Head Hanging!!

Yes my dear 'blends' my head is hanging in shame it's been so long since I've last posted.  Life is just so so busy - not a really good excuse since it only takes 10 minutes to rattle up a post.  Anyway I'm here.  So what's been happening - think a few dot points might be in order to bring you up to date with my life

• new job - fantastic - loving it especially now that I'm starting to feel that I'm almost back in control.  The first few weeks were quite scary for me - I'm such a control freak and I really felt that I'd lost it - so many things happening and so much knowledge I didn't have.  But the last week or so I'm starting to feel like I'm driving again (rather than hurtling down a mountainside with no brakes!).  I've managed to fill a couple of long standing vacancies we had, our annual performance reviews are coming together nicely, I'm making big inroads with our reporting system and I've come up with a process for our supplementary labour hire
• work Christmas party - decided our team would go to the races - great day - only trouble was that it was so wet that there were actually no horses running at the race track - but that didn't stop a good time happening
• weight - crap - haven't put any on - in fact have dropped a kilo but it should be much more than that but my head is just not in the right place - I quite regularly get angry with myself but nup - still just not doing exactly what I should
• No 2 son - has a new lady in his life - so excited about that - he doesn't usually share much until it's getting quite serious. He's currently working in Korea - 8 weeks on and 2 off and has been going to Melbourne mostly on his 2 off - supposedly because he's building a couple of town houses there and of course  his Dad is there at the moment too.  Anyway he skyped me the other night and was telling me what his plans were for the new year - he's up here late December - but of course I'll have left for Scotland by then - anyway break after that he's heading to Bali and then another break he has plans to go to Fiji.  He ever so casually mentioned that 'Joe' wanted to go to Fiji.  Up till then I'd just assumed he was going with some of his mates.  Anyway I just as casually asked if that would be Joe with an "e" or without an "e".  It's a little game we play as we know each other so well.  It was without an 'e'!  Of course he expected me to deluge him with questions at that stage so instead I said well that's lovely I'm so happy for you and changed the subject.  Round 1 to Mum!    Anyway from then on there was lots of further input to me from one of his friends and from DiL, Tiff.  I won't go on and on but the lady in question is actually his 'step' cousin if there such a relationship. His Dad's wife's niece who he's known for about 10 years but they finally hooked up last Easter. So fingers crossed it works out for him - don't know when I'll get to meet here - looks like it might be this time next year - but as long as Clive is happy then I'm happy!
• getting very excited about the trip to Scotland - two weeks tonight I'll be on the plane to Brisbane.  Mind you not looking forward to the weather - they've had it incredibly tough in Central Scotland this past week or so - and I'm not sure there's going to be that much improvement by the time I get there.
• Zanna has had surgery on both her ear and eye a week or so ago.  She was scheduled to have surgery on her eye for a haemangio - like a little blood blister - which need to be removed or it could grow and affect her tear ducts.  But two days before she was due to have the op she developed a massive haematoma on her ear - mainly becuase of her allergies - she scratches and shakes her head and bursts a blood vessel in her ear which fills up her ear with blood.  Only cure is surgery.  Anyway she ended up getting them both done - one a couple of days early and is recovering nicely.
• Bloss is well- has gone off fishing for the day with his boss - left at 3am this morning and due back around 9pm tonight - with lots of lovely reef fish I hope.
• I got an extra $500 in last month's pay in recognition of 15 years service with Rio so I decided to use it to put towards buying an Iphone for myself - and I did - and I adore it - I'm such a gadgety geek!

So now you're all up to date - my bags are pretty well packed - it's been a bit of a struggle since I'm flying Lufthansa this trip and I only get a 20 kg allowance - with Qantas because I'm a Qantas club member I get 30kg - and of course it's all heavier winter clothes I need to take and I want to take pressies too.  But I think I've got it all sorted out.

Ok chickens - a few photos now -

All prettied up ready to go to the races

These are the ladies I work with and the one kneeling is my boss - a brilliant bunch of people



My friend Deb was also at the races as her company were having their Christmas do there too



On Monday night we went to the Entertainment Centre to see Shelly who was in the cast of a production of the Nutcracker - here's Deb and Shelly together



Clive asked me to drop by the house he's built in Gladstone as he had just organised to have turf laid and he wondered how it looked so good old Maw took a few pics and sent them to him.

Another friend and workmate who moved to Brisbane a couple of months ago was back in town on Thursday night so a few of her friends went out for tea.  This is me with another of her friends - who also used to be a workmate of mine but now works at another Rio site.

And that's it  - so sorry that I've been so slack on commenting - I have been trying to have a quick read whenever I can but unfortunately not taking time to comment - but hope everyone out there is doing OK.  When I've got 5 hours to kill in Hong Kong airport in two weeks time - I'll be sprinkling words of wisdom and compliments galore everywhere.

Take care possums
Love Zanna xxx