This is my kind of backyard...

    
    
     But will I ever find it?

Back to the drawing board...

     We missed out on the house we wanted.  It's hard to believe somebody has gone through all this hassle to buy every single property on the planet!

Waiting...

     We're still house-hunting, which is very stressful and exciting at the same time.  Meanwhile, life goes on.  Not surprisingly, since it's winter, it's been fairly cold - well, cold for us - and Muffy and I have been spending a lot of time under the doona on the sofa, watching telly.  I still manage to practise the piano every day and have a walk now and then so I don't completely seize up.

It has to be a better day today.

 

     I'm trying to smile and so far, so good.  Yesterday I came so close to throwing the printer - and the computer - away.  I have wasted so much time and money on both since I've had them and year after year continue to be utterly frustrated.
     As you can see, I've given up on trying to centre the picture frame - if  you can't beat 'em, join 'em.  And while I was at it, I changed the whole thing.

Oh dear, frazzled again

   

     Nothing's going right!  Didn't like either of the houses we looked at in Sydney on Saturday - one is under a sharp curve on a mountain and the other suffers from loud noise from the freeway.  Google maps shows neither of these detractions!  The last house has enough space for an indoor soccer field on what would be my level, which is a waste of about $200,000 if you're a Scrabble player like me.  (On the soccer topic, I KNEW Spain would win, even without help from Paul the Octopus.)  I've just replaced four cartridges in one of my printers and yet everything is coming out green.  I'm trying to print something I made for Emma and it comes out one third the size it's supposed to be, on both printers.  The clothes dryer is making a funny noise so I've switched it off and have mounds of wet clothes following days of rain.  I don't even have a slice of bread in the freezer so haven't been able to have breakfast.  I HATE food shopping.  And OF COURSE the above frame is still refusing to centre itself.  After inexplicably delaying getting tickets for Andre Rieu in Newcastle in October, I went online last night and could only mangage to get the two worst seats in the house.  I just opened a letter that's been lying round for a few days, only to discover it's an Overdue Notice for my electricity account, threatening to do evil things to me!!!!!!  It's their own fault, as I was quite happily paying another supplier by direct debit when somebody knocked on my door one day, begging me to change over to them.  I reluctantly agreed but obviously didn't fill in enough forms for direct debit.  When you ring up to pay by credit card they hit you with an extra charge!!!!  For goodness sake - I was quite happy where I was for the past umpteen years.  I'll never open the door again.  You're not even safe inside your own home.  As this morning's final indignity, when I just pressed the 'Publish Post' button this blog tells me I have to sign in all over again!!!!!!!!!  At least it worked, after I searched through my mile-long list of user names and passwords.

Just look at the expression on the dog's face!

  

     Isn't it an absolutely beautiful shot!  Thanks, Michael, it's one from the PDF file I got this morning from you.

     It's been raining for days and I'm happy to stay inside reading and playing the piano.  Think I'll pop back to bed with a book right now.  No word on the house situation, which is very frustrating, but all I can do is wait...
     The picture frame is being disobedient again.

The real Australia

    

     Honestly, the other blog has had its last chance.  We'll have to stick to this one from now on.
     This photo was taken on a cattle station in Queensland, and shows the granddaughters of one of my friends.  I think it's a wonderful shot, typifying Australia.  I'm a country girl and used to have horses, though now I have serious reservations about rounding up cattle to be slaughtered!  When I was 7 or 8 I used to go with my grandfather who worked at the slaughterhouse and that sent me into the first of many periods of vegetarianism.  I never feel comfortable eating meat, especially if I think about what I'm doing!
     No movement on the house front.  It's very stressful.

     I've just noticed the picture frame has centred itself, as I've been telling it to do since the beginning.