Sunday

Quality time with Maggie. I think she is missing M ... she came over for a hug/pat this morning - and then she went on to predict rain - only a little but we shall see by day's end if she is an accurate forecaster.

Except for Maggie and the other furries, the house was quiet this morning when I hauled myself from bed to feed and water those furries, and, of course, to let that Pearlie out (without letting those cats out before time). Then, it was time for the Tr call - an hour later for her this time round as Daylight Savings ended there today. Or an hour earlier. I'll never really know for sure.

The kids went back today - a little later than planned - they were still in bed when I left (late)for the Markets. Sooz had foregone the Markets to see the kids off although it could have been safer for her to have come with me. after they'd gone she made herself a cup of tea - and then slipped on some fluid on the floor. The good news is she didn't break anything except her favourite cup (that wasn't really good news) - the bad news is that she broke her favourite cup and sprained her ankle/foot, bruised the toes on the other foot ... and there, I realised as I wrote that, is the third call-out for the frozen peas. She is bruising but the Hirudoid should help with that.

The Markets were busy again - and I wasn't the last to arrive - that was Em, B and his three sisters. Fl and Mi's doctor friends were also there - otherwise it was the usual crowd including Nu and Va. There was no shortage of food or conversation and there was even an iPhone discussion for good measure.

Well, Maggie didn't do a bad job of forecasting - except the storm was way bigger than she had suggested.

Saturday

There are advantages to being the first up! And part of that is being able to be in control of the cats - and that they are not released before Tinka has had her shot and breakfast ... and that Pearl gets to go outside for her morning ablute (and then let back in) before lockdown ends. And you get to have your shower when you want it ... without having to wait for not one but two teenagers to do what they do in there ... and it certainly takes a while.

Lindsay

We were due in Broadbeach, at TBH, to have breakfast with M (who seems to be getting more unwell) at 9 and were. She was earlier than us though ... but we could have been earlier still had we insisted on getting to SupaNova as quickly as possible.

Ah ... SuperNova. What a truly amazing and incredible experience you are ... especially to we novices. It seems to be one of the few times in the year when people can dress up as their favourite character and go out in public ... and hold their heads up high.

Dalek Dress

It was one of the few times I have heard a grown woman saying to her son: "I want to get you with a girl." but she was, of course, referring to other Cosplay people ... in a complementary or compatible costume ... "in genre" you could say.

It was fantastic fun ... and there were certainly a couple of photo opportunities. Most people were more than happy to pose for a shot - some so much so that as soon as they saw the camera, they started heading in your direction.

Lo, Pa and I trouped back to TBH to meet the girls for dinner tired but happy. And I do believe there was talk of possibly going to the next SupaNova in Brisbane in September.

Closer to home, we didn't see the owl on our way home from Broadbeach this evening but we did hear a yell of horror from Pat, in the back seat, when he was hit with a stream of bat wee through the window. We felt sorry for him because it was fairly unlucky ... but at the same time, some people in the car found it very, very funny - or was that just Pat's reaction.

It was not the same reaction he had when he said he wanted to get his photograph taken with the Las Vegas Showgirls who were wandering round TBH foyer advertising their latest show.

Storm Troopers and others

Friday

Tremendouser - captioners at work again.

The kids arrived just after dark this evening. We were starting to get worried about them. They were late getting away from Kyogle - Sooz knew that - but they had “an adventure” on the way which seems to have had something to do with a long black wig (part of L's costume for SupaNova) and … well we never did find out the rest if it. I do know now though that Patrick knows that you can take back roads from Kyogle all the way to Southport - and when they arrived, Lo was sitting it the back seat. If my name was Alice, I know what I'd be saying (okay we all know she “cried” it but that just wouldn't have the same nuance)!*

And, of course, there's nothing like being on the wrong track … it seems Louise always sits in the back seat when they're driving. I'm not sure that it has to do with her tendency to motion sickness rather than that they were giving someone they didn't want us to know about a lift up to the Coast. Let's see if the person we think we're not supposed to turn up tomorrow at … SupaNova!!! I have decided to forgo the movie in Brisbane with Sooz, An and M to go to the fantasy and science fiction convention SupaNova at the Gold Coast Convention Centre … conveniently placed across the road from TBH.

We took the kids to Maccas for dinner this evening - Sooz had offered to cook Spaghetti Bolognese but since they were running late we decided it would be easier to outsource (and keep the economy ticking over).

M came home to say hi to the kids - and then took herself in to TBH - she is staying overnight - and giving her bed to Lo. She's great like that. (Thanks M!)

On the way up the lane, lighting the way with Lars' parking lights, and making sure everyone stayed as quiet as possible … we were rewarded with another owl sighting!

* Curiouser and Curiouser.

Thursday

M went out this evening to have dinner with the Family and M's sisters. She'd had a big day - getting the car to the mechanics where they were finally able to fix the air conditioning - and to the dentist. Poor her! Mouse had issues as well - she went to give M a lift from the mechanics and when she went out to the car, one of the tyres was flat. She called the RACQ and when they came it turned out to be more than the tyre - it was something to do with the wheel - and the car had to be towed! Not a good day for them at all.

On top of that M was not feeling well and at ... and she ended up coming home early and put herself straight to bed. Sooz and I were in charge of getting the furries in and settled - which we gladly did.

I was going to strike off on my own to The Big House this evening ... but by the time I finished at work it was already after 6 and I decided I had looked at way too many numbers already so at that point I decided just to go via the Q Centre and pick up dinner for Sooz and I. And believe it or not ... the owl was on the fence again as I drove down the lane. I am being more careful about it these days ... I now drive down the lane with my headlights off, very very slowly ... so as not to spook the owl. It's working so far.

Pearl on the mat

Tinka has taken "under the bed" to heart and sometimes if she can't be found anywhere else, if you stand in the bedroom and listen ... you can hear her buzzsaw snoring from under the bed. Hopefully she isn't planning to bring any of her new-found-friends with her ... she has been busy hunting and has carried home half a mouse (I think Sooz referred to them as "mouse trousers") and spent some time eating that - and not sharing it with Maggie.

Pearl is still on her antibiotics ... and while I know I sometimes say she has a mind of her own and thinks she is higher up the pecking order than me - she is staying with the rule about eating on the mat ... unfortunately, the big mat is no longer there but she does what she can.

 

Wednesday

There were no Winners are Grinners at Bingo today - and when Sooz and I went to the Tallai Golf Club tonight for dinner, we resisted the temptation (or was it urge - and what's the difference between the two?) to stay for Trivia. I am going to have to organise to play there again though and I'll start polling for interested parties and dates (and frequency - you know some of us like routines and to know what's happening).

B's tank

They choice of desserts this week was greatly reduced and the lemon meringue pie I was hanging out for wasn't on the menu. But we didn't go away empty-handed … they had an ice cream sundae with liqueur (Kahlua) poured over the top - so we got one to takeaway - that way it could be enjoyed after driving home!

I'm not sure what has happened to B's tank. This ws the tank that was originally stored rolled against the side of his house until that big storm some months ago flipped it on to its top - and ever since it has been tied securely to their electricity pole. As I was driving past today I noticed that it was still tied to the pole but it seems to be collapsing in on itself. I'm not sure if this is because tanks are designed to be filled with water and after a certain point they will implode (?) if they are not.

Sooz and I saw the owl on the fence across from L's (just past B's) on the way home again tonight. How lucky are we?

 

Tuesday

Day break

What a beautiful sunrise this morning. I stopped to take photographs during our walk up the lane and as I was commenting to Pearl that it was indeed a gorgeous sight, I suddenly realised she only sees in black and white so part of the magic would have been lost on her. But I did post a photo of it on FaceBook so I felt I had shaed the experience.

It was April Fool's Day today and as far as I know I wasn't caught out either at a personal or community level. Well, except for Disney's origami Olaf from "Frozen". I was suspicious when the instructions called for a whole lot of folds (which you kind of expect when Origami is involved) and even more so when they suggested that you skip to No. 11 if the instructions were proving too difficult (and they were!) ... I was just really glad I hadn't gone hunting for the baby carrot for his nose!

 

Monday

Winners and Grinners - especially when you're absolutely positive that you're not in the podium - and then you win! It was a close game though - three teams within one point of each other - us on 65, and two others on 64. They played off in the tiebreaker: when was the crayon invented? As usual we played along even though we weren't in it and I was the closest - I seemed to remember that crayons are a byproduct of petroleum products so it had to be early in the 1900s. The others had dates ranging back to the 1500's. There's always something to learn!

The baffler clues we had: I am an animal. I live to between 10 and 70 years old. Our answers for Rounds 1 and 2 were Horse and Elephant but not Crocodile (which I had said but not insisted on) which was the winning answer. Better luck next time!

It was a night of not listening to others at Trivia ... otherwise we would have had a couple of points extra. Repeat after me ... a Faun (like Pan) is half-man half-goat. Pearl Harbour was bombed in 1941. No ... no ... not repeat after me ... I think the problem is that we have to listen to the questions more carefully! And, of course, we were without St tonight, he was driving Ca and Me to the airport for their return to Melbourne.

It was another busy day at work. The new financial system had not yet been fully bedded down. I was of two minds today - whether to send screen shots from problem errors and areas - or let them let us know!

A rare treat ... we saw the owl on the way down the lane tonight on the way home! We reversed back to have a proper look - we were past it by the time we realized we had seen it - and after we had backed up, we saw that it had put itself on the fence a little bit further down the lane ... so we were able to see it from a "distance" ... as soon as we got near it - d'oh - it flew away. Magic though - and who knew they were so quiet!

Sunday

I was glad I'd done that work for work last night because it meant I could have the day at leisure without feeling the slightest pang of guilty! Of course there was plenty I could have been doing but that's what electronic to-do lists are for - very easily moving something from today's list to tomorrow! That's what managing tasks is all about.

At the Markets

It was a good call with Tr this morning. She's put me on to a couple of series that she's started watching and I'm looking forward to downloading them and having a look.

Sooz had a bye from the Markets today but that was okay because she had given M the shopping list. And it was a busy markets today. Three of Ma's sisters were there - he is one of ten! Ca and Me were also there - they were up to celebrate Ca's (St's mother's birthday yesterday). And, of course, there were all the usual suspects! Talk at the table at one point turned to gambling and then addiction generally. You never know what's going to come up.

Kudos of the day belongs to Flam - who correctly identified the power point driving the recently-installed bird deterrent alarms - and turned it off. Bliss! And, yes, we did remember to turn it on again on the way out!

Syl left the Markets early to go out to Latimers. She had been planning to give the whipper snipper a workout but that was shelves as the rain started very soon after she arrived.

Kathmandu is having it's Easter Sale - up to 60% off some items. It was fitting that I saw Ca and Me there because they were the ones who told me about it. I was remarkably restrained!

This afternoon I had the "day off" just catching up with some reading and series. I am now one episode away from the season finale of one of my favourite shows ... so it's just as well that Tr has suggested some others.