Dream on

WE'RE living in a wonderful part of the world. And that's what every Aussie round these parts will tell you. I always like to step back and watch their reactions when I ask them if they like their neck of the woods.

They almost fall over themselves with enthusiasm and it makes me feel all warm inside. I can't ever remember speaking to anyone in my entire life who was so proud of their own surroundings. And now, I have become a part of it.

Only yesterday I took the pup to the leash-free area around the corner. There, I chatted with a native for a while and after half an hour, I knew his name, where he lived, the operation his wife was due to have, the name of his dog and what he did for a living.
This dog-exercising-rendez-vous resulted in an invitation to join them for dinner and Hey Presto, there's another "friendship" under our belts.

It's so easy to get along with these people. I feel terribly embarrassed at the sheer amount of Poms on the peninsula and would say the ratio is coming in at 50:50. But then I have absolutely no need to be embarrassed as every Aussie I speak to loves us and loves the fact that we're all coming over in plane fulls to 'live the dream'.... looking at the amount of work our new house needs though and it's far from a dream but getting our own place is a major step into carving out the rest of our lives.

Our roots are down and we now have the task of turning our humble new home into something a little more impressive. It needs a couple of extensions, alfresco area, decking and a pool. But I want it now. I sit trying to make do with what's around me but deep down, I'm craving the end result that's about two years away.

For the past month, I've been picking up pieces of paper and all manner of used envelopes that show all sorts of scribblings. I daren't throw them out or tidy them away for these are the pictorial brainstorming sessions husband has when there's a new project in the pipeline.

I really thought my skip-filling-shovel-loading days were over but here we go again... I'm on on the 'barra and off for regular tip trips, putting my French manicure in jeopardy with each and every load.

So, with every two steps forward, we're anticipating going one back but it's just a matter of time until we have the house of our dreams while we continue to live it.