Tuesday

I don't know what was different this morning but it seemed as though I was on cat patrol from the moment my eyes opened. First there was Beasley knocking at the back door - he's clever the way he does it - just tapping the cat door so it hits against the back door until someone comes to open it for him - so he can reach his cookies. Then Tink was knocking on M's door wanting to get out - and eat Beasley's cookies. I always give Emma some cookies before I get on the walking machine - there's no reason she should have to wait for a snack until I get back. And this morning as I was on the walking machine, Maggie was acting a bit odd - she kept disappearing down the back and then coming back. Finally I realised that she was coming down to try to get me to open the back door for her - and I did - and it was somehow like completion when she had me let her in the front door just before I left for work. Beasley had put himself back to bed in the alcove by that point - and, really, I wouldn't have minded joining him! Tonight he was back out the front in Swallow-land - where M and S have confirmed that there are at least two hatchlings in the nest because they have seen their little heads. It does sometimes sound as though there are more up there.

The plovers are safe for another day. M did mowing in Hermes yard today but she steered clear of the nest - and now that she has pointed out exactly where the nest is (where I thought it was so it was good I wasn't that far off the mark) - if I find myself in there, I can avoid it as well. I wonder if there are other nests in there - the paddock seems too large to support only a couple of plovers.

The colony of kookaburras is still definitely around and there were a couple of young ones sitting on Larry's fence as I drove past there this morning. And lots of ducks. They really seem to like it up there on the bend of the road.

But back to the mowing ... M has saved me some to do around the house - and there might just be a Colorbond moment in it to make up for the lack of them last time I did it. The raised deck seems to be doing a bit better job but I don't think it's "right" yet but it is a lot better than it was.

S dropped in to visit this morning and was reportedly in fine form - and, said S, the same as she always is - even though there has been lots happening in her life of late. She and A are off to the Big Apple in a couple of weeks and we won't have the opportunity to see them again before they go.