and placed candles around. Very nice.

After a few minutes, he joined me, and well,......

Thursday 10 July 2008

Was it worth it? You decide...

So where was I? Oh yes, the last phone call Sunday evening. Well, as you can guess, he decided it was damaged during removal from the paint room Sunday afternoon, and was not going to be fitted. New arrangements had to be made and Him mistakenly thought the car was going to the repairer Monday morning.

Well, when the guy finally phoned back Monday morning, he was told that luckily the car wasn't going in and could be done at our place Monday evening. No worries, we will be there at 5.00pm. Naturally, 5.00pm came and went. Him went out and turned the car around, set up the lights in the carport again....and waited....

The guy finally phoned to say something had come up and they would be there Tuesday 5.00pm. I was slightly late home from work Tuesday evening, and got into trouble because Him was assured that they would be there at 5.00pm on the dot. This time.

So, he turned the car around, set the lights up again...and waited.... By half past five the fellow phoned to say his daughter had broken down and he was going to help her. No offense, says Him, but I don't care about your daughter's car, I was first. We have been waiting so long blah blah blah...

Then, we waited again. Now, Him was quite upset, and we actually had a fight about it because I told him to just demand the boot replaced and our money refunded. He yelled that the guy refused his request already to have the boot replaced. That won't happen he said. Well, I don't know. He was almost in tears he was so frustrated. He just doesn't trust anything that is told to him any more.

Finally the phone rang at 9.30pm. "Sorry, mate, it's a bit late now..." We had just crawled into bed and were watching tv...."Why?" says Him, "I'm still up". The guy umm'd and ahhh'd but Him just put me on the phone to make an appointment for Wednesday (yesterday). They were to come before I went to work, so I was guessing about 7.45am.

At 8.00am I get the phone call. We're running late, what time will you be at work? A time was set for 9.15am SHARP. We will be there - we're just picking up the young fellow now. Well, at 10.00 I phoned them. Isn't he there? He should be there any minute...

Meanwhile, I am getting deep into the end of month stuff, and the accountant is here going through some stuff with me. At about 10.40 am there is a knock on the door. He is here. Luckily, my boss is very understanding and knows what these people have put us through, and sent me down to tend to him.

I had to open the big gate so he could get his car in behind me, and left him to it. When I was in the middle of another discussion with the accountant, he knocks again. He is finished and ready to go. After inspecting the job I point out that is it again off centre, and needs to be redone. So he turns off the car and gets his stuff out again and this time I wait while he adjusts it. It is still a fraction out but hey, I am over it.

So, you tell me, what do you think? Was it worth it? Him thinks so and lets face it, that's what really matters...

Sunday 6 July 2008

The Saga of the Spoiler

With so many negative blogs lately I was actually going to write something positive this time. Don't know what, but I was going to anyway.



However, this story is something that just needs to be told. See, it all started two Mondays ago when Him decided he was going to put a spoiler on the 380. He drove down to Lonsdale in search of the place who fits them for the dealer who services our car. After trying out a couple, he made his choice and booked it in for last 9.00 am Monday (June 30).



For those who don't know, Lonsdale is about 25 minutes drive down south. He leaves nice and early and heads off in peak hour traffic. Just as he was about to turn into the appointed street, the manager phones him. This fitter is of sick today. He will phone about 10.00 am and reschedule.



Ten comes and goes. About 11.00, Him phones the company upset that he is the one phoning them. "Oh, sorry! I will phone at 1.00 pm and arrange a time." Needless to say the appointed hour comes and goes. What ever happened to good old fashioned service?

Anyway, the next afternoon Him phones again and is told they will fit it at my work place on Thursday approx 1.00pm. So I sit around and wait. I have errands to run, but by 3.30 I give up and go run them anyway. Just as I am leaving the office Him phones to say that the fellow is going to phone me shortly. Now, I finish work at 4.30, and this errand was going to take me until after 4.00 pm. When the fellow does finally phone, I tell him as much. So he makes a time to come to the house at 5.00.

Five pm comes and goes, it grows dark and cold. Just after 6.00 pm he arrives. By this time Him is understandably upset. It takes over an hour and a half for the young lad to fit the spoiler, and when he does, it is not on straight. He has drilled 4 massive holes in the boot, filled the boot with filings, and used 4 different screws. And it is not straight. Plus, when Him is admonishing him about this, he notices the condition of the spoiler.

There are patches of paint run all over it, even patches where it has bubbled like it was touched when still wet. There are rub patches where someone has sanded it back and actually rubbed it back to black, and there is what looks like a burst bubble and the black is showing through. Now Him is virtually apoplectic! Not good enough he says and phones the boss. "What are you going to do about it????"

After much apologising the company decides to remove the spoiler the next morning and bring it back to the workshop for repainting, then Him said he wanted it refitted on Sunday. We don't work Sunday, says the boss. You do now, said Him. And, you will come here and do it. Why not remove it now I ask? Because he doesn't have any of the little stickers to put over the massive holes in the boot.

Next day comes and goes, and just as I am driving out the lane way behind work, he phones to say he is there to remove the spoiler. I shoot across the street and park behind him and he removes it in the middle of the street.

Imagine Him's reaction to all this! One of the things he said is "You said it would be taken off this morning so it could be painted and dry by Sunday. You don't want to be telling me that it wasn't dry so won't be ready!" He was reassured it would be okay. Along the line somewhere, he speaks to the big boss, who was supposed to be fitting it. He ends up telling him he will take it back to Lonsdale at 2.30 pm, so that he knows it will be fitted at that time and he is watching till it is done.

So at substantial financial loss to us, he takes Sunday off work. At about 2.00 pm when he was preparing to go to Lonsdale to fit it, he checked his phone. There it was. A message saying it wasn't ready to be fitted as it didn't dry (surprise, surprise!). Well, I can't repeat the conversation that took place after that, needless to say it wasn't pleasant. He did say, however, that he wanted his money back and a new boot fitted.

The big boss then phoned Him to say they would put it back in the heat room and it would be fitted at 4.30this afternoon. Just before 4 he gets another call. They damaged the paintwork taking it out of the heat room.

There have been two more calls since then. In the latest, it still wasn't ready, and they were trying to organise a time to fit it. Him mistakenly said the car was going to the crash repairer tomorrow, so it would be out of action, but it's not going till next week. His phone just rang a minute ago, so I am not sure what the latest developments are.

I'll keep you posted...

Wednesday 2 July 2008

Bloody Kids

So last night, about half past seven I get a call from the Girl Guides leader. Come get Jr Her, she has an injury. What this time?

Turns out she was doing the limbo and felt her hip go pop. Instant agony and tears on the floor. Someone had to help her up and she was stuck sitting in a chair, tears pouring down her face till I got there.

I believe she has aggravated the bursitis in her hip again. This started at the beginning of the year (well, no, last year now). It flared up in the other hip briefly, but has been fairly quiet in her left hip. But last night seems to have inflamed it.

I managed to get her vertical, which seems to ease the pain, then gathered up her stuff and got her home. She needed help to get out of the car as it causes pain to lift the leg. Anyway, she slept on the couch last night, and is in fine form this morning (NOT!). Talk about little miss grumpy!

Luckily I have a physio appointment tonight, so I will get it changed to her name instead.

Bloody kids...

Thursday 19 June 2008

Quick update

So it seems the neck is on the mend. I wrote her a note to take to the teacher, excusing her from physical activity for the rest of the week. It causes discomfort when she leans on her arm on her desk, or when she moves too quickly. But otherwise, it looks okay.

I had physio myself last night to loosen up my neck and shoulder muscles. Took her a whole hour, and then I have to go back because she had only done half the job. Don't feel too bad for it this morning though. She has given me some exercises but it is nice to have movement back again in the shoulders.

We had a great day Tuesday for the teacher's strike. We worked until about 1.00. I got Jr Her to help with a few things, but mostly she played on the Internet. Then, the boss told us to just go home and do what we wanted (because I had mentioned that the zoo had half price tickets, and he thought we might like to go there instead). But Jr Her wanted to go to Officeworks (she, like myself and Miss LJ, is a stationary junkie!) She scored a few little bits and pieces and was happy.

Before Officeworks we went to KFC for lunch, and shared a breast pieces lunch box, but I bit a chunk out of my tongue, so that was quite sore for a few days.

After Office works we took back a video then went to the Ascot Park library, to look for a book on Aboriginal languages for the boss. I walked out with 7 books and 2 DVDs. One book was on languages, but the rest were reading for me. The movies were Jr Her's.

We were home by about 3.00 and just dagged about for the rest of the day. It's nice to kick back now and then isn't it?

I next get to kick back on Friday as the boss is working from his beach house. However, there is so much work still to do I am not sure I will be able to slow down. Still, working makes the day go faster, yes?

Well, speaking of which, it's time to leave. Have a great day everyone!

Monday 16 June 2008

Monday morning wake up call

So at 5.45 this morning I hear "Mu-u-umm?". Hate that sound. Should never have been invented. Scowling, thinking it was a case of "I can't sleep" I grumbled into Jr Her's bedroom.

"I hurt my neck and now I can't move"...."What!?". "I moved my neck one way, it went click and now I can't move it. It hurts." Oh dear. Seems that someone has done herself a neck injury. Luckily, she can still move everything else, just not her neck. I tried to get her to sit up but it caused enough agony for her to go from whimpering to outright screaming.

I went back in and work up Him. He came in and we tried to coax her into a few different positions but it only didn't hurt so much with both her hands under her neck. Anyway, Him climbed up on the bunk and managed to support her while we slipped the tri-pillow behind her neck. Then, with his help she was able to sit up and keep the pillow supporting her neck, then wiggle her way to the edge of the bunk. Then it was just a matter of sliding down the steps.

We got her laying on the couch in the lounge, and I gave her a painkiller and a banana. She was comfortable, and eventually tried sitting up. That was okay, so then she moved around a little.

By 8.00, when I could phone the physio, Him had taken the car into the car dealer to get the blue tooth fitted, but no one answered at the physio. Jr Her and I got dressed and went there but the car park was desserted. Just our luck we thought. But the door opened when we tried.... Apparently she had just gotten in. By this time Jr Her has a lot more movement.

Apparently, she had locked the joint. It had started to free itself so the physio just helped it along. Eventually, one heat pillow and several dollars later, I dropped her off with her father at the car yard and went to work.

When I just phoned now she was feeling much better, and had eaten lunch and taking a nap on the couch. Unusual for her to sleep through the day. But she is almost out of pain, just feeling sorry for herself.

Tomorrow should be interesting too. The teachers in SA are on strike. Turns out that Out Of School Hours Care is not running cause other people have found alternative arrangements. Where does that leave me? With a child at work with me. Luckily I have a great boss who is happy for her to come in for a few hours, then he has give us a couple of tasks - a trip to Officworks and the library for research. Should be good for her, and a chance for me to do work stuff on work time, not mine.

Keep you posted...

Friday 13 June 2008

Quiet on the home front

So whatever it is bothering Wally didn't last this time. I made a vet appointment for Tuesday night, but by Sunday it had gone. I dunno, stupid cat. I have started him on that you-beaut food so I will give it a couple of weeks to settle down then see how he goes.

I didn't end up taking him to the vet, as it had cleared up again. So, guess we'll take it as it comes.

All else is quiet at home. Put another scratch in the car the other day. That makes 3 in about 18 months, when I had never had anything all the years I had been driving. Must be dementia....

This time I was reversing out of a tight car park and scraped the concrete pillar. I have to go back up there again today, but I think I'll risk the rain and walk....