Monday

How did Maggie know to come in to the bedroom last night? Was she watching to see when the electric blanket was finally going to make it from the box in the breezeway onto the bed? She wasn’t there to help make the bed with it so we’ee figuring Pearl must have told her! However she found out doesn’t really matter - just that she slept in on the bed last time - the first time in a very long time. She even went back in there after breakfast this morning - and given how cold it was - who could blame her. I think the weather app was definitely wrong this morning - there was no way it was 11 degrees at Latimers when I extricated myself from bed … this is definitely going to be the season of flanny PJs and Ugg boots! One of the good things about cold mornings is that Pearl stays in bed so I don’t have to watch her to make sure she isn’t helping the cats eat their breakfasts.

Sooz made it to Aqua again - and it was good she and An did because where has been some concern about the diminishing numbers in the class. The extra two should help with that though.

While Sooz and An were at Aqua, Syl was out at Latimers doing what she does. I think I noticed the grape vine had been cut back today - or at some point anyway.

Did I mention that there are horses back in Hermes’ paddock and the girls are refilling the water regularly again. Sooz had done a good job of keeping an eye on it though while they weren’t to lessen the chance of birds running into strife with it.

Syl and An had lunch with Sooz after Aqua - Ferry Road chicken and fresh bread. It really doesn’t get much better! Well, it would have been for me if I had been there too.

Pot plant

We were three at Trivia tonight - An, Sooz and I. When we rang Fl to see how far away he was, he said he had meant to ring to let us know he wasn't coming, but he hadn't. On the strength of that, we didn't take "Tools" (the picture round) as a bonus round. We didn't do too badly either - I think we were one point off third place. Of course, there was a little bit of a recap later and we agreed that we could have done just a little better had Fl been able to make it - especially since the first picture round was "Who Am I?".

Syl's jobs yesterday did include "pot" or, more precisely, "pot plant". I don't think this plant was out the back before, but it is now. It looks good too!

 

Sunday

Tinka

I felt a little like Clark Kent this morning - taking off my glasses to perform a super-human feat - getting into the shower. It was cold again this morning, and even though it's not Tasmanian-cold (where they get dressed in bed before they get up!) you could tell that waiting for the shower water to heat up was going to feel like an absolute age.

Well, so much for trying something new! Breakfast at Tallai Golf Club wasn't on - they had been trialling it for four months but not getting enough response for them to keep offering it - so they're not any more. D'oh.

Trailer

We considered the options and decided that we'd stay close and while the woman at Tallai suggested the Mudgeeraba Show might have some eats, we decided to go with something we knew ... where the parking might be just a little easier. We could not believe how many cars were already parked around the showgrounds as we drove past ... and there were plenty of folk inside - and it wasn't even 9:30 yet.

So why weren't we at the Markets? Well, the Soccer is still on, and it is the start of Ramadan. Someone was saying that we'll pick up the Markets when Mouse returns.

I wanted to be outside today - doing something in the sunshine - and while I considered using my SeaWorld pass to do some black and white photography, I ended up staying at home and wandering around Latimers with Nik. I managed to take one or two shots that I was happy with: those furries are totally photogenic.

Syl came over this afternoon and I was able to repay the $25 she had loaned me for bullets yesterday when the Club's EFTPOS machine was out of action - and she was able to give me back the 50 cents I had given her for a cup of coffee as we waited for the orientation to start. She wasn't quite sure what she was planning to do this afternoon but pots, spraying and a door were mentioned. Or was that last mentioned by Sooz as a job that she had for Syl to do?

Maggie

It was cold enough at 3 o'clock this afternoon for me to put on a flannelette shirt - so it's definitely getting cooler. When Syl stopped to have a cup of tea, we sat outside in the sun, hoping to catch some warm rays but there weren't that many. It was warmer than inside though.

We were all set to have Hungarian Goulash soup this evening - but the capsicum - a vital ingredient - has taken it upon itself to go missing. We know Sooz bought it the other day - we can tell you where, we can tell you when - what we can't tell you is where it is now. Hopefully it never made it home from the store ... because if it did, that means it is in the house somewhere.

 

Saturday

Saturday. Shooting day. I was up and out of the house just after 7 and on my way to grab a quick coffee and toast before going to the Pistol Club. I met Syl there and we had the choice of two Kindys - Blackpowder or NRA. I really wasn't sure which I wanted to do so when Syl said NRA, that was good enough for me. We did go along to look at Blackpowder though and I was impressed by the very large Non-Smoking sign at the entrance to their range. The description they gave reminded me of loading and firing an old-fashioned musket. From the NRA range next door, we could hear the Blackpowder weapons being fired, and see the huge puffs of smoke: given the guns they were using seemed a foot long, easy.

We did our club orientation today and that was interesting - especially as we learned about the different disciplines the Club has to offer, and the power of the different ammunitions and guns.

NRA was great. One of the aims is to show the difference distance makes to aim. We were shooting at metal plates today which were white-washed between rounds so bullet hits would make a plainly visible black spot on each target. If you hit the target, it fell down - which was a good way of knowing if you'd hit it. In some of the other disciplines you can't ever see the target clearly, let alone where (if) you've hit.

I was happy with how I shot today - but I would have been even happier had I managed to take out all six targets in the last round - instead of leaving just the one plate standing.

Sooz was ready and waiting at home when I made it back to Latimers. She had to wait for me to fill out my police application (... I had to find it first of course .. I have to start putting things in non-safe places - I might be able to locate them) before we could go. There was no need to say goodbye to the furries when we left, they were asleep.

We decided to do lunch at Ferry Road where we had fresh bread, some meat and mustard. I couldn't believe that there was no hot English mustard to be had at all at Ferry Road today - so we had to settle for Dijon instead. It was a great lunch and once we had coffee to go with it, it was perfect.

We ended up at a wedding this afternoon. We weren't invited of course but the church was across the road from the police station . As we parked, the bridal car went past and onto the church forecourt. We watched and waited for them to go in before we went in to see the police. Sooz needed to get a permit so she can work with older people, and I needed to (finally)lodge my application to join a pistol club.

You can look straight down the church aisle from outside and when we were leaving, the about-to-be-couple were exchanging rings. We wished them well and went on our way.

The watchdog wasn't at her best this afternoon. Syl managed to drive in , do stuff down the back, and drive out without her barking to let us know there Was someone here. To be fair, Sooz did hear her bark once but she didn't make a song or dance about it.

Rain was predicted for this afternoon and just before dark the clouds massed over the hill. It wasn't until almost an hour later though that the rain started, gently at first and then more insistent. It's good - the valley really needs it.

Friday

My alarm went off at just after 5 this morning and I would have gone straight out to start doing the furries except a voice next to me said "It's minus 3 in Toowoomba and 5 here." I put my Ugg boots on and was glad of it. Sooz, her job done, then went straight back to sleep, certainly not stirring before I left.

They say that it's warmer near the coast and that was certainly true this morning. As I left home, Lars' thermometer said 4 ... and by the time I had driven into Zarraffas at Nerang, it was up to 6. Not even a coffee could take the chill off however - especially when I made it to the office - where, quite seriously, the space under my desk just traps cold air there and leaves it until 11 o'clock or so. Today I wore a hoodie - and then I had my work vest over my knees to try to keep my legs warm. I think this is what the rest of Winter is going to be like - only worse.

Syl came out to Latimers today - and she called Sooz on the way out asking if she needed her to pick up anything for her. Max came with her and found some of Pearl's toys while she was visiting. The turkey/chicken made a re-appearance and was in the carport sans squeaker - I'm not sure if it was like that before I ran over it - but it certainly was afterwards.

While Syl was here she suggested that as Sooz and I check out real estate options, we include retirement villages in our search. Hmmmm. I won't lie, that rocked me a bit. I've never thought of myself as old enough to live in a retirement village but, alas, on reflection, I actually am. More hmmmm.

We had dinner tonight at Syl and An's - and that included a game of Scrabble. The food was wonderful - An, not sure how Syl would be after her dentist visit, had made a "mushy menu" - Spicy Pumpkin Soup, Salt Mashed Potato, beans and stew, and Stephanie Alexander's Lemon Pudding to finish. Yum, Yum. And yum again. An wasn't absolutely happy with how some of it turned out but I think she was being overly critical!

Their furries are all in good form except for the cough that one of the cats has picked up - the vet has suggested it's allergy-related but the jury is still out on that.

Ricky and Micky

Well, we now know when it's time to put Pearl's nightie on. She was a little unsettled after we arrived home tonight and in the end I followed her up the back and as she stood there I decided to try to put her nightie on - she had refused last night - and this time she let me - and then she settled. They really do have a way of letting you know what they want!

 

Thursday

I think it is getting ever cooler in the mornings but there has still been no frost sightings ... yet ... but there is a nice steam that floats off the top of the grey water hose when it's running.

They're always full days at work these days and as we near End of Month yet again, it still feels as though we are working at full pace ... and there's a reason for that!

Lemon tree ... very pretty

But it's good that there's no time to be bored ... leastways that's what I keep telling myself.

Pearl was much better today but nevertheless Sooz kept a close eye on her to make sure she was okay and not showing any signs of discomfort. She was definitely symptom free by the end of the day - so much so that we asked her to come up on the couch with me this evening as we watched MasterChef. She tried a couple of times but couldn't get the right angle, but in the end, as soon as I stood up, she jumped up and went to settle in ... until she realised that I was on the way to the kitchen ... and then she had to go too, just in case something fell off one of the plates. It didn't.

Jane came today and she was suitably impressed by how Mac's man has been transforming parts of the yard. I'm not sure what she did (I am not always the observant one) - but I do know that she did prune the lemon tree. It certainly needed it.

M Skyped this evening and it was good to be able to tell her that Pearl seems okay. It is hot in Turkey - over 30 degrees, M was planning to go swimming after the call - and the pool certainly looked inviting enough. Mouse is feeling better and they have now set a travel date for their return.

 

Wednesday

Sunrise

Sooz wasn't in the car with me to appreciate the sunrise this morning ... in fact, I would be very surprised if she had seen it at all - she was still asleep when I left ... but I looked enough for both of us ... and took a photo because, as they say, it lasts longer.

Just claim it! So said the co-worker of the woman I told had done a really fast job in preparing my flat white this morning. My barista had started to say "flat whites are easy" - and that was when her colleague jumped in with the "just claim it". I think that could mark one of the differences between generations - their level of confidence ... I remember one of the auditors at Streamline giving me a different version of this - his advice was "fake it till you make it". Just slightly different nuances of the same theme.

We were pleased that Pearl was feeling better this morning. We were worried she had picked up a urinary tract infection - or something - when she needed to go out twice within a couple of minutes last night, and then had an accident on the tiles in the living room because she was sound asleep. We left the back door open in case she wanted to go out during the night - and that's how Tinka was outside in the wee smalls of the hour - crying. Sooz heard it and let her in - and then closed the door. This morning, Pearl rose with me, went outside and then, even though I was prepared to give her (not me!) the morning off, she still wanted to go for a walk - so off we went. It was a little lighter this morning - but only because we were a little later.

Syl and An arrived back from their caravaning trip today. They both seem well except for Syl who has a date with the dentist tomorrow ... implants were mentioned. But, they seem to have had a great time on their trip and the caravan looks none the worse for wear for its sojourn either. I didn't see Micky and Ricky - there were in the back of the car - somewhere between their cage and their home - maybe in the PVC "breezeway" Syl built to connect them because the cats were feeling the cold.

Trivia cat

Coco and Max were good - although Syl was making sure Coco didn't stay very far from her side. She had while they were in Canberra walking with Su and Rh - and Coco had rolled in something really dreadful - and they had to find a Dog Wash so they could give her a wash and allow her back into the car. There's nothing like an adventure while you're on holiday!

Ka came today and she is in good form. Sooz gave up trying to mark while she was here because it just isn't possible! But she and Ka had a good chat ... which was good. Ka is just about to go on a retreat in Thailand and, as Sooz says, she will miss a week and she has popped the details into the diary (am I the only one who doesn't use the diary?).

Maggie took off for the hills when Syl, An and the entourage arrived. She didn't show up until well after they had gone and she was being called for dinner - then she materialized from down the back. Obviously the hills are in a different direction this month!

Trivia tonight

The furries welcomed us home with open paws when we returned from Trivia this evening. They didn't hold it against us that we had managed a 5th rather than climbing to the top of the podium. But we didn't do too badly given we were just four. The bad news is that we didn't win the cash jackpot. The good news is that there are leftovers for Pearl for tomorrow (which I have just reminded Sooz to take out of her bag).

There was another happy furry tonight - the one up at the Trivia who was warming itself in front of an open fireplace. It didn't appear to be bothered by the heat at all - but then often animals are not .... they can be almost on top of it and the thickness of their fur keeps them from overheating.

 

Tuesday

It was dark again this morning when Pearl and I sat off down the lane - Am hadn't been down the lane yet so the gate was still closed What a beautiful sunrise - and Sooz was awake to see it too. We both were because we were on our way to Varsity Lakes for Sooz's work - or more correctly for her 2-hour break in the coffee shop before she went to work. Again, she had marking to do so she was able to while away the time quite well. I wonder, as she does this, whether Sooz can see the attraction coffee shops in the morning have held for me over the years.

I had a text from Sooz during the day saying she would be finishing late - but that meant she wouldn't need to go back on Thursday to finish up ... but, later still, she again texted to say she was back to finishing at the usual time. Either way it wasn't an issue - as she knows, I get there as quickly after 4 as I can. And, truthfully speaking, the later we were the less time there would be to wait at the Fast Wok for dinner. I was fairly sure Sooz would want Hainan Chicken - but I was wrong. I was torn between Laksa and ... everything else and in the end Sooz made the decision for me ... she's good like that ... especially as she sometimes (make that often) knows my tastes better than I do,

MasterChef seems to be the program of choice these days - it is a much better this time - more like the original series. Of course, House Rules is running a very close second ... and Sooz is enjoying it very much. Tonight, I chose to watch Ice Age: Continental Drift instead - I had forgotten how good it is ... Precious! And who knew Rebel Wilson was in it?

Sooz is dividing her time between the two couches so she gets to spend quality time with both Tinka and Maggie. They are both spending the night on their respective couches and it is only Pearl who is in with us.

The big news on the Gold Coast today, besides the starting work on a Mosque in Worongary - is that tourists are getting confused by the Light Rail - they are trying to catch it. That's a no-no though ... the Q is still in the testing phase and passengers are not allowed. Day One Go Live has not yet been announced and, in the meantime, the powers that be are suggesting people read the signs at the stations more carefully so they know what's happening.

The big new on the Gold Coast tomorrow will that be the Syl and An are back from their caravan trip to Victoria.. Sooz should see them when they bring the van back - either tomorrow or the next day. Other visitors expected on the morrow include Ka - which means Sooz may have a busy start to the day getting the house ready for her arrival.

I don't think we've had any frosts here yet but it may not be long because the temperatures are taking a steady dive. Hopefully when it happens it won't be so bad that the grass crunches under foot!