Glow in the dark

It's been a slow old week this week. For me, anyway.

Queensland Police have been asking people to be more vigilant on the roads. The road toll so far this year is somewhere in the vicinity of 20 more than this time last year. That's a sad and sorry state of affairs and I can only shake my head as I watch some drivers and wonder if there really is any way to get the message through.

There's a crossing of sorts across two lanes of traffic to the median strip, then across another two lanes to the other side of a very busy stretch of road. It's controlled by lights which bring traffic to a stop when a pedestrian wants to cross. The light is red and I wait patiently in the inside lane for it to change.

The lights change and the vehicle stopped in SECOND spot in the outside lane pulls out and passes the FIRST vehicle on the outside. In the blink of an eye he is down the road, through the major intersection and through the traffic lights at the crest of the hill and gone from view. I'm beginning to think it's not speed that kills, but plain simple stupidity. I wonder if they can gear an awareness campaign that way? I think the New Zealanders may have worked out a way....



I'm sitting at my work desk, dressed ultra casual. Just because I like to to that occasionally. I don't have face to face public contact so corporate attire is not required. A colleague comes in through the front door. A chirpy good morning! as she walks past. And suddenly she is walking backward to stand at the front of my desk. She's staring hard at me. Or more specifically, my boobs. Her expression is puzzled and I can't figure out what the problem is. I'm just trying to figure out what that is, she says. What is? I look down and realise *finally. not slow me* that she's trying to read my shirt. My hair is over the beginning of the word. I shift it. Realisation dawns. Ahhh, she says. I was wondering if that said DYKE! I was about to say Yeah, you go girl! I laugh. It says Spyke...

Elder has asked me to paint her nails. I start to pain the base coat but somehow I manage to knock the bottle over. On my dining table! Luckily, it's clear, on the stone tile not the timber and I'm able to wipe most of it up. Great start! I paint on one coat of the colour. She's decided to give it a little time to dry before we paint the next. *which reminds me, i haven't painted the next yet* While I wait, I paint a couple of coats of one she has which is supposed to glow in the dark. Huh. I've never seen it do that. But hey, it's a girly thing, right?

The weekend is hot. Waaaay too hot. Temperatures are in the middle 30's already and summer hasn't arrived. I don't want to use the airconditioning because then what will I do when it really does get hot? And humid. I've popped the one in the kitchen on using the dehumidifier setting. It's not working very well. I remind MOTH that he will have to put in a call to the realtor to have them serviced.

Elder and Burrich have done a late afternoon run up to the supermarket. MOTH is in his room and suddenly calls out. Dammit, I've just gotten comfy again after the last interruption. Yeah, whaddyawant? He comes down to the rumpus room. He's excited. WE'VE GOT OUR OWN WATER DRAGON! Oh? Yeah, it was outside. He points toward the front door. The kids came home, it ran out of the garden, along the window sill outside his study, past the front door and around the corner. The kids are chattering about it as they come in.

I decide to go out for a quick look, but I doubt it's there. Elder calls out to me on her way past "Mind the orb weavers!". Dang. Sure enough, there is a huge web and in the centre sits a big spider. I can go no further. It doesn't give me the heeby jeebys though, possibly because she is firmly ensconced in the centre of the tangle and not invading my personal space. The threads are anchored on the downpipe; a gorgeous golden colour in the sunlight.

At Elder's encouragement, I give the threads a good tug. They twang back into place and do not break. The spider remains where she is. I do this several times and still they hold. Wonderfully strong stuff that silk.

MOTH and I lie talking in the dark. He stops and asks ... are you wearing glow in the dark nail polish? I look. And hey! My nails are glowing! Huh. Well, it really does work! Looks kinda eerie.

Shame I missed seeing the dragon though. Always good to catch up with my kin. *grins*