RE-CONNECTED!!!

Yes, our internet is now back up and running.........certainly had the technical boys confused for a while, turns out the modem was in the last throes of dying that's what was causing the cutting out of the internet........however all fixed now thanks to Rodney the IT specialist sent out from Australis and Harvey Norman. Well, we just have to get a new modem to replace the one Rodney has loaned us then everything should be running smoothly again.
What did you do with no internet I can hear my family ask........I cleaned up my 'for follow up' emails, caught up with my bookkeeping, scrapbooked several pages, downloaded my photos onto memory stick, went to work, spent time with Caiti making cards, reading......found plenty to do!
On Tuesday my sister & brother-in-law, Helen & John arrived from Victoria for a week. There was a little bit of drama at the Tiger Terminal at Coolangatta when three armed policemen arrived just prior to their plane landing......someone had left a black bag at the security check-in and was not claiming it, I watched it being scanned.........and from what I've watched on Border Patrol I'd say it contained contraband and someone got cold feet!
Wednesday we just relaxed around home before Helen & I went to get some lunch and were propositioned by a gorgeous guy selling nail stuff.....offered to come home and cook and clean if I spent the $50 on his product - Helen got a better offer, he'd be her toy boy!!!. Boy was it a tempting offer and hard to refuse!!!
Wednesday evening we had dinner at Mario's at Broadbeach with our brother Peter and his family - its not very often the three of us get together. Yummy food......real Italian.
Thursday we went into Q1 - Bills over it now, three times is enough he says, me I love the views and spent some time pointing out the sights to a visiting Englishman. Wow.....what a fabulous job that would be, being a guide on the 71st floor of Q1......I could do that! Followed up with lunch at Surfers Paradise Surf Club, first time we have had a meal there. Went to Pacific Fair, via millionaires row - Hedges Avenue - then Helen cooked traditional Swedish meatballs for dinner.
Friday we had breakfast at Suzannes after which Helen & I started looking up some more of our family tree - I contacted a lovely lady Pauline who is a very distant relation and has found some further information for me......I finally found out my maternal great-grandparents were George & Emma Margaret Harris (nee Adams) and I have emailed the Berkshire County for information on obtaining birth certificates and marriage certificates.........ideally I need to be able to lock myself away for a couple of days and just keep on surfing..........Bill was keen to assist me in this and made me breakfast this morning.....charcoal crumpets - the thought was there! We had to go out for a short time and then two little people didn't want to go and watch their Dad play soccer and how can you refuse when they appear with white chocolate mud cake for afternoon tea!!!!
Helen & John are spending the weekend in Toowoomba as their first exchange student Buoy graduates from Uni today - Buoy came back to Australia to do her Masters and has also found love and is getting married on Monday before she and Michael go back to visit her family in Thailand. They plan to return to Australia and open up a Thai Restaurant - I'm hoping on the Gold Coast, Helen's hoping Shepparton!!
'Tis now nearly bedtime, just watched my beloved Bulldogs thrash the West Coast Eagles.....great win. Bit worried about next week, think the Swans might be their first loss for the year....and YES I'll be there.
Logged onto ninemsn.com.au/mapmyfitness and mapped out the route Bill & I walk each morning.........well worth a look at, covers all States, has fitness tips etc.

Just One Of Those Days!

My well laid plans were thwarted once again! With Bill at work for a few hours I planned to go upstairs to 'my workplace' and tackle THE LIST. The list is all the things I need to do but keep forgetting about unless I write THE LIST. Things went well for 10 minutes then the internet went down again...so I put the list aside and worked on my canvas collage of our - OK I'll be honest my GOALS, DREAMS & AIMS for the future - -yes its pink and its got Bling on it!
Had just finished it when Leeanne rang and a little person asked so sweetly 'can I come round for a bit Grandma'. I'd much rather play with Caiti than tackle The List!
Caiti's favourite DVD of the moment is Spirit, and although its been played many many times, today was the first time I actually sat down and watched the end. After this we did some 'scrapbooking' I started to make an engagement card and Caiti made a Mothers Day card, then it was time for her to go home. Grandma was pretty special today as she got a splinter out of Caiti's toe without hurting - by using magic ice and magic tweezers.
My new mobile is awaiting collection at the Post Office - so I'm pretty excited about that. Guess what I'll be doing during the ad breaks tonight....Tuesday nights is one of my favourite nights for TV at the moment.....am hoping Russell and Julia are the finalists on It Takes Two, although Virginia is good, there's something about her that I find irritating.....then its time for All Saints....so Bill finally gets to use the computer!!!

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Seems like everyone wanted chicken salad sandwiches for lunch today........I lost count of how many I made....got excited if someone only wanted ham, cheese and tomato!
Yesterday we went to Bunnings and got some plants for our garden. Our garden consists of two raised beds - one flower and one vegetable plus numerous pots on the fence and ground. Bill hasn't had much success with his vegies here in Qld, but he does keep on trying. When Rob and Shell moved back to Sale we adopted many of their plants......only one died and that was through an attack of ants! Our chrysanthamum is in bud at the moment. Bill planted all the pots today and now God is assisting their growth by giving us a couple of heavy showers. Without realising it Bill gave our next door neighbour a birthday present.....we had some plants (ex Rob & Shell) which have multiplied and multiplied and multiplied and needed thinnning so he kindly planted them in Shelleys bare garden - she was ecstatic with his 'random act of kindness'.
The stormy weather has meant Austar couldn't install our My Star today - the dish is sited on unit5 so they need to remove the tiles on units 5, 6, and 7 as well as ours and the guys though they wouldn't be too popular if it rained while they had the tiles off!! Maybe tomorrow if not Thursday.
The Cookie and Cream Ice cream was delicious - if I do say so myself - a little rich only need one scoop. Once again I over cooked........so no need to worry about dinner tonight - leftovers it is.
Heard We are the Navy Blues yesterday ...................think it was the first time for 12 months!!!!!!!!!!!
My friend Patsi emailed me yesterday ......'cos I hadn't responded to her email which contained the news that Edwina was engaged.......but I hadn't received the email possibly due to all the internet drop outs I've had......so if you have emailed me and I havn't replied if may not be that I have been slack or am ignoring you!
Photo taken at Rosser Park on Friday....

Great Choice Brent!

When I left you yesterday we were off to have lunch...........Brent decided he would like KFC as a treat and Grandma thought it would be nice to have it at Rosser Park, Gold Coast Botanical Gardens. Although Rosser Park is only approx 1.5km from home (a nice walking distance) it had been some time since we'd been and so we were astounded at the improvements which had been made. After eating our KFC we went walking, smelling, feeling and admiring the plants, there are movement activated information posts, so it was permissible to touch the plants in some gardens!, we watched the ducks and other water birds, dragon flys, tadpoles.........if they all were to mature to frogs the GC would be over run by frogs! eels and to Brents great delight a baby tortoise/turtle sunning on a rock. Truly a wonderful hour and a half - its not often that we get to have one-on-one time with the grandkids.
Finally got so frustrated with the fact my internet connection has been dropping off regularly - a real nuisance when you are working from home - I rang Australis and was assisted by a very nice young man James, refreshing that he didn't talk down to me like so many in the IT call centres do. Hopefully, we have fixed the problem............ by unplugging all my phones and filters and then putting them back! Simple when you know how eh?
Sat down last night to watch the Bulldogs on pay TV and after the first 10 mins the screen went blank and a notice came on about technical problems and they would be rectified ASAP, so out came the books for a quiet read - well one of us promptly had a Granny Nap -then suddenly we had a thought maybe its also on one of the 'obscure' digital/hd commercial channels.......YES YES Yes...but the Bombers were staging a comeback.......so instead of biting the fingernails I painted them......but the Boys from the West soon showed those Bombers what for. If we beat the Tigers next week it will be history as we have never won the first five games of a season. Maybe I will be getting that tattoo for my birthday H!!!
The ironing basket was overflowing with three weeks ironing so I got up early this morning to complete ....... I have got very relaxed in my housekeeping since moving to the GC!
Each Sunday night we have a family dinner and its our turn at hosting - found a recipe for Cookies and Cream Ice-cream so have made a tub of that this morning..........looks good enough to eat! Suzanne has two overseas students staying with her at the moment, Cecile is from Switzerland and is here for 13 weeks (9 left) and Yuriko from Japan who is only here for 2 weeks. Lets hope its a nice evening tomorrow so we can spill outside........there's not a lot of room in our little townhouse to fit 10 or more.
Thanks to those who have left comments or emailed me .....off to Sharks for lunch as Bill has to pay his 'punters club' money.........yes - we do eat at home sometimes!!!

Happy Birthday Dylan

Its hard to believe the first born of my first born is a teenager today.......hardly seems yesterday he was born. Happy 13th Dylan - I am so looking forward to your holiday with Grandma next month. Unfortunately my photography isn't the best - but I will include a picture of the card I made D - Heather was so impressed she is going to show her friend Shirley who is a scrapbooking
genius (I am definitely not in her league - Shirley has a great blog site if your'e into scrapbooking its Reflections - Shirley Fyfe). Thats a basket ball on the star 'cos D's team won the grandfinal a couple of weeks ago and it has definitions of precious (my nickname for D) and birthday plus words such as celebrate, special etc
Yesterday we took part in 'Test the Nation' promotion for Flora and had our cholesterol checked....5.6 so its just over the 5.5 the Heart Foundation says is ok, Bill was so low it didn't register, perhaps the fact I had a latte an hour earlier didn't help!! The FREE testing is on until tomorrow - Australia wide - check the website for a site near you.
Brent is spending the day with us today, he and Grandpa are off playing tennis, before we go out somewhere 'special' of Brents' choosing (probably Macca's) for lunch.
Good luck to my beloved Western Bulldogs tonight..... will be great to be able to sit and watch them 'live' on TV and not at some bewitching hour like 11pm as it was last week.....

Oops must fly....supposed to be getting ready to go for lunch.....

Working From Home

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK FROM HOME??

Ask Yourself the following Questions…………………

WOULD YOU…….

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