Friday

There was a balloon flying low over the valley this morning - I heard it long before I saw it - the whoosh of the burners as it filled the ballon with .... appropriately enough ... hot air. I thought about following it (again) but decided that it was probably better going to work; afterall, I had last Friday off for show day. But that was good too because at about 10 minutes to three, Ch asked what I thought the boss would say if she just went into his office and said "see you Monday". As luck would have it, he walked over a few minutes later and she could find out herself ... and when Ma didn't seem averse to the idea, I put my two cents in. Result: two early marks ... gratefully received.

Of course, it was one of those days in the office when we say farewell to one of the engineers ... Aj (Ma's brother) this time. He is off to start his own business ... an electronics mega-store which will begin operations in India next month and then hopefully here in Australia not long after. It's an online store, similar to a Kogan, and Aj will be offering substantial discounts. Hmmm ... finally someone to approach regarding all the electronic gizmos we have heard about but not been able to buy at a "good" price.

Well, I did get off to air pistol this evening. I met Syl there just after 5:30 (after a brief interlude at home) and thanks to M and Mouse, Sooz wasn't a pistol widow. They all went to see "Boyhood" at the Gold Coast Arts Centre ... a movie filmed over about 12 years with the same main cast. Sooz really enjoyed it and even though it was three hours long she has said she would see it again with me if I wanted to.

I enjoyed shooting, although I would have enjoyed it more had I done a bit better. I was fine in the "lining up the sights" time but after that it seemed my aim or eye or something was absolutely right off. Ah well, I think I shot better than last time - 253 as opposed to a 170-something, so it was better but not the best I wanted to do.

After shooting, I took myself for a walk around OfficeWorks (because one does) before dropping in to Maccas for a burger and a drink ... and then home ... for an uncharacteristically early night (my first this week I think) ... because I want to be bright and alert for tomorrow's shooiing ... since Sooz and An are off to breakfast and then Bingo at the Southport RSL.

The big news is that Choo Choo Ma Ma has had her foul - a wee chestnut filly. Ca (who is now undergoing rehabilitation but is still in hospital) has posted pics on FaceBook.

 

Thursday

Maggie came for a walk down the lane with Pearl and I this morning and at one point there she was making better time than Pearl. Does this mean Pearl is more inquisitive about her surroundings - taking time to savour the scents and sights she encounters along the way - or just that she dawdles? Or a bit of both? I know she doesn't usually complain when I stop along the way to take photographs and/or look for the plovers. And speaking of the Plovers they have been staying fairly close to home - yesterday morning they were on the lawn ... and, as is usually the way, by the time I came back with the camera, the chicks had ducked in under Mum again. We think there are still three although they did have a tough night last night. M was saying she went out twice to check on them.

Sooz's homegrown lettuce

Maggie was out when I started moving around this morning - her mother had let her out her door earlier. I had thought it odd when she want hanging around the door waiting to go out - but as soon as Pearl came in, so did Maggie. I like to think she was out looking at Sooz's gardening achievements ... the lettuce is amazing!

The good news is that the reporting for EOM is done, so it's another three weeks before we have to get into that headset again.

Sooz had a quiet day today as she didn't feel absolutely well. I'm hoping she isn't coming down with something but she thinks she's okay.

Dinner at TBH tonight was good(thanks M) and Zen wasn't nearly as busy as we'd thought it would be. M made the mistake of giving me cards for the great Swipestakes. The only good news is (or is it?) that I was amazingly consistent in that my swiping. returned zip, nil, nada, nothing - you get the idea. Hopefully M has better luck tomorrow. Thankfully Roulette was a bit better and stakes are still intact.s

 

Wednesday

Billi went for his first service today. He was supposed to go last week but EOM interfered with that. It was good to finally get there though - I met the folk I speak to all the time from work when I book work's vehicles in for servicing. They are a nice bunch - efficient, friendly, able to take a joke - all essential in customer service. I was pretty stunned by the service area though - as well as providing complimentary tea and coffee, you can, if you so wish, watch your car being serviced via the televison. I cannot really fathom why you would but obviously enough people might want to for them to put up a notice letting folk know this service is available.

Notice under the TV

Thanks again M for giving me a lift to work from there this morning and taking me back this afternoon. I had been planning to go shooting with Syl this evening but quite early this morning I decided I would just go home instead - and that would have been totally workable had the accounts folk in Brisbane done their jobs properly. As it turned out, I needed to work back to get some reports out for morning - and my 4pm leave turned in to 7pm. Luckily Sooz had picked up some protein on her way home and she a very yummy dinner. It was just what I needed at the end of the day - and there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow or Friday.

 

 

Tuesday

We are inching closer ... and it's very real now ... we went unconditional for the purchase of Jannie today. Sooz had a call from Maggie the agent at about the same time I was in conversation with our solicitor. But it's all good ... and now there are just a few things :) we need to organise in the next two and a half weeks before settlement! We'd better get packing - literally!

Tinka slept with us for at least part of last night - I had the fur to prove it, just on one of my sleeves where I was on the cover giving her a big pat. The first I noticed it was when I was waiting in line at Zarraffa's - and by that stage all I could do was resolve to take to it with some sticky tape when I arrived at work - and while that did get some of it off, there was still a fair bit there to serve as a Tinka reminder for the rest of the day.

I have started playing Star Trek doors with Pearl. She stands in front of the front screen door and I pull it open for here while making a ... well, it's like a quiet mechanised motion sound - not unlike Billi but not quite like Billi either. Pearl is getting quite good at it - she isn't put off by it at all anymore.

 

Monday

We were a small crew at Trivia tonight. Fl rang at the last moment to let us know that he wouldn't be able to make it - something to do with the family coming around this evening for a farewell for Lu who sets off back to the US tomorrow. We could have done with him there tonight - not that we did too badly but we might have done better than a 3 (out of 10) for our worst round ... and that may have seen us on the podium ... but we do know that these things are a little hit and miss depending on the questions, the choices of bonus rounds ... such is Trivia. We did have fun though.

The rest of the day was ... well, a Monday. It wasn't too bad considering it is End of Month though.

The Plovers are still around and they still have the three chicks despite the number of predators that would like to change that. The parents are good with the chicks letting them explore their surroundings, probably letting them go further afield than some folk would. It just seems that sometimes they don't realise the world can be a dangerous place for plover chicks.

Sunday

Chairs on their way to Mi's

It was different doing the Markets at Mi's this morning. The Markets were not on at the Turf Club because they are holding the Show there - and since Lu was going to come to the Markets to say goodbye to everyone before he returns to the US on Tuesday, Mi and Fl decided to reconvene the Markets at their place. Everyone took something and Mi cooked Lokoma (I am sure that is not the spelling) and kofta ... yum, yum and triple yum. It was a great morning - good food, good conversations - and lots of photo opportunities.

Afterwards, Sooz and I were off to the stores to look at more house items. We stumbled into Matt Blanc and not just because there was a replica Velociraptor out the front - or it may have been a small T-Rex (which could make it a t-rex). They had some really cool replicas inside as well including a desk of which I was very fond.

The original Ronald McDonald

Hmmm .... for a moment there I was thinking we hadn't actually made any purchases but I was forgetting the dishwasher. Now we just have to think about getting it installed - but that will come.

This afternoon could have been given over to some type of sorting and/or packing ... but it wasn't and while there will be time for that ... I'll have to watch that that time doesn't slip away while I'm doing something else (that brings a John Lennon quote to mind - or is it a song lyric?). But I did get to do some free-time-surfing on the interweb and managed to find a picture of the newly-created Ronald McDonald. As my sister commented on FaceBook, it looked like the clown from Stephen King's "It" had a second job!

 

Saturday

It's always good to start the weekend on a Friday because when Saturday comes around it feels as though you've been on break for ages already!

Today it was back to shooting and I met Syl there just after 8. We had not decided before we went what Kindy we would do, and, in retrospect, that might have been a mistake because we ended up doing IPSC - which is the equivalent of cops and robbers and going through a course trying not to shoot the white targets aka the hostages! I'm not sure what TP stands for ... but it's not what you're aiming for (pun intended?), and I managed three of them in one round. Still, it's all good, clean, safe fun ... and I think Syl and I are both thinking that something which is straight-out target shooting might be better ... not that there's anything wrong with running with loaded weaposn!

Out on the range

Then, it was home, after stopping off along the way to take care of a couple of jobs - like dropping into the bedding place and paying the balance due on the mattress. The "bed technology" they used in store with Sooz and I last week was on "The Living Room" last night and the boys looked to be having as much fun as we did. I resisted the urge to get more cushions while I was in-store ... there will be time aplenty for that when we move in.

Even though Syl had said she wasn't planning to come out to Latimers this afternoon, she arrived not that long after I did. She had with her some plastic boxes that we can borrow for the move - and from our visit with the tape measure yesterday, we know they will fit in the garage, and out of the way, until we are ready to unpack them.

Tinka in the snake hole

The Plovers are still around - again in the paddock a couple over. The chicks were out and quite adventurous in moving away from the parents ... but there was no way those parents were letting them get too close to anything that looked dangerous - and if they couldn't chase the chicks away, they chased whatever was bothering them ... including magpies.

Max came out with Syl and had a good visit ... and Pearl enjoyed having her around too, until Max tried to assert her authority by forcing Pearl to the ground and telling her to "say Uncle". Luckily they didn't hurt each other, but Pearl was a bit subdued after.