A New Year

The new year is a good chance to put all the old stuff far behind and look only ahead. I am hoping to do that in 2007 especially as I have started a new job which looks like it is going to be great. I have only been there since 18 December but I am really looking forward to going back tomorrow. The work is interesting and the people are friendly so there is not much more I could want. The position is with AusIndustry which is part of the Commonwealth Department of Industry Tourism and Resources.

John and I went over to Stradbroke Island for a weeks holiday in late November and it was just beautiful. I know what you are thinking! Didn't she just have 14 weeks off work, with the first 6 of them on full pay. Well yes I did, but John still had to work, and, even though he now works from home he needed the break. Over on Straddie the laptop didn't work and the phone only picked up a signal from high points so he was forced to turn off and relax. I have posted a photo taken while we were over there.



This is a picture of the beach at Point Lookout that was closest to our unit. It is called Deadman's Beach. Not a very nice name for a very beautiful place but as Point Lookout was a lighthouse station from very early times, I suppose that people were more practical with their names in those days and weren't thinking of tourism.

Christmas was again this year a time of fun and happiness with the family. We had the Sim family get together a week prior to Christmas and on Christmas Day we went over to Greenslopes for lunch with Nanna and Robert. Unbelievably, the weather this year was cool and after Christmas we had a few days of very welcome rain. Off course, Doug was with us for the first time in many years and that made it a bit special.

Another family milestone was reached this year with John's Uncle Roy turning 90. As usual with the McGarrys he didn't want any fuss so there wasn't any. I think he spent the day at the new Art Gallery with Robert and some friends.

We are hoping that Tenielle can come and visit with us in January before she goes back to school. We are all looking forward to having her spend time with us, espcially Doug.

The big family milestone this year is in January, only 17 days away, when John will turn 60. He is starting to seriously think about retirement and after over 40 continuous years in the workforce you can't blame him. It is only a thought at this stage and he may continue for a few more years yet - who knows.

I have quite a few things that I want to accomplish this year. One is to finally get around to starting the renovations on the downstairs at Brisbane Headquarters. I will be getting in some quotes and ideas from professionals and will keep you posted of progress. With luck by the next Christmas BLOG it will be done. Another project - to have a rainwater tank - is already underway. The slab is down and the tank on order so it should be completed by end of January.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!

A Lot Happening

Well I see I haven't blogged since April. There has been a lot going on but truthfully I have just been lazy about doing this.

In August John and I went on holiday to Sabah and Singapore. Sabah is Malaysian North Borneo and the main reason to go was to see the Orang Utans at the Sepilok Centre. They are trying to save the animals from the advancement of civilisation that is destroying their natural habitat. They find baby orphaned Orangs in the forest, take them to the Centre and re-habilitate them back into the wild. It takes a lot of years and a lot of money. Orangs are so human like. They have beautifully expressive eyes.


Singapore was a great place. Beautiful city and absolutely immaculate with its tropical gardens and mix of old colonial and very modern buildings. And the shopping!....... I could go back anytime.

At the end of August, Joanna turned 21 so Rosemary and Greg had yet another party at their house. Joanna is a beautiful girl and we all had a fun night with the younger and more robust partygoers continuing until early hours. I was home and in bed by 11.30pm. What does that say about me? That's Jo in the middle cutting her Pavlova, not cake with Rosemary and Elle assisting.


The biggest news of late is that I have been made redundant from the CBA. On Monday 4 September, I was called to a meeting with the new General Manager who advised that my job would be abolished in the new struture. I was asked to leave then and there, so I have been at home, on full pay, ever since, just waiting. The Bank's preferred option is to redeploy staff made redundant so I must wait to see if they find me another job.

I would prefer to take my retrenchment and move on. This is an opportunity for me to do something different as I have been in banking all my life. There are a lot of possibilities and I just have to work through them to find something suitable. This last week at home has shown me that I am not ready to retire just yet.

John has decided now to work from home. He has been thinking about this for some time, so now that I don't have to go into the city every day there is no real reason for him to drive over to Cannon Hill. He must learn to discipline himself though, because he is working late into the night, and not taking proper breaks. Another learning curve to travel.

Doug has settled in well and is dividing his time between work and study. It keeps him fairly busy but he manages to squeeze in some sport and have a social life. In a couple of weeks, during the Uni break he is going to Melbourne to spend some time with Tenielle. We all miss her, but Doug especially so and he is looking forward to the trip.

Doug turned 30 last May so the family went along to the newly refurbished Newmarket hotel to celebrate. Doug didn't really pass out out at dinner, but I thought it was very coincidental that we were placed at table 30.

Now that I have more time on my hands I will try to blog more often. Catch you later. Bye!

Elle is 18

Well just like any girl, Elle loves to receive gifts and she loves pretty things. She is so pretty herself. Saturday night we had a party at the Rosemary and Greg's house. It is a good house for parties (tiles and decking - no carpets) and everyone had a great time. With people having such busy lives these days it is only on an occasion such as this that we get to catch up with each other.

Happy Birthday, Elle!!

Travel, Good Food and Lifelong Friends

It has been some time since I added any news here so I have a bit to catch up on. Doug has settled into a routine of part time work and uni. He seems to find uni work interesting and starting to think about events and situation in a different way. That's what a uni education is all about. Critical thinking.

I have had a great time over the last few months. At the end of February I went to Melbourne with Yvonne, Joan and Lyn for weekend away. We shopped in Richmond and ate at some fabulous restuarants. Yvonne turned 60 last Monday so we used the trip in February to celebrate and took her to Taxi. This is one of Melbourne's best and the food and service were superb.

Another milestone was reached last week when I was presented with a gold watch for achieving 25 years service to the CBA. I had a lovely day with a morning tea at the Bank with special guests invited to help make the occasion very memorable. Pauline Manly came in to help me celebrate and as we haven't seen each other for a while, we had some catching up to do.

The weather is cooling down now and is just perfect. At this time of year I could happily stay at home all day with the cat. Just a dream to keep me going I suppose as I would be pretty bored at home after the money ran out.

The McGarrys have a busy year ahead. Doug is 30 on 6 May, Elle is 18 in April, Tenielle is 10 in July and Joanna is 21 in August. All milestone years and worthy of celebration. There will no excuse then for not blogging or lack of great photos to show.

The Doug is Home!

Well he's back. I knew he was home as soon as I came home from work because I tripped over a shoe in the foyer. And he only had 3 mates with him but another arrived later. The good son that he is, he cooked dinner for them so I was spared that task. I would have gone for pizza anyway. I have no idea how to cook for 6 men.

The cat is beside herself. All those legs in the kitchen scared her witless and she had to eat in the garage. She wanted to go outside to get away but there's that darn snake (see below). Anyway they have all gone off to the pub now so I might sneak off to bed while its quiet.

This will be a testing time for all of us but it's great to have him home again.

Snakes Alive

Well if it isn't bad enough having to stand around hosing at night stepping on toads and being eaten by mozzies I now have to contend with a 2 metre carpet snake that is in my garden. I know that they are harmless to humans if you leave them alone but they are a bit scary. John took some photos of it but they did not come out so well, so I have posted a photo from a web site. They are really beautifully marked. This picture does not show it, but the light areas were yellow on the one in my garden.

The good thing is that we will not have any rats or mice while it is around. I just hope he doesn't start looking at the cat as a meal.

John and Judy AT the Christmas Party in Melbourne

My new years resolution will certainly be to lose some weight in 2006. I have been really slack and have let the kilos pile on and so has John.

Once we get through all the Christmas food, booze, chocolates, nuts and other stuff we will be good......

Well anyway, going back to the gym has also been of help for me. Although I haven't really lost fat, I have firmed up and I feel better. Funny how using more physical energy can made you feel like you have more energy.

A Better Photo

This is a better picture. Of Tenielle anyway. As you can see my hairdresser really got stuck in and chopped off my hair this month. It was much too short but has grown a bit and is OK now. Too late for the photo.

As I mentioned in my previous BLOG it has been very hot today and as expected we had a storm about an hour ago. The thunder and lightning were spectacular. I am sure one of the lightning bolts was right over the house.

Poor puss cowered under the dining room table and out in the street I saw a terrified dog running around in a panic. I hope he got back home because he was very distressed.

Christmas Day

Well it is nearly 7 pm on Christmas night and, as usual on Christmas night, I have had too much to eat and drink. Today was a scorcher and the humidity was pretty unbearable. I don't how we ever survived without air-con. Nanna McGarry and Robert came over and had a traditional Aussie Christmas lunch with us.

As Doug mentioned in the previous BLOG we went to Melbourne at the beginning of the month and had a lovely day with Doug and Tenielle. I haven't seen Tenielle for a long time. She is growing into a very lovely young girl. We shopped and shopped and bought her some lovely things.

I am going to post a picture of us together at the hotel room in Melbourne. We didn't get a really fancy room like Doug had in his BLOG but it was still a good room with plenty of views.

Hi from Sunny Melbourne

So Mum and Dad are coiming to Melbourne once again for a visit. Although this time they get to stay in luxury. This could possibly be one of the rooms they are going to be staying in. Hopefully they don't gamble the night away since Tenielle and I are coming to visit them on Sunday.

Melbourne has been putting on a great show with the weather. It should be 31 tomorrow and blue sky. Bet your bottom dollar, though, when the Queenslanders steps off the plane it'll be cold, cloudy and raining. Any chance of a beach visit will go out the window.

From what I hear it's been hot and muggy up north. I received a text message from a friend saying. They thought I was mad for wanting to live there, but hey, I grew up there so I can hack it. My housemate, Adam has decided to look for a new flatmate for us. He's looking for a girl who might clean the place I think. But the closest he'll ever get is me. And I only clean up when I get sick of looking at the mess or I actually work a normal week and have two days off. So wish us luck.

Stay tuned for pics of sunny Melbourne with a coupla Banana Benders showing off in em.