Happy Birthday Jo!

My Sister JoAnn turns 42 years young today!

Jo you are a beautiful, generous and incredibly kind person.

I love you lots & hope you have a fantastic day -because you deserve to be spoilt rotten!

Nice Bikini.... even nicer hat. Did you choose that getup?

Gee... we reeeally look like sisters.

Hey! Take note of the date on this pic!

Happy Birthday Jo!

xx

running solo

All my running buddies have deserted me for a life by the ocean in the big city. boo.

On Monday I bit the bullet and figured if I want to run I'm going to have to learn to enjoy it solo for the time being. I've done a grand total of zero-zilch-no exercise since coming back from Canada and I knew it'd be tough, but I managed a 30minute 5km jog (plod) - just me and my trusty iPod and we did great! I felt like a big blubbery whale pounding the pavement, but it didn't completely kill me, and to be honest i actually quite enjoyed it.

Now I have no excuse not to go more often....especially now God has turned the heating off and the cooler weather has arrived.

Animals

My fourth goldfish just carked it, so I'm now officially giving up on trying to be a fish-mum.

I'm obvioisly doing something very wrong.

First there were Ajax and Omo - they were both orange Fantails and survived the journey not only all the way back from Kal (240km) but accompanied me shopping in Woolworths before I even left Kalgoorlie! When we got home Ajax promptly swum sideways and died. Omo was a toughie tho and lived on solo in the tank for 2 months.

JB bought me fish number three -Harpic. He was a Comet and despite a traumatic fall from the window hanger-to the seat- to the floor In JB's car (on the journey home from Kal - which nearly caused JB an accident as she skidded to a halt to retrieve him!), he too survived two months before suddenly dying.

After a long discussion with the Pet shop gal (who assured me I was doing nothing wrong), I decided I'd go a fourth attempt and bought a Black goggle eye fish last Friday. I called him Bingo (hoping he'd be lucky) and he lasted.... wait for it.... TEN WHOLE DAYS.

I feel horrible that I've killed another one.

I spent a large portion of today on the 'Goldfish Emergency 911' site trying to save the little sucker. I'm now convinced the pet shop gal knows SHIT ALL about fish, and the tank I bought off them is DODGY, and our water up here SUCKS.......... because it couldn't possibly be all MY fault that four little innocent fish have snuffed it whilst in my care. Could it?

* * * * * *

JB is away converting to Yankee-ism in New York. She's loving it and reckons she's never coming home - she'd better because its weird here without her.

Anyway... I've been watering her plants because she only lives 4 doors up the road. On Friday I took the dogs up there, locked them in her yard while I watered and they LOVED it. They raced around the yard chasing each other, hid in the bushes - they had a great old time.

Today I thought I'd do the same.

Within one minute Murphy had found a broom and went mental attacking it (he has a 'thing' with brooms -it's an issue we're working with him on) and while trying to release it from his lock-jaw before it was completely trashed, I tripped over a sprinkler in the back yard, fell over & twisted my ankle - snapping the sprinkler off at the base of the retic pipe. I still didn't get the bloody broom off him and had to practically rugby tackle him and pull his ear till he yelped and released it. Shit-head dog.

I then locked them in the yard (or so i thought) and went to the other neighbours place to turn his retic on & water the back potplants. When I came out JB's front gate was open and there was no sign of the dogs.

Shiiiiiiiiiiiit. Crap crap crap.

I ran up the street screaming 'Murpheeeeeeeeeeeeee' (you can't call out to Diesel coz he's deaf as a door-nail and it's no use) a guy in a ute drove by and said he'd seen them run up the street into the bush. I had visions of squashed dogs on the highway because they have ZERO road sense (and zero intelligence) between them. As I ran down the street toward our house I screamed to husband to come help. I then spied Murphy staring at me from about 50 meters away in the bush. As soon as husband walked outside Murphy ran toward home, with Diesel following 2 feet behind.

Phew.

I fully need therapy after todays animal incidents.

See why I don't have children?!

Clever Husband

Early in February, husband studied his butt off and sat a very intense interview to be considered for the Police Sergeant pool. He spent ages preparing & I helped him a bit - proof reading his application, quizzing him on 'Frontline First Policing', reading over scenarios with him - heck I was so familiar with WAPOL strategies I think I could've sat the damn interview myself! Anyway, he rang me last week (He's away at the moment in Leinster doing a week relief because they're short) and said:

'Drea, I'm in the pool'
I replied 'Really?? - Isn't it cold?'
He said ' No! I mean the Sergeant POOL'

Ooooooohhh, I said (feeling like a complete moron for thinking he was swimming) YAY! Congratulations husband, what a smarty pants!
I'm really happy for him because I know he'll make a fantastic Sarg (and secretly I'm also glad we don't have to go through that whole bloody loooong process again, jeezus it would've killed me!)

Now we have to think about the future. It opens a few more doors and changes our plans a bit, but thats kind of exciting.

* * * * * *
More cool news.... Off to Bali I go! And I'm going with all my favourite girls! Mum, Jo, KDF and JB! - - - It'll be AWESOME!

JB, KDF and I were chatting one night about having a girls only holiday, then I asked Mum and Jo if they would consider coming, now it's all booked and we're going -July 25th for 10 nights.
I'm so excited because I've always dreamt of holidaying with Mum overseas (she hasn't been anywhere!) and I think we'll all have a fantastic time.

We've booked a 3 bedroom Villa at The Bali Villas that looks very luxurious. JB has been eagerly practicing her Indonesian (on any poor soul that will listen) and I'm all of a sudden on a health kick to make sure I don't scare everyone in my bathers.

103 days to go!!

Ironman

Yeah i know.... it's been a while.

I've been a bit 'off' blogging lately, mainly for fear of losing my anonymity and the whole small town i live in reading my daily moans. However after having a long think about it, I've figured if anyone is offended by anything i write - then sod off and stop reading. Its that simple!

I can't believe it took me so bloody long to figure that out.

* * * * * *

Is it me, or is the whole world in a facebook-frenzy?

Its a frenzy i just don't get... well I would if maybe i was single or a teenager, because all the crazy questionnaires, flirty quizzes, writing on your wall (or whatever it is)....it's just plain annoying to me. God i'm OLD. Anyway, i got sick of emails asking if i'd be friends or telling me i had a funwall mesage... so i deleted my facebook. GONE.

Husband has a serious klutzy- issue with the iron. He blames our ironing board but i blame his lack of attention. We've had TWO new irons because he's knocked them off the board onto the floor and they've broken. Yesterday he rings to tell me 'he's had a bit of a mis-hap'.

Mishap all right.... he was ironing (while watching the football - he's not quite as multi-skilled as he thought) and knocked the iron off the board (because hey...he's good at that) face down onto the carpet. We now have a perfect singed outline of our iron on the carpet in the lounge. For fuck sake...what is the deal with the iron NOT staying on the board when he is trying to iron??? I have NEVER knocked the iron off the board...ever. And he's had 3 disasters in 12 months. The burn mark is right in the middle of the lounge room carpet. It couldn't be in a more obvious area damn it.

Maybe it's a ploy to get out of ironing.