Trick or treat

Isn't it funny when you're looking through your phone that all the kids look so cute then when you see the actual photo you find that there is always one in every bunch. And that one is Jack.

Jack looks weirdly familiar and I couldn't put my finger on it. Until...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Is it just me or does Christmas seem to be celebrated earlier each year? As a kid I remember all the store decorations coming out and then it was Christmas. There is no way that it was all the way back in October. I don't know...maybe I'm going all Scrooge in my later years, but it's annoying me. It's October damn it. Now I have to put up with weeks of the kids annoying me to put up the Christmas tree because "everyone else has got Christmas stuff up" (in that whingy whiney voice that every parent knows so well).

Anyway, as I walked into work today I was met with a sea of green, red and twinkling lights. Yep, you guessed it - the Plaza has been turned into a Christmas wonderland. And even this Scrooge is impressed.

Last year Santa just had a fancy chair and that was it. This year Santa is doing it in style. I can only imagine how much we're going to be paying for a photo privilege this year.

A little visitor to the Plaza

Today Brian had the day off so he and Gigi decided to join me on my lunch break.
I was intending having a fruit salad, but someone had other ideas.

That same someone also tried to make my head explode by singing the same two lines over and over...FRUIT SALAD, YUMMY YUMMY

Just cause I'm bored - 99 things (which I stole from someone else)

Those you've done - bold
Those you want to do - italic
Those you have no care for - leave

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to disneyland/world
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagara falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen michelangelo's david in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the sistene chapel in person
50. been to the top of the eiffel tower in paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theatre
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout/guide cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a cheque
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
73. stood in Times Square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in london
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the alamo in person
96. swum in the great salt lake
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone 99. been stung by a bee

Bingedly, bling bling

I really need to shout out a huge congratulations to my
bestie Jacqui since her partner Mark decided to make an honest woman out of her earlier in the week. All my love to you both.

But poor Paco is sad.

Go the Hawks!

When there is nothing better to on a lazy Sunday why not show some team spirit by painting more Hawthorn memorabilia.

I really should have called this blog...

"Going live while working fulltime is sucky, so it's 52 if you're lucky"

Honestly I don't know where my time even goes and when I do have time to do some blogging it's only because my life is so incredibly boring that I have nothing to blog about.

Road trip!

What better to do on a nice spring day than to pile into the car and go traipsing all over the state. First stop Healesville for a coffee and toilet break.

Once our batteries
where recharged it was back into the car to Marysville. That was just a two second pit stop to decided whether to eat lunch now or later. It was decided later, so straight on to Lake Mountain it was. Lunch was at the Bistro at the Lake Mountain Resort. Admittedly it's nothing flash there, but the place is clean and the food servings are REALLY generous. The kids and adults alike had a ball at Lake Mountain. There was very little snow, but more than enough for some serious snowball fighting.


After all the kids where changed into dry clothes we headed back to Marysville to visit the Old Style Lolly shop. Rain, hail, shine or fire - nothing will stop the visit to the Lolly shop - even if it's now located in an old shipping container. This lolly shop really opens your eyes up to the randomness of bushfires. Let me show you what I mean.

Here are the pics of the Lolly shop before and after Black Saturday.

The whole shop (well it was a house actually) and all the houses/shops next to it practically burnt to the ground - the the wooden fence and tree stayed intact. You really have to shake your head and wonder at Mother Nature sometimes.

Anyway I digress, from Marysville we headed up to Steavenson Falls. Again another mind blowing example of what happens during a bushfire.
Before:

The picture on the left is the walking track leading up to the falls and the picture on the left is of the hydroelectric station at the bottom of the falls (unfortunately this is the best pic of the hydroelectric station I could find).

Here's the pictures I took today:

So the picture on the left is looking up the walking track and the one on the right is looking back down to where the hydroelectric station was (which is right where the water ends in the photo). I'm still shaking my head just looking at the pictures.

So after our walk we decided to drive home the long way, going through Kinglake (and boy was that sobering seeing how many people are still living in temporary accommodation), Hurstbridge (which I had no idea was alternative/hippie heaven until we stopped there for the kids to have a run on a playground) and Diamond Creek finally stopping at Smorgy's in Bundoora for dinner (which I have to say I don't recommed).

All in all the day was long (we left at 9am and got home at 8pm) but the kids had a ball.