There's nothing like a few days away and we are currently enjoying some time away from Latimers ... at the beach. We are celebrating S's birthday - a little late, but that's okay. There is something about being at the beach though - and staying in a 16th floor apartment across the road from the beach with sweeping views up the coast to Surfers Paradise, and down the beach to the Currumbin headland (where you can see the planes turning on their way to Coolangatta Airport).
S's family is staying in the same unit block and we had a celebratory dinner with them (and M) last night. It was wonderful! We didn't get back upstairs and to bed until close to midnight and we had to have the children back downstairs by 7.30 this morning so they could have their showers and do what children do when they are on holidays.
We are hoping to get into the spa and the sauna this evening ... before checking out and making our way back to Latimers in the morning.
In the meantime, of course, there are plenty of beach activities - sitting watching the beach, standing watching the beach, leaning watching the beach ... the list goes on. You really feel it when you're a water sign because the ocean seems to have a pull on you. I could sit and watch the ebb and flow of the sea forever. And there's the Burleigh Markets too ...
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
New addition
M announced this afternoon that there was a new addition to the family! And that Pearl loves it. I didn't ask too many questions fear it be a new dog, specifically Prince or Ebony, both of whom could do worse than move in to Latimers (Prince for a week while his folks are on holiday and before Mouse rives back to babysit [dog-sit] him and Ebony because we feel sorry for her - she doesn't seem to get much love or affection. And even though she now has the swings and a trampoline out there with her, so at least she has some decent shade, I'm sure they're wondering what they've done wrong to be put out there too!). But it wasn't Prince or Ebony! S was home when M brought the new addition in and I'm not sure if she thought it was real, with its little head peeking over the top of the bag as M carried it over from the car! It is a duck - and a very cute one! Does it have a name I wonder. It's taken up residence near the front door and seems to be very happy there!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Sunday
M is back and we are all settling in again, especially the furries (no auto-correct ... not fairies!) who have wasted no time moving back into M's room. They (okay, and we) really did miss her as she played on the other side of the world. She left Mouse over there with M and H, while she came back, via South Korea. It looks like M had a great time - we know this because we started going through the photographs with her last night. She made us stop before we were all the way through them though - and because they were her photos, we couldn't really argue, even though we wanted to. But at least now we have more to look forward to, and at least we saw the ballooning shots!
It only seems like M has just arrived back and now Mi has taken herself off to Pristina to visit family, friends and her old stamping grounds (why do they call them that?). F is already missing her and kept M for company for a good chunk of yesterday after they had taken Mi to the airport to see her off.
The Markets was good today and we were more than I thought we would be. N's M and C came along and sat with us; E was there, and Sy dropped by on her way to pick up her dogsled. We went out to lunch at Ferry Road Markets with Sy afterwards and it was good she could catch up with M (since we had only seen her last weekend). Next time, though, we will know to check the size of the fries sides, because we were all a bit stunned when the "large" came in a bowl the size of a small bucket!
Master Chef continues onto the Finals week which starts tonight. I'm not sure if I want to watch it - only because I fear some of the contestants will become more cut-throat than they need to. And that wouldn't be a good look!
It was worth watching though because the restaurant where the contestants were fighting to stay in the competition was one where S and I had enjoyed my farewell dinner when I was left Chevron way back when. (That's like a whole 'nother life now.)
M is out tonight but the furries are in - one with me, one with S, Pearl on her bed and Maggie not quite sure of where she wants to be, but she did settle for a moment on S's lap to shred her thighs with razor-like claws before taking up a position on the couch top behind her.
They really do like being inside on cold evenings - and we're pleased they do - especially when there were strange noises outside before - it sounded a bit like an animal in pain. I was a bit concerned about Maggie until she finally came in (the others were in when the commotion happened).
It only seems like M has just arrived back and now Mi has taken herself off to Pristina to visit family, friends and her old stamping grounds (why do they call them that?). F is already missing her and kept M for company for a good chunk of yesterday after they had taken Mi to the airport to see her off.
The Markets was good today and we were more than I thought we would be. N's M and C came along and sat with us; E was there, and Sy dropped by on her way to pick up her dogsled. We went out to lunch at Ferry Road Markets with Sy afterwards and it was good she could catch up with M (since we had only seen her last weekend). Next time, though, we will know to check the size of the fries sides, because we were all a bit stunned when the "large" came in a bowl the size of a small bucket!
Master Chef continues onto the Finals week which starts tonight. I'm not sure if I want to watch it - only because I fear some of the contestants will become more cut-throat than they need to. And that wouldn't be a good look!
It was worth watching though because the restaurant where the contestants were fighting to stay in the competition was one where S and I had enjoyed my farewell dinner when I was left Chevron way back when. (That's like a whole 'nother life now.)
M is out tonight but the furries are in - one with me, one with S, Pearl on her bed and Maggie not quite sure of where she wants to be, but she did settle for a moment on S's lap to shred her thighs with razor-like claws before taking up a position on the couch top behind her.
They really do like being inside on cold evenings - and we're pleased they do - especially when there were strange noises outside before - it sounded a bit like an animal in pain. I was a bit concerned about Maggie until she finally came in (the others were in when the commotion happened).
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Monday
The moon is back! It's been a while since it's been visible through the cloud cover but it, Jupiter and ... what is the name of that other planet?... were bright and marvellous in the pre-dawn sky. It must be amazing to be an astronomer and have access to massive telescopes with which to scan the skies! But it wasn't just that they were there - it was that they were light and big just above the tree-line!
The weather stayed clear again today and I was harbouring hopes that the ground would dry out enough for a quick mow - but when it squelched underfoot, I knew it wasn't to be. But at least S was able to do a bunch of Washing because the sock drawer was looking a little empty.
J was just leaving as I arrived home - an early clean this week as M is due back tomorrow (everyone cheers!!). l called out to S when I couldn't locate her - and found she had been mopped into the office area when J did the floors. So, while she waited for them to dry, Pearl and I took the rubbish up to the road. Then, it was time for Pearl’s walk - where she proceeded to be less than the well-behaved dog to which we have become accustomed. I had her on the lead for going out the gate and away from Ebony's immediate vicinity and while that's usually trouble-free, today Pearl jumped and twisted around - and threw her collar! Luckily she didn't go racing into Ebony's paddock because I'm not sure how I would have separated them. Then as we walked down the lane, she ducked under a fence and into one of the horse's paddocks - looking for a tasty bit of processed grass? - when the horse politely asked her to leave and she didn't immediately. S, back at Latimers folding washing, said she noticed a horse start pig-rooting and galloping up and down its paddock, setting off the horses in the neighbouring and nearby paddocks. What she didn't see was it go for Pearl - who made it out of the paddock unscathed - and then went to nip the nose of the horse two paddocks down when it came over to the fence to suggest Pearl just keep walking past. On the way back, Pearl went under that horse's fence, through the paddocks and back to the tasty morsel. I didn't see what it was - and part of me doesn't really want to know what it was! The rest of the walk was uneventful!
S thinks Tinker is still harbouring some distrust towards her following her interventions to help me corral her for her recent Vet visits. Tink is incredibly avoidant when S tries to call her in for her dinner and shot - and last night as soon as S went anywhere near her, she scooted off the other way. She is not as wary of me it seems (even though I am the one who keeps talking roundabout with her) and she came straight in when I called her.
Monday is Trivia night and luckily N and S are back. And it showed because we came out as tied for first and after the tie-break question (at what percent is silver considered "Sterling"?) we emerged victorious. As we kept telling N and S, it has been a while between wins (or even places), so we hope now they can see they do make a solid and valuable contribution to the team - and understand why they will never be allowed to go on holidays again!
MasterChef featured an elimination challenge and we watched it when we got back from Trivia. It had gone over again and even though S had done her trick of recording the next program as well, it didn't work. When she checked it, it wasn't there. It stopped at Ben being safe, and the announcement of whether it would be Alice or Wade who would be eliminated was left hanging on the judge's lips. Thank goodness for the interweb - where we were able to see the final minutes of the program and watch Wade go on his way.
Then, since we have an early start in the morning - F is picking S up from Crestwood Zarraffas at 5:45 for their drive to Brisbane Airport to collect M - we called it a night.
The weather stayed clear again today and I was harbouring hopes that the ground would dry out enough for a quick mow - but when it squelched underfoot, I knew it wasn't to be. But at least S was able to do a bunch of Washing because the sock drawer was looking a little empty.
S thinks Tinker is still harbouring some distrust towards her following her interventions to help me corral her for her recent Vet visits. Tink is incredibly avoidant when S tries to call her in for her dinner and shot - and last night as soon as S went anywhere near her, she scooted off the other way. She is not as wary of me it seems (even though I am the one who keeps talking roundabout with her) and she came straight in when I called her.
Monday is Trivia night and luckily N and S are back. And it showed because we came out as tied for first and after the tie-break question (at what percent is silver considered "Sterling"?) we emerged victorious. As we kept telling N and S, it has been a while between wins (or even places), so we hope now they can see they do make a solid and valuable contribution to the team - and understand why they will never be allowed to go on holidays again!
Then, since we have an early start in the morning - F is picking S up from Crestwood Zarraffas at 5:45 for their drive to Brisbane Airport to collect M - we called it a night.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Sunday
Well, the rain appears to have stopped, but for how long? At least the Kokoda Challengers wouldn't have been trudging through mud and slush all weekend! We did have a text from Sy during the evening last night to say they were sitting in a paddock full of cow droppings waiting for their Challengers. She gave no other details so we don't know if there were cows in the paddock as well. She texted this afternoon to let us know that their group had finished at around 4 this afternoon. Mammoth effort! Sy and M-A are talking about doing the walk next year if they can get a team together. Wouldn't that be an interesting exercise!?
The Markets were good - with a bigger crowd at our table than we are used to with M and the boys, and R, joining us. E is away in NZ at the moment, enjoyng less than clement Weather. A heavy cloud seems to have settled over Auckland and shows no sign of lifting. We don't have (much) cloud here today but there was enough, plus a cool gale, that kept us from going outside into the open air. It would have been difficult to make the move, too, because the table was groaning with food! A had done some special baking (including snow for “Christmas in July”) as it’s Mi's last markets for a while. Come Saturday she'll be boarding that big plane and setting off for Pristina. F won't be going with her but it won't be long until he'll be setting off for Jordan. There's been no further word on Lu's trip to the U.S. for his scholarship interview and if F is going to go with him but they’ll have to make a decision on that soon. I think they were leaning to Lu going by himself especially as he’s such a sensible young man and it’s only a few months before he’s off to do attend college there!
There are moves afoot to secure a new U.S. Sister City for the Gold Coast. It may actually be two but some of us are only excited by one of them! And that is ... Las Vegas. The other one is Honolulu. But given that the Gold Coast is due for those four new casinos, Las Vegas as a Sister City seems quite ... appropriate.
We were hoping to find a nice spot in the sun today to have a sit but it wasn't that kind of day, so we settled for an Asian lunch over at the Q Centre and I secured a table for us while S (thank you) did a "hunt and gather" at the shops.
Back at Latimers, rain stopped, S and I have been able to get out into the yard for a round of "pick-up" and, quite by accident I worked out how to do the very best job ... make sure you do it in the pair of snowy white runners that you have on for the first time. While S may have almost stepped in it, I didn't even come close! It's just a shame that the ground hasn't dried out yet so there was no way I could mow today. I'm hoping it will though and that I’ll able to do it tomorrow (especially since M arrives home on Tuesday).
Can you believe that this is the second-last week of MasterChef? They will lose three contestants this week and then one each night next week. I suppose the timing makes sense because the Olympics will soon be upon us and coverage of them will be filling the air waves.
Tink came in to watch MasterChef this evening, or we thought that was why she came in - actually it was so she could have a big nap on the couch - and impress us with her snoring! It's hard to know who's louder - Tink or Pearl ... they are both quite impressive. It's good to have Tink back inside though, especially as the temperature is supposed to drop down to 8 degrees tonight. It's definitely a night for Pearl to have her nightie on - it's been warm enough for most of the last week that she hasn't needed it - and the one night we did put it on her, she tried to take it off.
She must have been tired tonight because as well as sleeping through MasterChef, Pearl came to bed with me rather than sitting up with S as she usually does. For a moment there I thought Beazley would come as well, but that was not to be.
There are moves afoot to secure a new U.S. Sister City for the Gold Coast. It may actually be two but some of us are only excited by one of them! And that is ... Las Vegas. The other one is Honolulu. But given that the Gold Coast is due for those four new casinos, Las Vegas as a Sister City seems quite ... appropriate.
Back at Latimers, rain stopped, S and I have been able to get out into the yard for a round of "pick-up" and, quite by accident I worked out how to do the very best job ... make sure you do it in the pair of snowy white runners that you have on for the first time. While S may have almost stepped in it, I didn't even come close! It's just a shame that the ground hasn't dried out yet so there was no way I could mow today. I'm hoping it will though and that I’ll able to do it tomorrow (especially since M arrives home on Tuesday).
Tink came in to watch MasterChef this evening, or we thought that was why she came in - actually it was so she could have a big nap on the couch - and impress us with her snoring! It's hard to know who's louder - Tink or Pearl ... they are both quite impressive. It's good to have Tink back inside though, especially as the temperature is supposed to drop down to 8 degrees tonight. It's definitely a night for Pearl to have her nightie on - it's been warm enough for most of the last week that she hasn't needed it - and the one night we did put it on her, she tried to take it off.
She must have been tired tonight because as well as sleeping through MasterChef, Pearl came to bed with me rather than sitting up with S as she usually does. For a moment there I thought Beazley would come as well, but that was not to be.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Saturday
Tinker wasn't - in a more cooperative frame of mind. At 4:30 she was scratching on the bedroom door to come in, so I let her and then she went straight over to the screen door and started scratching on that. She’s clever, you have to give her that, but she wasn't going out without having her shot. So I took her out of the bedroom (surprised that S was sleeping through this) and went to get her shot ready while she took up her position under a kitchen chair. It didn't take her that long to work out that we both wanted the same thing - she wanted to go out and I wanted her to go out but still as I pulled the chair out she started fast-walking up the hall. I followed her and as she stood by the back door, I gave her the shot, and then sent her on her way - and left a note for S so she would know not to give Tink another shot - since she had kindly offered to do them this morning.
It would be fair to say we weren't expecting Sy to arrive just after 8 this morning, but she did give us ten minutes warning - so we were glad of that! She had brought a friend, M-A, who was also being back-up for their Kokoda Challengers - M-A even had a branded t-shirt for the event.
After they'd gone - several laughs and stories later, S took Pearl for a walk (the rain has stopped and sunshine has been sighted!) down to B's. Dolly was glad to see them - coming over to the fence to say hello. Last night when Pearl and I were down that way, Dolly wasn't budging from their shelter - and that was probably a good call on her part!
Then it was off to Pacific Fair, for me anyway, while S showed Pearl that she shouldn't be sad because she was stuck at home on a Saturday because not everyone gets to go out on a Saturday! Pearl wasn't buying any of it!
Much later, I was standing waiting for the kettle to boil after I arrived back at Latimers and was amazed to see one of S's birds there. I tried to take a photograph of it through the window but that didn't work. Sneaking up on it outside wasn't really an option - I had tried for a photograph of the bird I call "the Crane" this morning but missed that (could it have had anything to do with my squeaky shoe?) so I wasn't particularly hopeful. I did get a photo, but not the one I was after. And since Nik was out we also took him down to B's on our walk with Pearl. Dolly came over - thereby answering the riddle of the brown patch on her side which I noticed a couple of days ago: she's been branded ... but on the other side, she's only been shaved on this side. Not quite sure why that is - I’ll have to check with a horse person or maybe the interweb.
Tink came in for dinner but not with the others. I'm not sure why - perhaps she's had a fright - or maybe she's a bit off-colour but she really hasn't been herself today. She spent most of it on one of the chairs out the back. Or is she just side of the rain and missing the sunshine? The patch of bright we had this morning didn't last that long and anyone who knows Tink knows she loves basking in the sunlight. Do cats get SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)?
S cooked a chicken stirfry for dinner and we had it with Mrs Browns Boys - a television program, a comedy, about an interfering but caring Irish mother with some of her children (all grown-up) still living at home. The humour is a bit crass but they do make some interesting insights into life, the universe and other things. I like it because it's filmed in front of a live audience and it's not pretending to be anything other than what it is - so we get to see the production, sets and all. S seemed to enjoy it as well but didn't want to watch the second episode straight away - those lifestyle programs were calling!
After they'd gone - several laughs and stories later, S took Pearl for a walk (the rain has stopped and sunshine has been sighted!) down to B's. Dolly was glad to see them - coming over to the fence to say hello. Last night when Pearl and I were down that way, Dolly wasn't budging from their shelter - and that was probably a good call on her part!
Then it was off to Pacific Fair, for me anyway, while S showed Pearl that she shouldn't be sad because she was stuck at home on a Saturday because not everyone gets to go out on a Saturday! Pearl wasn't buying any of it!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Friday
The rain continues. It's almost too wet to take Pearl for a walk! But because we love her so much, we're going to brave the elements and take her! We know she will appreciate it. The cats? Well they will stay where they are ... on the bed, in the corner in the bedroom, and on the chair out the back - all present and accounted for. They certainly have a routine for wet weather - I'd like to have one too, although I suppose going to work is a routine of sorts. I wasn't the only one there today who would have preferred to have been at home instead, curled up on the couch with a significant other and watching horror or science fiction movies or maybe even a rom-com (if it had to be) and a bucket of popcorn and a nice long drink of something yummy. Maybe that could be the plan if it's still raining tomorrow ... after we've taken Pearl out for breakfast and after we're been in to Pacific Fair - I can't believe it's been a month since my last haircut!
S saw some wonderful birdlife hanging out on the fence near the kitchen this afternoon. At first she saw one that was like a budgie but a bit bigger, yellow and blue. It was joined by another which had red around its head. Before she could take a photograph, they flew off. She was telling me about them as we watched a magnificent Kookaburra sitting at almost the same spot - which also flew away before we could get the camera out.
It was an afternoon for photography opportunities - as I was driving in to the Valley with the fog shrouding the surrounding hills, it looked so open and clear (surprisingly as it was raining) and looked so different I really did want to take a shot, but didn't want to pull over onto the shoulder fear that with everything so wet, Lars might bog. And sometimes the shot will only work from the one spot - so not to be ... this time.
The big Gold Coast news is that mayor-elect Tom Tate wants four more casinos in the area, and it looks like Jamie Packer will be offered first refusal. You wouldn't have thought the area could support that many gambling establishments but maybe they're planning on a fillip from the G20 Conference mooted for Brisbane in 2014 or the 2018 Commonwealth Games. You'd have to be concerned about ongoing viability after those events. And it would be interesting to know what non-competition period the Jupiters folk signed up for way back when!
The rain certainly isn't welcome news for the folks doing the Kokoda Challenge this weekend. As Sy said when she called this evening, saying she is doing support crew but she will have some spare time tomorrow for a cup of tea with us, the rain is worse than last year and will have the creeks full and difficult to ford and have turned everything to a muddy slush to make things especially slippery. S suggested that in the name of safety, they could call it off and reschedule - but we have a feeling that's not going to happen. But we'll certainly be thinking of those folks trudging through the bush throughout the weekend.
Well, I did call into the Post Office again today, thinking it would be lovely if my new stylus had arrived (ordered late Wednesday night so it was a fairly big ask!) and I was stunned to open the post box ... and there it was! Sooz thinks it's weird - it has a pivoting disk at the nib - but it is accurate and lets you write with a point rather than the usual conductive stylus "sponge"! For me, it's as big a leap forward with the iPad as was the introduction of "cut and paste” on the iPhone.
My work day was spent going through documentation provided by subcontractors in support of their claims, and what is usually a painstaking and slightly repetitive job was lightened when I found someone had labelled their Greenhouse and Energy Reporting - Subcontractor Monthly Report as “Vital, planet saving document”. That’s the spirit!
Tink was odd this evening. She wouldn't come in for her dinner at first, and then, when she did, she was spooked by Maggie and took herself back outside again. Hopefully she'll be hungry enough to come in and eat, but she'll be missing out on her insulin shot tonight - it's too late now so we'll have to pick her up again in the morning. Maybe she'll be in a more cooperative frame of mind then.
S saw some wonderful birdlife hanging out on the fence near the kitchen this afternoon. At first she saw one that was like a budgie but a bit bigger, yellow and blue. It was joined by another which had red around its head. Before she could take a photograph, they flew off. She was telling me about them as we watched a magnificent Kookaburra sitting at almost the same spot - which also flew away before we could get the camera out.
It was an afternoon for photography opportunities - as I was driving in to the Valley with the fog shrouding the surrounding hills, it looked so open and clear (surprisingly as it was raining) and looked so different I really did want to take a shot, but didn't want to pull over onto the shoulder fear that with everything so wet, Lars might bog. And sometimes the shot will only work from the one spot - so not to be ... this time.
The big Gold Coast news is that mayor-elect Tom Tate wants four more casinos in the area, and it looks like Jamie Packer will be offered first refusal. You wouldn't have thought the area could support that many gambling establishments but maybe they're planning on a fillip from the G20 Conference mooted for Brisbane in 2014 or the 2018 Commonwealth Games. You'd have to be concerned about ongoing viability after those events. And it would be interesting to know what non-competition period the Jupiters folk signed up for way back when!
The rain certainly isn't welcome news for the folks doing the Kokoda Challenge this weekend. As Sy said when she called this evening, saying she is doing support crew but she will have some spare time tomorrow for a cup of tea with us, the rain is worse than last year and will have the creeks full and difficult to ford and have turned everything to a muddy slush to make things especially slippery. S suggested that in the name of safety, they could call it off and reschedule - but we have a feeling that's not going to happen. But we'll certainly be thinking of those folks trudging through the bush throughout the weekend.
Well, I did call into the Post Office again today, thinking it would be lovely if my new stylus had arrived (ordered late Wednesday night so it was a fairly big ask!) and I was stunned to open the post box ... and there it was! Sooz thinks it's weird - it has a pivoting disk at the nib - but it is accurate and lets you write with a point rather than the usual conductive stylus "sponge"! For me, it's as big a leap forward with the iPad as was the introduction of "cut and paste” on the iPhone.
My work day was spent going through documentation provided by subcontractors in support of their claims, and what is usually a painstaking and slightly repetitive job was lightened when I found someone had labelled their Greenhouse and Energy Reporting - Subcontractor Monthly Report as “Vital, planet saving document”. That’s the spirit!
Tink was odd this evening. She wouldn't come in for her dinner at first, and then, when she did, she was spooked by Maggie and took herself back outside again. Hopefully she'll be hungry enough to come in and eat, but she'll be missing out on her insulin shot tonight - it's too late now so we'll have to pick her up again in the morning. Maybe she'll be in a more cooperative frame of mind then.
Thursday
It's still raining which means that D was here when I arrived home - but luckily he didn't have the trailer in tow and didn't have the four-wheel drive loaded to the gunnels so the lawn was, more or less, safe ... for now.
I can't believe how wet it is. Yesterday when K came, it took ages for the floors to dry. Today, it's worse - even though the floors haven't been cleaned today (although at this rate they could do with one). I feel sorry for poor little Ebony though; she's still out there in her paddock and the water's getting quite deep out there. She doesn't seem too distressed though, in fact she seems to be having a wonderful time jumping through puddles - again and again and again. I'm not sure what happens to electric fences when it rains but Ebony’s doesn't seem to be working - and probably just as well, because, as I said, there's a lot of water out there. She ran out of the paddock and onto the road before I realised her fence was “down” - but luckily it was after I'd driven past.
S had done a good job of getting Tinker inside this afternoon and she (Tink) was sleeping on the bed when I arrived home. But that didn't last long and she realised at some point what was up - and then put herself under the coffee table again. That seems to be one of her favourite spots on vet afternoons ... or under the kitchen table - both difficult places in which to reach her. But reach her we did - and in the end we caught her in the bedroom in a pincher movement. S says she always feels mean “catching” Tinker but, as I tell her every time, it's something which needs to be done and it’s doing a good thing for her (which is what I tell myself as she cries in the car all the way to the Vet) and ... and this is important ... as I keep telling Tink, at least I have learnt my lesson about not having her cage right at the back of the four-wheel drive and not having it facing frontwards! Given the number of roundabouts between here and the Vet’s, that has to be a plus! (This is, of course, an allusion to the roll cage incident - which is now sufficiently distant that I am no longer absolutely mortified by it.)
The Vet was very happy with Tink's progress. She had a BGL of 11.2, her weight had not changed (5.77) and they want to see her back in a fortnight. I tried to get the Vet to push it out to three weeks instead, but she was resolute. Two weeks it is then ... and we must remember to note that in the diary since we'll probably be handing pet patrol back to their mother when she returns next week.
Just when you think it can't rain anymore, it starts bucketing down even more heavily. Surprisingly, though, the river doesn't seem to be that high at the moment - more a trickle than a stream. I checked this afternoon, expecting it to be a raging torrent ... but it was only just in the middle third of its bed.
I don't know how bees cope in the wet. I've been meaning to mention for quite a while (did I already?) that new hives have gone in near the crossing - and loads of them. They've been there at least a month, maybe even longer. I haven't seen anyone down there with them yet - how long does it take for a hive to become productive? And what's the best time of day for collecting the honey (read: raiding the hives)?
It was Post Office and Butcher day again today - which seems to have come around awfully fast, especially since it's a day later this week because of my The Big House run yesterday. Anyone who had been near me at the Post Office would have had a great laugh at my expense ... I just wish I could have observed it rather than been it. I'd just emptied the mail box (lots of mail from M's friend!) when I could hear what I think is my phone going off. It wasn't - and I couldn't work out what it was, except it did sound like an iPhone. I wondered if someone had posted a phone and that was what I could hear - but couldn't work out why they would do that, especially without having removed the battery. I took a step away from the boxes and the noise was still as loud. I'm not sure how long it took to actually dawn on me that it was my iPad, in my bag, ringing away but I finally took the call, trying to juggle the mail, the iPad, and the car keys so I could get back in the car and out of the rain!
I'll have to go to the Post Office again tomorrow. My parcel hasn't come yet! But then, since I only ordered my new Jot stylus yesterday, it was wishful thinking that it would arrive today ... but you can't blame folk for hope.
I can't believe how wet it is. Yesterday when K came, it took ages for the floors to dry. Today, it's worse - even though the floors haven't been cleaned today (although at this rate they could do with one). I feel sorry for poor little Ebony though; she's still out there in her paddock and the water's getting quite deep out there. She doesn't seem too distressed though, in fact she seems to be having a wonderful time jumping through puddles - again and again and again. I'm not sure what happens to electric fences when it rains but Ebony’s doesn't seem to be working - and probably just as well, because, as I said, there's a lot of water out there. She ran out of the paddock and onto the road before I realised her fence was “down” - but luckily it was after I'd driven past.
S had done a good job of getting Tinker inside this afternoon and she (Tink) was sleeping on the bed when I arrived home. But that didn't last long and she realised at some point what was up - and then put herself under the coffee table again. That seems to be one of her favourite spots on vet afternoons ... or under the kitchen table - both difficult places in which to reach her. But reach her we did - and in the end we caught her in the bedroom in a pincher movement. S says she always feels mean “catching” Tinker but, as I tell her every time, it's something which needs to be done and it’s doing a good thing for her (which is what I tell myself as she cries in the car all the way to the Vet) and ... and this is important ... as I keep telling Tink, at least I have learnt my lesson about not having her cage right at the back of the four-wheel drive and not having it facing frontwards! Given the number of roundabouts between here and the Vet’s, that has to be a plus! (This is, of course, an allusion to the roll cage incident - which is now sufficiently distant that I am no longer absolutely mortified by it.)
The Vet was very happy with Tink's progress. She had a BGL of 11.2, her weight had not changed (5.77) and they want to see her back in a fortnight. I tried to get the Vet to push it out to three weeks instead, but she was resolute. Two weeks it is then ... and we must remember to note that in the diary since we'll probably be handing pet patrol back to their mother when she returns next week.
Just when you think it can't rain anymore, it starts bucketing down even more heavily. Surprisingly, though, the river doesn't seem to be that high at the moment - more a trickle than a stream. I checked this afternoon, expecting it to be a raging torrent ... but it was only just in the middle third of its bed.
I don't know how bees cope in the wet. I've been meaning to mention for quite a while (did I already?) that new hives have gone in near the crossing - and loads of them. They've been there at least a month, maybe even longer. I haven't seen anyone down there with them yet - how long does it take for a hive to become productive? And what's the best time of day for collecting the honey (read: raiding the hives)?
It was Post Office and Butcher day again today - which seems to have come around awfully fast, especially since it's a day later this week because of my The Big House run yesterday. Anyone who had been near me at the Post Office would have had a great laugh at my expense ... I just wish I could have observed it rather than been it. I'd just emptied the mail box (lots of mail from M's friend!) when I could hear what I think is my phone going off. It wasn't - and I couldn't work out what it was, except it did sound like an iPhone. I wondered if someone had posted a phone and that was what I could hear - but couldn't work out why they would do that, especially without having removed the battery. I took a step away from the boxes and the noise was still as loud. I'm not sure how long it took to actually dawn on me that it was my iPad, in my bag, ringing away but I finally took the call, trying to juggle the mail, the iPad, and the car keys so I could get back in the car and out of the rain!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Wednesday
It was raining again today and it's supposed to go on until and through the weekend. This may make mowing a bit of a challenge! But I'm confident there will be at least one dry patch where the lawn is itself dry enough to mow without swallowing ROM into a bog hole (yes, it has been that wet).
Tink slept in with us again last night - I love it because it makes it very easy to give her her morning shot - but she does complain a bit: What do you think you're doing with that light on? Can't you see some of us are trying to sleep here? Why are you making all that noise? Yes, I want to play with that belt, don't put it on, throw it back over here!
I also love the way Pearl wanders out with me in the morning, does a little mosey around (read: hunt for cookies), and then finally lets herself be shepherded back into the bedroom because she knows that it really is too early for her breakfast. Usually, she's joined by one or more of the felines - who take up their positions with S on the bed ... sometimes even refusing to move. S sent me a photo today showing that the cats had finally debunked ...
Night had fallen by the time I arrived back at Latimers again this evening. I had been out on the M errand in at The Big House! It has been a while since I was there ... and it never ceases to amaze me how overcome I am with the exasperated "What were they thinking (about the parking)?" as soon as I drive in to their car park. I was thinking today that if I ever drive in and find the boom gates are operational, and you have to put your rewards card in to gain access, I'm not quite sure what I would do especially as the gates are at least four rows of (chained-off) parking from the entrance - with no turning around points.
But the big news is that CSP is up to over $160,000 and while there was a seat at the table when I was there, I didn't feel alert enough to put money on the table (although I did take a photograph of some chips as I was going in ... although I was actually leaving at the time!). Never mind, it's not going anywhere ... hopefully.
So, in all I was at The Big House for maybe five minutes before making my way back out to Zarraffas to have a coffee, and wait until it was late enough to order Pizza for dinner. I now know that the pizza shop that smelled so good yesterday is the second largest franchise in Australia (thank you Trivia) - Eagle Boys - and that as you sit waiting for your pizza to cook, the aromas can be overpowering, and definitely not as tempting/inviting as when you just stroll past. But it wasn't bad.
So, while I was waiting, I played on the iPad - did a little reading, did some blogging, and created a YouTube account and posted my first video! Then, when I got home, I took a video of Pearl, Beazley and Tink meeting in our bedroom and posted that to YouTube as well. I have my own channel - which you need to if you are going to post - and I'm looking forward to playing with that and trying to work out if there's any way to use S and my talents to produce something which could then "go viral" and which could be "monitized" (and perhaps even help with my spelling of "new", made-up words which, I suppose, all words were once upon a time)!
The "ALDI - Opening Soon" signs have gone up over the old Coco's store at Carrara - as we knew it would, we just didn't know when. I wonder if anyone we know is making herself known to management there so they can get the Thursday specials on Wednesday night. I wish I had that kind of chutzpah!
K came today and she and S had a good catch-up. Beazley was very brave - staying on our bed while she was there, and only moving when she came in to do our room. It's funny how the different cats have different sleeping styles - Maggie and Tink seem to prefer the curled up position, while Beazley stretches out and makes himself as long and as wide as he can ("my bed, my bed") and stays that way.
MasterChef had moved to Parma tonight and the Teams challenge had two sections - first they had to cook saffron risotto with gold leaf, with the top five dishes going into the red team, the other going into the blue team. Then the teams had to prepare lunch for the staff at the Barilla pasta factory and ... is this really a surprise? - the red team were victorious, leaving the blue team members to battle it out tomorrow night to see who gets eliminated. None of the cats watched MasterChef tonight and it could be that Pearl only did because, with the cats out of the way, she could have a spot on the couch!
Tink slept in with us again last night - I love it because it makes it very easy to give her her morning shot - but she does complain a bit: What do you think you're doing with that light on? Can't you see some of us are trying to sleep here? Why are you making all that noise? Yes, I want to play with that belt, don't put it on, throw it back over here!
Night had fallen by the time I arrived back at Latimers again this evening. I had been out on the M errand in at The Big House! It has been a while since I was there ... and it never ceases to amaze me how overcome I am with the exasperated "What were they thinking (about the parking)?" as soon as I drive in to their car park. I was thinking today that if I ever drive in and find the boom gates are operational, and you have to put your rewards card in to gain access, I'm not quite sure what I would do especially as the gates are at least four rows of (chained-off) parking from the entrance - with no turning around points.
But the big news is that CSP is up to over $160,000 and while there was a seat at the table when I was there, I didn't feel alert enough to put money on the table (although I did take a photograph of some chips as I was going in ... although I was actually leaving at the time!). Never mind, it's not going anywhere ... hopefully.
So, in all I was at The Big House for maybe five minutes before making my way back out to Zarraffas to have a coffee, and wait until it was late enough to order Pizza for dinner. I now know that the pizza shop that smelled so good yesterday is the second largest franchise in Australia (thank you Trivia) - Eagle Boys - and that as you sit waiting for your pizza to cook, the aromas can be overpowering, and definitely not as tempting/inviting as when you just stroll past. But it wasn't bad.
So, while I was waiting, I played on the iPad - did a little reading, did some blogging, and created a YouTube account and posted my first video! Then, when I got home, I took a video of Pearl, Beazley and Tink meeting in our bedroom and posted that to YouTube as well. I have my own channel - which you need to if you are going to post - and I'm looking forward to playing with that and trying to work out if there's any way to use S and my talents to produce something which could then "go viral" and which could be "monitized" (and perhaps even help with my spelling of "new", made-up words which, I suppose, all words were once upon a time)!
The "ALDI - Opening Soon" signs have gone up over the old Coco's store at Carrara - as we knew it would, we just didn't know when. I wonder if anyone we know is making herself known to management there so they can get the Thursday specials on Wednesday night. I wish I had that kind of chutzpah!
K came today and she and S had a good catch-up. Beazley was very brave - staying on our bed while she was there, and only moving when she came in to do our room. It's funny how the different cats have different sleeping styles - Maggie and Tink seem to prefer the curled up position, while Beazley stretches out and makes himself as long and as wide as he can ("my bed, my bed") and stays that way.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Tuesday
It was dark by the time I arrived home this evening so I didn't get to go with Pearl and S on the walk down to B's, or to see Holly and Dolly in the daylight, or to see D's hedge not looking scary.
It's not often that I don't see daylight at one end of the day or other at Latimers, but I was running errands this afternoon (doctor, chemist, Coles) and they just ate up the time. I'm not used to being this busy - and while it's okay once in a while, I'm glad I don't live like this!
S seemed to cope okay on her own - although one isn't ever really on their own with all of the Latimers furries around, especially Pearl who never strays far from your side.
Pearl had a much more rested night last night - which we're all grateful for, but we're also glad that she's such a good watch dog - although when we arrived home on Sunday after the Markets, she didn't even come out to greet us as she was fast asleep on the couch. Perhaps she knows the car ... although that's not any excuse for not coming out! Or even barking a greeting!
S had a beef casserole in the oven by the time I arrived home tonight and it smelled (and tasted) fantastic. She did it with mashed potato and beans (in case Maggie, eater of green things, was around) and was thinking about following it with a tart tartin (the SMH had a recipe in today's edition) but was also thinking of apple pie - and luckily I had intercepted the latter thought and picked one up with the shopping! Yum. I'm not sure what we're having tomorrow night - it's usually something fresh from the butcher - but I'm off on an M errand run again so may be too late to catch him. Ah well, maybe I could interest S in a pizza - we haven't had one in a while and they smelled wonderful as I passed the pizza place on the way out of the shopping centre this evening (just as well I didn't give in and get one!).
It was quite cool again this evening and it didn't take me long to follow S's lead and change into flannelette (and if flannelette is a material which imitates flannel, why don't they just use flannel? And does flannel come from flannel flowers? Ah so many questions, so little time.)
The MasterChef crew are still in Italy but they have moved from Rome to Florence. For reasons unknown, Andy was missing from the small crowd watching Mindy (who already has one) and Alice (who really does seem to have cornered the market on Brains’ style glasses ... you remember Brains - from The Thinderbirds!) battle it out for an(other) Immunity Pin. There was much talk of missing ingredients - artichokes and onions - from Alice's and Mindy's mains, but it was the cooking of their respective rabbits that separated the contenders. And tonight’s winner is ... Alice! It will be interesting to see if she and Mindy are the Captains for tonight’s Teams challenge. (Hmmmm ... from the comments I have stopped myself from making - well, I made them and then deleted same - I am still cranky about last week's teams challenge and double elimination casualties.)
It would be really interesting to know how the furries decide where they will be throughout the evening. Pearl sat next to me on the couch as we watched MasterChef and Beazley sat on S’s lap. Maggie's is still doing her “I want to be alone” down-the-back sitting in her chair routine, and Tinker didn't come in until afterwards. With the amount of television that some of those furries are watching, I’m starting to wonder if we need to sign them in as “guests” on the Ratings box - and whether we would give their age (is that needed?) in human or furries years. It’s just as well we haven,t done that yet though as we didn't get the channel changed tonight before Being Lara Bingle came on! We don't want that show getting any ratings from us!
It's not often that I don't see daylight at one end of the day or other at Latimers, but I was running errands this afternoon (doctor, chemist, Coles) and they just ate up the time. I'm not used to being this busy - and while it's okay once in a while, I'm glad I don't live like this!
 |
| Latimers by night. |
Pearl had a much more rested night last night - which we're all grateful for, but we're also glad that she's such a good watch dog - although when we arrived home on Sunday after the Markets, she didn't even come out to greet us as she was fast asleep on the couch. Perhaps she knows the car ... although that's not any excuse for not coming out! Or even barking a greeting!
It was quite cool again this evening and it didn't take me long to follow S's lead and change into flannelette (and if flannelette is a material which imitates flannel, why don't they just use flannel? And does flannel come from flannel flowers? Ah so many questions, so little time.)
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| Tinker at sunset. |
It would be really interesting to know how the furries decide where they will be throughout the evening. Pearl sat next to me on the couch as we watched MasterChef and Beazley sat on S’s lap. Maggie's is still doing her “I want to be alone” down-the-back sitting in her chair routine, and Tinker didn't come in until afterwards. With the amount of television that some of those furries are watching, I’m starting to wonder if we need to sign them in as “guests” on the Ratings box - and whether we would give their age (is that needed?) in human or furries years. It’s just as well we haven,t done that yet though as we didn't get the channel changed tonight before Being Lara Bingle came on! We don't want that show getting any ratings from us!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Monday
"You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, Know when to walk away and know when to _____." (sung to the tune of Kenny Roger's The Gambler ... oh wait, it is!) We could have used M for at least two questions at Trivia tonight ... that one (complete the next word) and what is the second largest Casino in Australia. We did get the lyric, although, as I pointed out to S and F, perhaps taking my word for it wasn't the wisest thing ... afterall, I am the one who always sang "My name is Garfundi" (My Lady Darbanville) and that you'd always be "a docious" (precocious) when you were saying Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (and who knew that isn't in the Australian Oxford Dictionary or that according to Wikipedia it's spelled exactly as it sounds?)
You have to love Trivia - it takes you to places where you've never been before, but, as we were saying in the car home last night, we're not sure if you learn anything ... well, you might learn it, but do you retain it?
It was good that we were able to stay awake for it, though, because Pearl had a bit of a disturbed night last night. I don't know what was lurking outside, frightening her, but twice she started barking and took a while to settle. The first time I let her out, and while she did go, she came back in as soon as she was called.
Also having a disturbed night was S, who does hear Tinker when she scratches to come in, to go out, to come in and so on. I heard none of this, and was surprised to find her (Tinker) sleeping near my feet when I woke this morning. She didn't stir ... which made it very easy to give her the insulin shot. She must have moved at some point though, because when I spoke with S later in the morning, she was saying that Beazley had been in to the bedroom for special time with her. It will be interesting to see how quickly everything goes back to the way it was when M gets back next week!
D came around again this afternoon and yes, it started raining not long after he arrived, so there are now a few more tyre wrinkles in the lawn.
The Crestwood Bakery Deli (CBD) is under new management and I dropped in there for lunch today - or actually, to pick up a takeaway sandwich, which I took next door to Zarraffas. The sandwich wasn't bad, although the way the manager/owner (?) talked to one of the staff there was a bit off-putting. I could see his point though - it's difficult, if you haven't taken the order and aren't making it, to know what a C-T-K sandwich is. I would never have guessed, and neither had he, that it was Cheese-Tomato-Carrot! His confusion came because when he arrived, there was already Carrot (with a C not a K) on there.
I was surprised in Zarraffas by F who was on his way to have a haircut but had just dropped in for a coffee since he had a few minutes to spare. It was good to catch up - although now there appears to be some doubt about his accompanying Lu to the States. If he does go, F will only be back for four days before he jets off to Jordan (he's already booked and paid for his ticket for that trip).
It's still a bit chilly in the afternoons and S put on a flannie for our walk down to B's with Pearl today. I don't know what it is but just near the shelter in Holly and Dolly's paddock, there's a plant, on this side of the fence, which Pearl always stops to have a good sniff of and sometimes even a little chew. She was sniffing at it again this afternoon when Dolly came over and went to give her a little sniff. I'm not sure what Pearl made of that but she quickly moved, looking for a moment as though she was going to do a little snap at Dolly. Of course, Dolly's quite good at that as well, and often snaps her teeth together - but not usually in anyone's general direction.
It was Rubbish day today (phew, almost weekend already!) but we made an executive decision that the third of an Otto bin we had amassed since last week can wait until next week. We're taking it as our own personal contribution to sustainability - and the 4-wheel drive will still get its run this week - Tink and I will go to the vets in it on Thursday ... so we can have a better view of the roundabout roadworks!
It was good that we were able to stay awake for it, though, because Pearl had a bit of a disturbed night last night. I don't know what was lurking outside, frightening her, but twice she started barking and took a while to settle. The first time I let her out, and while she did go, she came back in as soon as she was called.
Also having a disturbed night was S, who does hear Tinker when she scratches to come in, to go out, to come in and so on. I heard none of this, and was surprised to find her (Tinker) sleeping near my feet when I woke this morning. She didn't stir ... which made it very easy to give her the insulin shot. She must have moved at some point though, because when I spoke with S later in the morning, she was saying that Beazley had been in to the bedroom for special time with her. It will be interesting to see how quickly everything goes back to the way it was when M gets back next week!
The Crestwood Bakery Deli (CBD) is under new management and I dropped in there for lunch today - or actually, to pick up a takeaway sandwich, which I took next door to Zarraffas. The sandwich wasn't bad, although the way the manager/owner (?) talked to one of the staff there was a bit off-putting. I could see his point though - it's difficult, if you haven't taken the order and aren't making it, to know what a C-T-K sandwich is. I would never have guessed, and neither had he, that it was Cheese-Tomato-Carrot! His confusion came because when he arrived, there was already Carrot (with a C not a K) on there.
I was surprised in Zarraffas by F who was on his way to have a haircut but had just dropped in for a coffee since he had a few minutes to spare. It was good to catch up - although now there appears to be some doubt about his accompanying Lu to the States. If he does go, F will only be back for four days before he jets off to Jordan (he's already booked and paid for his ticket for that trip).
It's still a bit chilly in the afternoons and S put on a flannie for our walk down to B's with Pearl today. I don't know what it is but just near the shelter in Holly and Dolly's paddock, there's a plant, on this side of the fence, which Pearl always stops to have a good sniff of and sometimes even a little chew. She was sniffing at it again this afternoon when Dolly came over and went to give her a little sniff. I'm not sure what Pearl made of that but she quickly moved, looking for a moment as though she was going to do a little snap at Dolly. Of course, Dolly's quite good at that as well, and often snaps her teeth together - but not usually in anyone's general direction.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Sunday
The tapping bird is back! I heard it this morning as I was finishing my shower and I hurried to get dressed so I could go out and take a photograph of it, but it was long gone by the time I got there. Ah well, maybe next weekend.
The Skype call with Tr was plagued with technical difficulties again this morning and I have suggested that we try another service - Tango - which N at the Markets mentioned the other week. I haven't had a chance to try it with anyone yet, but I'll send the details through to Tr and we'll seen how we go next week. Unfortunately, the best I can say is that it can't be any worse (and even that is wishful thinking).
The Markets was good again today. N (with V having jetted off to Germany yesterday) was the first one there - I was lonely, he told us - S and I were second, followed by F and Mi (who came bearing burek ... yum), then M and A (who said it was cold and they didn't want to be the first ones there, waiting for everyone - and who came carrying cake - double yum), and not long after that E and B. It may just have been the wind (chill factor) where we were sitting - but anyone passing may have suspected we were feeling the cold - from the wind blowing through our hair; my four layers; Mi's two layers - both of them thermals; and that M (usually of the t-shirt and shorts) was wearing a jacket and long pants! And the first lot of coffees weren't even that hot so we couldn't wrap our hands around them to leach whatever warmth we could out of them either. So, next week we may be moving from under cover out into the sun (presupposing, of course, that it isn't raining). We will need to get a place partly in the shade of course, and we are all under instruction to bring caps! I hope Mi remembers because it will be her last Markets for a while since she's off to Europe the following week. And it looks like F may be off to the States in a few weeks - Lu has an interview for his music scholarship so F is planning to go over with him, possibly basing themselves in New York, where F has family, so he can introduce Lu to his cousins. They'll either train it or hire a car to go to Boston.
The denuded hedge doesn't look any better today - and S even commented that it looks like something out a scary fairy tale - where all the brambles and thickets (without leaves) grow as a barrier between the sleeping princess and the outside world. I wonder if it was this reference that had me re-watching Shrek 4 this afternoon, although a Dragon's Keep isn't quite the same thing. The film is still fun and I love the sequence where Shrek is "on the top of the world" (with a little help from The Carpenters).
Dolly trotted over to the fence this afternoon when S and I took Pearl for her walk down to B's. She was very friendly and kept asking for a pat which S was more than happy to give her. I gave her one too, and was a bit surprised when she used her top lip to tickle my hand. If I knew "horse" better, I would know what this meant because I am thinking it's a little more significant than an itchy lip. We kept Pearl on the lead for most of the walk - only because Ebony was yappier than usual. While the electric fence may be keeping her from charging over, it certainly isn't making her any quieter. And once Pearl joins in, and us, telling Pearl to quiet down, and L, telling Ebony to be quiet, it can, and does, get quite loud in the valley.
The MasterChefers are in Italy this week, and they were in Rome tonight for a 5-team challenge. I left S to watch as I worked on my tax (only a few things missing so that's not bad for the start of July!) ... and then trawling through job sites to see what else is on offer out there in the big wide world (not much) and which agents were handling the types of jobs I want. The good news is that I'd already spent some time last week revamping my CV and finding my other employment information (selection criteria response wording, Unique Selling Points etc etc) so I am good to go! The quest, of course, is a new job - where I can make better use of my skills and feel as though I am making a contribution which is valued.
The Markets was good again today. N (with V having jetted off to Germany yesterday) was the first one there - I was lonely, he told us - S and I were second, followed by F and Mi (who came bearing burek ... yum), then M and A (who said it was cold and they didn't want to be the first ones there, waiting for everyone - and who came carrying cake - double yum), and not long after that E and B. It may just have been the wind (chill factor) where we were sitting - but anyone passing may have suspected we were feeling the cold - from the wind blowing through our hair; my four layers; Mi's two layers - both of them thermals; and that M (usually of the t-shirt and shorts) was wearing a jacket and long pants! And the first lot of coffees weren't even that hot so we couldn't wrap our hands around them to leach whatever warmth we could out of them either. So, next week we may be moving from under cover out into the sun (presupposing, of course, that it isn't raining). We will need to get a place partly in the shade of course, and we are all under instruction to bring caps! I hope Mi remembers because it will be her last Markets for a while since she's off to Europe the following week. And it looks like F may be off to the States in a few weeks - Lu has an interview for his music scholarship so F is planning to go over with him, possibly basing themselves in New York, where F has family, so he can introduce Lu to his cousins. They'll either train it or hire a car to go to Boston.
The denuded hedge doesn't look any better today - and S even commented that it looks like something out a scary fairy tale - where all the brambles and thickets (without leaves) grow as a barrier between the sleeping princess and the outside world. I wonder if it was this reference that had me re-watching Shrek 4 this afternoon, although a Dragon's Keep isn't quite the same thing. The film is still fun and I love the sequence where Shrek is "on the top of the world" (with a little help from The Carpenters).
The MasterChefers are in Italy this week, and they were in Rome tonight for a 5-team challenge. I left S to watch as I worked on my tax (only a few things missing so that's not bad for the start of July!) ... and then trawling through job sites to see what else is on offer out there in the big wide world (not much) and which agents were handling the types of jobs I want. The good news is that I'd already spent some time last week revamping my CV and finding my other employment information (selection criteria response wording, Unique Selling Points etc etc) so I am good to go! The quest, of course, is a new job - where I can make better use of my skills and feel as though I am making a contribution which is valued.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Saturday
What a lovely way to start the weekend! S had offered to do the furries so I set the alarm for 7:30 instead of 6 and then didn’t get up until 9! It's been a while since I roused with daylight already upon us ... and it a very nice change. Pearl was still in with me - although she had been up and had her breakfast cookies early so she wouldn't have them making her feel uncomfortable when she was in the car with us later as Coffee Sisters was definitely still on the agenda!
The hedges are well and truly cut back and a bobcat and tipper were there this morning loading the tree debris onto a truck. It really does look very denuded up there!
We three (S, Pearl and I) needed all our strength for the roundabout. It's growing again! They had traffic controllers working there this morning and we had to wait several minutes for the hold-up to clear. It always amazes me when they put up protection around the site and still the workers manage to be outside the barrier, on the road, with their bottoms protruding into the traffic.
Coffee Sisters was as wonderful as always - and while their coffee is usually quite good it was excellent this morning. I'm not sure who was more excited at the prospect of going out - S or Pearl (she said I could put that!). Pearl was wonderfully well behaved at breakfast (which is not to say that S wasn't as well). She (Pearl) didn't even look like she was going to eat the little yappy dog there who kept annoying her ... and we all know how they've not her most favourite things.
I have to remember to take a plastic bag with me every time when I walk Pearl - I thought she'd already attended to her business as we strolled along the Coffee Sisters street, but I was wrong and I didn't have a Baggie on me. So we had to go back to the scene with one. Anyone watching would have thought it odd for two people and a Pearl to pull up in a Volvo, go and blue-bag scoop something off the verge and then drive off. I did debate with myself whether we should go back at all but since it was my oversight, there was really no choice at all - and, of course, there should never have been any question about it!
Then, continuing Pearl's Big Day Out, we dropped her at Nana's. We had phoned A to let her know so she wouldn't have to make a special trip to feed Socks (she was on her way there but was okay with our offer of feeding Socks when we dropped Pearl off and peeled off to attend to her other errands).
While Pearl was playing with Socks, S and I were off for a walk around Pacific Fair, and a (very nice) haircut for S. I was sidetracked by the Gold Coast Bulletin ice skating rink which had materialized outside Myer, especially as I was carrying Nik and the smaller camera with me (thinking I could be trying to capture the essence of shopping in my own Photo Finish* assignment). I managed one or two okay shots but there were challenges including the lighting which cycled through different colours! But the snow machine was a great touch!
We weren't gone all that long, but you would have thought Pearl had been left at Nana's for days given the enthusiastic greeting we received on our return!
On the way home we took Pearl to visit L at Allambie Gardens. It's lovely there in the late afternoon.
The birds were all over the cut-back hedges when we drove in to Latimers. The workers had done a good job of turning over the soil along the hedge-line (and who knew there was a fence there) and the birds were loving it, a bit like they do after the grass has just been mowed.
We revisited the scene of the Great Tomato Heist this afternoon and S finally found a clue ... the “branch” the tomatoes were on - in the middle of the lawn, and it was all there except for the red tomato. Whoever took it off the plant left all the green ones - which means Maggie (a suspect because she had returned to the scene) is innocent! S has planted the evidence in case something grows from it!
* Photo Finish is a new program on the ABC where three amateur photographers are given cameras and a brief and spend the day trying to capture "the shot". They are each only allowed to put up one shot for judging at the end of the day - and the best shot is judged by a panel of experts. It's fun seeing if we can pick the winner - although it was a bit infuriating last week when one of them did not pick what was, in my opinion, the best of her shots. And because they don't post all of the photographs on the Photo Finish website, I couldn't even show it to S - not without more effort than I was prepared to put into it leastways.
We three (S, Pearl and I) needed all our strength for the roundabout. It's growing again! They had traffic controllers working there this morning and we had to wait several minutes for the hold-up to clear. It always amazes me when they put up protection around the site and still the workers manage to be outside the barrier, on the road, with their bottoms protruding into the traffic.
Coffee Sisters was as wonderful as always - and while their coffee is usually quite good it was excellent this morning. I'm not sure who was more excited at the prospect of going out - S or Pearl (she said I could put that!). Pearl was wonderfully well behaved at breakfast (which is not to say that S wasn't as well). She (Pearl) didn't even look like she was going to eat the little yappy dog there who kept annoying her ... and we all know how they've not her most favourite things.
I have to remember to take a plastic bag with me every time when I walk Pearl - I thought she'd already attended to her business as we strolled along the Coffee Sisters street, but I was wrong and I didn't have a Baggie on me. So we had to go back to the scene with one. Anyone watching would have thought it odd for two people and a Pearl to pull up in a Volvo, go and blue-bag scoop something off the verge and then drive off. I did debate with myself whether we should go back at all but since it was my oversight, there was really no choice at all - and, of course, there should never have been any question about it!
While Pearl was playing with Socks, S and I were off for a walk around Pacific Fair, and a (very nice) haircut for S. I was sidetracked by the Gold Coast Bulletin ice skating rink which had materialized outside Myer, especially as I was carrying Nik and the smaller camera with me (thinking I could be trying to capture the essence of shopping in my own Photo Finish* assignment). I managed one or two okay shots but there were challenges including the lighting which cycled through different colours! But the snow machine was a great touch!
We weren't gone all that long, but you would have thought Pearl had been left at Nana's for days given the enthusiastic greeting we received on our return!
On the way home we took Pearl to visit L at Allambie Gardens. It's lovely there in the late afternoon.
We revisited the scene of the Great Tomato Heist this afternoon and S finally found a clue ... the “branch” the tomatoes were on - in the middle of the lawn, and it was all there except for the red tomato. Whoever took it off the plant left all the green ones - which means Maggie (a suspect because she had returned to the scene) is innocent! S has planted the evidence in case something grows from it!
* Photo Finish is a new program on the ABC where three amateur photographers are given cameras and a brief and spend the day trying to capture "the shot". They are each only allowed to put up one shot for judging at the end of the day - and the best shot is judged by a panel of experts. It's fun seeing if we can pick the winner - although it was a bit infuriating last week when one of them did not pick what was, in my opinion, the best of her shots. And because they don't post all of the photographs on the Photo Finish website, I couldn't even show it to S - not without more effort than I was prepared to put into it leastways.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Friday
At first I thought they had it wrong but when I arrived at Zarraffas at Nerang this afternoon, I realised the weather forecasters had been right! It did rain . . . I just hadn't noticed. Although that Lars was wet when I emerged from the WorkHouse (as I later realised) should have given me a clue.
And it was clues that were lacking at Latimers! There has been a crime of sorts - S's tomatoes have gone missing! Yes, the very same ones we took the photographs of yesterday - and just as well we did because, overnight, they have vanished without a trace. S searched everywhere for them, including in the house, just in case I'd picked them and taken them inside to ripen ... although that was inplausible - it is me afterall! - it sounded so good for a minute it even had me thinking it could have been so.
Was it the same person who's plundered the hedge outside D's at the top of the lane? Seriously the whole of the hedge has been decimated, leaving only the bottom two feet of growth. The rest of the hedge is laying on the road or at the side of the road, making it just a little difficult to navigate on the way in this afternoon but hopefully it will be gone by tomorrow. It's a shame because we liked that hedge - and certainly D's place won't be as protected from prying eyes now that the privacy "panel" has been removed. I wonder what brought that on. S and I have been thinking about it and can't work it out - maybe we can ask D when we see him next. It seems like a big move to take them away.
Most else here at Latimers stays more or less the same - especially the grass down in the paddock with B's three foals - despite his assurances, they still haven't eaten the grass down there. I'm sure they're doing their best but ... they could do better. But they are cute!
We haven't seen anything of the other D lately which means the lawn hasn't been damaged any more. We're hoping to get in another mow before M comes home (less than a fortnight now) and that might help it along a little bit ... because it does need help!
The case of the missing tomatoes remains though and S, at this stage is thinking that some creature, perhaps a possum, is the culprit - or perhaps a bird - although how either of those would be able to remove the "branch" the tomatoes were on without damaging the rest of the plant is intriguing. We're thinking it definitely wasn't rabbits or hares although if Pearl can get up into the raised bed to bury her bone, we're thinking it could have been anything. Maybe even cockatoos since they were the ones picking lemons off the tree last year. And we must remember to take some more lemons into the Markets on Sunday ... they've all had enough time to use the buckets-loads we took in last time and the tree needs a good de-lemon again.
Beazley decided he wanted to go into the bedroom with S this evening (she went in fairly early - 9ish) and he was told he could stay in there as long as he came out when he was told to ... and who knew he had such long claws ... all the better to dig into the doona with when it came time to remove him from the room. In the end, cookies spoke louder than words and a gentle shaking of the cookie dish (being careful not to wake the other cookie fiend, Pearl) managed to get him out and me in. Which was why it came as more than a bit of a surprise when I woke up during the night, unable to move, because Beazley was back on the bed! (He's a lucky boy that S has a kind heart and gets up during the night!)
S did a kind act today. She changed the clothes in the wardrobes over so we're now officially in Winter and I have no excuse not to iron my shirts ... since they won't become crushed just from being in the wardrobe. I'm not saying it was crowded in there but lately I could have (if I was a hanger rather than a draper) managed to hang things in there without a hanger!
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| Maggie investigates |
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| Picking up the scent |
Most else here at Latimers stays more or less the same - especially the grass down in the paddock with B's three foals - despite his assurances, they still haven't eaten the grass down there. I'm sure they're doing their best but ... they could do better. But they are cute!
We haven't seen anything of the other D lately which means the lawn hasn't been damaged any more. We're hoping to get in another mow before M comes home (less than a fortnight now) and that might help it along a little bit ... because it does need help!
The case of the missing tomatoes remains though and S, at this stage is thinking that some creature, perhaps a possum, is the culprit - or perhaps a bird - although how either of those would be able to remove the "branch" the tomatoes were on without damaging the rest of the plant is intriguing. We're thinking it definitely wasn't rabbits or hares although if Pearl can get up into the raised bed to bury her bone, we're thinking it could have been anything. Maybe even cockatoos since they were the ones picking lemons off the tree last year. And we must remember to take some more lemons into the Markets on Sunday ... they've all had enough time to use the buckets-loads we took in last time and the tree needs a good de-lemon again.
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| It was the Vet! |
S did a kind act today. She changed the clothes in the wardrobes over so we're now officially in Winter and I have no excuse not to iron my shirts ... since they won't become crushed just from being in the wardrobe. I'm not saying it was crowded in there but lately I could have (if I was a hanger rather than a draper) managed to hang things in there without a hanger!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Thursday
We won! We won! Which is to say that Queensland thrashed NSW in The State of Origin "The Decider" - by one point! They were only crowing about it (not giving details) on the radio this morning so I don't know if the game was as close as the score.
It's sunny again here on the Gold Coast - making 5 fine days in a row - which means the grass is growing in those paddocks - but not quickly. It probably is time to take ROM around the Hermes paddocks again ... although (unlike the three foals) Hermes and his companion are doing a fair job of keeping their grass under control.
Holly and Dolly had a change of scenery yesterday. They swapped paddocks with the next door horse at some point before S and Pearl took their first walk of the day and, said S, "I had to pat another horse". This puzzled me, because as I'd driven into Latimers, I had stopped to have a chat with Holly and Dolly who were in their usual paddock. “Hay” I had said to them, and they whinnied “yes” as that's what they were eating. So, to solve the mystery, S and I took a wander to see if there had been a switcheroo in the time between when S saw them and I saw them - and, yes, that’s exactly what had happened. On reflection, it seemed odd to move them for only a few hours but no doubt L has his reasons - and at least Holly and Dolly are where S can reach them again now. Sweetie is still in the top paddock and I'm always amazed she hasn't done herself an injury going up and down that hill.
Tink did well at the Vet this afternoon. We needn't have worried about not being able to corral her when the time came ... early this afternoon, she let S scoop her up from where she was basking herself in the sun over near the tank and take her inside - onto the couch where she stayed for the rest of the day - snoring loudly - until it was time to go ... and then, and only then, did she make herself scarce. But as long as she's in the house ... suggested S, until I pointed out that our Tink has been known to put herself in the wicker basket on top of the wardrobe out in the office area. Clever girl (I just remembered the scene from Jurassic Park when the Bob Peck character says that ... just before he becomes lunch for the velociraptors). But Tink had only put herself under the wooden coffee table this time and while I didn't like to scruff her, I needed to to get her out. Once in the car, she was fine - especially as I had promised (and it was an incredibly difficult promise to keep) not to mention the roundabout! Sonya is pleased with her. She had a reading of 5, is 5.77kg (an increase of .07 kg since last time) and has had her insulin reduced to 3.5 - and she gets to go back again in a week. And she needn't think there will be any rash promises about no roundabout talk then! And neither should Pearl when she comes out for breakfast on Saturday (weather permitting).
I didn't see any frost on the way out of Latimers this morning, but I had thought there might be, because there was mist. The full-ish moon hadn't set yet but it was low enough on the horizon to startle me when I saw it reflected in the rear-view mirror.
S's phase planting seems to have stood her garden in good stead. We were out looking at it this afternoon before taking Pearl for a walk before taking Tink to the vet, and S even has tomatoes on now. The trick, she said, as she was told, was to make sure that the tomatoes don't touch the ground so she had staked the seedlings when she put them in. Yes, her garden is lush and green - and very inviting to the cats because of that freshly dug soil. There weren't any dog paw prints in there so it may be that Pearl has found somewhere else for her bones.
It was a MasterChef elimination this evening but we were a reduced audience. Beazley came to watch, but recluse Maggie was in her chair down the back again, and Tink had asked for (and been granted) entry to our bedroom and Pearl had gone with her to keep her company. They obviously didn't want to see who went - more so as it was a double elimination - especially when, at the end of the first round, we knew there was no chance it would be Audra who had successfully not-led her amateur chefs to victory in the pop-up restaurant team challenge ... but don't get me started!
Holly and Dolly had a change of scenery yesterday. They swapped paddocks with the next door horse at some point before S and Pearl took their first walk of the day and, said S, "I had to pat another horse". This puzzled me, because as I'd driven into Latimers, I had stopped to have a chat with Holly and Dolly who were in their usual paddock. “Hay” I had said to them, and they whinnied “yes” as that's what they were eating. So, to solve the mystery, S and I took a wander to see if there had been a switcheroo in the time between when S saw them and I saw them - and, yes, that’s exactly what had happened. On reflection, it seemed odd to move them for only a few hours but no doubt L has his reasons - and at least Holly and Dolly are where S can reach them again now. Sweetie is still in the top paddock and I'm always amazed she hasn't done herself an injury going up and down that hill.
Tink did well at the Vet this afternoon. We needn't have worried about not being able to corral her when the time came ... early this afternoon, she let S scoop her up from where she was basking herself in the sun over near the tank and take her inside - onto the couch where she stayed for the rest of the day - snoring loudly - until it was time to go ... and then, and only then, did she make herself scarce. But as long as she's in the house ... suggested S, until I pointed out that our Tink has been known to put herself in the wicker basket on top of the wardrobe out in the office area. Clever girl (I just remembered the scene from Jurassic Park when the Bob Peck character says that ... just before he becomes lunch for the velociraptors). But Tink had only put herself under the wooden coffee table this time and while I didn't like to scruff her, I needed to to get her out. Once in the car, she was fine - especially as I had promised (and it was an incredibly difficult promise to keep) not to mention the roundabout! Sonya is pleased with her. She had a reading of 5, is 5.77kg (an increase of .07 kg since last time) and has had her insulin reduced to 3.5 - and she gets to go back again in a week. And she needn't think there will be any rash promises about no roundabout talk then! And neither should Pearl when she comes out for breakfast on Saturday (weather permitting).
S's phase planting seems to have stood her garden in good stead. We were out looking at it this afternoon before taking Pearl for a walk before taking Tink to the vet, and S even has tomatoes on now. The trick, she said, as she was told, was to make sure that the tomatoes don't touch the ground so she had staked the seedlings when she put them in. Yes, her garden is lush and green - and very inviting to the cats because of that freshly dug soil. There weren't any dog paw prints in there so it may be that Pearl has found somewhere else for her bones.
It was a MasterChef elimination this evening but we were a reduced audience. Beazley came to watch, but recluse Maggie was in her chair down the back again, and Tink had asked for (and been granted) entry to our bedroom and Pearl had gone with her to keep her company. They obviously didn't want to see who went - more so as it was a double elimination - especially when, at the end of the first round, we knew there was no chance it would be Audra who had successfully not-led her amateur chefs to victory in the pop-up restaurant team challenge ... but don't get me started!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Wednesday
The rhythm of life is a powerful beat ... Wednesday, aka Hump Day, has become Post Office Day, Butcher Day and pick up any needed groceries Day ... and it is good. I don't mind a bit of routine (that's your laugh for today) so it suits me quite well ... especially when the day is overlaid with the coming excitement of "The Decider"! This gives people a common theme - and makes a change from the weather - and may or may not form part of staff "pep talks" for the day. At the butchers, I was asked "who are you going for?" (did the stunned "what are you talking about?" look show on my face I wonder) - obviously so they wouldn't offend me by giving me the wrong bag - they had two to choose from - maroon or blue. It was a nice touch and certainly would have impressed some people. It impressed me ... I had never seen maroon plastic shopping bags before!
At Coles, it was more of the same. You could tell something was up by what was in people's shopping - lots of snack foods and things for eating with the "Big Game". I didn't want to feel like an outsider so I made sure there were chips in our trolley! At the checkout, my server asked if I was going to watch the game (the chips obviously worked!) and when I replied "no, you?", she gave me one of those looks that expressed a certain world-weariness and said "no, it doesn't interest me in the slightest" and didn't say "and if I have to have one more conversation about football I'm going to run screaming from the store ..."
I didn't go into the Post Office - although I did browse their bargain table out the front and almost purchased something - a bright blue card holder, about the size of the small camera bag I am currently using to contain all my cards in the one spot. The only difference was it opened to the side and had a plastic insert for holding the cards and the case was rigid. I might go back tomorrow and see if the price has dropped to under $5.
Back at Latimers, L has devised a new way to keep Ebony in. It's a tiny electric fence - at knee height (for us). I'm not sure I agree with it; I wonder if some time spent with her and training her might not have achieved a better result. And it's not that she doesn't come charging towards Pearl when we walk out of the gate anyway, she just stops short of the electric fence. We had taken to putting Pearl on the lead on departure and approach - only letting her off when we were a reasonable distance away from the gate - and I think we'll continue to do that. I wouldn't want her charging across and getting a zap!
S was very pleased that J did come today and even I admit it's nice not to have to dodge the pet fur tumbleweeds as they roll past. (And thanks S for doing the Hour of Power before J arrived!)
We think Tink knows it's almost time for the Vet visit. When we returned from taking Pearl down to B's shed this afternoon, she appeared from where she'd been - she's spending a lot of time sitting on the water tank at the moment - probably because the sun's heating it up and it's warm - and started to walk over to us - and then veered off. Later when I came out to call her in to dinner, she was sitting near the four-wheel-drive (there's no way we'll see that tomorrow!) and I took a photograph of her (I was on the way out to photograph the cows) - and then she started coming towards me ... and fast-walked straight past me when I went to give her a pat! She really is her own little person/cat. But she followed me when I went down to check on the gate at the bottom of the incline near the Bohemia tree (it didn't look as though it was closed, and it wasn't) and then she started to have a snuffle around down there! Eventually she did come up with me to have her dinner - and was only fifteen minutes late with her shot, so that wasn't too bad.
The moon was brilliant again this evening and if it had been any warmer, I think the feline furries would have been out hunting in the moonlight rather than cuddled up on the couch watching MasterChef - except for Maggie, of course, who is still doing reclusive behaviour on her chair down near the office.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Tuesday
Iceberg dead ahead! Huge frost in the Hinterland! Thus said the radio (except for the bit about the iceberg) further informing us that the temperature was at 1 degree. It didn't feel that cold but I felt compelled to keep my eye out for frost - it will be our first one for the Winter - although it's still dark when I leave Latimers, so I wasn't sure how much success I would have.
The moon was magnificent this evening - full and huge and yellow, hanging in the evening sky begging to have its photograph taken! So, I had to oblige. S and I were at Zaraffas at the time, having a coffee (as one does) and I left her reading the paper while I went out to the carpark with the camera. Alas, I didn't do it justice, so will have to try to remember the scene.
Speaking of coffee, new research suggests that if you have three cups of coffee a day, you can significantly increase your chances of not getting skin cancer. It really does seem like the miracle beverage - with this and the other benefits coffee drinkers accrue - which I can't quite remember at the moment (so increased memory ability probably isn't one of them). And it tastes good too.
Simon Sheik from Get Up does not appear to have been drinking coffee (and just as well) when he collapsed on camera on Q and A last night. He was okay but it did raise some questions/publicity - because of the response of the female politician sitting next to him - she seemed to be unsure of what to do so she pulled away to give other people room to tend to him. (Other reports were less kind.) The question stemming from the incident: how do individuals cope in a crisis? And is this (people collapsing) going to be the effect of carbon tax (which they were discussing at the time) on everyone?
S has been monitoring Tink's afternoon activities since it's only a couple of days before she (Tink) is due back at the Vet. What is evident is that as soon as Tink sees she is being watched, she makes herself scarce! So, S will be confining Tink to the house as soon as practicable on Thursday - while not looking at her - to make sure she is available for her Vet visit. Hopefully she'll be able to go to monthly visits (at least) after that. I have a feeling that none of the others will be lining up to go with her - not because they don't want to have an outing, or see the vet but probably because she's told them about ... the roundabout. It's getting worse! I was going to take a photograph of it for the blog but I couldn't work out how to show the area of concern without doing an aerial shot.
I was surprised the other day when S told me she has been doing weights - until I realised she was talking about lifting Beazley up to his cookies (when Pearl is around and likely to eat them if they are on the ground... that's the dog!). The good news is that she said it's getting easier! I’m hoping the reason is twofold ... one that Beazley's getting lighter, and two that S's core strength is increasing. Either way it's a win-win.
The crime rate in the Northern Suburbs of the Gold Coast (who knew there were any?) continues to be a problem and appears to be tarnishing the tourism attraction of the area. But that may all be a thing of the past. Someone (a real estate agent) has suggested a solution. Give those suburbs to Logan! Now that's thinking outside the boundaries!
I can't believe how quickly Wednesday (aka Hump Day) has arrived - it's only tomorrow now. This is good except I'm now running out of time this week - one of the projects is behind schedule (again! or perhaps still) and it's Cost Report time (my least favourite time of the month).
It will be interesting to see if J comes tomorrow. She didn't last fortnight (she was in Melbourne), and K didn't come last week (she was at a Memorial for a friend who had died too soon after being diagnosed with melanoma) - and if J misses again, S and I will need to do an Hour of Power* at Latimers to clear a way through the pet fur - and that's just in the bedroom!
*Hour of Power: an approach S and I developed some years ago for house cleaning. You turn good, boppy music on really, really loud and throw yourself into cleaning tasks and don't stop until you're done, or until the hour's up - whichever comes first. This is quite different to Speed Cleaning (which was trialled some time ago when the concept first came into vogue - small v vogue, not Vogue the magazine - some years ago) where you section the house into areas to which you dedicate 15 minutes at a time (daily?), regularly cycling through all the areas. I prefer Hour of Power - or a coffee at Zarraffas.
The moon was magnificent this evening - full and huge and yellow, hanging in the evening sky begging to have its photograph taken! So, I had to oblige. S and I were at Zaraffas at the time, having a coffee (as one does) and I left her reading the paper while I went out to the carpark with the camera. Alas, I didn't do it justice, so will have to try to remember the scene.
Simon Sheik from Get Up does not appear to have been drinking coffee (and just as well) when he collapsed on camera on Q and A last night. He was okay but it did raise some questions/publicity - because of the response of the female politician sitting next to him - she seemed to be unsure of what to do so she pulled away to give other people room to tend to him. (Other reports were less kind.) The question stemming from the incident: how do individuals cope in a crisis? And is this (people collapsing) going to be the effect of carbon tax (which they were discussing at the time) on everyone?
S has been monitoring Tink's afternoon activities since it's only a couple of days before she (Tink) is due back at the Vet. What is evident is that as soon as Tink sees she is being watched, she makes herself scarce! So, S will be confining Tink to the house as soon as practicable on Thursday - while not looking at her - to make sure she is available for her Vet visit. Hopefully she'll be able to go to monthly visits (at least) after that. I have a feeling that none of the others will be lining up to go with her - not because they don't want to have an outing, or see the vet but probably because she's told them about ... the roundabout. It's getting worse! I was going to take a photograph of it for the blog but I couldn't work out how to show the area of concern without doing an aerial shot.
The crime rate in the Northern Suburbs of the Gold Coast (who knew there were any?) continues to be a problem and appears to be tarnishing the tourism attraction of the area. But that may all be a thing of the past. Someone (a real estate agent) has suggested a solution. Give those suburbs to Logan! Now that's thinking outside the boundaries!
I can't believe how quickly Wednesday (aka Hump Day) has arrived - it's only tomorrow now. This is good except I'm now running out of time this week - one of the projects is behind schedule (again! or perhaps still) and it's Cost Report time (my least favourite time of the month).
It will be interesting to see if J comes tomorrow. She didn't last fortnight (she was in Melbourne), and K didn't come last week (she was at a Memorial for a friend who had died too soon after being diagnosed with melanoma) - and if J misses again, S and I will need to do an Hour of Power* at Latimers to clear a way through the pet fur - and that's just in the bedroom!
*Hour of Power: an approach S and I developed some years ago for house cleaning. You turn good, boppy music on really, really loud and throw yourself into cleaning tasks and don't stop until you're done, or until the hour's up - whichever comes first. This is quite different to Speed Cleaning (which was trialled some time ago when the concept first came into vogue - small v vogue, not Vogue the magazine - some years ago) where you section the house into areas to which you dedicate 15 minutes at a time (daily?), regularly cycling through all the areas. I prefer Hour of Power - or a coffee at Zarraffas.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Monday
It's Monday - Rubbish and Recycling Day - which means it’s almost the end of the working week. How did that go again? Well, Monday is today, which means tomorrow is the day before Wednesday - aka Hump Day - which is half way through the week, and then Friday is only the day after tomorrow ... and then it’s the weekend again already! (Thanks M - this way of looking at the week has stood me in good stead lately.) Who knows, we may even get to Dinosaur Island this time around ... especially if everyone else is working to the normal week.
Dolly came racing over this afternoon as Pearl and I walked down the lane. S was busy corralling and feeding the felines so we could get away to Trivia. (It’s a bit hard to reconcile Monday night Trivia with the fact that the week is all but over - but I’m working on it.)
Well, we have made the quadrella - four out of four furries - Beazley took himself into our bedroom to spend time with S today. Yes, at this rate the rest of the house will be “animal-free"! Beazley seemed to enjoy this special treat ... only allowed because we know M sometimes let's him into her room. It’s the least we can do for him!
Tink stayed in with us most of the night last night - S saw more of her than me though, because once my head hits that pillow, that's it. It was S who opened the door to let Tink out, who opened the door to let Tink in, who opened the door to let Tink out ... and so on throughout the night. Maggie was her usual “I'm here in this one spot and this is where I’ll stay until someone carries me out at 2 o’clock tomorrow afternoon!”. And I’m not kidding. The only one who can match her is Pearl - who, alas, was having a little whimper in her sleep last night but then settled. Hopefully it was just that she was dreaming that she was the one who had to let Tink out, and let Tink in, and let Tink out ...
S taped MasterChef - an elimination round - and we watched it when we arrived home after a sound thrashing (ours) at Trivia. “Confident. That sucks for these two because I’m just going to dominate” said Beau at the start of the show as the judges asked each of the three up for elimination how they were feeling. Hmmmm. Them’s fighting words ... but let’s see if they’re backed by some decent cooking! And they were - good on Beau! It was an amazing challenge ... if Zumbo’s pastry challenges are hard - having a challenge set by the chef who taught Zumbo everything (well, almost) he knows - Vincent Gadan - was daunting! As was the challenge of not being disappointed when the recording cut out just as they were about to announce who had been eliminated ... but S has now proved she is the “master”! She had set the next program to record as well, so she switched to that and ... voila ... We found out that Amina was safe ... and Andrew (billed in the recaps as FFM [Flamboyant Family Man]) was off home to his wife and children. His cooking future includes a plan for “food for foodies” - meals for when you don't want to cook (because not everyone has a S!).
MasterChef continues to use that flaming logo for throws to the commercials - and at this point - now that the Carbon Tax is here - it sounds like most Australians would like to introduce Julia to something similar in real life! I have been remiss in not making the time to fully understand the impact, ramifications and workings of the tax but will carve out some time to do that soon.
It’s Christmas in July! St Bernard's up on the Mountain have started advertising and it won't be long before we're trekking up there in search of good Winter Fare. It will need to be a Saturday though because I don't think I could handle the excitement of the Markets and the Mountain on the same day! A bit closer to home ... the Big House has also started Christmas in July and we may end up there for dinner next week when we run another errand for M - unless we end up there sooner, of course. (Does anyone else smell smoke?)
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| S took this! |
Well, we have made the quadrella - four out of four furries - Beazley took himself into our bedroom to spend time with S today. Yes, at this rate the rest of the house will be “animal-free"! Beazley seemed to enjoy this special treat ... only allowed because we know M sometimes let's him into her room. It’s the least we can do for him!
S taped MasterChef - an elimination round - and we watched it when we arrived home after a sound thrashing (ours) at Trivia. “Confident. That sucks for these two because I’m just going to dominate” said Beau at the start of the show as the judges asked each of the three up for elimination how they were feeling. Hmmmm. Them’s fighting words ... but let’s see if they’re backed by some decent cooking! And they were - good on Beau! It was an amazing challenge ... if Zumbo’s pastry challenges are hard - having a challenge set by the chef who taught Zumbo everything (well, almost) he knows - Vincent Gadan - was daunting! As was the challenge of not being disappointed when the recording cut out just as they were about to announce who had been eliminated ... but S has now proved she is the “master”! She had set the next program to record as well, so she switched to that and ... voila ... We found out that Amina was safe ... and Andrew (billed in the recaps as FFM [Flamboyant Family Man]) was off home to his wife and children. His cooking future includes a plan for “food for foodies” - meals for when you don't want to cook (because not everyone has a S!).
It’s Christmas in July! St Bernard's up on the Mountain have started advertising and it won't be long before we're trekking up there in search of good Winter Fare. It will need to be a Saturday though because I don't think I could handle the excitement of the Markets and the Mountain on the same day! A bit closer to home ... the Big House has also started Christmas in July and we may end up there for dinner next week when we run another errand for M - unless we end up there sooner, of course. (Does anyone else smell smoke?)
Monday, July 2, 2012
Sunday
What is the definition of “disappointment”? Finding out the Circus has been in town for over a fortnight and you didn't know anything about it ... and the last show starts in 20 minutes and you know you can’t get there! Ah well, I'm sure Burtons and their camels and whip crackers will come again and next time we might see their flyer in good time. Although it's not guaranteed that it will be a good time. "Have you ever been to a Circus" S asked me - and I had to say yes, many, many, many years ago and I'd gone with my grandfather, Dad and brother. Pop was a bit of a showman - he'd been a wild west rider in a travelling rodeo show - as well as running the dancing chicken concession. When the Circus came to Toowoomba one year he took us - and afterwards we had a drink and met with some of the performers: the half-man-half-woman, the bearded lady are the ones I remember. Since then, I haven't been to another Circus. S told me she'd been to one and she'd been disappointed. I guess, deep down, that might be why I haven't made it to another one.
But the Markets were great today! We were celebrating Mi's birthday (it seems like only a minute ago that it was S's!). Azra had made a cake and it was simply magnificent! And it's good to know there are still some mysteries in life ... Azra had brought along a candle ... and it was a question mark! I tell you though, there were so many photographs being taken you would have thought the paparazzi had arrived ... just as well Mi enjoys people making a fuss over her!
But there was one mystery ... the name of a dish - it was a pastry-construction where you put a layer of pastry down, grill it, then another layer, and then grill it and so on. You peel the layers off to eat it (thanks V - I was struggling) and add capsicum or other savoury spreads, feta cheese, and olives on the side ... very yummy.
Even though it was about her and her birthday, Mi did her usual vanishing trick and when she came back from her Massage, she was happier than usual because they had given her a free one for her birthday!
As usual, we closed the markets - and today S and I went straight home because there were jobs to do. It has been dry since it stopped raining and it was time to go home and jump on ROM! It's been too long (heh heh ... as in the length of the grass and the time since it was last done!) S did a fantastic job at yard patrol making sure the business was taken care of (and why is there so much of it, given that Pearl does it on her walks now?) and making sure all the sticks were picked up. It makes it much easier to mow if you don't have to keep stopping and starting to pick things up; it's not acceptable just to mow around them! And, yes, the rat pile is still there, untouched, but sniffed a little by Pearl! And, alas, the tyre ruts are worse than I thought, now that you can actually see them!
It was just as well we'd done the yard work! S and I were up looking at the foals, checking out whether they'd finished eating the grass in the bottom paddock yet, when F rang saying he Mi, N and V were on the way ... so he could measure up the shed. It's 87 squares (which S commented, is bigger than our flat in Sydney) not counting the covered area where the tractor/slasher are. There was much talk of "decks" although it took a moment or two to filter out the New Zealand accents to realise that was actually what they were talking about - not what it sounded like.
Beazley was quite brave when they visited, only taking himself off, doing that fast walking, when we came back inside.
Tink was in early this evening, and is doing her bit to make the rest-of-the-house animal free ... she marched in to our bedroom and took up her position there. What I don't understand is why both she and Maggie, when they do pick a position, make it on the bed where my legs go. At least Maggie curls up at the back of your knees ... and it will be interesting to see if Tink does the same thing - if she stays in for the night. So she missed MasterChef and the invention test with Heston ... as did Maggie. We thought she was outside and at lockdown when we couldn't find her we were starting to be a bit concerned ... until S found her curled up asleep in the corner of our bedroom! It's nice to have furries in there again.
But there was one mystery ... the name of a dish - it was a pastry-construction where you put a layer of pastry down, grill it, then another layer, and then grill it and so on. You peel the layers off to eat it (thanks V - I was struggling) and add capsicum or other savoury spreads, feta cheese, and olives on the side ... very yummy.
Even though it was about her and her birthday, Mi did her usual vanishing trick and when she came back from her Massage, she was happier than usual because they had given her a free one for her birthday!
Beazley was quite brave when they visited, only taking himself off, doing that fast walking, when we came back inside.
Tink was in early this evening, and is doing her bit to make the rest-of-the-house animal free ... she marched in to our bedroom and took up her position there. What I don't understand is why both she and Maggie, when they do pick a position, make it on the bed where my legs go. At least Maggie curls up at the back of your knees ... and it will be interesting to see if Tink does the same thing - if she stays in for the night. So she missed MasterChef and the invention test with Heston ... as did Maggie. We thought she was outside and at lockdown when we couldn't find her we were starting to be a bit concerned ... until S found her curled up asleep in the corner of our bedroom! It's nice to have furries in there again.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Saturday
The grey crane (?) is shy and quite determined not to have its photograph taken. I tried to get it in the garden one day last weekend - and even though I snuck out through the screen door very quietly - as I was congratulating myself for getting out there with the camera without disturbing it, I turned away - not sure for what - and in that instant the crane disappeared. I think it flew away, but if it did so, it did so very quickly and very quietly. I'm not sure if it was the same one back this morning - tapping on the window (at roof level) in the living room. A camera wasn't far away - I'd been packing them in preparation of today's visit to the Dinosaur Island - but because of its placement, there was no way I could get a good shot of it, unless I went outside. And while it tapped at the window for the better part of half an hour, I was willing to bet money that as soon as I went out there, it would fly away!
It was obvious that Pearl thought she should be coming with us as we drove out of Latimers this morning. She gave us "the look" - and it really isn't very nice to be on the receiving end of it. As it turned out, she should have thanked us for leaving her at home - otherwise she would have spent as much time sitting in traffic as we did.
Most people think the main business of the Gold Coast is tourism. We can tell you that while that may have once been the case, now the principal business of the Gold Coast is ... roadworks and infrastructure! That, together with the part-closure of the Gold Coast Highway for the Gold Coast Marathon - meant there was lots of traffic - and none of it (including us) seemed to be going anywhere fast. At one point S quipped that the traffic was so bad because everyone was going to see the Dinosaurs. Wrong. They'd found a faster, less stressful way of getting there - I'm thinking they were bypassing the Highway altogether and going along the waterfront. In any case, by the time we arrived at SeaWorld, there were cars parked on the road almost all the way back to Versace, and the actual SeaWorld carpark had been "extended" with people parking in the paddock next door. Luckily we had talked about it on the way (it doesn't hurt to be prepared) ... and we called it - "no dinosaurs for us" ... so we turned around at the roundabout and headed back to down the highway.
But our hours sitting in traffic weren't wasted. Just before the Tedder Avenue turnoff (on the right as you're driving towards Southport) we saw a Plover parent and a chick on the median strip! We were worried they would stray onto the road, but they seemed more than content to stay where there were ... although, given how fast the traffic wasn't moving, they probably would have survived. S says she now has a new regard for Plovers - knowing how much they have to go through to get to adulthood and how vulnerable they are!
The usual crew on Ice Age 4 turned out to be fairly vulnerable too - but not as they have been in their earlier iterations. This time they were battling Gut, an evil pirate, and a world intent on change. There were some good messages in there though and hopefully they won't be overshadowed by the violence, comic though it is.
I pulled out the DVD recorder again today - I had a challenge for it. We had received a link to the interweb for the Russian television show Mouse was on. It was broadcast there on Friday and it was available for viewing on the web on Saturday morning - as long as you had the patience to wait for it to “stream” because there wasn't any way to download it as such. In the end, once I found out where the Mouse segment was, I had it lined up to play - into the DVD recorder ... so I was able to capture it, and can make a copy for Mouse (good work Mouse!) if she doesn't get one from the Russians. The web really is amazing - to think we were able to see the reunion within a couple of hours of it being televised.
Maggie didn't come in with us tonight - she camped down the back in her chair - and for a while it appeared that Pearl was going to sleep down there with her - but she was taking the bed!
Most people think the main business of the Gold Coast is tourism. We can tell you that while that may have once been the case, now the principal business of the Gold Coast is ... roadworks and infrastructure! That, together with the part-closure of the Gold Coast Highway for the Gold Coast Marathon - meant there was lots of traffic - and none of it (including us) seemed to be going anywhere fast. At one point S quipped that the traffic was so bad because everyone was going to see the Dinosaurs. Wrong. They'd found a faster, less stressful way of getting there - I'm thinking they were bypassing the Highway altogether and going along the waterfront. In any case, by the time we arrived at SeaWorld, there were cars parked on the road almost all the way back to Versace, and the actual SeaWorld carpark had been "extended" with people parking in the paddock next door. Luckily we had talked about it on the way (it doesn't hurt to be prepared) ... and we called it - "no dinosaurs for us" ... so we turned around at the roundabout and headed back to down the highway.
But our hours sitting in traffic weren't wasted. Just before the Tedder Avenue turnoff (on the right as you're driving towards Southport) we saw a Plover parent and a chick on the median strip! We were worried they would stray onto the road, but they seemed more than content to stay where there were ... although, given how fast the traffic wasn't moving, they probably would have survived. S says she now has a new regard for Plovers - knowing how much they have to go through to get to adulthood and how vulnerable they are!
The usual crew on Ice Age 4 turned out to be fairly vulnerable too - but not as they have been in their earlier iterations. This time they were battling Gut, an evil pirate, and a world intent on change. There were some good messages in there though and hopefully they won't be overshadowed by the violence, comic though it is.
Maggie didn't come in with us tonight - she camped down the back in her chair - and for a while it appeared that Pearl was going to sleep down there with her - but she was taking the bed!
Friday
It's amazing how life's mysteries are solved - especially when you hadn't even realised they were ... mysteries. Working on a construction site can sometimes be “difficult” from an industrial relations point of view, and I was overhearing a conversation today about how people were not even trying to work out the point that others were making - “we might as well be building The Tower of Babel” someone not known for their religious citations said, and what made me really take notice was that he pronounced it “babble” rather than how I've always heard it before - as in rhyming with “table”. That made perfect sense! They were all, biblically speaking, babbling at each other way back when or so it seemed when they started speaking different languages. And, when you think of it, maybe even those who were speaking the same language did not know what others who were speaking that exact same language were saying. Out of the mouth of ... Peter.
And I have to believe that he is astute because it was only yesterday that he was singing “The Sun will come out tomorrow” ... and he was certainly right about that! It did come out - and it (and blue sky) was a welcome sight! S even managed to get some washing done - with the intention of getting it out on the line first thing in the morning before we trek off to Dinosaur Island (now that I have S interested, I'd better check that it's up and operational otherwise that would just be too disappointing!)
If it keeps up like this, the ground will be dry enough for mowing on Sunday - which I am very much looking forward to.
Well, I could have had a trip to Brisbane with the work crowd today - including a site walk of the new Supreme and District Court up there but, alas, I was snowed under with approvals and other time-sensitive tasks that just won't wait until Monday. I wasn't the only one not to go - two others stayed behind as well, working on urgent payments - and because, for one reason or another they couldn't get their work boots on and if you don't have boots on, you don't have full PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and you aren't allowed on site! The other part of it for them, too, was that if you didn't meet the dress code of the Club where they were going for a peer meeting and Lunch after the site walk, you wouldn't be allowed in their either.
But wasn’t it good that Black Caviar won her race at Royal Ascot earlier this week, although a shame that winning by a nostril also had her pulling up sore.
S thinks that young Dolly will do well at the track - based, I think, on how she is looking - and it may have a little bit to do, too, with the speed with which she races around her paddock (and over to see S when she and Pearl are walking past). What we're not looking forward to, though, is when the time comes for Holly and Dolly to be separated. And Dolly is growing so fast and getting so big - if they're standing side by side, there are only a couple of hands between she and Holly now. Sweetie is still in her "new" paddock and seems to have adjusted well to being there. I do worry about her on that hill though, especially given how much rain we've had and how wet it's been, but I suppose horses have been going up and down muddy slopes forever.
S's garden is doing well and looks very much like ... a garden. There are already some tomatoes starting to come on ... but no bone trees yet - although, given the dirt pile (thanks Pearl) still in there, I think we should be getting at least one plant out of it.
It could be the fact that J didn't come last week and K didn't come this week, but S has said that she is starting to ... and I can't think of the exact words here so I wouldn't want to misrepresent her ... but I think it was something like she loves Latimers and hanging out with the furries, and she doesn't mind her own company, but she will be glad when M comes back!
It looked as though we might have a late lockdown tonight, but everyone was in in good time, and Maggie even sat on my lap for part of the MasterChef Master Class. Unfortunately, I don't think the Sydney Morning Herald provides a recap of the Master Class, but I am still chuckling about the recap of last night's elimination round. S sent me the link at work and I had to stop reading it because I realised that I couldn't help laughing out loud at it! Very clever, and funny, stuff even, apparently, if you haven't seen the episode - as someone had commented. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wondered - and I think S might even have said it - whether we watch MasterChef so we can enjoy those recaps even more!
And I have to believe that he is astute because it was only yesterday that he was singing “The Sun will come out tomorrow” ... and he was certainly right about that! It did come out - and it (and blue sky) was a welcome sight! S even managed to get some washing done - with the intention of getting it out on the line first thing in the morning before we trek off to Dinosaur Island (now that I have S interested, I'd better check that it's up and operational otherwise that would just be too disappointing!)
If it keeps up like this, the ground will be dry enough for mowing on Sunday - which I am very much looking forward to.
But wasn’t it good that Black Caviar won her race at Royal Ascot earlier this week, although a shame that winning by a nostril also had her pulling up sore.
S thinks that young Dolly will do well at the track - based, I think, on how she is looking - and it may have a little bit to do, too, with the speed with which she races around her paddock (and over to see S when she and Pearl are walking past). What we're not looking forward to, though, is when the time comes for Holly and Dolly to be separated. And Dolly is growing so fast and getting so big - if they're standing side by side, there are only a couple of hands between she and Holly now. Sweetie is still in her "new" paddock and seems to have adjusted well to being there. I do worry about her on that hill though, especially given how much rain we've had and how wet it's been, but I suppose horses have been going up and down muddy slopes forever.
S's garden is doing well and looks very much like ... a garden. There are already some tomatoes starting to come on ... but no bone trees yet - although, given the dirt pile (thanks Pearl) still in there, I think we should be getting at least one plant out of it.
It looked as though we might have a late lockdown tonight, but everyone was in in good time, and Maggie even sat on my lap for part of the MasterChef Master Class. Unfortunately, I don't think the Sydney Morning Herald provides a recap of the Master Class, but I am still chuckling about the recap of last night's elimination round. S sent me the link at work and I had to stop reading it because I realised that I couldn't help laughing out loud at it! Very clever, and funny, stuff even, apparently, if you haven't seen the episode - as someone had commented. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wondered - and I think S might even have said it - whether we watch MasterChef so we can enjoy those recaps even more!
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