For you wake one day, look around and say, somebody wonderful married me,......

It is good to do something for one's self every now and then. The other day I wanted to purchse something for J in rememberance of our 28th wedding anniversary and walked around for hours looking in the shops. J and I are not what you would call "slaves to possessions" or materialistic people. In fact, we live quite simply and enjoy living this way. There are distinct advantages in living simplistically. For example, there is little to no clutter and no debt. I digress.
Each time that I looked at an object as a present I wondered as to the amount of use it would receive so in the end I decided to head home and have a think about it. While walking to my car I passed a travel agent who was advertising P&O ruises Now think about this for a moment.....two glorous weeks cruising the calm waters of the Pacific Ocean, someone to wait on you all the time, no phones, no customers, no meetings, no primary clients and no work. Two weeks of someone else's cooking, two weeks of snorkling, diving, fishing, enjoying beautiful islands and two weeks of dancing, relaxation and sleep. Yes....this was definately going to be a great wedding present so, off I went inside there and then to book it.
J and I celebrated our 25th anniversary with a cruise and we still talk about the memories and excitement associated with that trip so this one will be even more exciting. We will be cruising on the Pacific Sun which will leave on December 29th ready for New Year's eve. Now our last cruise visited the exact same ports however, this time we know what to expect and what shore tours to book onto.
How to wrap a cruise as a present? I took home the brochure and put the receipt and brochure into a gift bag along with an anniversary card. John was getting ready to go out to dinner and was surprized when I gave him the gift bag. As he realized what the brochure was all about the biuggest grin spread out over his face and he was soon caught up in the excitement . Now we are looking forward to our Christmas break. This past Christmas break was cut short when we were asked to return to work early. At the time it did not seem such a hardship however, since returning to work we have both realized that our Christmas holidays are necessary to our wellbeing for the rest of the year. By next Christmas I hope to be at Duntroon Military College working and John will be out on the point on Jervis Bay at HMAS Creswell. Come Christmas we will be taking a much needed break to go cruising. Happy 28th wedding anniversary J. x

When I was young, I couldn’t think
What it would be like to be older.
How could I know it would bring such joy
Just to cuddle my head on your shoulder.

So many things bring happiness now,
Like a rub on the back or your gentle smile,
And my feelings for you are stronger today
Than they were when we walked down the aisle.

When I was young, my fondest wish
Was a marriage that could be this good.
Where we’d work through pain to laugh again
As loving partners should.

As the days drift by we’ve settled in,
To a love that’s rich and rewarding.
Just sharing with you is a dream come true;
You’re a pleasure well worth hoarding!

I can honestly say that I’m happy with you;

to me you simply shine,
We're best friends, lovers, work mates and more

And I’m blessed and thankful that you're mine.

Grow old with me, the best is yet to be, the last decades of life for which we both were made.

Sunday Afternoon In Pictures.....

Today J and I returned from a drive around to the heads. The weather has been overcast with lightening scattered about Jervis Bay however, mother nature was kind enough to put a hold on the rain. The lightening was spectacular in the distance and as we drove around some back roads in the area we were able to see a few Black Cockatoos and other wildlife. We drove up a road that runs parallel with the entry to the bay and stopped to watch a White Bellied Sea Eagle. I think we were both surprised that we ventured upon it without actually seeking one out. Of course we stopped to snap a few pictures however, with the lightening constantly in the sky I found it difficult to achieve what I wanted. Eventually I snapped a few shots using the 300mm but instinctively knew that I would be disappointed with the results. Some photos simply do not do justice to the subject.
A White Bellied Sea Eagle is completely white except for some dark grey areas on it’s back and wings. In flight these dark grey feathers on the wings spread and remain still (from what we could see) as they are easily viewed from below. It had a large hooked bill but most intriguing was it’s talons, which appeared huge. The sea eagle is a bird of prey hence, the talons. Whilst flying it simply soared through the air and we were both amazed at the span of it’s wings, which must have been about a metre wide. There was very little movement of its wings, as though it were comfortable simply floating on top of the air currents. Every now and then the sea eagle would dive to catch something down in the water and rise back up to its floating spot in the air. It is hard to believe that such majestic birds were once hunted down as trophies.

Corrugated Aussie Roads...it's a real bump!

I received a comment about my visit to Point Perpendicular and yes…the roads do have corrugations in spots. For those of you who have not experienced corrugations before I will do my best to explain.

Upon entry to Point Perpendicular you pass through some boom gates; the road to this point is bitumen. Several meters further along the road’s surface changed to loose dirt and stone. The road began to resemble an old fashioned washboard; some fellow travelers have referred to corrugated roads as the “cyclist’s lament” lol. If you can picture a piece of corrugated iron tin then aply that look toa a dirt road. It is the bumpiest of roads that one can travel on I think lol. It is difficult to travel at any great speed on such roads yet at the same time one cannot travel slowly on an extreme example of a corrugated road as the base of your spine and back will take quite a thumping. Some years back John and I plus the three children travelled to Henbury Meteorite Park, which is located about 140km south west of Alice Springs. There are about twelve craters there which were formed as the result of a meteor hitting the earth’s surface back in the 1930s. Some of the craters were about 15 meters deep, and to be honest I do not remember what diameter they were. Huge is the only description I can think of lol. I remember the road into the site have incredible corrugations and we are talking approximately 30 kilometers of corrugations. We were travelling in a Toyota Commuter van at the time and the corrugations certainly tested the van’s suspension. I have often wondered if people who live in the outback are ever completely unmindful of corrugations.

The corrugations at Point Perpendicular are certainly no where near as extreme however, they are certainly one bump after another for many kilometers. At Henbury we were told that they are caused by a mixture of wind and rain. The wind blows continuously down onto the dirt causing it to develop a wave look about it and when the rains come to the dry area they run over the dry lands and trickle down throughout these “waves” causing them to set into ripple-like formations. True or false I have no idea but don’t plan to sleep while anyone is driving you down a corrugated Aussie road!

The roads here have beautiful wild flowers growing on either side and if you take your time as we did, the bumps are not all that bad. In fact, unexpected experiences make life so much more fun and adventurous. February 6th is our 28th wedding anniversary and we are planning to go camping out to Honeymoon Bay for the weekend. We are taking our trusted fishing gear and snorkeling equipment as the long range weather forecast is for good weather. If I think of it I will take a few photos of the corrugated roads out to the point.

Cheers
Heather

Rain.......

What a tropical day we have had here. The sun shines and within no time heavy dark clouds float in to block the sunshine. A few times those clouds rumbled but mostly they dropped rain. In fact, as I type it is raining like a cascade outside. At first the birds go into a frenzy of noise then all I can hear is rain. After a few minutes the rain lightens and gently drops across the yard. Our house is on a hill so the rain appears to slope towards the north west. Then the sun reappears through the wet trees., glistening and sparkling like diamonds. Some times the reflection is bright enough to warrant sunglasses. The raindrops drip off the everything; the leaves, the sunshades radiant and shimmering and ever so clean. Today especially it reminds me of the tropics; the humidity so high that one's skin feels wet just walking around even though we are not perspiring. When we lived in Darwin I remember looking out to the small garden near the front verandah. The water droplets would fall to the ground helping to relieve us of the high humidity. It was always a welcome resprite when the wet season started. Now I sit here and look out to this garden so many thousands of kilometers south east of Darwin and am reminded of how the weather patterns can be so similiar. I might venture out when the rain seizes and have a dig in the garden.

Song For Alex.....

"Through The Dark"

Alex Murdoch

This is such a beautiful song to which I had the pleasure to listen to over the New Year Weekend. Some musicians are so talented and many song writers are even more talented. Thankyou Alex

This one is for for our own Alex x

Someone reaching for me now
Through the dark, reaching for me now
Ooooh
Someone reaching for me now
Through the dark, reaching for me now

You need someone to hear you when you sigh
Someone to wipe away those tears you cry

Someone to hold you 'neath the darkened sky
Someone to love you as much as I
Ooooh

I love you,
I love you more than I can say
I love you,
I love you more than I can say
Even with my heart in the way
Ooooh

Happy New Year 2010

Well hello and Happy New Year everyone

Welcome to 2010 (or twenty ten) as the media have dubbed it. The week between Christmas and New Year celebrations have been wet or overcast here so we decided to stay in Sydney and spend the time with our children. That was a great decision as I have had a wonderful time with them. Unfortunately I awoke with gout several days ago , in my left wrist. The crystals were so acute that I ended up with a fracture3d bone. The docotor was as amazed as I was when she read the radiographer's report. The gout is now under control but the swelling from the fracture is still very obvious so I will not be cooking for a week or so once we return to work. I think I will play it day by day.

Our plans for the Christmas break could not have changed any more dramatically that they did lol. Days spent on the beach changed into lunch and pedicures with Kimberly or reorganising bedrooms with Alex. John had a wonderful time cooking for the five of us and each evening was a surprize indeed. We have enjoyed having Anthony here inbetween his work committments. He is such a lovely young man and he enjopys helping John in the kitchen so much. They share cooking ideas and chores....I have loved every minute of it. John and I hit the sales but did not purchase a great deal. I was surprized however, at the lack of people there this year. Like our shopping prior to Christmas, the sales were quiet and lacked the usual frenzy. I found a parking spot straight off and had no trouble memovering around the shopping center. It really did not seem like the post-Christmas sales. We really did not purchase much either, having always maintained that an item on special is not really a bargain if you do not need it. I did purchase a few birthday presents in readiness for 2010 but that was all.

Tomorrow J and I get ready to go back to work. He is going to hit the markets and stock up on paper, fruit and veges and of course, herbs. Then we need to visit our butcher and head south. The roads down south have a horrendous history of accidents and death. Only two days before Christmas Day a fuel tanker crossed onto the worng side of the road and hit the vehicle of a family heading north for their holidays. Killed were an 11 year old and her 13 year old sister. The parents have 80% burns to their bodies. The media forcused on the state of the roads there, I heard only one report that focused on speed. I have driven the route hundreds of times now and it is so easy to increase one's speed without even thinking about it, the area is surrounded in majestic beauty, the rolling hills are like green carpets, the herds of cattle and horses and beautiful old homesteads. One cannot help but take your eyes off the road if only for a minute, to appreciate them. It happens often....travelling too fast and taking our eyes off the road. Anyway, I digress, we will head south to Jervis Bay with our eyes on the road and our levels of watchfulness fully alert. For Christmas I purchased an Advanced Defensive Driving Course for Alex; now I am considering undertaking the very same course for myself. and John. With all of the kilometers that we cover in a month this now seems like a logical idea.

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and a wonderful New Decade. As you are driving along the road anywhere, stay safe and alert. May 2010 fill your life with happiness, love and friendship. Happy 2010!