Happy New Year...

Given our start to 2006 with having Mei Mei join our family, the fact that this is Year of the Dog is very apt!

Today marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year (year 4704), the most significant holiday for Chinese people around the world. Chinese New Year (CNY) is a time for new beginnings, for chasing away the bad spirits from the past year, and for celebrating all birthdays (regardless of the date on which one's falls, the Chinese celebrate all birthdays at CNY). I've also learned it's a time for family and friends, and lots of good food!

This is the first year we have really paid any attention to CNY - but I am sure it will become a bigger and bigger part of our family life over the next few years.

Baby girl - wherever you are - I hope this year is a year of new beginnings for you, and that by the end of the Year of the Dog, we will have seen your face, and you will be on your way to come home to us...

Thinking of you lots and lots Princess. Wishing you a warm bed, a hug and a full belly tonight darling.

Muumy and Daddy xxx

Introducing Mei Mei to our family...

No - not our baby girl, but our 'little sister' all the same. Mei Mei (meaning little sister in Chinese) comes to us from a bad start in life - where she has been passed around a number of rescue centers and has even had a flight in her short life - from Queensland to NSW. She is a beautiful little girl - a red cattle dog - and has very quickly earned the nick-names of 'High Maintenance Mei' and 'Mei-hem'.

Older brother Raf is intrigued and heavy handed, and older sister Kenya, is falling in love (all but very slowly) and has become very protective of Mei.

After a quite serious accident in her first week with us (which included a rush to the vet, and Mummy becoming somewhat hysterical) - Mei is settling in - even has her own room. Here are the before the accident photos and after - with a somewhat scabby head...

Before - beautiful Mei Mei

After - Mei Mei (scabby-head! - but OK and happy and home with her family...)

Big brother Raf (German Shepherd) and big sister Kenya (Cattle X Kelpie, but probably Staffy) with a message to Mei Mei while she was in hospital...

Mummy in America

Hey Sweetheart,

Here are some photos of Mummy in the US - I went for a couple of weeks just before Christmas with work, and saw some great things and places in LA, Washington DC, New York and Boston! Including meeting the 'real' Santa Claus outside of Saks on 5th Avenue in New York.

This was my very quick visit to LA and a walk down Rodeo Drive - here's the proof I was there!

And here was one of the highlights of the trip - a cocktail party under a real shuttle at the Smithsonian in Dulles - just amazing! I so wish your Daddy had been with me as he would have been in his element at this place.


Here I am with the 'real' Santa outside Saks on 5th Avenue in New York - it was very cold, but I loved being there with all the snow and Christmas decorations - it was just so pretty - and very different from Christmas in the bush in Australia. And watching the skaters at the Rockerfeller Centre was just beautiful...




I love this photo - this is the view from Capital Hill toward the Lincoln Memorial - taken at sunrise just before I left Washington.

Here is the snow in Boston - like nothing I have ever seen before in a City - it was incredible!

One day I hope me, you and Daddy will get to go to some of these places together.

Mummy xxx