The year in photographs - day 43

Karen in front of the horse at the race hall. She promised to ride the horse, but the security guards standing just outside the shot here didn't seem too positive about that idea... shame, I would've loved to see it! As for race day success, we did not fare quite as well as last year - despite our TWO tri-factors, we came out with less than we went in with. Still, the day was a blast so no complaints! Thanks Karen!

Some other shots from the day...

The year in photographs - day 42

Karen in front of the 'mall's balls' (such a fantastic name for a tourist attraction!) in Rundle Mall. We were busy shopping for dresses for race day tomorrow. Note the 'L' Karen is making, apparently she didn't think it was super cool to have her photo taken like this... crazy girl...

The year in photographs - day 41

My cutie family :)

The year in photographs - Day 40

More scary wildlife... I know it's hard to tell, but this is an inch ant (guess how big it is *grin*)... apparently everything's coming out because of the heat. Bring on the cold weather I say! Worst of all, when I was brave enough to kill this guy, his pinchers stuck in the bottom of my shoe and I had to pull them out with pliers! So, who wants to move to Australia?

The year in photographs - day 39

Bailey and I were playing with this very cute (but very very dirty) toy when I accidentally threw it right at Martyn's head. I think one of the feet might even have landed in his mouth. Needless to say, he was not particularly amused, but I found it absolutely hilarious... I'm still laughing now! :)

The year in photographs - day 38

Oscars night in Australia!! We spent the whole day avoiding the radio, television, internet and anything else that might tell us who had taken out the awards. Now, I don't want to brag, but I did guess the most correct winners... so next question, where's my oscar??

The year in photographs - day 37

Sometimes they just beg to have their picture taken don't they?

The year in photographs - day 36

This is awesome guys - you can create your own album cover! Just follow the instructions below... Now if only I could actually sing...

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random” or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations" or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

The year in photographs - day 35

Tracey and I spent part of the evening trying to whip her office into shape. Needless to say, it was not so keen on the whipping. Still, we made some progress ... the paperwork may take a bit longer though. Tracey was brave and started in on that by herself the next day... you go girl! Don't let the room win!

The year in photographs - day 34

Karen and I out for a night of shopping, trying to find dresses to wear to the races. Sadly, no success but we had a great time - and got these fun shots so I'm not complaining...

The 'snotty model' pose

The 'botox made me who I am' face

No comment...

The year in photographs - day 33

The boys sharing a philosophical chat at lunch. Note the lunchbag though - cool hmm? :)

The year in photographs - day 32

The amazing heights my hair can reach when left to its own devices after a day of curl... also, note the impressive 'arty-ness' of the shot :) It didn't come easy though... there were a few mis-steps before I found the angle I wanted...

The year in photographs - day 31

Happy birthday Martyn! After many misfires, I finally managed to locate all the books he wanted for his birthday... guess he'll be busy for awhile!

The year in photographs - day 30

In the midst of my never-ending study, there are certain images that help keep me going. Today, while reading cultural theory and formulating opinions on tourism as hegemony for the new petit bourgeois (jealous right?) this simple image of a winding road leading out into a field somehow gave me a bit of respite. Tomorrow, I think it'll be the picture of the fish eating the mouse... :)

The year in photographs - day 29

Happy Valentine's Day!

The year in photographs - day 28

One of the joys of living in Australia - our friendly neighbourhood Hunstman spider, out for a stroll. This bad boy was hanging out in front of the laundry room, and was about the size of my palm. Oh, for the days of squealing when a spider the size of a quarter crossed my path! As an aside: how brave was I to get the shot??

The year in photographs - day 27

A true meeting of the minds... Bailey going mono-a-mono with her favourite toy. I'm guessing they're discussing high finance, world peace or something similar... any suggestions?

Mocha takes a different approach - when you can't agree, simply start chewing on your opponent's ear. Works every time. :)

The year in photographs - day 26

My cutie husband 'relaxing' whilst reading a computer science book. Personally, not my idea of a great time, but I love that he's such a smartie :)

The year in photographs - day 25

Today's picture isn't one I've taken, but I wanted to reflect what has been foremost in my mind today - the Victorian bushfires. Raging now for several days now, these bushfires are the worst natural disaster in Australian history, killing 181 individuals so far, although experts suggest the death toll will be much higher once emergency crews can safely investigate the sites of devastation. Communities all over Australia have been mobilised by the relief effort - here in South Australia we've raised several million dollars and are in the midst of filling a huge showground full of goods for victims. There are no words you can really offer during a time like this, but my thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been affected.

The year in photographs - day 24

So the question is - who is more of a biker chick than me? *grin* This is my beautiful helmet, notice the dragon on the side? It gives rise to my wilder side...

The year in photographs - day 23

The cake says it all, hmm? Happy birthday buddy - hope you had a great time!

The year in photographs - Day 22

Celebrating my 31st birthday - first with swimming and then a delicious dinner at Beyond India - a wonderful treat, thanks guys!

The year in photographs - day 21

Feet, feet, feet... when I was younger I used to take pictures of feet all the time (not sure why), so now that I'm back taking photos so often, it seems only right to capture a few foot shots. This one was taken after our Movies in the Park night (Get Smart sadly not so great) - nice hmm? Well done with the toenails Karen!

The year in photographs - day 20

A wonderful surprise Valentine's Day card from my fantastic momma!

The year in photographs - day 19

Bailey's before photo - she's a cutie hmm? Then we whisked her off to the groomer's...



Bailey's after photo - trust me, she's still really cute... she always seems so tiny after she gets a haircut (except for those loooooooooooong legs)

The year in photographs - day 18

My humble office. Well, one of those windows is mine anyway. Okay, actually, my office is on the other side, but you get the idea :) Such a beautiful place to work - trees, grass, river (when there's water), quiet, and every once in awhile, a koala thrown in for good measure. Does it get any better than this?

The year in photographs - day 17

The girls! Sam and Karen surprised me with a lovely dinner out tonight in North Adelaide. It was great to get dressed up and feel a bit fancy, and I always have such a blast with these two - laughing, joking, and talking 'bout boys! =] Thanks girls!

The year in photographs - day 16

My cutie puppy Bailey, waiting in her normal spot for me to arrive home. My favourite look is when the net curtain drapes across her forehead and she is transformed into a puppy bride =]

Day 6 - Luang Prabang

Unfortunately, today Milla wasn't feeling very well, so we decided to lay a bit low. Our morning started with the wonderful 'Morning Glory' Cafe find - it's amazing! Western and Lao cuisine at its finest just two minutes from our hotel, although it does mean that Tracey has taken to eating Tom Khagai (a curry soup) for breakfast. This a concept my stomach cannot understand at all, being more of the 'egg and bacon' variety myself, but I'm happy she's happy.

After breakfast we decided to do a little exploring, looking down side streets and walking around temples. It's always a little awkward going into the temples - we're often the only Westerners around the place and we're never sure where it's okay to take pictures, to stand, to go inside, so basically, we just fold our hands respectfully and make 'mmm-hmmm, beautiful' noises and hope we're not offending anyone. The temples are amazing though, gilded with gold leaf and so intricately carved.

We also did a 'little' exploring of shops (again, trying to keep the gluttony down to a minimum - thus far, failing miserably) and there we found my necklace!! Last night we stumbled across one of the most beautiful pieces of jewellery I have ever seen in a little boutique store, where the very conceited French owner explained that it was so expensive by necessity (rather than as a hugely obvious run for profits), because his taste was so popular that they had trouble keeping stock in the store. Well, success Monsieur, because I bought it from a lovely Lao woman who was actually interested in selling her stock! Tracey also found a beautiful necklace of silver and blue round stones. We are very happy girls!!

The rest of the day was pretty quiet - we had a quick drink down at the river (so beautiful!) and then headed back to the room to give Milla a chance to lie-down. Dinner was a bit of a let-down though, reminding us of the cuisine we had that first night in Vietnam last time (where I'm pretty sure I ate dog!). This time around, I think we avoided that particular horror, but I don't think there's much chance the meal could be classified as food. Thankfully, Pringles are readily available, so we spent a very contented evening munching on chips and playing cards. Sometimes such relaxation is exactly what's needed.