Even though I know to watch out for them, it still took me a little by surprise when I rounded that last corner before Hinde Rd and found a very large kangaroo in the middle of the road. They truly are majestic and magnificent creatures and it was amazing to watch it effortlessly bound off, jumping a fence to be on its way. I was, in that instant, thankful to the fool who had dazzled me with his headlights on high beam a couple of corners back. Had I been at Hinde Road just that bit earlier or later I may not have seen the kangaroo and could have missed the moment to revel in nature.
There certainly is lots of it at Latimers ... and the plovers were out again as I drove back after towing the rubbish bin up to the road. Because I was just a little later tonight, I thought I would avail myself of B's offer and let him take it up - but as I was on the way down the road (still not finished and now starting to look a bit less like a new road with all the dirt tyre tracks on it) B was already coming up with bins on board.
Tink would have been pleased if that hadn't been the case. When I drove in (through the gate that S opens for me in the evenings - as well as most mornings) Tink was on the driveway and moved to under the Honda to get out of the way - and then had to move again when I backed it out to take the rubbish. For her troubles, she received an extra couple of chin chucks and she seemed to like that very much.
By all reports, it was a fairly quiet day at Latimers. We did make arrangements though for another cleaner to come this week - not wanting to take the chance that J would be a no-show again ... and since L and E are due this weekend, we wanted to make sure Latimers is as nice as it can be. S rang J to let her know not to come this week, but to come next week - and depending on how it works, we might have each of them fortnightly. It just goes to show that there are always options available ... when J suggested last week that she come fortnightly, I don't think we really considered it could be workable, but it occurred to me that our cleaner at work - who we've had to cut back on cleans until we know what's happening with the project - might like to pick up some extra work. The added benefit is that I know she'll do a good job ... as long as we can work out exactly what to have her focus on in the three hours she's here. It was really nice, too, when she replied to our email with details of where to find us asking if "S and Pearl" would both be there to greet her. She has a cattle dog herself - Ruby - and we often have chats about dog play - and naming dogs. S will be pleased to find out that she loves a chat too!
It looks as though we are drawing ever closer to a decision regarding Government. The pundits are saying that the announcement will be made tomorrow and I can't help but wonder if both Ms JG and Mr Abbott are spending this evening crafting their speeches about democracy, the good of the people, the good of the country and so on. Knowing the reports that have been appearing about the possibility of the Coalition's involvement in similar campaigns, one also wonders if they are preparing an army of supporters to "man" the phones to start letting the independents know that their electorates are not happy with their choice ... if that choice is Labor.
Polls suggest that people would prefer to have another election rather than put up with not knowing for much longer. How much different would the results look if the election were held today? And there is no denying that it has been quite "peaceful" during this interim period - and that it hasn't been a waste. Both sides have now agreed to parliamentary reforms including an independent Speaker and shorter (hopefully more productive) question times.
Bob Carr made the news for his suggestion that Ms JG put Malcolm Turnbull on the front bench (should Labor form the Minority Government) since he isn't going to get a look-in while Mr Abbott has his heels/toes (which is it?) dug in as leader. There was no suggestion that he would stand down. Given how close it has been, it will be interesting to see if Labor move to remove Ms JG as leader if they end up in Opposition. (Piece of interesting trivia unearthered by S on the weekend ... Robert Menzies was removed as leader of his party in 1941 before leading them to a win in 1949 ... hope those dates are the ones she read out to me).
Nerang - home of the armed hold-up. Well, actually it was just the one this morning at the KFC. There has to be a story here - more than they're reporting in the press. It seems to have gone like this: gun-man arrives, locks everyone in the cold storage room, takes money, rides off on his pink and black moped - police arrive, police investigate, police leave - gun-man comes back and takes something from the scene - no-one's letting on what it was but police acknowledge: "We missed him by five minutes." Who said nothing ever happens around here?
