Sunday

No Skype call with Tr this morning. I knew it was going to be a late night (no-one to supervise me and make me go to bed at a sensible time - since Sooz is away) so I rescheduled to next week.

Markets. There by 9:12am so I made it before the cut-off time of 9:15 - so no fine for me today. But surely they were only joking about that - I know, but after seeing Baba hand over his $5 to Mouse as soon as he walked in, it felt a little hypocritical not to be prepared to pay up this week! We started out a fairly small group - since Sooz, M and Mi (she's gone to New Zealand) were away. But Nu came, as well as Et and his family, and Um's Mum turned up as well, as well as Syl and An.

Syl and An were hard at work yesterday on the garden ... they are trying to get the house shipshape in time for the 60th which is now only two short weeks away. While Syl went off to Bunnings to get more supplies, I took An home so we could try some more video formats on their televisions - and the new one takes both .mov and .mp4 files, while the downstairs one reads neither of those formats. I'll try one more (.avi) with it, before we go to plan C - which is to burn a DVD. I've also picked up some new photographs from them, which I'll sort through once I get back to Latimers and transfer good ones to the appropriate files/presos. I showed them the "Friends" segment today and I think they both liked it - and I'll show it to Sooz and M when they get home today. I really do love doing this type of thing - and while An says she's concerned about the amount of time that's going into it ... when Syl commented that I could do this for a living, An responded that people have no idea how much time and effort goes into it ... so she does understand that time (as well as enough decent photos and a good soundtrack) is probably the most vital component.

Fl asked how we went at Trivia when we saw him at the Markets (the first time we've seen him since he arrived back yesterday morning from Malaysia and Singapore) and we stuck with the story about not telling him how close we managed to get to the Podium. When he tried to question us more, we changed the subject. But at least we had won drink vouchers for the team when we among the 3 teams to get the Baffler on the second question.

I finally made it to the carwash this afternoon and did some writing while they were working on the car. M is right, they have "gone off" so the car will be going to Espresso or somewhere else from now on ... but it was good to get it done today ... it has been too long but, as Anita said, it's a work car now.

Next stop, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary - and the Zarraffas there ... but they are no longer a Zarraffas. Still, the coffee was okay, although a little strong even though I had asked for my usual (telling them what it was of course, otherwise they may have served me anything ... and coffee is too important to take that chance). I stayed there until almost the last possible moment ... Sooz had texted to say the plane was leaving on time so I planned to be in the vicinity of the airport at 4.10pm. I'm sure it was their plane that flew over as I drove around the corner to the Highway. I only had to wait a few minutes for them to come out of the airport - they would have been sooner but they had to wait to reclaim the painting M had purchased at Hank's exhibition yesterday - which couldn't travel with them because the airline was strictly enforcing their "one person/one piece of luggage" rule. 

Sooz and M had a great weekend - and they made my day when they brought me back some fare from the Lebanese restaurant where they went for lunch. It was wonderful - I had it for dinner ... I was at least able to wait that long. The optimist in me thought there might be enough leftover for lunch ... but no. Sooz has now suggested that I had the leftover pasta from the other night ... which I will do. But the rice pudding I will have tonight!

Saturday

It was an early start all round this morning as we hurried to get ready to get on the road. Sooz and M had to be at the airport in time for their 8am flight to Sydney. They're off to the opening of their friend Hank's art exhibition as well as looking forward to catching up with a couple of their favourite eateries in their City of Sydney.

I stayed at home to work on An's birthday presos and to catch up on some other "jobs" that I just haven't been able to get to - refreshing the iOS on the iPad (which badly failed last time and took 4 hours to reconstitute ... and then missed some things) and on the iPhone, and resurrecting my photos (lost in the last iOS update). I needed the photos to look through to see if there were any more I could use for the presos - so it was all good and I felt like I was working to a common purpose.

I took regular breaks through - to check what Sooz and M were up to via FaceBook, and to check to see that Tinka was okay. M said she had some sores on her back which looked like Tinka had taken ticks out, and just in case this was what had happened, she wanted me to monitor her in case she became unwell. And then, of course, I had to spend time with Maggie (who spent the day asleep on the chair in M's room), and Pearl who was happy to be with me down the back as I worked.

It is quite different not having any other person around - "come and see this" doesn't work as well with the furries! But I will be able to show the humans when they return tomorrow.

Oh, yes, and I turned the dishwasher on, ran it through its cycle, and then emptied it ... so that was another little job ... and went out and had a look at the grape vine, deciding which two ... what do you call the individual growing things on a grape vine? ... to leave because the others have to go if the plant is to concentrate on producing fruit.

The litter box wasn't cleaned out early enough for Tinka ... she came down at about 7 to let me know that she wanted me to do it ... which I did - and made sure the unused litter box down near the office was well out of reach so she'd stop pretending she was going to use that one ... not a good look since there isn't any litter in it!

Mi and Az took Mouse to lunch at The Big House (Food Fantasy) today and they said it was very nice ... and from the way Az spoke it seemed it was much nicer than the buffet at the Sheraton they'd been to last week for Bajram. She was a bit flummoxed though when she had to put a dollar through a machine fear of losing points she'd amassed - and after trying without success, someone she knows through work happened along and assisted. She put in her card, put her dollar in - pressed the button for 10 lines (it was a 10 cent machine) - won $20 and left! Job done. Mouse won a $50 Food and Beverage on the great card swipings!

Choo Choo Ma Ma has reappeared in the paddock and the question we all have, since she went off to be serviced, is "is she pregnant?". We can't tell just by looking, of course, so we're hoping Candice will be able to tell us.

There were white galahs all over the back lawn at Latimers when I returned home from the airport run (plus breakfast, plus going to the Post Office) and I tried out the new camera lens on them but with only minimal success. Maybe I can find an instruction manual online for it. But whatever it is in the lawn, the galahs just love it! They were there for about an hour after I arrived back.

Friday

Who knew the Sisters Restaurant (Italian fare) in Nerang had closed? I suspect M had a clue because we offered to pick her up some dinner if she wasn't going out (she was) and when we told her where we were planning to go she said "if it's still there". Sooz really felt like Italian so when we couldn't eat there, and decided it was too far to go to the Italian Club, we decided to take our chances and see if we could find something over at Worongary. We were lucky - the Belvedere Restaurant is there and as soon as I saw the red white and green stripes (I'm not sure what order they're in) I knew Sooz was going to get her Italian afterall. Except she was going to have to wait for it ... as soon as we looked like sitting down, the waitress told us there was at least a 40-minute wait for the kitchen ... which turned out to be a 40-minute wait until she would put our order in. In the meantime, we ordered a garlic pizza to munch on as we chatted - and, surprisingly, by the time our meals arrived - there was no sign of the garlic pizza. It came a little later, and they didn't charge us for it;  but I was glad it did come because I needed it to make up my dinner - I was having the soup of the day - Minestrone. When we arrived, the woman at the table next to ours was having the Minestrone and it looked good - and it truly was - but not enough by itself to fill me up.

I don't think I mentioned that we'd had a fire drill at work yesterday. It was good - we were all out of the building and at the muster point within two and a half minutes - so you have to be pleased with that. They're going to have a mock emergency at the work site next week - and that would be really interesting to watch. Le, one of the other Site Admins, says that during her time with the Navy she took part in mock helicopter crash drills - and she wasn't even a medic! They were fairly elaborate too.

The cats were much more compliant this evening when they were called to come in ... and even though they did take a little while, they weren't as slow as they were the other evening. Tinka came in and jumped on the bed with me and stayed there until I had fallen asleep - although I think she was still there when I woke up around 3.

Thursday

It's amazing how much time work takes up especially when it's Team Meeting day. I do the Minutes (and this is only my second time since I've been there) and when we were talking about some of the environmental issues one person commented that we had to be careful because, since we are in the business of building roads, people think "we're in the business of rape and pillage".

Sunset

There was a brilliant sunset on the way home ... it lasted for ages, so I was able to take photographs of it from Nerang (OfficeWorks car park), from Gilston Road, and from Latimers Crossing Road as well.

Sooz did washing today (thank you). Alas, it looks as though my uniforms will need to be ironed. That's a shame! But talking about ironing ... I am planning a big wardrobe clean out - and decided that the clothes I was prepared to iron would be the ones I'd keep - and even as I was thinking this, somewhere else in my brain I heard a question about where you'd find people to come and do the ironing for you, and how much that particular service might cost!

Thursday is CSP night and we called in to Q1 for dinner at the Fast Wok before we went into The Big House. At Sooz's request, I'd picked up some lamb steaks for her on the way home (I'd needed to go to the shopping centre anywhere to get my hair cut) - and, by their accounts, both she and Pearl enjoyed them - although Sooz had to cook them this time.

M and I should have known better when we sat down at the CSP table (send us a sign?) when there was a problem with the first hand we missed out on which looked as though it could hold up play for a while. We went upstairs for a coffee and to watch one person playing Roulette, before we made our way back downstairs to see if the CSP Table was operating again. It was, and I took the only chair available (the same seat I was sitting at when we first arrived) and it was only a couple of minutes before a spot opened up for M. We should have known to walk away at the point when one of the first hands the dealer had was three Kings. The guy who had trips 4s on that hand must have thought he was in with a good chance ... but, alas, no. That set the tone for the rest of the time we were at the table - although M did manage to get trips which the dealer didn't beat and which he did open on.

On the way home we were supposed to pick up some milk for Sooz, and while we talked about it as we climbed into the car at TBH, neither M nor I thought of it again until we were turning into the laneway from the main road. D'oh. Ah well, at least there is some milk at home for Sooz to have - and M has offered to take her into Nerang for breakfast in the morning, and they can pick up some milk then.

 

Wednesday

Barbie

It was an interesting day at work ... we had a BBQ to mark the Milestone of "The Switch" and to recognise the efforts of three workers in particular. It is no doubt that it was a study in Orange! And it was all go-go-go to get it done in time for the 10 o'clock start - especially since there were still Certificates to be printed, signed and laminated as well as salads to prepare, meat to cook, breadrolls to butter, beetroot to untin etc etc etc. It was just as well I didn't have a big lunch because Sooz and I received an invitation to join Mouse, M and Mi for dinner this evening. M is staying overnight at The Big House with Mouse and they thought it was a good opportunity, with Fl and the boys still away (are they in Singapore yet?) to have a girls' dinner. And it was good to have dinner at The Big House, too, because M had a draw this evening.

More Barbie

Dinner was at Vivo and, it was, as always, very nice, although I think this time I made the wrong choice (Mouse too?) but it was good food, good company ... and the dessert was fantastic!

Even better though was that M won third place in the draw (yes, first would have been even even better). We were having a good time, waiting for dinner, all deep in conversation when I looked at my watched and saw it was 3 minutes to draw time. She made it there just as they were calling her name so, luckily, she didn't have to endure people tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, telling her that her name was called and that she missed it. Phew!

Both Maggie and Tinka were out when we arrived home and they refused to come in when I called them. In the end I went out and carried Tinka in ... and then went back out (as Sooz held on to Tinka) and carried Maggie in ... closed the doors ... and lockdown was achieved. If I hadn't gone out to get them they probably would have ended up staying out there the entire night. Sooz thinks it's because of the moonlight ... and that they're on the hunt! The watchdog was just ... watching ... when we arrived home and we had to encourage her to go outside to do what she does there (and that does not include going down to Fox Hollow or having a feed of avocadoes!). When I went to bed (much too late because I was looking at the photographs Syl had sent via An and M) and then I was foofing around for a while before finally making myself turn off the computer, ablute, and go to bed. Maggie was sleeping on the tiles in the corner of the bedroom, behind the fan, but once I settled she jumped up on the bed and then she ... settled. I left Pearl positioned in the loungeroom ... almost exactly half-way between Sooz and I. I think she was missing her mother!

 

Tuesday

You wouldn't want to be a Police Officer at the moment. The Queensland Police have just been issued with a more than 20 page "stay safe" document as the powers-that-be admit concern about retribution from Bikie Gangs following the introduction of new laws to crackdown on their illegal activities. Unfortunately, while the measures may be warranted in terms of countering their nefarious activities, the laws are an insult to civil liberties - actually a major erosion. The document suggests actions such as checking their private vehicles for bombs, and making sure they have their curtains drawn at night.

I went up to Ormeau again this afternoon and managed to sneak in another coffee with Jo at hers. She, Ke and the girls were all home. Ra was communing with her computer, and the photographs she had taken of One Direction at their concert last night. She had been to the Meet and Greet but photographs were not allowed ... so the shots she had - and thankfully she was quite close to the stage - were taken during the show. Her favourite - Harry - blew her a kiss and said "I love you" ... and she will carry that memory for years to come. The night was memorable for Jo and Ke as well - it took them forever to get up there to collect her, get out of the car park and then brave the Motorway road works to get home ... at just after 12:30am - they'd set out at 9pm.

I finally got to see photographs from their cruise this afternoon. It looked as though they had a wonderful time and they're still talking about the champagne fountain which both Ra and Jo took a turn at filling. Tremendous stuff ... especially when you consider they had something like 600 glasses in the stack and it managed to stay intact even though they had lots of lay-people close by and pouring bottles of champagne into and over it.

I cannot believe that Jo has already started her Christmas shopping. She's bought presents for Ken, Ra, and Ca so far - and knowing her, she's probably well on the way with others. She says she has to be organised since she's going to be away for the start of December - not getting back to the 22nd, by which time it's too late to do anything about Christmas shopping! (Little does she know that that's when I'm usually just starting mine!)

It was after 7 by the time I arrived back at Latimers; I don't think I would have been much earlier if I hadn't stopped in at Red Rooster to collect S's dinner - a Classic Pack. I don't know how these places survive - there were no other customers in-store and only a few cars went through the drive-thru while I was there. (Lars' driver's side window is being erratic so rather than risking it, I walked in-store.)

Monday

It was another busy day. First up was a trip to Ormeau and a catch-up with Jo over breakfast. All is well in her world. Je and Ad are back from their week-long visit to Japan and they enjoyed it very much! She has told Ke about the unavailability of seats on planes to Canada before Christmas and that she hasn't been about to get Ra onto a flight back with Je ... so Jo will be going with Ra. She (Jo) thinks Ra is too young to fly to Canada by herself. And, of course, they have just celebrated Ra's 16th birthday, and that including sending her and a bunch of her friends to the Q1 for lunch in the Pink Panther Hummer. Amazing!

Catch-up done, it was time with my appointment with the doctor. I had the first spot for the day - 8.45 ... and at 9.45 I was still waiting. Reception had phoned her before she arrived - and since it was a "pupil-free" day she had come in earlier, taking an appointment before mine. She was giving family-planning advice to a young couple - or specificially how to plan not to have a family straight away - and she felt it was important to spend the time with them to make sure she had discharged her responsibilities, and given them enough information to stay child-free until they made a conscious decision otherwise. While I understand the importance of such a notion, it would have been nice if I hadn't had to wait for over an hour!

I managed to get to work only three hours late when it was all said and done so ended up working a very short day (6 hours) ... and because of the shorter time, it flew faster than it usually does!

Sooz and I called in to see Syl and Anita on the way to Trivia this evening. I tried out the video file format I'm using for An's birthday presentation, to see if it would play on their televisions - and just as well, because it didn't. I'll have to try something else, maybe a bit safer, like MP4. But at least I had the "The Army Years" segment on the iPad and could show them that so they could see what my video/editing work is like. (Well done Sooz in helping me choose the music and for your patience in watching the various versions.)

Trivia was ... interesting but FI must never know how close we came to being on The Podium tonight! He is still away in Malaysia - which is a shame since there was a "Celebrities as Kids" photo round up first tonight - but we managed a solid 6 without him (much, much better than the last time when we managed a total of 4 for a people photo round).

We called in to the Bundall Post Office on the way home from Trivia. The one letter we didn't post there was Mouse's puzzle entry. As we sat waiting to see the doctor this morning, I asked Jo (who was keeping me company) if there was a post box in the shopping centre complex - and yes, there was, and it had used to right outside the surgery but had recently been moved to roadside. Honestly, just after that conversation, a LOL came in, clutching a handful of envelopes, and asked Reception where the post box had gone to. They explained it to her and when it was obvious that she was going there straight away, I asked if she would mind taking one for me ... and she did ... so well-done her. It was greatly appreciated.