Friday, December 31, 2004

New Years Eve

First of all thought I'd better clear up some confusion. We didn't end up going to the beach on Xmas Day. It just wasn't warm enough to have enjoyed the day, so we ended up going to my parent's house in the morning, then back to our place for lunch.
The parents and my sister and her lot came over later in the afternoon.

Okay, so we ended up going to the beach yesterday instead. It was perfect weather, 26 degrees with a nice breeze. There was hardly any traffic going down there either, which was great. It takes us about 1 1/2 hours to our favourite beach.

Unfortunately the flies were out in force. We had tons of fly repellent on and they still wanted to land on us, horrible little buggers!! I lounged on the lounger most of the afternoon while Nick and Alana went off to create giant sandcastles!!

It was quite busy compared to when we've been down previously, but it's still empty compared to a warm day on the beach in the UK. Here's the photos I took yesterday.







Alana is playing with her new toy. It's a Tamagotchi....who invented these bloody things!!! They keep making noise!! And they have to be looked after all the time!! And guess who has to keep looking after it......certainly NOT Alana. It's normally Nick. He made sure that he read up on the instructions 'cos he knew that Alana would keep asking him how to do it!!

We're still not sure about New Years Eve yet. We may end up driving up the mountain and watch all the fireworks from there (hopefully it's a clear evening), otherwise we'll be watching the TV!!

If you've been reading my Weight Blog you'll have read that I did a step class on Wednesday. Well I am now walking like an 80 year old!! I can hardly put any weight on my feet as my calves just kill me!! I'm hoping that Alcohol will kill the pain!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

Tuesday 28th December

Well that's another Christmas gone by.

Christmas Day was so different. Alana deciding that 6.00am was a great time to open presents wasn't the best start to the day, considering that we'd gone to bed late on Christmas Eve due to lots of present wrapping. I had to wait until she'd finally gone to sleep, and that took a bit of coaxing as she was just so excited!!

So the day started out very early!! The aftermath of the present opening was just unbelievable. There were presents and wrapping paper everywhere!!

Here's a few photos of Christmas Morning.




Here's Alana getting stuck into the frenzied opening of her presents.



And here's me trying to figure out how to make the bloody presents work!!




This is the aftermath of the present opening!!




This was looking out of the front window.....as you can see, another perfect day!!




And here's our lunch spread..... a bit different from the turkey and trimmings that most of you lot will have eaten!!


Just wanted to say thankyou girls for the prezzies too. I'm about to send your presents in the mail. It's got to be seamail unfortunately as it costs so much money to send it airmail (it's a very heavy box). You should get the parcel in about 6 weeks or so.

Anyway hope you all had a great Christmas. Looking forward to New Years Eve. We've decided to have it at home this year. We were considering going up to town as they have a magnificent fireworks display, but you know what Alana is like with the loud bangs!!! so we thought we'd watch it all on the TV!!

Helsy, you'll be happy to know that we went and bought a bed for the guest bedroom today. It's being delivered on Friday and I have to say that we really picked up a bargain. Really nice QS bed with headboard, doona, pillows, doona cover set including fitted sheet, flat sheet and extra pillow cases and it only cost us $675.00. Another thing crossed off our list!!

The carpenter is coming tomorrow to cut the wall up. Then we can start to think about the kitchen and what kind we want to put in. We went looking at lounge suites for the rumpus room today as well. So many things to buy, so little cash to buy them with!!


Friday, December 24, 2004

Alana

Nick took these photos the other day. Him and Alana walked up to the local park.....Nick didn't realise at the time that it was about a kilometre away from home until he got there. Then they had to walk all the way back when they'd finished playing. Alana slept well that night!!




Friday 24th December

Can't believe that it's Christmas Eve already!!

I got up early this morning so that I could get to the supermarket before the rush. I was there by about 8.20am and the carpark was nearly full!!

Luckily the supermarket wasn't THAT busy, so I got round pretty quickly. Couldn't believe the queue at the fish shop though. I was going to buy Nick some King Prawns to eat on the beach tomorrow, but the queue was 6 deep and 10 wide. Sorry honey, no prawns tomorrow!!

The bottle shop was also packed (yes this was at 9.30 in the morning), so I decided to stop at the local one just up the road from home. Pat myself on the back for that good idea, as the shop was empty!!

Alana is getting very excited now, although she mentioned to me this morning that Santa hadn't been yet.....I nead to pull my finger out and wrap those bloody presents tonight!!

We've invited my parents and my Sister and her lot over tomorrow evening......why have we put ourselves through this???? But once again, if I drink enough, it may just drown out the pain of it all!!

I am feeling much better today. I went to the chemist on Wednesday and came out about $45 lighter with 3 different types of things to take. They must have worked as I can now swallow and my appetite has returned!!

Had the works Christmas lunch yesterday. Went to a Vietnamese Restaurant and the food was absolutely divine. We had a banquet and there were about 7 or 8 courses. Don't you just hate it though when they bring 3 or 4 dishes out one after the other!!

Just had to mention a couple of little comments that Alana has made this week.

The first - "Mummy I talk alot don't I?"
The second - "What an absolutely beautiful day today, and the birds sound lovely too don't they Mummy?"

Anyway it's time to get organised. Take care everyone and I miss you all loads.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Tuesday 21st December

Helsy I've now got your lurgy!!!

I was okay yesterday morning, started getting a sore throat late yesterday afternoon, then I've woken up this morning and I can hardly swallow....glands feel like tennis balls!! I'm really achy too. Have only just got out of bed (it's 3.00pm!).

The worst thing is that I really should go into work tomorrow as there is quite a bit to be done and I feel really bad leaving it all for Margaret to do....and there is also a nice top that I want to buy at lunchtime...so I probably should go in!!

It's a beautiful day here today and I can't even enjoy it...2 reasons - first it would look a bit obvious if I went into work with more colour on me, and second, I feel too crappy to lay out in the sun.

I think I'm having some kind of hormonal flushes at the moment. I'm just so hot all the time. Can't wear anything to bed as I sweat like a pig, I'm even finding it warm at work, which is just unbelievable as it's a freezing cold building, so going outside this afternoon is just not an option for me. Maybe it's menopausal??? Am I getting that old already??


Monday, December 20, 2004

Crappy Christmas Gift





You Are Socks!





Cozy and warm... but easily lost.
You make a good puppet.



What Crappy Gift Are You?

Monday 20th December

Well we're into our final week before Christmas now.

It certainly doesn't feel like Christmas, that's for sure. Imagine walking into the shopping centre and NOT having to take off 4 layers of clothing straight away, instead having to put on a cardy as it's freezing cold in the air conditioning, walking out of the shopping centre at 5pm to be blinded by brilliant sunshine, then having to run the car for a couple of minutes to cool it down before driving home!!

It is really strange to NOT see the lights up on the houses until about 9pm as that's when it gets dark.

As we are going to the beach on Christmas Day I don't have to worry about all the food either. I'll be buying some Chicken Drumsticks and some kebabs, cooking them on the BBQ on Christmas Eve, then eating them cold on the beach, along with some salad stuff on Xmas Day. I've even bought some unbreakable Champagne Glasses so that I don't have to take the good glasses with me.

I'd bought some choccies and Mince Pies to eat on Xmas morning/evening, but Nick and I have already eaten them all, so no chocolates on Xmas Day for us!!

Looks like it's going to be a mild day for Christmas Day. We'll probably get some sunshine and a bit of cloud, but it's going to be about 22 degrees, so a pleasant day I think!!


Sunday, December 19, 2004

Sunday 19th December

Well we made it out alive!!! I must say that we had quite a good time yesterday. Everyone was quite relaxed, apart from one incident where my older brother got the hump because my younger brother kept taking the mickey out of him for being a pom (even though we are all poms really!!). Long story, but my older brother is still a devout english person, prefers soccer to Aussie Rules, always supports England in anything, especially if it involves playing against Australia. My younger brother on the other hand is a down and out Aussie, and is just as passionate about his sport, but for the fact that he supports anything Australian.
So you can see that there is always a bit of teasing and taking the mickey whenever they get together!!

Here's some photos of the day.



This is Nick with my Great Aunty Pam. She's 82 now and is starting to get quite frail, bless her.



Here's Alana looking very Christmassy!!





All the cousins!!



Alana and Alli (very similar looking these two!)





Present time!! Grandad handed out all the presents...what fun!!



Nick and Mark sorting out the wind chime (it got tangled!!)


Saturday, December 18, 2004

Saturday 18th December

Well today's the day...."The family gathering"!!! I've already organised the ride home (Brother In law is the taxi!!) and we've got plenty of booze lined up too, so I'll take the camera and you can see what the day was like when I upload them.

Alana is really excited about it. She's got her "party clothes" on, and she's ready to eat lots of junky food and open lots of presents!! Helsy, her party top is the one that you bought her last Xmas!! She loves it and wears it at any opportunity!!

My arm is hurting!! I can feel the device just under my skin. There's a large bruise coming up as well. I did go to the gym this morning and did some weights, so I'm not sure if this had anything to do with it....oh well, the things we live with!!

It's going to be 35 degrees today, but at least there's a breeze to dry the sweat!! Then it's going to be rainy and 21 tomorrow....Melbourne hey!!

Last night we went for a drive to look at all the lights on people's houses. There's a large estate in Lilydale and there is a main road that goes for about 2km and has tons of houses who have gone to extremes with Christmas lights. It was amazing. And there were hundreds of families all walking up and down the roads looking at them. Never seen anything like it before!! A real family evening out it was!! People must have spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on these lights.....and can you imagine what their electricity bill is going to be??? We did take some photos but they didn't come out very well.

Okay, I'd better go and dry my hair and find something to wear. I'm hoping I've got some clothes that still fit me (party season and all!!!).

Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday, December 16, 2004

Thursday 16th December

Well I've been to the Doctors and had my contraceptive device inserted into my arm. It wasn't painful at all, probably because I had a local anisthetic before the Dr inserted the thing. He did push and prod for a little while though, so I'm definitely going to get a bruise. I can feel it just under my skin if I touch it. It's about the size of a match. Will keep you informed if I have any side affects (like getting pregnant....ha ha!!).

So what's everyone doing for Xmas Day? We're definitely going to the beach unless it rains. I've told my parent's too, so at least they know that they're not coming over here for a feed (phew!!). We'll probably call past on the way to the beach so that they can give Alana her presents, and we'll probably call past on the way back so that we can take them home with us!!

Not much more to tell today. Weather is nice again. We're going to have 35 degrees on Saturday, which is the day that the "family" all get together - what joy!! Nick and I have both decided to get pished so that we don't have to deal with any crap that starts happening (something normally does!!) and we'll just get somebody to run us home when it's all finished. Aahh families, you just can't live with them and you can't live without them!!

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

Wednesday 15th December

First of all I'd like to say a big HELLO to Katie Pops, who finally made it. Welcome to Oz Kate. Hope you enjoy the ramblings!!

Next I'd like to confirm that I've received the parcel girls. They're now sitting happily under the tree. Can't wait for Xmas Day to open them....I didn't peek, honestly. And I was going to give your prezzies to Hels to take back, but I've realised, now that I've bought them, that they're going to be a bit too bulky for her to put in her suitcase, so I'm going to send them Seamail (just too expensive to send them Airmail). If I send them now, they'll get there in about 6 weeks time, so you can all get together for a late Xmas with me!! Kate/Jules I'll probably send them to you as Helsy will be over here!!

It's Alana's last day at school tomorrow, then she has her summer holidays. She'll start back on the 27th January. We now have to keep her entertained until then!! I was going to have time off till the 10th January, but we've decided to try and make up some time so I'm going back to work on the 4th January. It'll be nice and quiet so I can surf the internet to my heart's content!!

Work has been very busy, which is good I suppose. It does make the day go quickly so I shouldn't complain. (Never happy am I???).

Some nice warm weather coming up again (about time too!!). It's amazing how much better a bit of sun can make you feel. (I'm sure I suffer from SAD).




Monday, December 13, 2004

Monday 13th December

We've had some really weird weather over the last week. There has been a thunderstorm every day for the last week, followed by a huge deluge of rain, and then the sun comes out again and it drys everything out. Good for the plants, but not so good for me as the grass grows that much quicker!!

Nick has now pulled down the wall and cleaned the place up and we now have a very large room at the back of the house. It's going to look great when it's been painted, we've put a nice comfy lounge suite in there, and we choose which BIG TV to put on the wall!!

I finally got round to writing out all of our Xmas cards, so you should all get something in the mail soon!! I think next year I'm going to send e-cards instead!!

I've got my doctor's appointment on Thursday to get my little "thing" put in my arm. Not sure what to call it (apart from the proper name!!) but I'll let you know how I get on.

The Christmas rush has now started at all the major shopping centres. I'm so proud of myself that I've done all the christmas shopping that I'm going to do, apart from food, so I can just sit back and watch everyone else run around like idiots!!

I have blisters on my hands from digging!! I hate gardening I've decided, and once I've put these plants in, I'm not going to do anything more than just pull out weeds and mow the lawns. Everything else can stay as it is!!


Thursday, December 09, 2004

You just can't leave them alone for a minute!!

I get home from work this evening and this is what I walk into!!

As Nick has now finished putting up the laserlite, he was looking for something else to do so decided to pull the wall down. We have decided to open up the rumpus room and the 4th bedroom was just wasted space!!
Here's a couple of photos of the finished deck. Didn't he do a good job!!


Thursday 9th December

We've had some amazing thunderstorms this week. But the temperatures are still up in the mid to high 20's so it's a bit humid as well.
We ate dinner outside on the back verandah last night as it was just a beautiful evening.

Here's a picture of the sunset (Nick the budding photographer took this one)

We took Alana to the Dentist last night. She was so scared....poor mite! She thought that the dentist was going to put braces on her teeth - our fault for that one!! We want her to stop sucking her thumb (she's much better than she was) so it's us that put the thought into her head, as we kept telling her if she didn't stop then she'd get braces!!.....oops! At least she came out of there with a smile on her face and a couple of stickers to keep her happy!!
We've also now enrolled her in Vacation Care. Because we're not sure the exact date that Nick is starting work we made the decision to put her into care from the 10th January, just in case he did start work. At least she'll have lots of fun, lots of kids to play with and hopefully come home tired out so that she sleeps well!!
Not sure what's on for the weekend yet. I'm getting my highlights done on Saturday, so that gives me a chance to catch up with Kerry. I really want to get stuck into the garden. Need to dig up all the roots that are still in the ground after taking out the Agapantus.
There's also a heap of weeds now growing over all the ferns behind the garage. They're these horrible big sticky weeds and they spread really quickly. Must find out how to take out the ferns without killing them too!!

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

I've changed my Blog Host

I keep having problems accessing ebloggy so I've changed my host.

I'll move all the archives over soon, but it's going to take a bit of time as it's quite a big job.

Monday 6th December

I've done all of my Xmas shopping, thank god. Just need to find something for Nick......any ideas anyone?
The part I hate now is wrapping all the presents. I'm not very good at wrapping them, just don't seem to have Helsy's flair for making them look all spiffy and stylish!!

Don't really need to worry too much about food for Xmas Day as we're going to the beach (as long as it's nice weather). If it is raining, we'll probably just have a BBQ with some salad.Christmas just doesn't seem to be that much of a big deal out here. Must be due to the weather. If it's hot, you just don't want to be making any kind of effort to do anything other than sit down and keep your drink cold!!

We're all going over to my parent's house on the 18th for the "family" get together.....that should be fun ? NOT!! Will need to get very drunk that afternoon so that I can just ignore everything and everyone who would normally get on my tits!!! At least it'll be fun for the kids - Alana loves anything to do with presents and seeing all her cousins, so she'll be in heaven!!

Had a pretty good weekend. As I said, I went shopping with my Sister and I got all of Alana''s presents in one go....yippee!!! We had a BBQ on Saturday night, which was great, and another one last night too. I love BBQing when the weather is nice....cook the food and then sit outside and enjoy the evening and the food and drink too!!!

Nick has been working hard putting up the Laserlite over the back of the decking, so that if it's raining, we can still sit out side. It looks great and I think he'll finish it today. Will take a piccie when I get home and put it on here so you can all see it.

The Christmas Tree is now up. It's very strange to drive around and not see any lights up on the houses. There are a couple of streets in Lilydale where all the residents go to a lot of effort to do up their houses in lights and I believe there is constant passing traffic, as people drive up there to see them. Might take Alana over there this weekend. Of course we have to wait until it gets dark, which isn't till about 8.30 - 9.00pm here, so it's quite late for her.

Weather was great over the weekend. Of course the only problem with this is that we always seem to have a load of ironing to do. Between Nick and I, we always seem to be ironing!!

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Photos

Sorry, I forgot to upload these photos of Sue and me!!!

This is Sue talking to Lisa



And here's me and Sue the following morning!



Friday 3rd December

Had a great evening with Sue. It was like old times, chatting, drinking, having a laugh.
We had alot to catch up on too. We met in the Food Court and headed straight for the bar (where else!!). Sat and had a few drinks there. Watched the flames coming out of the pillars (anyone who's been to the casino at night will know what I'm talking about).

Introduced Sue to Poker Machines!!! And I'm happy to say that I didn't lose any money either!!

Then we went and watched the lights in the Atrium. They have a little light show every 15 minutes and it's all christmassy themed - very nice indeed!!!

Decided to go back to Sue's hotel, drop off my bag and then head down to the bar for a night cap. The hotel that Sue was staying in is really nice. She had a nice view too.

Lisa it was so lovely to talk to you. Can't wait till you finally get here. Fingers crossed that your Uncle sends the paperwork back really quickly.

Helsy, I'm looking into prices for the hotel. Thought we might stay overnight if we're doing the River Cruise.

I've got a couple of photos to upload, but I'll have to wait till I get home tonight.

Lisa, why didn't you warn me that Sue snores!!!

Wednesday 1st December

It's the first day of summer......yeeyyy!!!

Well some good news first. Nick has received a letter offering him the job with the Sheriffs Department. He just needs to fill out some forms and send them back. So it looks like a New Year start.
This means that we now have to get Vacation Care for Alana, which is not a bad thing, especially for her as the school that her school recommends (as they don't do a Vacation Care program themselves) has a great array of things to do, so I'm sure she's going to really enjoy it.

I'm going up town tomorrow to meet Sue after her tram car restaurant meal. And I'm going to stay up there as well, so it should be a fun night out. Will get the train up there and then I can train it to work the following morning.
I'm hoping not to get too plastered as I want to be in a coherent condition for work!!

Alana has her first dentist appointment next week. They do a school program with a mobile dentist. I'm not sure how keen Alana is to see the dentist but we've got a book about dentists and we've been reading it regularly so that she understands what's going to happen!! I'm sure there'll be no problems with her teeth apart from maybe the thumb sucking. It may have pushed her top teeth forward a bit.

We're probably going to go to the beach on Sunday as it's going to be a nice warm day (33 degrees). Not sure if my body is in any condition to be shown to the world....but what the hell - it's summer!!!