Day 82 (Thursday)

It's nice to drive out of Latimers early in the morning and be able to see all those things that make it so special - the grass that just keeps growing and growing, Hermes, the kookaburras and other birds (there may be a swallow sitting on eggs in the nest again), the horses and cows in the paddocks along the road out of the valley - and it's possible because it's lighter in the mornings now as we move further from Winter. And it is further from Winter (in the Southern Hemisphere) because the Christmas goodies and decorations have started appearing in the local supermarkets.

While there is a suggestion that electronics will be the gifts of choice this coming Festive season, I think books are making a comeback. On the train on the way to Brisbania this morning, a quick survey showed that 5 out of 7 people were reading books; one was working on a computer and the other was doing something on an iPad. The titles of the books were not immediately obvious and I will have to look up one that Paul Wilson wrote called "Xalm for Life" with the "X" representing the letter that was obscured by the readers thumb. Palm (the now all but defunct operating system which has been bought by HP and will hopefully make a reappearance one day)? Balm? Calm? Psalm? Realm?

It does raise the question though ... are people who are into technology slightly less aware of other things - such as their appearance. Mr Computer on train this morning was nicely attired - down to his socks that were obviously not a pair. And, because they were not very differently coloured - both were gray but one had yellow hatch marks on them - I suspected they were not Directors socks (named after Edmund Capon, Director of the Art Gallery of NSW, who is rumoured to have worn mismatched socks and been the inspiration for the Directors socks, which were sold (may still be) at various galleries throughout the land.

Back at Latimers, a great beautification of the mailboxes - or perhaps "cleaning" would be a better word - was underway. M did it, part of her returning rituals we suspect, and it was a good walk and work-out for Pearl as well.

In an effort to keep horses and bats from being too intimate, the Gold Coast Turf Club is fencing off part of its property to prevent horses approaching too near to the bat roosting area. The move is designed to lessen the risk of horses contracting the bat-borne Hendra virus which has the capacity, if widespread, to decimate the Queensland racing industry.

Lars now has a new registration or will have as soon as the new Queensland The Sunshine State plates (they didn't have any Queensland The Smart State ones available) are fitted.

Rain is forecast for tomorrow and the next day and the next day but hopefully there will be enough of a clear patch for mowing to happen. I noticed the next doors were mowing at 6 yesterday morning - part of the flurry of activity (which didn't happen here) because the neighbours are due back. No matter what the reason, it does give Latimers that very-much-looked-after look!