Friday - on the road

lt's Gold Coast Show Day and because we weren't going to the show, we went to Toowoomba instead. We had an early start and probably just as well because there was a bit of traffic on the way up. And not all the drivers were good ones ... and we were very lucky to miss out on some very concerning moves - one in front and one behind.

The family is good and We and Ma hosted a BBQ at their place for us, Mum and Ch and his new girlfriend (of two weeks)! It was great and the only way it could have been better was if the kids had arrived down from the Coast. They had arrived but were on with Dr's folks having a BBQ there. We'll see them tomorrow.

We were stunned by the charges they're wrought on the Toowoomba Range supposedly for highway improvements but it's like they've just strip-mined a third of the visible range. Pretty spectacular to see but a lot of a worry for the natural environment.

Thursday

There was heaps of traffic on the M1 on the way to Jo's this morning - much more than I've seen before. As I came off the highway, there were cars backed all the way down the ramp and, to top it off, a fender bender as well.

Breakfast with Jo was good at the usual spot up there because, as Jo pointed out, we've been to Maccas at Nerang the last couple of times.

The fires are still ablaze in and around the Hinterland and we're hoping that it's back-burning, getting ready for the Summer. S thinks we are in for a long hot Summer - so it's probably a good thing.

Wednesday - Bingo and fires

Fires

There are fires in the area. We could see them last night and they are still burning this morning - leaving a thick pall of smoke over the Hinterland.

Maggie wanted to go out early this morning - before 5. I told her no but she didn't seem to appreciate that. I tried to buy her off with "special cookies" but she wasn't having any of that either ... although Tinka did magically appear out of nowhere and have the cookies I put down for her - and the ones Maggie didn't even touch. In the end, I went back to bed and Maggie followed and meowed at the door to go out until ... I'm not sure when ... because I fell asleep and when the alarm went off a coupleof hours later, she was sound asleep in the "nest" S had made for her.

Alas there was only one Winner at Bingo - M with a single line, as she said "lunch money". Em had joined them again today and they trooped across the road to Daniel Stuart for lunch.

Kookaburra

Despite the smell of smoke heavy in the air it was very pleasant at Latimers this afternoon. I was out enjoying the outside when the others arrived home. Pearl was out with me too, watching the kookaburras ... or ... kookaburra - there was only one around today and it was being very cooperative ... or maybe it was just the camera settings and the light but finally I was pretty happy with a shot ... so much so that I may give the birds a rest tomorrow.

 

Tuesday - dogs and kookaburras

Poor Mouse... Poor Prince. But the good news is that they both appear to be okay after Prince's run-in with another dog today. M got the call from Mouse just before 8 to say Prince had been attacked while they were out walking this morning.

They were both shaken up and grateful that a man had come running to get the dog off Prince. Both Mouse and Prince had done well. Mouse (despite Mi's instructions that she should) did not let go of Prince's lead lest the other dog (much bigger) carry him away. Prince did, according to the Vets, exactly the right thing - he didn't resist and didn't make a sound. Smart dog. If he had, the Vets think it would have been much worse - especially if the good Samaritan hadn't managed to beat the other off. There was blood but the Vets weren't able to find a puncture mark on Prince, and no bones were broken. They kept him under observation (and contained) for the day to make sure he was/is okay. Meanwhile, M was doing the same for Mouse to make sure she was okay too - although she took her for coffee and shopping - and riding shotgun while M took care of some errands around town - rather than giving her a mild calmative.

M picked Prince up from the Web this afternoon and took him back to Mouse's. It was a very big day for them but with, hopefully, no lasting damage. Poor Prince... he has been in the wars since his folks left!

It wasn't nearly as eventful back at Latimers. S did do the washing and was up to the final load by the time I arrived back from town (and a job interview - fingers crossed). The kookaburras seem to like washing day too and the three who have been around the last few days were here again. It must be time to ROM Hermes' yard and get some more worms for them. There is absolutely no doubting their eyesight! They can be sitting on the power line and then swoop straight down on a worm 20 metres or more away. Magnificent! S saw two almost crash together, going for the same worm from different directions. I almost captured it with the camera, too, in that I did but it's a lousy shot. Hopefully they'll be back tomorrow and I'll have another attempt.

S cooked oven sausages and vegetables for dinner tonight - very enjoyable - for Tinka too who seemed to forget her very best table manners and insisted on joining us. Pearl was nearby as well - and I ate part of my meal with a dog chin on my knee! (She's no trouble, really!!)

Monday - Trivia

Winners are Grinners! Finally we were back on the Trivia Podium tonight - First place!! It surprised me because I didn't think our 69 (out of 80) was going to be good enough. The next closest was 67. We were five tonight - Fl, S, Va, Nu and me. St had said he would try but ... not to be tonight.

It was another good day at Latimers - not a washing day though because S had her first morning volunteering at the play group. She had a good time although she was exhausted by the end of it. They had put her in charge of finger-painting - she enjoyed that and the young girl who refused the plastic smock because she was wearing "an old shirt". S mentioned this to the girl's mother who confirmed her daughter was wearing a "playgroup shirt". After her gig there, S wandered down to the local Library to return Chagall - and let the staff know that the pages had been falling out. They offered to get her another copy in from one of the other libraries for her to read (and no she had not finished it yet).

Back at home, the furries were taking it easy. M was back to feed them before she went back into town to pick up Mouse so they could go to the Movies at The Big House - it was "White House Down" which M said reminded her very much of another movie but she couldn't quite remember which one.

The Weekend - Polly and Pearly

It was a wonderful weekend starting on Saturday (as weekends often do) with breakfast at Sisters. S and I took Pearl with us so she didn't have to wait in the car while M was at Deep Water Running. By the time we arrived, M was there, as were Mouse and Prince. They had chosed a good table - bhalf in the sun, half in the shade, so that allowed everyone to sit where they wanted.

It was a good breakfast and the biggest dilemma was sharing bacon with S and Pearl but not Prince. Both the dogs liked the scrambled eggs and toast although we didn't go so far as to offer them coffee - they probably would have said yes and then it would only be a matter of time before they started to become addicted - and no-one wants that.

M took Pearl around the Dog Park after breakfast and I went along for the walk as well. Then, Mouse, M and S were off to a movie at The Arts Centre: What Maisie Knew. They all liked it very much, as did Margaret and David, the film reviewers. I had read some reviews as well and they had talked about the brilliance of the child actress who quite accurately and heartwrenchingly conveyed what it's like for a child going through divorce.

Where is Polly Puzzler?

S is still working her way through Chagall and the quota still stands ... time is running out though since it's due back early next week. She'll make it; she's determined like that.

M was out tonight (she had swipings to do) so I was in charge of furry feeding time. I'm not sure what was in the cats' cans but neither of them seemed to like it; Maggie took herself down the back to have some cookies there and Tinka demanded some "special cookies" - which I was happy to give her given I had seen what came out of the cans! I'm sure it resembled something found in nature but I'm just not exactly sure what.

There was no call with Tr on Sunday. She and her partner were off to a work event (aka a fair) and had an early set-out time which meant no call.

The Markets were good - and it was a great turnout. We were surprised to see St (back from France) and Ca (up from Melbourne) ... they had popped in to say hello after a very hard week - burying St's father who had died while he and Ni were overseas. Ni will follow in a couple of weeks, as originally planned. St may try to make it to Trivia tomorrow night - it just depends on how he goes with his mother in Brisbane.

It was one of those Markets where the table was again groaning under the weight of food - bread, butter, jam, cheese, olives, Croatian sweeties, blueberry muffins, strawberries ... the list just goes on and on ... oh, and the usual coffees!

They had to be pushed out of the way though when I enlisted the help of some of the others in finding the Polly Puzzler graphic in the Take5 magazine. Mouse had tried,I had tried and S had tried - but to no avail. The others were happy to help, and everyone who was close enough was keen to have a look. Nu, after not being able to find it on his third time through the magazine, offered a cash reward of $10 to anyone who could find it! But by the end of the Markets, Polly Puzzler had still not be found and while I pretend that I'm happy to send the puzzle entry coupon in without all the answers but we all know that isn't so.

Come out Polly!

In the end, it was the interweb that came to the rescue! I found a puzzle answer forum and they talked about Polly Puzzler being unfindable - suggesting she was "invisible" or was now under "witness protection" (we'd suggested she might have been out of sight - in the boot of one of the cars pictured throughout the magazine) ... and then that there had been an entry on the Take5 FaceBook page saying that, owing to a printing area, Polly Puzzler was on vacation for this issue. They would take any answer or no answer on the entry coupon and still deem the answer correct. Truly, up to that point, I couldn't understand why we couldn't find her ... and even when S suggested it was a printing error yesterday when she'd looked, I hadn't believed that was possible ... but that's exactly what it was.

I was hoping for a sunny day so I could sit outside this afternoon but while it was brilliant sunshine in at The Markets, by the time we arrived home it was well and truly overcast. I did sit out the back for a while with the camera but the kookaburras just were not cooperating this afternoon. It might have been too cool for them as well!

S is still making her way through Chagall, helped by Maggie who is staying close.

Pearl was a bit odd when we arrived home this afternoon - she was doing Tinka's usual trick - lying in the carport and not getting out of the way until someone gets out of the car to pat them and move them along. We were worried about her at first, but she seemed to just be fast asleep when we drove up. She was fine after that ... once she'd had another little nap that is. All those furries just love a nap.

 

Friday - JPs and card night!

Frost

Frost

It was cold at Latimers this morning - but don't take our word for it ... here are the pictures of frost on the ground - on the freshly-mown lawn. And this is apparently nothing compared to what it was earlier in the morning ... M, doing breakfast and insulin patrol with the furries, was the one who saw that!

It turned into a nice day though, and the sun was shining and casting a little bit of warmth as I went off to Maccas to meet Jo for breakfast. She was travelling on her lone- some today (Ca and Ra were at school and Ke was at work) so we were able to have a good catch-up ... and Jo was able to see Jo, one of our school mates from way back when, who was at Maccas as well. There was news of two others, one now a grandmother, and the other who had split with her husband - in what turned out to be a wrong if honourable decision when she started having feelings for a colleague at work.

JP

While we were at Nerang (my second trip out for the day), we saw the JP queue outside Aldi and sent M (doing her own JPing at another centre) a what-turned-out-to-be-a-rather-indistinct photo of it and the JPs sitting out in at a table in the open mall. She was saying that their lot were fairly busy today as well ... so, what was it about this Friday that raised the demand for a JP?

There are still fires in the area, so lots of smoke about.

The construction - or de-construction - work continues next door. They've now pulled down the (second) fence between L and M's, and the concrete holding the posts in place have been dumped (as a sort of retaining wall) in L's bottom paddock near the road.

Otherwise, it was life as normal out at Latimers. The kookaburras were out again and I had another go at getting "the shot" ... the good news is that now, when I don't get it, I just reformat the SD card rather than having to go through all of the photos frame by frame to see what there is.

Family N Friends Dinner tonight was at Mi's and Fl's - and it was our old favourite, chicken and rice, with a very yummy salad (in separate bowls for Fl and I), then apple crumble and ice cream, and fresh fruit. And, just for a change, we had a game of cards tonight. Remember the old days where people would have card nights? I do miss them, and judging by how everyone threw themselves into the game tonight, they don't mind a hand or two either. It's funny though, how different it seems playing a card game around the table with our lot than it does doing CSP at The Big House.

Cards

All the furries were in by the time S and I arrived home - which may have had something to do with M beating us home and corraling them before we got there. In any case, we were in lockdown by 10:30 and even though I thought I was going to stay up and watch the end of a Bones episode, I was wrong! Tinka complained a little when M took her in with her (and closed the door) but when she scratched and M let her out, leaving the door open, Tinka took herself back in, jumped on the bed with M and Pearl, and went off to sleep.

Maggie did a few laps of our bedroom and for a moment it looked as though she might be wanting to help S with the Chagall tome, but they both settled soon after and it was "lights out" all round at Latimers!

 

Thursday - cool weather and hot topics

Who would have thought it could get so cold at night? It was a one-cat and two-doona night last night ... and even then S was up in the middle of the night rearranging the bed covers so there would be no cases of hypothermia! And believe me, that was a plausible option. At one point I remember lying there, feeling very very cold indeed and not wanting to get up, knowing I wouldn't want to disturb Maggie by rearranging the covers if she was on them, and I would just get colder if I was up and about.

ROM

The main challenge of the day for me was to find a way to sit in the sun for a while - to finally thaw out - while still feeling as though I was doing something. ROM fitted the bill perfectly! It took just over an hour and a half to do the house yard and the small piece of lawn out the front and by the time I had finished mowing and cleaning off ROM, I was ready to go back inside and sit down at the computer again.

S and I had breakfast this morning at the little cafe near the Post Office. Alas, and who would have thought, their hotcakes are not as good as Maccas', which is a shame because some mornings I just want bacon and eggs, which, of course, is not a dish on the Maccas menu! Pe (from The Big House) was there again this morning and came over for a quick chat about the Millionaire draws, and saying that the person who won the chance to try the key actually had to pick the key from 190 (actually, 200) keys. Usually when you have competitions, your chances of winning increase as you go through the levels ... not this one though - to have a chance to be a Millionaire, you had to be picked out of the barrel, be there, pick the right one of the three envelopes ... then pick the key that unlocked the vault out of the 200 on offer. Pe couldn't believe it either ... but no-one can deny the promotion has generated a fair amount of talk about The Big House.

Burning off

S is making good headway on Chagall and is half-way through. The book needs to be returned on Monday (Tuesday?) so she is doing her best to finish it in the time. The pages have started to fall out again, though, so hopefully she will be able to hold it together until it's done.

The burning off in the local area continues and in the last few days there haven't been many times when we haven't been able to smell smoke. It doesn't seem to distress the animals though, which is a good thing.

 

Wednesday - Maccas and more electioneering

It was an early start for me again - Maccas for "double click Wednesday" which means just what it says ... buy a coffee and they give your coffee card two clicks instead of one. It's a great way of quickly building up to a free coffee, especially as they are incredibly generous and give you the fifth one free*. They have come a long way since folk actually consider this to be a good deal now - as opposed to those days, not really all that long ago, when you would only drink the coffee at Maccas if there was really, truly and absolutely no other option. I think they also have a return guarantee on their coffee these days - I'm not sure because I haven't even been close to wanting to send one back for a good while. (Well that was the way it was but they have now moved back to their seventh-free card. I knew I should have stocked up on the other ones .... still, it was good while it lasted.)

Despite the very loud call of ROM, I managed to avoid the mowing again but I have promised myself (really promised - not just one of those half-hearted ones that don't mean anything) that if it is fine tomorrow, I will be out there like a shot - mowing and drinking in Vitamin D!

It was a quiet evening in for everyone tonight ... even though we did have the Brisbane Broncos Club Federal Election Lead-Up Debate on the television for a short while. The Election just isn't going away any time soon and I can't help but think that the wrong people are on the hustings. If this is a popularity contest between Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott ... there can be no winners - especially not the Australian public. "They" often say that we get the leaders we deserve ... sometimes we don't really get a choice.

M cooked dinner tonight - chicken stirfry with noodles - very nice indeed and there are leftovers for tomorrow!

The furries continue to be themselves and I've noticed both Tinka and Maggie picking various places around the yard, in the sun, to try to warm up. Maggie is still looking a bit thin but she seems well enough within herself. I think she has to be almost due back to The Tevs for that blood test to check her thyroid levels.

Tuesday - Construction and an almost full moon

There's nothing quite like a routine ... and it's quite amazing just how quickly you can fit back into one.

Construction

There was much activity at L's place this morning. I hope S wasn't really trying to have a sleep-in because the sound of the trucks outside the gate would have made it quite difficult. One truck had the bobcat, the other the soil, and the other one must have been carrying the rest of the supplies for the new deck going off the back of the shed, and the new driveway between the shed and the house. The first truck had already arrived by the time Pearl and I set off for our walk down the lane - not as early as I had hoped but early enough for me to still be on schedule.

Construction 2

I did see the polka dot horse coat today - I saw it yesterday too, I just didn't realise what it was that I was looking at. It was very modern! And now I can't wait to see the others.

It was a lovely day today here at Latimers ... so nice that you would have sworn L must have booked it for his construction project. And the nice weather was good too because it meant that S could go ahead with her plan to attack the washing - she's determined to get back to her "twice-a-week" routine with it.

While she was doing that, the furries had again taken up their positions around the house and the yard and, as usual, we tried not to disturb them - they need their sleep.

Polka dots

The Post Office looked to be about the busiest place in Nerang this morning - and certainly it was very difficult to find a car park! I wonder what makes Tuesday so special when it comes to the mail? The line was literally out the door there.

I had thought about jumping on ROM and going around the yard today - and I almost made it, too. As it was, I didn't get out there until much later in the afternoon when it was time to take Pearl up the lane again. She was good ... helping corral the branches the truck had knocked from the tree. They'll have to be moved - either into the rubbish, onto the trailer, or down onto the burning pile. There are always options!

The almost full moon over Latimers was magnificent this evening. I even made S have a look at it ... it was just so wonderful!

Almost full moon

 

Monday - Great coats and Trivia

Maggie

When I took Pearl down the lane for her walk this morning, I kept a look-out for the new horse coats M saw them wearing yesterday. I thought that they might be rain coats but M assures me that they were flannellette pyjamas - but the amazing thing about them was that they were brightly coloured and in patterns such as polka dots. I'm hoping that if I take Pearl down earlier tomorrow, we might see them.

Choo Choo

What we did see this morning, and which worried me, was Choo Choo Ma Ma (or is that the other way around?) and she was lying/sitting on the ground - which I have seen before - but what I haven't seen before is that she was eating at the time. I checked on her a bit later and she was up and around, so there doesn't appear to have been anything wrong - but it did have me wondering.

S went off to do her good deed this morning; she is offering to volunteer at a local child care centre. She had her initial interview with them at lunchtime, and just after lunchtime, they had her in training. The good news is that they will organise the background checks (necessary for anyone who is working with children) including the Blue Card. She is very excited at the prospect and is now working out what days she can do with them, especially if she's going to set up a routine which will work when she starts back with Je.

Tinka

M took Prince of Persia to the vets today and will now need to ring Mi and Az to discuss the diagnosis and possible treatment options.

Trivia was a bit different tonight ... M brought Mouse along. They were supposed to be going off to canapes and a movie but it wasn't actually on this evening ... so rather than going back to The Big House and the Executive Club for CheeseLand, they came along to Trivia, and dinner, instead. It's good because we have been trying to get Mouse for a long while. Hopefully Mouse enjoyed her first time at Trivia - even though there were so tricky questions tonight. I think we chose the wrong bonus rounds again. I feel like a bit of a PollyAnna now but I'm thinking It would be good if we could have all the team members at Trivia picking the Bonus Rounds before the game started ... and maybe that way there would be no dissension or dispute afterwards.

Trivia (and Keno!)

M was overnight at TBH and she's there again tonight, so we are doing our best to prevent the furries from pining too much. S did a wonderful job of getting up early to do the 6am feed and insulin shot before she and those furries crawled back into their respective sleeping positions to catch just a bit more sleep.

 

Sunday - Markets and Millionaires

I could have done with a few more hours sleep ... I think sitting around The Big House working on numbers (Roulette) for a few hours yesterday did me in. Still, more sleep was not to be, and I was lucky to get what I did considering Maggie came bounding up the bed at one stage, almost frightening a squeal out of S, before she (Maggie) settled at the bottom of the bed, on my side, so I ended up sleeping around her. It's good that she feels so comfortable with us. She had started out the night on a box in the corner, sleeping on a towel with the camera bag, a pair of boots, and a few other miscellaneous items.

The Skype call with Tr went well, although it was delayed a little because of technical issues at her end. There's just no way to argue - and win - with a computer when it tells you it's updating Skype. We ran a little over this morning (that was my fault ... I was busy telling her "interesting facts" I have researched through the week for Samagrams) but we still made it out of the house in good time to be second at the Markets (after Mouse).

The Markets (not all of us)

The Markets were great - and while we thought the numbers might be reduced because Mi and Az, Sy and An, and Ni are all away, we ended up 15 in total. It was a good mix and we ended up doing our usual trick of closing the markets ... I'm not sure they would know how/when to do it if we weren't there! While it was a lovely day today and I was hoping we would be able to find some shade outside at the Markets so we could go out there, there wasn't, so we didn't ... that's one of the joys of having such a diverse group, we have some who love the sun and can't get enough of it (that would be Fl and I) and others who eschew it at all costs (that would be S and Az when she's about ... and Mouse isn't that fond of it either.)

Next stop ... The Big House and more Card swipings! And the last draw in the Search for a Millionaire promotion. It's a long time to hang around the Casino - four hours - draws are at 2, 4 and 6, but at least M has a room there today which meant we could take ourselves upstairs for a rest if we wanted/needed to.

Even though I had determined not to, I did find myself back at Roulette (machine play not the tables) and rather than just doing my "no money" playing, decided that that was enough practicing and it was time to pony up some dollars from the stake I had put aside for just that purpose! It was very, very nerve-wracking but an hour later I had doubled (and then some) my little stake ... so I was quite pleased - though exhausted - with the effort.

Alas, none of us walked away from The Big House a Millionaire, and no-one else did either. So, the Millionaire promotion - which gave people five chances to be a Millionaire - didn't produce any, but at least five people walked away with $25k each, and ten with $5k each. I'd say that The Big House got out of that promotion fairly lightly (that would be "cheaply") - $175,000 rather than what could have been $5,000,050.

Mouse had made soup for dinner so we trekked over to her place after The Big House. It was wonderful, and with the bread which, amazingly, was leftover from The Markets, it made a great meal. We watched "Australia's Got Talent" as we ate and there's no doubt that Australia's Got Talent. There were some incredible acts including a dancing dog (really, on two legs), a Paralympian who swung, with his wheelchair, from a rope from the ceiling - what amazing upper body strength he has! - and a young male singer who wanted nothing more than his father's approval (his father had wanted him, as the only son, to go into his business rather than being a singer) which he can never get because his father died last year. The judges were very kind to him - and the other contestants. We'll have to tune in next week to see what other Australians Got Talent!

Part of dinner was spent with M, Mouse and s trying to find Polly Puzzler in the That's Life magazine; I had been through it several times and not been able to find her. Thank goodness for other eyes otherwise I'd still be looking. Well done M ... and Mouse for noticing when M found it - she was g oingto take me at my word and let me have another look for Polly - in retrospect I'm glad I didn't have to.

S now has a page quota so she has a chance to finish Chagall before it's due back to the Library so she was hard at work on that this evening when we arrived home. One of the problems is that, because it's so big, she can only read it at home, otherwise she might have been able to get a few pages read at The Big House this afternoon.

The furries seemed pleased to see us home when we finally arrived - even though M had been back to feed them this afternoon, we'd been out all day. Everyone soon settled into their favourite places (once Tinka had had those several serves of special cookies that is) and a short while later it was lock down, nighty-night and lights out.

 

Saturday ... breakfast and more washing

It's Saturday ... and if we know, you can bet that Pearl does as well. I think she's becoming used to not coming out every Saturday now ... although I almost took pity on her this morning and suggested that we go to Sisters rather than to Daniel Stuart ... I just wasn't sure how much breakfast she'd had and whether it would be too distressing for her in the car ... she does suffer from motion sickness. If she didn't, she might have been able to go with M, who had taken her from a run before she left for her Saturday early morning session of Deep Water Running.

Tinka wasn't her usual laid-back self today. She was down the back trying to get into a couple of cupboards before she finally gave up, asked for (and received) some cookies before going off to do whatever Tinka's do on a Saturday morning. Maggie was doing her favourite thing ... she was still asleep in the bed.

It seemed like hours later, S and I were off to Daniel Stuart's, leaving Pearl in charge of ... everything ... except the cats - which is how I usually phrase it to her, so Tinka and Maggie don't get upset.

It was just the three of us this morning ... who knew that Mouse doesn't usually like coming out to breakfast and that she prefers to have her cereal at home? Of course, that's just part of her morning routine, especially now that she's looking after Prince (of Persia). And, because they're off in other, maybe even warmer, climes Sy and An didn't join us either. It was a shame because it was, as always, a great breakfast.

All better!

It might have been even better if we hadn't lost one of M's jumpers. I hadn't realised it was there ... and it was only when M texted us later to find out if it was still on the back of the car (not so silly given a camera battery had ridden around on there for the better part of a day before being discovered). No ... it wasn't there ... and the nearest we could figure was that it was somewhere between the Southport RSL Club and Ferry Road Markets - we hadn't seen it on the back of the car when we stopped there on the way home. D'oh!

Mark the Plummer did come today, this morning, earlier than he'd thought, so by the time we arrived back, he'd fixed the outlet pipe and was long gone.

S had another bad night last night so she decided to have a very quiet afternoon in - take some painkillers and try to knock herself out. The latter part wasn't that successful but she did manage to find a position that wasn't too bad. While she was doing that, I took myself in to Broadbeach to do some numbers research. It is coming along ... but it could be a bit faster! Ah well, as S said, if it was that easy ... everyone would be doing it. M interjected at that point something about they'd be wealthy as well!

Kate Cebrana was performing at the Jazz Festival at Broadbeach tonight, but the later it gets, the more I'm sure that she'll be doing it without us in the audience; and the same can be said for the dance that's being held in Nerang. I know I'm not going, nor is S, and it's turned cold enough that no-one would blame M for wanting to stay in rather than go out into the cold ... and the rain - which started a few minutes after she finished hanging her washing on the line.

 

Friday - All that Jazz

It was another fine day here at Latimers and I took the opportunity to be up and out and about ... and call in to the Post Office to finally send off the parcel for Sy. The folk at the Post Office were very helpful, weighing the pipe for me and suggesting I wrap it in bubbles so it didn't puncture the plastic envelope. It was just as well I had checked the boot yesterday ... I had completely forgotten I had promised to send it off for her.

Broken Pipe

Friday is washing day ... but it also looked like rain. Certainly there were no great tracts of sunshine to sit in but at least the rain did hold out so S could do the sheet and towels and get them dry.

There's a bird sitting in the nest! And another bird visiting it - probably to bring it snakes (or maybe that should be "snacks")! There has been masses of bird life around Latimers over the last few days. On the way out this morning, the birds lifted off the laneway as I approached. There were a couple of hardier ones who only stepped out of the way when I was almost on top of them! Crows, starlings, egrets... there were loads of them.

And some of them could have been showering in the grey water gushing out of the outlet near Hermes' paddock. It looks as though the pipe, brittle from being in the sun, has given way. M is going to put a call in to Mark the Plumber and hopefully he will be able to come tomorrow to have a look, and fix it.

Tonight was the Jazz with the Stars Concert at Jupiter. It was absolutely wonderful and I would go so far as to say that it was better than last year's. The line up: James Morrison, Emma Pask, Darren Percival and Grace Knight. They were all wonderful ... and each gave the audience a chance to participate. They all had exceptional patter too. An added bonus was that M was on the list to do a "meet and greet" with the performers, and we were able to have a photo taken with them. It doesn't get much better than this.

Jazz with the Stars

Thursday - batteries and breezes

It was quite a different start to the morning than I had imagined. In my mind, I was going to be up and dressed and out of the house by 7am, I'd have breakfast with Jo at Maccas at 8:45am and then be at Max's for my interview at 11:30 ... and most of that happened, just not all in a row like that, and not without some additional stuff thrown in.

Bohemia tree

I was late leaving the house ... when I went to go outside I noticed there was a heavy mist, and the sun was shining through the Bohemia tree throwing shafts of light through the foliage ... as Co commented on FaceBook "Are you having breakfast with God?" It was definitely worth a photo even though I doubted it would show up properly. It wasn't a patch on the real thing, mind, but it was pretty good.

Ready to leave then ... when I tried to start the car, it wouldn't. The NRMA (RACQ) said they'd send someone but that it could take up to 90 minutes for them to get there ... which at that stage was going to still leave enough time to get it fixed (hopefully it was just going to be a flat battery) and still make breakfast. I was out having a tea, about to set up the iPad and wait for the service vehicle to arrive when S popped her head out and asked if she could come to breakfast. I told her I wasn't sure if I was going it would depend on the service ... and as I said that she looked up to see the RACQ van driving through the front gate. Cue Pearl to start barking and to come out and see who it was.

Pa, the "serviceman", seemed to know her stuff and had the problem confirmed (dead battery) and fixed (new battery) $220 and a few minutes later. But she wasn't finished yet! M had put a call in to the RACQ as well so Pa could have a look at the 4 WD which didn't start last week, the battery was flat too but just needed a full charge ... so M drove it up to the RACQ mechanic at Highlands Park; I followed her and then brought her home to pick up the other car so she could go into town - her original plan - which meant S had time to get ready while we were gone. I had texted Jo to let her know I was running late so there were no issues there.

There were no other surprises in store for the morning, except that Jo's ex-husband ended up at Maccas as well - and Jo invited him to join us for coffee. It was all very civilised and adult - which surprised me since I still have some (very unresolved) anger issues about all that.

Not a kookaburra

S didn't want to hang around Nerang while I went to Max's so I dropped her back at home before I went in again. When I arrived back, Do was there ... and he spent the rest of the day slashing, mowing, whipper-snipping (whipper-snippering?) and weed killing. I know because I was out drinking in the sun, well the warmth anyway until the cool breeze came up. Did I say "breeze", I meant "gale". The kookaburras were around again this afternoon, fewer this time, but they seemed to be having a good feed in the yard.

M arrived home just as Do was leaving so she was able to have a catch-up and get the run-down directly from him. Then I drove her back to the mechanics so she could collect the car.

After a cuppa and a chat back at Latimers, M was off again - more card swiping and other business to be attended to! S and I settled in for another quiet evening with the furries, the television and Chagall - trying to ignore (without much luck) the all-pervasive election campaign coverage and political advertising.

 

Wednesday - Bingo and baby

Well, it doesn't get much better than this does it? Sitting in the sun (behind glass so there's no wind), enjoying a hot chocolate, listening to decent (and very catchy) music set to repeat on the iPod, and settling in to do a couple of hours of "work".

Tinka and Edmund

Meanwhile, back at Latimers (according to S, who I spoke to as she and M were on their way in to Ferry Road for breakfast before going off to Bingo) Ja was hard at work in the yard while Ka was pushing the vacuum cleaner around inside the house. As S pointed out when M suggested that maybe that meant that we were "lazy", we are doing our bit to keep the economy chugging over! It's good that Ja is there though - Be had delivered some more lucerne last week and I've been worried that it might rain on it (it's just piled near the garage). By the end of the day, though, it should be on the gardens where it belongs!

Everyone was still in bed when I left Latimers this morning - or I think they were ... the only one I didn't actually account for was Maggie, who I think was with M. Maggie deserted me last night ... so much for saying yesterday that each of us had an animal ... I had to make do with Edmund De Waal, who's okay but you sometimes have to watch him to make sure he doesn't take up too much space.

Em was back at Bingo today - making them four - Em, Mouse, M and S. What's that? Four is an unlucky number in the Chinese culture? But that has little to do with Bingo except that none of the four had so much as a line today. Just as well they had all put into the lunch kitty last time because they didn't have to today. I, as the interloper, did because that's fair ... and seriously I had such a great lunch (also known as The Big Breakfast) that it was good to contribute.

It rained this afternoon - which warmed it up a little. I'd been sitting outside working this afternoon and at some point the temperature just started dropping. Sweatshirts were mentioned. And the Milo cup that I wrapped my hands around really helped. S and M were smarter than I; they were inside during the afternoon - as were the furries. I had been hoping that by being outside I could have another try at the kookaburra shots, with the smaller camera this time: it didn't work out.

Both Tinka and Maggie were acting slightly out of character this evening. Tinka put herself on the table but only after she'd been over to my desk and demanded some pats. After that, I thought she was going to get onto the cupboard down the back but she went to the table instead. Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Maggie had put herself on the floor between the wall and the bedside table - she hasn't been there before as far as we know. S suggested that maybe they can hear a storm approaching. We know they have sensitive hearing and are on to some things long before their human counterparts.

S watched the Season Finale of "offspring" tonight - Patrick's funeral and the birth of Nina and Patrick's baby. It was definitely a bitter-sweet episode.

 

Tuesday - Travellers and televisions

M was up and out early - to pick up An and Sy and take them to the Airport so they can start their trip. I sent her off with some books for Sy, as requested by An - Sy had decided to take her laptop with her (so she would have something to do when she is up early and An isn't) - and the books are on CD, so it should work out well.

After dropping them at the Airport, and they were early, M took herself off to one of the nicest places on the coast - Currumbin Beach - for breakfast and to enjoy the sunshine. S and I were off having breakfast as well, a little closer to home ... at Maccas. S had her favourite - hotcakes with something - blueberries this time.

Next stop for us was for S to meet with a Volunteer Coordinator. It was good - and by the end of the day one lot had been in contact with her already to ask her to come in early next week.

When I was not buying anything in JB Hi-Fi the other day I saw a television which looked as though it would be okay for M. Since broadcasts switched from analogue to digital some months ago, the television in her bedroom has been more of a paperweight then a functioning electronic device. Bu today was the day for that to start changing ... it was time to buy a new one. I went in to help ... and arrived early to have a look through the JB Hi-Fi catalogue to see what they had on offer, and to assess the USPs* of the different sets. It was about then that I realised more information was needed. Thank goodness for the interweb and The Coffee Club WiFi - although it did keep kicking me off, but by the time M arrived, I felt a little more "knowledgeable" - or at least able to ask sensible questions. The salesperson was very helpful, and it only took half an hour for M to decide on a model, hand over the dollars, and for her to be on the way to the Great Card Swipings at The Big House. I met her there, swiped S's card (winner!) and my card (not a winner), did non-money play on numbers for a while, met M for a drink, and then watched some more numbers.

When I arrived home this evening, Tink, Maggie and Pearl had all been fed and were in various states of repose. Maggie seems to be okay today but she is still sleeping on the cane chest at the foot of the bed - and if she stays there we'll need to put a blanket there for her so she's sitting on something besides the bare cane.

On the way home, I stopped in at the Chinese Restaurant (under new management - although it's not that new now) at Highlands Park and picked up some food as S didn't feel like cooking tonight. It wasn't bad - but we'll have to see if it causes S headaches or palpitations - we're not sure if it's MSG or some kind of preservative that causes it ... she doesn't always have it but when it does, it wakes her. We won't have to worry about that tomorrow though ... M had dinner with Mouse tonight and she sent home leftovers for us. (Thanks Mouse!!!)

S is still enjoying Chagall but it getting a little sidetracked with some of the Federal Election coverage - The Great Debate (referred to in a comment in the paper today, since it was aimed at the masses, as a "Mass Debate") and Insight. She now firmly believes that the best option for Prime Minister is Penny Wong.

Tinka has moved in with S, for the moment, down the back while I have Maggie in with me, and Pearl is camping in with M. It's nice that we each have an animal - and especially nice that M shares them!

* Unique Selling Propositions

Monday - Something to talk about

There's something quite satisfying about an early start on a Monday morning - filling the whole week ahead with promise and hope. That was what it felt like this morning anyway as I drove out of Latimers on my way into Nerang where there were two pieces of toast with my name on them, and a mug of coffee to go with them. It was even better because I had a free coffee on my card and for only 60 cents I could upsize (when did that become a word?) to that mug. Excellent.

As I settled in to read the paper, at one of the outside tables, I had my morning planned so it would be the most productive it could be ... while still allowing some "me" time ... and that would have worked very well ... and was ... until Peter (a punter from The Big House who I've come to know through M) came over to say hello, tell me about his weekend in Brisbane staying at The Treasury Hotel, getting 30% discount on their meals there, and their visit to The Ekka, their visit to the animals, how he had milked cows when he had looked after his brother-in-law's farm for six months while he was having skin grafts and recovering from burning off half his hands - that would be the inside halves, how he had financed his first house, the visit from the gypsy who had given him a free reading and told him his pennies would turn to shillings to pounds and that one day he would move to the other side of the world, and about his time driving trucks in England for Wimpeys, and an hour and a half later - and discussions on The Coffee Club's VIP program, how building societies used to hold ballots for loans, and the order in which he and his wife Melanie (or was that Melody?) had won jackpots on some poker machines at the Treasury Casino - and how they had decided to save some of the winnings to take home but they had used the rest to play with - but they hadn't totally lost that - and ... we were still there ... but I have to say that even though it was long, it wasn't boring! In the end I was able to extricate myself when S phoned - she wanted to make sure everything was okay as I hadn't responded to her text. She understood why when I told her about Peter - taking care to spare her then, so I could tell her in detail later.

While I made up time at the Library, S and M went off to Aqua. There was no An today because she and S were driving back from down the Coast. Hopefully the group numbers will stay up in An's absence so she does have a Monday Aqua class to come back to after their holiday.

Trivia

Sy wasn't at Trivia tonight - she was still packing and An was a little stressed about all the things Sy hadn't yet gotten around to doing - and what they had been doing ... there was a longish visit to the vet today for their animals - and another one to happen while they are away. Thank goodness An's sister, who has been given charge for their care, is a nurse and they are all in good care!

Had Sy (and Ni and St) been at Trivia it may have helped us lift our game - does Saturn have a higher or lower density than Earth; which is bigger - Canada or Europe; who won Women's Wimbledon 2013 ... and there were a whole heap of others. But at least we were able to take some solace in that there was a cheque for $250 waiting for us tonight ... the company which supplies the Trivia has a draw every couple of months - and you get an entry into that draw when you place on the podium ... and we had, and we were one of their third prize winners (10 draws of $250 each). Yippee. We will wait for the return of the rest of our team and then "go out on the town". Yippee ... again.

Maggie was unwell at some point last night; she threw up near the litter box - and was fairly low key all day. Hopefully it's not anything serious and she will be okay tomorrow. Also on the health stakes, both M and S had headaches today ... but I don't have to open the door for them to let them in and out of the house!

There were no real surprises in the fridge as I was cleaning it out this afternoon ... although I was a little taken aback that the parsnips (supposedly the new aphrodisiac) had not managed to save themselves by jumping into a soup or stew. If they lived at Mouse's house they would have! And those yoghurts - saved last week by their notes - weren't so lucky today ... neither was the furry one ... although that would be the ginger!

Sunday - Alto, Birds, Casino, Debate

Kookaburra #2

There were no Markets for S and I today ... we went off to breakfast in Broadbeach instead for a change. Just after we arrived at Alto, we received a text message from Azra saying to turn Skype on ... and we let the Markets crowd know. I think Az was on when I took the usual Skype call with Tr. There wasn't that much news from the South ... except that Tr is planning to volunteer to hand out Greens how-to-vote cards on Federal Election Day. She is so disillusioned with the major parties that she is planning to boycott the televised debate tonight. S didn't realise it was going to be on until I reported Tr's comment - and now, following the journalistic tradition in her family ... her dad and both her brothers were/are reporters ... she will watch it. And the two others ... if they're still a happening thing.

Kookaburra #2

It was lovely at breakfast, eating, reading, writing (that was me), drinking good coffee and catching a few rays of sun, its heat magnified through the plastic "blinds". The place was absolutely packed too but even so they were able to serve us within a reasonable time - and get the orders right! That's why we like Alto!

Next time we decide to not go to the Markets though, we have to remember protocol and send our written apologies before hand. We had a call from Mi reminding us; and also when I spoke with Fl to let him know Az was planning to Skype, he took the opportunity to remind us as well. It's hard to imagine S and I as rebels, but there is, obviously, always a first time!

We had planned to go over to the beach after breakfast, but it was not a "beach day" - although we are supposed to have one tomorrow, if the weather reports are right. So, we set off back to Latimers and I took out the cameras, yet again, and waited ... and waited ... and waited for the kookaburras and egrets to show up so I could again try for "the shot". (Even I am a bit surprised at how persistent I am being with this, especially since I could possibly get rid of some of the negative aspects of the shots I'm getting by taking them from somewhere else - not the relative comfort of the table out the back - but if I wasn't there, I'd have nowhere to put the cameras - and do iPad - while I'm waiting for the birds!)

I was a bit taken aback just after we arrived home when the phone rang and it was Jo, who I had just been thinking about and wondering what she was up to this afternoon, and whether she might be down this way and want to catch up. She did want to catch up ... but she was, and this was the surprise part ... in at the Casino and wondered if we were there for the Millionaire draw. We weren't. And at that stage, I really didn't want to trek all the way back in there especially as we had just been there to do the swipings for the day (no luck for either S or I ... it might be time to give the cards back to M because she does seem to have more luck than I do). She understood but it would have been nice to catch up.

Kookaburra #2

M was at The Big House later this afternoon for the Millionaire drawer and even before she arrived home, we knew she had not been successful - primarily because one of the local radio stations (currently holding a promotion in conjunction with The Big House) had posted, on FaceBook, news of the $25,000 winner ... which, alas, was not M.

S continues to make her way through the Chagall tome and showed me that she is about a third of the way through now. She's definitely going to have to renew it, and the other lendings (loanings?) with the Library tomorrow.

I managed another page or two of Bleak House - while I waited for S as she picked up some more plants from Bunnings. It looks like a good selection too - and hopefully there's enough room in her garden for them all. So, back to Bleak House, we have now moved from the Court of Chancery to the world of fashion! I'm still waiting for the spontaneous combustion.

Will "60 Minutes" never change ... although, to be fair, it was delayed tonight because of The Debate which offered no new policies or earth-shattering insights (it was reported, I managed not to watch it). Rudd won The Debate according to some media, Abbott according to the other. Hmmmm. Is this indicative of a bias in the media that will be evident throughout the Campaign?

 

Saturday - Breakfast, numbers and words

Yum! Breakfast at Daniel Stuart. This is probably the last time we will see Sy and An together before they take off next week for their holiday. An will come to Trivia on Monday night at this stage, and while Sy may be a starter, it will depend on what odd jobs still need doing around the house and whether she has finished her packing. M will be picking them up early on Tuesday morning to take them to the Airport, so hopefully An will have a Trivia win to keep her competitive streak (yes, everyone on the Trivia team does have one ... to varying degrees) in check until they get back.

On the way home from breakfast, S and I stopped in to have a look at Sy and An's renovations which are ... drumroll please ... mostly done. The house looks stunning and Sy has become accustomed to that they are not the only house in the immediate area which has the exact same colours they chose. They're good colours too ... Coach House and ... S thinks the other one was some kind of gum tree word. I was busy at the time checking out the chandelier hanging majestically from the high-ceilinged turret. The frames for the flyscreens are in but the screen itself (amazing flexible and stretchy) will need to wait until they return before it is fitted. They seem very happy with the overall result (as they should) and I can't imagine how relieved they must be to have the "what can go wrong will go wrong" reno mostly behind them now.

Hopefully M had fun today. She was taking part in a Roulette Tournament at The Big House. It was her first one - usually they are strictly the domain of the "big players" like the "Tony Towers" of this world who, and this may be where the name comes from, will put piles of chips on numbers on the table. I've never seen the big players at work but I hear it is pretty amazing. It sounds as though M acquitted herself well - she made it through to the Semi-Finals (Tony Towers didn't). For next time, she says, she will need to work on her betting strategy, which means she must have been happy with the numbers she was putting her chips on. She says she was nervous for the first two rounds settled into it a bit more in the Semi ... but what an amazing experience for her - especially as the players start off with a pile of Casino-supplied chips (I think I heard correctly when she said there were thousands of dollars worth) ... unfortunately they didn't get to keep their winnings at the end of each round. Good work M!

Back at Latimers, it was a bit more pedestrian. I had another date with the kookaburras - using it as an exercise to check the capacities of both my bigger cameras. I'm not sure if they were the same kookaburras but if they weren't they had certainly been talking with them. More practice needed.

S is very much enjoying her Chagall tome and I still can't believe she's had it out of the library for nearly a fortnight. It was on the first day, the first time she opened at home that the front pages fell out. Hmmm ... and why am I only thinking of this now ... does this mean she chose it based on its cover? Apparently ... maybe ... but no ... she did look inside to make sure it wasn't the Chagall biography she'd already read. As she said, she felt like getting her teeth into a good biography - she likes Chagall - and as long as it was by a different author she was happy with that. The good news is that the pages have stopped falling out.

How lucky are we? There were Mouse leftovers for dinner - soup and stew from Thursday night and, as usual, they were delicious.

Friday - Kookaburras

It may have been cool this morning but I didn't notice because I had a later start ... Je is due today and S and I planned to be out of the house while she was here. I had suggested a movie and we found one that worked - 9:45 at the Arts Centre - The Way Way Back. I had already seen it but that was fine; I knew I could entertain myself at the coffee shop on site. So, I managed a sleep-in because there was no point going into Nerang early, just to come back to collect S - especially as she had suggested a pancakes breakfast at Maccas would be a great start to the morning - and I couldn't argue with that.

Kookaburra

Even though I hadn't given the movie a good wrap (and I'm still thinking about it), S was hopeful about it since M and Mouse had also seen it ... and loved it. And S loved it too. Mind you, when she was talking about it afterwards - giving a completely different interpretation and insights - she had me crying about it.

So, at 11:30, we set off for Pacific Fair ... for a quick coffee at The Coffee Club (I love their VIP card and the two for one coffee deal) before S went off in search of things at Target and I did my customary loop of JB Hi-Fi where, once again, I was able to resist all temptation and walk out empty-handed. (Yes, yes, if I was picking places where I really wanted to work, JB Hi-Fi would be one of them ... can you imagine how much damage I could do with their "generous staff discount"? And, as S pointed out, the nieces and nephews would love it too!)

Kookaburra

Mouse, M, S and I were the only ones at The Girls lunch today - Az was buying fresh nutmeg in Singapore instead; Mi and Em were, I think, off doing preparations for today's celebration of Bayram (the end of Ramadan).

Je was gone by the time S and I arrived home. We could tell as soon as we walked around the back because the bucket where she keeps her cleaning cloths was outside the door ... and, had they not been, we would also have been able to tell because the floor was still wet ... so she wasn't long gone. I took the iPad and Nik (the camera) out the back as I waited for the floors to dry. Luckily, the kookaburras favoured me with their presence and reminded me, yet again, that birds are just not that easy to photograph.

Kookaburra

M came home to feed the cats before she went out again, leaving S and I to have a quiet night in. S, uncharacteristically, settled in to watch her first-ever episode of NCIS, entitled "Shabat Shalom" which she later reported was "to be continued" and that it had been very violent. I can imagine that it would make "Clean Houses" seem very, very tame.

The furries had a quiet night in as well. Maggie took herself off to bed early and Tinka sat for a while with S before following her to bed to keep her company as S settled in to read some more of her Chagall tome. Meanwhile, I've started Charles Dicken's "Bleak House" and am hoping that the spontaneous combustion which is mentioned in the preface actually plays a role in the story proper.

Thursday - Mist and Borscht

It was a glorious, if chilly, start to the morning. The sun was shining, although there wasn't a lot of heat in it ... certainly not enough to burn off the mist hanging low in the valley. As I went over the bridge, I noticed there was mist on the creek as well, so I turned the car around a bit further up the road (when it was safe to do so) and came back to take some photographs. If I hadn't done that, I would never have seen the handwritten notices on the property fence closest to the creek, on the other side of the road from the lane. One was about not hunting feral animals in the area; the other was about not dumping snakes! I'm not sure how long the notices have been there ... I haven't seen them before, but since they're just near the bend of the road where the bridge is, it's not somewhere I would take my eyes off the road. I was a bit sorry I hadn't seen the sign before I got out of the car to take the mist photographs though - but I took some solace in that it is still winter and still a bit cool for snakes to be out and about.

Snake sign

Nerang wasn't that busy this morning ... although there were a few people at My Centre. I wasn't there long, just enough to get my hair cut before heading back home where I was surprised to find that both S and M were still at home. S had wanted to stay at home because she's still reading her Chagall book (it is a massive tome!) and M was having the morning in.

Tinker and Pearl went off to The Tevs this afternoon; Tink for her regular checkup and Pearl for her annual top-to-tail. Tink's insulin has been increased again ... she's on 6.5 now - her sugars were fairly high again today ... and she has put on a little more weight, which The Tevs aren't that concerned about at this point. Pearl is okay although they're changing her food so she gets some glucosamine to help with her arthritis ... and if that doesn't work they may have to look at doing injections. I'll have to check with M to find out if she got the results of Maggie's thyroid test back.

We ended up at Mouse's for dinner tonight. Az and Mi had left Mouse with their leftover vegetables and Mouse did what she does best and cooked them up as Borscht and stew. We had the borscht tonight and brought some home with us, and stew.

Borscht

While we were there Mouse and M received a Skype call from the family in Turkey; they were wishing them for the end of Ramadan. They were all in good spirits - and we were lucky enough to see Little Hamdi who is looking all grown up.

Skype

Prince seems to be behaving himself at Mouse's although he is still "afflicted" and it looks as though M may have to take him to the vet - it should be fairly easy to fix his problem but it's not something any of us is lining up to do, even though we apparently could.

 

Wednesday - Travellers and Offspring

M was up and out early to take Az and Mi to the airport ... they set off today for their holiday to The Old Country - and they seem to be looking forward to it very much. I haven't seen their itinerary, but if it's anything like previous years, they will make several stopovers on the way there ... and on the way back. They are going to be missed at the Markets ... and Mouse will miss Az on Friday's (their usual coffee day) so the rest of us may have to make a special effort to get there.

S and I had breakfast with Mouse this morning at Ferry Road. It was lucky Mouse was having her coffee in a takeaway cup because as I was handing it to her (all right, I was actually trying to slide it across to her, using the cardboard carry tray as a pusher) the cup fell over, spilling coffee over the table ... but not that much, thankfully, and even more thankfully, not over Mouse. Lesson learned ... and by the time we had finished the great mop-up, I was actually awake and ready to face the day.

Over breakfast, Mouse shared more of her story about how they had come to Australia and gotten their "start". There is definitely more story there but I had no idea that they were one of the first pub owners to put in a cold room ... that truly changed the way beer was served, especially out in the country where they were based.

Bingo was a bit of a bust again today ... although someone at their table did win (twice!) neither Mouse nor S were in the money. They were the sole representatives of their usual group - M was having the day in Brisbane after dropping off Az and Mi (hopefully having some fun as well as doing the Immigration errand), An was off at a business lunch, and Em, who is still fasting, wasn't there again. Ah well, there is always next week!

Mouse was going home to Prince; Az dropped him off yesterday. Even though he is mostly deaf now, he's good within himself although he does have a slight problem which Mouse is having to keep an eye on (nope, we're not going into details here). If it doesn't clear up, I'm wondering how long Mouse will hold out before seeking some expert advice on the problem.

Next stop on the list for S and I was The Big House for card swiping. Alas, I failed us (S, Mouse and I) because I wasn't able to get to the winning machine in time. I know people laugh at me when I say that the air conditioning tells me stuff, but today when I walked in I knew that the machine on the extreme right was "the one"; I also knew that I wasn't going to elbow the other three people bearing down on it out of the way. The first man who swiped was rewarded with the $50 Casino Cash. Ah well, there is always tomorrow ... and the day after that ... and the day after that ... there's still another week of the promotion!

Back at home, the furries were doing their usual Wednesday things ... sleeping, eating, sunning themselves, watching an episode of "Clean Houses" with S. The birds, knowing they are not going to get bothered by Pearl, are having a wonderful time on the lawn ... probably looking for bugs and other delicacies uncovered by yesterday's mowing. Nest building continues ... although it may not actually be nest-building. The swallows haven't been carrying anything to the next but one of them is spending a fair amount of time sitting in it before flying away. Practice runs?

This evening saw the second last episode of this season's "Offspring" and both S and M were glued to the set to watch it ... and yes, finally, in the closing scenes, they found out who the heavily-pregnant Nina loses. The trailers had suggested one of three people and in the end it turned out to be Nina's partner, and father of her unborn child, Patrick. The funeral, and the birth, will wrap up the season next week. Hmmm .. what will they watch on a Wednesday night then?

Tuesday - bad drivers and tea towels

It was very cold this morning - 7 degrees according to the thermometer in Lars - with a light mist in the valley. I was maybe concentrating a little too much on that as I pulled out of the lane and onto the main road because I didn't see the blue car that, all of a sudden, was almost on top of me. Hmmm ... that was odd, because usually I'm much more careful than that ... and as I thought about it, I was stunned when he shot past me, overtaking on the double yellow lines at a speed which was more akin to low-level-flying. No wonder I hadn't seen him! Otherwise it was a lovely morning ... and as they said on the radio, they thought it was a nice enough day for the balloons to be out ... they were ... they just hadn't seen them yet.

I made it to Maccas for breakfast this morning ... and had the opportunity to witness some instant karma for the guy who came in with the big fake spider ... who then left his keys behind and rather than following him out to give them to him Ly and Jo waited and watched as he walked to his car, put his coffee on the roof, opened the door, got in and then ... nothing. They kept up a running commentary about how he would be looking for his keys, wondering where they were ... until he finally realised they were inside - and when he walked back in, and they were sure he knew that they knew, still they waited behind the counter, smiling broadly, and holding his keys up. I think they could have made much more of the situation but chose not to ... ut it was interesting to watch.

l did make it on to ROM this afternoon and managed to do all of the house yard except the tiny patch of front lawn. At first I though there was going to be a problem with ROM - it spluttered unnaturally, well, differently from the usual ... but it did settle down, so I continued.

On the way home this morning, I had thought about suggesting we go to the Advancetown Hotel for a steak for lunch but S had other plans so I didn't say anything. Now, it has been ages since I even thought about going to the Hotel, so I was more than stunned when S suggested to me this evening that we go to the Advancetown Hotel for a steak for dinner. Once we'd both come to terms with the coincidence (or does that qualify as "mind reading") we decided to go ... and the place has changed... and for the better. It seems much brighter, roomier and much less seedy. Unfortunately it's not nearly as busy. Maybe Tuesdays is their quiet night. They still do a very good steak though - just not T-Bone anymore.

M spent some time tonight cleaning out the tea towel drawer. She found one to throw out ... for the six new ones she was putting in. Don't ever buy wipes, she said, we have 100,000 of them - and while that was a bit of an exaggeration there was an element of truth to it.

The furries spent most of the afternoon inside today - a great pity given what a truly wonderful day it turned out to be. Definitely way too nice a day for anyone to spend inside - another reason I jumped on ROM. We do need a "life hack" though. How do we get to clean underneath ROM easily - without getting down on hands and knees or driving up onto those portable ramps (which we don't have)?

Monday - Birthday breakfast

Buddha

I was on the way to The Big House by 7 o'clock this morning and I had been thinking that that was the earliest that I had ever gone there - but then I remembered the times M has stayed in and I dropped S off there on my way to work so they could "do" breakfast. This time I was there to drop of Em's Casino card; I had been planning to give it to her at The Reluctant Fundamentalist which is the latest film in Monday's Movie Madness. I had joked with Em yesterday that I would be there unless I had a better offer ... and I hadn't at that stage realised that I already had a better offer ... breakfast at Ormeau for Jo's birthday. We were joined by Ra and Ca - they should have been at school, both of them, but they seemed to prefer to be helping Jo celebrate. I can understand that! It was an interesting conversation with them ... usually I hear about what's going on "at home" just from Jo, and the different perspective, although not that different, was enlightening. We went back to Jo's after breakfast to see her presents - and to see how Ra had decorated the living room - overnight - with balloons and banners. Very birthday!

Balloons

By the time I made it back to Latimers, M and S had already left for Aqua. They had a great class and the numbers were up on previous weeks - which is good because I was wondering about the class' viability if it continued with only 5 people.

Ferry Road lunch was next up for them before they went off; M had some errands to do and S went along to keep her company rather than having to have me come in to town to pick her up. I appreciated the consideration - and spent some of the time I saved pegging out some washing. I was thinking about jumping on ROM and doing a round of Hermes' paddock - M was saying that that is going to make it easier for them to fill in the holes in there ... if they can actually see them, which they can't if the grass is too long - but before I could S and M arrived home ... and it wasn't long before M jumped on ROM and went mowing.

Monday is Rubbish Day and for the last few weeks I've been cleaning on the fridge. I never thought I would find it funny ... but I was doubled up with laughter this afternoon while I was doing it. M, at some point, had been in the fridge and had written on top of the yoghurt containers: "I'm okay 5/8/13" and, on the other one, "Me too 5/8/13". Mind you, it was just as well, because when I shook the first one, and it sounded very watery, I thought it was definitely going out.

Monday is Trivia and while it would be great to say we were right up there on the Podium ... that wasn't our experience tonight. But Craig was back so we could hear the questions and that took a whole lot of angst out of the game play. We did manage to get 10 for each of the first three rounds - it was just a pity that one of those rounds was a bonus round and was 10/20 rather than 10/10. D'oh ... but such is Trivia. But we were stunned by our performance in the "Sport & Games round" - usually one of our least strong (when it's just called "Sport") - which gave us 8/10. It will be good when we have our full complement back - especially as we were only three tonight - An, S and I. Fl was off and about doing family things, St and Ni are still overseas, and Nu couldn't make it. But we didn't do too badly, all things considered.

Maggie went to The Tevs again today, to have that blood test that will shed some light on possible causes of her heart murmur - I think the results will tell whether her thyroid activity (or lack of?) is contributing to the problem.

I don't know what it is about Pearl but she has become less interested in chasing the birds out of Hermes' paddock. M had to coax her in there when she and S arrived back this afternoon, and later, I almost had to go and do it myself to illustrate to have any chance of getting Pearl to show any interest.

 

Sunday - Cake and (no) chips

It's not often the day at Latimers starts with ironing - but that was me this morning - up forty minutes earlier than I needed to be for my call with Tr so I could iron some shirts. It has been a while but thankfully that is one of the skills that doesn't fade over time ... a bit like riding a bike (although I'm still working on that one).

We were only a little late to the Markets this morning ... and we were there earlier than M. She had set off early to go in search of a Birthday Cake for Azra. As it turned out Az and Mi were also late but I don't know if that had anything to do with Mi's extra exercise this morning. Prince had disappeared and Mi ended up running 3km in their usual morning walk route (?) and then back home to get the bike and off again ... before they finally discovered Prince had not gone that far at all. He was immediately next door ... something to do with the female dog there being "on heat". Hopefully he won't be tempted to go in search of female companionship while he's staying with Mouse.

M managed to secure a fantastic Birthday Cake from Madisons, complete with a personalised white chocolate plaque. It was especially good because Az really likes cakes from Madisons. Double bonus. It was, I think, a good "event" especially since M pulled it together on such short notice - the present (with special thanks to Mi), the cake, and the card. We had a couple of extras today - Sy's father, visiting from Melbourne, came, and Nu brought along his granddaughter. Alas, I don't think she was happy being there; we seemed to have more fun watching her play with balloons than she did playing with them.

I dropped S back to Latimers after the Markets so I could go in to The Big House. They're having the third (or is it fourth) of their draws for the "Search for 5 Millionaires". It meant being there for four hours or so but as long as I have the iPad - and Mouse's puzzles - there's always something to do, and having lunch with M and watching some "numbers" helped pass the time as well. Alas, we weren't the lucky winner today - but there's always next week ... for M - I'm not planning to play the machines there next week so I won't earn the requisite points to go in the draw.

And speaking of gambles ... the date of the next Federal Election has been announced ... 7 September ... and the campaigning has begun!

Happy Birthday!

 

Saturday - Farewell Soxy

I had been planning to swipe our cards in at The Big House when I went in this afternoon to watch some table play; but plans change and S and I came back to Latimers instead. So, we entrusted our cards to Mi who was planning to go to see the Lumiair show there today. When her plans changed, she said she'd ask Az, who was going in for the Food Fantasy buffet - using points/vouchers they'd won in the current promotion. We should have questioned why Az and Mi were going tonight - rather than just thinking it was because they are leaving on Wednesday. If we had, we may have realised that it's Az's birthday tomorrow. Mouse realised tonight - too late for us to suggest joining them - but in time for something (cake! and a gift) to be organised for the Markets tomorrow. We still aren't sure why Az didn't say anything. Although, to be fair, she hasn't in previous years either. And we don't rely on other people to remind us when their birthday is (that's what FaceBook is for!).

Soxy

The nest building continues which may explain why Tinka and Maggie were camped out there for most of the afternoon. I know because I was there too - reading "The Cuckoo's Calling" and watching and waiting for the photo opportunity with the birds and the nest which never came.

Sadly, Mouse and M took Soxy to the vet today. It was his time as he has not been well for a while. They took him to M's vet at Nerang where, as we know from Emma and Beasley, they do a very good "seeing off"! Understandably Mouse was very upset as she and Soxy have been companions for years - since he moved in from the neighbour's place. That's the good thing about cats - they know what they want and who they want to be with. We were able to say goodbye to him at dinner last night ... he spent the time while we were there outside, near the back door, and not straying far. Soxy (or Schnitzel as little Hamdi used to call him) was a great cat, a huge presence ... and he will very much be missed. RIP Soxy.

Mouse and Soxy

Afterwards we met up with them, and Mi, at Zarraffa's at Benowa. Mouse was still very upset and even though she tried to take part in the conversation, she was ... distracted. M took her home and spent some time with her this afternoon; and she went back in to have dinner with her this evening. S and I suggested Pearl might like to go in and spend a few days with Mouse before Prince arrives - his "parents" are just about to jet off and Mouse is going to mind him in their absence.