And another year flys by!

'Time flies when you're having fun' so the saying goes......it hardly seems any time since Bill, Sue & I celebrated our 180th birthday and yet its now 2 years on....which reminds me I better keep on 'scrapping' as I'm only up to 1983 in my life and I really want to re-do Mums albums to preserve them to....so there's another 28 years of photos and memorabilia. Yesterday wasn't one of my more memorable birthdays....'twas one of those days where whatever can go wrong did (it started when I got on the scales and found I'd put on weight after exercising religiously all week and cutting back on my food intake and eating healthy - I am convinced I must have absolutley zilch metabolism - I'm not aiming to be the slim trim person I was 25 years ago....just to feel comfortable in my clothes) got in my new little car to go out, turned the key and nothing! is that why the car came with free 3 year 24/7 roadside assistance? a lovely young man from RACQ came out and charged up the battery and told us to go back to the dealer and get them to check the battery as it may be a faulty battery and also check the electrical system in case there's something which is not shutting off and draining the battery. Finally got to have lunch at 2pm - with my free birthday voucher from Sharks. Bill had a wonderful day.......he won again for Sharks Punters Club (3rd week in a row)and some for himself too. On checking the phone when I got home I had several singing greetings .....hadn't realised how tuneful my family and friends were!! It wasn't all bad, I did get to have long chats with my Precious One, my Cheeky Possum and my Princess....pleasing to know Rob's knee operation went OK.
Got up this morning and decided today will be a better day.....had a delicious breakfast at Crown Plaza in the Revolving restaurant, the views are fantastic but possibly not as spectacular as from Q1,it is lovely sitting back relaxing and watching the world turn! Leeanne made my birthday present from the family, the gorgeous bracelet pictured here.......how special is that.....my photography doesn't do it justice. Courtney also made me feel very loved by being at breakfast after a 'big night out' and we all know how Courtney loves her sleep.
Tomorrow we have the little fairy for the day and we're heading off to Harbour Town to meet Amy whom I worked with and meet her gorgeous little boy Parker. I'm gonna miss Caiti when she goes to school next year....Mondays just won't be the same.
27 more sleeps Lilly! Till next time....take care

My Australian Idol

What a perfect day Sunday was............warm and sunny with a gentle breeze...and the outdoor area at Harigans Irish Pub at Calypso Bay was a brilliant setting for Damien Leiths concert. I've followed Damien since he began on Idol and had seen him at Seagulls on his Winners Tour and thought he was great then, however he is now really a true entertainer. Backed by Eric on guitar - and boy can he play and Indy on acoustic violin he had the crowd enthralled.....there was absolute silence and no one moved not even to the bar when he sang Danny Boy. To those who knock Australian Idol, the show has certainly given some great Aussie talent a start.....shame about a couple of the Judges, I think Darren Hayes should be on the judging panel each week, he was brilliant last Sunday.
Saturday we brought Savvy home and to date she has only been out the garage once....will take her for a run tomorrow morning.
We've had a little run of luck with Lotto getting 5 straight numbers on Saturday night...oh so close....will keep on trying....but till we crack the big one I need to work and its now time to start.
Till next time....take care

Bulldog Brownlow

Congratulations to Adam Cooney on winning the 2008 Brownlow Medal....what a fantastic ambassador to the game of football....a young man who at just 22 has maturity beyond his years...I remember back a few seasons whenever he went near the ball I thought it was the opposition jeering him and I couldn't understand why, after a few weeks I realised it was the now familiar cry of the Bulldogs cheersquad 'Cooney, Cooney' (I know I'm blonde sometimes). Adam spoke at the after match function we went to in Sydney - behind his boyish looks lies a great wit....which was evident again last night in his acceptance 'speech'? The AFL needs a role model like Adam after the antics of some other high profile players...best wishes to Adam, Hayley and their chldren and may the spoils of being a Brownlow medalist set them up for a lifetime of hapiness together.......
Still on football and my beloved Dogs.....heard a rumour early this morning then read it on the internet that the Bulldogs big new forward is probably going to be Barry Hall.....now big, bad Barry has never been one of my favourites.....but we do need a big strong forward and if he's the guy who can get us a Premiership - so be it! Looking forward to hearing more and seeing the 2009 draw.....wow what a match that would be in Sydney, one we definitely wouldn't miss.....
Had a text message yesterday from my Cheeky Possum telling me he was on the Gold Coast...........I know how much he'd love to be able to visit Grandma and I just hope that his father and step-mother have it in their hearts to let him.....
Had a great time at Pete & Carols on Sunday.....great BBQ, so much food - oops the diet, how could I not eat a piece of birthday cake and home made pav.......yummy. Pete had told the kids they were not to mention the word Dogs to Aunty Val as it would upset her....imagine his suprise when I rocked up wearing my Doggie Scarf!! Guess I have a soft spot for the Cats 'cos they were Dads team......not easy when my son, daughter (who switched from Richmond and is like a reformed smoker)! the Cheeky Possum and The Princess are all one eyed Hawks....but sorry I'm going for the CATS (at least then I can say we got put out by the Premiers!) Love this photo of my great nephew.
Till next time - take care

Saved By A Senior Moment!!!

A simple little error probably saved us quite a bit of heartache.....had just started work yesterday afternoon when I heard an almighty crash from downstairs....my first thoughts were Bill had had a fall....thankfully no, the shelves in the garage gave way tossing all that was upon them onto the floor and round the garage....my Christmas dinner set is no longer.....well I have a couple of plates, a bowl and a mug! havn't checked all my Christmas decorations yet (thats a job for another day) few other bits and pieces broken, however because I had forgotten to put my birthdate on the paperwork to draw out some of my super for our new car, we havn't taken possession of it as yet otherwise the whole lot would have fallen on it...and yes, once again your'e right Mum, the Lord does work in mysterious ways!
Very pleased with the way the Doggies played last night - a win would have been fantastic, but we did give Geelong a scare - watch out next year - at least I'm saved from getting a tattoo for another 12 months! I'll still proudly wear my Bulldogs scarf tomorrow to Pete & Carols, just so my brother knows there's no hard feelings. I know my Dad will be 'up there' cheering the Cats on...whilst some of the other most precious people in my life are Hawk supporters, sorry kids, I'm hoping for Geelong back to backs now.....Photo is of Robert and Lilly taken in Tasmania....almost have my little fairy Caiti barracking for the Dogs...just a little more brainwashing!!
Oh, by the way, son-in-law (SIL) Rob came round today and put the shelves back up far more securely than they were previously....he'd already been to aunty Sues' to do a few odd jobs for her...have decided to buy some big plastic tubs and store my numerous Christmas decorations in, some of which I bought the day H was born....so they are bordering on antique!!
Weather is quite warm today...yeah summer is on the way.

The Dogs are Barking Again

Wow! What a fantastic day!! Had a great afternoon at work, achieved the goal I'd set myself.....and now the Doggies have beaten the Swans and won a place in the Preliminary final against Geelong.....don't know that we are strong enough to beat the Cats but we'll be there trying. Tuesday was Bills birthday so we went out for breakfast with Leeanne & Caiti, we'd had a family celebration with a combined Fathers Day/Birthday brunch last Sunday. My Dad had a green thumb and when we bought our home in Wellington the garden consisted of two really old and wayward rose bushes, Dad came along and pruned them.....right to the ground, I almost cried I thought they'd die, but no they grew and Dad potted several of the cuttings.....after Dad passed on Goldilocks and Carol had one, Robert another and we have one of each....almost every time there is a special occasion, birthday, mothers day, Dad's rose blooms - a sign he is still watching over us - Goldilocks said theirs does the same and Fathers Day was no exception....some beautiful red roses. Decided its time to get a new car, just had the clutch repaired on my car when the clutch went on Bills.........decided on a Proton Savvy as we got a really good trade in for Bills car as is....will be a couple of weeks before it arrives though. St Kevins is hosting a breakfast tomorrow as a thank you to those who helped at the school fair, a very nice gesture.

No More Toys!!

Saturdays Fair was a huge success...with a large sum being raised. The toy and book stall was located in the Chapel/Music rooms....I spent about 5 hours in there with Leeanne & Tracy before being required to do some data entry in The Treasury....by Sunday we were all so so tired we decided to give our weekly family dinner a miss.
Have finally re-installed all our games on my new computer.....can highly recommend Big Fish for computer games, the after sales service has been phenomenal....it was a rather tedious job but its done now.
Finished work at 5 tonight, checked a few emails and then went down stairs as I was closing the front venetians I was just in time to catch a group of boys light a fire in the garden out the front.....they fled fairly quickly when I opened the front door...kids who are left to their own devices until their parent gets home from work...a little scary to think what might have happened if I hadn't spotted them.
Will be off now...till next time Go Doggies.....woof

The Boys are Back!

Just watched the Doggies defeat the Bombers.....great to see they showed more of their early season form....strong tackling and chasing. Last Saturday night we went to the Gabba to see them lose to the Lions....on the bus back to Southbank was one very very disappointed little boy resplendent in his Bulldog jumper his eyes red from crying....reminded me of someone very close to me many years ago whenever the Hawks lost.....this little fellas face was etched in my mind and I just hope tonight he was able to sit up and enjoy the win. Despite the loss we had a great night, delicious meal at the Pineapple Hotel, great company, good seats.....Jan & I went looking for coffee at half time and a security guy let us into the Function Room where food and drink was being served to the Prime Minister and other dignitaries and important people...silly us we didn't stay and enjoy the food and drink 'cos we couldn't get a coffee in the Corporate section we were in!!
Tomorrow is St Kevins School Fair - yeah! no more toys to wash till next year!! - Bill was volunteered to assist with the money handling/accounting and I'll be helping by relieving on a couple of stalls and helping Leeanne with the toy stall.....the response from parents to help has been very very very very poor.....yet I bet these are the first parents to whinge and complain if required to pay higher fees or levies.
Finally have the computers almost sorted out.....Rodney has to get better speakers for Bill, the ones that came are soooooo cheap the sound is so scratchy and distorted....and I need a bit of techno help re installing our downloaded games.
Enjoying working from home.....sure there are days when its a little depressing, people can be so rude.....hey telemarketers are doing a job, they are not relying on Government handouts/benefits....even telemarketers get called too.....ideally if we lived in a 'perfect' world there would be no need for charities to rely so heavily on community donations......however at the present time there are so many pensioners out there in 'struggle street'.....I'm amazed at the number of kids who are home alone during the day......just hope their parents know.....
Haven't been overly impressed with 7's coverage of the Olympics....get sick of seeing some events over and over and over again.....and missing out on watching our Aussies in other events.
Hoping to blog more regularly again now I have my computer back.
Till next time.......Go Doggies..........woof