Exciting Times in Paradise!

Oh! Can I stand the excitement!!

Thursday dawned, a warm and sunny spring day. Right, I thought. I can't bear this enforced idleness any longer. I must do body movement stuff. With the right heel hideously painful, a simple walk is out of the question. I look longingly at the 12 x 5 metres of vivid blue water in the back yard and think - er, no, I know it's going to be 24 degrees today, but the water is utterly freezing still.

OK - a perfect excuse to rev up the Mazda and head to Wagga Wagga. The Oasis swimming centre to be precise, complete with the 25 metre heated pool. Yee har! I stuff the undies and towel in the Ravelry tote (along with a current knitting project and all the other crap I cart around), put the swimming cozzie on under the pedal pushers and shirt, and off I go, pool noodle tucked under the arm.

Ohhh, it's HEAVENLY! I have a lane all to myself, there are schoolkids doing beginner classes on the other side, the odd young chaps showing off in the faster lanes. I poodle a few laps (this involves supporting oneself on a noodle placed sideways under the tummy, dog paddling with the arms, and cycling with the legs). Every few laps I chuck in a "rowboat" lap, which means sitting astride the noodle and rowing backwards through the water. Very good for the shoulders!

After 10 laps I'm feeling stuffed, but I persevere and do 20. Once the backyard pool is warm enough, I'll be doing 60 x 12 metres every day, so I need to get up to speed. 500m seems like a good start.

Afterwards, it's across the road to the Marketplace shopping mall for lunch, during which I share a table with a very nice farmer from Barellan who is very philosophical about his need for it to rain soon. He has several thousand acres under wheat and lupins, and reckons they're on the edge. Poor man. I run into my niece's MIL Sue and her daughter Monica. I also keep running into our neighbour Karen. I think What the hell and buy myself a new pair of little pearl stud earrings.

Then it's off to Bunnings for some seedlings (snapdragons, the little buggers come back year after year, and we just need to fill in a few spaces. The garden bed with the birdbath.

Next stop, the tile shop. I have a piece of tile coated with the tile paint we are using, and need to find a fancy edging tile and bullnose capping tile to match as near as poss. BINGO! I find a colour that is so close, a blind man on a galloping horse would never notice the difference (or is that a galloping man on a blind horse?) AND - instead of paying $20 for each edging/bullnose combo, we can get a one-piece tile that gives the same look for $14 each. Excellent.

Now comes the exciting bit, and the reason one should always have some knitting on hand. Heading home up the Sturt Hwy, brrm brrm, pass through Collingullie, brrm brrm: now I'm about 15km further on (so still about 65km from home, and bugger all in between) and under the sound of the radio I hear kerfloop, kerfloop. The sound of a flat tyre. AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!

Well, it's moments like these you pray for mobile coverage, and bless the day you renewed your roadside assistance package with the NRMA. Yes madam how can I help you? I'm old and useless and I have a flat tyre. What address are you at? Er - I'm on the Sturt Highway, about 15km west of Collingullie, and I'm opposite a property called - hang on, I'll just limp across the road avoiding large trucks doing 120kph and check - yes, it's called Yarragundry. What's the nearest cross street? Er - I'm out in the middle of nowhere. There are sheep, and fields of wheat. There is a road going off to the left, but that's about 300m further along and I have a stuffed foot and.... That's OK madam, I'll just let the serviceman know you're around 15k west of where? C o l l i n g u l l i e, between Wagga Wagga and Narrandera. Ok, please hang on while I ring Wagga and find out how long they'll be...... (waits, waits, thinks this call is costing a fortune).... they'll be there within 60 minutes. OK, thanks.

Ever practical, I open the back passenger door, and drape my towel and swimming cozzie over it to dry. It's a warm day with a pleasant breeze, so I get out my knitting, open the windows, and keep an eye on the rear vision mirror. If I see a large truck looming, I flick on the hazard lights to warn them (since I'm just on the shoulder of the road: there's a large dip so I can't go any further).

Time passes. Then Huzzah! It's only 40 minutes and here comes the NRMA man. Within 5 I've brought in the washing, and I'm on my way again, thinking - In Sydney, I could have waited up to 3 hours. Big tick for country living: at least in this area you can usually get a tradesman the same day, and the road service are very efficient.

Today - I'm playing on Ravelry when sister Kate says she's going to Griffith and would I like to come. But of course, so off we go. One of the bare rooted standard Iceberg roses we bought a couple of months ago is decidedly dead - but we drop into the nursery where we bought them, and they replace it on the spot, no problem. Note: Riverina Nurseries is a fine establishment, I will tell the world and they will get lots of sales.

While Kate gets her hair cut, I go to the Victoria Hotel and KIP (knit in public for those unacquainted with crafty talk) while reading Hannah Pakula's An Uncommon Woman (a biography of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert's eldest child, Princess Victoria - she was the mother of Kaiser Wilhelm II of WWI fame). Interesting book, fascinating subject.

Then we enjoy Atlantic salmon for lunch, with a delicious semillon sauvignon blanc - as VIP members we get 10% off meals and a free drink of your choice. Wine at $6 a glass for free - and that's a bucket, not a thimble - and a delicious meal of Atlantic salmon on baby spinach and roast veg for $15.30 is a BARGAIN!!

On our way home we go to the Good Guys emporium (new in Griffith) and buy a new microwave for the Garden Room: our 14 yr old one decided to snuff it last week. With a 10% discount for cash, we're well pleased.

Now - after a ridiculously warm day, about 27degrees, the clouds are gathering in a stormy looking sky. The clouds to the west and northwest look ominous - and Ashleigh is preparing her swag to take to a party where 30 teenagers are planning to sleep under the stars! HA! I think they're all gonna get w e - e - et.!!!

OK, I know this is all pretty boring but my life isn't very exciting at present. But I have heard from Centrelink, so the preliminaries to getting welfare are in hand. I have to go down and register with Summit Personnel on Monday ("Hi Karon! Oh, Hi Linda. I heard you got laid off.") And, since the man at Centrelink thinks the payments won't kick in until late October (since I got redundancy money), I've made the appointment to get the heel looked at, even though I'll have to pay. Yay for universal health care, it will only cost me $18.

Over and OUT!