S.A.D.
My puppy has Seasonal Adjustment Disorder. I completely forgot until I complained to Moda this morning that she's been insane lately & he reminded me. She gets very sooky at this time of year, much more than usual. Always trying to climb into my lap regardless of whether I'm watching tv or standing in the kitchen cooking dinner. I suppose she could also be a bit down because we were away on the weekend, but she wasn't alone - she had two dog sitters so she should be fine. It's getting colder overnight; down to zero degrees the other day. She sleeps outside in a big warm (insulated) kennel that Moda built specially for her.
Funny girl. Last time I took her to the vet they told me I'd have to start feeding her senior's food this year. She's only 7! In fact she'll be 7 in about 2 months. There's a little male kelpie across the road that she's made friends with. He's out of his yard all the time and he comes up to our gate to visit her so we generally let him into the courtyard. He's only young - maybe 2 or 3 so he gets a bit excited and she can only handle him for 10 mins or so before she gets sick of him. When she's tired of playing she ignores him; turns her back and he starts barking. We let her in and tell him to go home.... Like sand through the hourglass and all that.

Karate Chick
I've started taking karate classes with one of Moda's friends. It's been good fun, but I am very uncoordinated - more than I ever thought. An interstate girlfriend of mine started lessons at almost the same time, so it's kind of a motivation for me to keep going. She said "I feel like an uncoordinated child" and I know exactly what she was talking about! When I become a brilliant black belt I'm going to buy a cool yellow tracksuit like Bea in Kill Bill. Yeah.
I'm usually the only girl in the class and last lesson a boy apologised to me for looking at my boobs. He said he just needed to focus where he was aiming his mock punches. Hmm. I need to buy a proper karate top so I'm not wearing little t-shirts anymore. Very awkward. A friend from work said she'd give it a punt with me tomorrow Yay!

Lovely countryside
Pondage
Dog jumping contest

My Facebook Protest:

Welcome to my new replacement for Facebook! I have a few blogs floating around in the ether and I think they're a great idea. Facebook was really good for sharing photos but the format was always changing and the privacy settings were always changing and I'm just going to do it this way now, so there. For the unfamiliar of you, don't panic. I try to use pseudonyms where I can.

This weekend, I had a Fantastic time with some good friends and my Moda. We went to the "Man From Snowy River Bush Festival" on the weekend - it was so much fun! The man from Snowy River is an Aussie bush legend - Banjo Patterson wrote a very famous poem about him: http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/patersonab/poetry/snowy.html there was a rodeo (which freaked me out a bit with the raging bulls and the limping cowboys) and lots of buskers, poetry readings, markets and a bush idol concert with amazing talent! Most of the competitors sang original songs.
Moda had a "four pie day" on the Saturday since there was really only show food. The best part of the weekend was a campfire sing-along in the rain. An old bush whacker brought heaps of instruments, including a few homemade ones that he let us play. I'll try to figure out how to post photos up here. Next year I'll be dragging a few girlfriends out there and they will love it.