Just a reminder PLEASE do not give small living things as gifts for xmas.
They may seem cute and you may get squeals of delight, but the novelty will inevitably wear off.
Next thing you know, they go feral and start congregating in packs in the park, around alleyways or near shopping centres.
Remember children are for life, not just for xmas!
[Reposted from xntrek]
So, it's the end of another year and this one has been a full one.
After all the heartaches and mess I went through over the last few years of the noughties, the hectic pace of this year has been welcome, even if it hasn't always been smooth sailing.
Of course, the predominant part of my year was enveloped in the agricultural studies and activities which I have detailed in a seperate review.
From a personal point of view, it's been full of ups and downs.
This year we moved from our wonderful and recently renovated home in Narre Warren and put it up for sale just as the housing market dropped ... and Ingrid was made redundant. We recovered from the latter, but, the house has been sitting there, waiting for the right people to come, fall in love with it and afford to pay for it.
Moving into a rental home on the complete opposite side of Melbourne has been interesting. The house is older, smaller and less energy efficient than the one we left. That said, it is closer to the CBD, school campuses and to the property which has allowed me to travel less for work and study and allow me to be more poroactive with the landcare groups.
On the downside, we lost our dear four legged companion of eleven years. Biscuit was a much loved member of our family, and the shock of losing him so unexpectedly was quite jarring.
Healthwise, I have been more stable. Whilst being drug dependant for my mental stability is not ideal, I'd rather that and not the alternative. My weight has suffered due to the increased levels of arse-on-seat-edness that this year has brought, but I am hoping to change that in the coming year as I kick off the range of activities that are needed to be completed.
We took on an architect and working through the process have a passive, autonomous eco home designed and submitted to the planning office for approval. The house is just so us - whimsical, elegant and eccentric all in one. We're both very excited by the project ... but until the house sells, it is already starting to be a financial strain on top of the other financial commitments and we may find ourselves delaying the next part of the process due to a simple lack of cash flow.
Whilst I have chosen to take on all of the study, projects and activities that have been keeping me busy, I do miss and regret the lack of social interaction with both those I have shared my life with locally and abroad. There are so many people I interacted with online who's lives are hidden from me due to my lack of time to keep up whilst locally, the same story is repeated as work, study, homework, commitee meetings and all round business wipes out any semblance of spare time.
Overall, all said and done, I'd have to say the year has treated me well. After the last few years, it's a very nice change.
So, all in all, a good 2011.
I look forward to an even better 2012!
[Reposted from xntrek]
So, it's the end of another year and this one has been a full one.
After all the heartaches and mess I went through over the last few years of the noughties, the hectic pace of this year has been welcome, even if it hasn't always been smooth sailing.
Of course, the predominant part of my year was enveloped in the agricultural studies and activities which I have detailed in a seperate review.
From a personal point of view, it's been full of ups and downs.
This year we moved from our wonderful and recently renovated home in Narre Warren and put it up for sale just as the housing market dropped ... and Ingrid was made redundant. We recovered from the latter, but, the house has been sitting there, waiting for the right people to come, fall in love with it and afford to pay for it.
Moving into a rental home on the complete opposite side of Melbourne has been interesting. The house is older, smaller and less energy efficient than the one we left. That said, it is closer to the CBD, school campuses and to the property which has allowed me to travel less for work and study and allow me to be more poroactive with the landcare groups.
On the downside, we lost our dear four legged companion of eleven years. Biscuit was a much loved member of our family, and the shock of losing him so unexpectedly was quite jarring.
Healthwise, I have been more stable. Whilst being drug dependant for my mental stability is not ideal, I'd rather that and not the alternative. My weight has suffered due to the increased levels of arse-on-seat-edness that this year has brought, but I am hoping to change that in the coming year as I kick off the range of activities that are needed to be completed.
We took on an architect and working through the process have a passive, autonomous eco home designed and submitted to the planning office for approval. The house is just so us - whimsical, elegant and eccentric all in one. We're both very excited by the project ... but until the house sells, it is already starting to be a financial strain on top of the other financial commitments and we may find ourselves delaying the next part of the process due to a simple lack of cash flow.
Whilst I have chosen to take on all of the study, projects and activities that have been keeping me busy, I do miss and regret the lack of social interaction with both those I have shared my life with locally and abroad. There are so many people I interacted with online who's lives are hidden from me due to my lack of time to keep up whilst locally, the same story is repeated as work, study, homework, commitee meetings and all round business wipes out any semblance of spare time.
Overall, all said and done, I'd have to say the year has treated me well. After the last few years, it's a very nice change.
So, all in all, a good 2011.
I look forward to an even better 2012!
[Reposted from xntrek]
