Flowers from our garden

Broad beans

Wonga vine

Kangaroo paw

Bread

I've been baking bread once a week since Louka started kindergarten. At first I tried the slow rise in the fridge overnight technique, but it wasn't working out for me. So I've gone back to the conventional way, and I'm getting nice bread for lunch twice a week.

Rotten morning

Ugh! First, the internet was down till 9:30am. And our phone is VoIP. So of course I had to use my mobile to ring the tile people to find out why the tiles they'd said would arrive last week hadn't arrived. And they're not going to arrive till next week, after the tilers are supposed to start. Then, Play School was replaced by Parliament, just because the stupid Liberal Party can't decide whether or not to support an emissions trading scheme. Then the fridge has iced up badly and is taking ages to defrost - and I only defrosted it a couple of weeks ago.

Teddy bear bees

There are several teddy bear bee nests in a rocky bank in the corner of the garden. It's lovely to see the furry little blobs flying round and emerging and disappearing into their holes. I'm going to try to get a photo, but in the meantime look at this lovely picture on the Brisbane Insects website.

Edit: I haven't seen them now for ages. I hope someone hasn't decided they're pests and killed them.

Orange dawn

This morning we woke up to an orange world. It looked misty, which seemed odd given how dry it's been (despite last night's small storm). My first thought was a bushfire, but it turned out to be a dust storm. It's very windy.

What a rotten day

I woke up with diarrhoea and nausea, and Louka persisted in wanting to sit on my stomach. Urgh. At about 9:30 I felt well enough to consider eating breakfast, so I made some porridge. I did manage to eat it.

Then Graham wanted me to return some drainage cell fabric to where he bought it from. In Campbelltown. I'd tried to fit it in the boot of the Astra but it was too long, so today Graham took the Astra and I used his ute. The GPS reckoned it would take an hour to get to Campbelltown. Oh well, I put some CDs in the car and set off about 11:30. I think we got there around 1.30. The transaction went ok, except it couldn't be done on the spot because the financial manager was out at lunch. Then we set off home.

Louka fell asleep pretty soon, but because the ute doesn't have room for a child seat, she kept leaning on my driving arm, making it a bit awkward to drive. Then the ute vibrates a lot, and my arms started getting what Louka calls "buzzy". They still feel a bit buzzy now.

The GPS took me home via the Harbour Bridge, which would be fine except it doesn't have new maps including the Lane Cove Tunnel. I managed to miss the turnoff and ended up in the tunnel - so much for avoiding tolls. Got home around 4pm.

Then Graham rang to say someone had backed into the Astra and made a real mess of the door. Oh well, apparently it's still drivable...

The only good thing today is that a postcard finally arrived from Mum and Dad from Quedlinburg. I'd been beginning to worry about them as they've been away a couple of weeks with no news.

Housman, A Shropshire lad XXXII

From far, from eve and morning
And yon twelve-winded sky,
The stuff of life to knit me
Blew hither: here am I.

Now ― for a breath I tarry
Nor yet disperse apart ―
Take my hand quick and tell me,
What have you in your heart.

Speak now, and I will answer;
How shall I help you, say;
Ere to the wind's twelve quarters
I take my endless way.

I think some people may find this "philosophy" unpleasant, even frightening, but it does capture beautifully how I feel about life.