2011 - bring. it. on!!!

Counting down the hours until we can tip-i-toe out of 2010 here - don't tell 2010, but we never exactly hit it off.

Don't get me wrong - there have been moments of joy and moments of mirth (mostly black humour) but it has been hard work finding the gems. Thank goodness I have children!!!

Just to remind me not to get above myself in this 2010 world, I overruled V in the "is it more auspicious to mow before the year is through" debate, but the mower (okay, and the soggy lawn) sided with him.

Instead, I shall take my frustration out on the weeds (of which there are many, and make such a satisfactory sound as they escape the sucky soil), clutter (we are filling a car to take to the donation centre for the flood victims) and kicking any negative 2010 type thoughts to the back corner of my mind in case they should try and blight these last 12.75 hours.

2011 - now that is another matter.

2011 I have plans for. I know. Never been attempted properly before, but 2011 is going to be littered with goals and dreams.

I hope everyone has a joyous and safe New Year.

And 2011 - be seeing you soon.

xx

In case you were wondering

where all of this water was going:



(Not for us - highset house and excellent drainage to the Pacific out the front)

Bad weather - guest post by 'Salina

This is just outside our house. Normally the water doesn't overflow the bridge, but for the last few days, it has nearly overflowed every high tide...

In town, its a different matter.

Yesterday, we went for a drive to see...






We tried to go around via the Causeway, but as you can see, it was a little bit flooded.

This is water flowing over - no cars were allowed to go through.


(Mum put up a video I took of the pond near Paris' childcare)






I thought the golf club could have been a water land - there were so many ponds instead of sand traps..










On the way to town, the paddocks had turned into ponds.

The paddock on the other side had just been picked of its sweet potatoes.







Here is the Sweet Potato field..








We drove along past the cricket fields - or rather cricket lake.


At the park (which we didn't photograph this time around) the toilets were under water!









The skate park was part of the water world also. There were people swimming, but the thought of the toilet water mixed in there meant I didn't even want to walk in the mud!!!








Of course, most of our sightseeing was actually like this.









And our faces are looking like this after a few days of this rain...














But in the darkest places even in bad weather you can stil find a smile.
:)

Christmas in Paradise

Its been a bit wet - not as wet as some, but if you want to see where all that water flowed...

Good thing we weren't planning a picnic in the park - or indeed a boat ride....

that chain in the distance - yeah, where the boats are launched from.

Our first opening was actually last night. This awesome book arrived for the girls - The Night Before Christmas has always been a favourite in this house, but the added bonus of it being in Grandberta's voice makes it exquisite.

'Salina spent nearly 20 minutes in a queue for this to be wrapped by the charity ladies in the mall, about 16 hours anticipating and

2 minutes "helping" Paris unwrap a surefire winner.

Not that there was a lack of things to be unwrapped this morning... We all scored well,
ate well and got to view far too many Christmas Day movies. Note to self - no matter how cynical this hard shell of the outside of me pretends to be, it only takes 10 seconds to find tears welling if Santa gets his way...



or looking back to how far we have all come, baby...

Merry Christmas to all from Paradise XX

Two days late

and no doubt a few dollars short!!!

In pictures, with very few words - as I am exhausted.






Only one more shopping day until Christmas and the only day of opportunity to take 'Salina and Paris out to get those last minute fripperies - if I don't get around to it (because I will be continuing that fine tradition of wrapping the whole of Christmas Eve) I hope that everyone enjoys the festive season safely.

While I could have been...

It appears I have been very much missing from this space.

I have been here - I have even, on occasion, been at the computer - but bereft of ideas to expound...

'Salina has finished year 6 - she got a decent report card and a major haircut. She also got 2 ribbons at the swimming carnival - 3rd in freestyle and 1st in backstroke.


Paris is going through another round of antibiotics for ear infections - but we have cut out her other medication, because there was an instant effect, and not a pleasant one - of massive tantrums. In the middle of the night. In bed.


I am working - unfortunately none of my work stories are decent yarns. There are only so many ways to pretty up numbers in the left matching numbers in the right...

V finally got to mow the yard, after weeks and weeks of rain. He has an assignment due next week - on the 24th of December - who would do that?

Anyway, as you were.

Paris' bid

Apparently, all the big boys are having a shindig in Europe to see who wins "Destination Soccer Twenty-twenty something", and we are coyly trying our hardest to impress them enough to bring their balls and play with us here.

Here is our bit to help the cause.