Forecast: 15-20
Attained: 15-20

Not sure how many people have seen this.
Amazing bit of footage, but my first thought on seeing that mass of starlings was to wonder if they were edible? Chuck a net amongst that lot... :)

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

The song is available on eyetoons, too. Is very tempting...

~=o>

I overheard the cubs talking about the possibility of 'getting a place with their friends' in the future. Made me smile, cos when they were about 6 they informed me with all seriousness that they were going to stay with me forever and ever, even if they got married.

Forecast: 22-26
Attained: 22-32

Hah! I knew it got to more than 26 today!

~=o>

Spidey has reappeared behind me, across the room but still up high. I'm resisting the urge to glance over my shoulder every few seconds...

From Hyperbole and a Half. Spiders are Scary.

I take heart that I'm not quite as paranoid as this anymore.

~=o>

Cubs are back to school on Thursday. We picked up their stupidly expensive speshul calculators today - $165 each, which is better than the $190 quoted - then fought through the other back-to-school shoppers to stock up on stationery. I'd set the cubs the task of going through their booklists and writing out what they needed. As it happened they had a lot of stuff left over from last year so it wasn't too big an expense.
Was thinking about uniform stuff for them as well but they've got a couple of extra pairs of school trousers that I never quite got 'round to hemming last year so they were never worn. See, procrastination sometimes pays off. :)

Forecast: 21-35
Attained: 21-35

No sign of the spider. As long as I can't see it I won't fret...

~=o>

I've posted the pics from yesterday's trip to the Museum on FB. I'll put them up on Flickr when I'm not wilting... (It's still hot...)

Museum, Jan 2012.

~=o>

I know how it's going to end but I still jump, every time. :)

Forecast: 22-34
Attained: 20-30

Phew, busy day! But good... :)
My brother et al are down in Melbourne for a few days. Cubs and I met up with them today at their sky-scrapery apartment...

(View from the balcony. Where I bravely stood to take the shot...)

... before trooping off to the museum!

(Main hallway, with the skeleton of a Blue Whale).

(I'll post more pics at Flickr or FB when I've got relevant permissions.)

It was hot though, and we did lots of walking. [ow-feet-ow]

~=o>

Gah. There's been a huntsman spider lurking around the house for a few days, moulting and such. Didn't have a problem with it until now...

It's above my computer desk now. It has a leg span of about 10cm. Really not happy with how close it is...

Edit: Just tried to shift it on using a long pointy thing, but it attacked the pointy thing!! [quiver] Very difficult trying to type while keeping one eye open for sudden movements from above...

Forecast: 16-29
Attained: 17-30

I've been using the TAFE carpark near work for the past 18 months cos technically I was a student there for most of it. That finished at the end of 2011 but over the end of year holiday season the TAFE gives out passes so the hospital workers can use the carpark while the students are away.
Alas, even that brief respite has reached its end, and from next week I'll have to park half a kingdom away. [sigh] I suppose the walk will do me good, or something... :)

~=o>

Tch, my phone's being a prima donna again. Not sure what set it off this time...

~=o>

Off to the Melbourne Museum tomorrow with cubs, and assorted other family members!

Forecast: 14-26
Attained: 16-24

Australia Day!
Triple J Hottest 100 Countdown! Only 2 of the songs I voted for got in but that was okay cos one that I'd meant to vote for got in as well. What was No. 1? In a surprise to no-one, it was Gotye's 'Someone That I Used to Know'. :)

(Fun fact: I never quite caught the actual figure but apparently there were over 1.5 million votes in the countdown this year...)

~=o>

Having the day off was lovely but my time sense is all over the place now. It feels like the end of a weekend. I'm expecting to meet Penny for coffee tomorrow, as I normally would on a Monday...! :)

Forecast: 19-26
Attained: 21-24

I saw this pic online today and I LOL'd.

Because to me it looked like she was wearing one of these...

[snicker]

Forecast: 20-34
Attained: 21-34

Lord love a duck it's been hot! I'm anticipating the day when I can whinge about the cold weather. :)

~=o>

It's the Year of the Dragon! Go me! Rarrr!

Wen Long by Yee Chong Silverfox.

Forecast: 20-34
Attained: 19-33

Hot today, but not humid at least...
I was at Penny's this afternoon, enjoying her new air conditioner. That was nice. :)

~=o>

I really don't have anything else to say.
Have a cute... um... thing, instead.

Tenatacle Pot Pie. (Picture nicked from the site.)
Heh.

Forecast: 18-31
Attained: 17-33

I vacuumed the house today. Yes, this is a wonder. It helps that the floors are still fairly clear from the inspection clean-up. :)

~=o>

Browsing old pics...

Tewantin Ferry, Noosa Heads, Queensland. April, 2007.

Forecast: 18-28
Attained: 19-28

A good day.
I sorted out the 'puter desk drawers this morning, then had a nap, then spent the afternoon/evening eating chips and chocolate and sorting out the sewing desk drawers.
Very satisfying. :)

~=o>

Australia Day next Thursday! Public Holiday! Day off!
I shall be listening to the now traditional Triple J's Hottest 100 Countdown!

~=o>

Bwahahahaha!
Joules showed me this earlier today. [giggling] Someone had way too much fun with this!
BadgerCub made an intersting observation about it. He's not entirely sure but he thinks the glowing 'bots in the clip are ones who died in the first (G1) movie. Which would add another level of geek irony. :)

Forecast: 15-24
Attained: 17-21

Can't think of anything to say.
Have a cute cannon, instead...

Forecast: 15-25
Attained: 16-23

Eventful day. The owner came over to check the stove. He says there's nothing wrong with it, the gas I'm smelling all through the house when the oven's on is 'just a build up'.
I call BS on that, but, will do as suggested (having the grill on at the same time to clear this 'build up') and see how we go...
(I wasn't here for this, mind, I was in txt communication with one of the cubs while I was at work.)

~=o>

On a happier note, the cubs and I went to see the Muppet Movie tonight!
Couldn't stop laughing in places! So many in-jokes, so many celebrity cameos to spot! [bg] And one of the most... interesting versions of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' I've ever heard.

Also! There was a preview of the new Aardman film, The Pirates. Already looks good but the anticipation was notched 20% higher cos 'Swords of a Thousand Men' was used in the trailer. :)



Love that song. I was briefly in the Tenpole Tudor fanclub back in the early 80's...

Didn't update yesterday cos I was too busy finishing the cleaning for the inspection.
So, some catch up weather.

Forecast for 17th: 24-35
Attained: 24-34

Forecast for today: 24-30
Attained: 21-24

Heh, reading the straight figures like that the temperature sounds almost reasonable, doesn't it?
However, consider: when I went to bed last night, it was 29 degrees. When I woke up it had only dropped to 25. The 'low' of the day came around lunchtime, and the 'high' around 3pm...

The inspection went ok. I was working but the cubs were home and texted me when it was finished. I don't know that they were happy to be here on their own but they did it, my wonderful children.
They're going to have to do it again tomorrow though, cos the owner's coming over to check out the stove and fire alarm. (I'd noted for the agent that they needed repair/replacement.) Haven't been able to use the oven for months: everytime it's on there's a strong smell of gas throughout the house. Not good, I'm sure. Stove top and grill are fine, just the oven is worrying.
As for the (mandatory) fire alarm, I tested it a couple of days ago and it didn't work. When the new battery went in, however, the damn thing wouldn't switch off! The unit is ancient and almost certainly needs replacing anyway...

~=o>

After Mum had had her stroke and I was toiling up and down the Warbie trying to get her unit sorted out, I stopped one Sunday at the local market near her place. I was worn out and depressed, and had rebelliously decided to give myself a small break before continuing to tackle packing up Mum's stuff. It wasn't a restful break as it happened. Mum and I, and frequently the cubs, and Soulsis et al, had been dropping in to this market for more than ten years. Wandering around it that day, knowing that I was never going to be there with my mum again was very hard. I bought myself a little succulent that'd caught my eye. After all, I would be moving in to a new house before the end of the year and it would be nice to have plants again...

I didn't look after the plant though and over the next few months it withered but I couldn't bring myself to throw it out. Not sure why. Anyway, this poor scrap of a thing was transported to the new place, where it sat hidden amongst the stuff piled up on the kitchen table. Everytime I cleaned up I'd find it, and still wouldn't be able to get rid of it so back it went, out of the way, still neglected and unwatered.

Several weeks ago I found it again and this time I decided to give it a good soaking and put it out in the light and see what happened. I reasoned that if it stayed 'dead' then it was dead and I could finally throw it out. However, astonishingly, it started to revive. I wasn't sure at first, I thought the leaves looked a tiny bit plumper but couldn't be certain. So I soaked it again, and again.

It came back. :)
It now lives quite happily on the little freezer under the kitchen window, and I smile everytime I look at it...


Feed me, Seymour...

Forecast: 16-33
Attained: 15-33

[flop] I can haz stop nao?
The battle has been hard fought but victory is close. The chaos has been forced to retreat step by step. Now, only a small pocket of resistance remains. On my bed. I'll deal with it tomorrow...

~=o>

The house shortly after we moved in at the end of 2010...

The house today, a year-ish later...

The house today after Penny did some pruning for me. :)

Look there at the fence! I haz a hedge!


KittenKong. Helping.
I'd just cleared that spot...

Forecast: 13-24
Attained: 15-22

Right! Bathroom, laundry & toilet are finished: everything else is half-to-almost finished. :) I've cheated a bit: the stuff I couldn't put away has been stuffed back in to boxes and stacked neatly. Still, there's less of that this time so I am pleased.

However. Gods above, I loathe grouted tiles in bathrooms. [grumple] So stupid fiddly to clean. At least in this place they're reasonably big tiles, instead of the manky little ones at the old place that meant even more grouting to scrub. If I'm ever in a position where I can chose the sort of wall/floor stuff for my bathroom, it will not be tiles...

~=o>

This time(ish) last year...

Cubs helping me move a wardrobe in to the house.
Well, when I say 'helping me', I mean I told them where to put it. :)

Forecast: 15-23
Attained: 15-20

Cos the inspection's so close I'm only really doing damage control tidying up now, that is just making neat piles of what's left rather than sorting and clearing away.
Not nearly so much fun but considerably quicker. Eh, there'll be more organisational stuff to be getting on with after Wednesday. :)

Will start looking out for another thin (40-45cm) bookcase or two. Can definitely squeeze them in now that I've rearranged the lounge room.

~=o>

Wow, I think it's been almost 3 years since I was last at the Melbourne Aquarium. Been meaning to get back there. Hopefully will do in the next month or so.

King penguins, parading. May, 2009.

Forecast: 14-22
Attained: 14-20

I had a delicious dinner tonight. Grilled steak and tomato, with garlic and mushrooms sauted in far too much butter. Nom. :)
And then I had one of the sachet hot chocs Joules sent me. Banana/choc! Surprisingly yummy. I want another one now...

~=o>

Hee, halfway through season 3 of DS9. So far we've clocked up the Mirror Universe ep, the Time Travel to Earth's Past and try not Screw up the Timeline ep and Everyone Gets Weird and Uninhibited ep. Gads, I love the ST universe...

Forecast: 13-21
Attained: 13-21

This is a very cool story:

Elusive Burmese monkey captured on camera.

However, this line made me do a doubletake:

While researchers obtained a number of other deceased animals and observed them in the wild, the monkeys had never been photographed.

[snicker] What's wrong with that sentence? :)

Forecast: 13-19
Attained: 13-19

Melbourne! Where it's unwise to completely pack away your winter clothes during summer...

Pic taken at work today.
What it doesn't show very clearly is the wind whipping the rain around...

The stupid hot days are bearable cos I know the weather will swing back down again. :)