Tuesday

By the time I arrived back at Latimers this afternoon it was threatening to rain - had in fact sprinkled on the car - so I put off ROM until tomorrow. Instead, it was cup of tea time with S and M out the front - something we haven't done for a while. I have missed it - not quite sure how we let life get so busy sometimes that we don't stop to enjoy the simpler things in life. Emma came out briefly for a drink of water but then put herself back into the room. She was a little low key this morning - trying to put herself away into her "corner" or into the cupboard. Instead, S made her a "nest" on the bed so she could keep an eye on her.

It was no surprise that there was a big storm this evening with over 2000 lightning strikes registered throughout the Gold Coast. S, at home at Latimers, watching through the very generous windows here, said it provided a very spectacular light show. And a bit of rain. Although we're only using tank water for the garden and pet watering at the moment, it's good to know it's being topped up and there will be no need to purchase water for a while. She said she was glad she was at home when the storm hit because the animals, particularly Pearl, were frightened.

While S was watching nature's show, M and I were in at The Big House watching the first night of Hale and Pace's farewell tour (thank you M). They were fantastic although there were a couple of places where the act fell just a little flat but they quickly moved on. The only problem was that at some points I was laughing so much that there was no way I could actually remember the lines I was laughing at. (I must ask M if she does.) Even some of the bits when they were poking fun at people - something I don't usually like - was done "well" and some bits of that were very funny too. The support acts were pretty good too - a ventriloquist and an unusualist - the latter reprising a performance he did on the Internet a while back - YouTube search or Google for "shadows Wonderful World" - it was/is incredible how he is able to produce such amazing images from a lamp, a screen, and two hands. Of course, the dancing coat trick was pretty good too! You have to love any act which features a yellow feather boa! (Is such a thing named after the boa constrictor snake?)

Monday

The treadmill is one giant step closer to being operational. < Sigh of relief. > I had a good chat with Technical Support today and Aaron was able to suggest some "fixes". So, in the mail today (thank you time difference between the Australian States) is a replacement cable set which should fix the problem. Of course, I had to take the treadmill down to diagnose the problem but the good news is that it came down much more easily than it went up - and I'm hoping that when it does go back up, it will be easy as well. I was surprised the furries weren't more interested in the proceedings but I am grateful S helped out! Thank you!

If I hadn't been busy with the treadmill, I would have walked the rubbish up (M had already driven the recycling up on her way out today) because I still have a couple (understatement) of steps to get for my today's 10,000. But I will get a few more before the evening is over.

The other thing I could have done is the mowing. It is time again. It's good to see it looking so healthy - it has obviously loved the rain - and I think we may be in for a little more - as long as it leaves the lawn dry for tomorrow afternoon.

M and A left for their overseas trip this evening. F was taking them up and I'm not sure who else was going up for the drive. Which reminds me, S was saying that M told her that when M get back in a couple of months' time, he and F are starting the garden project - putting a vegetable garden in in the area down the slope behind the garage. F has been talking about it for a while and apparently it was discussed at the Markets on Sunday (S and I were in Toowoomba) and a decision made to go-ahead.

I am still trying to work out what the noise was - ie what animal made it - out the back this evening. As I took the rubbish out to the bin, I heard a loud snuffling noise over near the avocado tree and then rustling and movement as Pearl barked and raced out, chasing it. It was far too dark to see (can dogs see in the dark or was Pearl following scent or sound?) so I have no way of knowing if it was as big as it sounded. I imagined it might have been a wild pig but I know we don't get them around here (I may have just made that up because I don't think that is anything that has ever been discussed with M or the neighbours) ... but even as I write that I wonder if it might have been Donovan (B and N's pet hog) out for a walk! I had been getting braver about taking the rubbish over to the bin in the dark but I'm now thinking that those days might be over - although now I am being cautious about wildlife not the possible appearance of a Yowie!

Sunday

As Dorothy said in "The Wizard of Oz" - "there's no place like home" - or is that just another example of famous movie quotes that never happened? It's always good visiting Toowoomba but it's good being home too. And it was a good visit - and a pretty busy day - shopping for a housewarming present for T, visiting D and E again (we went yesterday and played with their new tablet computer) to help D learn how to send photographs by email, a visit from K, and then Mum taking up some trousers for me.

M had called while we were on the way home to say she would feed Emma and give her her insulin shot so we wouldn't have to rush home. That was nice, so we called in to the local Chinese restaurant in Nerang and would have dinner there but as we weren't yet hungry (we had had a late lunch) we ordered some takeaway to bring back to Latimers with us.

Pearl was asleep when we arrived home but soon woke up and started barking and finally came out to help us unpack the car - but not before she had sniffed us as if she knew that we had been playing with another canine - Pippa. We let her check the car to assure her that we had not brought "it" home with us.

Tink came in a little while later and settled in front of the television to watch "Jaws 2" with me while S read yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald. Although the screams (on the television) must have gotten the better of her because we ate dinner with the movie (rather than watching a Sunday night current affairs show).

All I can think is that Toowoomba is more tiring than Latimers because we were in bed by 8:50 and while I had been intending to read my book, that didn't happen because eyelids were just too heavy.

Saturday

It is raining here again today - and word is that it is raining in Toowoomba as well ... and they were right! We arrived here just on lunchtime after a leisurely drive up from Latimers - having first stopped in at Crave for breakfast. I am not sure what was wrong there today - S suggested that maybe the planets were out of alignment - but it wasn't up to it's usual wonderful standard. It was all just slightly "off" - M's coffee was not hot, her hard poached eggs were not as well done as my soft ones, S's side of tomato didn't appear ( they usually give tomato with the Crave breakfast but have been substituting a hash brown because tomatoes are not in plentiful supply [read: expensive] but a re-substitution is theoretically possible), and it took them ages to actually acknowledge our presence on arrival, to give us menus and take our drinks and food orders. It would be a shame if this is an ongoing change for them because it used to be an excellent breakfast venue.

It was a good drive up to Toowoomba - mostly - but for some reason the rain seems to bring out the opposite of safety in some drivers. One cut in in front of us to overtake someone and then almost immediately braked. Once again I was grateful for that piece of advice given to me all those years ago when I was learning - drive like no-one can see you. It does change your presence on the road!

It was good to catch up with relatives up here during the afternoon and then we took Mum out to Sizzlers for dinner. We were home by 8 and settled in for some television as I copied some music for Mum. Even though we had planned to have an early night, it was nearly 11 by the time all if us called it a night.

Hopefully the animals were in bed earlier at Latimers.

Friday

Bananas are down to $7.99/kg. I only know because I was taking a photograph of balloons far off in the distance and the A-board out the front of the supermarket advertising on now-cut-price bananas was in the shot. I wonder if H would have wanted to go on a balloon ride if he had seen one - and would I have wanted to go with him?

Family and Friends dinner tonight was at Mi and F's. It was lovely food - home-made hoummos - very tasty; pumpkin soup; chicken and rice and a very tasty garden salad - and simmit - a bread roll which is mostly crust - also very tasty. And then Mi's friend Sara (Lee) had prepared an apple crumble for dessert. Yummm.

The boys were home this evening and they came out individually to say hello and to eat their dinner. Not sure why they didn't both come out at the same time. Lu is still waiting to hear if he's been accepted into music college in Boston - and should know in a couple of weeks. I don't think F wants him to go, even though he knows this is what Lu wants - so much so he seems to think that Mi is responsible for Lu ever entertaining the idea of moving to the US to pursue his music career.

F is still fasting (as are the boys) and now, even more than before, once he's had dinner, he is ready for a nap. Mind you, at the end of a long week, following on from the Me and little H visit, his weren't the only eyelids being dragged towards their toes. (I wasn't one of them because I had managed to fit in a small visit to the Land of Nod between work and dinner - although as I was falling to sleep I was listening to music - which kept waking me up! Emma had a nap with me - probably because we haven't yet told her that we are going away to Toowoomba for the weekend.

While we were at dinner, Mi called A on Skype. It's not that long (actually Monday) before she and M are off to overseas. N left on Wednesday and is already in Malaysia and just about to move on to London and Paris. We will be following her progress in FaceBook in the coming weeks.

Thursday

The television is back! It has been missed - especially as there was nothing else that filled the hole against the wall where it usually lives. It was lovely this evening to see S watching it with Beasley cuddled up next to her on the couch, Pearl at her feet, Tink on Pearl's day bed and Maggie on the treadmill.

There is still no action on the treadmill. I had hoped it had somehow corrected itself overnight - and yesterday since I didn't get a chance to look at it then - but I was wrong. And it's not just Maggie can't reach the START button. I will call Customer Service tomorrow and see what magic they can do over the phone.

And speaking of magic - the Harry Potter* collectible wands Me took back for the other grandchildren were a big hit - except the children couldn't get them to work properly. Me told them they would need to learn the spells when they were older. Yes - this does mean that the travellers arrived home safely. Word is, though, that little H "looks different" although I'm not exactly sure what that means.

Since S is still not fully recovered from her lurgy, we didn't go out for our usual Thursday "date night". Better we stayed in with the furries and the television anyway - what would we do if we won another six-pack of beer at the Trivia Night at the Advancetown Hotel? Did I mention the trivia people have a website and if you go there - I'm not sure if you have to be signed up - you will see one of the next week's trivia questions. I think the last time we were there it was a three-pointer. Mind you trivia just isn't what it used to be - the questions are much harder and I can't help but hope the one M and S are about to go to at The Big House are better.

* Not to be confused with the JP** collectible signature stamps.
** Justice of the Peace

Wednesday

It's hard to know what's happening at home if you work an 11-hour day!

I do know that S is not feeling well and had the day in bed - except for getting a lift into Nerang with M so she could get some cat food and other supplies.

K came today and, besides other activities, also helped M put the screen door at the front back on.

There is a bird sitting on the nest. The cats are spending a lot of time out the front - minding them.