It's a good theory but even now we don't seem to be able to make it by 10 o'clock. But at least we had an excuse this morning - we had to go back for something - and as it turned out F was running late too because he decided to take his brother to the airport. One of the boys had been lined up to do it, but when F found him still awake and playing computer games after 4 this morning, he decided it was safer to do it himself. It's good practice for next week for the return of the travellers. We've decided to go up in one car - one of the 4x4's - which should be big enough to take all five of us and the luggage.
By the time we made it to the Markets, we met M and A who were just leaving as she had cooking to do for a lunch. We did have the chance to ask about N and whether she had heard about the job yet - nothing, except that she should have word by the start of October, and you can bet she'll be on to them as soon as the Public Holiday on the 4th allows.
And speaking of our National Capital, Ms Julia (and partner) have finally moved into The Lodge - three months after taking over from Mr Rudd as Prime Minister of Australia. And Mr Rudd did get that seat on the front bench of the new Cabinet - as Foreign Minister - and boarded a plane to an international forum almost within hours of his appointment.
The weather favoured us today and I was able to spend some time with the ride-on mower and take it for a few laps of the yard and of Hermes' paddock. I must have been feeling okay about it because I remember thinking that I was having "Colorbond moments" while I was doing it! I was impressed that Pearl knows to keep herself well away from the mower - I hadn't actually noticed it before but today as she was in the stables, when I did the lap and started back towards her, she stretched, looked at me, looked at the mower, and trotted off towards the house. The great news is that all of the balls have been found again - and the even better news is that none of them went through the mower. (There was never actually any real chance of that happening!)
After spraying off the mower, on the way back to the house, I called for Pearl to come and she ran up and had a big pat and went back to where S was waiting, and then, unbidden but as welcome, Beazley trotted up for a pat as well. Those animals are such smoochers - including Tink who watched "Hello Dolly" with me yesterday, and Maggie who is sleeping on the bed down the back and whenever I go over to plug/unplug the power for various devices she rolls over for a pat. I wonder if she misses the Great K's shirt. (Still no word from that quarter.)
I can't believe we missed the third instalment of Mini MasterChef tonight. We ended up watching "60 Minutes" as we had a late dinner and it was only after the program was finished and we'd moved on to "Come Dine With Me" (UK) that the cheflings were remembered. It was so much easier with MasterChef where it was on (almost) all the time. We might have to catch it on the we instead. I think I now understand why they call it the "web" - once you go there, you get stuck on it.
There has been a new addition to the Coast skyline - atop the transit centre. The Wheel of Surfers Paradise opened on Friday evening and since then nearly 4,000 people have ridden it. Development plans for the complex include a rooftop cafe, mini-golf and a reptile park with 150 species of Australian animals. They expect this to be finished in time for the Christmas holidays. I may not understand where the transit centre is - or how tall the Wheel is - but it seems strange that the Wheel offers panoramic views of the ocean as well as south to Coolangatta and Mt Warning - but I can understand the "west to the Hinterland".
It's a sign of the times perhaps ... celebrity items are no longer selling as well at auction ... in fact, are not selling at all. Recently passed in were Superman's cape, a gold-and-diamond bracelet worn by Elvis and a diamond necklace that previously belonged to Princess Diana. It may just be the way the sentence was constructed in the report by I read, but each of those items - including the cape! - was expected to fetch between $1.5 million and $2.5 million. I might have considered paying that for the cape if it could make you fly ... after Virgin Blue's disastrous check-in computer melt-down today - leaving thousands of Australian travellers stranded - there's room in the market for a new budget airline.
A chap from Boeing was speaking here last week and talked of the changes in aviation that are possible now but which won't happen until they are commercially viable ... see-through aircraft (that will really work for those who are already scared of flying) and 12-minute flights between Sydney and New York (which doesn't count the time spent on the tarmac in Sydney ... including the 20-minute taxi to the far runway). The world will be an amazing place tomorrow!
