For some reason I kept thinking that today was tomorrow - date-wise at least. I think it was something to do with the Public Holiday yesterday putting me out of sync - but hopefully frequent checking of the calendar will keep everything in check.
I'm also blaming yesterday's Public Holiday for my needing to have a nap this afternoon - I went in to spend some quality time with Emma (who seems to be mostly AOK at the moment) and fell asleep with her on the pillow beside me - well, actually my head was in it too so it was amazing that she was able to stay there - especially as it seemed to be on a quite jaunty angle.
It remains cold here so it is still fairly easy to get the furries in for lockdown in the evenings - that's if they're not already in - which they mostly are. They all seem to be very addicted to little snacks of special cookies at the moment too - but none more so than Pearl who hovers around so she can hoover up whatever any of the others has missed.
While some of us were back to work today, M and S were not amongst us as they have separately but collectively given up their charity telemarketing careers. There are no tears there though and I dare say neither of them will have trouble filling their time until something else comes along for them to do. It is amazing that they managed to put up with what seemed to be quite onerous conditions - MAPS and far too frequent reviews for one of them - for as long as they did but once they had said they would, anyone who knows them knew they were going to give it their best shot.
And speaking of telemarketers, we missed out on breakfast with S again on Saturday. She is working a Saturday job at the moment and we haven't been able to find a suitable alternative yet. Hopefully we will soon. She did find time though to send S an eCard for her birthday - which was also a Get Well card - and a very cute one featuring a black cat and a houseboat and a person fishing.
MasterChef featured an immunity challenge this evening with Kate facing off against a renowned pastry chef - and cooking one of his dishes. She didn't win but she didn't do too badly either. It was an amazing feat and a very good testament for keeping yourself under control and not leaving yourself open to panic.
Sooz tried her hand at MasterChef cooking tonight and produced a quite wonderful cauliflower and brie soup. It was very rich and thick and luscious with is not usually a quality you see in a soup. And she made enough so there would be leftovers. Yummm.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Monday
I know we should know (excluding Republicans) when the Queen's actual birthday is but we don't - although S probably does and not just because her birthday usually falls on the Queen's Birthday Holiday long weekend. It was good to have the day off though - even though we didn't do anything particularly associated with the Queen - except spend some money (our coins mostly still have the profile of the Queen on the "head" side) and go to see the movie Oranges and Sunshine which tells of the deportation of thousands of children from England to Australia and other Commonwealth Countries mostly post-World War II.
Well S did know when the the Queen's birthday is - 21 April - but she didn't know why it is celebrated in June - which is when the Queen's husband has his.
Pearl almost got to come to breakfast with us this morning - Coffee Sisters was open - but in the end we decided it would be too cold - so M and S indulged me and we went into Broadbeach and had an Alto breakfast before we wandered over the road to check out the Ocean (it was still there) and watch two small children, a boy and a girl, play on their scooters. It's just as well children are fearless when they're young! Although how the little girl was propelling herself along with a bare foot was beyond me - yes, yes, I know I worry but it seems that it would have been very easy to pickmup a nasty splinter if she needed to stop in a hurry - rather than just running off the scooter as the other one had done - and how long have they not been putting brakes on those things? The boy scooter had a foot brake at the back but the girl scooter only had a decorative feature where the brake should have been - and there were no handbrakes on either of them.
Over at The Big House there were draws on the half hour all day for the general membership. We went over for a little while and I listened to my name not being called on four or five times. The Casino continues to be a good place for doing "laps" especially when it's not overly crowded and you can get some speed up. Sooz did some shopping at Pacific Fair - and we joined her over there for lunch in the food court before zooming home for a rest and animal feeding, and then back in to Broadbeach for the movie - and the disappointment of there being no popcorn! Aaaarrgh. Potato chips just aren't the same and have no chance of hitting "the spot" if you've been looking forward to popcorn all day! I'd even put off going to see Super 8 today because I didn't want to choose which movie would be the popcorn one. Ah well ... At least there are chips for another day now.
Well S did know when the the Queen's birthday is - 21 April - but she didn't know why it is celebrated in June - which is when the Queen's husband has his.
Pearl almost got to come to breakfast with us this morning - Coffee Sisters was open - but in the end we decided it would be too cold - so M and S indulged me and we went into Broadbeach and had an Alto breakfast before we wandered over the road to check out the Ocean (it was still there) and watch two small children, a boy and a girl, play on their scooters. It's just as well children are fearless when they're young! Although how the little girl was propelling herself along with a bare foot was beyond me - yes, yes, I know I worry but it seems that it would have been very easy to pickmup a nasty splinter if she needed to stop in a hurry - rather than just running off the scooter as the other one had done - and how long have they not been putting brakes on those things? The boy scooter had a foot brake at the back but the girl scooter only had a decorative feature where the brake should have been - and there were no handbrakes on either of them.
Over at The Big House there were draws on the half hour all day for the general membership. We went over for a little while and I listened to my name not being called on four or five times. The Casino continues to be a good place for doing "laps" especially when it's not overly crowded and you can get some speed up. Sooz did some shopping at Pacific Fair - and we joined her over there for lunch in the food court before zooming home for a rest and animal feeding, and then back in to Broadbeach for the movie - and the disappointment of there being no popcorn! Aaaarrgh. Potato chips just aren't the same and have no chance of hitting "the spot" if you've been looking forward to popcorn all day! I'd even put off going to see Super 8 today because I didn't want to choose which movie would be the popcorn one. Ah well ... At least there are chips for another day now.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Sunday
Back at Latimers and even though it was dark by the time we arrived home, S noticed that M had had the motor mower out and done some more of the lawn. Did I mention that M had not, by the time we left for Toowoomba yesterday morning, heard from the Deere hospital so she doesn't know what the problem is with the ride-on mower, whether it can be fixed, or how long it will take to fix. I miss it and can't wait for it to come home.
The rest of the Toowoomba visit went well - if a little sad as we said our goodbyes - but hopefully they will be back in town for the Christmas holidays. Thinking about reunions, maybe it is time to get all the family together again - the immediates raher than the extendeds though - and I might start planting the seeds for an end-of-year get-together with the brothers in the next little while to give everyone time to get used to the idea. It could be fun.
The drive back down the range was good although it would be better if they could finish the roadworks and eliminate the 40kph zone - it's hard enough to keep the car to 60 on the way down the hill without putting it in Low. Still it was a good drive back - and one I'm glad we're not doing tomorrow - the end of the three-day weekend.
M had been busy in our absence - and as well as bringing home treats from the International Food Festival she went to today, the cup shelf has had a makeover with a new tier so we can double stack the cups - but not on top of each other.
It is good to see Emma and the other animals - we miss them all when we are away and it seems that we have been away a lot in the last little while. S is planning to be away later this week as well when she goes up to Brisbane for a couple of days to attend a conference with the Dalai Lama. She is really looking forward to it but is worried in case she still has her lurgy - which means she wouldn't go because she wouldn't want others to be disturbed/inconvenienced by her coughing (she's good like that); maybe it's time to start pumping loads of vitamin C into her to help her really throw it off. And to remind her to ring S in the morning (wonder how she's going with training for the Kokoda Challenge - not far away now) since that's who she's planning to bunk with in Brisbane - S knows she's coming but not that she's planning to come a day earlier.
When M said that I would probably hear Beasley when he was ready to come in tonight, I thought he would do the usual routine of meowing at the door. Well, he may have been doing that but there's no way anyone would have heard that as he pushed the cat flap against the closed back door. I didn't realise what it was the first couple of times he did it but once I did twig I raced up to let him in so his racket wouldn't disturb the others (both S and M went off to their rooms a while ago). There's not much point planning to have a sleep-in if you can't get to or stay asleep once you've turned in.
The rest of the Toowoomba visit went well - if a little sad as we said our goodbyes - but hopefully they will be back in town for the Christmas holidays. Thinking about reunions, maybe it is time to get all the family together again - the immediates raher than the extendeds though - and I might start planting the seeds for an end-of-year get-together with the brothers in the next little while to give everyone time to get used to the idea. It could be fun.
The drive back down the range was good although it would be better if they could finish the roadworks and eliminate the 40kph zone - it's hard enough to keep the car to 60 on the way down the hill without putting it in Low. Still it was a good drive back - and one I'm glad we're not doing tomorrow - the end of the three-day weekend.
M had been busy in our absence - and as well as bringing home treats from the International Food Festival she went to today, the cup shelf has had a makeover with a new tier so we can double stack the cups - but not on top of each other.
It is good to see Emma and the other animals - we miss them all when we are away and it seems that we have been away a lot in the last little while. S is planning to be away later this week as well when she goes up to Brisbane for a couple of days to attend a conference with the Dalai Lama. She is really looking forward to it but is worried in case she still has her lurgy - which means she wouldn't go because she wouldn't want others to be disturbed/inconvenienced by her coughing (she's good like that); maybe it's time to start pumping loads of vitamin C into her to help her really throw it off. And to remind her to ring S in the morning (wonder how she's going with training for the Kokoda Challenge - not far away now) since that's who she's planning to bunk with in Brisbane - S knows she's coming but not that she's planning to come a day earlier.
When M said that I would probably hear Beasley when he was ready to come in tonight, I thought he would do the usual routine of meowing at the door. Well, he may have been doing that but there's no way anyone would have heard that as he pushed the cat flap against the closed back door. I didn't realise what it was the first couple of times he did it but once I did twig I raced up to let him in so his racket wouldn't disturb the others (both S and M went off to their rooms a while ago). There's not much point planning to have a sleep-in if you can't get to or stay asleep once you've turned in.
Saturday
Toowoomba. There's nothing like going from one cold environment to another. I learnt something today though - that there is an "apparent temperature" which I think is what it "feels like" when you're outside. Here in Toowoomba yesterday at the airport, the apparent temperature between 2 and 3 pm was -16 degrees Celcius. Mind you it was starting to feel a bit like that this afternoon and I have photographs of S and I all rugged up in our winter overcoats (last worn in Sydney last weekend), gloves, scarves and beanies (I had two on) - and thankfully that was enough to get us warm - but not quite toasty.
We are here instead of at Latimers because my sister is moving to Mt Isa in a couple of weeks and we have come to say goodbye, good luck and bon voyage. Her daughter, aka my niece T, is going to stay in Toowoomba with her daughter because she doesn't want to make the move - and even though we think, at 16, she is too young to be left alone she appears to be making sure she has supports in place to make it possible for her to look after her child (now a year and a half old). At least Mum will be on the ground there as well and we have made sure T has our numbers in case she needs help with anything. Of course, there will be closer to Toowoomba as wwll, but it doesn't hurt for her to know that there are plenty of us there for her.
The farewell picnic and barbeque that had been planned for Picnic Point, a popular tourist destination at the top of the range where Toowoomba sits, and overlooking the Lockyer Valley, was cancelled because of very cold weather. We had lunch at Mum's instead and then one of the aunts and her family came around for afternoon tea. It has been too long since we have seen these people and just a shame that it was W's leaving that was the catalyst for the get-together. This was the aunt who had organised the family reunion - nearly 20 years ago now - must be almost time for another one. It was there when S realised that she was one of the tallest people in the room of over 200 of our folk, that we may be big of character but are fairly short of stature.
Strangely enough, they had just been in Mt Isa a couple of weeks ago on their way back from Alice Springs and were saying what a lovely place it was now, and what improvements had been made, since last K had worked there, over 30 years. It would be a fascinating place to visit and now that W is going up there, it might be time to think about visiting one day. But first we have to get back to Latimers and find out what is going on there - especially as it is Markets day tomorrow.
We are here instead of at Latimers because my sister is moving to Mt Isa in a couple of weeks and we have come to say goodbye, good luck and bon voyage. Her daughter, aka my niece T, is going to stay in Toowoomba with her daughter because she doesn't want to make the move - and even though we think, at 16, she is too young to be left alone she appears to be making sure she has supports in place to make it possible for her to look after her child (now a year and a half old). At least Mum will be on the ground there as well and we have made sure T has our numbers in case she needs help with anything. Of course, there will be closer to Toowoomba as wwll, but it doesn't hurt for her to know that there are plenty of us there for her.
The farewell picnic and barbeque that had been planned for Picnic Point, a popular tourist destination at the top of the range where Toowoomba sits, and overlooking the Lockyer Valley, was cancelled because of very cold weather. We had lunch at Mum's instead and then one of the aunts and her family came around for afternoon tea. It has been too long since we have seen these people and just a shame that it was W's leaving that was the catalyst for the get-together. This was the aunt who had organised the family reunion - nearly 20 years ago now - must be almost time for another one. It was there when S realised that she was one of the tallest people in the room of over 200 of our folk, that we may be big of character but are fairly short of stature.
Strangely enough, they had just been in Mt Isa a couple of weeks ago on their way back from Alice Springs and were saying what a lovely place it was now, and what improvements had been made, since last K had worked there, over 30 years. It would be a fascinating place to visit and now that W is going up there, it might be time to think about visiting one day. But first we have to get back to Latimers and find out what is going on there - especially as it is Markets day tomorrow.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Friday
Cold? Cold? I don't think so - only because it passed cold about an hour ago and has now slipped into "brrrrrrrr". I didn't notice icicles on the line this morning but to be fair I think my eyes were, similar to Audrey's in "Christmas Vacation" when the family goes into the wilderness in search of the perfect tree, frozen. As I sit in Zarraffas having breakfast, and still not warm, I wonder about those great cafes in Europe where writers would go to stay warm and work on their craft. J K Rowling, of the Potter proses, was one of them. It wouldn't have worked here - the floor to ceiling windows give a great view and let loads of natural light in - but they also seeem to attract the cold.
I can't imagine how the horses are dealing with the cold. It was 10 degrees (Celsius) below average yesterday and overcast so it wasn't even as though there were patches of sun they could warm up in.
I also can't help but think about the folk we saw tucked into doorways in the Sydney CBD with their blankets and how they must be suffering in the cold. The Homelessness project is about to happen with senior business leaders challenged to "sleep out" for a night to raise money for the St Vincent de Paul Society. Will it be eough to make a difference?
I can't imagine how the horses are dealing with the cold. It was 10 degrees (Celsius) below average yesterday and overcast so it wasn't even as though there were patches of sun they could warm up in.
I also can't help but think about the folk we saw tucked into doorways in the Sydney CBD with their blankets and how they must be suffering in the cold. The Homelessness project is about to happen with senior business leaders challenged to "sleep out" for a night to raise money for the St Vincent de Paul Society. Will it be eough to make a difference?
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Thursday
Were those ice cubes floating down the creek at the back this morning? Well, if they were I wouldn't have seen them because it was dark again when I left home. Luckily I had seen Tink go round the back of Lars so I knew she would be lounging on the driveway somewhere between the car and the gate. She's a brave cat - or one with a very thick woolly coat to even think about doing it. Beasley had already put himself back to bed and neither of the others was up yet - nor Pearl. And Emma was warm and toasty - and not going far - with S who is still not well and was going to spend the day in bed or as close to it as practical.
S was still receiving birthday greetings today and I will have to go past the post box to check for any new cards that might have arrived since I checked the mail yesterday.
It continues to be cold and as I sit in one of the local Asian stores waiting for some nice nourishing and warming soup to take home to S, I cannot fathom how it is colder in their shop than it is outside! I can't wait to get back outside again - and I really didn't believe I would be saying that today.
One of the folk at work put it fairly succinctly - she couldn't understand how it was that she'd walked out of the door of the office and straight into Melbourne - which is at least two states south. J, also from the office and recently returned from a holiday in sunny Greece, is not really looking forward to her weekend in Sydney. If she needed a scarf for up here today, she's going to need a wardrobes-worth if this translates in anyway to Sydney weather.
This is really the first time at Latimers that I have seriously considered putting a jumper or a coat on - and those furries had better want to spend time in tonight because I have a feeling the doors are going to spend a fair amount of time closed ... and/or whoever is home is going to spend a bit of time getting up and down to let them in and out.
There is supposed to be frost on the morrow and M said I would know by the icicles hanging from the washing line or the thin layer of ice on the outside water bowls.
S was still receiving birthday greetings today and I will have to go past the post box to check for any new cards that might have arrived since I checked the mail yesterday.
It continues to be cold and as I sit in one of the local Asian stores waiting for some nice nourishing and warming soup to take home to S, I cannot fathom how it is colder in their shop than it is outside! I can't wait to get back outside again - and I really didn't believe I would be saying that today.
One of the folk at work put it fairly succinctly - she couldn't understand how it was that she'd walked out of the door of the office and straight into Melbourne - which is at least two states south. J, also from the office and recently returned from a holiday in sunny Greece, is not really looking forward to her weekend in Sydney. If she needed a scarf for up here today, she's going to need a wardrobes-worth if this translates in anyway to Sydney weather.
This is really the first time at Latimers that I have seriously considered putting a jumper or a coat on - and those furries had better want to spend time in tonight because I have a feeling the doors are going to spend a fair amount of time closed ... and/or whoever is home is going to spend a bit of time getting up and down to let them in and out.
There is supposed to be frost on the morrow and M said I would know by the icicles hanging from the washing line or the thin layer of ice on the outside water bowls.
Wednesday
Happy birthday S - and it could be a better one if she wasn't still sick! But the furries were all pleased to have her home for the day and Pearl, true to her cattle dog nature, used S's presence and, with it, entry to the room, to eat Emma's cookies - not once but twice.
M made a very healthy, very tasty broccoli and potato soup for dinner and it was very nice - especially as M stayed to have "birthday dinner" with S and I. Maggie, who loves green things very much, even had some of the soup - finishing most of it but leaving a little taste for Pearl - who scoffed that down as well.
While M went out, S and I settled in with all of the furries to watch MasterChef (Nigella Lawson was the special guest judge) and then Glee. Who would ever have thought that S would front up two weeks in a row for a program she has previously been so scathing about. I feel like T must have when Glee first started and I was so reluctant to try this high school musical romcommusodra (it's very hard to label) or should that be rom-com-muso-dra? Rom-com-dra-muso? It was the second-last episode of the Season tonight so if she wants more we may have to go back to the very beginning - on second thoughts, there's a very good chance that won't happen.
It must be getting colder and while we humans may be fooled by the temperature, the furries aren't. Tink must have known something when she put herself in on top of the Austar box this evening rather than being outside or on Pearl's daytime bed in the living room ... or maybe Tink doesn't like Glee as much as the rest of us.
Maggie came at first call this evening (we let her out after she had soup with us) and as Beazley was already in, we were able to go into early lockdown. S at least had an excuse for wanting to be in bed before 9:30 - or it would have been if MasterChef had not run over and then Glee - so it was actually closer to a quarter to ten. There were no socks in the bed but that was only because I had my iceberg feet on S and because she was fairly warm, she didn't mind. Em was snuggling in as well - and finally, the door which leads to the outside from the bedroom is being closed at night (next step will be to check the windows because S usually keeps them open to ensure we are getting at least a little frsh air - absolutely essential since we have Em and her litter tray in with us).
It's still getting darker in the mornings, I couldn't believe how dark it was this morning when I left to drive to work. Why is it that the darker it is, the harder it is to leave Latimers?
M made a very healthy, very tasty broccoli and potato soup for dinner and it was very nice - especially as M stayed to have "birthday dinner" with S and I. Maggie, who loves green things very much, even had some of the soup - finishing most of it but leaving a little taste for Pearl - who scoffed that down as well.
While M went out, S and I settled in with all of the furries to watch MasterChef (Nigella Lawson was the special guest judge) and then Glee. Who would ever have thought that S would front up two weeks in a row for a program she has previously been so scathing about. I feel like T must have when Glee first started and I was so reluctant to try this high school musical romcommusodra (it's very hard to label) or should that be rom-com-muso-dra? Rom-com-dra-muso? It was the second-last episode of the Season tonight so if she wants more we may have to go back to the very beginning - on second thoughts, there's a very good chance that won't happen.
It must be getting colder and while we humans may be fooled by the temperature, the furries aren't. Tink must have known something when she put herself in on top of the Austar box this evening rather than being outside or on Pearl's daytime bed in the living room ... or maybe Tink doesn't like Glee as much as the rest of us.
Maggie came at first call this evening (we let her out after she had soup with us) and as Beazley was already in, we were able to go into early lockdown. S at least had an excuse for wanting to be in bed before 9:30 - or it would have been if MasterChef had not run over and then Glee - so it was actually closer to a quarter to ten. There were no socks in the bed but that was only because I had my iceberg feet on S and because she was fairly warm, she didn't mind. Em was snuggling in as well - and finally, the door which leads to the outside from the bedroom is being closed at night (next step will be to check the windows because S usually keeps them open to ensure we are getting at least a little frsh air - absolutely essential since we have Em and her litter tray in with us).
It's still getting darker in the mornings, I couldn't believe how dark it was this morning when I left to drive to work. Why is it that the darker it is, the harder it is to leave Latimers?
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