Sunday, December 13, 2009

Perfect Day

Today was a lovely day. For no particular reason as Forrest Gump would say. The yard is tidy, the pool is crystal. The sun shone at 28 degrees Celsius and a westerly breeze zephyred through providing cooling relief. Even the parrots appreciated the respite.

Baby Crimson Rosella taking respite in the shade

I lucked out and scored breakfast when I visited my sister this morning. I don't go over as often these days. No horses to feed over there any more, they're now standing head to tail in the shade swatting each other's flies. So our Saturday vigils have sort of faded a bit. But it was gorgeous, eating corn pancakes, eggs and bacon under their pecan tree with the breeze, just glorious.

Came home and rescued a Blue Tongued lizard who had found his way inside and looked a little confused with the 'texture' of the carpet. No I didn't pick him up, well I did but with the safety of a towel just in case he decided to nip. He didn't he was pleased to be released and I have no more Christmas beetle carcases to vacuum, he took them all and then promptly
poo'd on Clare's carpet.

No not the baby I rescued.
One that's been resident in our garden for a while.
The juvie was just about 8 inches long. This gorgeous thing was about a foot long and some.

Clare's crashed on the couch after a big night out with Elvis "Blue Hawaii" twanging on the TV. Adam's taken off to house-sit (read plug in the
PlayStation and play Call of Duty on the Plasma screen with a case of Coopers cooling in the fridge) so I thought I'd upload a few photos that were still sitting in my iPhoto library from my Melbourne trip a few weeks ago.

I store my pics on
Flickr but because I upload so many, I have a "Pro" account. It's cheap, just $24 US a year and I can upload as many as I want. So, my account has expired and had to pay my annual dues which I did so, online.

Within seconds I receive an email from my bank:

Dear MS HELEN E BAINBRIDGE,

Unusual account activity detected on your MasterCard® card

To protect your account we have temporarily blocked your MasterCard® after monitoring systems detected unusual activity on your account. The block will prevent you from using the card to make purchases or withdrawals while we investigate these suspected fraudulent transactions.

We have sent you this email because we were alerted to this activity at a time when it would have been
inappropriate to contact you immediately by telephone.

At first I thought it was spam, but called the number and sure enough it was
Westpac bank saying that someone had made an unusual withdrawal.

Apparently it's common for credit card fraudsters to withdraw a small amount to 'test' the validity of the card. For some reason, there was a transaction fee of $1.10 on the new
Flickr subscription which was drawn separately to the subscription amount and MasterCard were onto it in a flash.

Nice to know they're protecting my interests although it's a desperate fraudster who tries to raid my
MasterCard, I think after my Christmas online spending I'm maxed out!

Anyway, all good. it's 3:44, time for an ice cold Horton's
Semillon and a leg dangle in the pool . .

Lilly dips, oh yes she does.

C'mon you didn't expect a picture of me in the cossies did you? Fat chance . . .

41 comments:

  1. aww...doggie!


    A smile from SJ =)

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  2. It sounds idyllic - apart from the visa card bit of course!

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  3. delightful....

    x Ribbon :)

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  4. I just love all those lizards, a shame we don't have any here. Though I wouldn't want them voiding on one of our precious rugs....

    I'm glad the banks are so vigilant about dodgy credit card transactions. Better than suddenly discovering thousands of pounds have gone missing and they never noticed.

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  5. Doing my blog-round this morning I visit your blog (perfect weather, perfect day by the pool) immediately after visiting Larry Burgess's (eighteen inch of snow having to dig a track out for the dog) and I say to myself (just like Satchmo) what a wonderful world.

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  6. Anonymous10:15 pm

    Well, it is snowing here so it is quite different here. My headache is over luckily (caused by 2.5 litres of beer and 2 tequilas) so it is quite fine here. However I am not looking forward to ym art history exam on Tuesday (tour guiding) and my tests.

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  7. Anonymous10:54 pm

    Uh-oh! Looks like your account has been hacked, wot?

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  8. Heh, heh! It's a balmy 27ยบ here... Fahrenheit, that is! -2.8 Celsius. No feet dangling in the pool here today. And instead of a nice chilled Semillon I think I'll go for some hot mulled cider.

    Enjoy your dangle!

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  9. I want your puppy...pretty please

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  10. I wouldn't mind a touch of the 28°C. We are supposed to have a high of 3°C, but at least we have the light on in the sky!

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  11. breakfast under the trees...sounds wonderful. loved the pics. the parrot is so colorfull. a little ray of sunshine on a cold wet day here.

    thanks for the warm wishes for my mom...she is doing much better today.

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  12. Awww your doggie has rolls!
    I love that. I LOVE birds, and the lizard I could love from a distance. His dislike of the texture of the carpet made me laugh. Poor guy, but it sounds like he has some attitude!
    Ahhh, breakfast under a pecan tree. What a dream!
    Thanks for sharing.
    Sorry about the fraud stuff.

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  13. Oh, yes... PLEASE!

    I want your perfect day!
    (minus the lizard)

    Happy Monday, Baino

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  14. yup, fat chants... cuz it can't sing or dance and it's too fat to fly :P lol

    wunderbra day all round, baino... other than the poo on the rug :O

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  15. I wish we were having YOUR weather right here at the moment. Last I looked outside there were teeny-tiny snowflakes floating in the air.

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  16. Sounds really delightful! though I'm not sure I entirely like the look on the face of that lizard...

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  17. What a lovely day! That is a great story about the Mastercard. I had not idea that fraudsters tested the accounts like that. The pool does look crystal clear and Lily so sweet.

    I'm longing for summer when I read this post. We are smack dab in the middle of winter. Brrr...

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  18. That *does* sound like the perfect day--how I would love 28 degrees and a cool clear pool! Lily looks happy there. Don't know if I'd want to clean up lizard poo however LOL.

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  19. Aw Lily - I feel as though I can almost reach in and give her a pat!

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  20. corn pancakes and bacon under the pecan tree???

    you've got to be kidding. this is heaven, baino! please ask your sister if i can come with you one time.

    i love it when you have a day like this.

    :)

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  21. Just hearing about your perfect day made me so happy.

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  22. Well I'm so glad they didn't get away with anything more!

    Did that lizard popp xmas beetle shells then after his tasty treat?!

    Gld you had a good day.

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  23. Sounds like a day to cherish for sure. We have a bluey in our yard too. He showed up last summer in the heatwave so we put water out for him, then we didn't see him again until just last week when we spotted him at the water dish in the shadehouse.

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  24. What a lovely bird!! :) And hey..nothing wrong with scoring a free breakfast anywhere! :D

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  25. ...lovely memories...Lily and I shared many a fine time swimming together...sunning ourselves whilst John was at work...what a life!!!

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  26. What a wonderful day...great photos, too!

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  27. Nick I was surprised, got the email minutes after making the transaction. But they'e be hard pressed to get thousands of dollars out of my account I tell you!

    Well you get snow Alan. I prefer the cold frankly. We're forecast for rain all week now! But it's a blessing, we really need it.

    Haha that'll teach you Ropi! 2.5 litres of Australian beer and you'd be on the floor!

    No Subby, it just looked like it and the bank was onto it straight away.

    Haha . . .sometimes farenheit sounds better than celsius Roy! Ooh mulled cider, never had that but I'm partial to mulled wine except it makes your teeth go purple.

    No you can't have my puppy Jelly. She's the speshal one! I'll nag Maxi for you.

    You would do well in the warm Grannymar although sometimes it proves that ladies actually sweat not perspire!

    Was nice Brian. Usually the cockatoos eat all her pecans and we get bombed by falling nuts! I'm glad your mum's doing well. Just sorry it had to happen while they're visiting you for Christmas.

    Aww Steph the lizards are lovely. They eat all the dead bugs around the skirting boards. Even the poo is tolerable as long as you let it dry!

    Haha thanks for that Wuffa! It's only little poo

    Angel May it's been a very long time since I saw snow flakes. 1995 in France actually.

    Hi Jenny, nice of you to drop by. He's a friendly chap and eats the snails!

    You learn something every day Ronda. I thought they only rang if large amounts were transacted. I bought a sofa bed last year and had a call within half an hour of the purchase to make sure it was legit.

    Suze I know you love Ireland but not the weather. It's taken us a while to get the pool clean frankly. It's the duck dating club during the winter. Lily likes to dip her toes. Actually she likes to swim, play volleyball and soccer as well.

    She wouldn't mind it at all Kath. Top dog that one. The best I've had and I've had four in my lifetime.

    kj my mum used to make corn pancakes and I don't think I've had them since. Basically just an unsweetened buttermilk pancake with the addition of creamed corn! Delish. I'll have to ask her for the recipe cos I haven't made them in a while!

    We aim to please Leah . . Chanukah sounds pretty speshial too! Although I had a Passover meal once at our Great Synagogue, very different!

    Toasty I didn't inspect it that closely! I did notice some spider legs on the carpet, someone . . or something . . had eaten it's body.

    River the weekends are too short as you know. We have a couple of regulars who live under our pool coping stones, looks like they've been playing nookie during the winter!

    Lizzie, it's a Crimson Rosella. Actually it was a bit scraggy either old or a juvenille that hasn't quite got his grown up feathers.

    Vita I don't know why I maintain that pool anymore to be honest. I hardly ever swim in it. Lily likes it though. She's a good time girl alright.

    Thanks e. Makes me hunger for the holidays . . .bring on the 24th and I have two weeks off!

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  28. Oh, look at that Lilly, she is something else. I like that you are also a wildlife lover, Baino. We have a few blue tongues around our courtyard. One day I spotted an adult and two babies, they were all having what appeared to be a showdown. It was puzzling, they each had their own corner. I thought they were all one big happy family.

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  29. Rowe we have less and less as suburbia encroaches but the parrots are cool and the lizards plentiful. I have Eastern Skinks in my house!

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  30. The pictures are amazing. Your dog is beautiful.

    Thank goodness they stopped transactions just in case.

    xoxoxo

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  31. good for lilly...she needs to stay cool. And what a cute little lizard...i am lucky to see a toad and very lucky to see a common garter snake in my garden! Now i'm off to don a winter coat and out a walking with the Toby i go...

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  32. Well you tantalized me and teased me with the lovely pics. We are trying to stay warm all huddled up beside heaters...the first dip to -30 celcius and although the sky is a beautiful blue we are staying put inside!

    I really think you should come for a visit just to experience winter! Or we could do a house swap vacation! I don't know if I could handle the lizards and snakes and spiders though...

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  33. Eeew! Eeeeew! Ugh! I shall return when there are no lizards.

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  34. A perfect aussie day you've had there!

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  35. I really like the picture of your dog!:)

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  36. Not loving the Lizard! Sorry! If one of those was in my house, I would sell the house!

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  37. Sounds like the perfect day. It reminds me to take it easy, warm weather will be around soon, although it hasn't been too bad here just no snow. The lizards reminded me of all the iguanas we saw in Cancun. My son loved them.

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  38. Sounds like a great day. I could do with a leg dangle right now. Sid and I suffered near freezing temperatures with sleet thrown into the mix on our morning walk today!

    Semillon? More like hot chocolate! LOL!

    My bank is super nice about possible frauds. They ring and talk to me and run through the dubious items - they've been right a few times, too! Saved with a Smile. :)

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  39. ah lilly is loverly.

    can't believe my flickr account hasn't expired.... need to get on to that.

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  40. Lilly looks absolutely SQUEEZABLE!!! She is wonderful!

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  41. I didn't realize they had crimson rosellas=I thought they were a gray/pinkish kind of bird. I've always wanted one, and almost bought a nice teenage one not to long ago. People raise them then get bored.

    I don't like people much.

    But she was a very demure little bird and I don't think Oliver would go for it. He did like a timneh grey when he boarded-but it wasn't HIS house and HIS human he was sharing.

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