Thursday

I am sure the temperature was in single digits when I got up this morning - and I was extremely pleased to be wearing long sleeves and long pants during the day where, even though it was sunny, it was still chilly - if this keeps up I may have to give serious thoughts to multiple layers! Thermals anyone? I seriously can't remember it being this cold this time last year but I suppose we had only just moved up from Sydney then and we hadn't even started to acclimatise yet. When I think about it, we have settled into the Queensland lifestyle quite well since we landed - and we're not done yet!.
They are still doing work on Gilston Road. M and I were talking about it on the way home and it seems that we've both seen, as we travel at different times usually, the same behaviour - dirt being moved from one side of the road to the other, the road barriers being moved inches but always in the same proximity to the roundabout, traffic controllers doing more leaning on their lollypops than seriously directing cars safely and as quickly as possible through the area, and the hole at the side of the road getting deeper and shallower - and where have they hidden the telegraph pole today? There is no indication of how much longer the road will stay at one lane or, in fact, of what they are actually doing there. I am a little happier about it all today only because I have found the shortcut which means I no longer have to drive 10km out of my way to get where I'm going. I did set out to find it this evening - not even turning on the GPS, because I knew it had to be a "gut" thing and it was, as long as you believe a "gut" thing is following a car which seems to be going somewhere with purpose. So, they can keep the blockade up for as long as they want now - which is strange, because we know they will with permission or without.
I was here before M and S and was just getting ready to go inside when they arrived home - and who should be sitting up in the back seat - looking almost as excited as I - but Pearl - finally home from Nana's! I hope she's happy to be home and that the company of all of us and her cats will make her forget the lovely dinners Nana makes for her.
We like it when she cooks for us too - and Friday Family and Friends dinner is at Mouse's tomorrow. This will be F's last dinner before he goes to Jordan to see family and to accompany his sister back out this way. He's also planning to see a dentist over there - to have a crown done for $100 rather than the $1500 he has been quoted here on the Coast. A couple of replacement fillings has also been mentioned. But regardless of good a dental deal he gets there, he will miss us. How could he not?