Not long to go now!

We are going on an Australian cruise with my family in December - can't wait! We got another update letter today which got me excited for the upcoming trip! (38 people in total are coming!!! some family & some friends of the family)

I love the logo they use on the letters - however an Aussie would never use the word shrimp - it's prawn!!!

:)





















The countdown is ON!

Amazing what the mind can do

I worked a bit late last night, and on my hour drive home I debated with myself.
*You should go to the gym
**But I don't feel like it
*You have no good reason why you shouldn't go
**But it's been a long day, I'm tired, there's laundry to do and I have to fill out my tax documents
*You could do all of that after the gym, and there's a class on at 7:30
**But then I wouldn't be home til nearly 9, and I'm tired and I don't want to

and on and on - for the whole hour drive - amazing how many justifications my mind can come up with when I'm feeling just plain old lazy!

Eventually I gave in & just went home, did 2 loads of laundry, filled out my tax documents and then watched a show Channel 2 (ABC) just started showing last night United States of Tara (from the Showtime channel in the US) . It is starring Toni Collette as a Mom with DID (dissociative identity disorder - which is another name for multiple personalities). It was quite an interesting show because it focused not only on her disorder, but also her family and how she tries to keep a balance. I think Toni Collette is an excellent actress (and Australian - she lives in Sydney!) but also the script is good. The show was written by Diablo Cody who wrote Juno. Also I like that her husband is played by John Corbett - who we know from Northern Exposure & Carrie's boyfriend on Sex and the City!

Wood & stuff

This weekend we went down to see my in-laws and bring a load of wood down for the bed Murray is going to build with his Dad - lucky that Bruce is long - it fit in just fine!

We had a lovely weekend or relaxing, eating lovely food and catching up!


On the way back we laughed when we noticed the graffiti on this van - hmmm. However I do think the idea for this company is brilliant - we see them all the time. They buy old soccer mom vans and kit them out with stuff for camping (bed, stove, storage, etc) then they graffiti them with all sorts of goofy sayings & drawings (this one had giant fish on the sides as well). Obviously they are doing well as these bumper stickers show how many countries they operate in!

Back home we still had some wood - didn't want to weight Bruce down too much in one trip! Just had to move it to the side last night so Betty could still fit in! The mechanic is fixing her up & she should be ready tomorrow - hooray!

Missing School Holidays

The last 3 weeks have been school holiday time which means the roads have been SO quiet without all of the school runs and people taking time off work to spend time with their kids.

It is only 9 kilometers (about 6 miles) from our house to work - and the past few weeks we have made it in 25 minutes - fantastic! Back to the norm now though - usually it takes about 50 minutes, but the traffic was partically horrid today so by the time I got to my desk it took 1 hour and 20 minutes - lovely.

What's that - about 9 km an hour average I guess - yuck. Good thing morning radio here is so entertaining!

Sometimes I really miss the tube

I love having a car again - especially after 3 of years of waiting for a bus, then a train, then another bus to get to work! But sometimes I really miss the tube..........

Yesterday I drove about a mile or 2 before realising that the temperature light was on! The gauge was on low, but the light was on. I called Murray & we decided I'd go home and ride into work with him as I had a morning meeting and didn't have time to call roadside assistance right then, and I was already running a little bit late!!

I had the guy from roadside assistance come last night, and he noticed that the coolant is low, and it has leaked ALL over (you can see it all over the place because it's Pink!). He gave me the worst and best case scenario, topped up the fluid, and told me it was a good thing our mechanic is so close by, otherwise he'd suggest I have a tow truck on standby just in case.

*sigh*

So I'm back with our other car Bruce today - which is always an adjustment. He is just SO much longer, and the blinker is on the other side which I always tend to forget when I first hop in. Oh well.

I'm crossing my fingers for the best case scenario (that a hose is just loose & is therefore leaking).

Sometimes I do miss the easy access to public transport that was frequent & cheap in London - so much less drama then having a car!!!

Thursday Photos

More randoms
My work mate Ken went to Japan on holiday & brought us back green tea KitKats! Bizarre looking but yummy - they really just tasted like white chocolate:)
He also gave me some sachets with green tea powder - you just mix it with hot water & it makes a lovely tea! Interesting!

Loved this note I found when I got home tonight - ha ha! This avocado is just about off - must eat it tonight!

My Sister's Keeper

I went to the premier of My Sister's Keeper with Helen last night and WOW was it good.

I cried so much that my whole face felt raw from wiping my tears away, but wow what a touching story.

I think it helps as well that I read the book SO long ago that I had forgotten the twist. Also, I really do think that seeing a movie not long after the book means you are always disappointed - as movies never seem to be as good as the book because the level of detail is never there.

I loved it, but it was the most emotional sad movie I have seen since Beaches. It was one of those where you are crying in the happy scenes just cause you KNOW what's going to happen!