No one expects the Unexpected Chicken!

This morning I discovered that our next door neighbour has a chicken (I am not sure if there is more than one but I only heard one.)  I was relaying this story to the children.  

I was telling them that I heard this Bkerk, then another Bkrerk and there it was again Bkerk.  I wasn't exactly sure I know I am a bit slow on the uptake at times.  It suddenly hit me bloody chickens!  Great was my first thought, quickly followed by #@$% mice, it's wings better be clipped!  Last time they had them one flew over the fence was chased around our yard by our old dog who cornered it then it played dead!  Hubby and I think #$%^ he's killed it hubby goes to pick it up and it sprang to life!  I laughed so hard I tell you, he didn't at the time scared the crap out of him!  We took the dog inside and figured if it got here it could get back and if not the dog would sort it out eventually!  Not that we really wanted that to happen!  Sure enough eventually it went back home so we could let the dog back out.  

My gorgeous boy Ruts

Then it all started!  Bkerk goes the chook, woof woof barks one of our dogs!  Bkerk, woof woof woof, Bkerk, woof woof woof woof.  Are you getting the picture?  My thoughts of a quiet morning outside on the deck were rapidly vanishing with the discovery of this bloody chicken!  

Obi Wan

Next thing I hear Bkerk, scratch scratch scratch Bkerk followed by more scratching of nails on a colour bond fence.  On investigation I discover both of our dogs scratching and digging to find what the noise was!  This was not happening, seriously I have just got the kids back to school I just wanted some peace.  

Chewbacca

With the scratching, digging, barking I took my dogs inside.  Next thing I hear is more Bkerks and howling from what sounds like a dog the size of a small bear that sounds to be coming from the house the other side of the house with the chickens!!!  Awesome this goes on for about another ten minutes!  Then silence the giant sounding dog either ate the chicken or the chicken went to sleep, stopped Bkerking and stopped annoying the street full of dogs!  

Anyone who thinks dog barking is annoying has never listened to a chicken Bkerk for at least 30 minutes non stop!  

This is a video of the kids laughing at my story telling!  This is a good five minutes after I had finished my story!!!  They had sore tummies and chests from laughing so hard!  I truly didn't think it was that funny but apparently it was! 

I just want to be super clear no chickens were harmed by me or my dogs (or the other dogs in the st!) to the best of my knowledge today and I will endeavour as best as I can to keep it that way.  

Hugs 

Cathy xoxo 

Linking up with Karin from Calm to Conniption for the Ultimate Rabbit Hole!

15yrs ago ...

Today I marry

my best friend

my lover 

my everything.  

These were the words I put on the outside of our order of service that we handed out to everyone as they came into the church.  We had a lovely church service on a day that was not dissimilar to today heat wise.  I had decided years earlier right or wrong I would wear an opera coat and the veil my mum wore on her wedding day.  An opera coat from shot silk on a day where the mercury was above 30 was never really a great idea, I did have a combat plan though and that was once the photos were done I would take my veil off and give it back to my cousin/photographer she had worn it at her wedding as well as her mum (mum's sister) so it is a really lovely family veil and I would also strip off the opera coat revealing a party dress underneath.  

We wrote our own vows and surprisingly (or not) I did not vow to obey my husband.  Here they are 

With the love that resides in my heart, 

I take you to be my chosen one

to desire and be desired by you without sin or shame.  

I promise to love you completely

in sickness and in health, 

in plenty or in poverty.  

I will not seek to change you in anyway and 

I will respect you as I respect myself 

This is my promise to you, as long as we both shall live. 

We have had many highs and lows in the last 15 years but we have come through it together. Along the way we have done lots of exciting things as a family, volunteered in the various groups we are part of. We have also been blessed with three beautiful children who light up our world and keep my heart beating. We are also lucky to be surrounded by the love and support of our amazing families and friends whose support we have needed more than ever in the last year. 

I love you, and thank you for saying 'I do'. 

Here is a little video of photo memories from the last 15yrs (in no particular order!) Apologies it is a little long so grab a cuppa before you sit down to watch lol ... 

2015 can go get stuffed ... here's to 2016

It is not secret at all that 2015 has been a pretty long tough year for me and well frankly just about everyone I know has been through something life changing who knows perhaps it was something in the air!  I will be glad to see the back of it as I am certain many others will be too.  It is often hard to remember the good things that happen unless they are huge!

On that note here are a few things I am incredibly grateful for in 2015:

*  My beautiful family and the friends I have been blessed with
*  I have managed to get a few things back to "normal" (whatever that is) like knitting, crochet, baking

Of course there are all the normal things like jobs, health, children, food on the table etc.  I think in my case the very fact that I am here to enjoy all the everyday normal things is something to be grateful for.

On that note I honestly think I would like to leave 2015 behind and start a new.  That doesn't mean that things are very different for me in that I still have lots of memory loss (though I can usually fake it through a day if I need to - thank God for fb!), I still have a long way to go with lots of things but I have the support I need to be able to do that.  I have over and over thanked everyone for standing by me this year and I truly mean that.

So instead of looking back I want to look forward, I have lots of things I want to do, lots of dreams but for now I will be happy to get up tomorrow and remember what I did today.

In 2016 some things I want to do:

*  I want to keep getting well
*  I want to learn how to make dumplings
*  I want to get off my walking stick
*  I want my driver's licence back
*  I want to at least double my writing on my blog

Somethings I will do to occupy my time:

*  Read books at the moment I am enjoying The Chocolate Promise by Josephine Moon
*  Knit and crochet ... I appear to have a long list of scarves I need to knit
*  Write lots of my writing barely makes sense to me but at least I keep writing.  One day I hope to turn it into something meaningful but we will see
*  Now that my toe isn't hurting as much get back on my bike and start getting my 30mins a day back into my routine
*  Write more often on here

Somethings I hope to do:

*  Catch up with friends more often even if that means them coming to me
*  Investigate an idea I have and how it would be possible to bring it to life
*  Finally start some actual real work on a book I have been looking at for nine years now

Image source: life, love and hiccups

I have lots of other dreams but these are not resolutions in anyway, they are very much long term plans for the future.  So they are not related just to 2016 as much as they are to 2016 and beyond!  I saw this today on Down that little lane and I think this is a great idea for 2016.  These are things I will need to think about so I will get back to you on these.

I am spending tonight with my family, parents, aunties, uncles, and a cousin and his family.  It will be a nice night surrounded by lots of love but very low key which is exactly how I like it.

Lastly the biggest thank you to everyone who has in anyway supported me this year it helps me more than you know.

I hope that whatever you do for NYE you have a lovely time and see you on the flip side!

Image source:  little paper lane

hugsCathy xoxo 

Family and Friends are important all the time.

It is the crazy silly season.  That time of year when everyone wants a piece of you and everyone wants to catch up.  There are 364 other days of the year that it is possible to catch up too but no it all has to happen in the space of one month per year.  This is of course in and around end of year sporting commitments, school award ceremonies, graduation dinners, end of year dance concerts, work get togethers, you name it there is typically something on the calendar for most days in the month of December.

This all of course needs to happen in and around normal school, work and extra curricula activities and preparing for the silly season.  Which includes buying that perfect gift for the mother in law or finding the ingredients for that perfect alternative to the traditional trifle that will still keep old Aunt Dot happy even though it isn't quite trifle.

Sometimes though the ones we really love and really want to spend time with are the ones we brush aside thinking that there will always be next year or they love me so they will understand.  Which of course is true we do make allowances for those who we love.  But should we?  Shouldn't it be the other way around?  Shouldn't the ones that we make the priority to spend special holidays with be our loved ones instead of people that we don't hear from any other time of the year?

This clip has been sitting in my drafts since 3/12/15.  I watched it again tonight to see why I had put it there.  I cried!  I guess I put it in drafts because I really couldn't find the words to put with it that would make any real sense.

I think all that needs to be said is that every day is precious don't put off seeing your loved ones whether it be family or friends.  Make them the priority not all the other things that fill our lives.  The gifts and time spent at work are not the things that will be remembered it is the time and the memories we have made together that we will treasure the most of all.  Make the time and don't make excuses to not spend time with those we love the most.  We never know what is coming around the corner.

Hugs 
Cathy xoxo