'Twas the night before...

Well here we are...it's almost 11pm - and I should be packing.Yes, we leave on our cruise tomorrow - the day is finally almost here...and I'm pretty excited. So excited that I have stalled somewhat in the packing department - I've thrown half my wardrobe on the bed but I can't quite take the next step!

Hey, it's a start! I'll get there...eventually. Gary, on the other hand, is much more organised.

Oh well, no doubt I'll get there at the last minute. By the way, how many shoes do I REALLY need?? It's a tough question!

I hope you have noticed the joggers - my plan is that they will feature strongly over the next 28 days -  if I want to eat, I'll have to run, walk, pump iron or do something to ensure I do not blimp out.

Here's hoping it's smooth sailing with no sea sickness, my biggest fear! Otherwise, I'm sure we'll have a whale of a time (pun intended).

So it's off to bed to dream of forgotten clothes, make-up, boarding passes, passports...

Welcome Olivia May Summers

Another reason to celebrate!

Yes, Alison & Danny have presented us with another grandchild – a beautiful girl – Olivia May.

Olivia was born on 20^th August at 2.04pm, weighed in at a creditable 8lb 4oz, and was 51cm long. She has a wonderful shock of dark hair and is absolutely gorgeous, even given she has Danny’s chin!

Alison is understandably a bit sore as she had a caesarian as little Olivia was breech with her head securely embedded under Alison's ribs. Danny stayed overnight with her in hospital and Grandma got to have a sleepover with Benjamin & William.

I'm sure you will agree she is truly beautiful – her brothers can't wait to see her!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me! Yes, I was lucky enough to be given a laptop for my birthday today by my lovely husband so I am now free to roam with wireless!

And it's not just any laptop – it's pink! Very me...

I'm planning to take the laptop with me on our cruise which leaves on 3rd September so I'll be able to regularly update my blog and share our adventures with you all.

I'm so excited! Well, I need to get some chores done now before the family arrives to celebrate my big day...more later.

Well, what a day! I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family. We had a lovely day and I got so many lovely presents. William and Benjamin had to help Grandma open them there were so many! Lots of clothes, books, jewellery, and of course Lillie, my lovely pink laptop. (I think she deserves a name, don't you?) But to top it all off, the last present I opened was a huge box, beautifully gift wrapped, from Gaz. He'd already given me Lillie this morning so I was a little bemused and couldn't imagine what it could be.

I was stunned to find 2 large packs of Haig's rocky road (my absolute favourite), but nestled in between the yummy chocolate was a jewellery box containing the most beautiful diamond ring I'd ever seen. Apparently 30 years of whining about my small(ish) engagement ring had finally paid off! Suffice it to say, that ring will NEVER be mentioned again!

We then had a fantastic lunch (cooked by Gaz) followed by a scrummy cake baked by my mum. A couple of hours shopping with Carly topped off the day. I have certainly had a wonderful birthday – thanks everyone for you birthday wishes.

Playing the Beetle game

I babysat my grandsons last night - Ben aged 4 and Will aged 2 and they smashed me at Beetle. I really struggled to get a body and it's really hard to attach legs, head eyes etc when you haven't got a body! Will won and was very happy to display his winning beetle!

 Ben came second, by a mile, and certainly rubbed it in that he beat Grandma.

Oh well I'll have to work at it - maybe set up a practice schedule..there must be a trick to spinning that little arrow!

Welcome back!

Yep - it's been a while but I've decided to resurrect my blog, just in time for our epic voyage around Australia. Gaz & I leave on 3rd Sep for 28 days of sumptuous cruising, circumnavigating Australia. I must say I have started to get quite excited! We have started picking some of the land tours we will be undertaking in the various ports - though I must say it is slightly ironic that most of these "land" options actually involve traversing more waterways...paddle steamers, lugging boats (?), jumping croc adventures, river cruises. What the hell, we will at least be able to say we have seen every bit of water coastal Australia has to offer.

Anyway, enough of that. It's Saturday so it's washing, ironing and off to watch the big boys play soccer. Gary just asked me what I was doing and when I told him he said "What's a blog...bloody load of garbage? Ha ha ha. The sad thing is he really does need me to show him what a blog is, so that is obviously my task for today!

Numbers and technology

I have long been wondering why the numbers on calculators/keyboards are positioned differently to the numbers on phones. On calculators the numbers start from the bottom 0123456789, but on a phone from the bottom they are 0789456123. Is this confusing, or what? Especially when you use both constantly - it confuses me, anyway - I actually have to THINK what I'm doing!

Big Trip 2008

Gary & I , after 18 months planning, set off for our big adventure - a 42 day trip to America, Britain & Ireland. I had been on a few trips before, (to Europe, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Denmark, Sweden, Norway & Russia), but Gary's travel experience was limited to New Zealand, Fiji (30 years ago) and Vanuatu last year.

During the trip I emailed my friends and family every couple of days, keeping a journal of sorts.

So, enjoy our travels - they start on 20 August and end on 28 September.

Penny