IDLING. NOT WORKING.

Not good! But if “idling” means the motor is running, that’s better than nothing, right? And I can’t do much until my paper dries.

So…I’m messing about in here. Yes, that is the right verb. A lightbulb blew. Blew right out of the socket. Made a bit of a mess. And I made this…

This is Buggi.

We continue to work on the strip of garden with our like-minded neighbour. I have two Malaysian stool palms in pots and I moved them to the shady area by the fence. Personally, I feel very sorry for the Malaysian!

When I googled to confirm the name (a year ago it was reclassified from Livistona rotundifolia to the Saribus genus.) I found it is called the foot stool plant. Oh.

The nights are still comfortably cool, but the daytime mercury is climbing. The shell gingers are flowering and the torches will not be far behind them. I brought a stem indoors…

 

…and added some Petrea. Which promptly twisted sideways.

I also brought in a snapped hippeastrum stem . I think two black cats may know something about that! They are five years old today. Seems like yesterday….

I’d like to have flowers indoors more often, but they wilt so quickly in the heat and when the ceiling fans are on things in tall vases are prone to tipping over!

But, since I do have “flowers in the house” today, I thought I’d join Jane’s floral dance.

Now, back to work,woman!

 

 

 

IN WHICH I TRY TO CATCH UP…

Though probably with limited success!

I never did find the post I’d written about my Cambridge jaunt and sinceCelia and Lizzie wrote so well about our day out I think I’ll just take the lazy option and use links!*

I’m still zipping around, meeting old and new friends, popping into pubs and cafes (it rained rather a lot and one needed shelter) not doing much in the way of work…

I went to Spain! Stayed with old friends who decided they’d rather spend their retirement in a warmer clime. Still a tad chilly while I was there, but not raining. Here are some Spanish views…

from the roof of the house..towards Maroma Mountain

the lake/reservoir…

Nerja, a coastal town…

Sense of humour in Torre de Mar!

also in Torre de Mar…

Back in London, where the rain was still being a nuisance, I managed to dodge showers, by now becoming pretty good at jumping onto buses and staying reasonably dry. Sometimes.

from one bus, view of another..

London Eye-a Bus Eye view.

Before leaving Australia, I Googled an old friend, with little expectation of a reply to my message. So much for expectations…not only did he respond with an invitation to dinner, he also invited another oldie who is now a near-neighbour! We had a lovely time, laughing at stupid old jokes, recalling former (some deceased) colleagues, marvelling that we’re all still relatively compos  mentis and physically fit. And still eminently capable of keeping the vintners solvent!

names witheld to protect the innocent?

*Perhaps, once I’m home, I’ll re-cap.

YES, THE EARTH MOVED !

Yesterday saw what is being called the “greatest defeat “(or victory, if you favour that side!) in Queensland politics since…I don’t  know. A long time.

But I promise  this is NOT turning into a political blog! For one thing, I am easily bored by political debate. Besides, I don’t follow these particular gee-gees with much interest so can’t name them, their trainers, track records, betting odds…

But I did grab a pencil and make a very quick scrawl when I heard the new Member for the seat  previously held by the  Treasurer. One of the things she “absolutely wants to address” is public transport.

And this rang a silly bell  as her new boss, incoming Premier Campbell Newman, was once Mayor of Brisbane and one of the things he spent public money on was a free public bicycle scheme. Laudable? Perhaps. But no one rode his bikes!

I don’t think John Kudelka has anything to worry about!  If you click the image you should be able to read it.

Of more interest to me is some other earth-shaking news.* The other day, ‘way out  west of Oodnadatta, a ‘quake was recorded at almost magnitude 7.  That’s quite a shake! Of course, out there there are no high-rise apartments and crowded cities. And, fortunately, no nuclear reactors  or “waste facilities.” There are small settlements and these would feel after-shocks. You can read more here. I suppose my interest in  this stuff comes from having been knocked on my  butt  by ‘quakes as a little kid. Today? I could probably hold my balance in all but a big  shake! 🙂

I could make this a meteorological post. But I wont. I still have some mopping-up to do!

So I’ll leave you with these chaps. 

Pee Ess…it’s raining again.

*   Don’t be rude! You know this is not a naughty blog!