Last Day of Winter

Officially today is the end of winter. August was interesting. Plenty of rain, cold weather, wind, is my main recollection. The demands of work were unrelenting with wholesalers chasing blossom, daphne, pieris, bay and variegated pittosporum in particular, with less frequent requests for trailing ivy, jasmine and variegated box, which, along with the pitto have been difficult as the source has been picked over and is hard to find and needs time to grow.

Many times I have lamented my lot at age 64 to be out in the cold and rain picking, however a hot bath at day's end soon convinces me that it greatly preferable to commuting in heavy traffic and sitting in traffic jams. On my odd trips to greater Melbourne for purchasing or medical appointments I wonder at the mental resilience of the thousands of people around me who do this every day. Not a good way to live.

Melbourne! The world's most liveable city, apparently, was the blurb during August. Strewth! I'd hate to driving around the others. I can't get out the place quick enough.The media was also full of outrage at carjackings, home invasions, street violence, homelessness and ice addiction. Somebody is full of bullshit.

May, June, July and August were all cold here in the hills with above average rainfall. I just squeaked through with the wood supply and I'm glad now to see the odd blowie in the house during the day. As the sun comes out and temperatures rise they become more frequent meaning it's not long before I close off the chimney and forget about carting wood into the house till about next May.

August also saw the coming and going of the Olympic Games. They don't interest me anymore I must say, probably because the drugs in sport thing and the gross commercialization and saturation of sport on TV has smothered it for me, or it could be just old age creeping up on me and my wonder of the natural world and gardens and plants overrides all the hype thrown at me. It did not concern me that expectations of more gold medals were not met. In fact I was glad of it, I don't like the tone of the national supremacy that goes with success at the Olympics.

Also I see Sri Lanka gave us a three nil hiding in the cricket. Again I'm glad of this, so I don't have to cringe at the supremacy antics and lack of humility of the cricketers and reporters that goes with it. On our toilet wall is a newspaper clipping of the Aussies being bowled out for 60 in August last year. That was a beauty.

The squabbling goes on. Same sex marriage, plebiscite, yay or nay. The CFA dispute. Uber v taxis, the crippling national debt. On and on it goes, seemingly no resolutions in sight. I should be like Rickyralph. He deliberately doesn't listen to the news on TV or radio. As the Greek proverb goes, "Nothing worth knowing happens more than a donkey's ride from the village."

Speaking of Ralphie, he nailed me by 2 on the post in the footy tipping. If Collingwood had won it would've been a tie but as it happened Hawthorn's last minute win by a point sunk me. Congrats Rickyralph. It was a neck and neck struggle with a head bobbing finish.

My health is good. I got over that neuralgia head business with a couple of weeks of increased cortisone dose as instructed by doctor. I'm back on reduced dose now and travelling well, a little sore around the ribs shoulders and collarbone but working well, surprising myself sometimes how good I feel. I see specialist Sep 14.

September looms. I'm up for it.