Wednesday

I wouldn't be surprised if Tinka is no longer talking to me. It was Vet Day today and even though I assured her she was doing it almost a week later than originally planned, that didn't cut any ice with her at all. She hardly cried at all in the way in - and even though she was looking out of the half-covered cage, I don't think she could see the Allstate Linemarking folk colouring in (with white paint) the road signage near the Gilston Hall, nor people roadside waiting for buses ... or anything really. I did tell her it was a shame she can't see in colour though - she would have loved the rainbow just forming over the hill behind the valley as we drove out the lane onto the main road.

Sooz and marking

Council have been busy along the road - potholes have been filled - but only on the other side of the bridge - which is a shame because there are a few on this side of it. One of them is starting to be a real worry - it's almost in the middle of the lane and getting bigger - and the decision will soon need to be made about whether to cross to the other side of the road to miss it or drive on the shoulder that isn't there. Let's hope it rains soon because that often prompts hole repair crews to come out this way.

The vet called this afternoon to say Tinka has maintained her weight and that since her blood glucose reading is erratic at best as she is so stressed out by the vet visit, she thought it would be better to give her a fructosamine test in a few weeks so they could get a "real" reading.

When I arrived home this afternoon, Sooz was busy with marking. The only surprise is that she didn't have a couple of cats and a dog helping her.

We decided not to go to Trivia tonight and Sooz cooked steak for dinner for us instead - we have to keep our iron levels up. Afterwards Sooz watched "Offspring" and then some other programs she has taped, while Maggie sat with her on the couch. I did some television viewing myself, trying to work up the energy to dump some files to disc for some folk - or to tidy my desk (how does it get in such a state?) ... but those jobs will need to wait another day.

 

Tuesday

Sooz is missing Aqua. She said this yesterday just before she put herself on the walking machine. She said the same again this evening before getting on the walking machine. It's very impressive. Maggie will have to be careful about taking naps on the walking machine from now on - she'll never know when she has to move!

It was another busy day at work … even with the new person starting today. Believe it or not, EOM hasn't finished yet. That's a bit of a shame too because investigations into various parts of the accounts are keeping me away from site diary and invoice processing.

I gave Sooz a lift across to Merrimac this morning so she could meet Je for another day of research assisting. She was fairly exhausted when I picked her up after work - she'd had a big day at a new facility. She met some interesting folk though - with some amazing stories - and one of them told her a joke about a cat that goes to heaven - and some mice. I'm not going to give the punchline away, And you'll have to take my word for it - but it is funny.

We had a quiet night in - we were both a little whacked - so what better thing to do than tune into MasterChef so we could try to forget about our Prime Minister referring to a host country as "Canadia". We are waiting, but not too keenly, on finding out what he does next on the international stage.

The furries didn't mind the company and Maggie was back on the couch with Sooz - her normal position these days. When Tink wasn't out asking for cookies (does she know about the Nil By Mouth planned for the morning?) she was on one of the beds. Pearl was her usual attentive self, especially when we were eating our dinners.

Before lockdown tonight I remembered to remove any cookies and other cat food that was around and about since Tinka is off to the vet in the morning to see how her blood sugars are going - and her weight. It wouldn't do to have her snacking before we got there.

Monday

It was another morning for sleeping in at Latimers - for Sooz anyway as I am still on morning pet duties. It was good though because I was able to get a couple of small jobs out of the way before she woke and we moved on with the day.

Pearl was a bit upset this morning because the wind has come up - and she doesn't appear to be a big fan of wind! It was an interesting furries morning though. Maggie, on being offered her breakfast the first two times assured me she wasn't in the slighest bit hungry and then settled into devouring hers before going over to Tinka and insisting she move out of the way - which she did - and then Maggie wolfed into Tinka's breakfast as well. Tinka wasn't put out ... just marched straight over to Maggie's dish to forage what she could there until Maggie came back over and nudged her out if the way! It was a wonder Pearl didn't muscle in on the act but she didn't - she stood aside until the cats had finished, been let outside, and only then did she swoop in to eat any morsels that had fallen onto the floor. Luckily there were some.

Hose fix

We did make it to Bunnings today - managed to avoid the sausage sizzle and came out with Sooz's plants and a hose joiner. Who knew there were such things? I had asked for some waterproof tape to fix a leak but apparently that hasn't been invented yet. The hose turned out to be easier to fix than I'd thought - and tomorrow when the gray water starts running again, we'll see what kind of a job I did.

It turned quite cool this afternoon and it threatened to rain as well. It didn't though. And it's just as well because if it had been raining I think it would have been much harder to get ourselves to go to Trivia. It's not that we didn't want to go, just that it would have been very easy to stay at home.

Even without An (who is still away in the Caravan with Syl) we were six tonight as Ca has not yet returned to Melbourne ... she's been sick so she rescheduled her flight. So, because of Ca, we correctly answered the question - in which Winter sport do competitors lie on their stomachs. St said if she was right with "Skeleton", he would put a $1000 on the table next week. Well, Ca was right but since St will be well on his way to France this time next week, we've suggested that perhaps Ni can bring it.

St and the grid

St was good tonight: he showed us his "memory" game - where he gets you to put the names of things into a twenty-cell grid, you read it out to him in whatever order you want, and he'll tell you what is where. It's a pretty good trick - because there is a "trick" to it - or actually a system - but it is good. He's shared it with us so we can practice at home before we take it out into the world.

Did I mention that we managed a first in trivia tonight? We scraped in by one point on 74; but not before we'd realised that one team (the declared winners at that point) couldn't possibly have scored 75. They were at the scorer's table at the same time as me to say the same thing, so we didn't have to argue the point (quite literally).

Just before we set out for Trivia, we received a call from M, currently in Lisbon. It was a short call as M was in transit, off the boat, and moving on to the next port of call (not literally of course).

 

Sunday

Happy Birthday Sooz! She was so excited about her birthday today that she hardly slept at all last night ... poor her. But despite the lack of sleep, there was a plus ... she was listening to ABC Radio and she heard one of her old colleagues being interviewed. She said she really enjoyed listening to her - and she had done a wonderful job. It think she's going to contact her and let her know.

Earlier in the evening, Sooz and Maggie had been watching television together ... and having a wonderful time.

Maggie and Sooz

I didn't have my call this morning with Tr so I was able to sleep in - for the second day in a row. Pearl enjoyed it as well - and the daylight walk. We have one more of those - and then it will be Tuesday and the end of the long weekend.

I think Sooz had a good birthday today. She thought she was going to sleep in but she didn't ... I was too excited about giving her her present and managed to interrupt her going back to sleep. I didn't know she didn't get to sleep until 4.30 at that stage. She was very happy to receive her card and present from M who had left it for her before she set off for Turkey and other parts.

There was a good turnout at the Markets today - and quite amazingly, we were on time even though the parking lot was full to bursting (there were cars parked across the road in the Magic Millions yard). Even though it would have been nice to sit in the sun for a change, we were up the back again; but thankfully there wasn't a ferocious breeze blowing through the area, so that was a plus. Especially when Az lit the candle on Sooz's birthday cake and Mi carried it over. And a big thanks to Az for offering to cook and making such a fantastic birthday cake!

After the Markets, Sooz and I went off to lunch at Champagne Brasserie. It was very nice and even though Snails were on, we didn't have them. We had shared platters instead - one Cheese and one Chacuteries. They were both very nice - and we are going to enjoy the leftovers for lunch tomorrow ... because neither of us could fathom eating more today.

While Sooz had a nap after lunch, I managed to get to the television for a while and watch some of my shows ... and Maggie snuggled up on the couch next to me. I think she enjoyed Haven too.

Pearl was sleeping in with Sooz ... on her bed which Sooz took in for her last night. She was thinking it is getting a bit cooler - not cool enough for her nightie yet - but cool enough for her to need something to sleep on besides the mat - or the tiles (although she did end up back on the tiles at one point during the night - she must have been feeling hot).

Sooz received lots of birthday wishes today - on the phone, by text, on FaceBook - and she almost had some by Skype last night - but we missed the call from M. Mi was online though and she had a good chat with M - and a view of some of the streets of Casablanca. How exotic is that? Hopefully M will be able to find WiFi again in the next couple of days so she can catch up with Sooz - but the good news is that nothing that exciting has been happening around here - and when I say that, obviously we mean that nothing has stopped working or broken (touch wood). I'm intending to take the car out to Trivia tomorrow night to give it a run ... and, of course, Bertha (the 4-wheel drive) will get to come up the road tomorrow when I take the rubbish up ... and if she's lucky, Bertha might just get to come to Bunnings as well.

Happy Birthday Sooz!

Saturday

It's their special way of seeing if you're awake and paying attention. That's what Sooz said after Maggie had walked up the length of Sooz's body in bed this morning - using the same brand of stilettos that Em used to have!

The Yard

Richard, Mac's man, came yesterday to do down the back. On the way down the lane, Na stopped him - but he wasn't speeding he says; he just sounded faster because his empty trailer was bouncing along behind him. He did a great job - as the photo shows - and Syl did a fantastic job on Herme's paddock ... I hadn't even realised she'd done it until I saw it this afternoon.

We had been planning to have breakfast in Robina but we were a bit later getting started than we planned. The good news is that Pearl and I managed to get a walk in in sunlight for a change - and, as well, I managed to have a bit of a sleep-in as well - very nice. It's just a pity that breakfast at Macca's wasn't - if I'd thought of it ... actually remembered it, we could have gone somewhere else.

Sooz and I had a busy day at Robina - we'd popped over to have eye checks and spent most of the rest of the day there - and we would have been there even longer if I'd had the test where they dilate you eyes and check for any issues on the back of your retina. Sooz had that one done and her vision was blurry, and reminiscent of Mr Magoo for hours and hours afterwards. I still need to have mine done but that will need to wait until I have someone to drive me there and back. It was just as well they were able to fix Sooz's sunglasses while we were there - she needed them to cope with the glare after the dilation drops. She was good though and we pottered round Robina doing a bit of shopping but mostly looking. We looked in separate directions - as usual me at Technology and Sooz at other stuff. We didn't stop in at The Shingle Inn to see if their waffle machine was working - because we know it so often isn't. There were lots of people out and about at Robina today - there seemed to be lots of sales on too - and some seemed to be very popular indeed - including the Typo store which ordinarily would have warranted a visit - except it was so busy, I walked right on in and right on out again.

Pearl was asleep when we arrived home this afternoon - and even though I offered, she decided that she didn't want to go for a walk. She was too busy looking after Sooz.

Tinka and Maggie came into dinner tonight when called and when Maggie walked away, Tinka wasted no time in going over to her bowl and licking all the gravy off. She's taken to doing that a bit lately.

We're off to Bunnings tomorrow or Monday, looking for some more plants for Sooz's garden. We're also planning to move some mulch down to the now-cleared-out garden beds - that should stop the weeds from taking over again before M gets back.

 

Friday

Do you know those mornings when you wake up and realise - with a great deal of joy and relief - that it's actually the weekend? Well, it definitely wasn't one of those today. I think I even dreamed that it was "still only Friday" - and that realisation was still with me when I woke. D'oh. I think part of it was that it actually felt like it should have been Friday yesterday ... but it wasn't! More d'oh.

It is definitely getting chillier in the mornings - and Sooz and I are going to have to give some serious thought about whether it's time to start putting Pearl's nightie on yet. We know it's getting colder because the other day as we stood in line at Target Southport Park, I pointed to the hot water bottles complete with covers and Sooz nodded that, yes, that would be a good thing to buy - until I reminded her that we had already gone bigger than that - with the electric blanket from Harvey Norman the week before last! It hasn't yet made it onto the bed - but it will!

Morning walkies

It was dark this morning as Pearl and I walked down the lane. Can dogs see in the dark? I don't think Pearl is bad at it ... well, certainly not as bad as I am - she had lingered behind to take care of business and when I looked back, I couldn't see her. For a moment I thought she had turned around and gone home! But no, she was there, and she came ... not running but not dawdling either ... when I called her when I noticed Am's car on the way down.

It's a bit of a dilemma ... Maggie has started going out first thing of a morning - and I don't mind that, as long as Tinka doesn't go out - and I pop her breakfast up the back so she can have it when she's ready. But what to do when Tinka finds Maggie's broth first - and then proceeds to lick all the "broth" off, leaving just the meat? I know we are supposed to not have Tinka lose any weight but I don't think it should be at Maggie's expense.

There was a new horse in one of La's paddocks this morning. Maybe it was just that it was (still) dark but it appears to be mottled - or is "dappled" a better descriptive word for horses?

I have learned something today - the SMOG* index - which has nothing to do with pollution but more to do with ease of reading. I stumbled across it when I did a "Select All" in a writing app I've had for some time but only just gone back to. This blog piece has a SMOG of 8.4 - and I could tell you how many different parts of speech were used ... and that there are 40 "determiners" - whatever they are - if it was in the least bit interesting!

Sooz had a quiet potter around home today, did some washing, and she felt much better after a decent night's sleep. I think the kids enjoyed having her home too - and Sooz was very pleased that Je had come yesterday (she was due on Wednesday but had rescheduled).

We had a BBQ at work today - organised by one of the subcontractors. Luckily AC was there - she checked they had catered for the numbers expected and have something besides sausage, onions and bread. She suggested some drinks, green stuff, tomatoes; they thought of the chocolates all by themselves. After the BBQ, we returned to work - until Ma came out and sent AC and I home - since most of the others had already gone - except Be who had thought he was leaving, but as it turned out, he wasn't.

You have to love an early start to a long weekend!

*The SMOG grade is a measure of readability that estimates the years of education needed to understand a piece of writing. SMOG is the acronym derived from Simple Measure of Gobbledygook.

Thursday

Sooz came in to Nerang with me this morning so Je could pick her up from Marcas. I had to leave her there otherwise I would have been late for work... and, as we all know, it's still End of Month.

Maggie

Meanwhile, back at Latimers, we had a late night visitor - or Sooz did because she was awake until nearly 4.30 this morning. It's just as well she had a great sleep the right before otherwise she would have been more wrecked than she was. Still she made it through the day mostly awake. But back to that visitor: at sometime very early this morning, Maggie came in the bedroom, jumped on the bed, tracked across Sooz's pillow over to me, then saw Tinka, and went back the way she'd come and then back out to the lounge room. I reckon she'd love to stay ... but she won't if Tinka is there. It works with M I think because she can have one of them on either side of her.

It was another day of not getting home in daylight. I'm going to have to work out what to do about getting Pearl some more exercise. I could take her up and down the lane a couple of times in the morning - and I think I'm going to have to start doing that - at least it's light still at the moment. And it's certainly very pretty with the mist hanging over the valley - I keep thinking that one day there might be gorillas but at the moment it's just horses!

... In the mist!

And speaking of light, thank goodness Sooz was with me this morning. She gently reminded me that I would be able to see through the glare of the sun (and therefore not risk running us off the road or running into something) if I put on my sunglasses ... and she was so right. Yes, I know someone else told me that once - but, truly, I had forgotten!

Sooz was in bed by 9 tonight - and I was surprised that she had made it that long. When I picked her up from Zarraffas this afternoon, I was sure she was going to be asleep before we arrived home.

It seems like there has been a change with the bee hives down near the (don't do it) snake drop-off point. There are now very few double storey ones - and they look a bit sparser than they did.

It was funny driving along the road with Kezza the other afternoon. Sooz had been telling her that we sometimes see kangaroos in the paddock off to the right - and they looked and didn't see anything in the first paddock - but then Kezza saw them! It was pretty amazing.

Sh from work surprised AC and I by bringing in a treat for us yesterday. He had been to Brumbys and picked up his "favourite" (a scone "infused" with white chocolate and berries) and picked up one for each of us as well. It was absolutely yum ... just as he had said it would be. He's a nice bloke ... especially when he does his "Superman" stance - you can just imagine a cape flying out behind him. When he was younger, his grandmother made him a Superman suit - and then made him another one for wearing in Summer - because the other one - akin to a track suit - was just too hot - but that wouldn't have stopped Sh from wearing it!

A system errror ...

Well, the caravan has gone - and even though Syl said they were going to come out early - they still hadn't arrived by the time Sooz and I left home. Sooz sent them a "good caravaning" text but by the time she called it a night, she hadn't heard back from them.

At breakfast this morning, as we thought about our travelling friends, we went to a site to see if we could tell which cruise Mouse and M and the others are on - and we found what we think was it. However, when we went to follow the link to find out more on this Costa ship - we were greeted with this message (see picture) which we thought apt (given the Costa line's boat-related issues/mishaps over the last couple of years) although unfortunate - and a tad inconvenient!