Monday

Is Tink to be trusted? She wanted to go out before her shot again this morning and she is getting more elusive/evasive. But she knows she can't go out until she's had it - and finally she came to me as if to say “okay, get it over and done with so I can get out of here”. If I knew she would come straight back in there wouldn't be a problem, I would gladly let her go and we'd do the needle when she came back in. I might try that tomorrow! I think it's too distressing (for both of us) this way.

Monday means Rubbish and Recycling Day (well, this Monday does) or it would if there were enough recycling to warrant taking it up ... and since there wasn't Pearl could only come for one ride in The Beast! She liked it though - except for when we stopped to talk to L on the way back down the lane and Ebony and Spot started barking at her. I had considered this possibility and had the window on the non-L side of the car down for her so it wasn't as fraught as it could have been. L was asking if there was any room in our bin (we're only three-quarters full) as they had not put theirs out last week and they might be needing extra room! They’ll make use of that if they have to. It's nice being neighbourly.

More Plovers have moved in to the valley - into Holly and Dolly’s paddock - quite close to the fence - which means when Pearl and I walked down that way this afternoon, they were agitated and kept swooping at Pearl - not really coming close to her - and not anywhere near me. I have warned S so she can be on the lookout for them tomorrow when she takes Pearl down.

I was surprised to find the gates leading to the back paddock closed this afternoon when I arrived home. How was B going to burn down the back in his ute if he has to stop to open and close two gates on the way? But there was a reason - he has finally put the horses (three gorgeous foals) in there - “and you’ll be surprised at how well they'll keep the grass down”. He added that in Spring, he would mow it - with his mower, not the slasher, because he doesn't think the slasher leaves it looking nice enough. So - horses in the paddock with the pump ... this could be interesting!

Trivia was disappointing. After our performance in the first three rounds we (I?) was sure we were going to be trounced - but in the end we were only one point off third - and three off first, so we redeemed ourselves (in our own eyes at least). F did take them to task though (thankfully after it had ended) about the question: in which country is the tallest building in the world. They had accepted Dubai as the answer which, argued F, is like saying that the Sydney Opera House is in Sydney (instead of Australia). We had had UAE ... and we were also the only ones to have correctly answered the question - in which religion do followers pay a purifying tax?

News today is that the road at Advancetown is scheduled for a $11.2M upgrade next year. It's a pity that there was another death there on the weekend - in the same spot as two people died two months ago.

While we didn't make it to the Rodeo Championships on the weekend, Mayor-elect Tom Tate did and he was on the radio this morning to discuss a comment he made while being interviewed there. To wit he was asked what his next career move would be and he said he was going home to Ruth his wife. Alas, that is nor what people heard and after a moment's pause, gasps of disbelief apparently rippled through the assembled throng. As he explained to Richard, Brige and Spyda on 92.5 Gold FM, “people forget that English is not my first language” ... which could explain why his wife's name came out sounding like “root”. Most unfortunate.