Linus~ wish we were there to give you real hugs and support. I'll be thinking of you and Gran tomorrow. Take care of YOU also. Just try and let it roll off your back. My family always said "consider the source". It means if it looks like sh*t and it smells like sh*t, then it IS sh*t!! Think of that when you feel like screaming. You'll be laughiing in no time. BUT NOT IN THE CHURCH!! Hang in there it will all be over soon.

Happy~ I was going to use your wheelie with the fire behind it for this forum as my avatar but I cannot get it into there. I tried all day but no luck!! LOL It kept telling me it wasn't a real gif or something. I love your butterfly! One of the DH's I suppose?! Really lovely. Funny I thought I saw something fly past me before. Maybe it was your fly or dead-like hornets!! You made me crack up. Hope you got the work done.

Have a nice night and good morning too! Day 1 of the meliday was grand. I feel more renewed already.

Testing avatars for Mel

Ok Mel, I've made some adjustments. This pic is in a jpg (pronounced J-peg) format because it came out a bit crisper than the gif format. But it doesn't matter if it's a gif or jpg as you can see I've uploaded it as my temporary avatar. I've sized it to what the avatars should be here for the forums NOT the Journals. All you have to do is to save this picture to your computer and then follow Shad's instructions to get into your control panel (USER CP) and go and pick the "edit my avatar" option. Then point to this file you have copied from my post.

If you like I can change just about anything on it - color of your name or what you might want it to say. The only thing is that I have to leave it a black background as the flames picture I copied is on a black background and it looks best that way.

I wouldn't suggest using this for your journal because the journal uses smaller picture sizes and it would be too hard for anyone to see the picture. Let me know if you want any other changes. I'll leave this pic as my avatar so you can see what it looks like - then I'll go back to my butterfly. And no, it's not one of DH's. I will have to play around quite a bit to get his resized correctly which I might do in a little while but not now. It's just a butterfly pic I found while searching for your wheelies and I thought it was rather pretty - reminded me of Shaker's blue dress - blue IS my favorite color!

As for the fly, I had been trying to swat that sucker with a rolled up paper but he was way faster than me. My next trick was to soak him with hairspray - it makes their wings stiff and they can't fly - I found that Aussie brand Hair Freeze works the fastest and the best DH came home and the fly was trying to make a mad dash through the window to get outside. I gave him the rolled up paper and he said "I don't need that and winked". Next thing I knew he had snatched the fly in his hand and had hold of it by it's wings - so many unrecognized talents he has. (Or maybe he is part frog ) He can even shoot them in mid air with a rubber band. However, even he is smart enough not to do that do a hornet.

Let me know when you're done with all the other pictures too. I want to delete them - no sense in clogging up Suzanne's server. Enjoy your Meliday - Part 2.

And hellos to all the rest of the bunch...

Gee That Looks Good Happy. May Have To Make You The Avatar Queen!

Was going to write a reasonable post tonight, but I am just too tired. My feet hurt from the gym treadmill, my legs ache and I just want to go lie down. It's really turned to autumn here and last night was quite cold. I need to get a blanket out tonight as I woke stiff and curled up and cold this morning.
Went to the gym tonight and for the first time managed to get through my challenge to myself before the time was up. Never managed that before. I try to get past 3.3km and 200 calories in 30 minutes. Usually the calories defeat me, but tonight I managed it by altering the gradient of the treadie. That burns the cals faster. I managed a 2 and a 2 1/2 min run
nyway it is time for a shower and shampoo. Then I can curl up on the couch and mindless watch a show or two on TV. I don't feel like anything else.

Happy I hate to say this but I cannot get it to work. It still tells me that it is an invalid jpg etc. I kept trying but it's the same. I feel like a dope but don't know what I can do to get it there! I will try and delete the file and re-save it once more then try it again. I do appreciate your going to all this trouble for lil ol' me! Thanks! Must be SOME ingredients in the Aussie hairspray!! Love the husband's hidden talents!!! Must be great at parties!! Just don't let him catch them with his tongue! The ladies will be forming a queue(SP) outside your door!

Shad~ I hope you feel better today and have a nice sleep. Sweet dreams!! Me thinks work has caught up with you!! #1 stress Lady!! See ya later!! When you awake I will have a brand new avatar!! Thanks to you and Happy!

THANK YOU HAPPY! With all my wheelchairs around I feel so at HOME! I know it must sound a little strange but I feel more like "me" now. When I tried to open the thing, it tells me that I need to start my "trial" dell picture something or other. I will need the office girl for this. It's offering me a free trial and I didn't want to start something I know absolutely nothing about. But Fran will figure this out and help me get started. She wasn't here today or I would have enlisted her help. And Joy was sleeping!! or I would have called her I'M SO HAPPY TO BE MEL!

Had to come back and show Jen!! She is laughing and thinks it's soooo cool

Mel, I am delighted that you like it. Happy Belated Birthday!!!!

Just can't seem to stay away! I got a call from the "insurance" guys and they want to come here on Monday for me to prove my "medical need" for the chair. At $30,000 it's some of the functions that are in question so they want to see if I really need them. Jen came back down to look at the chair Shad put up for me. She said it's worth fighting to the death for! And over the weekend we will rehearse my speech. I want to get it down pat so I do not forget any of it. Why me?! I WILL do this and I WILL succeed!! This time I will not be back again!! Sweet dreams and a good morning sleepy head

Holy Mel, $30,000 for a wheelchair? I had no idea they were that expensive. But then again, what price would I put on my arms and legs for mobility that I take for granted? I would hope that you don't have the same unpleasant experience that Teel had with the doctor who came to evaluate her. Hopefully your person will understand your needs and limitations. I will keep my for you. And while you are practicing your "speech", keep reminding yourself of how this is a tool that will help you stay independent and take care of yourself. You deserve it!!!!

And I'm glad that you are feeling like you have personalized and made your stamp here - as if getting us all singing again wasn't enough Yup, it's good to have a little corner that can identify us from each other.

Kind of reminded me of something I heard long ago here. One of the people kept saying friends for a reason, friends for a season and friends for a lifetime. I looked up the essay on the Internet. I'm going to print it again just because it was one of those things that touched my life - just like the friends I have made here.

FRIENDS FOR A REASON

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a reason, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

Next! When people come into your life for a season, it is because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

Lifetime relationships teach you lifetime lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people (anyway); and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but, friendship is clairvoyant. I know why you are in my life and I love you for that reason . . . .

As for you Miss Shad, I congratulate you on such a lofty goal of burning 200 calories on the treadie. And in 30 minutes no less! Whooooooaaaaaaaa.

Thanks for the congratulations ladies - I do try, sometimes I win, sometimes I lose but I try to do it to see if I can lose some of this flab. I was slack for a week and now I am back at it, but only slowly this time. I spoke to the personal trainer and said that the weight lifting wasn't doing much for me - sure I was gaining the muscle I can see it in my legs and arms, but I am also gaining weight and none of the flab is shifting. I need to do more cardio stuff, so I only do weights now twice a week and then go to treadmill or try to catch a class for the rest of the week. I am in Toowoomba for the next couple of weeks and will have to see if I can find a gym there otherwise it is walk morning and night and try to fit exercises in somewhere as well.
It seems that there may not be much more work here when this contract ends at the end of April. All I can get out of them is that they will give me two weeks notice in April if I am not required. Now that's not quite good enough for me so I will bring the CV up to date and send it around some of the agencies. There was a reasonable looking 3 months contract on the Seek site today for SAP trainers for Australia and New Zealand, so I may just send one there and see what happens. Only place I really don't want to go is Sydney. Anyway thats enough of that stuff
Weekends here, and time to get rejuvenated. Lots of things to do and see and make and break - I hope to get most of the housework done tonight so I can get some of that out of the way and carry on painting and weeding and etc.etc.etc.
Happy my Princesse di Monaco Rose is finally out. This sounds similar to those roses you got for your Anniversary. I'm going to attach it and one of another rose now in bloom called Shocking Blue.
Then I think I should make tracks for a very simple dinner and bed again since I still feel b*ggered.

Shad, the Princess Rose indeed looks very much like the ones I got. The more the blooms opened, the prettier it got. You must have such a nice garden!

Sounds like you're getting a bit into the fall season slump as the weather cools - even if that's a good thing and overall it's a better season. Dig out a nice comfy blankie and get some sleep - then have a fabulous weekend. Sounds like you'll be hunting for a new job soon? Maybe a change of pace would be a good thing?

Ok, where are the rest of you ladies????

Mel is out rehearsing her speech. Seems that the Insurance man coming to see her may be a tad intimidating (shades of Teel here) and that he thinks he is paying for it out of his own pocket. So I think Mel will be a little jittery for the next few days. I will ring Teel soon as I get off here and jazz her up a bit unless of course she is already out jazzing up the town. And I daresay Linus is still coming to grips with the family problems over the past week. Can't think where Peacock has gone.

Happy, my garden is small, but I do like my roses. I have allocated them quite a lot of room - probably more than I should and they do take a lot of work in the heat and bug ridden summer here. And they will never be as good as the roses I have seen in Melbourne, Perth, NZ or England as the climate simply doesn't suit them as much, but I must say that I do have a fair amount of success with them which is good for my ego!
Anyway gotta go. Shad the dog needs to go to the vet for his injections. I need to hear what the vet has to say about his state of health as well. Decisions have to be made from time to time with old dogs, well all animals really. So we shall see what we shall see. Catch up later and have a good day all.