Old People

We had an old people's day today, so I thought another sunset would make a pleasant accompaniment to the text.

To be completely fair, one of us did go off to gym while the other sat in the queue with the other geriatrics at the pathology clinic, waiting to have the sorts of blood tests that require fasting, then the other went to have her eyes tested and organise a new set of reading specs, arriving home just in time to pass the baton to yours truly who was off to watch "Mr and Mrs Smith" on the ceiling of the dentist's suite.

It didn't ease the pain at all to know that by the time we'd had lunch we'd managed to rack up a four figure debt on the new credit card that purports to be made of some sort of exotic metal but which for all the world looks and feels like plastic.

But then we probably earned enough frequent flyer points to send us to Beerwah, and all being well will have saved any nasty surprises while in foreign climes at the same time.

The first fire of winter.

The temperature made it below 18° in the house tonight, so it was fair game to light the fire.   It's probably going to be this way for the next three weeks no matter what the temperature.   Eight years ago, I removed much of the vegetation from what was at the time our garden, and cut it into fire sized bits, and then I removed all the roof battens and cut them into fire sized bits.

Then I stored them in the boat shed waiting for a cold and rainy day.  

We still look for excuses to ignite it and I'm not sure that we'll be moving the rest of the pile when we leave, so there's no need to be sparing this year!

It's funny how we acclimatise though.  Next month we will be in summer, and the temperatures will be similar, and we won't be feeling cold at all.

Reparations

There are sales on in the luggage department of Myers and most other places at the moment, and last year I suffered a blowout in the left wheel on my bag.  It cost $75.00 and it's been around the world a couple of times, or maybe more come to think of it, and I'm not sure that we've had our money's worth just yet.

So today I started to repair the wheel axle, and the other wheel mount, and the clip on the handle, and the internal braces, and I made a new internal stiffener.   Oh, and new mounting brackets for the wheels.

By the time I've finished it will weigh more than our luggage allowance, but at least I'll get a few more years out of it.

I think

Say Aaaargh

An extra ordinary sunset this evening just about capped off the day perfectly, but I had to settle for quick snap from the office chair as I couldn't get away from the Mother on the phone for the few seconds that the ripples lasted.

Today was the "check up" day at the dentist, not remarkable one would have thought, but check ups seem to take forever these days.  Gums get measured, teeth get coated, I get chastised (gently of course) and we walk out missing the cost of a return trip to Tasmania from our credit card account, but infinitely more confident in the treatment than that which we have received for the greater part of our lives.

We leave after forty minutes of care, without bleeding gums and echos of scraping in our ears, or skid marks on our tongues from where the scrubbing brush covered in Ajax had slipped.  We like our new dentist a lot.

I suspect I'd like here even more if I didn't have to go back on Monday to have a couple of old repairs repaired.

Oh well, the new credit cards arrived today, so at least we'll get double frequent flyers points for the next lot.

Thursday

Bill Lawrie is fond of exclaiming "it's all happening" whenever there's a bit of an incident during a cricket match that he's commenting on, and I know how he feels.

We've put looking for houses on temporary hold, the countdown timer is getting too loud in our ears for that sort of nonsense.  

It's time to take a big deep breath, look out the window at the little pink clouds on the water, and start making a list.

A very long list.

Unmoved

Perhaps I should have set out to do a daily sunset from the living room blog.  

It seems that the clouds haven't moved since last night, but the colours have got a little less subtle.  Which is exactly where I got to with the last of the paintings before deciding that it isn't going anywhere for the rest of this year.   

As always under pressure, nothing I tried seemed to bring it together, and I promised myself yesterday would be the last, as I did again today, but today I listened to myself.  Now it sits unsigned, like Ralph did, waiting for some mad moment in the future when the flash of a sunset or just new inspiration will give it the life that lies just under the surface.

So tomorrow all the paints get put away and perhaps we'll think about the move, or France, or maybe we'll just go to the movies.

On Golden Pond

As the sun recedes over our own golden pond, it is of course the end first day of the month in which we make the transition to our other life, a day when, with the spectre of yesterday's photo looming large, I daren't say "White Rabbit" after offering my pinch and punch for the first day of the month.

The excitement and stress will grow over coming weeks, I still have a painting to finish and we haven't even made a list yet.  For that matter our new credit cards haven't arrived and we need to find some Euro too.

I'll have to dust off the beret and the thermal underwear, but come to think of it there just maybe a nice recipe for rabbit pie  ready to come with us on a hard drive near here. 

Twenty seven days to sort ourselves out.