Fast lane? Ha!

A season of wild weather is upon us it seems.

Rain every so often, but this time it's full on. I'm tucked up safe in the office but MOTH is home to witness the fury. *think he told me he jumped once or twice* Thunder. Lightning. Some small hail. Rain. He tells me the rain was dumping down and the wind was blowing so hard it was virtually horizontal. Sheldon was a little tense, Jerome was totally relaxed and MOTH eventually found Freddy hiding as far back as he could under a shelf in the garage.

--------------------

The next day I can see lots of debris on the paths that show me where the water ran off. The waterfall in the creek is flowing well.

--------------------

Cruising along in the bus I see two mynah birds telling off a crow. They dive and swoop as the crow hops about, obviously frustrated. And cranky.

--------------------

The bus comes into the stops ready to let us off. There is a taxi in our designated stop dropping off a passenger. The driver sits and waits for a few minutes. Eventually he gets impatient and uses the horn. The taxi pulls out.

Stupid taxi. The rank is about 50 metres down the hill. If that.

--------------------

It's going to be a noisy week. The floor above is scheduled to be refurbished and demolition is due to start soon. Or ... this week. It sounds like it's directly above. The refurbishment is supposed to take some time. Hopefully it doesn't become too unbearable. *but then again, it might be a good excuse to work from home if it does*

--------------------

I've been feeling a bit off colour lately and so very very tired. I've a little windfall *elder paid me back. i should bank it but it might be put to a better use instead* so I might treat myself to a very rare bout of retail therapy. Maybe if I dress up for work I might feel a little better.

I seem to have only one pair of work shoes these days. The sketchers are for winter and the style doesn't suit all my clothes. MOTH picks me up from work and we stop off on the way home. I've seen a pair of shoes the other day that look interesting and for a bargain price. They're still there! And WHOO FRIKKIN HOO! My size. I might get a second pair - dressier ones. And a couple of steps away, there they are.



That hasn't taken long at all. And only $40 down. I usually can't make decisions when I buy shoes. Too many to choose from.

-------------------

Off to visit Butterfly Garden to catch up with her and my sibling Froggy. Have to do something to kill time while waiting for the plane, right?

Butterfly and I have not seen each other for many, many years. She hasn't changed much. Got to meet her other half for the first time.

It was after lunch so we ate cake and drank cold softdrink. And talked a lot.

MOTH very generously let me drive home and we made it. The sky is getting dark and I didn't get lost *in spite of Karen's best efforts* and we're indoors safe and sound before the storm hits.

-------------------

My wardrobe needs a new addition as well. I have no 'work' blouses. Plenty of polos, t-shirts and other knit tops. But only one button blouse. MOTH decides to come with me to shop. I warn him it will take ages. I can't buy anything off the shelf without trying it on first, and it takes a long time to find something that fits.

He's cool with that. Unlike a lot of blokes, he doesn't mind shopping.

We start at Kmart. We find ladies wear ... and they have a rack of blouses. Only about 2 racks though mind. But there at the front is a button blouse. In my size. It's the only one of my size. I go to try it on. It fits almost perfectly. I decide to buy because I know darn well that if I put it back to come back to later, it will be gone.

So, shopping done ... in about five minutes. Anticlimax!

------------------

PS. That duck is STILL there............

I've already posted for Sunday

So I'll just round up for the rest of the week.

Such as it is. I've only made 3 notes!

-------------

We go past the River each morning on the way out to Campus. This morning I see there is a HUGE inflatable ducky on the water. A rubber ducky. He brings to mind the Ernie song. *starts humming rubber ducky you're the one* I'm not sure what it's there for. Maybe for the duck racing thing that happens every so often? It's a fund raising thing where they release thousands of numbered rubber duckies into the water. I think first across some line or another is the winner.

-------------

It's still there today....

-------------

I'm catching the bus home today. As opposed to the train. The driver stops in the middle of the busy street, right next to the taxi rank. One of the cabs has it's rear out in the traffic. Maybe the driver is upset because it's blocking the way.

He pops open the bus door and he and the taxi driver greet each other like old friends. They lean toward each other and shake hands through the bus door. A few words exchanged and we continue on.

--------------

Jump on the bus from a slightly different stop this morning. I've come in by train. The driver waves us on and it's yahoo! A free ride this morning as it seems the card reader isn't working.

And I've just realised ... hope I remembered not to swipe off. But now I think on it, hopefully it wasn't working so I couldn't swipe off ...

--------------

Thunder and lightening throw themselves around the sky this morning and I snuggle further under the doona. Luckily I don't have to get up. I lie there and listen to the storm; a song from Kenny Rogers begins to play in my head.

The intermittent storms continue through the day. MOTH heads out to the Village. I'm smart. I stay at home.

Sunday morning. In pictures.

Played WoW...
Listened to music...
Ate breakfast...
Fed and watered the cats, changed their litter and broke up an argument...
Checked the rumpus room for tidy...
Fed and watered the dog...
Made a cup of milo. It went cold...
Put a load of washing on...
Cat 'helped' me make the bed...
Whinged about the neighbour's yappy dog...
Checked the dog blanket was on the way to dry. He put it out in the rain yesterday...
Did a poo run and debated tidying up the rest...
Pulled out some prickles. it's that time of year...
Brushed the dog...
Fetched Jerome the escaped feline...
Up to the Village...
Spoils...


And all before 11 am!

Back to the grind

A big week in some ways and yet not so big in others.

It's school holidays this week and I can't believe how quiet things get. Traffic thins out, foot traffic on campus is ... almost non existent. I think I like it.

It's spring. Of course. And the wildlife certainly know it. Zman and I walk past the lake on the way from the car park to the office. Wait. I hear cheeping. We pause and sure enough, the water fowl hatchlings are out of the nest and taking a dip in the water. Zman is rapt and swears he's never seem them quite that little before. We watch them for a few minutes before continuing.

--------------

The mynah birds are a little active. There are a couple of them on the ground. Oh no! They are babies! They must have jumped from the nest. Their flight feathers aren't developed enough for them to get back up. Mamma and Pappa are still hanging around and it looks like they are trying to lift them on their backs to get them to the nest. It's really not possible as they seem to be nesting in a gum tree. Not sure what to do but leave them there.

--------------

I am just waiting for the ducklings to start appearing. One wood duck pair seem to have a huge clutch of little ones in tow each year but so far I've not yet seen them.

--------------

We park in the undercover park and Zman goes to lock the car. He can't find the keys. It has a push button start and no actual ignition. The car still starts so he assumes that the proximity key must be around somewhere. We look under the seats. Check his bag. Check my bag. The glove box. The back seat. The boot. Under the front seats. No go. He can't find them anywhere and comes to the conclusion the proximity probably only works after the car has been locked. Or something. The only option is to go back home and see if they are there. I go to work, Zman heads back home.

I get a text about half hour later. Yep, they were on the kitchen bench.

--------------

If Zman finishes his tasks, it's his last week at work. Next week will be leave then he moves on to a new job. It means I go back to catching the bus or train everyday. It also means I have to find extra money for the fares. Zman drives me to work each day in exchange for $20 a week, and I kept a little for the 'go card' *electronic ticketing for public transport* in case of emergencies. Just lately he hasn't been doing French lessons so I've not even needed the emergency money. Now I have to go back to spending $50 a week on public transport. *shakes fist in his general direction* How dare he!

Actually, I'm happy for him and wish him well in the new job.

--------------

His going away lunch is at Montezumas. Mexican obviously. I've only dined there once before and enjoyed it. He tells me to have the Mole something or other. Chicken in a chocolate sauce. I'm game. It turns out to be a chicken maryland, covered in a thick almost gravy like sauce. It has chocolate, but also herbs and other things as well so it's not like pouring topping on the thing. The bed of rice is spicy and the coconut coated banana and pineapple ring lend a lovely touch. I really enjoyed it.

-------------

We've done the collection for his present. Admin 2 isn't sure we have what we need to get what he wants *the star wars boxed set on blu ray* but another workmate volunteers to contribute extra toward the difference. I put in my contribution and count the money. I count it again. What the heck is she talking about? No extra needed; there's enough and a little extra. I get the job of buying the present. I don't mind cause it means I get picked up from work. Whoo!

Wrapping it presents a small problem. I decide that plain brown paper and string will work. *bursts into song, brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of his favourite things* Sheldon tries to help. By batting the very curly paper and eating the string.

---------------

The present goes down really really well. He knows how much it cost and is really stunned that people were that generous.

---------------

Here's a photo or two of the lake we walk *sigh. walked* past each morning.....

Oh yes, I knew I forgot something....

I boiled the jug to wash my mug and make a coffee. And I have not.

A very quiet week while I've been off. Haven't really gone anywhere. I've been sleeping a lot. Up at 6am, dozing by 10 am and then an hour minimum again in the afternoon. And back to bed again by 10pm but usually earlier.

--------------------------

An adjustment to my medication left me feeling alright the first three days or so but lightheaded on day four. It's gradually worn off over the rest of the week. But I am still tired enough to drop off at a moment's notice. Narcolepsy, here I come.

--------------------------

Froggy has been busy at work so we haven't had a chance to chat much. Which works out well I'm supposing since I would have been asleep for most of it.

She will be coming for a very quick visit next weekend so in the course of conversation I asked if she was bringing pillows. Nope. Dang. Going to have to do something about that.

--------------------------

Off to Target to investigate their specials. Buy a single pillow and get the second for $5. Excellent timing, thank you Target. I dash out and buy two pillows. Now the bed looks complete.

--------------------------

I remake Elder's bed while she is away. Chances are high that she will not be returning except for a weekend dash to pick up some belongings and possibly Fred. She has been living at home since March and only managed to grab 2 or maybe 3 job interviews. She goes away for the weekend and manages 4 job interviews and 4 job offers. Now she needs to decide which one/s she wants. None of them are full time I believe.

The bed is a mammoth task. I can't move the bed and it's close to the wall. It feels like it takes almost an hour to get it done, and after that, I'm done for the rest of the day.

----------------------------

I settle in to watch something on the Crime Investigation channel. Foxtel or cable if you will. But when it comes on, the tv is set to ABC. I don't know why. A program is on that catches my attention. It is The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, based on books by Alexander McCall Smith. I've read some of them and really like them. An hour and a half later it finishes and I'm still watching it.

Sunday night's crime didn't get a look in this week.....

Has it really been a week?

Has it really been a week since Elder finished the course? Wow. That's hard to believe.

Back to riding with Zman this week. He's finished his holidays and is back to work.

--------------

A new team mate is making things difficult. One of the GTs has become the back up person for one of my tasks. Which would be fine but he spends way too much time checking up on what I'm doing instead of leaving me to get on with it. Admin 2 and I have come to the conclusion he thinks he's being helpful but ye gods, I just wish he would leave me to get on with it.

--------------

Zman handed in his notice today. Sigh. Guess that means going back to the bus each day. Or maybe the train. Which in a good way might give me a little fodder to write with here. A lot more expensive as I don't get off easy with just a little for emergency bus rides and $20 a week for Zman.

I think he finishes up in a week or two. He tells me the GM hasn't spoken to him much since he resigned. Which doesn't surprise me really.

--------------

We see a lot of army vehicles cruise past on their way out to the range. This morning there are some troop carriers. Zman and I think they are. Not long after there follows some different types of vehicles. Mobile antenna farms complete with helmeted personnel with heads out through the hatches. I haven't seen many of those pass by before!

--------------

Appointment with the doctor to follow up blood test results. Iron is still very low although not yet at the point of deficient. At this point she's happy to keep up with supplements instead of another round of injections. *breaths sigh of relief* I am still so very very tired though. It could be a number of things. One possible scenario is that I am too stressed at work and it is bringing me down. *sorry froggy! i know you are too* I have next week off work, and a change in my blood pressure medication.

--------------

An email to my supervisor lets her know what's going on, along with a request to review my workload when I get back. I did take on the new task *which i have been told several times that everyone appreciates immensely* but only because my other work *organising travel* would decrease. Which has definitely not been the case!

--------------

MOTH picked up his laptop late this week. Finally. I have my mac back. *grin and happy dance* My regular WoW toon's guild has missed me it seems. I have a 19" flat screen monitor on loan from work and we buy him a keyboard to go with it. He's very happy with his new set up.

Better late than never

Or not. Cause your world relies on what I write. Ahem. It does you know.

Another week of catching the train. Being ready by 06:45 each morning is a bit of a drag but I like the whole getting in to work early.

---------------

I see a workmate *same floor, different department* on the train. She drives from several suburbs away to catch the train from my stop. The station is better. She wants to chat a bit. I don't. But I'm polite like that. Luckily once we are under way properly she goes back to her book.

---------------

Elder and I ride the same carriage. And chatter a lot. She's only sharing till the next station and it's sort of boring after that. I often travel past where I should detrain because I like travelling on the train. It also means I don't get to work as quite as early. I love being in the city in the early morning rush. I would like it much better if I could sit at one of the restaurants and have breakfast while everyone else rushes past.

---------------

Zman is back to work next week so I'm enjoying going back to public transport this week. So much more expensive but I really do enjoy it. Am I totally strange?

---------------

It's an office clean up day on Thursday. Everyone is supposed to put aside their work and just clean up. I know this is going to take more than one day. How can it not? The office is a total junkyard and part way through the day I wonder if it is any better than it was.

I spend most of my time going up and down the stairs as I carry stuff out to the recycling bin. There is a big skip for cardboard waste at the front of the building. It all has to be flattened before going in and this seems to have fallen to me. I can only carry a small amount at a time so I alternate between stairs and lift, depending on the size of the flattened boxes.

---------------

Totally down with a headache today. Must have been too much dust and things yesterday. Sore hands and a swollen ankle to match. I knew cleaning was no good for me!

---------------

Elder's last course day this week. She's stoked. She has to drop in some paperwork to be sent off in the morning then head off to the last of her class. She's done and dusted and full of future plans.

---------------

While waiting to collect her I play with the camera on the phone and take a pic of a building across the road. I crop it and I think it looks pretty good considering it's only on a phone.


---------------

Leaning on the railing and a car stops at the lights on the corner. The bass is so loud I can feel it vibrating the railing I'm leaning on.

---------------

I think I'll do Indian for dinner tonight. Korma *sorry from a jar* chicken with some rice and bread. Something that looks like a tortilla, but has a completely different name. Followed by gajar halva for dessert. I make the halva early afternoon and put it in oversized coffee mugs for serving. There isn't much left over! It is made with grated carrots, milk, evaporated milk and cardamon pods. It has a caramel like taste and is great served with vanilla icecream.

----------------

A little cooler today. I need to wash my hair but I'm too cold to get in the shower. Washing needs to be done too. Nah. It can wait. I shower after lunch when the weather is a bit warmer. The washing doesn't get done at all. Brilliant day.

I miss my hols!

Nothing of note this week.

Well, not much.

Zman is on holiday so I have been catching the train to and from work. This works well because Elder is doing a 2 week course so we leave home early enough to get an undercover park at the station. An accomplishment I must say. By the time a person arrives an hour later, you are lucky to find a spare space in any of the carparks.

--------------------

I'm the first in the office this week and I like the quiet. It's usually about 20 minutes before the next person comes in.

--------------------

Two follically challenged chaps got off the bus at the same stop. I'm pretty certain they weren't related but as they walked by the bus window, they looked so similar as to be very closely related.

It made me look at other chappies and I wonder if certain face shapes are the ones to go naturally bald?

--------------------

Two young men in full Arab dress are on the train home. They get off at a most unlikely railway station. It's the first time I can recall seeing something like this outside TV or the airport. I wonder where they are going and what's the occasion.

--------------------

Zman takes time out to come help MOTH with his laptop. It gets a rebuild. It's working much better now. The next day it dies again. Perhaps it's the hard drive. Meantime, he's taken over my Mac. Can't live without his Facebook!

--------------------

An invitation to Riverfire arrives from Bestie. I'm not feeling like leaving the house so I decline. Elder is out most of the day, MOTH plops himself in front of the computer. I am reading a book. An actual paper copy. It's slow going - the story is good and I love this author but my appetite for reading has lost of some of its edge. The author is Neal Asher, his genre is sci-fi. It just doesn't sound like sci-fi.

Roast pork is on the menu but it's still frozen when I put it into the oven. It's been sitting in the fridge to defrost since Thursday. It takes a little longer but I manage to cook it without burning it or drying it out.

Riverfire is on the TV in the background but noone is paying much attention to it.

---------------------

Father's Day. I'm up at my usual time and everyone else is asleep. I relish the quiet. I'm not sparkling today and I flop out in the recliner to catch up on some recorded viewing that I've not watched for a while.

I call my father and chat for a while. MOTH makes it out of bed. I have made an agreement with Elder to let her sleep in till 9am.

MOTH doesn't eat breakfast but I make him a cup of coffee. I go to play WoW for a little while. An hour or so and I'm back off to the recliner. Interruptions are annoying me and I can't concentrate on the game.

I haven't presented MOTH with a gift today. He has his present already. A set top box. It's so very tiny compared to what I usually see in the shops. He's set it up several days ago and has been using it. It means he can now watch TV in his study with no outside noise or interruptions.

He's rearranged his room to suit and he's very happy.

---------------------

Elder flies into a panic. Comments begin to appear on Facebook on Sunny's page and offering condolences on hers. A young man has fatally fallen from a balcony last night. He has the same name as Sunny. She cannot contact him or his housemate by phone. We find out later Sunny is fine and she breathes a sigh of relief.

The young man's name hasn't yet been released and I wonder how the grapevine finds out these things so quickly.

---------------------

Wild Boys begins tonight. The shorts look interesting and I'm going to have a look. Fist ad break I head off for a shower. And change back into my jammies. Yep, I've been in them all day. Darn. I've missed quite a bit of the show.

Judah comes over to borrow my printer. We chat for a while. He gives me a lot of posters for my wall. And I miss most of Bones.

Dangit. I'm off to bed.

Friday Friday Friday

Well done Elder for ruining a perfect record. I've managed to avoid that song since the beginning of the furor, then she plays it in my hearing while using her iPhone. Sigggghhhhh

This week has been a little quiet. Taking last week into consideration that is!

MOTH arrived back home on Wednesday. Elder joined me on campus so we could go together to meet him. I finished work early and we headed out. Turned out the train was half an hour late coming in, so we consoled ourselves with some KFC chippies and gravy while we waited.

We found him in the crowd and Elder arrived at his side first. He held up a finger and told her that I cam first. *nnnnaaawwww*

Off to collect the baggage and I couldn't determine which one was his. They all look the same these days! Ours has a tell tale difference but hadn't been placed on the carousel so that was visible. I had to wait for MOTH to claim it himself.

---------------------------------

This week I thought I'd try the whole shopping list app for the two major supermarkets. I think I like the Woollies one best, but it works for both of them. Each app has a built in scanner that uses the phone camera and you can scan bar codes to your shopping list. It adds the product from their database and hey presto! Shopping list. With images of the item even. It was actually a lot easier than trying to juggle a written list, pen and calculator.

You can also use it to check weekly specials and the Woolworths one can use the GPS locator in the phone to tailor the list to match the aisle layout of your 'local' store so each item is grouped according the the aisle they are in. So easy! Maybe the Coles one can do that too but alas, my local store is too new to be included in their database.

----------------------------------

Early finish on Friday again *wow. really short week this week. going to have to think about how to make up that lost time* as I head off for a doctor appointment. She has moved into new premises after the last one closed suddenly.

The new surgery is attached to a local shopping centre and is very much an upgrade on her old one! Although it was sad not to see the smiling faces of the girls at reception. She seemed very happy to see us. Elder, MOTH and I decided to all go at once since the new surgery is not located in our suburb.

MOTH also tells me that he thinks the QML (pathology lab) that was located next to the old surgery has also been closed. That is so very inconvenient. The nearest one now is located at the back of my suburb and will now be very very busy! My usual one I could turn up at 7.45 am for an 8.00 am start and get in to be seen in the first ten *no appointments, just take a number*. Handy when you have to do a fasting test!

---------------------------------

Saturday MOTH worked on Team Shitbox while Elder and I went out to pick up some things. It needed a water pump replaced. We dropped him off at the shops to get some scripts filled and walk home *yay for living 10mins walk away from everything!*.

We headed out to the really big shopping centre a couple of suburbs over. It does mean a bit of a drive and there is another large centre between home and that one. But no, the store she wanted to visit didn't have the necessary facilites in the closer centre.

Uh oh as we notice the flashing sign that says ACCIDENT! EXPECT DELAYS! Brilliant. The drive usually takes fifteen to twenty minutes. Today it takes us forty-five. Being nearly mid morning when we arrive I suspect that finding a park will be something of a task. It's not!

I help Elder spend her tax refund. There is a cute young bloke in the Smiggle store. Elder and I are looking at everything and start quoting memes. She wants to buy ALL the things. There's a giggle from the back of the store and the cute bloke comes asks if he can help her buy ALL the things.

She wants a new phone case. There is one she has her eye on that is very very similar to mine. I point her in a slightly different direction and ask the shop assistant how much. He tells and pulls the case out to show us. I touch it and not only are the red bits glittery, the black bits are FURRY! I point this out to her and she balks a little. But they're FURRY! You can't go past it! FURRY! The sales assistant is giggling; Elder grins at me and buys it.

It's really pouring when we get back out to the car park again. We head for the car and watch vehicles driving round and round trying to park. Someone pulls up close and I point down the road. The window pops down and the driver grins at us. He's happy for the park *timing!* and his grin is cheeky. We leave and join the crush. Except I'm trying to get out, not in.

Meanwhile, MOTH has not been having a great time with Team Shitbox. He managed to get the pump changed over but now it leaks like there's no tomorrow and he's managed to tear a hose to boot.

He's not happy. Never mind, the seal probably slipped is all.

--------------------------------

Sunday I let Elder sleep in till about 9.00 am. MOTH goes to the shops up the road and when he comes back, the two of them tackle the car together. There isn't as much swearing as I thought there would be. I guess as wife I get the privilege of bearing that when trying to assemble something with hubby!

I make them lunch *he comments that the leak seems to have been caused by the gasket slipping* and after they've cleaned up we head out to see if we can find a replacement for the torn hose. This hose is not rubber and seems to be made of wire and some papery substance. We get over to the shops and MOTH parks in front of Amart All Sports. What are we doing here? This is where we need to go isn't it? We shake our heads and it seems he's just a little confused and they don't sell car parts. There is a Supercheap in the same row just a little further down. That's where I meant to go! Elder and I shake our heads. We were chatting while he was driving. Can't do more than one thing at once!

They have something similar to what we need. We buy two - just in case. They don't seem very long but they aren't cheap either!

They work on the car again and all seems to be in place. Team Shitbox is now back under the tree where it belongs.

Time flies when you're having fun...

... so they tell me.

The Elder returned Monday afternoon. I had thoughts of going in to the station to meet her but decided I'd keep the train fare in case I could talk her into the Ekka. You know, a kind of spur of the moment thing.

--------------------

She didn't need much convincing! I don't like going to Ekka on People's Day. It used to be waaaay too busy. So we decided to tackled it on a Tuesday.

First stops, Animal Boulevard and the main arena to see what events were on.

We love to look at the baby animals and the horses and the cats and the dogs and the chickens and the animals! The poultry pavilion is incredibly noisy. Unfortunately, there were no puppies to look at when we went through that pavilion. Ah well.


The horse pavilion always has many fine examples of different breeds. Elder drools over Clydesdales. There is an interesting display of various modes of horse drawn transport.



Just for something different we decided to try the Woolworths Fresh Food pavilion. There was a cooking demonstration that The Elder wanted to look at. I've been to the Ekka many times but never stopped in there. WOW! It was amazing! Food. Glorious food! Cupcakes. German bakery. German sausages. Chilli. Wines. Seafood. Lebanese. Cheese. Dairy. Whoo! Finishing sauces and vinegars. We sample some things but spend a lot of time wandering.

Showbag pavilion of course. Ma had some orders so we went through. It was ... crowded. Of course.

We stayed for some of the night time entertainment and wondered at the many silly people trying to get into the grandstands with prams. There are no ramps only many stairs.

------------------------

Wednesday is a public holiday and we don't expect shops to be open. We took Fred for a walk up the road and 'cashed in' a winning Magnum stick. No winners this time. And I didn't share mine with Fred on the way home either.

------------------------

Thursday we spent out and about paying Elder's bills. I went to the library while she attend her Job Search network Thursday thing. Not much else went on except some housework. Wonderful stuff that, I can't get enough. *end sarcasm*

A parcel from Ma arrived. We didn't hear anything - Jerome began growling and walking toward the front door. Sure enough, the doorbell rang. Good watch-cat.

------------------------

Friday we're back out at the Ekka, catching up on all the pavilions we didn't get to see last time. And mostly to bring some extra cash with us to check out things at the Woolworths pavilion. We wandered spent more time there and wandered about really looking at things and taking free samples. Things we didn't do last time. We purchased a finishing vinegar with a black cherry flavour. It's very palatable, considering I don't like vinegar! It came with a free sample of white chocolate mousse. With a topping of some fairy floss that looked like wool and tasted wonderful. And the chilli stand was very well tested. We purchased a chilli/wasabi/mustard paste called double trouble. It's hotter than hot english.

We found the craft pavilion and I bought some delicious smelling soap. I gave Elder the one called Apple Jack *she has a thing for my little ponies* and it smells divinely of apple pie. Apples and cinnamon.

We checked the animal nursery and were just in time to witness the birth of a lamb. They have a special arena set up so that people can do just that.

We checked out the Agricultural pavilion and looked at the displays of fruits and veg. The winner of the biggest vegetable was a pumpkin of considerable size. There were hibiscus flowers and orchid displays. And a magic garden to boot.


We wandered through the dog pavilion and looked at the various breeds of dogs. Not an awful lot there - I suspect most of the showdogs had competed earlier in the week and gone home.

I decided not to stay for the night time entertainment that night. I wasn't dressed for the cold.

---------------------

Saturday was quiet and we made plans to go out for dinner. A friend works in a restaurant a suburb over and we've never been to Montezuma's before.

I wrapped Ma's showbags in the box she posted my parcel in. How considerate of her to send me a box that I could use. It's too late to post it now.

We had decided in advance what we would order but changed our minds when we got there. We shared a taco platter and a small bowl of salad and followed through with icecream topped with liqueur. Elder chose coconut rum and I chose Kahlua. Delish!

The place was bright and noisy, the service fast and extremely friendly. We'd been there an hour before we realised it. Our friend worked the bar and since we were seated close we got to chat with him occasionally while he made drinks. He was very busy!

---------------------

Sunday was recovery day as we wound down from the week. We spent a lot of time in front of the telly and napping.

All I have to do now is convince Elder to post that parcel...

All gone!

My week of solitary is almost over. Dang but I could get used to this.

I'm still on holidays and MOTH and Elder have been away this week. Some holiday it's been though.

Two whole lovely weeks of solid WoWing! Whoo hoo! Monday and I'm feeling energetic. I strip and remake the beds; mine and the spare. The sheets go through the wash. I change the cat litter. I catch up on the folding I've not yet done. I put fresh sheets on the single spare bed. The kitchen benches are wiped down, the recycling is put out to the bin and the rubbish tidied. I wash and put away any dishes left over from the night before and breakfast this morning. Might wash the towels too while I'm at it. The washing is brought in from the line and sorted and folded. What a day, I'm exhausted and I've just realised. No WoW.

----------------------------

Tuesday is a lovely fine day too. The shower needs cleaning. *dang but sheldon has the rips. i swear sometimes that cat would run across the ceiling if he could. nothing is safe* I need to wash my hair so I will clean out the shower while I'm at it. And the basin. And polish the mirrors too I think. I only do half the shower.

The bathroom floor is bugging me. It hasn't been cleaned properly for a long time. I get me a cloth, some water and some gumption. Hands and knees job to get into the corners I think.

Done.

Pizza for dinner tonight. I download the Dominos app so I can use that. I order for delivery. Dang. A minimum charge. But I don't feel like going out so I upgrade the order to include some sides. Couple bottles of softdrink and dessert.

Census time. I wasn't going to but I decide to fill it out online. Wow. Much easier than paper. I did it mid afternoon so my worry that the site would be bogged down was unfounded.

Time for a little WoW before I head off to bed.

----------------------------

Wednesday is lovely too. I think I'll take Fred for a walk. I've got a winning Magnum stick to 'cash' in and a dvd voucher. I'll collect them while I'm out. Hook up Fred and he walks himself. Technically speaking he's on a lead.... but he's being a bit silly at the lights. Elder is trying to get him to sit before he crosses the road. But he's sitting for a brief time then getting up and dancing around. On the road. Stupid dog.

We make it up the road and I hook him to the pole while I get the dvds and icecream. A family comes along when I unhook him and he's too distracted to come back to me so I can rehook him. Stuipid dog. Then he spends the rest of the walk home dagging about waiting for his turn at the icecream. He would be walking backwards if he could.

He gets the last couple of mouthfuls but I don't feel like walking him again.

Oh! And look! It's another winning stick.

I settle in for an afternoon of dvds and chat with my sibling Froggy. What shall I watch first? Sucker Punch since it's an overnighter. Then I watch I Am Number 4. And follow that with The Rite.

------------------------------

Thursday is shopping day. Budget and grocery lists take up some time in the morning. And I have SUCH A HEADACHE! It's making me sick to the stomach. Sinus. First one I have had for ages and ages. Luckily, today the nurofen seems to be doing it's job.

The shopping is a little more difficult than I thought. Calculator in one hand, list and pen in the other and I drive the trolly with my wrists. Good stuff. Think I'll shop in only one place today instead of splitting it into two. Sheesh the price of chicken thighs has gone up a bit. I wander down to the chicken shop but no, they are just as bad if not a little more. I head for the butcher. His are $9.99 a kilo.

I'm loading the groceries into the car boot and I am wondering which bag the lad put the eggs in. I wasn't watching.

I'm unpacking and I realise the eggs aren't there. Sigh. $2.71 for a dozen eggs I won't get back. I'm home now and can't be bothered going back for them.

I go back for a second watching of Number 4. I really enjoy the movie but it helps that my second favourite actor is in it. I watch the bloopers twice for the same reason. *mmmm timothy olyphant*

Second movie of the day is Season of the Witch. Witches, Aliens, Demons, Action. Not a girlie movie in sight....

------------------------------

Friday and ..... OMG who put me on a ship? I get up and the room is moving. Hello vertigo. It seems to level out when I sit still. I am not doing much today. *dammit. sheldon is still in a stupid mood and now he's knocked over the clothes basket. i think. i've not checked yet. yes. yes he has. luckily he's not trapped so i'm leaving where he is*

Froggy tries to convince me I have picked up a virus. Lots of weird little symptoms. Perhaps it is Dr time.

------------------------------

Saturday isn't any better.

------------------------------

Neither is Sunday. It suddenly dawns on me that perhaps it's my sinus. It did happen after all after the headache. And I've not had to clear my throat of gunk in the morning for a while. Hmmmm. But I might still need the Dr appointment. It's been a week now and no progress in the healing of my stress indicator. In fact it might even be worse. I can usually treat this with cortisone cream but you can't just buy this over the counter any more. *in the interests of tmi, my stress indicator is eczma. or a form of dermatitis. on my hands. bad.*

I do a load of washing and catch up on my recorded viewing. I'm a couple of episodes behind on A Game of Thrones and Torchwood: Miracle Day. I'm really enjoying these.

I decide I want nachos for lunch. And I can't find the corn chips. Looks like another thing got left behind at the supermarket. Sigh. I head out and buy some eggs and corn chips.

I'm in the rumpus room playing WoW. Finally. I no sooner log on to chat with some guild mates when I find a message on my phone. It's been in the other room. A request from Elder to join her questing ... on WoW. I log off and change realms. It occupies me for an hour or so. She knocks off to go pack and get ready for tomorrow.

Gosh. Time for bed already. Wow... So much for two solid weeks of that!

This week dragged a little while I waited for the weekend.

Trying to train one of the GTs to do part of my work when I go on leave. Heh, he keeps dodging the bullet so to speak. It's getting to late in the week and I tell him he'd better make it a priority or he might just find himself at work on Monday with no clue as to what to do. He pays some attention and has a go at doing some of the task. I speak to his supervisor and on Friday he's doing the work and asking some questions. I answer them as best I can.

------------------------------

Zman tells me one morning that he's on his way. Great timing, MOTH is 'busy' so we wait a little while. Off up the road and as we come around the corner the way is blocked by ... a fire engine. Our road is narrow and particularly windy so we can't quite see past it. A car comes down the road and past the engine. Wait! Another one. Tch, why is everyone on the road this morning? Oh right, cause we're a little late, right? The fireman directs us that we can go past and off we go. And now there is a garbage truck and a couple other cars slowing us down. Never rains, does it...

------------------------------

MOTH is heading away on Sunday to visit his friend up north. We need to sort out what sort of things he might need to take with him. I thought he'd done this but apparently on Saturday afternoon I discovered he hadn't. He assures me that the clothes will be dry by the time he's ready to pack them. Ok, fair enough. He puts the load on. It finishes and I end up pegging it out for him. He brings it in that afternoon and guess what, it's dry. Bah.

------------------------------

We are up at 6am on Sunday so he can catch the train. We're going from our local station and the only train we can catch that will have us there in time for baggage check in is ... 0703. Sigh. I'm standing in the train when I take this shot at 0645. What a time to be out and about on a Sunday!


We make the train in good time and we're on our way. Early of course. His train does't pull out till 0900. MOTH has been booked a triple berth for the trip. Much quicker to fly up there but the two day train trip in a triple berth sleeper is $157 return. Can't complain about that. Actually the trip is about 26 hours. He hopes he doesn't get a berth mate or two. But he does as the other bloke boards at the same time. MOTH signals to me that I can leave but I intend to stay until the train departs. I tell him that I need to make sure he actually leaves. He laughs at me through the window. Glad I did stay because this pulled into the platform not long after MOTH's train left.


I took this particular shot from my departure platform while I waited for my train home. Passengers were loaded for this one but they weren't headed to their original destination due to track work. They ended up doing a city circuit instead. I don't think it really mattered to the passengers!

------------------------------

The house feels really empty when I get back home. Very quiet. I amuse myself by making noise. I stripped my bed and changed the sheets. Remade the single bed which has been sitting unmade for several weeks now. Finished off the folding. Stripped the queen guest bed. Put away dishes, finished cleaning up the cat pee and changing the litter trays. Yes, forgot to mention that before. Sunday morning bright and early when I go to clean out the cat trays I notice that one of them has missed. Wonderful, and I don't have time to clean up properly. Sigh. Pets. Who'd have them.

But where was I? Oh yes, finished that off. Moved the spare tv from the dining area to MOTH's study. Still need to get a set top box for that one yet. Dumped the recycling that everyone seems to leave on the bench. And on the table. Whew. Tired. I head for a nap. Aaannnnd I've forgotten to get something out of the freezer for dinner. I decide to head up the road for takeaway. Yay! I can do that now.

Munch that in front of the tv. That can't be a good thing - I realise I've eaten the lot instead of only half of it. Suddenly Bones is on and I realise I must have dozed off. Finish watching Bones and head off to a too big bed. But at least I only have to make half of it in the morning!

Whoa? Where did today go?

Not much to rap about this week.

Sometime last week - alas I forgot to take notes - as we headed to the station, a small car zipped past us to wait at the lights. Couldn't miss it really. A small car, square or boxy in shape. Twin exhausts, chrome mags. Body kit. And the most beautiful fuscia colour I've ever seen on a car. Glossy and polished to the max. Driven by a bloke I might add....

------------------------------------

We read damnyouautocorrect.com. Hilarious. Typos and autocorrects offered by smartphones. Mostly iPhones. One of them corrected 'fuscia' to 'f*ckweasel'. I've never been able to look at fuscia coloured things the same way since.

------------------------------------

So MOTH has made his plans and we're looking at a train trip. Much much less expensive than flying but it will take two days travel. But, it seems I can't book it online. Ah well, any excuse for a trip into the city.

We get in and lo! The travel train office is shut. Annnnd we've missed it by about 15 minutes. What a stupid time to open. Open at 0830, close at 1010. On a Saturday. Sheesh!

Which leaves me kinda anxious but hey, might as well make a day of it.

Thongs. MOTH wants new thongs. Where are we going to go? Dunno. I get antsy when I'm in the city with a group though. No forethought and everyone seems to mill about waiting for someone else to take charge. Look in David Jones. It's my treat and he just about faints at the price of the shoes. For heaven's sake man! Don't look at the price! You'll never find a pair if you are bent on only paying $5! Leather thongs just aren't in that price range.

Eventually he finds a pair in Betts. Black leather, slightly padded. And on sale for half price - $40. He settles for those.

We browse through Myer. I'm wanting to check out a new line of cosmetics but their website says there is only one supplier in our state. We've looked around the centre, but can't find anything. I'm betting it's a boutique spot in Myer itself. They pooh pooh me but I drag them to look. And what do you know. There it is.

Pricey! Whoo! $62 for a palette of 6 shadows I think. The colours are lovely though now that I can see them in real life.

Lunch time. Chicken and avocado toasted sandwiches and iced chocolate for me and Elder, fish and chips for MOTH. Followed by a turkish delight latte. He approves.

I book the train tickets over the phone when I get home.

------------------------------

We're going for a walk and taking Fred. But Elder isn't out of bed. MOTH is. I talk him into going to a shopping centre that's a bit of a drive away. We leave and I text Elder to let her know.

We stop for a drink. I decide to buy a cover for my phone. Dang, the one I really like is $55 and I can't justify that. I choose another. Almost as expensive, but has some bling and some snakeskin pattern. Looks good.

Home and it's lunch time. I coax Elder out from under the blankets - she's awake but chatting to a friend on Skype. Our downloads have gone crazy. Apparently using video on Skype chews the bandwidth. Who would have thought? Not Elder apparently....

We walk Fred and get as far as across the road and there are a couple of kids chasing a guinea pig in the bushes. It's not theirs apparently, but it's definitely escaped from somewhere. Elder helps them for a while to try to herd it out from cover but it defeats them. The kids head home for lunch and we continue up the road.

Elder cashes in the free magnum winning stick and I purchase two more. No winners there. Dang.

This is confusing!

I don't know what happens to the start of my week. It just happens, takes care of itself. It's almost like I don't wake up till Thursday.

----------------------------

The Elder drove me to the station this Thursday. Zman had been off sick and this was his first day back. I love driving with her. She gives me 'permission' to let the inner child loose and we dance in our seats to the music.

She's waving her arms about and pretends to punch me in the head. There is a motorcyclist behind us. He is grinning widely and Elder is pumped. I've made someone smile and now I'm complete.

We round the corner and change lanes. As he passes the motorcyclist looks hard at the car. I wave and smile. He waves back. Sweet!

----------------------------

It's just another boring day at the office and I'm umming and ahhhing about going out tonight. I'm tired and by Friday evening all I really want to do is crash on the couch. If I do decide to go out, will I have enough time to get home first? Or will I have to go out and take my backpack and stuff with me?

Elder tells me, oh yes, we will have time to eat before we go. Ah. Well, I haven't got anything out of the freezer because I wasn't sure if we would be home. MOTH takes it out in the afternoon.

It's not defrosted and we decide to have pea and ham soup. We feed Zman as well and dinner is bright and happy with lots of talk of laughter. He leaves and it's off to the station - hmmm Team Shitbox is leaking again and the temperature gauge is creeping a little high. We have water on board though so situation isn't that dire.

The train gets us to the nearest station as the gig is about to start. We are heading out to support JD's band, Battleaxe. Ah well, if we miss them we at least made an effort to turn up. We arrive at the venue but Elder isn't sure where they might be. She makes me ask the bouncers. Yeah, cause she's all shy and stuff. Sigh. Sometimes it's tough to be the grown up.

We find them and it's ok. They haven't started yet. When they do, the crowd is happy and they get into the music. Some of their regular supporters are there. Elder recognises one of them and goes to say hello. It's hella loud but I'm having a great time. They finish the set and I'm ready to keep going. Elder decides she want to go home and play WoW *rolls eyes* but it's half ten so I can't complain. She's bought the t-shirt and had it signed.

-------------------------------

We're on tax time so MOTH and I head out to the tax agent. This year he had a small amount from his mother's estate so we don't get the full spouse rebate. But it's better than nothing. Mind, I could think of better ways to spend my Saturday morning.

I've got chicken lined up for dinner and since it involves a lot of garlic it's really only suitable for Saturdays. That gives a couple of days for the garlic smell to settle before work on Monday. Yay for clever planning!

I make steak sandwiches for lunch. I think they turned out alright.

There's a kid's movie on telly tonight and I let that run in the background.

-------------------------------

The weather is lovely but I intend to laze around today. I'm not in a hurry to get dressed. The Elder has other plans and bugs me to walk up to the markets with her and Freddy. I relent. MOTH decides to come with us. Are you driving or walking? Walking. Off we go and the walk is slow and it's not too warm.

A red car goes past and a girl leans out the window yelling Hellloooooo. We laugh. It's Cupcake.

Elder and I wander around the stalls and MOTH heads inside for a drink. Freddy is destined for a hydrobath and the wait is about twenty minutes. It's getting popular. We come back a little later and still have to wait but at least we can sit in the shade. A woman is standing out in the sun and chatting to passers by. Her dog is HUGE. He must be a mastiff. Or something.

The walk home is relaxing and the afternoon is spent doing not much of anything.

I've bought a bbq chicken while out. Warm chicken sandwiches for lunch today. I'm walking around the bench and I step on something hard. Without looking down I take another couple steps and it hasn't dislodged. I rub the bottom of the foot across the top of the other. OUCH! That stung. I look. I've actually stepped on a flat shard of glass and cut the top of my foot. Clever!

Bones is back on tonight and it wins over Serial Killer Sunday. What a choice to have to make!

My foot still stings...

Back! Back in the office groove

It's Monday again and I really don't know where the time goes.

This week I've been suffering a little with a stiff neck and shoulders. Nothing too drastic but possibly caused by not sitting straight at the keyboard and leaning on my desk.

Nothing really worth noting happened during the week, just the usual round of eat, sleep and work. I'm playing Words with Friends on facebook and even my opponents there have been quiet, taking ages to make their next move.

Thursday afternoon we drove Zman home. He had been away at a conference the previous day and brought the work car back that morning. He lives a fair way out so it was an interesting trip with new scenery. We did get lost at one point - he and MOTH were yapping in the front and missed the turn.

Friday the weather turned a little and showers appeared. The Elder had gone out to a Shortstack concert and we were home alone. MOTH stayed in the study and I watched a couple of movies on Foxtel and distracted myself at the same time reading, and playing Words with Friends. The first movie was Green Zone. I expected an action packed thriller much like the Bourne movies, but no. It was nothing like that at all. The second was Death Race 2. I had much more of an idea about that one!

Around 3am Saturday morning I went to roll over in bed and POW! The neck and shoulders thing hit properly. Either a muscle spasm or a pinched nerve. I decided it might be a pinched nerve - it felt like I'd hit my funny bone as well, with aching elbow and light pins and needles in my fingers.

Later that morning we had an appointment with the tax agent to do my return. I always get nervous before these appointments. I didn't get as much back this year as MOTH had received a small windfall which had an impact. But at least I can afford to send him north on his holiday. We just have to decide train or plane.

Off to the Village after the appointment to relax a little and I discovered I couldn't even tip my head back to have a drink of MOTH's coke. Dang.

That night, he cooked a beautiful roast pork dinner. One of those meals where everything you touch just works. The veg were good, cooked and not burned. The meat was moist and the crackling crackled and not salty.

Sunday we all headed out to catch the 10am screening of Harry Potter 7.2. I chose a 'local' cinema instead of the big name. Three tickets cost me $25.50. So with tickets, a drink and twisties to munch on it cost less than $40. A good outing!

On the way we passed a woman walking up the hill. Her hair was wild and fuzzy. Her cap was purple. Her backpack was purple. Her jacket and leggings were purple. Wonder what her favourite colour was??

I loved the movie. And I didn't cry anywhere near as much as I thought I might. I got sniffly when a character I liked died, a bit more when a man cried *i nearly ALWAYS do that!* I think a girl down the front of the theatre was crying too, and possibly sniffles from a woman at the end of our row. Glad I wasn't the only one!

The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out some washing and facebooking. Gosh, a fastlane life that!

Argh! Hamster Dance is stuck in my head!

My week didn't actually start until Thursday. Well, I'm sure it started before then, but I don't recall.

The Elder decided to drop me off at work on Thursday morning. I had to be at work for a training course and Zman couldn't guarantee he could manage that early. Yes *nods* I start work after 9am. We take Team Shitbox out for a run. The music cranked loud and we bounce around in the car at the lights while we sing along. Loudly. Badly. Who cares. It starts the day well. Almost there and it time to stop for traffic control while they are working on the road.

We're dancing and singing and I glance out the window. A very good looking young traffic fella is smiling and waving at us. I wave back and Elder ducks her head. Yes, who would want to be in the same car as a maniac mumma? She told me later that on the way back, he waved again.

Friday I spent the morning packing. Elder and I were headed off for an adventure that evening and timing meant I would have to leave straight from work. I'm a skirts only kinda girl and we were anticipating it would be freeze-em-off cold. What to wear?! What to wear?!

The day lasted a loooooong time.

Finally time to finish work and run to get changed. You know, I never realised how difficult it is to get long trousers over sandshoes when you can't be bothered taking them off. It might have been quicker to actually remove the shoes, don said trakky dacks and put the shoes back on.

The traffic on the way to the Coast wasn't too heavy and we sang and 'danced' along to the music. Suddenly the stereo cut out. Uh oh. It switched back on and the process was repeated several times over the course of the song. Ummmm. We stopped dancing. It occurred again. Oh no! Team Shitbox has a short somewhere! Elder thinks it might be the cold air making contact with the broken antenna. After a time, she notices it happens each time she brakes. Worrying. The headlights flicker. We are quiet for the rest of the trip. We're meeting up with Sunny and Sparks and hope they've bought the car so we can grab a lift home if we need to.

We're at Screamworld! Yay!!! *many exclamation marks* It's Dreamworld at night, from 6.30pm to 10pm. The entry is packed but it's fine when we all stream through the gates and disperse. We go in and meet up with the boys shortly after. Uh oh. They've come in the PedoVan. *sparks's work van. it's big and white with no markings. there are no back seats*

I have an absolute blast. I spend my time holding gear and talking to Sunny while Sparks and Elder do the rides thing. A bit of dancing in the street near the DJs. I wasn't as cold as I thought I would be until we get to the Giant Drop. Standing and waiting there I could see our breath pluming white and the cold began to seep through the jacket and jumper.

The night culminated in a dazzling laser light display and we headed out to the car. Turn the key and ...... nothing. Dead. As a dodo. Elder ends up head down bottom up checking fuses. Nope, they seem ok. Pop the bonnet and ... one of the leads has come adrift from the battery terminal. Fix that up and Team Shitbox is good to go.

We're on the way home and I get a text message. The Teen is heading home with the person she came down with and suddenly the person wants extra money to travel home. Earlier on in the week the agreed amount for BOTH her and Skywalker was $50. Now the girl wants $110 from 3 of them. They have managed to pool resources and scraped together $70 for their share. I was so angry! To have the rules changed like that and be expected to pay extra! Considering the girls were coming this way anyway and offered the Teen, Skywalker and Sharps a lift.

AND I HAD TO TRAVEL ALL THE WAY OVER TO THE NORTHSIDE to drop them off and collect the GPS (Karen) that MOTH was nice enough to lend them. And the girl wouldn't negotiate the price down.

I realised later there was some facebooking going on about this. I read the comments and changed my opinion. It wasn't the girl being the pushy cow, it was her friend, chiding Teen for spending all her money on shoes that this person didn't think were necessary. Why did you spend all your money on shoes, since when are shoes more important than paying your way. You've just used her. That kind of thing.

So Saturday saw us heading out to the northside, about 45 minutes away. And no Karen. Sooo ... we got lost. I had printed out some Google directions. MOTH and I discussed which way we would go. I was confused because I couldn't envision what he was talking about and let it go.

It cost us a toll too because we decided to cut a little time and go through the tunnel.

We reached the section MOTH had been talking about and he took the turn off. No! That wasn't the one we needed! Sigh. The directions were now useless. Dammit man! We exchanged some words *as you do* and he continued to drive. He kept asking about the road we have to look for. I dunno! I tried to say that the road name I had was only viable from the motorway and I never looked at the map to see what was on the other side. *note to me. it's now 2 days later and i think there is actually a street directory in the car door... duh*

MOTH gave me his phone but the daylight was too bright for the screen and I couldn't see a thing. Didn't help that I didn't have my glasses with me. The Teen rescued us with her blackberry from the back seat.

We dropped them off, took back Karen and headed out again. And got lost. But this time we weren't trying to meet a deadline so it didn't matter. Saw plenty of nice houses and the beach. It would have been nice to stop but it was too windy.

That afternoon Elder and I veged in front of the telly meeting Rango and applauding Pascal from Tangled.

Sunday lunch time Elder and I walked Freddy up to the shops to get some groceries. The weather was lovely. Freddy introduced himself to a couple of Boys in Blue before we dropped the DVDs back. Elder took him around the market while I went to the supermarket. The rest of the day was spent playing WoW till dinner time.

And now it's Monday all over again. Sigh.

July? What happened to January?

Yes. July. July 4 to be precise. I really don't know where the first half of this year has gone. I hope the rest of it doesn't go so fast! What do you think my chances are?

The Elder has been manic this week. She calls it her manic stage and I have to agree. She's been in a terrific mood, laughing and joking. It's been a couple of weeks now and she's leveling out a little. I'm not looking forward to the crash when it comes.

I seem to have forgotten notes for the week. I've been very slack with that lately. And I'm sure that this week there have been some funny things going on. At home, anyway.

Work hasn't improved much.

An appointment with the resident quack on the Friday. The check of my iron levels seems to reveal a slight improvement. Not as much as the doctor would would like, but an improvement just the same. I'm now to go back to taking the supplements along with Vitamin C to help absorption. There is no point continuing the injections. *my butt is happy with that*

Lunch today to farewell my other supervisor *i have two* as she heads off to her new project. We have lunch at the local fish and chippery. I have battered cod with crumbed calamari rings, chips and a crab claw. $12.50. Not a huge serve but filling none the less. It's been years since I've eaten crab. It was mudcrab and I recall being less than impressed. This was sweeter than I remember, but I'm still not impressed. *incidentally, it was a little piece of claw sticking out of a ball of white stuff which was crumbed* The fish is sweet, just cooked and the batter crisp.

I meet a friend there whom I've not seen for a time. He's been unwell too and as I explained about the iron, we laughed about becoming Magneto.

Saturday I had planned to clean the bathroom.

That evening while preparing dinner, the front doorbell rang. The Elder went to answer it - MOTH can never hear it - and a heap of people trooped in. Whaaa? The Teen, Skywalker and the girls who delivered them.

I am definitely surprised.

They tell me they are here for the week.Strap in everyone, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Sunday night as I change into my jammies, I realise that I didn't clean the bathroom. Sigh.

Mmmmm. Coffee

I was about to say another quiet week at work, but I guess it really wasn't.

I've noticed one of my stress indicators has appeared *i don't feel stressed but three key indicators let me know that i'm just fooling myself* and seems to be getting worse. I think I need a week off work.

Wednesday I was set a task but felt like I wasn't actually allowed to do it. My supervisor, C, asked me to cost a trip for her. To complete this part of the task I don't need much detail, but she proceeded to give me plenty. When I questioned a flight time she became upset and we argued. Sheesh I thought, I've been doing this job for 5 years now, I don't need to be micromanaged!

I emailed to apologise later that evening; explained where I was coming from. She pointed out where she was coming from and all is good.

I was looking forward to the weekend and a bbq for MOTH's birthday.

And then Zman and his boss R *both attending the bbq* had an altercation on Friday. Blimmin heck! That might make things awkward!

I asked Zman later that day if they had made up and he said that his boss had apologised.

We decided we'd dine indoors for the bbq - the weather has been cold overnight. The menu was sausages and salad. Dessert was caramel tart and MOTH's favourite condensed milk tart. The filling for that one is purely condensed milk with enough lemon juice to make it set. I thought I would make the caramel the old fashioned way. It took ages and just didn't seem to want to caramelise very well. I went to lift it out of the boiler and pow! It tipped over and spilled the contents into the water. Gads I was cranky. MOTH went up to the supermarket and bought the tin of the prepared stuff. Next time I think I will use that. Bugger the mucking around.

Cupcake *who had asked for the bbq i might add* didn't turn up so it was a cozy set of JD, MOTH, Elder, Zman, R and his wife, and myself. I was very much on edge when the phone rang and one of the guests hadn't arrived. I was expecting him to beg out due to the other person. But luckily, he did not.

I would have been SO not impressed.

I was still a little wary but they behaved themselves. They left around 10pm. MOTH and the Elder to bed not long after. JD was sleeping over so we talked and listened to music while he facebooked. I left him at about 1.30am.

Sunday was a relaxing and take it easy day. Not much by way of dishes from Saturday to clean up and not a lot of food left over either.

Roast lamb for dinner Sunday. MOTH's birthday on Monday and I wouldn't have time to cook it. The lamb worked well but the veges didn't so much. By the time I carved *tore* and dished up they had gone cold. Gotta love winter!

Getting close

It's been a very quiet week.

The Elder got to her flight on time. We were out of bed at 03:45 for a 04:15 departure as it takes about 3/4 of an hour at that time of the morning to get to the airport. She had to be there by 05:00. We drove out in Team Shitbox as it had more fuel. MOTH refused to drive it on the way home. Ok, I say, but you keep an eye out cause you're navigating *not his strong point*

Just out of the airport and it's keep left or keep right? Right he says and as we head up the onramp he says ... oh wait, maybe it was left.... So we had to do a little tour round some of the back streets. I wasn't happy but although he doesn't navigate as well as he should *not paying close attention and who needs a map anyway* he does manage to find his way out of 'lost'.

Driving back beyond that is an experience. Team Shitbox needs fixing and she doesn't have the funds. Neither do we. But we make it home and I'm all for going back to bed for a little while.

The afternoon of the same day, Dad arrives for his appointment with the specialist the following day. It's good to see him.

They head out the next day at 07:00 and Zman has to come to the house as I have no way of getting to the swap point. I'm standing in the wind with my long coat on and my hands are so cold I have to put away the iPad and put them in my pockets instead.

Dad leaves on Wednesday and from then on the rest of the week is veeeeeery quiet.

Thursday MOTH phones me at work. The Teen has an appointment at the hospital today for what I assume is pre-op for the melanoma. But no, she's having it removed then and there with a local anesthetic.

Friday we attend a linen party for an old neighbour of ours. We are the only ones to turn up. The stuff is lovely but very expensive. I purchase a tri-pillow and a pillowcase. It's $64.00. It's MOTH's birthday present I tell him.

Saturday The Teen tells me her arm is very sore. Ah well. Seems they offered her painkillers at the hospital but she said she already had some. Turned out she didn't. But hey, they've never given me the choice before, don't know why they did there. She thought she had 13 stitches - then tells me that Skywalker had been looking at it and there might be more. The incision site is about 5cm long *2inches*. Hmmm. No wonder it's a bit ouch.

Today is Monday again, and The Elder comes home today. There goes the neighbourhood! But Freddy will be ecstatic!

How strange it's been.

It's been a week full of nothing much and yet everything. It has just flown by so quickly.

On back to work Monday I found out that one of the managers has resigned. This manager is the one who looks after that new task I was assigned. I'm a little worried as she will be taking quite a bit of knowledge with her about the project and anyone who replaces her won't have that since she has been with the project from the beginning guiding it through it's various phases. On the other hand, she's very happy to be moving on to manage a multimillion dollar project elsewhere in the University.

The Teen and Skywalker are still here and still panicking about purchasing their ticket home. She was expecting her allowance into her bank today but it's not there. Apparently Centrelink have changed her reporting but failed to notify her. She goes into the office and has that fixed. It means though, that she can't buy the ticket home until Wednesday, the day before they are due to return.

And as they are still here, there still seems to be people in my house most every night. Is that right, or am I just imagining it because that's the way it feels?

Wednesday night is their last night here. And I'm not busy doing home stuff so I am thinking I would be able to spend some time with them. But no, one of her friends and the boyfriend are coming over. And later on, another. DAMMIT! So not happy. Later Skywalker comes to me to tell me that he is taking the others for a walk so the Teen can spend some time with me. We spend a little time talking and laughing and then I go to bed.

I'm restless and can't really sleep. It's after 1am and there are still people out in the back yard. On a week night. I put my head out the window and tell Teen to send them home. That's when I find out they intend to stay up all night and sleep on the train. I think my head exploded then. I take her to task about being inconsiderate to both MOTH and I, not to mention the neighbours. They aren't exactly quiet. She begs me to let them stay all night, and I eventually allow it. On the proviso that they be gone before I get up at 6.30 in the morning.

Thursday morning early and I'm surprised to see them still awake and also fully packed! MOTH is taking me to work *no public transport this morning!* and he won't be back in time to get them to the train. They will have to come with me and catch the train to the city from a different station.

Uh oh. I'm working from home again on Friday and .... I have to find a way to get the laptop home with me. Trying to handle two bags on public transport is no fun. I dunno how those ladies with multiple bags do it. For me, if it doesn't fit in the handbag it doesn't come with me. I end up taking the backpack with a special space for the laptop. It's heavy and bulky but at least I don't have two bags.

And I rock up to the office on Thursday morning .... and I've forgotten to transfer my work keys over. *dang* And not only that, I'm the FIRST one in the office. Great. I head downstairs to get someone with a master key to let me in. She's gobsmacked that at 9.12 in the morning I am the first one in.

She opens the office and leaves and I settle in at my desk. Then of course I realise that I am stuck in my area because all the connecting doors to other parts of the office are still locked. No coffee for me yet.

I catch the bus home that day instead of the train. I'm waiting at the city stop and watching the people going by at the end of their day. A group dressed in business suits hurries past; they're all wearing rubber masks of American Presidents. Most are Nixon but I think I spy a Carter or two *or is it meant to be clinton? i can't see the teeth so possibly the latter* and definitely Obama. I hear Obama giggling and muttering to her mate that anyone would think they were going to be robbing banks....

The temperature has been slowly dropping through the week to a maximum daytime temperature of around 17C. That's about 62F. Friday I have a doctor appointment so I can lay in bed a little longer. *geez i hate winter* I'm working from home so I run the heater most of the day. I was aiming for a couple of hours but it just didn't seem to want to warm up.

MOTH finally tells me that I've actually got it set on cool. *facepalm*

Saturday is still cold. The house is certainly NOT warm and cozy, having big rooms, tiles and 9 foot ceilings. It's hard to keep warm. I spend the day in my flannie jammies and dressing gown. This day I also add sheepskin slippers.

Sunday is much the same, although a little warmer. I don't need the slippers.

This afternoon there is a thunderous crash that sets Jerome and Sheldon on edge and startled MOTH and I.

*side story: the elder told one of her skype friends the names of said felines. jerome pronounced jeremy. no he insisted. jerome is jerome. a big black man's name. she said the other cat's name was better. sheldon. ha he said. that just sounds like a redneck name. we lol'd big time. jerome is indeed black, and sheldon is ginger*

MOTH ventured out to check. *brave brave man. unless it was a spider* He reported that a palm frond had come down. Some time later the cats were still unsettled. I glanced out the glass door ... to see a big brown pheasant standing on the railing of the gazebo.

I'd have taken a photo but my only camera *phone* is redlining the battery and wouldn't function as such. Darn. What's for dinner again MOTH asks. The bird stays there for a while then disappears.

So it's 4.30pm Sunday afternoon. Thankfully it's a long weekend. Queen's Birthday weekend. No sleep in for us though. The Elder is headed out to the airport and has to be there by 5am. Guess who gets to drive her??

Stuff

It's been open house this week. The Teen and Skywalker are still here; it seems that there has been at least one of their friends visiting every night.

It's still noisy, I don't think either of them have a volume control.

Work is progressing as usual. The Director came in tohave a chat to our section about the proposed change. He spent a little time explaining the background of his decision to restructure and what it might mean for us. The General Manager left the room so that we might freely discuss how we felt about things. Few of us actually spoke out beyond asking a coupleof questions. I for one did not speak at all. I chose to express my opinion directly to the .... *ahem* Director.

Friday was time for my next injection and a work from home day. Alas, I found out that morning that the last of our download quota had been used the night before. Uh oh. I hope that isn't going to affect my work. It did. That, or the VPN wasn't working properly. I couldn't access the database or the folders I needed.

That Friday is The Teen's birthday. She had a party lined up for the evening. MOTH cooked roast lamb for dinner. Delicious. Friends are scheduled to arrive around 6pm. We've finished dinner and she and Skywalker move to the table outside to wait. 6pm goes by. 7pm goes by. No one is arriving. Eventually two friends come in. They stay for a while then leave. *gods i detest how rude young people are these days. Rsvp yes then don't bother to turn up or just don't rsvp at all* She's running out of smokes and can't afford to buy anything to drink. The mood is low and she doesn't want to party anymore. It doesn't look good. Another friend and her boy turn up. The two earlier friends return. That's better.

Then she finds out that the source she was relying on for her return ticket has fallen through and she now has to find $160 for tickets to return home. Never rains....

JD has finished band prac and is in the area and headed our way. Whoo! He rocks up looking swish in his white shirt, black vest, black skinnys and metal tipped tooled leather boots.

The Elder informs me the next morning that it was after 3am before they headed off to bed.

That day I spent the day in my jammies. Because I just didn't feel like getting changed. The Elder had a minii breakdown. We decide it's likely due to over stimulation - too many people and too much noise. But we are having people over to visit again. Sunny and his friend Sparky came over. I was watching a tv series marathon and Sparky became engrossed as well. They left after midnight.

I spent Sunday in my jammies too. Just because I didn't fel like getting changed. Until it was time to bleach The Elder's hair. Heaven forbid that I get bleach on my Jim Beam flannies! I finished the second series of the marathon and went on to watch part 1 of The Andromeda Strain mini series. They gave the impression it was new, but I am sure I have seen it before.

Curried chicken with rice for dinner *dang, there isn't enough!* and Serial Killer Sunday.

Catch y'all next week.