All things going well ...

... and it's about time they bloody did.
All things going well, one of these wee girlies will be coming to live at the Brown Mouse House to keep Ms Pingu company.And to make us both go squeeeeee with delight.
EDIT TO ADD - Got the word, the good word! Now, names!

Dogs ...

... while in New York Mr Brown and I noticed the dogs rather a lot. Beautiful, glossy, healthy, happy dogs being taken for walks, jogging with their owners, running about greeting friends in special leash-free places. It was lovely.
Even better was the complete lack of dog shit, it was nowhere to be seen. Not once did we step in anything, not once did we notice any. These Manhattan-ites, they actually do pick up after their pets.
That the dogs all live in flats (apartments) is a given, there aren't very many back yards around. Even so, the dogs all looked wonderful and were friendly and appeared happy. They weren't all miniatures either, good-sized proper dogs were everywhere, we even spotted a couple of Great Danes!
That said, we did see many of the smaller variety. Mr Brown and I aren't really fans of the small dog. I grew up with a smallish bitsa, Dixie, who was later joined by Amber, an Irish Setter. Mr Brown didn't have a dog growing up, but made up for it getting a German Shepherd, Nikki, once he left his parents' home and rules. We've found little dogs generally yappy and annoying. I suspect this has more to do with the fact that most are left alone and board for most of the day, and are "too cute" to discipline, since I've met small fluffies I've quite liked from time to time.
And why am I blogging this? Well, one of the dogs we saw on the streets of Manhattan made us gasp with wonder at it's beauty and perfection. It appeared to be a miniature Husky. Not a puppy, a fully-formed adult Husky, only about a foot high. It was being escorted to the park by an exquisitely and expensively-dressed Japanese couple, which led us to speculate on the going price for such a beautiful beast. Thousands probably.
Obviously I expressed the desire to possess such a fine canine, it would be perfect for a yard the size of the long, thin one at the back of the Brown-Mouse House.
Mr Brown speculated I'd not be able to find one, but that if I did, he'd consider allowing an addition to the family.
Look, it's an Alaskan Klee Kai.
Now all I have to do is work out how to get one into the country. This may be difficult given our strict quarantine laws. It may require a move to America, to purchase and bond with a puppy for a year or so before bringing our pet back home.
*buys a lottery ticket*

O how I wish we lived ...

... somewhere where my furry girls could roam freely, through fields of grass, bluebells and violets. By a cold dark sea*.
Being urban cats this is not to be, they only have the long thin backyard. My fears are of cars, dogs and people who don't like cats.
Being non-native beasites (like our good selves) I worry for the birds, lizards and sundry other beasts.
Go look at the We Three blog, trawl through the archives and revel in the beauty of pusscats wandering by the sea, climbing stones and sign posts, drinking from dew-filled pools.
The cats' companion, She (aka Jackie Morris) is an amazingly talented artist, go look at her stuff too. There be dragons and snow leopards and polar bears. And she's a fan of the moon. I may have a little blogging-celebrity crush.

* Of course, if I'm honest (and I do try to be), if we did live in such a place I'd be worried sick the furry girls would get eaten by foxes, or badgers, or fall into the sea, or get trampled by ponies.

O how I wish I had a spare ...

...$485.57 (Australian).
For then this could be mine. Perhaps I'll make it a birthday wish! (from here)

Why is it the only swimsuit I actually can see myself wearing ...

... costs $US350?I blame the universe, it's plotting against me.
Pic from here.

I've always wanted to spend xmas in Venice ...

... N0t to eat eels, but to be somewhere cold, wintery and not here.
I've changed my mind.

Tortoise black market ....

... Oh how I want a tortoise in my life. A proper one, like English and American and Japanese kiddies can have.
A Greek one,

or a Russian one,

or maybe a Leopard Tortoise.

Just a little one, not one of those Galapagos jonnies,

that would be silly.
But I am THWARTED by the guvamint. Bastards.
Does anyone know if there's an black market in illegal exotic tortoises out there? Do I really have to go and live in another country?
I'd rather miss Mr Brown.

The $6 million flower ...

... of course I exaggerate, but I estimate I've spent well over $100 over the last couple of years, trying to grow Fritillaria Meleagris (Snake's Head Fritillary). And wouldn't you know it, the first one that comes up is the white variety. All these years, all those bulbs, all that time and I don't even get a pretty checked one. (Go here to see what I should have got.)
Perhaps it's just not cold enough around here. Perhaps I just want it too much and sod's law is at play. But I got one up, and there's 2 more wee green sproutlings (that's out of 12 planted btw) so I'll give it a whack next year too.

Birthday rules ...

... at the Brown-Mouse house are simple.
1. You get 3 wishes (aka birthday pressies you ask for).
2. One of those wishes has to be the dinner, where you want your birthday dinner to be.
3. Wishes can be vetoed by the non-birthday person if considered excessive or ridiculous (this is why I remain pony-free).
Anyhoo, I'm making my list, since it's only about a month to go, so far it's
1. Dinner at Forty One Restaurant (for a pretty obvy reason, other than the delicious food)
2. An amethyst ring - this one in fact, her name is Lily3. I'm stuck on 3 because Mr Brown has vetoed (a) a pony (b) a puppy and (c) a proper telescope. Thinking caps on ...
Edited to add - found it!

HELP ...

... I want some old-fashioned bath linen - not the terry cloth stuff, not the waffle-weave stuff but those towels that are a bit like huge linen dish towels. You know the kind, you were surprised by them the first time you stayed in an Italian hotel. I have NO idea what they are called (and have googled everything I can think of) and can't find anything anywhere. Any hints?

I am feeling ...

... slightly ambivalent about the whole job/career thing. Also a little like I want to throw up, and tired.
A nice little lottery win would go down rather well about now.

3 Wishes ...

... just say you found one of those mythical, magical lanterns – complete with wish-granting genii – as you were sauntering along, minding your own business. And you picked it up, gave it a quick polish and you were granted 3 wishes.
Me? Well ...
1. Language, the ability to understand and be understood in every human language in the world.
2. Music, the ability to play (well, obvy) any musical instrument I cared to try.
3. Road sense for all beasties, (and I’ll include human beings in that, because I’m feeling generous this morning). But definitely for all birds, animals & creepy crawlies. My heart breaks whenever we drive anywhere out of the burbs, all those things, dead on the side of the road – slow down people!
What about you then?

Yet another reason ...

... I need to get me to New York one day.

Oh, oh, oh how I want ...

... one of these (no, not the creepily hair-free nekid gentleman the bath/shower thingy).

Pic thanks to ...

Or would it just end up leaking and making me cross? I wonder if it would fit in the world's smallest bathroom.

A wish list ...

... some things I'd like to do, see, taste etc, before I cark.
1. See the maelstrom, from the land obviously, from a boat would be sickmaking.
2. See the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis. From Iceland would be nice because then I could squeeze in possibly meeting a troll.
3. Spend an afternoon leaning up against a standing stone. If the stone was located somewhere that also had a single malt distillery, so much the better.
4. Pat a cheetah. My dad has and I'm eaten up with insane jealousy.
5. See a proper Northern American Autumn, with mountains of trees turning red and gold.
6. Look for jet on the beaches of Whitby.
(added 30 June 2007) See the Fata Morgana at the Strait of Messina, and have a lemon gelato afterwards.