Aussies Home Sweet Home II

[jet]

Helen Thanks for your email, it seems my brain is just as water logged as the land after all this rain and I didn't even think to let you know all is Sending much love to you and Epic and hopefully the rain is on its way down south now.

It has been raining since Christmas and this morning we have our first day of sunshine. The whole forest is alive, the noise of the insects and frogs is almost deafening...they are just as happy to see blue sky as we are

We have been flooded in since Saturday morning and will be here for at least four more days. Reggie & my boys were away and so they got flooded out! They had to park the race van at a friends place and get dropped off at the state forest that backs onto our property, then they walked about 5kms, up to their knees in mud so I wouldn't be home alone...it seems I'm always home alone when the floods or big storms hit ;D ;D

I took this pic yesterday, its the only road that comes into my place and its well flooded from both ends. You can just make out the top of the hig water level signs ;D ;D ;D ;D . It peaked early this morning and so should subside soon.



So, its all good especially since my phone line still works We usually lose the phone when it floods as the phone lines are well under water too.

oh, and my boys got me this



she is just sooooo beautiful! She fits in my hand and thinks I'm her mum Of course Mitch had to name her, after a motorbike part...shocky ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

I had better be off cause it seems the washing fairy is flooded out and I have finally come to realise the washing just does not do itself!

Catch up soon


xxx
J

[dawn]

Jet I love shocky! how cute.

Glad to hear you're doing good & not drowned out! Hopefully we'll catch up again sometime soon

Bighugs to all all in the Aussie thread

[starcrossed]

Help out my friend Travis & his Aussie band THE WOODENELVES

Hi Everyone! The Woodenelves (and my dear friend Travis) are in the running to be the support band for Bon Jovi in Perth on January 25 and they need your help!

It's a massive gig at Subiaco Oval and would be an incredible opportunity for them, so I am hoping you can please take 1 minute to vote for them.

Head to www.96fm.com.au and click on the Bon Jovi photo - from there, just fill in your details and put:

The Woodenelves! in the Your VOTE box.. and feel free to get your friends and family to vote too!

Thanks in advance!!!

[starcrossed]

Awe!!! Love the puppy picture And glad your not under water... wow... that is a lot of water!!! I just came here to ask you for some help with my friends band. He is a fellow Aussie and could really use some help with getting votes. They are up against some other great talent, but his band is so much better. Please stop by the site and vote... it doesn't require you to register and it takes less than 5 minutes.

[IWOmusic]

Hi Everyone!
Jet - thanks god you are ok, the water looks so high
Shocky is absolutely beautiful! Looking forward to more pictures!
What kind of breed is she?

[dawn]

starcrossed said:

Help out my friend Travis & his Aussie band THE WOODENELVES

Hi Everyone! The Woodenelves (and my dear friend Travis) are in the running to be the support band for Bon Jovi in Perth on January 25 and they need your help!

It's a massive gig at Subiaco Oval and would be an incredible opportunity for them, so I am hoping you can please take 1 minute to vote for them.

Head to www.96fm.com.au and click on the Bon Jovi photo - from there, just fill in your details and put:

The Woodenelves! in the Your VOTE box.. and feel free to get your friends and family to vote too!

Thanks in advance!!!

No problem Star - I've voted Best of luck to them

[dlh]

Ahoy there maties!

Jet, sooooooooooo happy to see that you are ok! Has the water receded yet? It was -20oC windchill and snow flurries last week. This week its been 15 to 18oC with rain, wind and even tornados. The global weather sure is a bit wacked.

Aaaaaawe! Your new pup is so cute! Unconditional love coming your way.



Helen, it's hard to believe our favorite ASTer is still not well.



Have Mick give her a big loving pat for me. She is such a beautiful girl.


Steph, I just voted as well. Hope your friend wins.


Hey IWO, what have you been up to now that the Elf gig is ovah. I really enjoyed listening to your version of Clouds on myspace. It is beautiful.

Dawn, are thinking of coming to Hammerfest at the House of Blues in Chicago on March 14?

Well, it's finally 2008. Got lots to do to get into shape for HJ3.
.

Hmmm... .I wonder why I think I'm in big trouble.....


Den

[aussiefan]

Hi everyone,

Jet, was so relieved to get your email that you and your family were all OK the news coverage we were getting down here in Melbourne virtually showed your whole area under water so you can see why I was a little worried.
Your puppy is absolutely gorgeous, Shocky, that name just isn't right for her What breed is she, she is so tiny, just wanna cuddle her

Star, so nice of you to drop by, have given a vote or 2 for your friends band, I hope they get the gig, that would be awesome for them. Hope you are well, you must be very busy as we don't hear from you much any more but you aren't the only one that has faded off into the distance.

Den, I am sooo NOT a summer person anymore, today it is 42 C in the shade and about 46 C out in the sun, just horrid and tomorrow it is going to be hotter I really hate it. Roll on Autumn (Fall). Altho it is widely thought that our summer is going to be a long, hot one this year. I really don't cope with the heat health wise at all, my leg swells up to twice its size and the pain is twice as bad and I literally feel sick the whole time, it isn't pleasant at all.

Epic report,
We have done the last of the tests we can do without her being admitted to the equine hospital and the vets are pretty sure they have figured out what the problems! are.
1. She has Equine rhinitis
2. She has the equivalent to human asthma (COPD)
3. She has Equine hay fever

So now it is just a matter of managing her condition for the rest of her life as there is no cure and it is always going to be much worse in summer & spring. Her hay fever is extremely hard to treat as it looks like she may be allergic to as many as around 20-30 things, airborne and plant life.
So she has medication everyday, special feed and her hay has to be soaked in hot water before she can eat it to stop any dust. She needs to be out on grass and taken off the dusty paddock she is in. Well, that is easier said than done, we are in drought here, nobody has grass! unless you have 100 acres right out in the bush, which I don't. So it looks like it is unlikely she will ever become a show horse as her condition will always be worse in summer and spring and that is when we compete. Nothing ever seems to go right here with my horses, I really feel like throwing in the towel. Nothing I do for my horses, even tho they always come first before me when it comes to needing things, things just don't go right. I think someone is trying to tell me to give them up and move on to something else. It is all just too frustrating
I am glad that her condition isn't life threatening and that now that we have some idea of the problem she is less distressed since we have started treatment but paddock ornaments like Epic are very expensive when you can't compete and selling her on wouldn't be worth it as with the Equine flu still around and with her health problems nobody would buy her. If I breed from her it is a 50/50 chance that her foals would also inherit these health problems. There is only one possibility that the vet said to me was that sometimes in a few cases because she is so young (2 year old) she may grow out of these respiratory problems, he knows of a few other young horses that have. Just have to hope that Epic can do this and be OK in a few years time.

Not much other news, just trying to keep cool and counting down the days until my appointment with the specialist on Feb 7th re pain management for my leg.

All other ponies are fine, still have'nt taken a new photo of Marty as it is too bloody hot to go outside and fiddle around with the camera, we are supposed to get a quick cool change for one day over the weekend so will try then.

Til next time, take care all, cheers, Helen

[dawn]

Thanks for keeping us posted Helen I hope for her sake Epic will grow out of her problems - that would be amazing for you Huge hugs & best wishes for your appointment on 7th February.

Den - No, I won't be doing Hammerfest in March, I need dates for July. Well, I'm coming over in July anyway, if LH play or not Obviously, I would love it if they do, but if not, that's fate isn't it.

Jet - I keep missing you chick. Hope you & Shocky are doing well & not too waterlogged.

Hugs to you all - hopefully I'll catch one of you on line sometime soon.

[dlh]

Helloooooooooooooooooo,

Helen, that is toooooooooooooooo frickin' hot! .

Looks like your neighbor up the road feels the same way.


I guess the snow angel didn't help.



What do you think about a little Dino Mojo?.....maybe that will help.




...um....not soooo much ?



Ok.....it's Mmmmmartay time.



Psssst, be careful Marty. Last time you did your stuff, Victoria flooded.



Dawn, can't come in March? That's OK. See you in July then.


Better head out before it starts raining here.


Have a fantastic weekend all!

Den

[keysunset]

Helen, thanks for the Toby gif! Hot CHA!

just a quick post. Hugs to all!

[jet]

Coooeeeee girls!

How about some New Years decorating...







Well, in just a few hours my little Flatlanda will be 16.

He said, "What are you gonna get me for my birthday mum?"

and I replied, "I think you should be happy to still be here, you've seen the garden, I'm lucky to keep the parsley alive!"

and then I gave him a new iPod and all the bits that go with it.

Star, Iwo & Den, rock out big time at Hammerfest. I wish I could get there but with HJIII (woobloodyhoo) and my trip to NZ, I just can't see it happening.

catch up soon
xxx
J

[dlh]

Jet! No caution signs? You DLTR. I spewed coffee all over my monitor. I guess I should know if it is a jet post to expect just about anything. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Yep, 2008 is goin' to be a very goooooood year. Lovin' the decorating.



Oooooo, let's celebrate!!



Happy (Comin' Up Soon) Birthday Wishes go out to

Our ASTing buddy Deb (Coooeeee)


Here's a pressy for you





Happy Birthday to my Chicago BFF (Cooooeeee) chk




Happy Birthday of course to Flatlanda
......enjoy your new iPod. You've got the best mum in the whole wide world.





Just thought I'd dust this ol' AST poster off. I wonder if we'll be able to put it to some good use in 2008.....maybe make that "6" into an "8"......anybody have a Sharpie?


Have a great week all!


Den

[guitargirl]

jet said:

Helen Thanks for your email, it seems my brain is just as water logged as the land after all this rain and I didn't even think to let you know all is Sending much love to you and Epic and hopefully the rain is on its way down south now.

Nice to hear from you Jet !
Its been hot here usually and we have rain here in southern NSW today and its still soo humid !
we dont have many days of rain in summer, i hope everything clears up over your way but i hope the rain stops soon here and the humidity goes away even though its mostly been hot !

[aussiefan]

Hey all,

WOW, what a busy months for birthdays I have my mum, dad and brother Garry's birthdays in January also.

Epic update
It's good news, she has turned the corner and is much better. She has now been moved to a new paddock away from as much of the dust/dirt of the drought as possible, we have made her a semi permanent yard down the back near the vege garden on grass Yep, her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw grass!
She is on medication daily and a whole new diet now we know what she is allergic too, her breathing is much better and she is no where near as distressed as she was. She has started to put back on the weight she lost and is settling down well again.
What a relief

Not much else to tell you, still bloody hot here, going to be back to around 110F for the weekend, will be inside again, too hot to go out!

Anyway, I know I am early but have a great weekend all, hope you are all well.

Cheers, Helen

[dlh]

Hey Guitargirl and Helen,
Can you send some of that heat from NSW and Victoria over our way? It's 0oC right now with a low of -7oC tonight.



Then again, six months from now it will be our turn, hopefully you will get some relief and it will be our turn to wonder if the airconditioner is working.

Until then, how about cooling off with a spin on the ol' HH.
Move over Marty! Yeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaw!!!!!!




Fantastic news about Epic. My son Jeremy had a terrible time with allergies/asthma as a young child. Now as an adult he has pretty much outgrown it. Fingers crossed that Epic will do the same.

I can just see the look in her eyes when she saw the grass.












Go Potts and Lane!!Go Rudd!!!!!

Just read this from Yahoo News.

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stepped into a tense standoff between Japan and a militant anti-whaling group Thursday, calling for calm and the safe return of two activists held on a Japanese ship.


Rudd said his Foreign Minister Stephen Smith was in constant contact with the Japanese government to arrange the immediate handover of the two men, who were detained after boarding the Japanese whaling ship in Antarctic waters.

The government would use the Oceanic Viking, which is in the area, to transfer the pair back to the Sea Shepherd vessel, the Steve Irwin, if all parties cooperated, he told reporters.

Japan, which says whaling is a part of its culture, uses a loophole in an international moratorium on the practice which allows "lethal research". It is on a mission to kill 1,000 whales in Antarctic waters this season.

The confrontation has forced the Japanese fleet to suspend whaling for the time being and drawn attention to efforts by activists to halt the annual hunt for good.

"The good news is that they haven't killed any whales for a week, and all the whaling activity is shut down, so we've effectively ended whaling for now," Sea Shepherd president Paul Watson told AFP.

The two activists -- Australian Benjamin Potts, 28, and Briton Giles Lane, 35 -- were detained Tuesday after boarding the harpoon ship Yushin Maru No 2 to protest Japan's whaling program.

Japan on Thursday welcomed the idea of Australia picking the men up.

Australia, which is one of the strongest critics of Japanese whaling, last week sent the Oceanic Viking to the area to monitor the operation and gather evidence for a possible international legal case against the whalers.
"The key challenge is how do we bring about the end of commercial whaling, period, into the future -- that's what I'm concerned about," Rudd said. "This is not scientific whaling -- this is commercial whaling."

Ooooops, it's time to get ready for work. Gotta go.

Cheers all!!

Den

[dlh]

Just a quick add

Helen, give your mum, dad and brother Garry big birthday hugs. Tell your mum thanks for the card and letter. It was good to hear fromher. I hope Garry's arm is on the mends. Ouch!!

See yuz later!

Den

[dawn]

Hey girls - Helen thanks for the update on Epic, that's such good news!

Den - I was listening to the radio and they said about that "situation".

A great big hug to all on the Aussie forum

[guitargirl]

dlh said:

Hey Guitargirl and Helen,
Can you send some of that heat from NSW and Victoria over our way? It's 0oC right now with a low of -7oC tonight.



Then again, six months from now it will be our turn, hopefully you will get some relief and it will be our turn to wonder if the airconditioner is working.

Until then, how about cooling off with a spin on the ol' HH.
Move over Marty! Yeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaw!!!!!!

Hahah lol are you sure 'dlh' its pretty humid lol , well i guess its ok and its going to clear up soon, i guess i dont mind the heat ..sometimes
Its funny how we keep swapping the weather
but the only thing i find weird is that when it sometimes rains it is still hot
Haha !
And i gotta comment on how awesome that pic of Marty on the clothes line lol

[guitargirl]

guitargirl said:

dlh said:

Hey Guitargirl and Helen,
Can you send some of that heat from NSW and Victoria over our way? It's 0oC right now with a low of -7oC tonight.



Then again, six months from now it will be our turn, hopefully you will get some relief and it will be our turn to wonder if the airconditioner is working.

Until then, how about cooling off with a spin on the ol' HH.
Move over Marty! Yeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaw!!!!!!

Hahah lol are you sure 'dlh' its pretty humid lol , well i guess its ok and its going to clear up soon, i guess i dont mind the heat ..sometimes
but its weird when it sometimes rains it is still hot
Haha !
And i gotta comment on how awesome that pic of Marty on the clothes line is lol