Picture This…

A Farmhouse, nestled off the road behind a swing gate and ensconced in trees and shrubs and ivy.
Smoke escaping lazily from the chimney.
Crisp cold air and dew on the ground in the morning.
Dogs giving you a rapturous welcome, everytime they see you.
Open arms and friendly hugs and kisses.
“Make yourself at home”.
“Now, this girl can come back anytime she wants!”
Roast lamb dinner with chocolate saucy pudding. All made in a woodburning stove (Aga)… really!
Chooks
A real live garden, with pumpkins and stuff.
A raspberry patch (but not in season).
A massive bed with weighty covers (and an electric blanket).
A power point for the Dell.
A kettle and a well stocked tin of “Irish Breakfast”.
…and Anzac biscuits.
Lots of Laughs over dinner.
Off roading in the back of the truck … “Wheeeeee! Hold on tight! Duck for overhanging trees!!!”
Nothing to do.
No one to do it for.

Perfection

Heading to the Highlands for the weekend with Miss Lisa.

See you Monday!

I whereis.com.au. In a BIG way.

I had an plan to visit Meg tonight. Meg who has moved Across Town.

I had a car.

I had a map book.

I hadn’t a clue.

I am a reasonably sensible girl and usually find my way to where I need to go, especially if it is a big enough place that it merits big signs.

Like the Zoo,

Or the Opera House.

But not like Meg’s house in Hornsby.

Also, Sydney is massive with an equally massive directory which doesn’t fit in the middle of my steering wheel so I can’t drive and navigate at the same time.

But… this is where ‘whereis’ comes in.

I click on the Bookmarks menu and select whereis from the well used list, type in orginiation and my destination and up pops a comprehensive list of directions complete with kms between points and estimated times between points (which takes no account for traffic on a Thursday afternoon) and a map, with colours!

I read down the page as I drive (because a piece of A4 paper fits on the steering wheel) and wind up at the right house after only one wonky turn because of a small roadsign (as opposed to one of reasonable size for reading while driving).

And I read up the page as I go home.

And get there in one piece; in good time and without the stress of trying to guess the best way from the map, and without going the wrong way down one way streets and turning right into ‘no right turn roads’.

Bloody marvellous.

It was Romme night tonight and sadly I believe the whole game has gone down the drain with the loss of Jick one of the founding members of Romme night who has just left us for pastures greener (the UK).

Sigh. The reason there has been a pall on the game for me is that Tin, her replacement, is a little too competitive and pushy and by the end of the evening I wind up feeling depressed (and no, not because I lost…). This was not the original rummy game plan we started with. On top of this is the fact that we have to stop for a smoko break after every other hand and she swears up a blue streak when things aren’t going her way.

Let me interrupt by saying that the worst word in my everyday vocab is bugger… I get a little green around the gills when there other more forceful words used in such light circumstances. Don’t get me wrong, in extremes of emotion even I have been know to go so far as to expound in VERY colourful language. I just save it up for those times and don’t waste the emotion over a card game…

But then, I’m not that competitive… maybe for some, losing, or having a crap (oops, that just slipped out) hand justifies effing and blinding… You be the judge.

To add insult to injury, once again I have come to bed smelling like a smoker. And Tin even smokes outside… it’s just that outside is very close to inside in my little house and half a pack of cigarettes was consumed in the course of the evening…

So, I have to either let Bet and Poleman know that I am finding it really difficult, (actually Bet and I have talked about it already) or I have to suck it up and play on.

Truth is I don’t want to waste my time spending an evening in a fashion I don’t enjoy.

What would you do?