Last month

This month started with a bang. Julie's employer ended up in hospital & so Julie was left with other members of the family coming in & taking over, & expecting her to be able to do things she knows nothing about. Then she got stuck between "he says", "she says" & "no, he wouldn't have said that", all implying that she was the liar. After the second episode of this, she was ready to quit & had downloaded a sample resignation letter, with the intention of leaving it on her desk as she left. The next day, she was accosted by the husband, who had checked her Internet visits that night & asked if she was thinking of resigning.  And when she said that she had considered it, he said, "We don't need you here, hand in your keys & leave." Geez, what can you say? "Whatever!"  And go home. So she's been pretty depressed this week.

I also spent an entire Friday at at an Advanced Riders Course at the same place where we did our Learners Course. We won it some time ago at the Organ Donors Ball, so it was time to put it to good use. What I really wanted out of the course was a confidence boost & I certainly got that. Activities included normal braking, low speed manoeuvring, emergency braking & cornering - basically all the stuff we did as learners, but with a whole lot more practical application. We spent the whole afternoon doing laps of the circuit in 3 groups, each person in the group taking a turn to lead the group & receive feedback from the instructor.

Some time ago, I acquired a Dyson vacuum cleaner, something that I'd always wanted, from credit card loyalty points. With the crab-apple tree dropping gooey fruit all over the pathway, causing us to track sticky bits into the house, I decided it was time to clean up out there, so I attacked it with said Dyson. Unfortunately, it didn't take long to block up the machine, whose selling point is that it doesn't lose suction. I can tell you that it certainly does if you miss the spot where it has clogged up!

We also went to the Save the Children Fund fundraising dinner, where we managed to bag a very unusual auction item - a personal behind-the-scenes tour of Parliament House with Senator Gary Humphries, Senator for the ACT. I've known Gary in passing for ages - used to run into him quite regularly at Deakin shops when we lived there. So we now have a very special treat for the kids when they are here next year.

Kelly developed a sore on the underside of this throat, & being a typical dog, scratched at it until he ripped the scab off & it developed into a blood infection, so he ended up at the vet (twice), on antibiotics & antihistamines, & an& wearing one of those anti-scratch bucket things over his head. It was so funny watching him fight the sleep-inducing drugs, sitting there with his eyes slowly closing. Then Julie got a stomach bug too, so she's been miserable being stuck at home too. She's had an interview at the National Convention Centre that she's keen to hear back from. As for me, I've just been bloody tired.

Dear Dad (yes, the American one, mine's not here any more). Thank you again for the Sherpa jacket. I'm wearing it, again. This time, I'm sitting in the patio of the cottage down near the beach, where we are staying for the long weekend caused by Anzac Day being on a Friday. It's just so soft & warm. I also use it on the scooter, under my summer jacket, because it's not yet cold enough to switch to the thermal lined heavy winter one just yet, but it's too chilly to wear it on its own, especially in the mornings. So thank you.

Julie is a changed person since she got the job. Many months ago, we both went on a Business Bureau sponsored tour of local accommodation & function facilities. At the drinks afterwards, Julie got talking to another American who has been here for 30 years & was then about to start as a Senior Manager at the Convention Centre. She went yesterday to the interview with the General Manager to find that is the same person & they knew each other. Apparently the interview just got better & better, culminating in Julie explaining that she had several other interviews coming up and, since this one was her preferred job, she would love to be able to cancel the others. The lady told her that she should do just that! She gets to wear a suit (provided by the company) & receives a meal every shift (lunch, dinner or whatever). Just as well the job involves lots of walking & activity or she might get fat again. She's just lost 5 pounds with the gastric bug!