Wednessday

Felled banana tree

Tom at work had predicted rain this afternoon but even he was surprised when a massive storm swept over the area around 5pm. The lightning show was amazing - and there were a few people gathered outside to watch it - since they were not willing to brave the driving rain to get to their cars ... it was going-home-time afterall! We lost power for about a minute and I'll need to check how much data I lost when my computer went down.

Back at Latimers, the storm was wreaking a bit of havoc. It took out some of the big river gums - and when I say big, I mean massive. As M said, it must have been the wind because there were no burn marks on the felled trees (hers or B's). Ja was around when the storm happened and he saw the caravan picked up, dumped in L's paddock, picked up again, dumped back into B's ... and then it collapsed. Materials from the new shed they're building at B's were strewn through L's paddock - but luckily no horses appear to have been injured by the flying sheets of tin. Lucky! Otherwise there was leaf-litter throughout. Some of the buildings you would have thought wouldn't survive, have, so that says a lot for their construction or the fairly random path of the storm!

Meanwhile, on the Sunshine Coast, even there were some rumblings as though there was a storm on the way, by the time I spoke with Sooz, it hadn't yet arrived. The same with Toowoomba when I rang Mum after she texted to say she'd received the photos I'd posted to her on Monday night (well done Australia Post!).

The caravan

Work was good today - AC is back and in fine form although she was a little tired following her overnight in Brisbane with her mother. She's going up again tonight and said she may be a little late depending on the traffic when she leaves Brisbane at 6 or so in the morning. The only hiccup today was when the new vending machine arrived - only a month late - and then left again shortly after because someone had realised we are only a temporary office and the machine was not going to spend its life inside. So they took our brand new, just off the boat, machine away - and are going to replace it with a "old one". I hope it's going to be soon because the boys are getting a bit antsy about not having a vending machine ... and I'm definitely with them!

Pearl went to the vet this afternoon and they could find nothing wrong with her even through they examined her mouth thoroughly. Pearl was exceptional - opening wide for them and letting The Tev have a good explore. In the end, they decided it might have something to do with her ability to clot and they're doing a full blood test to see if they can work out what's happening with her. In the meantime, M's not feeding her in her usual make-Pearl-eat-slowly bowl and there doesn't appear tom have been another bleed so far.

Even though Sooz is still away, Tinka started out the night, at least, on her bed. I asked her if she wanted to come up with me but she replied in the negative - but she did let me give her a chuck under the chin before I went off to bed. Pearl was in the breezeway when I passed and didn't get up and follow me in ... so there were no furries to make the bedroom hotter tonight!

I'm amazed that the Neilsen people haven't been in touch since Sooz left - I don't think the television has been turned on once ... certainly not the one in the living room - although I think M may have watched part of the Nelson Mandela Memorial Service on her set in the bedroom.