You know what...?

Bugger it. That last post, well, it was meant to be on my other blog. I.e, the one I use now, not this old one I haven't been using because I feel like all the old bits of myself I don't like linger in the background - and in a few posts, literally right there on the page for all to see. However... and this has taken some serious consideration, I'm back to my previous statement. Bugger it. I don't even like my other blog, it never felt...well, like home. This is my blogging heart, and if the people who used to read this still do, I guess I'm OK with them being creepy stalkers who won't accept me on Facebook, but still want to know about my life via blog er...that.

The only problem is, I can see myself spending the entire afternoon making changes to this so it's up to old standards. I guess the pool can wait a little longer...

Bloggy blog...

...how I've missed you! Lazing in my bed in the midday sun, scrolling through blogs and sites I haven't even squinted at for what, 6? months, made me realize how deeply I wanted to be back blogging. So here goes! I've quit my job, am still waiting for interviews next week as I'm hideously contagious with the lurgy (or at least a vile head cold) and have nothing on the cards or to do list that's any more strenuous than cleaning the bathroom sink for the next few days....so what better chance to catch up with the blogosphere? Except, of course, that I'm trying to book last minute accommodation for myself and the dogs this weekend to have some alone time with some kangaroos, koalas and a bottle of wine in a spa overlooking the beach somewhere... and that somewhere that wont include WIFI access. All the more reason to catch up today, then.

One of the most magical moments in my life - just me, an underwater camera and a wild sea turtle who was as curious of me as I was of him.

What's news? Well, aside from working, there's been a trip to Queensland, where I spent the days lounging by the pool, then the beach, then back to the pool...until I discovered a 1m acre ranch where I ended up spending my days riding on Australian Stock Horses rounding up cattle and mustering, and riding through the Daintree Rain Forest and along the beaches, ending with a job offer to work in the outback stations any time I want it in Far North QLD...I also ticked off swimming with sea turltles as I snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, number 2 on my Bucket List.

Looky who I met in NZ!

I had a quick holiday in New Zealand, meeting Cam's extended family and enjoying the atmosphere of the Rugby World Cup. I really liked Auckland, it felt very British and the shoe shopping was ridiculously cheap! I also admired a lot of sheep.

The beautiful black sand of Piha beach.

... I survived!

Last weekend I ran my first race in the Melbourne Marathon...ok, it was only the 5km, but I did it in a time I was happy with and didn't actually expire during the run, something I was worried about. I'm setting my sights on a longer and harder race in March...I can honestly say I've got a bit of a running bug now; being ill the past few days and only having one PT session this week makes me feel like poo.

Darcy and I - loving life!

I also purchased a new car, and a horse float, and have spent some of the best days of my life galloping Darcy and Ista along the beach, with the sunshine beating down, my best friend at my side and sand and sea spray flying everywhere... absolutely the most incredible feeling in the world! Another bucket list tick off, galloping a Melbourne Cup runner through the waves on a completely desserted, never ending stretch of sand. The incident with the boggy, black quick sand and white breeches was rather unfortunate, but once Ista was dragged out and washed off, it was more amusing than terrifying.

Now, I'm sure I've done more than this! However, the sun is shining, the pool is sparkling and I'm under doctors orders to rest up, so I'd best take a book and a towel outside and make sure I don't over-exert myself cleaning that sink.... until next time, which I promise will be sooner than later, I hope you're all well and enjoying life! I know I am :D

Anyone for Time Travel?

I've just finished The Time Traveler's Wife. I picked it up along with a couple of others for my recovery from surgery, and as soon as I smashed down the Jodi Picoult, I moved onto to Dear John, by Nicholas Sparks. In my current state of feeling like a piece of my own heart is missing somewhere overseas right now, I simply could not read it. I'll be saving it for a few months, I think. So I moved on to The TTW - and didn't really get into it for a while. I persevered (so many rave reveiews both from people I know AND Cosmo - it had to be good, right?!) - and ended up so attached to it, I even took it to my post-op follow up appointment and sat, sobbing quietly as I neared the end of the book, out in the waiting room for all to see. I had to go for a quick cappuchino and a large quanitity of red licorice to snap myself out of it.

I've been informed the movie is a bad job of a great book, and it doesn't really surprise me. I have absolutely no clue how that could be turned into a motion picture, but still, I think I might have a look-see at the DVD when I'm next at Civic Video stocking up on Milko lollies. (Why, why, WHY are they the only store that seems to still have them? I LOVE Milko's. Love them. I often make Cam rent a video just so I can buy one, or 8). ALthough the thought of Eric Banna in the nuddy doesn't do a whole lot of good for my central nervous system. I sincerely hope he managed to get a decent wax before filming began.

Has anyone else read it? Loved it? Loathed it? And more importantly...what am I going to read next?

Siiiiiiiiiiiigh.

I'm a bit down in the dumps today. It's the first day since surgery I haven't been completely thrilled with life, which I guess means a) I should be grateful for miracle worker hospital staff and b) realize that I'm tired, sore, and not able to do the things I would normally be doing on such a gorgeous, gorgeous day. It's one of those days that seem like early Spring, with the first promise of Summer on it's way, rather than a mid-Autumn morning. If I had a day off like today and wasn't stuck in bed moping, I'd throw the dogs in the car and head straight to the beach (what am I saying? I live 200 metres from the ocean...jeez, I'm lazy!) and then purchase some beautiful sea-blue paint from Bunnings and get started on the Pool Room to give Cam a surprise when he arrives home from Sydney tonight. Then I think a nice swim in the pool, or a long solitary dusk ride on the horses, and s few beers at the pub enjoying the sun as it sets.

Alas. Still, I got my stitches out last night, and I'm feeling a heap better soreness wise today, so it shant be long til I am back to my usual self, I suppose. I think, perhaps, I am a little down because it's my birthday on Monday, and I always get a bit funny about this time of year. I'm over-the-mood excited about swimming with the dolphins on Sunday, and my mum and nan coming up on Monday to spoilt me rotten (cupcakes were even mentioned...) but I guess the thought of having spent the past while in nothing but big baggy sweaters with unbrushed hair and no make up made me want to get all dolled up and feel pretty, just a little. We still haven't celebrated Cam's super-duper deal yet, either, and I was hoping I could do a little bit of the 'emerge from the chrysalis' thing one night. Oh well...

Just randomly... I attempted watching Margot at the Wedding the other night. I just....no. Absolutely, not. Weird.
I was also half watching The Wizard of Oz (Cam rented me a heap of 'classics' I had never seen, like Grease and The Sound of Music) when I came out of my anesthetic, and boy, did I love Glinda the Good Witch's dress! I should like to get married in it.

Anyway, enough moaning. Time to procure coffee and sit on the balcony and soak up some sun! (carefully avoiding getting more skin cancer, not looking forward to that op next Thursday...)

Altibo & I

You might want to listen to this with the sound OFF.

Oh, and Cameron's referral to 'Head Bonk' is about Altibo's trot - he does this jumpy-butt flicky, head shaky thing when he goes into a trot (which you can't see here), if that's any kind of explanation.

Any way.

SILENCE IT.

Perfection.

This is just The. Cutest. Wedding. Ever.

If I ever get married (*cosmically feels Cam start twitching and suddenly feeling the urge to run far, far away*), I want to super-impose my head on the bride from those photos.


...and maybe re-color the horse a solid brown so I can pretend he's Altibo. Which was technically, never work, as my groom wouldn't get a chance to be sat, bareback, without being flung unceremoniously into the dirt with a ruthless buck.

Bad Habit

So, I'm sitting here, all lonesome, putting off my Euthanasia homework* and trying my best to not purchase another hideously unflattering dress from eBay, and slurping down an enormous bucket of Subway Coca-Cola. I love Subway Coke buckets. They are my current vice - my one little bit of naughtiness in my Good Eating Mission. Because of that, I enjoy every last drop...but I didn't have that luxury with my bucket last week.

See? He actually tries to inhale it. I think he likes the bubbles. Either way, I'm beginning to suspect he has a coke habit.

*Even less fun than it sounds.

Camping

Last weekend, Cam and I chucked a few* things in the car and headed off for a weekend getaway with the kids. We camped at one of the few dog friendly areas in Victoria, and aside from the gale force winds, inflatable mattress deflating every 15 minutes throughout the night (until my dearly beloved discovered he hadn't tightened the valve properly at around 5am...) so we slept on the rather hard ground, and me worrying about Phoenix's bladder**, we had a pretty good time. I wont bring into the near war that occurred when Cameron and I both had our ideas about how a tent should be erected - things were said, punches were thrown*** - but we got there in the end.
The dogs were scarily well behaved. Not only did they get to spend every waking moment by our side; they also got to frolic and run in and out of the surf (or, in Phoenix's case, get completely smashed by wave after wave after wave...), but they also got various bits of sausage, bacon and hash browns from our breakfast feast.
On the way home, we went a little out of our way to visit the 7 and a half 12 Apostles. As pretty as they were, there's only so much excitement one can glean from staring at rock formations, so I was soon in a world of my own imaging galloping Darcy up and down that gorgeous stretch of sand...
See? Off in fairy land.
*How we managed to shove not only the 2 dogs - who, as you can see, aren't exactly lap-size- but the 8 man tent, queen sized inflatable mattress, Esky and various bags of food, a gas cooker, lantern, bellows, large cardboard box full of saucepans (and 4 bottles of bug spray - I came prepared!) plus our king sized doona, two pillows, a slab of Johnnie Walker and Cameron and myself into my car is beyond me. Beyond me.

** The dog wont wee on lead. Let alone do anything else. After boiling up 3 litres of water for them, and all the sea he swallowed as he crashed through the waves, I was so worried the poor childs bladder would burst I got up at what seemed like every hour, on the hour, to take him out for a potty break. To absolutely no avail.

*** I kid, I kid.

Gorgeous giveaway!

We all know I like anything to do with puppies - and when I saw this gorgeous giveaway of sweet puppy inspired notecards from Lydia & Pugs, I decided to do everything in my power to win!

Head on over to the Lydia & Pugs website, and check our her gorgeous array of goodies. While you're busy making new tabs - check out Short Southern Momma's beautiful blog, too!

Stuff.

It has been forever since I have blogged. Recently, this has been due to not only my hunk of crap computer and/or gaylord internet service being broken (and not exactly fixed now, I am, in fact, laying face down on the floor and propping myself up to type as my monitor has to be on the ground for my modem to reach...oh, to have my wireless working...) but also due to the fact I am very much enjoying being a student...yep, I got into vet school (ok, 'Animal Technology', but it'll be a vet qualification I gain at the end if I work hard enough...). Not so much enjoying, but loving. Being around like minded people who actually understand what I mean when I speak of skin pinches, anterial cruciate ligaments, the diet choices of rats... it's almost like I belong. I'm so used to the blank stares, eye rolling and complete cut-off that comes with talking about my passion, it's nice to speak with people, literally all day, about the things that excite me and to have an animated, two-sided conversation in return.

As well as that, I'm spending as much time as I can with the horses and riding at dusk with Cam, as well as swimming the dogs at the beach at sunset most nights, which, after the 35+ degree days is a gorgeous way to end the day. I'm also busy being completely addicted to How To Look Good Naked - I love me a gay man, and Gok just knocks my socks off. It's also pretty gratifying to realize I'm not as hideously and grotesquely fat and bulgy as I've been feeling lately, and as well as eating nothing but good stuff for the past few weeks and the extra exercise riding, swimming and climbing of horrendously steep stairs by the Slave Driver, I'm feeling a whole lot better about myself and my 6 stomachs. Cam and I have also been having a hit of tennis, which aside from making me produce some shocking obscenities (tennis is one of the 3 things in my life I want more than anything to be good at, and hate that I'm not as amazingly talented as I dream myself to be) makes me laugh - and run, something I usually despise. I'm looking forward to our membership at the country club - the courts are elevated to look out over the bay to the city, and the club rooms have a deck to watch the sunset over the ocean, as well as our own beach box on the sand for BBQs and parties.

View of the Petronas Towers from our room in KL

I don't even think I've blogged since Borneo...which was incredible. We had our first day in Kuala Lumpur, shopping and sight seeing and getting our feet eaten by fishes at the massage place we went to, and enjoying a 6 strong police escort to dinner through the hills of Malaysia.

Looking out our room in Borneo ... paradise, no?

We were treated like royalty for a week - 5 star hotels, amazing food, free drinks, private islands and all day massages, and having flower petals thrown as we walked when we entered restaurants and hotels. Absolutely amazing. The view from our resort in Kota Kinabalu...just incredible.

Feeding frenzy fishes! Soooo ticklish...

There were so many fantastic days and moments - the day we had our own private island, where I took on 4 other guys and Cam at water sports and held my own through complete and utter horror on the banana boat and fly fish - a huge inflatable raft attached to a speed boat that flies 3+ meters in the air behind it, weaving and flipping as it flies...one of the most incredibly fun yet terrifyingly scary things I've done.

Our private island

The Gala Dinner that evening was just mind blowing - the ballroom had been done up in a "jungle green" theme to match our "jungle green" attire (remember me wondering what to wear?) and was decked out in wall to wall trees and vines, with the floor covered in leaves.. our own little piece of the jungle for the night. Every got merry on the all you could drink alcohol, and we danced the night away to the live band, and carried on at the hotel nightclub after - no one told me the guy I was grinding on was the MD of the company, we were all just having a blast!

- Gala Dinner photos -
Our little room of jungle! Even the waitresses were safari-inspired.

We got a bit messy after the jugs of Long Island Iced Tea came out...

I was absolutely besotted with our 'palate cleanser' - mango gelato served in our own individual ice caves.


Unfortunately, due to my 'lady problems' I had a fit on the morning we were flying out to the jungle for the orangutan sanctuary, and missed the flight. I felt absolutely awful for wrecking Cam's day, so I asked around at the hotel and found a local wildlife park, where we got to spend time with the keepers, feed the sun bears and tigers and see otters and gibbons, and even get up close and cuddle up to a baby orangutan, Mowgli...turned out the people who flew to the orangutans only saw 2 or 3 in the bushes, while we got to play with our very own one - turns out we had the better day!

Mowgli and I :)

We had an amazing trip, I coped relatively well with the flights (after 2 Valium and a lot of scotch on the way over...) and came back with some great memories, and even better photos! Here's some randoms... and next years rewards trip from Cam's work is Africa...!

The Gibbons...super cute, and very entertaining!
Early morning relax by the beach...
Cam & Mowgli

One of the 5 pools (which was just as warm as a bath!)
The storm settling in on our final night
Us on the balcony on our last morning in Borneo!