I am back on line: Part 1

A photo of some wild flowers which does not do justice to a particle of what they look like!
Did a photo shoot last Thursday and took over several 100 photos over the ensuing days LoL. The WM's parents are over for about a month from Phillip Island so we went perusing roads previously only zoomed past in the car, for a closer look. Because the hamsters are so slow at uploading photos am going to work on putting them on disk for those who are interested (or for any hapless visitors who might visit members of my family, LOL.


Nooooo, this is not a new self portrait though I have taken on some lizard like qualities (scaley skin, basking in the sun, sluggish in winter, almost fire breathing at times LOL) This is a BLUE TONGUE lizard. I hope you are all mightily impressed with my David Attenborough like photo!!! I had just dropped a girl off at the bus stop on the Pindar Tardun road (trillions of flower photos at the bus stop and environs) when I spotted this lizard creeping across the road. I leapt out of the car with camera at the ready, and got this photo when the lizard backed up and displayed it's tongue like so. In a, "my tongue is bigger than yours" moment (except if you're Gene Simmons from Kiss) I managed to get this photo. Each time I got close to take another photo, the lizard would back up and shove it's tongue out again - I surmised it was a lizard type warning to leave the general vicinity. Got numerous photos and this is one of the best.

Friday night was a Baptismal Mass, and I am now offically Godmother to one of my charges. There were 18 students baptised and it was a lovely service. I had to step up and wipe said Godchild's brow once she had water drizzled over her, put a stole over her shoulders; followed by, handing her a candle lit from the Easter Candle. It was a bit of a tight sqeeze up the front of the Church and I thought at least one child was going to set fire to themselves or the next person while candles were weaving about in their respective hands.

It was my weekend off so on Saturday, left at 7am to go to town with one of my neighbours (the other Kiwi). My mission was to purchase the very laptop I am writing this post on!!! Of course, there were several fraught moments because as I went to pay for it, my card was declined. As I had more than enough in my account, I was not well pleased. Thinking there might be a glitch, I went to withdraw the money out physically only to get to $800 with the machine telling me I had reached my limit for day1!!!!. (Picture lizard with tongue out and fire definitely pouring out). The customer phone by the ATM machine was out of order so withdrew back to the car, rummaged in my wallet for the ph number and rang them on mobile. The silly person at the other end asked me how I was!!! As I took in a deep breath and told her, "smoke is pouring out my nostrils andI am not well pleased at being declined my own money", she went into very calm mode and suggested she may be able to increase my daily limit. At the worst, it would not happen until Monday (the same day my new Visa, credit card was to arrive in the mail!!) and best it would take about 10 mins. I thought that was a very good idea, but OMG, the hoops I then had to go through. Did I know my phone access pin number (having never used it, the answer was no), this was after giving my date of birth and account details. I then had to remember the last purchase I had made and the exact amount I had spent. As that was the previous Wednesday, I was having difficulty remembering when "bing" the light went on, I checked in my wallet again and saints be praised for anal retentiveness and keeping all my dockets - there was the docket from Coles for $90.42 which obviously prooved I was really me!!!!

Back to Mitchell and Brown where I was making my purchase to try my card once again and Eureka, it worked!!!!!! I could have waited until this week if worse came to worst but I really, really wanted it THEN!!!! And so, I am now the proud owner of an ASUS laptop and for all the technical bods, it comes with 160GB of hard drive, 2MB of RAM, is set up with Live Video communication, wireless, and is loaded with Vista Premium (I think this is the one after XP) and bestest of all - it comes with MAHJONG and CHESS as part of the games!!!!!!!! I have serious RSI already from playing mahjong LOL and have got every one of the 6 games out at least once, heh, heh. Unfortunately, I have been beaten every time in chess (all three games LOL). Got home and thought, beauty, will get it all set up for the internet but Noooooo, it was not to be. It took 6 phone calls to Telstra on the Monday to get this laptop connected to Big Pond. Again, was not well impressed and was nearly over the whole thing by then. Have only learnt my way around turning it on, turning it off, the games section and email so far but the rest will come. Have down loaded nearly 1,000 photos and I like how that all works. I need about a week of sitting down and playing with the camera part and all the other goodies I think.

As my ride was heading back here after getting her groceries, I had arranged to come back with yet another neighbour, the same guy I got a lift in with some time ago. We had a bit of a window shop, did lunch, groceries and then he had to vote, getting back here at 7pm so all in all, a good day off the Ponderosa. It was the WA elections for Premier etc, not really up on the play on how it all works here. Interestingly enough, if you do not vote here, you get fined! Also, the candidates still have all their signs up and people hand out pamplets at the very door of where you vote! Am not sure whether there has been a final result yet as it was a hung vote on Sunday morning.

Have just looked at the time and I am nearly asleep so will stop for now and continue part 2, tomorrow.