Tattoo

So, I've been planning getting a tattoo for years, and have always had the same design in mind. However, recently, the thought of getting something smaller and more meaningful has been running through my mind, and now, thanks to a new friend of mine who is a completely brilliant artist, I have the exact design I will be getting inked on to my inner left wrist.

The 'B' is for not only my mother, but my brother, my uncle, my best friend and my nan's maiden name - handy they all have that in common, no? The wings, to me, represent drawing stregth from things or places I can't necessarily see, and also as a reminder of my uncle, who died a few years back and who I loved like a father.

The other tattoo - my 'main' one - will be inked across my shoulder blades, just above my bra, once I build the courage to get it done. I'm still modifying the design, but basically, it's the Sony Tristar pegasus!

Another difficult decision

So, after what seems like an age of being a nagging bitch of a housewife, things have taken a turn for the surprising. I've been having a somewhat negative outlook on things at the moment, and as a result, have been blaming peope other than myself for things I really shouldn't. So it came as a bit of a shock this morning to be asked my opinion on something I have dreamed about for a long, long time...something I have nagged about; begged for, and generally longed for since the weather decided to settle somewhere near freezing*.

It involved the words 'holiday', and 'you choose'. You see my excitement?

Now, it's somewhat more structured than that - I have two choices, due to some incredible Winter Warmer deal thing going on that the boy managed to locate in a travel agency somewhere. They happen to be two places I've always wanted to see, one a lot more than the other, but purely on an aesthetic level rather than an exploring and adventure one. All morning, I have been googling like mad, putting together lists and bookmarking pages; copying and pasting exciting bits of info to send via email to the boy, and generally doing my research. Turns out, the boy is more swayed by the first option, I more so by the latter (the aesthetic!).

My two options are...

Denarau Island, Fiji, and...

Hamilton Island, off the coast of Queensland.

Pros for Fiji:

7 nights vs 5 at Hamilton Island

New country to explore with more local traiditions and cultural things to see

Horse riding (I plan on riding a horse in every country I visit)

The hotel is the best in Fiji, and the same chain we stayed at in Kulur Lumpur which was beyond amazing.

Day trips to many different islands and heaps of activities at the resort.

The day spa looks to die for!

The temperature is around 27c each day, so warmer than Hamilton for snorkelling and diving.

Pros for Hamilton:

The infinity edge pool is absolutely amazing - drops off into the ocean.

The resort is child free, and completely exclusive to members only, but we still have access to every other resort/amenity on the island.

There's about 5 pool bars. I'm seriously considering making this 1st on the list.

Sailing on a white yacht in the Whitsundays with beautiful azure water and bright white sand with endless snorkelling opportunities is on my Top 10 Things To Do. I can't think of anything in the world more romantic.

I won't even go into the cons - the only negative thing I can think of involves flying to either destination, and once I'm in the air, I don't really mind how much further the flight is, it's the takeoff that destroys my soul.

Ok, so I'm clearly leaning toward Hamilton Island, but having said that, it's based purely on what the websites have told me today - the sites for Fiji are fairly limited, and there isn't much information on day trips/things to see in the area online, but the boy has several brochures he's bringing home tonight with lots of info, so my decision can quite easily be swayed. I can honestly say, there is very few places I would rather go than actually to another country, and as we always find the most incredible experiences come from getting out and about on our own and exploring by making friends with other travelers and locals, rather than anything in a guide book, I can see Fiji being an absolutely blast.

Any one want to help sway my opinion one way or another for me? Leave me some comments!

*(or more realistically, around the 16c mark)

(In?) Sanity.

So, I've been thinking about what this blog should be for quite some time. At first, I wanted an anonymous place to vent, then I wasn't so sure I didn't want my old blogging buddies not knowing about this after all, and now... well, I think it's just going to be a bit of a free for all.Take it as it comes, and, well, maybe cutting back on the bitching might not be such a bad idea...



I came out of surgery on my arm this morning and am feeling utterly woe-begone. I'm not supposed to do any of the things I spend my life doing - driving, riding, walking the dogs - or, in fact, anything at all. Worked out well as I had a class on injection techniques in guinea pigs today, but still. I split the previous scar open only a few hours after the stitches came out last Thursday from the first op, so I promised myself I would be a good girl this time around. But two more weeks? We'll see how long I last before I'm back in my car.



However, sitting on my ass wondering how to entertain myself (why didn't I pick up a weeks supply of chick flicks? InStyle? A new Jodie Picoult? Suduko, for goodness sake!) I read something rather interesting. Polar bears are left-paw dominant. And it got me thinking - animals have dominant paws? (Or limbs, hooves, you get the idea). I tried googling it, but could only find that dogs are 80% more dominant with their right paw. Then my thought process moved on to "well, I guess Panda's eat more bamboo with one hand than the other, and I suppose gibbons swing through the trees favoring one arm more..." and then I realized.

I am going to go completely insane over these next two weeks, so what better time to get this blog started? Please... if you've got anything of interest for me, any suggestions for what to google next, books to read, movies to watch... I beg you, leave me a comment and keep me sane!