Those painting pics at long last.

Click on pics for larger image.
Please excuse the mess, I was still painting when I took the pics and I'd well and truly used up my spoons before the end of the week.
Hubby loved the surprise...thank goodness, it took almost 10 days to rest up from the 'holiday'!

Before....


After...




Before....


After...



Window removed and will be framed up to be a serving hatch while the wall of the caravan will be clad in plasterboard.
Cupboard just inside caravan door, the upper door missing in this pic is now blackboard-painted for shopping lists.

Before...


After...


Looking at annexe from front door...


Looking up other end of annexe

Ignore the mess...those are 2 seater couches, to give you an idea of width.

Before...


After...

Decking completely replaced.
By hubby, not me.

Flying Spag Bol for Windsmoke in 2011

On the last day of 2011 there are gazillions of "this year in review" articles and blog posts so I shant add to them.
Instead, I'll just point you in the direction of an article which sums up a general review of the Aussie 2011 HERE.

Windsmoke asked about The Flying Spaghetti Monster deity...a Wikipedia description of just what this soaring pasta god is all about is HERE.
Please note we do not worship this one except once per week smothered in bolognese sauce.
And parmesen cheese.

Hope you're sitting down for the next bit...I've uploaded the pics and am currently transferring them to Photobucket to share the brush strokes with you.
So, we may have a wait on our hands - cos I had to take a bajillion shots for the insurance policy - but, fingers crossed, there'll be another post with pics to dazzle you before the bell tolls midnight.
*Edit - I've procrastinated and blathered about the house for so long the pics are uploaded and they shall be posted shortly.
My pressie to you...you don't have to thank me (tongue in cheek).

My brain soup shared with y'all

Dear Diary....
Today, on the penultimate day of 2011, I had THE most exciting time scrubbing the shower tiles prior to my ablutions.
In the midst of my fevered happiness with the scouring brush on the grout an itty bitty Daddy Not-So-Long-Legs needed rescuing from the Dreaded Drain of Doom and, although it did its best to evade capture by this silly pink monkey, I managed to snaffle it and pop it up on the hand basin.
Where it promptly vanished.
If it went down the Dreaded Handbasin Drain of Doom I refuse to be held accountable by Buddah, Mohammad, God, any Goddess in the alphabet or the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

I also learnt that Shaggy (from Scooby Doo) was originally christened Neville Rogers.
I feel like part of my childhood is now coloured somewhat....beige.

And.....who knew Velma had a clown allergy...??!

A new library will be thrown together at Lake Bolac - yippie!

I may or may not manage to upload and empty the camera of 2011 photos before the calendar ticks over to The Year of The Apocolypse.
Aka 2012.
If we're all gonna go in solar flares, is there any point to making toast now....?

And now I'm concerned that Shaggy's friend got his ball caught in the volcano and lost the triple bogey....

Tetchy Thursday off the agenda

And after my sooky la la rant last night today is another glorious day!

Still haven't uploaded the before and after pics of the caravan - cos I'm slack, it's Chrissy hols, the Lizard Rock chardy has been particularly nice and cos I'm slack.
Still haven't got all of Feral Aspie's school books for next year - cos I'm slack, it's Chrissy hols, see above point for further excuses.
Apart from the fact his books will cost enough to run the economy of a small country.
Or fix the economy of one of those that are currently being bailed out by Germany and France.

Got nothing planned for New Years Eve except to gaze into the eyes of my beloved furbaby as we hold deep and meaningful conversations to solve the world problems while I try to ignore the chainsaw snoring of the beloved spouse.
And now the weather people say we are to have a 4 day heatwave over the New Year which could mean dabbling my toes in the blow up baby pool in the loungeroom again.

Screw it all.

Blerah.
I am so over people forwarding me some pathetic meme/email/letter/poem about a kid with a learning issue.
AND I am so frigging over hearing about somebody or other who thinks they speak for everyman-woman-and-dog when they crack the sads about receiving the same email forwarded to them.

Some emails aren't half bad.
Others aren't worth using as bum fodder.
But the whole point is....it's up to me, as a parent, who deems whether I use it or kick it to the compost heap.
Not some parent who Crowns themselves as the Queen or King who decides what is acceptable or not.
And who then declares to all and sundry that THEY deem the email in poor taste/most excellent and to delete it immediately or pass it on to every living , breathing human on this planet.

I have explored this road of the Autistic Spectrum for a fair few years now with my Feral Aspie Beastie and I don't think I need someone to tell me how to suck eggs to get along and survive it.

Merry something 2011

I have been here...just very busy and befuddled.
I hope I managed to get Chrissy cards to you all - I sent some before I left for, and then some after I returned from, Dunolly so am not sure who got what.
Apologies if I missed you.

I loves ya all.

There was painting and paint brushes involved for over a week at Dunolly....I think the fumes riddled my brain into cheese cloth.
There may be photos of before and after.
If I'm able to sort them out.
Otherwise.....have yourself a Merry Christmas.
And a cheery 2012.

Thinking of releasing a new Xmas CD...

 ...dedicated to a certain pollie.
About certain state infrastructure...

Sing along if you get the urge.
Or see a doctor about that particular issue...


♫ I'm dreaming of a state-owned railway,
    Just like the one we used to own,
    Where the staff are merry and bright,
    And the trains could ruuuun all night.♫

♫ Away in State Parl'ment,
   No dosh for the trains,
   Little Lord Baillieu
   Tightens the reins.
   Be near us, Lord Baillieu,
   I ask thee to stay,
  Close by us forever 
  As we commute every day.♫ 

♫ God rest ye merry, gentlemen
   Let nothing you dismay,
   Remember, ticket pri-i-ices
  Will go up New Years Day.
  To make all us pleb-i-ans
  Keep the network afloat,
  With many a penny and groat,
  Penny and groat,
 With many a penny and groat.♫

♫ Good King Baillieu looked out
   On the empty coffers,
   Where the crumbs lay round about
   The palty tender offers
   Brightly shone the bulb that lit
   Upon a plan so cruel
   To make the tickets cost so much
   And treat us all like a fooo-oool. ♫

A bit busy

Off playing nurse on 24 hour call to elderly 19 year old puppy.
She's not a well girl; chest infection, high temps, cardiac congestion.
Still hasn't woken up (now 12.20pm) since wandering about the house at 3am.
No heroics, just lots of love and care for the old girl.

Stuffs

Over at Timespanner my friend Lisa has been tempting us with fabulous Kiwi art work on the most mundane things like traffic signal boxes...while ours get covered in meaningless tagging graffiti.
But Ballarat seems to have seen the light!
It's investing a small fortune in developing some proper art on signal boxes to cut down on the ugly graffiti.
Woohooo!
And the Eureka Flag has been fiddled with and restored, back on display in time for the 157th anniversary tomorrow of the Eureka Rebellion.
Speaking of anniversaries, this day 100 years ago saw Mawson and his lads set off on their Antarctic adventures.
Including my favourite well-born Aussie cross-dressing spy, Herbert Dyce Murphy.
The Wimmera and Grampians are trialling a free battery recycling collection, which is no bad thing seeing as 8,000 tonnes end up in landfill each year.

I've managed to track down a pair of trousers and a shirt to wear in the choir for Carols on Broadway, now I just need someone to swipe Dame Joan Sutherland's pipes for me...!

No bullocks for furbabies on the first day of Summer.

Today has been a good day thus far.
We cycled to Cheltenham , a whole 10 kms, my in my hi-vis orange vest with 'Vision Impaired Rider" across the back, battling the loud farty noises the trucks make, the screaming loons (in the cars), hubby even raced a Noisy Myna Bird, briefly, along the fenceline of the golf club.
And then we finally got to Supply Warehouse, did our shopping and headed back the way we'd come.

Another 10 kms...past the Golden Arches, past the hamburger joints, chicken joints, cold pies and hot drink joints, back home to find our furbaby leaping about with "You're home! You're home! You didn't get abducted by aliens and leave me here to face the zombie apocolypse alone!" excitement which quickly turned into a sulking session when she realised we hadn't brought her home a dead bullock to gnaw on.

Warnings on big grassfire season in Central Victoria.

Old Head of The Lake boat donated to its former school after being found in a 2nd hand shop.
Now, that's a real gem of a find!

Seems Abbott and Pyne got their budgie smugglers in a twist and made claims that weren't quite true.
Imagine that, politicians saying something that wasn't correct.
Ummm, ahhhh....

Tougher water restrictions for those in country Victoria...yet in Melbourne it's permissible to once again waster water on lawns....
The lunatics are running the asylum.

Today is World AIDS Day....article on How activism changed the face of this illness.

Enlightening article on cutting welfare payments in Indigenous communities.

Huge canola seed spill at Dunolly was confirmed to NOT be GM canola, big relief as it's already germinating.