New Beginnings

Funny how things happen. I have been wanting to do herding with the hounds for a long time and finally I have found someone nearby that does it. They are about 45 minutes away and our first lesson is on Monday. I am so excited. I am a tad worried that the dogs will be too calm for it, but you never know if you don't try.

Another thing I am trying is writing, I know it is a hard competitive business to get into especially children's books. I have had this story in my head for over 2 years, so I thought I will give it a go. You never know if you don't try. Someone was telling me that life is not a dress rehearsal and you don't get a second chance like the games you play. If I don't do it it will be something that I would regret when I am at the end of my life. And this has opened up my imaginative process even more, I have two more ideas that have come to me since I have been putting pen to paper. I am writing it out first, I find I think better this way, and I am on my second draft which I will tweak even more.

The garden project will soon be commencing with our acre of gardens, the OH has purchased a small tractor (another toy) to start the gardens. I have not killed any of my plants as yet which is a miracle in my department, in the past plants and I have never really agreed. Maybe talking to them or in my case begging to them not to die has helped.

I will keep you posted regarding the herding and how it all goes.

Guilty Pleasures

I love reading, and sometimes I don't feel like expanding my mind as it feels like it is stretched to its limit. So what is my guilty pleasure, "Bodice Rippers", you know the ones, the one where the male on the cover has his masculine torso on display and the woman usually has the heaving bosoms. I get such a giggle out of them, and you don't have to think too hard when you read them. I have tried Mills & Boon but they tend to irritate me, but the bodice rippers generally don't and I do tend have a giggle about them, mind you I do come across one now and again that gives me the rants. They kind of remind me of the musical "Seven brides for seven brothers", I don't know why but that corny romance thing that never happens in real life, where you get swept off your feet by the dashing man who has rescued you from some horrible experience. I also like the "Time swept" bodice rippers, where the heroine gets swept back in time to meet her prince. Corny I know, but they are my guilty pleasures. I have read two this week but I am know going back to some serious reading, "Van Dieman's Land" is the title, some historical non-fiction to get my teeth into. I really do sometimes sound like a geek. 8) (me in glasses).

Dancing Dog Duo

I promised to write a section regarding my hounds. I have two as you can see in the photos to the right of the screen, Ceejay and Izzy. I do obedience work and agility for fun. They have also been learning seekback and find, plus dancing. They learnt the first step which is spinning, when you spin they spin with you. They cottoned on pretty quick. They love their Saturday training sessions, I go to Deb who runs classes at Boyne Tannum K9 Obedience (a bit of a plug there). They also have done a little bit of herding sheep. Those buggers can jump, the sheep not the dogs, mind you the girls can jump too. But I didn't realise that sheep can jump higher than I stand tall.

How can I describe these two dogs, they are chalk and cheese. Ceejay is high energy, high octane, and incredibly motivitated and willing to please. She learns very quickly and can think on her feet. Izzy is not so high energy, she has incredible speed but tends to go in bursts. She listens attentively to what you say and watches you like a hawk. Food is the way to Izzie's heart and brain. It takes time to process but when she gets it, well look out. She is the steady one of the two. When they get together is another story all together. They are only a year apart, two different breeds but get on really well. Very much like siblings, they don't scrap though.

Here is the famous dog Gin and her owner Katy, love this routine and you can see what you find when you do put in the effort into your dogs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPGUN-WCYxk

Tag you're it!

Joined the website Delicious, ummm even the name sounds good.  Added some of my bookmarks, this way I will be able to access some of my bookmarks anywhere, anyhow and anytime (if I ever get away).   I didn't put down all of them otherwise I would be here all night.  They don't have instuctions for Google Chrome (on my home computer) so I added one at a time, not sure whether this was normal or not.  

The other one that has been a great discovery is Librarythingy, you add a book or several.  Then recommendations come up, suggestions, I have already noted one or two books.  I have such a wide variety of tastes, and read fiction and non-fiction, so this will be fun to use.  It would be great to put up on our new website, for recommendations and suggested reading.  I may have a word in our web designer's ear.

My last day of Freedom

Hi Ho, Hi Ho it's off to work I go....tomorrow.  Today was my last bid at freedom.  

I went to the Gladstone Ecofest today.  I got planted up, bought 15 native plants to this region today, by region I mean zone 1 which is quite a large area, Fitzroy, Capricornia Coast etc.  Potted up the bigger ones when I got home and cross fingers they will be fine.    I saw a wombat or two, a baby and a teen.  A Bilby's behind, because he was hiding in the corner and several young joeys.  And two small crocodiles, and yes I did smile at them.  It was a good couple of hours just looking and asking questions.   I also bought another book about the native flora in the Fitzroy region.

Our first garden bed should be happening next month, fingers crossed.  Have to wait until the 'tractor' arrives, my partners new toy.  A little kubota tractor.  It will make it easier as we have so much rock here.

I have been trying to locate a line drawing of a cat, not an easy task on the Internet, trolling through all these sites.  I want a stretched out cat for my next tattoo.  I might have to go trolling through some books instead and see what I can find.   If anyone has some suggestions, I am thinking Asian type art, so I am all ears.

Interesting read

Just finished reading "The philosopher and the wolf" by Mark Rowlands.  Very interesting read, about his connection and the lessons he learnt from having a wolf.  Beautiful story.  Mr Rowlands also puts in his views about life.  One thing I have come away is that as humans we value ourselves way to highly.  We don't have a purpose or calling, we were put on this earth like everything else, to procreate and then to die.  I know that sounds depressing, but we put too much value on goals, and feelings, how we should feel, what do you feel etc etc.  When basically I think we should just live in the moments.  Take stock of your surrounds when was the last time you stopped still and felt the breeze on your face or the warmth of the sun.  Next time you are out stop, close your eyes, and feel this.  I believe that is living in the moment.

I have attached his blog to my favourite links.

Homework

View from Ways Terrace

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Okay doing a new test with RSS feeds, and I think I made an error from the Powerhouse Museum photo of the day blog.  But I got a handle of it, realised that I already have Google Reader to view all the RSS'ssss and have several little things in there already, must remember to go and check up there every now and again.  Have a few rambling blogs, serious blogs from The Australian, and a couple of blogs from booksites what is coming out in the literary world already and added a blog from State Library of Queensland too.  So now that is my homework out of the way.  

Well I better get off my seat and keep doing my other work, housework.  When will they invent a self cleaning house?!