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This is my July gift for you my friends. I hope you like it.

So if anyone is reading this who hasn't contacted me in a while... please email me because I have lost my address book!!

The panic wasn't because I didn't have the computer... it was because I knew I'd be getting Birthday greetings sent and I couldn't reply. I didn't want anyone to think me ungrateful. Talking about my Birthday.....

It was quiet, I made the cake *S* . Mum had ordered me something for my computer but of course it didn't arrive on time. Hey, so what's new... this is Hervey Bay! Jared bought me a beautiful picture frame and Jason... my loving son forgot. Like... the day before American Independence Day is SO hard to remember. He did tell me not to make dinner the next night, I said OK and didn't question it. I told Jared not to mention my Birthday when he was with his Dad.. and he didn't.

So, the next morning he rang to see if Jared was ready to be collected and wished me a happy birthday! I took great delight in telling him he was a day late! BUT he did come armed with fish he'd caught on Monday, a bottle of wine and made dinner which was DEEEEEELICIOUS!! The sauce was out of this world.... he's definitely his mother's son in the cooking department. (He had a good teacher <grin>) So, I kinda got to celebrate twice, which wasn't so bad. He bought me a beautiful crystal and gold crab (Cancer) which was another surprise because I couldn't tell the last time he ever bought me anything for my Birthday.

My drawing tablet that Mum ordered arrived the next day too, but I haven't had the chance to try it out with all this other stuff I have to fix up on the computer first.

We went to an Arts & Crafts exhibition last Sunday before going to the movies to see Shrek again (Jared's choice). I thought it was going to be typically boring but was astounded with the talent and ideas that I'd never seen before because I've been tied to other things for the past few years.

I was taken with a thing called "The Woodcutter's Daughter", which are wooden shapes of ladies but you have to paint in the design yourself. Of course I was at the Craft Shop first thing on Monday to buy some blanks and the paints. I've done six... and have sent away for a catalogue of the blanks because the shop didn't have much to choose from. It's been so long since I spent the day doing something like this. No doubt before I upload this I'll have a pic to put here *S*.

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I fluked getting my ICQ up and running again THOUGH it's the new version. Can anyone tell me how I send the same message to more than one person on this new version???? The old version had a button you could push.. I can't find any on this one :-( (Never mind... it appeared somehow)

I slept in until 10am yesterday... oh bliss! Thank God for school holidays! When I went through to get my morning coffee starter I heard power saws outside. The men had come to clear away some trees in the pool area so that I can have a garage built. I did tell you I was getting a garage... didn't I??

Shoot.... I better get a shower and get out of my nightdress (it's 10:15am) just incase some worker turns up at the door... back later!

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OK, we had some lino left from the kitchen floor... Mum wanted it cut and laid in the toilet... today was the day I was in the mood for it...

NOW you can JUST imagine what it takes to cut around the bowl EVENLY and be EXACT at the doors and walls. I spent 2 hours making a pattern, then cutting it out. Was making minor adjustments when the kitchen guy (Mike) turned up to finish off his work, so I stopped to 'supervise' what he was doing. I wasn't happy that he'd left us 'hanging' for so long... since the 23rd of May to be exact. BUT it's really hard to be angry with someone who smiles all the time!

While he was finishing off the little bits and pieces Mum decided she had to relieve herself... came back and said "I don't like the toilet floor! I looks B awful. Not the workmanship... just the lino!"

AAArgh!! ... I remained calm... don't ask me how. My hands were sore from cutting the damned stuff (personally I didn't like it either but she'd wanted it and I wasn't about to argue with her). So I said "I suppose I should be glad you told me before I spent another couple of hours getting it right!"

Mike burst out laughing, I followed. <grin>. Well, that was a total waste of a day!

Friday 20th July .... I think *S*

10 days since I last wrote.... some friends are beginning to think Jamie has disappeared! Truth is.... I've been trying to sort out my computer since I got it back. CD Burner didn't work so that's gone off to be repaired or whatever, since it's still under warranty. THEN the CD Reader died so I couldn't install my new drawing tablet. So that had to be replaced... lost my address book and saved messages from OE well.... I haven't actually LOST them... they're sitting in a file and I can't access them. If I had the time to sit and do nothing else but work on recovering them it would be fine but Lord ... I get so many interruptions!

So without my address book I can't let my friends know I'm still around. I've heard from a few, but not all. I'm not giving up though! NOW my mouse isn't working so I'm using the pen from the drawing tablet to navigate my way around... it's a pain, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow when Jason can come fix it.

I hope every one had a better month than I (that wouldn't be hard). So until August.... toodle!!

Be kind to each other!

"Life is a sum of all your choices"