All done…

Beach Towel?
Check!
Swimmers/Togs/Cozzie?
Check!
Sunblock?
Check!
Pajamas?
oops… always forget those… brb
Pajamas?
Check!
Travel Insurance?
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CANT FIND MY APPLICATION???
[waiting… waiting…]
CHECK! (resume breathing)
Room Tidy/Car Clean?(…mess hidden in drawers and under bed…)
Check!
Mystery Blog Poster Girls arranged?
Check!(don’t miss out.. keep checking in to say hi!)

Jobs at work cleared?
Nope
… and I don’t care!

See you next week…

Ok, Mr Africa and I have said our goodbyes for the week, though that didn’t stop him checking in to see if I was online while I was working late this evening… I was good and kept working rather than skiving off yakking away… I’ve spent several hours chatting in the last little while… Time to get, well, shall we say.. back on track!!!

Of course, what I SHOULD be doing is putting all my stuff together to pack…

sheesh… stuff that…

I’ve some blogging to catch up on… haven’t I?

I took a trip on Sunday a bit of a long drive to Canberra. 3.5 hours from home in pursuit of a bit of an ebay bargain!!!

I snagged a Nikon camera, 2 lenses and Speedlight flash for the bargain price of $183.30. Worth the $40 petrol to get there. It was a bummer though… I got home to find the camera body doesn’t work because the vendor had left the batteries in the unit and they had corroded…

Ah well.. the lenses are compatible with my existing camera body so I’m happy to take them to Hawaii even if I can’t take the 2nd body… and it will be less likely to encroach on my baggage allowance!!!

The other bonus of course was lunch with Semele,at my 3rd ever blogmeet… I really enjoy meeting up with blog chums… I just need to get to blogmeets where my other mates are!!! (read the US and Europe…).

The other big news is that Red had her birthday yesterday. Why not pop over and say a belated Happy Birthday and while you’re there check out her new blogskin! A certain Singular Kiwi/Aussie chick made it specially for her.. and we’re both just a teeny bit proud of it…

“They say that when the going gets tough the tough get going”

Not me.

When the going gets tough I withdraw, climb into my metaphorical pyjamas and shut the bedroom door. It may not look like this is what I have done. On the outside I’m all business… work like mad… produce, produce, produce, but inside I’m at home in my pink fluffy slippers with my teddy bear, surrounded by chocolate wrappers and diet coke.

The going has been tough for a while now and I am increasingly aware that to survive I have slowly built up a resistance to this life of faith, to this God I chose.

In actual fact, if I think about it, you can see the signs on the outside, in spite of the working like mad and never stopping the iPod never leaves my side – (my perfect barrier…) Then there’s the point when I stopped caring about how others see me… stopped caring about applying make up before work, about buying clothes, stopped caring about getting some kind of exercise, stopped caring that a day doesn’t go by without chocolate.

It’s the perfect indicator that I figure I look like sh*t so why should I bother trying to dress it up as anything else.

So tonight I’m thankful to God for Ron and Jeff and the fact that the 3 of us can get together and get real with it. Thankful that they don’t judge me and my failings, and in fact pray for me there and then and help me talk through the rubbish. Man, sometimes those girls make me feel like I’ve been a Christian for a week instead of 15 years or more.

It’s days like today that I remember that the year from hell took its toll on me more than I thought, and is taking its toll still.

It’s days like today that Jeff and Ron remind me that it’s like I’m actually just out of surgery and am going through rehab, and rehab hurts like hell.

But rehab ends in strength … in healing.

And that has to be good.

I just wish it hurt less sometimes and that the results were easier to see.

I am taking a break from the regularly scheduled countdown pix to show off my neighbours… These little parrots are called Rainbow Lorikeets and are in the habit of visiting me in the morning for a saucer of sugar/honey water.

Lorikeets are pattern feeders so they have a circuit of places they eat, all seasonal of course, as not all the native nectar flowers they feed from are in season all year round… But sugar or honey are always on the menu here. So they call in every morning… and sometimes in the afternoon as well!! Cheeky buggers.

I am a little afraid of becoming the crazy birdlady of Manly … they are so fearless now that he (at least I think it’s a he – he’s certainly more forward than his mate) will land on the door handle (pictured) and wait for me to get my act together. Once I have been thoroughly chastised into moving my butt from the sofa and into the kitchen to prepare their breakfast and I go out onto the balcony they will happily land on my hand to drink straight out of the glass…. Like I said, cheeky…

It’s a cool party trick when I have NZ guests staying so I am hoping they are going to be around when Mum comes to stay at Christmas time. She will LOVE them and I am already having visions of having to pose every
morning for a picture with the neighbours…

And, even though I could be called the crazy birdlady of Manly if I keep it up, there’s a part of me that loves the bright and glowing colours of the Aussie birds, raucous though they may be… they are a whole different kettle of fish to the shy and retiring Fantails or Tuis of home.