Mamalade

Ah, found it! I’ve been wandering around looking for a little piece of chocolate I had put down and forgot where I put it. I couldn’t concentrate till I found it again. Yeah, I know I’m not allowed to eat chocolate…that makes it taste all the better.

Joel and Frances and Miles and Nelson (the dog) have just gone home and I have the computer to myself. Joel has been connecting my computer with his so I can I try his Linux Programme. For months, he’s been trying to talk me into installing it on my computer. We’ll see.

Little Dipper

Frances and I took Miles out in the backyard. It’s lovely and cool under the Pine tree. Miles had fun scooping water out of a big container and pouring it into a bowl for Nelson to drink. Nelson was very obliging. It worked well until Miles tried using an empty flower pot to scoop up the water. He would smile as he dipped it in the container and the pot filled with water, then he’d squeal in frustration each time he lifted it out, and of course the water ran straight through the holes in the pot.

Dumb dog

Nelson is an eternal optimist. I don’t know how many skirmishes he’s had with Buddy, but he always believes that Buddy won’t hit him this time. He had his nose scratched again today because he can’t seem to understand that a hissing cat means danger. He just walks straight into it. Later, he ran up to Ingrid and licked her face. Luckily, Ingrid was too shocked to react. Sometimes I wonder about that dog’s intelligence.

Smart Kids

Shea and Callum stayed at Mum and Dad’s last night, while Jan and Gary went to some “Do.” I had intended going to our church “Home Group” evening, but decided I’d go and spend some time with the kids instead. I don’t see them that often. When I arrived, Callum ran to me with outstretched arms, saying “I love you, I love you!” How could I have even considered going to Home Group! We played “UNO” till bed time. Callum is really good at it even though he’s not quite five yet. Both he and Shea have been playing card games from a very early age. Mum, Shea and I played “Skipbo” after Callum went to bed. Shea won, of course.

Halloween

Halloween tomorrow. It has never really caught on in Australia, although a few kids have been going around “Trick or Treating” the last few years. I was totally unprepared the first year. I don’t open the door when they come now. (Spoilsport!) I don’t think young children should be encouraged to go to stranger’s houses. It’s not safe, these days. I’m not too keen on celebrating pagan festivals either.

In spite of all that, we had fun with the Halloween theme at our Toastmasters Meeting. I had a busy night as I was in the “Hot Seat.” That means I had to fill in for anyone who didn’t turn up. Quite a few were away, so I ended up presenting Table Topics, Show and Tell and the Raffle as well as a speech. It wasn’t really a speech - I just resurrected an old story I had written 10 years ago when I was doing a Creative Writing course. I’m still not sure if I like it, but you can read it if you want to. It’s called “The Last Train Home.”
(That sounds too much all about me. The other Toastmasters were all brilliant as usual.)

Missing!

I haven’t seen my cardigan since I took it off at our last Jumble Sale. I hope it didn’t get sold. It’s an old one so it doesn’t really matter, but it was handy. I wonder who will turn up wearing it next time!

Kittens

I wish I had a kitten. Or better still, two kittens. Now don’t rush me with offers of kittens. I am already the first person everyone thinks of when they have a cat to unload. I have two cats. I don’t need any more. But watching the antics of my friend’s half grown kittens the other day made me yearn for the days when Buddy and Ingrid were young and frisky. Oh, they will play with me sometimes, but they don’t leap in the air and turn somersaults anymore. They don’t swing on the curtains. (Which is just as well, considering they are both grossly overweight.)

Ingrid was a year old when Joel came home with Buddy. He had been to all the pet shops on his way home from the Sunshine Coast looking for a kitten to replace the stray cat that had died. I didn’t think the stray cat needed to be replaced, ’specially since we had three other cats at the time. Besides, since when did we buy cats? They usually just arrive and adopt me! So I wasn’t too thrilled when Joel came home with this gangly adolescent striped kitten. Ingrid wasn’t impressed either. She slapped Buddy’s face and used the most shocking language I’ve ever heard a cat utter.

But of course, Buddy grew on us. The older cats ignored him, but Ingrid forgot she was a staid adult and became a kitten all over again. We ignored the TV and roared at their antics.

I’ll never forget the night Buddy tore through the house after a ball. The mat at the top of the back stairs skidded under him and he flew through the air on his flying carpet, right over Ingrid who was sleeping on the top step. Ingrid rushed into the kitchen with her ears flat back, and her eyes popping. She looked at us as if to say, “What was THAT!!

Buddy still tries to play with Ingrid sometimes, but he has grown so big and rough, she screams blue murder if he jumps on her. But most of the time they just sleep…and eat…and sleep…

A good report

Dad went back to the hospital for a check up on Thursday. It rained cats and dogs all morning. I was a bit concerned because Mum was going to go up by train and bus and meet him there. I didn’t like the idea of her battling with public transport in the rain. Anyway, when the ambulance came to pick up Dad, they said they had room to give her a lift, too. It made it so much easier. I stayed at Mum and Dad’s place all morning in case they brought him home before Mum could get back, but she was able to come back in the ambulance with him, too. The doctor was very pleased with Dad. He doesn’t have to go back for six months.

I spent the morning watching a video tape of a Toastmaster’s Conference. No, not the last Conference - one from about two years ago, when I was in the Humorous Speech Competition. I can’t watch it at home, because my video recorder died. I tried evaluating each speech on the video tape. I’m not very good at evaluating, so I need lots of practice.

No more spots

Lea and David brought the kids over to Mum and Dad’s yesterday. Robert and Matthew are both well again after having Chicken Pox. Matthew looked the best he’s been for a long time. He was full of energy and fun.

Answers

Did you guess the answers to the puzzles I gave you last week? They were: 1.Backward glance, 2. No U Turn, 3.Putting the cart before the horse, 4.No end of trouble, 5. Parting gift, 6.No idea, 7.Making a beeline, 8.Third time lucky, 9.Pain in the neck, 10.You ought to be in pictures, 11.Sawn off shotgun, 12.Back in a minute.

Our Toastmasters Club did well in all the competitions at the Area Conference. One first place, one second place and three third places. I wish I could have been there.

Mystery Morning

Our World Vision “Mystery Morning” was fun. We played some guessing games. We each drew a picture at the top of a piece of paper, then passed it on to someone else. The next person had to look at the picture and write a title underneath, then fold it so the picture couldn’t be seen. The next person looked at the title, and drew a corresponding picture, folded it so that the title couldn’t be seen.… and so on. By the end of the game the picture and title at the bottom of the page were nothing like those at the top!

Another game was something like the Television Show “Catch Phrase” We had to guess well-known phrases from the clues. See if you can guess these: (The first one is “Backward glance”)

1. ECNALG
3. WA . . ON GG
2. T . RN
4. TROUBL
5. GI - FT
6. DEA
7. BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
8. CKYLU . UCKYL . LUCKY
9. NEPAINECK
10. PICT . RES
11. SHOT GU
12. ETUNIMANI

I’ll tell you the answers next week.

Tupperware Tots

I couldn’t work out what was wrong with my arms when I woke up the other morning. All I’d done the day before was go to a Tupperware Party….

Then I remembered - it wasn’t an ordinary Tupperware Party. Frances (my daughter-in-law) had invited her Playgroup friends and they all came with a toddler. Since I’m not really interested in Tupperware (Please don’t invite me to your Tupperware Party!) I spent the morning playing with the babies. Miles had a wonderful time with his little friends and didn’t mind sharing his toys - or the food. They are so funny….one baby takes a bite out of a sandwich, another one grabs it and drops it on the floor. The next one steps on it and another one picks it up and shares it with the dog.

Three of them were playing peek-a-bo together behind the curtain. It was so cute, I ran to get my camera, but when I got back they were all in a tangle. They had pulled the curtain down on top of themselves.

Someone dropped a big Tupperware bowl and it spun round and round on the floor. Miles laughed and twirled himself around like the bowl.

Tupperware must be a household name. I just realised my computer hasn’t tried to correct the word - but it argues with me over the Australian spelling of words like “realise” and “recognise.”

So far, so good

Joel has spent the last two nights pulling my computer apart and putting it back together again. No, there was nothing wrong with it. My policy is, “If something is working, leave it alone.” Joel’s policy is, “If something is working well, maybe it could work even better.” These kind of people are scary, but I suppose they are the ones that change the world. Someone said once “The enemy of great is good.” We’ll never make progress while we’re satisfied with “good enough” when it could be “great.” I still like to play it safe, all the same.

So far, my computer seems to be working alright - in fact I think it’s faster.

Daddy’s little boy

Joel brought Miles with him when he came back this morning to check on the computer. Miles was having such a good time, Joel decided to leave him with me while he went home to work on another computer. He left me with plenty of instructions - “Don’t let him pull the piano lid down on his fingers.” “Don’t let him fall out of the high chair.” Don’t let him fall down the stairs.” I wonder how I managed to raise him and Ben without any dire mishaps! Seriously though, it is good to see him so careful and protective of his precious little boy, and that he is aware of potential dangers.

Miles and I had a lovely time together. We raked up the pinecones in the backyard, swept the kitchen floor and scattered toys from one end of the house to the other until Frances picked him up at lunch time.

More spots

Matthew (my sister Lea’s toddler) has been very sick with Asthma and now the poor little fellow has come out in Chicken Pox - two weeks after Robert had it. Evidently that’s the incubation period.

Exciting news this week. My younger son Ben rang last Sunday to tell me that they want to get both families together for a party when he and Agnieszka come up from Melbourne in December.

“What kind of party?” I asked.

He said “A wedding…….”

We are all terribly thrilled, and I am so glad Agnieszka is going to be my daughter-in-law.

Dad better

My other big news is Dad is much better. He spent a couple of days in hospital last week, having tests, and he doesn’t need an operation now. He’s looking so much happier and more like his old self.

Another wedding

Last weekend, my brother-in law Gary went to Indonesia for his brother’s wedding. We were all a bit worried - since the turmoil in East Timor, there’s been so much on the news about the riots over there and about how unpopular Australians are with the Indonesians. Gary arrived home on Monday. He said everything was peaceful and he’d had a wonderful time. What a relief!

Glad it’s over

” ‘This is violence!’ shouted Caesar…… “
The cats went crazy when I tried to rehearse my speech last week. As soon as they heard my voice, Ingrid howled under the window and Buddy hurled himself against the front door. Most off putting.

Luckily, the Toastmasters were more appreciative. I’m glad it’s over. Someone asked me once, why I do it. I said, “It’s a bit like banging your head against a brick wall. It feels so good when you stop.”

Seriously though, I enjoy my “fix” of adrenaline. Usually I’m on such a “high” after presenting a speech, I lie awake for hours planning the next one. And don’t think it comes easily - I spend hours researching facts and agonising over writing the speech, but I always discover something new - either new knowledge about the subject or insights about myself. I think that’s what makes it so exciting.

I would have loved to attend the Toastmasters Area Conference this weekend, but I didn’t think I could cope with a whole day there. My energy is rather limited. I hope our club comes back with some awards.

Spotted kids

It’s the time of year when the poor kids go down with Chicken Pox, Measles, etc. Robert (my five-year-old nephew) has just had Chicken Pox and his little brother Matthew has had asthma. Miles (my 18-month-old grandson) had a rash last week. They think it was the Foot and Mouth disease that the kids get now. We had never heard of it till a few years ago.

Miles is OK again now. Joel and Frances brought him to see me the other night. I gave him a little toy phone I had bought him. He laughed each time he pressed the buttons and it made different sounds. I knew he would like it.

Doesn’t everyone?

I’m enjoying the warmer weather. I was padding around the house with bare feet the other day, and realised what I’d been missing……I dropped a spoon and automatically picked it back up with my toes. I always use my toes in summer for little jobs like that. I thought that was normal, until one day, my cousin said, “Oh, do you use your toes to pick up things, too?”

I said, “Doesn’t everyone?”

“No,” she said, ” just our family….”

No wonder Frances looked surprised just after she married into our wacky family and saw me slide the kitchen-tidy bin closed with my toe. “It just makes sense,” I told her. “You don’t have to keep washing your hands.”

I wonder if Ben has warned Agnieszka.