Las Vegas - Shocking Santa

Once Santa has come you can then get back to being
a little naughty but nice.

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Melbourne Cup

Today is the running of the Melbourne Cup and most people in Australia will stop to watch the race which is held at 3 pm.  The Melbourne Cup is run on the first Tuesday of November.  Today as I was not working I took the opportunity to go to a luncheon with my partner and watch the Melbourne Cup.  People get dressed up at these functions and so I wore a hat.

Many people get dressed up even when at work by wearing a hat while watching the Cup being run and most businesses will allow people to stop work to watch it.  Some companies even have lunches or snacks so it becomes a fun activity for their staff.  In Victoria it is a public holiday but in other states we work, but stop for the race.

For a few years we would go to Melbourne the Saturday before the Cup was run on a day called Derby Day and I enjoyed that even more than the Melbourne Cup itself.  Here is a photo of me dressed up for the day. One year I would wear a hat and the next I would wear a fascinator.   It was a fun day at the races and I always enjoyed it whatever the weather was like.  This year the Cup was won by Americain watched by 120,000 people at the racecourse.

Another picture of my garden now its full into Spring

I really love Spring and its now much warmer during the day here in Australia while the nights are still a bit cool
 My garden has come to life and I have the most beautiful pink Azalea flowering at the moment that I would love to share with you. My orchids are still out but finishing now. 
Getting outside into the sunshine really lifts your spirits and I am so glad it is Spring here now.

Are my cattle dogs susceptible to human flu?

We as humans are prone to the  flu virus but can we give it to our cattle dogs? The answer is no. The flu virus is a type of disease that is transmittable from animals to animals (zoonosis). Zoonotic diseases are broken up into two aspects - those that humans catch from other animals (anthropozoonoses) and ones that other animals catch from humans (zooanthroponoses). There is no evidence that humans can pass the flu to their Aussie blue heeler. The form of flu found in dogs comes from horses. Similarly, dogs do not get the strains of flu that humans are vulnerable to.

In today's world with flu pandemics such as Swine Flu, White Pox, FMD or Foot and Mouth Disease, and Influenza Virus it is easy for us to ignore the fact that our cattle dogs can also catch their own version of flu. Much like in human flu, the main symptoms of this illness in Aussie blue heelers are nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing and fever. In some cases, however, cattle dogs can get real sick.

If you notice your cattle dogs start to cough regularly, you should visit your nearest vet clinic so that they can assess your Aussie heeler dogs and provide an appropriate treatment. If left neglected, the biggest problem with dog flu is that in some cases, your dogs may develop pneumonia, which is considerably more dangerous.

How can I protect my cattle dogs from having flu?

Protecting your Aussie blue heeler dog from getting flu virus is very easy. Always clean their environment to help minimize the risk of being infected by flu. Keep your cattle dogs away from populated dog areas. Keep your dogs away from street dogs. Most of all, visit your vet clinic to know more about the precaution you need to do for your pets.

So don’t be alarmed, if you feel like coughing or sneezing with your cattle dogs around then feel free to do so. Don’t worry about having your dogs hang out with you on your next sick day – they’ll be fine.

Orchids in late Winter

I have some lovely native orchids out in bloom at the moment in my garden and I thought I would share one of my photos with you. Hope you like it.

 I hope to have some more lovely photos from my garden now that we (Australia) are approaching Spring.
All the best to you and your family from me and mine.

Persuading other people using your Charisma

People have different personalities that makes them unique. It’s a bit hard dealing with every individual since not all of them are the same; some are easy to deal with, others are not. 

Charisma makes a lot difference when dealing with other people. Charisma is like a magnet that attracts people and inspires them. It is like an aura that surrounds a person and makes them wanted. Charismatic people have the ability to persuade not only other people but also his/her surroundings to be able to bring their dreams alive. The influence should start within themselves and they should act on it in order for those people to think and do things the way they expected.

You should not give up once a person is not acting in the way you wanted or believe on the ideas that you want to convey with them, because each of us has different points of view and we never get easily influenced by other people’s insights and actions. Remember, we have our own power to act on the things that we consider, and no one can control us. We’re not like robots, we are human and we want to be free… free to express our mind and act on it.

But once you get their trust, they are willing to follow everything you desired them to do. They hand over their faith and depend upon you to take important decisions on their behalf. They look for direction and are willing to be driven. Charisma gives a power to take such responsibilities and work towards the benefit and for betterment of other people. Charisma is equivalent to leadership, which provides direction with purpose in the life of others.

There are certain things that coerced this world, and charisma is one of them. It is a quality of a person that builds over time by obtaining the knack that are admired and trusted by other people. You need to work on it and learn to value it. Most of all, learn to respect others opinions. Show them respect, and they will respect you in return.

Surviving a facial peel

I had to have a chemical face peel lately to help me get rid of skin cancers on my face. Having a procedure on your face is difficult because you feel like you want to hide yourself away afterwards. What you look like to others does affect you.  For about a week I didn't even look like me. 

I am lucky that it is temporary and even 3 weeks on I have still a lot of redness and itching to part of my face. I hope I don't have to have that procedure again but realistically I probably will have to in around 7 years and then there may be advancements in the treatment of skin cancer.

Here is my photo.....giggle....you didnt think I would post one until I have my face all healed did you? This is me though ...just call me the masked woman.

A Real Marketing Help

Marketing Online is a bit hard.…that’s a fact, especially if you’re only just started and you’re not savvy when it comes to the internet. I admit it, at first I thought internet marketing was so easy to do, you just need to write articles, well I love writing so it’s not a problem to me, go to social networking sites and post a video on Youtube. But as time goes by, I realized I was wrong. Being an internet marketer needs a lot of experience and expertise. Marketing help can contribute a lot to achieving your goals in the internet business world.

Trial and error is very vital. You must prepare extra approaches in case you’re first approach doesn't work, and try it until you get the right rhythm. So patience is a must! As any other business, internet marketing is much more complex. Remember, you don’t see who your customers are. You need to convince them well maybe through emails, e-newsletters, twitter, facebook and so on. You must make the most out of it with those approaches.

Another thing that I learned is to get marketing help to guide you on what to do and how to do online marketing, the right way. It’s better to ask someone who has already established a successful internet business. Get advice from them, or you can research the internet and try to look for some methods that will help you on your marketing strategies. List them all down and apply it to your own internet business and observe which one will work and which ones don't.

Most of all learn from your customers. The things that you need to consider first are the feedback of your customers about your product and whether they are satisfied or not. With that you may take necessary actions or apply another marketing approach until your customers are happy and pleased with your products or services.

Lazy Slow Cooker Meals

I haven't been well lately so I suppose I should call this post Crock Pot Meals for sick people.   Ah maybe not!

I love slow cooker meals but when you aren't well you want something that doesn't need much preparation as well as cooking itself.  Yeah well it can be done and I have done it.  I found that McCormick and Maggi and I am sure other companies have brought out a range of crock pot/slow cooker recipe bases which are just perfect for this time.

Just make sure you have all the ingredients and add it all to the slow cooker.  Easy.  I like Chicken Chasseur with chicken pieces, an onion, sliced mushrooms and tomato paste and the recipe base of course. Add the base with some water and pour over the rest of the ingredients into the crock pot.  Cook for 8 hours on low and you have your meal.

Next you have a sick house then make up these bases and presto you have dinner.  No one needs to leave the house to go get it.  Just serve with bread, toast, rice, pita bread or pasta or mixed vegetables.

AboutMeMovie and introducing my other blog

A new venture in giving marketing help

Hi I am back from a bit of a rest from posting.  I have to fill you in about my weight which has been going down but little by little.  I have lost about 3 kgs. I am not worried about that as it means I will be able to keep it off and my skin has a chance to adjust hopefully and I wont go too saggy - yuk.

I have started a new venture in internet marketing and have got myself a mentor.  He is a a young guru of internet marketing called Alex Jeffreys.  I joined his mentoring program and doing great guns.  I am studying hard and following his direction so that has kept me pretty busy.

I have built a blog to help others who are starting out and by giving marketing help I can really help others on my goal and theirs towards financial success.  I want to be able to retire in the next few years and have been worried about how I was going to manage financially.  I am also going to be displaced at my workplace in the next 6 months so this training has come at the right time.

I have always wanted to help other bloggers like myself make money online and I have been lucky that Alex has given me a FREE WEBINAR for my readers to watch.  He is a great trainer so you can benefit at no cost from this webinar.  There is no catch, just click on the link and I will send it to you or just click on the banner below.

Here's to our success for the near future!

Weight loss so far and new toy

Image by ifranz via Flickr

My weight loss is going well!

I have lost about 3 kilos so far.  That is not bad for me and I would prefer to lose it slowly so my older skin shrinks back.  I have a plan to lose the weight over 7 months so I am ready to be tortoise rather than the hare haha.

I have a new toy and its called a bloggie.  Its a small video camera by Sony so maybe in a few weeks I will post some I have taken. 

My bloggie is dark purple and real cute. It will be perfect for travel which I love to do.  It even takes still photos.  I have to work out a lot about it though so I am now going back to play with it so until next post take care and stay safe.

I hope you have missed me

I have been offline for nearly 2 weeks because my computer crashed.  I have a netbook but it's not easy to use for more than a short time as you have to scroll a lot, and I mean a lot hehe.

After having to spend a small fortune I now have it back and running well.  Actually it's running faster and I now have Windows 7 as well.  Windows 7 is a bit different but feels a bit more sophisticated, more organized, if you know what I mean.

It's very stressful for a blogger not to be able to blog :(   I hope I don't have to go through that again for many years to come. 

One good thing came out of it and that is that I had time to write about my new blog on my marketing online experiences and it is now online too at PAULINE'S INTERNET WEBSITE MARKETING.  I would love you all to have a look at it and please make suggestions in the comments if you can.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

Image by turtlemom4bacon via Flickr

I would like to wish all my readers who are Mothers and Grandmothers a wonderful and happy MOTHERS DAY.

I am a mother and a grandmother myself and I will be spending my day with my children and grandchildren.  We are going to the beach where we will have a brunch nearby and then a long walk along the beach.  To me that is the perfect relaxing day.

I would also like to wish my wonderful mother, daughter and two sisters a great Mothers Day as well.  I saw my own mother yesterday and I will see my daughter today. 

So, if you a mother, have a wonderful day, spend it how you want and enjoy!

Can anyone tell me what plant this is

I have many of these plants in pots, as you can see below, and we don't know the name of the plant.  We divided the original one about 2 years ago and this is the first year they have flowered.  I can't remember buying the plant so maybe someone gave it to me but it sure looks beautiful now in flower.

Can anyone tell me it's name please?  Remember though that I am in Australia so it is Autumn (Fall) here and not Spring.

Crunch time for my weight problem

I have finally come to the realization that I have to lose weight if I want to remain healthy.  I am in my mid 50s and my feet and legs are complaining about the weight they are carrying.

Before I get to the point where I start to have health issues which I can see are just around the corner I have decided to do something about it.  The weight has come on gradually so that is how I plan on losing it as well.

I don't want to go on a diet as such but want to go on a new eating plan that I can continue for the rest of my life.  I have been on diets and some of them have been good but I don't want to be obsessed with food like I have been before on these diets.

The eating plan I have chosen and researched is THE DIET SOLUTION.  I watched their video, I looked at their material and I think this eating plan is for me.  You download the plan so that means I can start on it straight away.

I will keep you informed how I am going and about the program in another post but for now I am moving forward this week to be a more healthy and lighter person.

Friends are important

I had some girlfriends over for a luncheon on the weekend and we had a relaxing time together.   I don't get to see them that often now but when we do get together we have a lot of catching up to do.

Friends to me are important as they make me a more rounded person.  I am not only a partner, mother, grandmother but I am also a friend.

I love this verse that I have on a tile trivet on my desk.  I don't know who wrote it but its very true.

Friends are like diamonds precious but rare
False friends are like autumn leaves found everywhere
 
One of my friends bought me these lovely flowers pictured below and I had gifts of chocolates as well.  

I am very lucky to have such precious friends.

Preparing for Easter

Image by Stitch via Flickr

 I have been doing some spring cleaning (although it's not spring here) and wonder why I wait till the house looks like a bomb hit it before I decide to give it a good spruce up. 

I am tired now and I have only really done the kitchen, cleaning everything down and making the benches look uncluttered, even throwing things out and that is saying something.

I have lunch to cook on Easter Sunday for the family so I need to start on that tomorrow.  I can see I am not going to get too much done before then.  Maybe I can start on the dining room and have that in a half decent state by then.  It is not a big mess really but I hoped to get everything gleaming before then.  I realize now I didn't allow myself enough time.

I started all this as I have 4 days off work over the Easter break so thought it would be a good time to get things done I never have time for otherwise, but I can see I will go back to work exhausted.  Maybe not such a good plan!

Oh well, these things have to be done and I am the person to do it.   
Happy Easter everyone!

Happy St Patrick's Day

Image by Loci Lenar via Flickr

I wasn't born in Ireland but neither was St Patrick.  He was Romano-British and was captured by the Irish and taken as a slave for many years.  After escaping he returned to Britain where he entered the Church and as a Bishop returned to Ireland.

I am from Irish ancestry like many Australians are.  My great grandmother Bridget and her sister Catherine came to Australia from County Clare in Ireland and married my Great Grandfather Patrick (who was also Irish) in Brisbane in the late 1800s.  He was a Railway Fettler by trade. They had my Grandmother, Mary and she had my mother Eileen, all very Irish names.

Today in Australia many celebrate St Patrick's Day by wearing something green or a green ribbon.  It isn't a public holiday but the hotels/pubs serve Guinness and sometimes green beer and many restaurants serve an Irish lunch.  There is a street parade but for some reason it isn't held on the actual day.  We had green cupcakes for morning tea today at work to get into the mood of the day.

I will wish you "top of the morning" and hope you have a nice St Patrick's Day today.

My favorite travel pic of me

I would like to share with you one of my favorite photos.  It was taken in Cabo San Lucas on our cruise of the Mexican Riviera.  I loved that cruise and enjoyed the ports we called at.  It was a Carnival cruise for 7 days from Long Beach return.

Excuse the hat (I dont suit them) but I wasn't going to have an iguana sit on my head without one.

I love traveling and when I feel a bit down I look at this photo and smile.  I hope it makes you smile too. For those who ask....yes they are real live iguanas and I was careful handling these lovely creatures so as not to hurt them in any way.   They didnt seem to worry at all about me.

My Darling cooks for me

I love cooking but during the week when I am working I would rather leave that task to my darling partner/fiancee/best friend.  He cooks our dinner about 3- 4 times a week and makes some great meals.

I would like to thank him publicly here for all he does to make my life easier.  He is a gem.  I work full time, do a part time course and blog in my spare time so I really appreciate that he cooks dinner those times. 

He has his favorite meals like steak and salad, pork chops with apple sauce, and my favorite being spaghetti with seafood marinara (see pictures).  He is retired now and so he can produce a great dinner at his own pace, that is, when he can drag himself away from work in the garden or a good book.  He even cleans up after himself.

As it is summer here in Australia we like to eat outdoors and we have a small balcony that overlooks the lake so we sit out there with a glass of wine and a nice meal and relax.  

Thanks Darling for all the meals you have cooked for me.

Another pictorial memory from my Cook Island vacation

 Thought I would just share another memory from my vacation last November.

 

If you are cold from the snow, wet from the rain or just sun deprived from winter, then spend some time to look at this picture and imagine you are there....that's exactly what I am doing now.  The imagination is a wonderful thing. Although it is summer here in Australia I miss those lovely days in The Cook Islands.

Happy Valentines Day

Image via Wikipedia

To everyone who is loved or who has loved - Happy Valentines Day to you.

To be loved by someone is very special and we all want that for ourselves.  Today I told my partner (fiancee) that I loved him and to love someone is special too.

We had a lovely breakfast out this morning and spent the day together quietly until we looked after my grandchildren while my daughter and her husband went to the cinema.

Have a lovely day whatever you do and spread the love around. 

Our dreams

Image via Wikipedia

We all dream but most of us don't know their meaning, that is, what our dreams are all about.  We just take more notice of them when the dream is disturbing or out of the ordinary in some way. The dreams that we enjoy are also often remembered but not as much as our 'bad'  or disturbing dreams.

Your unconscious mind comes out every night to sort through your daily thoughts.  Wow I am glad no one else see this :) What goes on in the day will get reviewed and filed away again.  A good idea is to have a dream diary beside your bed. I have one myself with a pen and a spare pair of glasses nearby just in case I have a particular dream I want to remember.  If you wait until later you forget it believe me!

So what are dreams?  They are your unconscious sorting through the days events, unresolved problems surfacing or they are messages from angels/spirit guides. Enjoy your dreams and listen to the message. You can check out other articles like this on my DREAM TOWN blog.

Australia Day 1010

On Australia Day, Tuesday 26 January, a public holiday, many people have a tradition of the good old Aussie BBQ or as we call it a barbie.  We love this tradition so we invited the family around and fired up the barbie for a relaxing lunch. 

It is mid summer in Australia and today the temperature was around 30C (86F).  It was a perfect day though to sit outside and enjoy the garden, the company of family and have a nice BBQ lunch. We cooked lamb chops, sausages and onions on the BBQ and had assorted salads and herb bread.  I also made Anzac biscuits to have with coffee.

It was a great day, and we celebrated it the way we wanted, but many communities started with breakfast in parks all over Australia today.  There are many activities on all over Australia, for example there will be a concert in the Domain and Fireworks at Darling Harbour in Sydney tonight.  There is nothing like a fireworks spectacular over beautiful Sydney Harbour.

We celebrate today the landing of the First Fleet by Captain Arthur Philip although aboriginal communities have lived in this land for over 50,000 years.  People from all lands have come here to start a new life and today we also celebrate Australia as a great place to live and our pride in being Australian.

Please see video below which has lovely images of Australia and the song "We are Australian" explains perfectly what it is to be Australian.

My summer garden

It is summer in Australia and the garden is looking lovely with all the flowers.  I thought I might share some of the pics with you especially those who need a little color and light in their wintery, snowy lives. 

My partner has been working in the garden and has planted many pots of flowers as well as herbs this year.  Gardening is his hobby now he has retired, and the garden is thanking him for it. It really is a pleasure to sit out there now and we even bought ourselves a large umbrella so we can spend more time out there in the middle of the day.

We tend to spend more time in the garden now and enjoy having a BBQ on the weekends when we really can enjoy it and eating out of doors. My grandchildren love to go out and look and smell the herbs and pick flowers to take home to their mother.

The garden is a lovely place to retreat to, just sitting under a tree to read or just relax.  I hope you like my summer garden.  The only thing missing are some fruit trees especially a lemon tree and I will try and plant one this year.  The front garden is a disaster so that is due for a makeover before winter.