Some pics from the garden ...

... So first, look at yesterday's tomato haul - we've entered the glut season and I'm bringing in loads every other day. Not that I'm complaining. We're eating a lot of eggplants at the moment too. Next year I think we'll try the big ones. And lookie at the dragonflies, 2 of them resting on the washing line, a red and a gold. We're getting quite a few this year and I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the fact we have a permanent water source in the garden now. The red of this fellow is so rich and almost velvety.There's a wonderful crop of St Andrew's Cross spiders this year too. I love their round stripey bellies, and that yellow is gorgeous.And, finally, some Blue Banded Bee pics, in flight and buzz pollinating the tomato flowers.I've not found the stalk they sleep on this year, but I will.
Not being able to take proper close-ups is making me grumpy, and since my old camera is not Vista compatible, Mr Brown (unprompted) suggested getting a new one! He's no idea what he's let himself in for.

Utter, utter ...

... utter BASTARDS!

Short hair ...

... I haz it!

The Recipe For Morgan

3 parts Cheek 2 parts Vitriol 1 part (evil) Genius 1 part Elation Splash of Procrastination Stir tumultuously with a pretty cocktail stick and sip slowly with sassy short hair being gently ruffled by a light, cool breeze

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

Long hair ...

... I've lost the knack for it.
I just can't get used to it, dealing with it, keeping it clean, shiny and tangle free. The water that's used in the washing of it is mind-boggling.
A few months ago I tried out that conditioner only washing. The idea is you don't use shampoo, just conditioner, and that after a few weeks (about 6) the hair & scalp "rebalances" and looks all lovely and clean and gleaming. Rather than lank and clumpy. I started on a Sunday. I was washing with shampoo again by Wednesday morning.
And the heat of it. Summer's only going to get hotter from now and already I'm getting all hot, bothered and itchy under the weight of it. I recall the last time I cut off all my hair was in the summer, after I got a heat rash on the back of my neck.
So, tomorrow, at 10:45am, I'm getting it all cut off again. Two-and-a-half-years worth. I think this will make me much happier.

oh ...

... it must be January. Clicky, read the same story they publish EVERY year, look at the photos, again, same old same old.
I grew up in Canberra. While under my parents' control I was not allowed to go to SummerNats, not that I'd ever have wanted too, cars - meh, being shouted at and ogled by yobbos - meh, stepping through pools of vomit & piss - no thanks. For pretty much the same reasons I never went to the food & wine frolic either. Basically I'm not a fucking idiot.
Now I know it is the right of women to go anywhere they want, wear what they want etc - I'm I very staunch supporter of this.
BUT WHY would you deliberately put yourself in this position?
This sort of drunken yobbo behaviour has been going on as SummerNats since as long as I can remember. (As a bebe copy kid at the local paper, I was never sent into town at night during SummerNats, because it simply wasn't safe for a wee girlie.)
It should come as no surprise to any woman who attends the event that pissheads will shout "show us ya tits" at them, that they will be hassled and treated like meat. No, those men should not behave like that, but they do, they always have and I strongly suspect they always will (particularly when some stupid women respond like this. I could go into a little rant here about self respect, but what's the point?).
This is not a "family friendly event" no matter what the organisers say. If you take your children or your girlfriend to SummerNats, don't act all shocked and surprised if they come home in tears.

I never did post ...

... follow-up pics of Naiad in her new pot.
So, here she is in the new pot. And here she was just the other day, with a brand new flower to show she likes the new accommodations.

Apologies to Mr Poe I'm sure ...

moar funny pictures Apologies

Weather porn ...

... Lee over at Pink Granite posted a picture of her temperature gauge the other day. I thought I'd reciprocate with one of my own.Lee's was an image clearly illustrating how nice it was to be inside round her way. Mine, well it pretty much shows that it doesn't matter either way, inside, outside, you're going to be warm & sticky.

I typed too soon ...

... again.
Yesterday I mentioned the "lovely rain" we are having in Sydney. Well, a little up the road it's not so lovely.
On topic, CookieCrumb, Caw & Ms Gerli have become northern hemisphere rain bloggers!

Lots and lots ...

... of lovely rain is falling.

Boy brain, girl brain ...

... according to this little questionnaire I'm a bit more blokey than the average girlie but not so much that Mr Brown need worry about my snatching the map or my insisting on building things.Also, I apparently like "masculine looking men" (though this may have something to do with the current state of my menstrual cycle) and it appears I have uncommonly masculine finger ratios.

I typed too soon ...

... about the home delivery being the only good bit of yesterday's travels through the 7th circle of hell.
All arrived this morning, bright and early, with the only glass item amongst it ... smashed!
Edited to Add - So, Mr Brown rings Ikea and asks about a replacement. He's told there should be some more in on Saturday. It will "take a couple of days", for a pick up, replacement. It's suggested it would be faster if he came in and picked it up himself. No, one will not be put aside for us.
I feel a VERY STRONGLY WORDED LETTER coming on ...

Hell ...

... aka IKEA.
Mr Brown & I have just returned from what is quite possibly the 7th circle of Hell (the appropriate circle because if we'd stayed a minute longer we'd have either killed someone or ourselves).
Now understand, we're note expecting a pleasant shopping experience. We understand that in exchange for cheaper goodies we forgo some of the niceties offered in, say, DJs. But it's that that much cheaper, Mr Ikea, to put up with this ....
1. Wander through entire store (because it's not designed to allow you to go straight to the section you are interested in).
2. Find a staff member who will give you a 'pick list' print out with the warehouse shelf location for each and every item you want. At this point you ask "are all the items available?" You are told "yes". "Are they booked as ours? Can we just pick it all up at the pick up?" You are told "we don't do that anymore".
3. Wander through endless more miles of store to get to the warehouse.
4. Right, you're at the warehouse, locate a trolley (the really, really big one) and start looking for isle, shelf and 'location' numbers, because each and every item has a different one.
At this point you will find some of the items aren't on the shelves. You may find the one of you accuses the other of misreading the locations, item numbers, voices may become harsh, bits of paper may be thrown, 'talk to the hand gestures' may even be made. This is a low point.
5. Finally, find most of what you are looking for, much of this is really, really big and mind-bogglingly heavy and awkward to lift. Things like "for god's sake hold the fucking trolley still" may be said in a tone that is not appreciated. Phrases such as "don't you speak to me like that" may well be thrown back in retaliation.
In an effort to salvage what is left of your marriage you try a little humour, speculate on how many dwarfs or little old ladies are crushed in the isles every day. How many heart attacks, slipped discs or foot maimings occur every week. You may plot, together, an elaborate pantomime, faking an accident. In the end, since neither of you is prepared to lie on the floor under a Pax wardrobe carcase, this comes to nothing.
6. More endless wandering, this time pushing at least a metric tonne of flat-pack on a poorly-designed trolley, until you reach the checkout queues. Stand here for some time, consider leaving the trolley of stuff and making a run for it. No, wait, you are being served, hand over an considerable amount of dosh.
Ask about home delivery. Push your tonne of crap to the home delivery queue. Once served find this bit, the only bit NOT run by Ikea, is quick, efficient, cheap and cheerful (although, obviously we reserve our final opinion until the actual delivery tomorrow).
7. Swear NEVER. EVER TO RETURN, only to remember you HAVE to because despite the computer saying there are 23 Pax, hinged, wardrobe doors, in birch, on the shelf, there isn't a-fucking-one!
And now of course we have to build it. Mr Brown says he thinks we can do this, without ending up divorced, if he is left to do it without help. If help is required I'm to hand him things but say nothing. I think he's being a tad unfair.

2008, it started with such promise ...

... Mr Brown & I piked the crowds and public transport, stayed at home and watched this from the step ladder on our back porch.
Pic thanks to ... go here to see more ...
We wished one another splendid Gnu Deers and went to bed before we turned into pumpkins.
4am - it started, I will spare you the details but I'm not a well mouse at all (NO, it's not hangover related at all). At 3pm I managed some weak tea and thin, dry toast, it's now just about 6pm, I feel like my insides have been to war and, bugger it, I had such a nice dinner planned.
Fingers crossed it gets better.

Thirsty bees ...

... I was bringing in the washing and some harvested tomatoes this very, very hot afternoon and I noticed a honey bee hovering over the water lily pot. He landed on some of the floaty weed, stayed a bit, shook his be(e)hind and flew off. Could he be drinking? A google search indicated yes.
Since I don't generally take the camera out to bring in washing, I've borrowed these.Photo thanks to ... Photo thanks to ...

Oh, December wordcloud.

I'm with Opus ...

... nothing will ever replace books, not permanently, because books smell good, feel good and don't (for the most part) strain your eyes.cartoon thanks to ...

Vote for Ping ...

... so she gets on LOL Cats.

Ping asks nicely ...

...if she can come outside too.

A serious question ...

... does anyone out there, in the Sydney region, know of a really good plant nursery. I'm looking for something like all the lovely ones in Pialligo , Canberra. Large ones you can wander through, chock full of interesting plants and plant-related things NOT just your generic pansies in a pot. This one is an example of what Pialligo has about 10 of, I exaggerate NOT.
I've yet to find anything even halfway as good. The ones attached to hardware shops are tatty, badly looked after and frankly, full of wilted, damaged, browning plants. All the wee suburban ones are too small to allow a good wander or to have a big or a really interesting selection. You know, where you spot something you've never seen before and are overcome with plant desire.
This lack of satisfactory nurseries means we do a good deal of our plant shopping in Canberra, not ideal as the climate is very different, but what else is a girl to do? During the xmas-time visit we stopped in at the Heritage Nursery at Yarralumla about brought home a bebe Red Centre Lime. I'd been craving a cumquat but was seduced by this spiky little bugger. A few holes in the hands in the planting but I'm sure the pretty red fruit will be worth it.
And now for a sample of photos - because Mr Brown finally downloaded them for me.Persephone in her new pot.The first dragonfly of the season, I've spotted a few blue-banded bees too but not sitting still.The obscenely huge bath in the marble bathroom at the Hyatt.Bones having been melted by the heat, Ping slowly oozes out of her sleepy spot.

1972 ...

... Birchgrove Primary School, infants - shall we play which one is the Mouse?

O frabjous day! ...

... Callooh! Callay!' I chortle in my joy (with abject apologies to Mr Carroll)
The drunken irishman (and is unspeakably vulgar squawker) are moving out AS I TYPE! Our fingers are crossed in the hope that our new neighbours will be an elderly gay couple without a yappy, snappy little dog (perhaps a nice Siamese cat).

Mr Brown came home from sailing this afternoon and announced ...

... that he and his sailing mate had been involved in a mêlée at a shop.
It turns out they had stopped for cooling drinkies and found some oafs were hassling the shop-fellow, and then some chaps crossed the road to have a word with the oafs because, it turned out, the oafs had set upon on of the chaps 3 weeks before, breaking his collarbone or shoulder or something, he was still all trussed up anyhoo.
Fists flew, words were said, Mr Brown’s sailing mate had one of the oafs on the ground, holding him until the local constabulary turned up. Mr Brown had to repeatedly, physically stop oafs from kicking his sailing mate A GIRL (a rather burly, tough sort of girl but a GIRL nonetheless), got called an “old fart” but stood his ground until said constables arrived. He’s already had to chat to the police on the phone, I suspect a court appearance (as a witness) will be required.
I’m cross with him (though, obviously relieved he's ok), he’s 43 and has a wife and 2 cats depending on him to come home, change light bulbs, fix dripping taps and scare off burglars with his snores. What if he’d been beaten up (there were 4 oafs) or stabbed or glassed or beaten to death with a cricket bat?? (Given the news lately, none of these options appear to be entirely out of the question).
I worry a bit.

Apologise ...

... just in case you did anything or plan to do anything or ... well, you just never know when it may come in handy.You can fill one in and send it online!

Note your diary ...

... December 22, 2008, Global Orgasm Day.

I've started a little project ...

... I'm scanning (on the fantabulous new scanner Mr Brown brought home this afternoon) all my mum's old photos. Then I'm going to burn them all onto discs so my siblings and I all have a copy (with any luck this should stop any undignified squabbling over who gets the photos on mama's deathbed).
Here are a just few I've already managed to get into digital format.
My Pa (in the middle) as a very, very young sailor.My mum, 1957, in Hyde Park, posing for a Telegraph photographer (I think it wasn't such a ghastly piece of gutter tabloid-ism back then).Mum, Dad & Me (middle boat), 1969ish? (don't know where, or who the others are, must ask Mum).

If you are thinking of visiting Australia ...

... don't do it in the summer, really, I'm not kidding, you will regret it!

Home again, home again ...

... So, we’re back from our annual trek.
In years past it was only to Canberra for the 24th (my family “do”) and 25th (for Mr Brown’s family’s more traditional thing), and was always a good way of getting everyone all together for feasting and laughing at least once a year. But now my parent’s live in Maianbar and my sister, brother and their families live in Queensland (shudder) so it’s a bit more driving and not quite the same.
So, on the 24th (after Mr Brown dealt with some work crisis) we headed down to Maianbar, getting there in time for start grazing about 1pm. Then “lunch” proper about 3ish, a visit so some of Mr Brown’s cousins for a drink or 2 and some “little snacks” then back to the parental resort in time for carols by candlelight at the local shops. Maianbar is a real village, so mum knew everyone (she works in the shop once a week) and Mr Brown and I were know, by reputation at least. As an atheist I used to refuse to sing carols, all the crooning about virgins mild and bebe jeebers was a bit of a conflict. But I did SO enjoy it as a kiddie and we’ve come to a compromise, of sorts. I just think of carols as traditional folk tunes and belt them out with the best of them now.
And so, warm as toast (plenty of insect repellent), sipping lovely cool white wine, under gum trees and a purpling sky we sang of dreaming of a white xmas, sleighbells in the snow and, to the accompaniment of cicadas, of silent nights and little drummer boys. And we wandered home through the bush (tripping on only a few tree roots), serenaded by kookaburras and frogs singing their own version of carols, to a little more fizzy wine and dessert (individual summer puddings) and to bed.
Next morning, fortified by a full-cooked pater familias breakfast, we drove to Canberra. It was lovely to see, after so many years of crisp, dry yellow landscapes, how the rains have finally turned the countryside lush and green (for Australia anyway). Lovely too, that the weather was relatively cool at 24 or so degrees, so sitting down to another full xmas lunch was not too much to handle. Loot was exchanged and Mr Brown and I eventually wandered off to our hotel, the Hyatt, and its stupendous king-sized bed and frankly excessive bath. Bliss.
And now we are home, suffering protein overload and ailing livers, vowing to live on clear soups, boiled grass and water for the next month (let’s see how long that little vow lasts shall we). Ping was glad to see us and even gladder to see the ham leftovers!
Methinks, this is fitting ...

Mr Brown ...

... is in the other room, wrapping presents - the air is BLUE.

This will get your feet tapping ...

... merry whatsits to one & all, be it xmas, the solstice (summer this end of the planet), Saturnalia, Yule, Hanukkah, Luciadagen, Kwanzaa, or whatever takes your fancy.

From next door I can hear ...

... an electric drill going brrrrrrrrrr - followed by a small boy-child shouting AAAAAOOOOWWWWWWW at the top of his voice.
Yes, it sounds like the woman next door is drilling her boys' (the twins, sinister & dexter) feet to the floor.

I was once asked ...

... on the telephone, if I was white collar or blue collar (I honestly can't remember who or why). I, glanced at the shirt I was wearing and answered "pink today".
I also remember, as a tiddler at little school (5, maybe 6) playing a game where the teacher called out a job and you called out the name of the person who did that job (after much hands up in the air-ing, if you were chosen). You know the type of thing, "looks after sick people?" "Ooh, ooh, Miss, Miss, a doctor".
So teacher asked, "a man who drives people around in a car?" My arm waving was successful, "yes Morgan?"
"James" said I.

Absolutely fucking ridiculous ...

... That in the USofA you can walk into a Tiffany & Co shop and say, I'll have one of your Elsa Peretti Bean pendants for my beloved. Medium bean please, on an 18" chain if you would, for that is her heart's desire! And you could walk out of the shop with exactly that. While here in Australia, you would be told, "the medium bean only comes with a 16" chain".
You could try arguing that the website clearly shows a medium bean with 18" of lovely chain, but to no avail. Simply NOT available in Australia.

WHY oh why ...

... did I not discover this site in time for ... seasonal gifties???Want, want, want!!!

Since Mr Brown had been so lovely lately ...

... setting up the new 'puter and putting up with my paddys about its "newness", I thought I'd get him a little present.
A wee token of thanks. A Lindt Ball.
But a Lindt Ball
AS BIG AS HIS HEAD (ok, not quite that big).
I can report that this monster was not filled to the brim with that amazing gooey soft chocolaty stuff it's smaller cousins are, but it was nicely lined with it and quite a treat for my favourite chocophile.
Speaking of the new 'puter. Apart from its going 16 million times faster than the old one (no more preparing & eating a meal while waiting for it to fire up), the best thing about the newbie is I can listen to music, blog and pootle through the interweb all at the same time - without bringing the whole thing crashing down. Right now, I'm blogging to my beloved Dexys!

There had to be a reason ...

... that I blog, and today I discovered it.
I wanted to bake, I wanted to bake lemon polenta biscuits. But could I find the recipe? Not bloody likely.

And then I thought to myself, "didn't I blog lemon polenta biscuits?"
Yes I did. Bingo. Baked! Bliss.

Someone sent me this ...

Annoying ...

... I've had this twitch, flicker in my right eye since Friday. It's driving me mad.
And this, by Ray Caesar - creepy, but in a good way.
This is a total waste of time.
As is this.
But this, this has a zen sort of truth about it.

At the very beginning ...

... of this, you can hear one of my favourite sounds in the whole world, the song of a Magpie.

I like to think of them as the Jazz musicians of the bird world.
Oh, and this, a wee blast from the past that really gets me chair dancing!

Ooo, more.

In a bit of a funk ...

... the new puter has very different & wildly up-to-date versions of everything, which means it takes an age to work out how to DO anything. It's all so needlessly complicated where it should just be simple. And the photo download thingy doesn't work anymore.
This may just be a matter of too much change all at once but I'm on the verge of hysteria and feel like an ungrateful baggage. And it's raining, again.

Elfing ...

Pingu & Small wish everyone much silliness & fun.
Go on, clicky the linky, you will be so glad you did!

Just wept up myself a headache ...

... by finishing reading John Grogan's Marley & Me. I should know better, these doggy biographies always end ... SPOILER ALERT ... with the dog dying. Now, go look at the photos and you too can wish you had a puppy living at your house.

So ...

... tis been quiet bloggagewise for 2 reasons.
1. The new 'puter arrived and it's taken days and days for Mr Brown to fiddle with it so it works not too differently from the old fellow (only MUCH faster).
2. Utter misery with the new work accommodations - the office has been moved to public service hell and I'm not adjusting with good humour. I'm sure I'll find some good points, eventually, but fuckadoodledoo it's nasty. An example, first thing Monday morning I front up at the "reception desk" as directed to collect my photo ID & pass cardy-thing.
"First name" snarls the grumpy counter lady.
"Morgan" say I.
"I SAID FIRST NAME", she barks.
I lean forward, I look her right in the beady eye and say in a low and dangerous tone, "That is my first name".
She rifles through the cards, finds mine, "oh, so it is" and hands it over, with daggers. My mum, the person responsible for my, clearly totally inappropriate first name, had better not ever show her face at the desk. Grumpy lady may well slap her.

You know how ...

... my header quotes Mr H?, well this proves him right.And I really have to update by blogroll, I'm embarrassed how tardy I've become, still, I just began (rather drunkenly, I'm afraid, I work with such pisspots) my holidays, perhaps I will.

The only photograph ...

... from the office end-of-year party that I liked.Can you guess which are mine?

Thwarted ...

... even on sale these cost SO much I could not bring myself to hang them from my ears.
I hate it when good sense takes a hold.

An odd sort of meme ...

... via H&B.
What kind of soap is in your bathtub?
We don’t have a bath.
Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
No, everybody knows watermelons turn into vampires, particularly at this time of year.
What would you change about your living room?
Fresh paint job (hint, hint Mr Brown).
Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?
We don’t have a dishwasher, just a dishwashing fairy, who’s been this morning. What is in your refrigerator?
Fresh veg, butter, king island vanilla yogurt, fruit, jars of stuff (jam, mayo, curry pastes, pesto …) bottles of stuff (pink lemonade, tap water, milk, lemon juice, white wine), stuff like that.
White or wheat bread?
Sonoma Bakery olive bread – on top of the fridge, not in it. Sliced whole meal, whole grain Helgas, in the freezer.
What is on top of your refrigerator?
My lunch bag, the bread, dust.
What color or design is on your shower curtain?
We don’t have a shower curtain, it’s a plain glass screen.
How many plants are in your home?
Inside, none, the cats eat them or dig them.
Is your bed made right now?
No.
Comet or Soft Scrub?
I don't use either, nor have I any idea what they are.
Is your closet organized?
Sort of, I like to hang the shirts by colour, things go back in the same spot, mostly.
Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
Glass.
Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now?
No.
If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
Hahahahahaha, no garage.
Curtains or blinds?
Curtains in the lounge, roman blinds in the other rooms. I ripped out all the Luxaflex-style blinds upon moving in, they gather dust and are a HUGE pain to clean.
How many pillows do you sleep with?
Three, I nest.
Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
No, but we leave the blind up a wee bit for air to come in and moonlight sometimes follows.
How often do you vacuum?Mr Brown takes the vacuum for a burl about once a week.
Standard toothbrush or electric?
Standard.
What color is your toothbrush?
Red, colgate brand.
Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch?
We have a mat to wipe feet on, it does not say welcome.
What is in your oven right now?
Bugger all.
Is there anything under your bed?
Dust, cat hair.
Chore you hate doing the most?
All of them, but cleaning the bathroom probably tops the list.
What retro items are in your home?
The house is 105, it’s retro.
Do you have a separate room that you use as an office?
Yes, we call it the shit room.
How many mirrors are in your home?
Do mirror walls count? The last owners put in a big mirror in the kitchen (to make it look bigger one assumes) and a whole wall in the bathroom is mirror (for the same reason I suspect), and there’s a wee one above the fireplace.
What color are your walls?
Blue, green, bright yellow, pale yellow, a sort of minty aqua green & white.
Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home?
Knives in the kitchen, golf clubs in the shit room, killer cats …
What does your home smell like right now?
Rain.
Favorite candle scent?
L’Occoitane Lavender & Amber.
What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now?
Capers.
What color is your favorite Bible?
We don’t have a bible. Oh, no wait, there’s a little red Gideons one I got at school, I wouldn't call it a favourite though.
Ever been on your roof?
This roof, no. Last house, yep.
Do you have a stereo?
We have a CD player.
How many TVs do you have?
One.
How many house phones?
Three.
Do you have a housekeeper?
No, sigh.
What style do you decorate in?
Dusty? Paper/Book/Magazine strewn?
Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints?
Solid.
Is there a smoke detector in your house?
Yes, it’s the law.
In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you'd grab if you could make only one trip?
Cats, handbag, any pictures I could grab and carry, Mr Brown would surely be able to leg it himself.
I have no idea what this tells anyone about me, other than I'm not a spectacular housewife.

Rain ...

... twice this week I’ve been caught in rainstorms so monsoonal in their ferocity that I’ve been soaked to the bone and ruined 2 pairs of shoes. I’ve had to sit through ½ a work day in wet clothes, pour rain out of my shoes and travel on buses and trains where the combination of damp humans and warm weather has created the phenomena of steaming people!
What’s more, I’ve had to turn the heated towel rail on every evening this week to ensure dry towels for the morning ablutions.
I’m a little bit over the rain now, though the fish seem to enjoy it.

Wednesday night Pizza ...

... home-made charred capsicum (so sweet, so smokey), thick-cut prosciutto and fresh mozzarella.Oh, and this (thanks to ...) Take THAT lolcats!

How we are different from our American cousins ...

… according to David Dale, “Both leaders were photographed going to church on Sunday, but in their speeches on Saturday, they gave God no credit or blame. This would have been unthinkable in the United States. If Kevin Rudd was a US politician, he'd have thanked the Lord for his success, while John Howard would have said the result was the Lord's will and he'd seek consolation through prayer. But they didn't, because we're not that kind of country. Our politicians can get by without divine intervention.”
This is one of the many reasons I'm glad I was born here & now.
In other news, the temp outside is 27 degrees (ish) outside and approximately 300 inside, work’s air-conditioning is on the blink, and it’s rather nasty.
Funny, we don’t have air-conditioning at home and there’s only about a month, all told, when we wish we did. We generally keep cool thanks to a combination of good roof insulation, big old double brick walls, keeping the curtains drawn and windows closed on hot days and growing a nice lush vine at the front (which cops the worst of the afternoon sun). And now we have Persephone planted right at the front too. When she grows (delightful deciduous poppet that she is), she’ll add to the general keeping-coolness thing.

Set for summer ...

... in 2 week I'll be on leave, 3 weeks leave. I don't normally do the holiday thing while the school holidays are on but we were "encouraged" to by work and I thought what the hell. It's not as if I intend to go into town or one of the big cinema complexes, so it's unlikely I'll have to suffer the company of revolting teen types anyway.Nope, I'm going to be at home, reading, perhaps undertaking a little project (won't say what, that way it doesn't matter if I don't), cooking, and pottering about (probably in my PJs). Bliss.
Mr Brown & I will travel to visit family for a few days, 24th my parents, 25th him mum (& the twin sisters, Sinister & Dexter). We will be staying at the Hyatt on the 25th, it's booked, as is the cat man who will feed the girls, water the plants, bring in the papers, etc.
I'm quite impressed with my planning and booking, now all I have to do is survive the next 2 weeks and then ... sigh.
Oh, I've just finished reading Jewels - A Secret History, by Victoria Finlay (she also wrote Colour, Travels through the Paintbox). Excellent little book, entertaining and educational. Who'd have thought such pretty things were the cause of so much unhappiness and suffering? (Actually, I guess I did know, but the extent was an eye opener.)

Hey food ...

... best line, "if you're dry toast, or something wetter".

Fart jokes ...

... they appeal to the 8-year-old boy in us all. E, posted this the other day, which reminded me we had this, tucked away in the puter's bowels. Enjoy.

Speaking of puters, Mr Brown grew tired of my winging and moaning and shouting at the puter for it's snail-like slowness and mentioned he may be in a position to get something new, with approximately 16 million times more rams, or gigs or whatever it is they call the magic that makes these grey boxes go ping. Mr Brown was concerned that, should he do so, I would spend even more time playing bloggs and stuff, would become square of eye and perhaps even go blind. I argued I'd be able to get the "essential" stuff done much faster and, therefor, have "spare" time that could be devoted to things like cake baking. Guess who won?
I am counting the days till it's arrival.

Sex in the garden ...

... you just know what this little lot have on their minds don't you?POLLINATION, rampant, wild and steamy (it has been rather humid lately, afterall). This is plant lust people, more dangerous by far to all that we hold dear, than that insipid faux foe, penguin lust.Oooh lookie, more penguin lust, teeheee.