Peacock feather dance: Photo Update

For you PFDF's (Peacock Feather Dance Followers) who prefer photos to my occasionally pedantic narratives...here's what's new...

Our accountant can do both American and Australian taxes. We invited Susan and her three dogs for dinner and a good visit about tax law. We'll have to file in both countries unless we become citizens here and renounce the US, which seems a little extreme. Australia's financial year ends in June, so it seems like it's always tax time.

We reckon we'll buy a house in a few months. You can't write off the mortgage interest here and yet you also get hit with sales tax, called stamp duty, as soon as you close. If we really save up, we may be able to afford a refrigerator crate in the outer suburbs. Really, the big advantage to owning here is that you can have pets. And drive holes into the walls if you want. We miss both.

Oreo, shown below, went and got his leash and waited in front of the mirror for his reflection to take him for a walk. It's much like how I often wait for my reflection to take me to the gym. He is 10 months old and a guide dog in training. Apparently he has to be on much better standard of behavior when he wears his official "Don't pet me, I'm working" vest; Susan gave him the evening off. He peed on the carpet quite a bit but we didn't care. Call him inspiration for getting out of a rental and back into our own place with hardwood floors.

One of the Golden Retrievers was just as emotionally needy as our Abbie used to be. They left enough hair behind that we can knit a scale model of them. We didn't mind that either.

I went with some girlfriends to a Picnic at Hanging Rock. There is a classic movie by the same title about some school girls that went missing in 1900. I suggested we all wear white dresses, like the girls in the movie but it was a little chilly out when I was getting ready for the train. I'm the one down front, rocking the jeans and hoodie. Boy, were Debbie and Holly (um, white dresses) mad.

We've been doing a lot of board game parties...usually combined with having other couples over and eating my Thai cooking. Ironic it's already called Tom Yum Soup, huh?

Tom is a genius at Monopoly. Here we are playing the Australian version. When he hits me with multi million dollar rents, it's a good reminder that we're on the same team in "for-reals" time. Please note the background laundry drying on the balcony; I have not cracked and bought a drier yet. I am a friend to the environment. Note I do own a white dress though.

We'll miss this view when we go back to the pet-loving / home owning world.

Our friend Glenn took all these last 5 images. Here's a link to his awesome photography blog. We were supposed to go a concert at the zoo (he specializes in wildlife photos) with Glenn and his wife, Vanessa, last night, but it was cancelled due to the massive rain and hail storms we've experienced this weekend. Instead, we had an impromptu potluck with some of their other friends and family. We were moved to tears that they even drove us home in the storm afterwards - we feel so fortunate to have such great friends here.

Speaking of which, Sara, one of my ladies pack alpha dogs, turned 33. We think this was the first time we've closed down a nightclub since college...that's 3:30 am, folks! I was destroyed the next day. We aren't cut out for this kind of thing anymore. Here's Tom and Birthday Girl Sara.