Friday

The end of the week has finally come and, this week, that's kind of okay. I didn't think I had been having late nights but I must have because I'm a bit on the tired side. I didn't fall asleep at Maccas this morning - which is a good thing ... because I did yesterday morning ... just for a moment or two ... but enough to make me think that maybe I could be having just a bit more sleep.

This week's storm

Pearl came down the lane with me this morning - it is taking less and less coaxing each time - and the good news is that she hadn't pulled up lame after her trips down to the felled tree - especially since M had taken her down twice the day it happened (see, I'm not even totally sure when that was now). I gave her a Dental Chew this morning as her post-walk treat and she doesn't seem to have bled today. This is a good thing. Her blood test results are back as well - and they couldn't find anything out of the ordinary so they'll now have to do further checks - a closer look down her throat - which she'll need to have a sedative for - and they'll probably look at her liver too - which could account for the puffing she's been doing. I think I heard M say that she's booked in for next Wednesday - hopefully it won't interfere with Bingo ... especially as they've been on a bit of a winning streak lately.

Sooz and I went for dinner up at The Advancetown Hotel last night - and Trivia was on. We were too late to play ... but I'm not sure that we would have played even if we had been there on time. But the Quiz Master (greeted us like long-lost friends - so that was a nice welcome! And dinner wasn't bad either. We didn't stay until the end of Trivia - Sooz took pity on me ... and the answers to the questions we heard, we were able to look up on the interweb so we didn't have to wait to find out what they were.

The grape vine is definitely in need of a serious prune again ... and it has some kind of fungus on it which I think Jane mentioned to M ... and what we need to put on it to fix it. That might be a job for the weekend.

There were still a couple of raspberries on the plant when S arrived home and M picked them for her ... two little ones were all that were left. Sooz totally loved them ... and now we're wondering how long it will be before the plant produces some more. The lemon tree is still producing - which is a good thing because word on the street is that lemons are now $1 in some places. (And , yes, Mum is still planning to make Lemon Meringue Pie for Boxing Day Christmas ... and Trifle as well.)

For a change, there was no rain today ... actually, now that I think about it was there rain - and it was so heavy at one point that we thought it might actually be hailing. It wasn't ... but it was enough to give Le and AC from work, who were out on the Friday Tuckshop run, a bit of a soaking ... so that means it must have been lunchtime. It wasn't morning tea because that was delivered - a range of hot savories including party pies, pizza, spring rolls etc etc - something different as it was Felix's farewell from the project - and from the company. He's having two months' holiday - including going to play with the Great White Sharks (are they the same as White Pointers) down near Adelaide.

The vending machine

The big news at work though was that the vending machine that had arrived earlier in the week (a month later than promised) and was then taken away the same day because they were unhappy that the machine (brand new off the boat from whatever country these things come from) would be outside - and that it would only be here for the last 6 months of the project. They had decided to send an old machine instead. Imagine our surprise when another new machine turned up ... and later in the day was stocked with lots of goodies that we hadn't actually ordered - but they said we can let them know what other products we want in and they will provide them. The boys are stoked that the cans of drink out of the machine are only $1.40 - much cheaper than the other one - and that they have made the mistake of including V and RedBull rather than Mother.

Was that a snake I saw down in L's paddock this afternoon as I was walking Pearl? It could easily have been a duck in the long grass though - so I'm not going to mention it to anyone - and there was no way I was going down to have a closer look!

Sooz offered to cook spaghetti bolognese for dinner tonight - but then changed her mind and suggested we have sausages instead. I admit what I suggested next was solely because I didn't want to clean up dishes and pots and pans afterwards - so we had Roast Chicken dinner from Red Rooster.

I unearthed some of the Christmas decorations for Sooz this morning and she has located other ones during the day - so it looks as though it won't be long before the Christmas Tree comes out and there are decorations throughout the house ... and then we can all say "it's beginning to look a lot like ..." Sooz even managed to find "My Hanky" - as seen on South Park - today ... Hi De Hi!!! And when they were showing a Maggie Beer Christmas Feast Special tonight, they had a young Mezza Soprano who sang a carol that Cartman on South Park also sings ... and there is no way I can hear it without thinking of his version ... and the boys and Gerald and the Dreidel song.