Just some randon photos

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Just passing the time

I feel like I am getting yet another cold. This will be my third one this season. I have chills and muscle aches. I am so over this winter.
To make matters worse, I have a 5 year old that is home on winter break that wants to go and do all the time. I feel very guilty that I do not feel like going places with her. I will try and make it up to her another day though. But not today.
To pass the time while I feel bad, I have started knitting again thanks to a girlfriend of mine here. I have knitted 4 scarves and a shawl. Now my 5 year old wants a beanie to wear on the cold days. I will get started on that today I think seeing as how I really don't feel like going out. Maybe she will be happy seeing me making something for her.
That is all I have to say today. *cough*

AQWA

We took the kids yesterday to the Aquarium of Western Australia. What a nice place. I love going to aquariums and have been to quite a few in the states including The Baltimore Aquarium and Chattanooga. This one is small but they have this one tank that is the tunnel tank. I could have stayed in this tank for hours. We actually road the conveyor belt around it 4 times and was there during feeding time. it is a glass tunnel that goes through the tank and there are sharks, stingrays and sea turtles swimming all around you. The kids loved this, including Rose who was fascinated with all the moving creatures. There is a nice little touch tank too for the kids to get soaked in so that would be a nice thing to play at on a warm day.

I would recommend going but it is a bit pricey if you are taking a tribe like us.

Ass for gas

You know that gas is high when brothels start handing out gas vouchers.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Nevada brothel is trying to stimulate business by offering free petrol.
Clients of the Shady Lady Ranch will get a $50 (25 pound) petrol voucher if they fork out $300 (152 pounds) -- worth about one hour's worth of services -- at the brothel in Beatty, Nevada, 130 miles (209 km) northwest of Las Vegas.
Owner James Davis said he already has had to order another $1,000 set of petrol vouchers because the first $1,000 were spent in one week.
"It's rocking along. We're doing quite well. June and July historically are not big months," said Davis, who is co-owner of the brothel along with his wife Bobbi, in a telephone interview.
The $50 rebate would roughly cover the cost of a round trip drive from Las Vegas to the ranch.
Davis said business at the ranch, which has been operating for 16 years, generally slows in the early summer. He said the brothel regularly offers specials to lure clients and his wife came up with the petrol vouchers for this month.
U.S. petrol prices hit a record $4.08 a gallon last week, up 38 percent from a year ago.
Brothels, illegal in most U.S. states, are legal in parts of Nevada..
(Reporting by Matthew Robinson, editing by Michelle Nichols and Philip Barbara)

What next, free beer with gas???

A brief intermission

Today it is going to be a nice warm day here in Perth, just a brief glimpse of the spring that is months away but I am going to take advantage of what warmth that mother nature gives us. We are going to go to the park and play and watch birds and eat. As I sit here plan our outing though, what I want to wear is probably not the best. I wanted to wear my thongs (aka flip flops) but have not had a pedicure in at least a month so the remnants of the red polish on my toes look like scabs and anyone with toddlers knows that as soon as you pull out the nail polish, they come to investigate and poke and get polish everywhere. My cropped black pants are also out because my poor legs have not been mowed in at least a week. So that is out too. Or I could say who cares and just go Au natural and make no excuses. Probably not.
Well, lunch beckons me to come and make it. Stay tuned for more reports.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Sorry loyal readers it has been a while since my last post. I have been fighting one type of pestulance after another it seems over the past few months. Maybe it is because I now have a child in public school or maybe because along with my new and exotic country also comes new and exotic viruses to attack my poor body. In the past month I have had 2 respiratory viruses, a sinusits, a bronchitis and about 3 bouts of digestive disorders which I will not go into details but I am sure you get the picture. I never thought that so much sickness could be in one house in such a short period of time but we have all had fevers for days and coughing still goes on every night.
On an up note, we have had a very productive month in getting established here. The girls have matching beds thanks to Ikea that they love. Bright red with a dog and a cat on it. Zoe has an ocean theme quilt and sheets, Sarah has zoo animals or Noggin animals as she calls them because they look like cartoon animals on Noggin.
We have found a new custom that a is here in Australia too. Christmas in July. It is not just a saying here. It is for real. People have on their fur coats, scarves, mittens, hats and have Christmas parties. Even the shops and retail outlets get into it of course and have toys stacked to the rafters. So we have had an early visit from Santa/Dad here at the Rat house. And what did he bring? Why many things. For the girls there is a ride on Thomas the Train, a huge Dora dollhouse with 50 accessories for me to step on in the middle of the night and a leapfrog learning play center for the baby. For Mr and Mrs Clause, a Rancilio espresso machine and coffee grinder/doser. We have been using a french press or plunger as they say here for the entire time here. This has been hard to do after having a Francis Francis in the states but now we can have the real deal again. So I can have my afternoon Mama crack again.
Best of all, MAMA GOT A CAR!!! Yes, I have now got a passion red 2007 Holden Commodore. For those in the states, google it. Those here in Australia, you know what it is. I love it and it is big enough to carry 2 car seats and a booster seat. it is perfect for me and easier to park than an suv. Pictures will come as soon as I take them but with the rain and the sickness, I have not had a chance to take any. So just use your imagination and see me blur past you in a red car.
I am being chased off the computer now by a pushy 2 year old that wants to watch Teletubbies so til next time, take care.