OverNight Estelle

 There was plenty of Grandie action while the parents were out caroling at the local rock band show.  Estelle was visiting her cousins and sleeping over for the first time while her parents were away. How exciting and there was also pizza just to make it Cowabunga time. The grandies are getting more and more into music games like the musical chair dance. There was also backyard tennis, scooters, trampolining, tea parties, tree climbing and the obstacle course. Whew!  We kept this going until dark as we had to see the Christmas lights set up in the front yard. Yes they all fell asleep totally spent. Hooray.

Elf -Tastrophe

If you start a thing then there is bound to be consequences. Elves are now appearing on shelves everywhere after a book and toy business took off. There must also have been complaints about traumatised kids whose Elves had lost their powers after accidentily being touched. So now we have more books with more rules making it even more complicated for kids to have a Christmas.  As it turned out for today, Asher, Kaia and Estelle had two elves watching their every move. So we get back inside and one of the elves is on the floor.  Pandemonium has completely taken over as to what happened and how to recover. There was a lot of screaming about the recovery procedure.  First I was given tongs to pick up the elf but getting him back to the same position is almost impossible using tongs. There was more toppling over and jumping back out of the way in case there was a touching, when the Elf cartwheeled back down again. After a prolonged conference, three little girls with good intent, said the elf should be moved to a better sitting position.  So after 20 minutes of angst, he was now safe on the sideboard.  But then it started again as one elf was high up and the other low down, so I then delicately moved the higher one to match the same location.  OK now we all need a good lie down.

Oh No

Major Coniption

 My laptop was stuck this morning and it took a forced power down to restart it, which did not work so well as a windows repair procedure took over and it hasn't been the same since. I can update this blog but the biggest issue is getting my twin screens recognised. Windows simply says they are not there. Everything else attached to my expansion box is ok, except the monitors. I went across for a swim but am not submerging my face just at the moment.  It was calm for a change and the sea grass beds are stripped with mostly sand available now. This will change by the end of Summer however for now it is sandy straits.  Now that I have had my constitutional, I have downloaded the latest Intel Graphics driver and installed it, which has worked a treat. The Dell web page is very good, which was just as well, as the support period for this PC has expired last year.

It is interesting how this sign goes up two weeks back and then I start seeing echidnas

Echidna Rescue

I was coming back from a beach session. This was a bit earlier due to winds that were coming later however getting the wind behind you may help to throw further.  The hole in the path is getting bigger and there does not seem to be much action so far in getting it fixed.  Generally echidnas do not like to get caught out in the open. The last time I saw this happen, a huge hole was dug to hide in. This one was stuck under a wire fence and two strands of it were entwined in bristles.  I first tried getting the spikes clear from under the wire which worked ok when he burrowed a bit deeper.  I can tell you that echidna spikes remind me of knitting needles, same width, same feel but these are sharp at the end. The wires were still pressing down on him so then I started tugging hard on those to lift them. My elbow gave a little yelp but it was ok and I was not leaving this critter stuck. Eventually there was a gap below the wire so we will go back later to make sure he escaped thru.

Late Orchid Hunt

 I was reading the local mag about such a good orchid hunt that was held last month around Anglesea and I know I had been waiting for an appropriate window to do one for ourselves but it just wasn't happening. How hard is it to co-ordinate three people. We did get out and about today, back to the Inverleigh nature reserve where we have had success before. This time not so much. There were many wild colourful flowers, swathes of orange, yellow and purple but is there an orchid in amongst them. We do not think so, as we were too late this time. There was a father and son team walking behind us who said they had seen plenty of high growing clumps of orchids three weeks ago.  The son was an avid birder who had come for the elusive kingfisher and knock me down with a a kingfisher feather when he found one and pointed it out to us in the tree right there, with a bug in its mouth. There were in fact a breeding pair that had come south for the Summer. 

It was still a good walk, more like a wander in reasonably clear bush land for maybe 3km in total with a lot of the time looking down. There are prickly trees about. We finished off with lunch at the Inverleigh pub and there will be no need for a large meal tonight.  I did find some 3D christmas toenail orchids.

Putting Session No 6

 Weather conditions are conspiring to limit my putting practice. Not to forget ailment conditions like a sore left elbow and the currently required face eating cream which are both painful distractions. In any case I tried a session this morning and I believe there is a slight improvement out to 9m. Hooray. Also I am keen to wear the paint of this put ball becuase it would be a telltale sign that I have talked the talk but not walked the walk or maybe fronted the foot but not putted the put.  Also I have spied a strawberry guarding marigold that has popped out of our patch. They are meant to deter the aphids. 

Indoor Summer day

 The BOM issued a warning about the coldest Dec 1 since 1996 with snow down to 1000 metres. I ventured out yesterday and I am not making the same mistake today. These squalls are ripping thru but we are supposed to be warming up mid week. So it is indoor time today for reading, contemplation and watching the suffering out on the bay where I can see the shell fish man trying to haul great strings of mussel and oyster into his boat. That is cold wet work. I got a trivia book off the shelves that was given to me in 1979. Now this type of resource is where you went before the internet. I have a quote here from a random page talking about the colour Green. This was the colour of Mr Spock's blood. Also listed was the Green Lantern's superhero motto.

                            In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight

                        Let those who worshp evil's might, beware my power - Green Lantern's light.