Our new money pit and some ATCs

Our new money pit has arrived. It is already filled with dog hair and the seat covers have little muddy footprints thanks to our wet (I'm over it already) weather and I haven't even had a ride in it yet.

On a more important note (well at least more important to me) I have finally caught up with the Weekly ATC diary.

Week 5 Where I Live

Views from the back and front of my house and the front elevation from our house plans

Week 6 Page Map

Week 7 Love and Romance

Week 9 Your Favourite Technique

The background is texture paste and alcohol inks simple and effective

Week 9 Pink, Black and Bling

WOOHOO! new car soon!! and Week 4 atc

The following is the ATC for the week 4 of the ATCs4U weekly diary challenge. The theme was Australia Day. The background is a fourex can run through the cuttlebug, now Liz seems to think its hubby's can....well ahem....lets just say it could have been his. I had an Australia Day much as the card indicates mates, beers and BBQ. I hope everyone had a fantastic day. Some people dwell on the negatives of the date but I think we need a day to celebrate us, everyone, all Australians as a people and this fabulous country.

More good news - Jonkers Toyota rang and we will have a new ute sooner than expected. A previously ordered ute is no longer required so we will now have our Cruiser at least a month and a half earlier. Mark can now stop logging onto the Toyota site to track the production of his new car. Now we can definitely go camping at Easter, Hurrah - especially as it means I can send him back off to work - double Hurrah!

RIP Cruiser 1999 - 2009

You have travelled many a road
Always willing to carry the load
No matter what the state of the trail
No obstacle would ever cause you to fail
Until that day you meet that cliff of rock
Which caused you to come to a shuddering stop
It was just a normal everyday day
Nothing should have got in your way
But now you are just a twisted wreck
And will never, ever go on another trek

We have lost our Cruiser 75 ute - TOTAL LOSS - as the insurance company put it. After the thousands of miles of gravel, corrugations, sand, mud, hill climbs and creek crossings, she met her demise on the bitumen. Just a normal everyday drive only 5 minutes from home, a recently resurfaced road, a sharp bend and she met her end on the clifface of the road cutting. No camping and 4x4 this Christmas. We had to stay at home - the poor little Vitara wasn't going to tow the camper trailer.

Now comes the long wait and the huge pain in the hip pocket to replace her with a new 70 series ute. A brand-spanking new Cruiser. I just wish they would hurry up and schedule the thing to be built. The Business tax incentive meant there isn't one sitting on a lot anywhere and we wanted factory difflocks so it looks like a four month wait. Though I can definitely wait to fork out the money, it almost as much as what we paid for our first house. The worst thing is we are grounded till we get the new car. No camping and fourwheel driving for a quarter of the year!!!