New wheels

We bought a ford territory!


Its daves old car, sold to us as he tells us, at 'mates rates'! Its perfect for Paul & all the k's he clocks up each week. We put new tyres on it & drive it far more sedately than its ever been driven so we'll get many more years out of it! Its great to sit up high after sitting low in the ol magna its a cool view! So speaking of Dave who's gone to Spain for the weekend but here's some shots from London
This looks cold and it really was! 3 degrees at 11am.





(I love the red buses!) and Dave looks like he fits right in!!

One year ago today

Man time flies!!! One year ago it was Matt & Amelia's wedding day


This is my favourite photo I took on the big day


And seeing I haven't done many pages in their wedding album I thought on their anniversary I should scrap at least one page!!
For those who want to know what papers, its basic grey serenade range (I'm doing the whole wedding with this range)


And today heres the happy couple!

Colgate saves marriages

We've all heard the the bathroom marriage dramas of who squeezes the toothpaste where!! Top?? bottom? Middle?? We are no different!! Remember when toothpaste came in pliable metal kinda tubes and you could just roll up the end so least we were only battling the big middle squishers! Then Colgate in there infinite wisdom made the tubes out of plastic and we then spent our time chasing the paste around the tube!! I had a thought that a peg might help



You can see this was a good idea till I came out next morning & someone thought they'd be creative!!


This started the war of pegs and paste!!





I must admit I burst out laughing with this one totally impractical!!


A five minute job to do your teeth has turned into a 10 minute artist creation moment- forget brushing!!! I actually hid another tube so I had my private stash of toothpaste while this war was on! Then finally Colgate realised the error of their ways and they put on their thinking caps straight and came up with this design ,big fat cap that sits up nice & straight!! Colgate saves marriages!!!!


Have fun at your house with toothpaste!!!!

Hot hot hot

Its been incredibly hot here day in day out, scorching heat its no fun at all! It tries to rain and this just ramps the humidity up and then its like living in a sauna all steamy and muggy- revolting!!
Here I am standing in our driveway
Looks like rain you think its going to pour


Here I turn and face the south


This is the recipe to have us sweltering
Its really bizzare but the rain just scoots around Emerald all the time
Here's the radar of the same day


we thought we were going to cop it, sports functions etc were cancelled, storm warnings given out and guess what---we did not get a drop!! I'm not kidding it all just evaporated!! It was THE talk at work the next day, what hope is there when the radar looked like that and we get squat!!
Its definantly way hotter than last year and we are feeling it in our little flat, it has no ceiling insulation and a flat tin roof so its not pleasant! So you will never guess what Paul got me for a birthday present.......


An air conditioner!!!!!!! I could not believe it!! he totally floored me like I never expected it in a million years but it is THE best present I can not tell you how cool, how divine it makes the room its just heavenly!!! Finally a good nights sleep!!


And I know Matt, my brother & my dad want to know how he rigged it up so this photo is just for you!!!


Now you want to know what's wrapt around it -- a windscreen shade its the only thing we could think of that's insulated to keep the radiant heat of the exhaust down !!! Or we had to buy 60 metres of insulation!
Here's some snap shots off the news the red is drought


Its sooo dry


Here's the diamantina river ,not a drop of water


So we are all waiting for the rain to come.

Road Trip!!!

Also known as a coal tour!!! We are off to Mackay for the weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary & we'll be driving through the heart of the coal industry. Friday was very exciting because it rained!!!! You have to remember it hasn't rained since march so this was VERY exciting we got 57mm


It was nice to have the rain but it made our traveling quite the adventure we left straight after work. It was still raining & we had to pull over at times as it was so heavy you just couldn't see. About an hour into the trip we drive out of the storms and into the sunshine! Yahee!
On the vast flatness there's a blip on the horizon !!


Then there's the stacks of overburden that go for kilometres!


Another blip on the horrizon


Paul tried to tell me this is were the phantom lives in Australia!!


More coal mines





This section of mine went right under our road


Nothing stops the coal getting through


Dusk is coming so photos harder to take of mine machines


Then the rain & darkness came and we all came to a stop on the hwy for under an hour as there had been a car accident at 1:40pm in the afternoon


We finally got through after 8pm they were just lifting the car then


It was very sad as two young boys 9 & 15 yrs died at the scene and there parents were airlifted out. They were 20 minutes from home and hit water on the road and aqua planed into a truck. It was very sobering and tho we were temporally inconvenienced that poor family have a lifetime of sadness. Because of this all the cars were banked up for kilometres so it was a matter of just sitting in behind and following ,no one over took anyone we were all sobered from the scene we'd seen.

On a lighter note - this is were we stayed down at the marina


Lobby





Rooms even come with gekkos! This little guy has made his way up 7 floors and into the bathroom! Ambitious little guy!!


View from our room


Pretty hard to take!! It was just wonderful to be up high & to see out -didn't hurt my eyes at all !!
We went out to check the breakwater





There were jet skiers having a blast flying over the waves


The beach was pretty deserted


Think this has a lot to do with this!!!


Then the super exciting bit--all I wanted to do was go to


They even had a sausage sizzle for Paul !! It was gigantic store packed with goodies!! Oh the fabric, oh the choices!! But I was good, want to see what I chose??


These beauties the light isn't great, but they are red grey and navies yummy!!


Then we drive up to the beaches to check them out, kinda got in a bit of bother coz I was texting and apparently I should have been map reading, consequently we got to see more of Mackay then we planned!
The tide was out





And I was frustrated with the iPhone coz it wasn't capturing the colours as the water was a magnificent green


This is to my front turn round and this was at my back



These poor people have to suffer that view!!!


Lunch time!


Yep Paul poked his fish full off holes so he could pour lemon juice into it and make it slosh! I just thought you needed to know that! (& besides I had to watch him do it its the least I can do to share!!!)



The trees colours are vibrant


Back down along the marina








We went out for dinner to celebrate our wedding anniversary and I LOVE to eat outside so we were down by the waters edge


The BEST steak we have ever eaten! If your'e ever in Mackay - eat here!


Sooo romantic!


Morning! Sunrise from our balcony


Then we were heading home Mackay means sugar cane! Its everywhere!





Sugar refinery





Harvesting


Once out of sugarcane we are back into coal


Flying over a bridge as coal train goes under


Mine camp


Overtaking road train


There's mine camps and there's mine camps ..this one is a mac camp they are the elite camps the best of the best but its stuck in middle of nowhere, this one is two story and the driver wouldn't slow down so pictures blurry.





Dump truck


Coal train


Very flat and boring


So when you do see something you get excited! Here's the Moranbah road house





Just a bit more overburden


Under a coal mine





Coal tour guides!


There ...I think you've had enough coal photos to last a lifetime! See ..you'll never wonder now what its like out here!!!
You've just been to Mackay & back - took us four and half hours one way, but you did it in far less!!!

We had a fantastic weekend away and we had a wonderful time celebrating 28 years! I just LOVE doing life with Paul he's the best. When my 17 yr old heart fell for this guy I knew it would be good but its been way better than I could ever dream of! No it hasn't always been a bed of roses & sure I've wanted to chuck it all in, but marriage is about sticking, not quitting, its about putting someone else before yourself & giving your marriage priority. And it helps if you laugh lots & have fun! Sorry girls I did get the best guy!