A Triple Barrelled Post.

First and most important, it is the love of my life’s birthday.
Deb isn’t quite my childhood sweetheart, but to be honest we weren’t much more than children when we met.

For more than twenty five years we have shared everything, from deepest joy to personal tragedy. Together we have grown into the people we are today, walking side by side and holding each other’s hand as we went.

It never ceases to amaze me how much you have sustained me, with inspiration, with far more patience than I deserve, and most of all with love.
Happy Birthday Deb! Happy Birthday my Love!


Second, by pure chance this happens to be my hundredth blog post.
Yay I’m 100!


Third, just this Friday past I commented on Jaks’ blog Lassy in Lancashire “…Mind you the only times I have had really good looks at koalas in the bush I didn't have a camera at all.”

Just yesterday I was in the bush down on Cape Otway and I was able to rectify the situation.

Koalas live in trees, usually in the tops of tall trees. So they are hard to see.
Add to this the main thing they do is sleep. Hence, most Aussies have never seen a koala in the bush. If they have it is usually a view like this. This sleeping ball, high in a Eucalyptus tree, is a koala.I have been lucky to get some really close views of the little beasties, but alas never with a camera in tow.

Yesterday I took the above photo of a ball impersonating koala and was reasonably content.

Then I got this guy, as a ball impersonator he/she is not great.
I could see a cute leathery nose and one furry ear. This was easily the best piccie of a koala I had ever taken. Contentment level increases.

Then on a branch so low I could almost reach.
My all time record best koala piccie is blown away already! Contentment level threatens the integrity of my contentment meter!

Excitement plus! This patch of bush almost had more koalas than leaves!

Less than a minute later I spot this fellow and he (I know he is a he because of the brown stain from a scent marking gland on his chest) is not only awake but moving! A rare treat in koala observation!He climbed out along this fairly spindly branch before deciding better of it and reversing back down.Finally he settled in this elbow and began munching on some fresh green leaves.
Anyone know where I can get a new contentment meter?

Milestones

Well it is still just 2009 as I write this.

It seems hard to believe we are almost a decade through the Twenty-First Century.

Yet here we are.

On Tuesday Deb and I passed one of those milestones that mark the flight of the years. The 29th of December was our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

We didn’t have a big celebration. I took the day off work. We spent the day together, simply enjoying each other’s company. As we so often do, we went for a drive and finished the day off with a meal at one of our favourite little places.

Deb and I were in our twenties when we met. I think we have been very fortunate in growing and maturing together. We have shared so much: love and hardship; joy and tragedy; laughter and tears. On the way we have raised three girls into wonderful young women.

Of course there have been arguments and furious fights. But always what we shared seemed far more important than our differences.

So many people seem to grow apart. We on the other hand seem to grow closer.

I can honestly say that after all these years, Deborah is not only the love of my life, but also my best friend.

Goodnight and have a happy New Year!