Ooooh definitely a low day today ! The organisation I work for is holding their AGM in the building where I work: members only admitted, and we have just had an incident where three people were refused entry and they are now sitting outside the office, making rude remarks VERY loudly ! Add to that the fact that there is a major feud going on in town, and the Harmony Day celebration has had to be cancelled... I am hiding in my office wishing I was at home in my garden or chatting with the cows.. even working sheep would be preferable to this ! I am not involved at all - but just being here is yukky !

Lol!! It doesn't sound much like Harmony Day does it??

Well, here we go - a week full of high and lows coming up

Took the young bloke to Mildura for his swimming lessons this week and since it's through the school there were a bunch of kids all staying in the same cabin park it was like a holiday for them all. So the highs were being able to hang out for four days with friends, laugh, chat and go shopping. My cousin also lives down there so we were able to catch up with him and all the gossip frmo that side of the family.

Lows ... plural LOL .. the first full day the lad, according to the chemist, had a reaction between his swimming shorts and the chlorine in the pool and basically between his knee and grion was one big rash that was REALLY stinging him. Lots of cream to put on him that only made him scream more .. we were in the cabin and he's screaming and crying and yelling out "please don't touch me again!". *yikes* Im' thinking that someone is going to call children's services soon! He's okay now, new shorts were bought and new medicine and a spray on cream and he went straight back to swimming lessons without a worry but there was a few tear filled and very loud hours of worry there.

Next low. We were stopped at a round-a-bout and one of the other school mums ran up the back of my truck. BANG No-one was hurt but both vehicles copped a bit of damage. Took mine to get quoted yesterday and it's only $600 plus a wheel alignment so not too bad. Just the hassle of it all, really.

Then .. THEN .. the next day I was in the car park and someone else decided to hit me. LOL It was only a very teeny tiny hit and in the same area as the bump the day before but I got out of the truck with arms up in exasperation wondering just who had I angered so much. Seven years I've had that vehicle and lovingly kept it without any sort of accidents and then two in two days. How's my luck???

THere you go - my week in review.

Oh Jill it sounds like a ghastly nightmare(apart from the shopping)!
Never mind, it looks like that was the three bits of bad luck and everything from now on will be hunky dory. I really hope so. We can't have the beautiful skin of the cherished FT mascot sullied. Oh no.

Poor you, tezza, not much fun or harmony there.

Copago,
I'm sorry your trip you looked forward to had so much 'drama'. Just thankful no one was injured and Conor's pristine skin is back to normal. Well, not having children's services called in is good too!

As Sara said, these things come in threes so you can now look forward to three good things.

Massive high for my week. Through a series of dance competitions my partner and I have been doing we've won tickets to a big, international competition in Melbourne next year.
It's something we've been working towards for most of this year and we are so excited.

It will be the first time I fly on a plane...

Well done you. That sounds very exciting.

Oooh Ella what fun
! Well done! Now we need a blow by blow account of the whole trip.

That is wonderful, Ella, you have worked so hard! The flying for the first time is exciting itself. Yes, Ren is right, can't wait to hear about all of it.

I have continued looking up old school friends, and just found one (from a musical family) continued his band from school days, and read his website where he mentions his original pianist in his band who carried on after they left school and how good he was at boogie woogie.

I then remembered sitting at one of the school pianos at break in 1972 or so playing boogie woogie and this guy coming up and asking if I could show him how to play it. He picked it up fairly quickly and soon became part of a band with the one with the saxaphone and played at school discos. So when I read that 35 years later I thought 'I wonder if he'd have played the same if he hadn't heard me playing back then and started him off?'. I in turn learnt from Mrs Parker our music teacher when we did the Daniel Jazz at school and I liked it so much I bought the music to learn it, and that was when I began boogie piano. It's amazing how the little things we do in life can turn up many years later.

Yesterday was a great day, when I celebrated my 35th birthday Mum made sure it was extra special - as she does every year! - and I had a birthday tea with Mum, my sister and her husband, one of my nieces and of course my little "Prince" Families are so important to me, I am lucky to have such wonderful family and friends. Our own dear Sue even sent me one of her beautiful cards!

Belated Happy Birthday, Jane!!! Glad you had such a good day, and you are right - there's nothing more important than family!

awww, sorry I missed it Jane! Happy (belated) Birthday to you

High here is that school is nearly over for the year. Whoo hooo Only tomorrow really as next week is the Presentation week and we go to Broken hIll for a few days and then the next week is the last and they dont' really send any work for it as the teacher's won't be there to mark it anyway. So I think, more or less, that the actual schoolwork is over tomorrow. hehehehe I'll still get him to do stuff but there will be no pressure.

Low. Hmmm. THe boy's dog attack The Duck. Somehow she is still alive but I'm not over confident she'll stay that way. The little &^%^$% gave her a fair maul and so he is literally in the dog house and The Duck is under constant watch. If she looks like she's in trouble then we'll have to put her down but she is waling around and eating and drinking so finger's crossed. I've never been so angry at a dog before.

Oh I'm so envious! I wish my gang were at the end of the school year not just the end of the first trimester! School holidays are great!!!

Sorry to hear about poor Ducky! Hope she makes it through, and that Dog has learnt his lesson and doesn't try that sort of thing again!

I am glad that you had a good birthday Jane.

Jillian, I do hope the pup isn't going to develop into being a chook killer, it would break Conor's heart if he has to go.

Oooh, sorry I missed your BD, Jane. I vaguely rememer when I turned 35, . Glad to hear it was a good one for you.

Copago, I sure hope Ducky heals up.

I haven't been in here for a few days, so I will play "catch-up".

Ella, that is excellent news, hard work pays off eh? Look forward to hearing more about that.

satguru, oh I love boogie woogie, and what fun to be looking up people from your past, and seeing where their paths have taken them.

Happy birthday Jane, and many more to come! It sounds like you had a wonderful day, what could be more special than spending it with family. Yayyy for Mum for going all out, in honour of the occassion. Lucky you receiving one of Sue's works of art too!

Copago, how wonderful the school year is done. Conor must be excited at the prospect of holidays! Bad bad dog! *gives stern look* Hope Duck comes through her ordeal ok.

My high of the week is that my daughter called me from Canada last night to ask me for my "List of things to bring to mum" Maple syrup was top of the list. She is coming for a week's visit just before Christmas. We both are excited!

No lows really. My kitchen tap has kicked the bucket and has developed a slow trickle. More of an irritant than anything else, as things move notoriously slowly here, and I know it will take weeks to get it fixed.

David, That is a neat story about the past revisiting.

Happy belated birthday from me also, Jane!

Copago, I really, really hope this was the dog's first and last attempt at the duck! It would definitely break Conor's heart to have to see him go.

Mags, a visit from your daughter, how great is that?! As long as the faucet stays a trickle and doesn't become a flood, the waiting will be inconvenient, but bearable, yes?

My low is sending out a birthday pressie to an FT friend via the US Postal Service and it seems the package is *lost*. It was to have been delivered a couple weeks ago and they can't seem to trace it. Also in the lows department- I have barely been on FT lately and it is killing me, just have not had the time.
My high is I have been able to accomplish most all of my shopping online though. It is just too hard for me to get out physically and tramp around stores, plus I hate crowds and am not a good *browser*. I know what I want and like to get in and out, period! I have found incredible prices on some expensive gifts and have gotten it all with free shipping via Amazon. I love that place and if you haven't tried it, I encourage you to take a look. I have used them for as long as they have been around and cannot beat their customer service and problem solving. Exact opposite of the &%^$*@* Post Office!

Disclaimer: I am not advertising for Amazon, have no family or friends who work for them, and own no stock in the company. (I'll bet their's hasn't gone down too badly like the rest though.)

Funnily enough, Jordandog, my highlight of the day (can I have two in one day? ) concerns Amazon too! Amazon is a amazing company - you can buy anything from them. I got my brother-in-law a granite chopping board and a trivet for christmas - much easier to get them delivered than to break our backs carrying them!
I am a massive Harry Potter fan, and for those who don't know, J. K. Rowling released seven limited edition book of fairy tales. Amazon managed to buy a copy from the Auction from Sotherbys last year. And they are now selling the same book to us "Muggles" as a collectors edition. Mum treated me to the expensive collector's edition for my birthday, and it arrived today. It really is a beautiful book, and I shall show some pictures in "Photo of the Day" eventually. So lets here it for Amazon!

They are amazing aren't they, Jane! I'm so glad you shop there too and take advantage of what they have, just cannot beat them as far as I'm concerned. Maybe the 2 of us have spurred on some other members to check them out - I'll split the referral cheque with you...

Wow I haven't been here for ages.

Firstly Happy belated birthday Jane. I'm glad you had a great day.

Copago, sorry about the duck and I hope it survives.

My high is pretty similar to Copago in that today is the last day of the school year and it's my daughter's last day of junior school. (Junior school is from grade 1 up to grade 7 in South Africa). It's kind of bittersweet because it's the end of an era but the beginning of new things next year when she starts high school (high school is from grade 8 to 12). She has done exceptionally great throughout her junior years, always bringing home A's and A+'s. Next year she will be in the same high school as my son (he is going to grade 10). I am very proud of both my kids because not only are their grades good but the teachers write such lovely things about them. You know, like they are a pleasure to teach, well mannered etc. Most kids are unruly at schools these days so it's cool to have kids that know how to behave.

My low, well not much except perhaps that the new school uniform for high school and all the other bits and pieces (sports clothes etc) is going to cost a fortune. Our uniform system in South Africa is crazy because we have one shop that stocks the uniforms for about 6 surrounding schools so they can charge what they like because there is nowhere else to buy the stuff. We can buy things like white shirts and socks at other shops but the main parts of the uniform with the logo's on have to be bought at the 'special' shop.
But the school supplies all the books and stationary so it's not that bad.

Yesterday was the 70th birthday of the man who founded Shopmobility in Jersey, he decided to have a fundraising party to which I was invited.

Since Spring we have been selling raffle tickets to raise more money and I didn't get around to selling mine, nor buying any. I suppose they sold between three and four thousand tickets. Yesterday evening my guilt got the better of me so I bought £20 worth of tickets.

There were about twenty prizes I suppose. Now I wonder who I can take with me for a three course lunch, with wine, at the best hotel in the island. I now feel even more guilty.

oooh Me,me,me!!
How exciting, Sue!Do not be feeling guilty at all. You won.