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NEWS and EVENTS from my Home

21stMarch 2008
Went to Mount Gambier for my Pops funeral and only recently arrived home. It was a difficult experience. But I am glad I went.
The open coffin viewing was the hardest part. But I was comforted by Aunty Trudy who kept reminding me that Pop died very peacefully, the way he wanted to. The funeral was very peacefull and alot of Pops friends were there. It was good to meet family friends & talk to people who new my family. It was very good to catch up with all the family once more & many I had not seen for a very long time. Some cousins I only met for the first time. Most of the family looked the same as I remembered. Everyone seemed quiet happy & healthy. Nanna was quiet exhausted and has a bit of a tough time ahead though. She seemed happy to see everyone though. Mount Gambier was very hot & dry & I remembered it the same way as a child visiting there.
4thAugust 2007
It has been a very eventfull last month.
Firstly we have both had a month holidays & we went up North to visit the families for a week and a bit. It was good to see everyone and get out of town for a while. I like the long drive and spending time away and with the dogs. It was all good. We got to go to the markets up there and see some sites. Then we came home and spent a few more weeks potting around the house and doing the tourist thing around Sydney. Pretty much just catching up on doing interesting things we both like to do together, that we don't get to do together when we are working all the time.
When I got back to work this week, I found that almost 'all' the staff, including the boss had left!. There was just me and another colleague there and anew boss. But the work colleague that is left is easy to get along with and the new boss is good and has a great roster. So it all worked out and I get more weekends off to spend with Paul!
19thJuly 2007
We have returned from a week up North visiting the families.
We had a good time and got to catch up and see everyone. It was good to get away and spend some time out in the country side and out in the open air. We done alot of driving though and in the end it was good to get home. One of the dogs Connor really enjoyed himself. The other not so much.
We have been getting very cold here and the other night it got down to -3 degrees. Ice was everywhere in the morning and some plants and trees have been damaged. We drove up to a garden supplies shop 20 minutes away and their fountains were frozen!
15thMay 2007
Almost all the leaves on the exotic trees around the neighbourhood and in the backyard have lost their leaves now. The nights are getting cooler, around 10 degrees, and the days around 19 to 20 degrees. I have swept up alot of mulch from the fallen leaves, which is great for the garden. Today Paul & I changed the fernery so that it is higher and more open. We can see what is in the fernery now, and walk right into it. It is 'much' better! We also moved the stone bench out of the fernery and put it up in the backyard so that when you are sitting on it, you can see a great view right down to the Harbour Bridge!
We are trying to organise to have holidays next month, or the month after. I can't wait! We havn't been up to see our families in a while, and have not been for a 'real' holiday for 'ever'! It is good timing to have a holiday as I am not making as many sales as I usually do at work. Not sure why?
23rdJanuary 2007
A new year which seems to be going ok so far. Work has been good & I'm still making good sales. We have a good team at work & I like working with all of them & we all get along very well. The weather here has been atrocious. Hi 30's and then into the 40 degrees celcius. Absolutely 'NO' rain at all & bushfires on the horizon. It is like it never rains anymore!! We have been constantly outside in the afternoons watering all the plants with a watering can almost every day to try and keep the garden growing. Liverpool FC defeated Chelsea 2 to nil on the weekend. I thought Liverpool played superb! It's not everyday a team beats Chelsea. But Liverpool can & did! Great Game!
19thDecember 2006
Paul's Mum came & visited for thew first time. Paul loved it. She was here for a week and Paul showed her around the local area & around Sydney. She seemed to like our home, garden & the local area. Paul had fun showing his Mum everything that has to do with his life. It was all very good & positive!
Just as I was about to give up on the garden, it rained a decent amount to water the garden. It was great to finally see it rain enough to water things. We collected a good amount of rainwater off the roof aswell. Otherwise it has been very dry. We had a severe lightning storm which I witnessed a large bolt hit the ground in the valley below us. And only a few minutes later smoke started rising. Half an hour laster there was a severe bush fire bearing down on houses. It was a sight to behold that's for sure. No houses were lost amazingly.
We have our Christmas tree up & plenty of presents under it waiting for Christmas day. Most of them are for the dogs of course.
24thOctober 2006
Work is going well. I am one of the top sales persons and the '2nd In Charge' may be moving on to better things soon. So the boss recommended I step up and try for his position. I will try for '2nd In Charge', but I have not been working there for all that long and I still have alot to learn, but I will see what happens. I have a week off work soon. Can't wait. I've been working 6 months very hard trying to impress and make good sales. So I am really looking forward to having a week off. The dogs will be happy aswell, as I have not taken them for many walks lately as I have been too busy. So it will be good to ctach up on all those domestic chores and spend some quality time with Cordy and Connor.
The garden is in full bloom at the moment. Everything is either flowering, having new growth, or just finished flowering. We are still getting cool nights, but the days are quiet warm. The fish have come to life again now that the water in the pond has warmed up.
27thSeptember 2006
We had a major wind storm on Sudnay 24th. At work several trees were blown down onto parked cars in the car park. We could barely hear inside the building. On the drive home there was a huge gum tree across the driveways of the servo near work. It looked like a cyclone had hit driving home. There were trees down everywhere. Ontop of cars, houses along the roads. It was a mess.
18thSeptember 2006
We went and watched a great Australian movie called 'Ten Canoes'.
The first Australian Aboriginal language movie. It was a beautiful dreamtime story. Very heartwarming. We loved it and highly recommend it.
28thJune 2006
Australia was outstanding in the World Cup!
The match against Japan was a thrill a minute. Especially the second half. After that win, the world took notice. The match against Brazil was pretty even, we just couldn't get the ball past Brazil's brilliant goalie. The Croatia game was a thrill a minute. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! Harry Kewell's goal was a winner, getting us through to the next phase of the competition. That goal was exactly what his career needed. It was a great moment.
The Italy match was Australia's all the way. Italy could not even get possession of the ball. Our midfield was just too good for the Italian's. It was our forwards who needed a hand. There just was not enough of them.
Winter has set in here now. We are getting alot of frosty nights and cool to cold days. We have had a decent amount of rain aswell, but it is not warm enough for things to go green though. Some of my herbs are struggling as the ground isn't drying out & they are not getting enough sun this time of year.
We have ripped up the carpet from downstairs, which was old and crappy, and nice new tiles are being layed as we speak. So the house is in a bit of shambles at the moment. But in a couple of days downstairs will look brand new & the house will be better than ever!
10thApril 2006
Things are going very well here lately.
Liverpool FC are playing brilliantly and are still in the running for 2nd place, which will give them automatic qualification into the Champions League. My Favourite Aussie player Harry Kewell is playing brilliantly and scoring goals or setting them up.
I have also finally got a full time job very close to home. It's with a very successful Australian company and I am looking forward to working for them. It will give us more time and money as I will not be travelling so far to work and this company pays better and I will be full time.
We are taking the dogs and hitting the road again for a week or two over easter. We are going back home to visit the families. It should be a good trip. The dogs like travelling in the car and it will be nice to catch up with family and friends again. We are looking forward to it.
22ndFebruary 2006
Had a trip up North to our families last week. Paul went up early as his Dad was sick. I drove up a few days later with the dogs to give Paul some moral support. Paul's parents were ok when I arrived thankfully. Paul was happy to get the support. I forgot how hot it is up there during summer. Especially at Pauls parents place in Queensland. It just does not cool down at all! The dogs Cordy & Connor had a nice break. They were very good in the 12 hour drive up there & settled in well at pauls family home. Although Connor was grumpy.
For summer, the garden here is remarkably green & growing very well. I got my brother Toby to plant one of my favourite trees, a Port Wine Magnolia. I also got some more of my favourite herb, Thymus Nitidus! I had to order it from a nursery on the South Cost, Marshalls Nursery. But it arrived very well & I have put it in pots near the back door. We got some staghorns from my mums which we have put up on a gum tree. It gives the garden a more cooler rainforest type feel.
19thJanuary 2006
Harry Kewell is scoring goals for Liverpool again! He scored the winning goal against Hotspurs with a cracker of a volley off his left foot, straight past the goalie, BRILLIANT!! More good news is that we have had over 100mm of rain, or over 4Inches over the last couple of days. Eveything is a beautiful green, in the middle of summer! The plants & trees have all never looked better, with new growth. The pond is clear & the fish healthy. The dogs are a bit depressed though. I believe mums up North of the state may get a flood!
28thDecember 2005
We had a beautiful Christmas Day, very peacefull & relaxing. It was nice just us two & the two dogs. We ate heaps, opened our presents, then ate heaps more. It was nice. Spent alot of the day on the phone to loved ones. Seems like most of our families had quiet Christmas Days.
After working alot of over time and many twelve hour shifts, I was glad to have four days off. This is my fourth day & I think I have finally recovered from all the extra hours I have put in. It has been busy & hectic at work. And now the stocktake sales are on, it will probably be just as busy again when I go back to work tomorrow.
We really need some rain. It is very hot and very dry. Plants are starting to die. I have never seen our local creek so dry that I can't even hear it running anymore. It's getting dire! We have a good rural fire service here though. They done up their fire engine in Christmas decorations & had father christmas on the back, then paraded down all the streets, including ours, just before Christmas. It was fun.
Liverpool Football Club are playing at their best now. In keeping another clean sheet, Defenders Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia, Steve Finnan and John Arne Riise equalled a club record of going eight league games without conceding a goal. That record goes back to 1923 and it just goes to show what a fantastic job Rafael Benitez is doing at Anfield in such a short space of time.
15thNovember 2005
The weather is warming up which is a shame. I hate the summer heat, much prefer a cooler climate. But atleast we have had some decent rain. Everything is nice and green and the creeks & springs are flowing again. The garden has never looked better! Everything is green and full of new growth. The flaky barked tea trees are full of flowers at the moment and the rest of the plants should all have doubled in size very soon. The passionfruit is 'full' of fruit!
Work has been good. Christmas decorations and Christmas sales are in full boom now. Things are starting to get busier. Paul is enjoying the easier pace of his new career & the lack of travelling. I just have to get a local job now. I am trying!
We saw 'Wallace & Gromit' at the cinema and loved it. We highly recommend seeing it. Very easy to watch, simple, funny and relaxed movie. Which is great for a change.
15thSeptember 2005
Paul has decided to leave his current career & change to a less stressfull and challenging career. I am glad he has chosen to do this, as he has been unhappy & exhausted for far too long now. I believe he has chosen the right course for his future. He will be able to relax & concentrate on his family & home more now. It's a big change for him, but a worthy one.
I have heard from my brother Jaymie in Brazil. His little son & Andrea are doing well. Jaymie is proud of himself for making it into one of Brazils football / soccer leagues. Here is a snippet from an email he sent me:
my first Brazilian league I played in....had to pass a big test training selection day to get in.. passed that and ended up getting selected for the Sao Paulo, league which starts next month.... I had a good record that season... its cool they all call me Unter, they don't pronounce the letter H here..my names on my shirt... yeah at first too get excepted was hard.. first game I played 15 mins at the end, the second game maybe 20-25 mins at the end...man it sucks sitting on the bench... trust me... you get all cold, watch the time past by. it really stinks.. but the third game there was hope, starting line up, striker??? Hunter man I had graduated from the bench.. but then it hit me...!!! fuck the bench is even worse the second half... colder.. nah they start me I finish the game on the field... and from there on I played full games.... and I scored every game I played.. 100% record.. in the final I scored the third goal to win the championship
23rdAugust 2005
I am on a few weeks holiday from work now. Paul can't get holidays until christmas time, but I have to take mine before Christmas. Mum has just been down for a week. She has left now & is back up at her home. It was great having her here, experiencing my life. She has been here before, but we have done heaps to the house & garden since she was here last. So it was good to share all the work we have done with someone. We also went on a huge sightseeing mission all around the area. It was a busy time, but we enjoyed it. We went on a brilliant harbour cruise & took in the sights of Sydney Harbour. We got alot of photos & had alot of nice meals. It was a good week.
3rdJuly 2005
Congratulations to my brother Jaymie on the birth of his first child Dustin. Hopefully we get over to Brazil to see him real soon. Jaymie sounds very proud & I bet Andrea is aswell. I know all of us back here in Australia are all proud of you both.
We have finally had some very decent rainfall here. The ground is still soaking wet & all the plants are turning green again. The underground natural springs are running & the air is much fresher. But up North in my home town they had too much rain & the area flooded! Mum was stranded for a while & many people were evacuated. But down here we had very welcome rain & the Sydney catchment aswell.
23rdJune 2005
A real cold burst today & last night for the first time this winter. The temperature got into the minuses last night & we only reached 10 degrees Celcius today. I had the fire going all day & the dogs spent most of the day curled up inside. Had alot of snow in the higher parts of the Blue Mountains not too far away today aswell. We had enough rain to wet the leaves on the plants. But that is it all this month!
26thMay 2005
Amazing, astounding, awe-inspiring, breathtaking, extraordinary, hair-raising, heart-stirring, magnificent, marvellous, miraculous, moving, overwhelming spectacular, spine-tingling, striking, stunning, stupefying, stupendous, wonderful.
Just a few words that describe the Champions League Final in Istanbul this morning. What a game. Liverpool were down 3 nil at half time. By midway through the second half it was 3 all. Then it went into extra time. An extra half an hour & I was on the edge of my seat. There were many close calls but Dudek the goalie was brilliant. Then the game went into penalties & I could barely watch. But Dudek was brilliant again & saved the first two attempts by Milan. Even Milans top striker could not get past Liverpools goalie. Liverpool finally won. Liverpools win was described as "No single word can describe the greatest comeback ever known in world football."
23rdMay 2005
Watched an incredibly beautiful movie about the 14th Dalai Lama, whos name is Kundun, on the weekend. I highly recommend seeing it. It is actually called "KUNDUN" It follows the life of Kundun the 14th Dalai Lama, from a small child, through to the invasion of China into Tibet. The Dalai Lama then flees to India, where he is still today. We really must help to:
FREE TIBET
4thMay 2005
They done it!. Liverpool Football Club are into the Champions League Final! The best of European Footballs Nights! The semi fianl last night against Chelsea was one of Liverpools finest games. Luis Garcia fired the reds into the lead early in the game from close range, after Baros raced onto a Gerrard pass before being brought down by the Chelsea goalkeeper. And while we all looked for a penalty, Luis Garcia stepped in to score.
That is all the goals they needed. The Aussie Harry Kewell played his part when he came on in the 72nd minute. He immediatly got awarded a penalty. The Liverpool defence were brilliant & were what really won the game for the reds. The reds fans blew the roof off of Anfield!!
Especially after the goal, & most of the way through the game. But at the end the atmosphere was unbelievable. And I was only watching from the Tv!!
19thApril 2005
We have finally had a double brick wall built from the back corner of our house, to replace a fence that was there. It took a very long time for the builders to arrive to build it, but it has finally been completed. We had it built to stop the neighbours air-conditioner noise blasting through the back of our house, & for some privacy in the backyard. I love it! We have put a fernery behind the wall, made out of shade cloth. So now we can have ferns! Paul & I have planted alot of native trees and shrubs in the back yard where nothing was growing & the soil was being eroded away. But since we have planted so many things, it hasn't rained. Plus the weather has warmed up again.
23rdMarch 2005
The weather has finally cooled down now that we are well into Autumn. I love the cold weather and have been waiting along time for Summer to be over. Plus we have had some decent rain which is great for the garden & our water supply.
Plus I have a few days off work over Easter. So I can relax & enjoy the cooler weather by being out in the garden. Another bonus is Liverpool Football Clubs win over arch rivals Everton in the Merseyside Derby. Brilliant game except for Baros getting sent off. He was having such a good game aswell! I was on the edge of my seat nearing the end of the game when Everton got a late goal. But Liverpool still won 2 to 1.......phewwww.....
3rdMarch 2005
I have purchased 4 DVD's from The Australian Severe Weather Company.
The footage is brilliant. The backdrop of Australian country side & Sydney urban life with huge storms rolling in is great. These Aussie guys have a real nack for putting together the pieces for a successful storm chase, filming the best bits and then adding in their story, , time lapse, maps & explanations on what is going on, to finally make a good few hours of quality Australian storm viewing. Very professionally done.
3rdFebruary 2005
Mum came down from up North to stay for a few days. She left a couple of days ago.
It was good to be able to show her our home, everything we had done to it, the garden, our new furniture. Now she can relate to what I am talking about on the phone. Mum also knows how I live now & the environment I live in. I have been really looking forward to showing Mum everything I have accomplished in the garden & how we have improved our home. We drove her around our area & showed her all the sights. She liked it all & appreciated everything. Mum bought us some solar lights to put around the garden & they look brilliant!
25th January 2005
This is my first day of a week off work. I am really looking forward to doing nothing. It has been raining alot aswell, which I love. There was a large waterfall rushing over the rocks in the garden not long ago. I much prefer the rainy weather than the dry heat. We have had a lot of rain the last few days. It is good to keep the garden growing, which is doing well, now. Only a week ago it wasn't. But things are already picking up after all the rain.
1st January 2005
Happy New Year!
I had to work New Years Eve & didn't get home until around 7pm, so we didn't go into the city for the fireworks this year. Instead we walked up to the top of the hill we live on & had a great view of the entire city & Western suburbs fire works. There were alot of people watching the fireworks from the same spot & it was a good atmosphere. It was nice to spend New Years Eve watching the largest fireworks in the country from home. Christmas Day was fun aswell. I had to work Christmas Eve until late, setting up the after Christmas sales. So I was a bit tired Christmas Day. But we still got up early in anticipation of opening presents. We were not disappointed either. Even the dogs Cordy & Connor had fun playing with their new toys. We both ate alot & chatted to our families for a long time on the phone.
30th November 2004
What a game Liverpool FC had with the "supposed" Champions of English Soccer / Football on the weekend! Liverpool played brilliantly, Arsenal played to the best that they could against Liverpools fine defence, but it just wasn't good enough. So Arsenal 'tried' to win penalties by blatantly diving, but it didn't work. The score remained 1 all, then in the dying minutes of the game Liverpool new man Mellor scored with a brilliantly long range shot right infront of 'The Kop'. Arsenal were left shocked & the Liverpool crown went wild! Excellent game!
Connor our recent addition to the family is settling in well. Cordy loves him & he gets on well with her. Connor is very skittish & very easily startled though. But we are hoping he grows out of that.
2nd November 2004
We have a new addition to the family. We went to the RSPCA with Cordy and let her meet all the dogs we thought she would get along with. She met around 10 dogs and only got along with one of them. So one week later we wne tand picked up Connor, with Cordy, and bought him home. They both get along very well & he is as quiet, timid, good natured as Cordy is. We thought an addition to the family was necessary for the well being of Cordy as she is home alone for long hours at a time.
25th October 2004
We had a wall of storm water rush through our garden, smashing against the house and down the steep slope we live on yesterday afternoon. The storm yesterday around 4pm was that intense that the rain turned into a flash flood. Things got extremelly dark before the storm and then intense rain that went above 100mm / hr so that my weather stn could not register. A minute later I could see & hear a wall of water rushing through house after house before it reached our garden & washed all the top soil, mulch, small shroubs, rocks through the house, knee deep where it was building up with mud. The hail was falling during this which made it difficult for us & all the neighbours to try in vain to keep all the storm drains & gutters clear of all the mud & rocks & debri. Big clean up today!
19th October 2004
We have had a couple of extremelly hot days which have almost killed our birds nest ferns in the garden. Paul had to mve them into a shadier spot as they would not have survived the summer. The native flannel flower is struggling aswell due to the white cockatoos breaking branches off it & the heavy rain we have had has made the flowers too heavy & the branches have broken off it. It 's a shame as it is one of my favourite plants & it is in full flower. I am drying the branches though to keep them.
Paul is moving on up in his chosen career. I wasn't happy at first as I was under the impression that he would spend more time at work & less timeat home. But he assured me that that would not be the case. So Iam proud of him for making things happen in his career. It has got me thinking of doing something for myself. I am happy working in retail in Australias largest department store. But others at work want to go further in life. I just don't know how?
I saw "Interview with the Vampire" again the other day. Brilliant movie. I recommend it!
1st October 2004
We have had alot of rain the last few days. 8mm on the 29th, 7mm yesterday & 44mm already this morning & it is only midday & still bucketing down, very misty & windy. I'm loving it!
It is now almost 5pm & we have had exactly 70 Millimetres of rain today. The most we have had for a very very long time. It was great. The rain is now very light but still falling. The rain was running off all the rock like water falls all around the garden. Cordy the dog has only just gone outside for the first time today. Everything will be nice & green & the Sydney dams will be a little bit more full after today.
2nd September 2004
Paul & I went and saw "Fahrenheit 9/11". We both thought it was Brilliant. We highly recommend everyone to see it, so they know exactly how corrupt, deceiving, inhumane & violent that government really is!
Spring is here and the garden has never looked better. We have had a small amount of rain and since then the herbs have new growth, the lilly pilly trees have new growth and the deciduous exotic trees are blooming with flowers. We have put alot of tea tree mulch all around the garden to try & improve the soil. It seems to be woring as most plants & trees (& there are alot) we have planted, are all doing well.
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11th August 2004
Not a lot to say this month. I haven't even seen any movies to recommend. I hope to go & see Michael Moores new movie fahrenheit 911 with Paul. I like Moores stand on politics overseas & I agree with his policies 100%.
Work has been quiet. We have a new catalogue out every few weeks which gets in a few customers luckily. We have new staff, team leader & everyone is back from holidays now. So there has been lots going on staff wise.
Home news; well we got solar hot water put on the roof which is excellent. The water tank may be a bit too expensive & complicated to put in unfortunantly. Not that it ever rains anyway. The plants are really suffering & my skin has been irritated I think from the dry conditions & the wood fire we have going. We had very strong winds last week which blew a tree down next door & cut power to their house next door. I believe it was carma getting them back as their air-conditioner is always going & it really ennoys us as it is extremelly loud. Well they were left without heating that night & the rest of the houses had their lovely fires. Sucked in. It was a peacefull, quiet night that night.
18th July 2004
I hadn't seen snow for a few years so Paul, Cordy & I drove up to the upper Mountains this morning as the weather was freezing & the likelihood of snow was high. We first saw cars driving down the mountains covered in snow & when we reached Wentworth Falls we started to see snow on the ground. There were patches of black ice on a few roads & cement paths.
We stopped at the airstrip & Cordy the dog was a bit frightened of the snow at first. But once we threw a few snowballs at her she was ok. The snow was very deep in patches. The temperature was around 1 degree & the wind very strong & freezing.
5th July 2004
I have a day off work today, Monday after having the weekend off aswell. Paul & I made quiet a few improvements on our new house. We put up a wooden venetian blind in the bedroom which looks great & removed the big doors off the built in wardrobe & replaced them with blinds to save space. All the plants we have put into the ground around the garden are doing very well. Although it has not rained since we have moved in & it is illegal to water them. But they are surviving. I think we have the weeds under control now aswell. The drive to work is long and exhausting, specially at the end of the day. I am 'slowly' getting used to it though.
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10th June 2004
Our new home is wonderfull! We are three quarters settled in now. We just have a few pot plants to find homes for so they can finally be planted permanently into the ground. We have taken down the old curtains that were here when we bought the home & replaced them with neat venetians. We had our first visitor on the weekend, "Thanks Veronica & Co'"! We have set everything up how we want it & the new fence is all finished & surrounds the property. It is a beautiful area on the outskirts of Sydney, & we are very happy here. I found our first wildlife living in the garage this morning. Quiet a large gecko. I have finally set up my weather station properly now, thanks mostly to Paul. So now I can get accurate readings for our very own home.
550 people have visited this website now!
31st May 2004
We are now in our new home!
Most things are set up & put away. Our new fence is coming along nicely so that Cordy the dog should be able to roam around the garden unsupervised from tomorrow. She has found the move ok & not too stressfull. Paul & I on the other hand found the move exhausting, painfull & very stressfull. Carrying the furniture, packing into the truck, the paper work, all very difficult. The company we hired the truck through originaly, did not have a 3 tonne truck for us the morning of the move. 'never' go to Europcar! We had to find another truck through another company.
The view from our home is lovely & we have met all the neighbours. They all seem nice except the nearest neighbours who have an air-conditioning unit set up so that the noise goes straight into our home. That is the only bad point which we are in the process of rectifying.
21st May 2004
Fantastic end to an average soccer season for Liverpool Football Club. I believe Liverpool finished very well, even though some may think Liverpool finished mediocre. For the season they were having, I reckon the lads came back superbly. A draw with Newcastle was a fine finish for both teams.
We will be moving into our new home on Tuesday. I am really looking forward to it even though it will be allot of hard work. But at least we are moving into our own home rather than moving into someone else's. It makes all the difference.
22nd April 2004
Paul & I have finally purchased a home. It is expensive and the repayments are high, but we still earn enough to live comfortably which is the main thing. The house is in a spectacularly beautiful area of this country, and close to public transport which is perfect for Paul to commute to work. The house is large and on a big block of land so I can get stuck into the garden which is very important for me. We move in around 4 weeks time and are both looking forward to it. The tough part is trying to get a transfer from my department store to one closer to our new home??
The whole of Sydney was blanketed in fog this morning and it was so thick along the Sydney Harbour that ferry services were cancelled!
12th April 2004
We got back from 2 weeks holidays yesterday. The writing font sums up how all three of us (including the dog) feel. Holidays really are exhausting. We were pretty much in the car driving from place to place visiting people and driving people around most of the time. My family live 10 to 13 hours drive North of our home here. And Pauls family live another 3 hours drive North of mine. Then my brothers and Pauls friends live a fair drive out of town. But we did relax a little. We did get to camp out in the middle of the Border Ranges National Park with my brother Nathan and his girlfriend Sarah. That was probably the highlight of the trip. It was lovely. A beautiful spot and a full moon which lit up the spectacular views across the forested mountains and valleys. Swimming in the crystal clear fresh ocean at Ballina was a highlight aswell. We swam for ages not wanting to get out of the ocean at all. Cordy the dog had alot of fun playing with our families and friends dogs(and getting beaten up).
It is good to be home again in our comfortable environment.
18th March 2004
We are in the proces of deciding if we should buy a house. We know our price range & where in Sydney we can find a house in our price range. We are up to that stage of if we should do it or not. We are meeting with the lender tonight & so we will see what we have to pay back each week. I think that will be the decider. Paul has been very stressed and anxious about all of this. But I get the feeling that he really is looking forward to owning his own home. I am a little excited and a little scared. Scared about the repayments each week is all.
If we do buy a house then it will be too far to travel to my work where I am now, so I wll have to get a transfer even though I am settled in here. But lately I wouldn't mind geting a transfer away from some of the grumpy, moody, rude, unpatient women I have to work in a team with!
29th February 2004
I had to write something on this leap year day.
I had to drop Paul off at the airport this afternoon as he has a funeral to go to tomorrow, up in Queensland. He will only be gone a few days but it is the first time we have been apart. I am not looking forward to it & I can tell Cordie the dog is already acting a bit unusual. But we will see how things go. I am sure it will be very good for us to be apart for a few days, even though we normally get on very well anyway. I have to go to work tomorrow and the next day, so I couldn't go with him. I'll let you know how the nights alone go.
The movie I will recommend today is "The Proffesional". It is a brilliant movie about a hitman that is forced to father his murdered neighbours teenage daughter who is left an orphan. The movie is pretty much about their relationship. It's a brilliant movie.
25th February 2004
Have been recieving some decent rain today & yesterday. We have had 93 Millimeters so far. Fantastic. Took Cordy the dog down to the creek & it was flooded. The waterfalls were rushing again, everything was soaked. Cordy loved it even though she couldn't swim as she would have been washed away. What a surprise I got when I arrived home from work today. A package full of Liverpool Football Club match programmes. Their great! I can't wait to read them. They are all glossy with current pictures & more interviews than I have ever seen!. I almost cried with excitement. Plus a DVD of Liverpools greatest goals. A friend in the UK sent it over for me. Very nice of him to say the least.
14th February 2004
I have finally finished setting up my new weather station. It took all of my spare time but I am very happy with it. I have two thermometers outside instead of one. One is to measure the night temperature, & the other is for the day. Both in different spots around the yard. I have the rain guage in a spot where it is even & won't move. All the instruments are wireless & run on solar power. It is a much more accurate & better design than my old one.
Our vegetable garden is doing quiet well even though we have had very little rain & the heat has been unbearable, almost 40 degrees Celcius for a week now. The herbs are doing very well, e.g Pyrethrum, Wormwood, marjoram. The basil is suffering though & the Comfrey is getting eaten by something??
Liverpool Football Club is now coming fourth in the English Premiere League which is brilliant. All the team are back in force after half were out injured.
21st January 2004
I have had a good week, if not busy. I have purchased a new state of the art weather station which I have set up today. My old one was not reliable at all. But the new one seems to be perfect so far. The only thing is it can not download onto the internet just yet. The program managers are working on it as we speak. So I can't wait. When I drove out to the Western Suburbs to purchase the new Weather Station, there was a huge storm passing over the suburb I was heading to. When I got there the damage was severe. The trees were stripped of leaves, cars dented from hail. The hail was thick on the ground. The traffic was barely moving. The storm headed over to my suburb but only Cordy the dog was home to witness it.
21st January 2004
We are having a very hot dry summer here as usuall. Although inland NSW & Queensland have had flooding! The inland parts usually are alot dryer than along the coast. But not this year! Last night we had a nice summer storm & more are predicted tonight. I moved my guestbook & some links to the "Info" page of my website to make the front page tidier & minimalist.
My favourite soccer team are not going as well as I would like. They need to finish fourth in the English Premiere League to qualify for a Champions League spot, the most prestigious League in Europe. The team is only 'four' painfully close points away from that fourth spot! COME ON LIVERPOOL.
Our vegetable garden is going well, if not a bit overgrown. The Cauliflower, Broccoli & beans have finished & been eaten. The tomatos are still going well & 'big'. The herbs are all growing very very well. We planted wormwood & pyrethrum in the vegetable garden to keep pests away & they seem to be working well.
Today I will recommend watching the movies Damien Omen. There are three. All three are brilliant! They are out to rent on DVD.
16th January 2004
I am back to my normal roster again at work now. Work has finally died down & is quiet again now. All the locals seem to be on holidays along the coast some where before the end of the school holidays. So no one is shopping for electrical appliances at the moment.
Paul is sitting at his desk next to mine here. He is working from home doing research for new stories for his TV show. Rain is falling outside at the moment finally. We have had very little rain, if any for the last month & a half. So we really need alot more rain to fall.
One of my all time favourite movies has to be "Twister". I love that movie. The tornados look real, good acting, great footage. I watch it over & over.
"315" people have visited my webiste now!
30th December 2003
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! We had a lovely Christmas day. We both slept in till quiet late. I was working 15 hour shifts for several days before Christmas & 10 hour shifts before that for a week. So I was completely stuffed Christmas day. Plus the weather was very hot. Around 38 degrees Celcius. Luckily we have air conditioning so we were inside relaxing all day. We ate all day aswell. We had a roast lunch & ate sweets for the rest of the day.
I have been working long shifts every day since Christmas day again as the after Christmas sales have begun at work. But I have a day off work today. We went up to a nice nursery not far away & bought some plants & nice big pots which we will plant later thtis afternoon when it is not so hot.
Tomorrow we will be going to the Sydney Harbour for New Years Eve fireworks viewing. It will be packed full of people beside the harbour but I am really looking forward to it.
295 people have visited my website now!
19th December 2003
I finally have a day off work today, Friday, & I have the weekend free aswell. So Paul & myself will be relaxing at home. Paul's last day at work is today before the Christmas break. I have been working seven days in a row doing 10 hour shifts each day. So I will not be doing too much physical. Although I just finished mowing the lawn after getting back from taking Cordy the dog for a nice long bushwalk down to the creek. She needed the walk after being home alone all week. But we let her inside to sleep at night.
We have put our Christmas tree & decorations up. They really are impressive. Paul put alot of coloured fairy lights up around the outside of the front of the house. So people can see them from the street. We have gone all out this year. Underneath the tree are alot of presents for all three of us. Can't wait till Christmas morning!
5th December 2003
Paul, Cordy the dog and myself have recently returned from a long 8 hour drive up North to my home lands around Lismore / Nimbin / Ballina area of Northern NSW. We drove up there for a school friends wedding. The wedding was lovely and alot of fun. Everything went smoothly for the bride and groom except for the kiss after the announcement, when the groom dropped the bride and they both fell to the floor. But it was all fun & the dinner and dancing afterwards was fun aswell. The drive up there and back went well. The main highways in this country are in terrible shape though. I fail to see where the expensive car registration fees are going when the government is doing very little in the way of road maintenance??
We were up north for around 5 days, relaxing, visiting relatives, swimming in the ocean. Even Cordy the dog swam in the ocean! It is good to be back home but a shame to be back at work!
18th November 2003
Here I am again on my day off from work. It is a Tuesday & I only get one day off. I have alot of extra shifts at work now that christmas is coming up. And it is getting very busy with early christmas shoppers. The bitter tension between me & the older lady at work is subsiding now that we were told to try & work each other out. We talk & work together smoothly, but still don't like each other. I still dread the days I have to work with her.
Paul is at work in the city today. We email each other regularly when I get a day off work during the week. I have not been into the Sydney city CBD for many many months. We live atleast a 45 minute drive away, & so have no need to go in there unless we go to the theatres or a good restaurant.
We have been letting Cordy the dog inside the house while we are home. We never use to, so she never did expect to come inside. But everyone else we talk to lets their dog inside the house like a normal member of the family. We built Cordy a nice comfortable dog house & she was happy with that. But now we have been letting her inside the house with us. We don't have carpet, so it's ok. She's much happier.
251 people have visited my website since the 2nd Sept 2003!
13th November 2003
I went & had a look around the larger shopping centres today for christmas gifts. Didn't buy anything though. Paul has hidden my bank card so that I can save a bit of money. It is hard to save money when you work in a large convenience store. I have bought alot of things in the past few months. So Paul hid my card so that I can stop buying up big & save. It has been working.
The 'IF' Australian movie awards were held last night. 'Japanese Story' won best movie. The Australian movie / entertainment industry is brilliant. But the free trade agreement with my arch enemy the USA will put 'our' entertainment industry in jeopardy of being swamped by the plastic faceless Hollywood.
7th November 2003
It is my weekend off from work.......yippeee.... Paul has suggested going ten pin bowling. That doesn't sound too bad. I wouldn't mind seeing the new Matrix movie either. I haven't been up to the Blue Mountains a few hours drive West of Sydney for along time. That would be a nice day trip. I have to say, that area of Australia is one of my favourite places. I lived there for four years & have some close friends who live there, who I haven't spoken to for a long time. "The Blue Mountains"
My brother Jaymie who is in Brazil, finally rang my mum. He is teaching English, playing Cricket & not doing much else by the sounds of it. He is in an on again off again relationship with a girl over there (the reason why he went there)

4th November 2003
It has been a long week at work. It seems to be getting busier already with people shopping before the christmas rush. I had my annual meeting with the Manager & she has been happy with my work & happy with me. So everything is good. I have been warned though that myself and another employee who I don't get along with, need to cool it down a bit as it could end up making an uncomfortable work environment. So we have both been spoken to about our arguments & bickering. I can not get on with this woman I work with. She is rude, inconsiderate, a know all & never a nice thing to say. I don't like her but am doing my best to simply work with her. She has never liked me. Everyone can see that. She has this theory that I took hours from her roster when I arrived. Now she wants to work more hours but can't.
The movie I will recommend today is: "Ned Kelly". It stars the Australian Actor Heath Ledger. It is a true story about the life of a bush ranger & his family. Excellent acting. A great story!
241 people have visited my website to this day. I hope they found it a good read.

26th October 2003
A massive storm passed over our home yesterday afternoon. We had a huge amount of hail which was falling for around half an hour. There was a period of around 10 minutes where the hail was on average as large as my thumb. The hail damaged cars on the street and vegetation, before covering the ground white. We had 28mm of rain & the thunder & lightning were continuous. No wind with the storm though, luckily. I bought a new lawn mower & finished mowing the front lawn only a few minutes before the storm hit.

24th October 2003
I'm back from going for another bushwalk with Cordy the dog, down to the creek with the walk over bridge. The two diamond python snakes were there on the bridge again but this time two bastard teenage girls were throwing rocks at them. I couldn't help myself & I yelled at them for throwing rocks & told the girls the snakes were harmless. The girls stormed off in a huff. I don't understand how some people have absolutely no respect for other living creatures. Humans can be so cruel!
'233' people have visited my website since 2nd Sept 2003.
We don't have any plans for this weekend except going outmto dinner, some gardening, relaxing infront of a movie or two. The usuall domestic stuff. But we both enjoy it.
The movie I will recommend you to see this time is another brilliant Australian film called "Rabbit Proof Fence"! It is a true story about three Aboriginal girls taken by the Australian Government to be from their parents, to a mission, to learn how to be white. But the girls escape & walk hundreds of Kilometers home through the desert. Brilliant movie. A must see. It is available to rent on DVD or Video.

16th October 2003
Went for a great bushwalk with Cordy the dog this morning. It was very warm & there were two Diamond Python snakes sunning themselves on the small bridge that crosses the creek where I take Cordy to swim.
I will recommend a movie to see each time I update my news page here.
Today I will recommend a movie that Paul & I highly enjoyed called "Swimming Upstream". It is an Australian new release movie. A true story about a family trying to compete in swimming championships. It is a new release DVD/Video.

15th October 2003
I have been experimenting with different font styles in my diary. This one is a bit plain & small.
The weather has really warmed up today. We have had a little bit of rain but the dams & farms out west have had very little rain. Sydney city has had alot but there is no point for it to rain in the city. You can check the current weather details on my weather page. Click on the cloud in the left side menu!
My brother Jaymie is still in Brazil, Sao Paulo last we heard. Mum has not heard from him for almost a month now. Jaymie call mum or send me an email!!
Liverpool take on Slovenian outfit Olimpija Ljubljana in the second leg of the UEFA Cup tie tonight. Michael Owen became Liverpool's all-time European record goalscorer with his equalising header against the Slovenian side in their first leg.

11th October 2003
My weekend off work again today (Saturday). I have every second weekend off from work & I really look forward to it. I can spend some quality time with Paul. We have been playing my new PC game Sim City 4 Rush Hour. It's great. I love those games where you make your own city or country like Sim City or Civilization.
We took Cordy the dog for a good run up to the local oval last night to chase the soccer ball & it completely exhausted her. She needs constant exhausting so that she behaves. Not that she 'ever' barks or anything. Because she honestly hardly makes a sound. Even the neighbours have comented on how quiet & well behaved she is. There is even a medium sized blue tongue lizard living in the backyard close to where she walks past all the time & she leaves it completely alone to do it's own thing.
I noticed 211 people had visited my website. Thankyou to all!

7th October 2003
Paul & my 2 year anniversary was lovely. Peaceful, quiet, rainy day which we love. When it is such a drought like it is, & you have put so much time and money into the garden, then you come to love wet rainy days. But we still managed to go for a long nice bushwalk, do some gardening & snuggle up on the lounge infront of a movie, Ned Kelly. We went out to dinner not far away at a very tasty Indian restaurant.
My rain guage on the roof which is connected to my computer, is not working correctly at all.......grrrrrr.... Paul put up a new one but it is not connected to my computer unfortunantly. But it is very accurate.
Football this weekend against Arsenal; Liverpool had endless chances to hit the spot on goal, but also had endless misses. It was very frustrating. Arsenal played poorly. Liverpool played well in the first half. But shots at goal just are not going in. To blame manager Gerard Houllier is silly. I believe it would be more wise to blame the striker coach if you had to blame anyone. Houllier is doing very well. His formations, signings, rules are all going well. When Michael Owen twisted his ankle badly in the second half, you could pretty much hear everyone's gasps! It was like time stopped. I thought for sure that he would be stuffed. But he was ok. Goes to show the training coach is doing a good job on their warm up sessions!

4th October 2003
It is Paul & my 2 year anniversary on Monday & it is a public holiday here so we will be spending it together doing something special. Not sure what though. We will just take the day as it comes.
Someone asked me how I got such a strong committment and attitude to Liverpool Football Club. I think I got my attitude / commitment to LFC by watching too many games on TV, reading & replying to the LFC message board on their website, & reading the British Football Weekly newspaper that is published here each week. Mostly watching matches live on TV, supporting one team, hating the other team who scores or dives or gets penalties awarded to them. That gives you a dislike to the other team/players.
Well better go & get ready for the match. It is on in an hour & live.........yippee........... It's a 9:30pm match here which is a great time.

1st October 2003
Finally it is a rainy day today. It is nice & cool & raining (well drizzling) with heavier falls occasionally. We have had 2mm so far & the weather bureau is predicting more rain tonight & tomorrow. It is perfect timing as Paul & I spent last weekend in the garden cleaning up the overgrown corners of the garden & mulching everything. It is so important to mulch around the bottom of all the plants & bush's to hold the moisture in the soil for aslong as possible. All the plants are flowering or in bloom & the vegetable garden is doing very well. Especially the Cauliflower & beans.
Work has been busy as it is the school holidays period now. Lots of college students coming in & school kids & their parents trying to find anything to entertain themselves over the 2 week school holidays.
I noticed 196 people had visited my website since 2nd Sept! Thant isn't bad, thanks everyone who has visited!

26th Sept 2003
It is my weekend off work & I am relaxing after working 10 hours yesterday for late night shopping. I really dislike working Thursdays for late night shopping. It is a long time to be at work standing serving customers.
I took Cordy the dog for a nice long walk into the bush this morning before it got to hot. There are some great bushwalks only a few minutes walk from our home here. Cordy loves it. I take her to this deep waterhole in the creek & she swims. I watched a huge diamond python snake slither into a hollow pipe on the walking bridge that crosses over the creek. Cordy didn't see it luckily. I patted its tail when it was almost all the way in the pipe.

23rd Sept 2003
The days are really heating up here now. Yesterday the temperature reached 32 degrees Celcius! I don't really like the heat at all. It is good if your at one of the beautiful beaches around the Ballina to Byron area in the North of this state. Otherwise I don't like it.
Now about the stolen debit card that the Security Guard is blaming me for (see below). My managers told me not to worry about it at all as it all sounded rediculous. The managers did not believe a word of it and said the police are not likely to follow up this incident any further. I spoke to the manager of the security of the shopping complex and they told me that they know what is going on. They do not know why the security guard believes I stole his card, but they do know what is going on. They would not tell me any other information at all. I have not had any further contact with the police or anyone about this matter. So I am not all that worried about it anymore.

16th Sept 2003
It is again very windy here & quiet cool. We still have not had any decent rain & the weather is starting to warm up for Spring now. There are already bushfires up in the North of this state. The strong winds are helping to dry the bush out.
I got a call from the local police station an hour ago who are investigating a crime which the victim believes started at my work. The victim, a security guard at the large shopping centre where I work, came into my work & asked me if he could return a product he bought there. I said ok as he had not used the product, & then we completed the paper work.
Weeks later his 'stolen' debit card was used in Western Sydney to buy a large amount of goods. This security guard is blameing me for it, stateing that I saw the pin number he typed in & then some how miraculously stole his card. Why he is blameing me I don't know. I have never had anything to do with him before or after he returned his product. But the police have now questioned people I work with, who will no doubt be spreading the word that police are investigating me. This will make my work environment change for the worse. Also I am now known by the local police in a negative way. I have no prior criminal record & have never done anything like what I am being blamed for in my life. I don't know where this security guard gets the nerve to blame innocent shop keepers for his lack of self security.

13th Sept 2003
It is my weekend off from work & I am enjoying it. I worked sevendays in a row before this break so I was really looking forward to it. The weather is warm & sunny, even though I don't mind wet weather (not that we ever get wet weather).
Paul & I have been in the garden playing with Cordy the dog. We went to the local hospital fair today & bought Cordy a big stuffed toy & gave it to her when we got home. She loves it & has been tossing it around every where. I have also been playing this great computer game that I recently purchased called 'Neverwinter Nights'. It's great.
My brother Jaymie is in Brazil (Sao Paulo) with his Brazilian girlfriend Andrea at the moment. It's the first time one of my family members has been overseas. Jaymie if you read this ring home & email me! We are all worried about you & want to know what Brazil's like!

9th Sept 2003
I have been changing all my email accounts & websites to my new domain name (aussiedamo) over the past few days. I love it having my own domain name. It did take me along time & alot of perseverance to learn how to set up & get a domain name & website. But I am glad that I did.
Spring has begun in the garden with the Port Wine Magnolia trees flowering & smelling beautiful, like bubble gum. The vegetable garden is growing really well. The Cauliflowers & beans especially well. All the exotic deciduous trees are sprouting new leaves & the fruit trees are in full flower. All we need now is some rain. We haven't had a decent fall of rain for a month now! I noticed 83 people had visited my website since the 2nd Sept. Not bad

5th Sept 2003
There is no English Premiere League this weekend......sigh.........
But last weekend anyone who missed the Merseyside Derby (Liverpool vs Everton) would have been kicking themselves. Following LFC's previous form in their opening games we went into the match not expecting to do very well. But after Michael Owen's first goal we got the feeling that this game was going to be a great surprise. Michael Owen played superbly. So to did Diouf & Dudek the goalie. Then came Harry Kewell's first goal for Liverpool & I was hard pressed holding onto my emotions. It was a superb goal & he deserved it aswell after all the flack he had been copping from the media. Finally an Australian gets on the Anfield score sheets......yippeeee.....

4th Sept 2003
This is where I will write up the news & events that are occuring at my home, to me & my family.
I'll start this diary by saying that I began this website on the first day of Spring (September) 2003. Today I have a day off work. I work in retail in a large department store. Recently I had half my large toe nail & nerves removed so it won't grow back as it was ingrown. But I have to go to work tomorrow so I hope it is better by then.
The bush fire authorities are burning off the bush around here before summer kicks in & the valley I live in has been full of smoke all day. But it is alot safer that they burn the undergrowth off than to let a big bushfire come through as a big bushfire would burn into the tops of the trees & that is not a natural fire for the Australian bush.

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