2013 the Year of the Deck Chair

How many Outdoor Chairs of the deck variety should a family own?  We have the standard table and Chairs outside plus a couple of others but not nearly enough for a medium to large gathering.  I have often decided to head to Bunnings or The Warehouse with the intent of purchasing more but I get there and they cost so much when buying a multiple amount that I end up walking away with Batteries, more coat hangers and a couple of light bulbs but no chairs.  Then we have a party and I have to resort to asking guests to bring their own seats cause I know we will have insufficient seating options to go round.  So this year I'm biting the bullet and making a New Years resolution to start buying fold up deck chairs, which will be stored in the garage when not in use just like my olds used to do when I was growing up Maybe I should plan for 2 per month.  That's 24 Chairs for next Christmas.  That seems excessive.   I'm not sure the husband will be pleased with 24 deck chairs in his garage.  How many do you own? God what a first world problem?!

Our Red Gloves

 I have these Divine soft Cherry Red Leather Gloves and I love them.  I will always love them.  You gave them to me. Without hesitation.  Just because I said I loved them while you were wearing them, that day at my house.  That time you stayed with us.  We drank bubbles together.  We laughed and talked late into the night.  I knew I'd see you again.  I'd always see you again.  At the next show.  I'd turn the corner from our stand and you would be there.  Dressed up all gorgeous.  Huge smile on your face when you spotted me.  Straight over for a catch up hug.  A see you after the show for a drink promise.  I'd always see you again.  But now I can't.  You decided that.  I didn't get a say.  I'm sorry you had to fight so hard to stay with us.  I'm sorry you couldn't fight anymore.  I'm sorry that all our love and light couldn't keep you here with us.  I hate that under that amazing smile was a darkness you couldn't chase away.  We couldn't chase it away for you.  I wish I could remember the last thing I said to you.  Was it important enough to be the last thing.  Ever.  Was it just goodbye.  That's not enough.  Did you know how much I loved being around you, your strength, your spunk, your sass, your cheekiness.  Did you know?  Do you know?  So I will wear our gloves.  That you wore.  I will say my Goodbyes with many tears and many smiles and try to understand why your not here anymore.  Not at the next show.  I miss you already.  It hurts but you don't anymore and that's what matters now.  Be at peace and take all our love and light to get you there lady.
RIP Anna xxx

Ours

 I'm sitting here watching my dogs sleep.  They do that a lot.  They like to do that where I stop.  Near me makes them happy.  It makes me happy.  That's the thing with having animals, they are unconditional, they don't need much.  Mine like food and their people.  So what about when the years fly by and suddenly I see that my first proper ever grown up pets, my dog Starfish is 10 years old?! and the one who rules the place, my Cat Moon Goon is 19! Realistically that means that probably in the next 5 years I may not have them anymore.  My brain doesn't completely get that.  Our world works because each of my animals plays there part.  We can't be without any of them.  So then what?  To put yourself out there to Love so much is to put yourself out to hurt pretty deeply when the time comes too i guess.  Would I give them up to save what is inevitably coming? Not for a second.  At times I feel like all I do is yell at my dog to shut up or move from under my feet or I'm too busy to give Moon that attention she wants but then all i have to do is look at them looking at me, following me, waiting for me and I feel that connection.  They love me anyway. They get me and I get them.  I get what stresses Star to the point where shes loud and aggressive to other dogs so I don't put her in that situation.  She is what we created.  Shes ours.  We're lucky.
Moon was mine before.  Before our Christchurch life.  When it was just me and the girl baby and our cat.  She moved with us. Lots.  She slept with us. Always.  She has put up with and sorted out more animals that came along.  Shes the boss.  She has my heart.
 Its cliche and cheesy but true.  Animals make you a better person.  They make you give a shit about someone other than yourself.  They make you love something more than yourself.  Its nice to know my family are loved and protected by more than just us.  My family has 30 legs.  I'm happy.

Airbeds Sux

If ever you are offered an airbed to sleep on just reply with a "No thanks I'll just throw my blankets on the ground and save time" I have never slept in one that didn't go down by morning.  They are such a camping nightmare.  Whoever invented them are sitting back pissing themselves laughing at all of us.  Air beds are shit.  Its a fact.  Even when you first get onto one and it hasn't yet deflated which it will  If your not the same weight as your sleeping buddy its just a bloody seesaw every time someone rolls over or has to get up to take a leak in the middle of the night.  I get the convenience of being able to roll them up and carry them around but for fucks sake whats the point really when your just going to end up ridiculously uncomfortable, cold and sleeping on the ground anyway.  Save the room in your boot for another chilly bin or extra towels.
This rant is because I just experienced the hell that is a bed made from air for only one night recently. Luckily I had a few ciders pre-bedtime so the first few hours of sleep was deep enough to not notice the slow but steady decline of Oxygen from under our bodies but woke not long after freezing on the ground with the semi deflated plastic surrounding me like a inflatable coffin.
Nobody can start a productive happy day from the depths of a deflated bed.  Its just not physically possible. 
Feel free to correct me if in fact you have a miracle bed which stays up all night....point me in the right direction and I'll happily invest...but I'm not holding my breath.

This lady is a liar...nobody smiles like that if they are sleeping on an airbed

This is what you end up on by morning

Just call me Pig Hunter

Well our first week with the Devine Miss Ruby has been anything but boring.  I have learnt a few things about Pigs.  They are stubborn and Wiley little buggers.  If they want to go exploring, not much will put them off or stop them.  They are mental for food.  They grunt alot and are sooo freaken cute. You should see this girls eye lashes.
But when they go walkabout, you end up resorting to high pitched pig calling for hours on end, just waiting for that little face to come through the bushes.  Xmas day was spent stressfully trying to achieve exactly that.  Day two of having her as part of our family and the little Houdini decided 5 mins before we had to leave for Xmas lunch to go bush.  This resulted in us being an hour and a half late and me to be an uptight wreck all day.  Straight home for 2 more hours of calling and walking the neighbourhood.  What a way to meet your neighbours.  The weird lady wandering and yelling out "Ruuuubbbbbyyyyyyy, here Ruby girl" whilst rustling a bread bag like it was a freaken musical instrument.  Long story short she came home.  Although with a small cut on her back and very nervous.  Since then its all been Happy Days, I'm not sure if the walk has scared her enough to realise she is living Pig Utopia at our place or if the 20 large pieces of wood I have placed on every slight hole I can find is keeping her in but either way she is staying put.
I now have another body to follow me around with the dogs and the cat.  I have a shower and they all sit on the floor and wait for me to get out.  I've got a wee grunting buddy who sleeps down by or under my bed and who loves to join the competition to have a tummy scratch.  She squeals when shes hungry or can't find us and is completely house trained.  I can't imagine what life was like before she joined in with our crazy world.  I do keep having to remind myself that at some point she will probably triple in size but hey there are bloody big dogs out there and they are allowed inside so we will just wait and see how this all plays out....watch this space.