Today I Write

If my post this morning seemed a little over the top, it's because at writing class last Friday, Maria asked us, for homework, to write over the top. Conservative as I am, that was the best I could do. I enjoyed it.

The mowing and pruning I did on Saturday was at Hughesie's, and the farm. I do the apple tree every year in Alan and Shirley's back yard at Avonsleigh. Alan is 87 now and Shirley is also octogenerian (I posted on Alan Shirley on 2 Oct 2007). Shirley has suffered for three weeks with a torn muscle/ligament in her neck and hasn't been able to do any gardening, so I mowed the small area of flat grass in front of the house that she usually does frequently with an old push mower. While at it I did the nature strip which I normally do several times a year. I didn't stay for a drink, I moved onto the farm and pruned the apple trees down the back, nearly finishing.

We (boys too) went out to dinner in celebration of Lib's birthday that night, to 'Forest Edge' restaurant in Launching Place Rd. just down from us. It's been open two or three years but it was our first visit. We were most impressed. It's up market and the food was excellent. It opened around the last state election. I was handing out How To Vote cards for the Greens and the owner of Forest Edge was handing out fliers for his restaurant. I told him this on Sat night. He said most people told him they put his flier in the ballot box to make it look like they were voting. I congratulated him on the meal and for surviving through difficult times. He responded, "Only the insane."

I heard on the radio that Aug 22, Lib's birthday, is also the anniversary of Captain James Cook claiming the east coast of Australia for England in 1770. How fitting that on the weekend The Ashes were in the balance as England and Australia battled out the decider at the Oval. I was so glad the Poms won. For years I've barracked against the Australian cricket team. Their brashness, cockiness, sheer bad manners and lack of humility rile me to the point of cricket treason. Before the deciding test captain Ricky Ponting was confidant, saying his team had the talent and now the form to win this game. He said England was panicking picking Trott for his first test and they would put pressure on him and not give him any easy runs. Well Trott was the hero with a second innings century and the victory was by a big margin. As usual when Australia loses the Aussie media and commentators whinged about the umpiring.

Lib worked on Sunday, I cooked. Amongst Lib's birthday presents was a new slow cooker so I put a curry chicken casserole in it and an ox tail stew in the old one. They are both tucked away in the outside fridge for use this week. In my list of loves this morning I should have included cooking. While they were cooking I did the vegies for the roast chook for our dinner yesterday and along with the washing and general housework my day was pretty full. I was happy to get the downpipe repaired, I'd been watching the leak spilling water down the fascia and onto the timber deck for weeks, and it builds up in the phsyche till peace of mind is seriously threatened.

The Gembrook market opened up again. I saw the stall holders setting up in the morning on my walk. It looked a bit light on for numbers but I've heard no reports how it went.

Mark and Jane Tobin had a baby girl named Poppy a couple of weeks ago. When I bumped into them walking down the main street, Poppy was in a pouch in front, the strap supported by Jane's neck. Everything is going well and so far Poppy is the perfect baby. They said Poppy was a wonderful gift after many years trying to concieve.

It's nearly spring officially. We're being hammered by the media and the authorities about bushfires. People are genuinely frightened. I'm hoping Edgar is right. Edgar used to have a florist shop in Camberwell that we used to supply. He sold his business many years ago and moved to Emerald, and lives on the top of a wooded hill facing north, a hot spot you might say. I bumped into him in the Emerald Fruit Barn last Friday as I often do. He follows a NZ long range forecaster who says September will be wet, October not bad, Christmas wet, January as hot as hell, to be followed by a wet Feb with the fire season over early.