Passports

Today I would like to share my passport story.

It turns out that my Australian passport is going to run out while Adie and I are overseas, so rather then risk being stuck in another country I decided to get it renewed. (Less then one week after the prices went up I might add.) So I put on some mascara and a little lippy. I brushed my hair and put on a nice necklace. Then I trotted, sans horse, to the local Kodak shop to get some photos taken.

"You can't smile, Miss." said Mr Photoman. I frowned at him and might have made a low growling sound. He then looked at me and said that I could smile a little, but that I could show no teeth. (I think maybe he was scared.)

The photos turned out looking okay. Not quite magasine cover quality, but I looked more or less like me smiling with my lips held firmly together. So I took these photos to a friend who signed them, and I planned to go back later in the week once the rest of my paperwork arrived. I was happy and smiling.

When the day came to get this passport finalised I had about one thousand things to do. (Alright, maybe it was closer to eleven.) So I got out of bed, showered, towelled off, got dressed and left the house. I really should have known better. The post office lady lingered over my photos and went to show the person standing next to her. I will admit that I was feeling quite proud. Obviously most people look like they haven't taken any care when they get their passport photos taken and here mine were so nice that other people wanted to see it. It was about ten seconds into this fantasy that I took note of the expressions on the faces of these two women. They weren't going to accept them. Apparently my head wasn't "big" enough. Apparently I had to get another set done. Apparently it will take up to six weeks for the passport to be ready so I should get those photos taken immediately.

To cut this story down to the quick. My towell dried hair and un-madeup face are what shall now appear on my passport. And I don't think I managed a smile, a grimace maybe but not a happy smile. Oh well, at least I tried.

What on Earth do I write???

I sit here, in front of my computer, and think about all of the things that I'd like to say. Then I type some words, read them and then delete them. It's hard to know what to write. I guess I'm looking for some advise here. Do I just write what I want without considering my potential audience? And if I do this, to what degree do I consider them?

For today I think I'll just do a basic rundown of life over the past couple of days, as that seems like good practise for our holiday.

On the weekend we had two delicious meals with two lovely groups of people. A big, big thanks to those who cooked for us. The weekend was also a cleaning and packing day as we get ready for our house-sitters to move in. They will be living with us for about a month before we leave so we must make room so that they don't have to pitch a tent in the backyard, which could be doubly difficult as I don't think either one of us has a tent.

Yesterday was a work day with a twist. We all went to a conference centre and there were no students. Not much of a twist, but it certainly made a big difference. The content of the day was stimulating, although some people could have taken things a little more seriously. I guess though the important question about any conference is really in relation to the quality of the food. I can honestly say that morning tea was quite nice but lunch was soggy and there wasn't enough of it, especially due to there being no afternoon tea. There now, I've said it.

Today I am onto the cleaning thing again. Well, I will be onto it once I've finished on the Internet... and I might make a quick stop at DFO... and there is a grocery shop that must be done before tomorrow... and with the weather being what it is maybe I should prune the roses... and the Melbourne Cup is on this afternoon...