Sometimes You Forget.

Sometimes you forget just how lucky you are. Sometimes I forget just how lucky I am. I live in a great apartment in a lovely suburb in the corner of a fantastic country. I have all mod cons, I have fresh running water and I am generally a happy, healthy person.

Above all I have my own little family. A wonderful life partner who provides for us, and a gorgeous, healthy, happy daughter. If I had a dollar for every time I was asked if I was having another child I would be a very wealthy woman. Trust me. I tell people I am blessed to have one child and think it is no one elses business if we are wanting another child or not. That's our business.

I was told today by our bestest friends, that the baby they were expecting next year was lost. I have cried a bucketful of tears for a child that will not witness just what fabulous parents, relatives and friends it was to have. I am lost. I thank my lucky stars for my life and my child.

A Post About Books (& a plug for a cool website)

I love books, especially good Children's books. I have a few books waiting patiently in my wardrobe to be wrapped and put under the Christmas tree for the youngest member of this household. I love it when Monet gets books for Christmas because ultimately it is I who reads them all and I get sick of reading the same ones over and over and over....

At least on Christmas night there will be at least 5 new books for me to read. *Phew*

I was speaking to one of my Melbourne mates this morning (Hi Paula!) and told her about this fabulous website, Huggies Book Club. So for all you Aussie pals, I recommend you join (it's free) and they offer free postage (FREE!) and 10% off RRP on ALL books! You can even lay-by your books. They even offer gift wrapping and gift cards, for an extra $2.50, which makes ideal Children's gifts.

I have been a member for quite some time and have ordered books via this site for my Nephew in country Victoria. Apparently the card was hand written which my S-I-L (to be one day) said it was a really nice touch.

You can bet I am waiting in anticipation for my little parcel of books to arrive in the post in the next few days...

Nothing Like Being Organised

Gee, anyone around here would be thinking we are going on a European Holiday, judging by the books on the dining table...

(Half belong to our to our local library!)

There is nothing like knowing what we want to see, where we want to go and how much it's going to cost.

I'm also stroller researching. Can anyone tell me what the Maclaren Volo one is like?

Will it cater to a 110cm high, 16 kilo, 3 year old? By all my researching on the net it seems it will, but if anyone has any personal experience with one please say... (By the sounds of it, it folds well, is easy to carry over your shoulder, is comfortable, easy to push) We're not going to buy it here, because the thought of 3 suitcases, 3 carry-on bags, a 3 year old AND a stroller in the mix, in an international airport does nothing to soothe me! We're going to buy it in London and will mainly be used to roam the streets of that city.

Anyway, you don't want to hear all about that...

If you want to read something that makes you go 'Ewww', read this. It made me cringe.

And to keep us all on our toes up in this corner of Australia, there is a Cyclone brewing in the Coral Sea, still a fair distance from here and moving a very slow 5 kilometers per hour. May I present to you Tropical Cyclone 'Guba' (yes, Guba!)....

It's not a threat to us (at the moment) but is partly to blame for the crappy weather over the last few days (raining on and off and wind). This Cyclone is apparently the first of many this season. As long as there isn't one on or near April 17th, I'll be happy!!

What's Another Few Years?

So, you remember this post from a couple of weeks ago? Now the joke goes something like this...

Did you hear the one about the couple who thought they'd set a wedding date, but ended up scrapping the idea because they didn't want a wedding getting in the way of a fabulous holiday?

You didn't?

You have now...

Hey, we figure we've been engaged for sooooo long, what's another year or two? It seems there is a lot for us to accomplish in the next 5 months before we head overseas (a possible move south included) and planning a wedding in all this was ludicrous. (What was I thinking?) We figure a holiday at this point of time is 'right' for us, before Monet goes and gets an education and while she is still pretty much 'free' when we travel around Europe (I've been researching!)

In fact, I have been researching a lot of things on the internet lately. Do you know how good the internet is when trying to research reviews on possible Christmas presents for a 3 year old? Bloody brilliant I tell you. There will be no wasted money in this household this Christmas.

I was thinking of getting Monet a digital camera for Christmas (to take on her impending European holiday - sorry I keep repeating that but its my blog and I can say what I want!) but it seems the ones on the market for her age group are basically crap, especially when we're used to getting quality (?) photos out of my Sony Cybershot when taken by her. (Example below - she took that last Sunday at Thorton's Beach.)


A 'kiddie' digital camera for her has been crossed off the gift list.

Also reviewing hotels on the internet too. And itineraries. And prices for travel etc., Fabulous. I can't imagine how I travelled to the UK on my own in 1996 without doing all the previous research I am doing now.

(And for those of you who said "Rome, go to Rome", well....)

Planning Stages

We're currently in the midst of organising our 'itinerary' for our European Holiday next year. April, in fact. It's all very exciting of course, but trying to work out exactly what to do and where to go is a totally different scene.

We've been looking at the world globe and our atlas and plotting and planning. We both have certain places we want to visit. We know that we will probably start off with 5 days in London town, hopefully hanging most of the time with Kimbofo (we don't need any ideas on what to do in regards to London, because I've already been there twice and Lyndon once, though if you have any ideas about where to take a 3 1/2 year old, please speak up!).

Then we are keen to go over to mainland Europe.

Paris is a must...

...(even though we've been before, we want to revisit - even for a day) followed closely by a visit to Giverny to Monet's Garden as it has been a regret of mine since our previous visit in 2000. We know that Belgium is a must (hello!!) and the Autobahn in Germany because if I hear Lyndon banging on about that road once more...*heehee* I would also dearly love to meet Ms. Mac in Switzerland, who has already invited us around for lunch. (Ain't she lovely?)

So with a possible 10 days up our sleeves on the mainland, can anyone else offer us any information or 'must do's', keeping in mind we'll have a youngster with us? Lyndon is pretty keep to on visiting Legoland in Copenhagen, but can someone tell me what the one in Windsor (UK) is like? (It probably doesn't compare with the original and the best!) A visit through Amsterdam is also on the cards. (Now, I wonder who wants to go there? Hmmm *Melody scratches her head*)

We then will return to London for another 5/6 days. All in the planning stage so far, so...Ideas people, IDEAS!!!

I'll make sure I have a beer on your behalf in some European establishment next year...

*sigh*

Thorton's Beach

I have lots of places which I rather *heart* up here. And Sunday just gone, we went and visited one of our favourite places up here. A trip up to the Daintree Rainforest.

Monet 'insisted' that her doll-of-the-moment, Strawberry Shortcake came along for the ride, (she had to have a seat-belt on "so she can be safe"). We're hoping Monet's other dolls aren't too jealous.

We arrived at the little village of Cape Tribulation just before noon, where we enjoyed a cool fizzy drink from the Backpacker's Resort and shared a bowl of hot chips.

Monet enjoyed her cool glass of water which helped wash down her hot chips....

...and having a dance with Strawberry...

...before we headed back into the car and down to Thorton's Beach (still belonging to the Daintree National Park).

It is actually pretty much a perfect beach. It's long, its wide, the water was rather 'hot' (not that you'd go swimming in there at this time of year, perfect for Saltwater crocs and box-jellyfish, but we did 'paddle') and even though there were a few people wandering the shoreline it felt like you had the whole beach to yourself. I love that.

Do you have a favourite destination near to where you live?

Passport Shockers

What is it about passport photos that makes everyone look shocking?

I do think though, out of the three of us, I actually look the best. *gloat* Monet's is a shocker! Can't wait to show her, her first passport photo at her 21st! *snigger, sigger*

Oh Man!!

It seems as if I have a million ideas, thoughts in my head at the moment and I don't know where to begin. I think this is part of the reason why we never got married in the first place - we're not the center of attention type people, nor the type of people to 'commit' in regards to organising. (Which explains why we do so much travelling on the 'spare-of-the-moment'...)

Wedding plans. Besides spanner in the works getting thrown in our direction, left, right and center I think we've come up with a plan.

Holiday plans. Just about signed, sealed and delivered. At least our plane tickets are getting finalised as I type. *yay* I need to get our (out-of-date-by-too-long-to-renew) passports sorted then organise accommodation, car rental, itinerary sorted.

So much in my head at the moment. And my heart is beating beyond belief.

Personally, I can't wait for us to do this again, but with Monet Lulu included this time....

This was Lyndon and I in July 2000

*GRIN*