November 7. Day 311. Hey you. Get outta my pool

Of all the creatures who ever walked God's earth, Rumple has one of the sweetest natures. He is so loving, so loyal and his devotion is something special. I've said it before and I'll say it again: The mother of every teenager needs a dog and this little bloke fits the bill. But even such a sweetie has his limits and there are a couple of creatures who seem to see their mission in life as testing that (for some reason my mind again goes to teenager but I digress). Anyway, the cat next door occasionally finds it terribly amusing to curl up and have a nap on one of Rumple's favourite chairs on the back deck. It then hisses at Rumple if he protests. There are a couple of chickens who like to sit just the other side of the fence pailings knowing Rumple can see but not reach and then there's the water dragon. The water dragon enjoys sunning itself on the pool deck and occasionally taking a dip. This drives Rumple nuts. He runs from one end of the pool to the other loudly barking his protest. But the water dragon is no fool. It has worked out that there is a narrow tiled section on one pool boundary out of canine way. Like a child in a lolly store or Susan in a commercial art gallery, the policy is you can look but can't touch. Life's so unfair (that, too, for some reason reminds me of teenager

November 6. Day 310. Coming up for air

 

It would be quite wrong to suggest that finally I have got to a position where I can breathe. I do, however, feel that at least one nostril is above the water line. Today my darling son finished his formal high school education. All that lies between him and the piece of paper that unlocks the next educational door is one exam, two oral presentations and a graduation ceremony (I say all because if I say that and type really quickly I can pretend it's no big thing. As far as I can tell, nothing about Year 12 is no big thing). Now a large drink or cake might be an appropriate way to mark the occasion but sleep deprivation and diet rule out either as a satisfactory method so I took the fur friend for a walk to meet the turtles. They, too, were largely submerged but able to catch the odd breath.

November 5. Day 309. All a twitter

Social media cops a lot of sh*t and it is true that some of it is justified. But I have to tell you not all of it. I love Twitter and Facebook for making connections, keeping in touch and as a forum to get something of your chest or amuse the world with your incredible insights (inserts sarcastic font). I have also found that virtual friends have an ability to become friends IRL (that social speak for in real life). So it was today that I found myself at a lunch where my Twitter friend Mel was the MC. As it happens the topic of the lunch was social media so what an awesome synergy there is there. Mel is one of the wonderful women who has crossed over from the screen of the phone or the laptop to across the table over a coffee or a breakfast. Those who think social media is making us less social are dead wrong. Anyway, after the lunch and still considering the thoughts of the panel on using social media to connect and communicate I hit the Botanic Gardens where there was a lot of twitter speak of a different type. They were probably trying to organise a virtual hookup.

November 4. Day 308. Public displays of affection

Just about every time I'm at South Bank there are public displays of affection going on. You will see lovers walking hand in hand, people cuddling on the grass and snogging happening in the pool. There was also this one time I walked into a couple of senior school kids emerging from a disabled toilet. I can't say for sure what was going on in the toilet but both parties looked pretty happy with life. Still until today I'd never seen actual mating going on. To tell you the truth I don't know a lot about th mating rituals of the dragon fly but my guess is that's what was happening. I suppose I could Google search to confirm but I reckon taking photos of mating dragon flies is kinky enough for one woman on one day. All I can say is that there is something about the environment of the parklands that brings out people's romantic side. Perhaps it's all the chocolate restaurants ....

November 3. Day 307. Ladies who lunch

I learned a lot today. I learned about vertical curl and seawave girl and spray tan that sets in two hours and isn't orange because it has no alcohol. I heard about a vegan beautician who uses only eyelash extensions not tested on animals. In addition, there was something about the direction of follicles on all natural hair extensions that prevent tangling. These are the things a lady who lunches needs to know. For the first time in almost living memory I didn't have a staff meeting on the first Tuesday in November. This meant that I was free to be the type of lady who lunches on Melbourne Cup Day. So I recruited a few of my besties and attended the annual ladies lunch at my son's school (this seemed like a relatively low risk strategy as it is only three weeks until he graduates). Through the fashion parade and beauty display I learned about the hair techniques and through my keen eye I learned just how good some ladies can look in high end headwear.  I think looking fascinating in a fascinator is a skill that comes more naturally to some than others (in other words I have no idea). And I won $8 on a cup sweep. Winning day all round

November 2. Day 306. Colour consultant

When I grow up, which I have no plans on doing any time soon, I think a new career as a person who names colours could be in order. I mean someone must find work labelling all those squares on  a colour chart or the pencils in the giant boxes. My interest comes from The Colour Purple. I am not discussing the movie which I can't recall ever seeing but the colour of the blooms which are decorating the Brisbane skyline at the moment. The jacarandas are now making up for a late start and are blooming brilliant. As it happens, the flowers are pretty much the same colour as the school uniform shirt my son wore for five years. According to the Dulux colour chart that puts the uniform somewhere between Virtuous and Champion. Either way it is certainly on the purple spectrum. Yet the shirt is described as being jacaranda blue. That's right BLUE. Give me a break. Blue is the colour of the sky or the sea or sapphires. (According to the colour chart the blue range also includes Dance Studio and Hindsight and Overtake). Which is why I need to start naming colours so there is no ambiguity. The grey range would include Staff Meeting, there would be a green brown named Baby Shit, a horrible yellow called Puss and a black called Teenager. And jacaranda would feature prominently in the purples. I owe it to all the boys in the future who wear that shirt.

November 1. Day 305. Zombie walk

 Zombies are everywhere at the moment by which I mean not just in my Monday morning lectures although there is a special brand of walking dead in that environment. No, zombies, once rarely seen outside horror movies and the chamber of Federal Parliament, are very much in vogue. Today especially is the day of the zombie as the undead gather for the annual zombie walk.  I must say they looked awesome. The costume shops and online retailers must have been doing a roaring trade in latex, coloured contact lenses, face paint and fake blood in recent days. But let me tell you zombies, there is a cheaper but considerably less enjoyable way of looking like the living dead with no make-up at all (actually having no make-up helps the look). The same haunted half dead look can be achieved through sleepless nights and assessment induced panic. It also has the advantage that it won't wash off in water (trust me, I've tried). But in all seriousness zombies, well done you. A fundraiser for brain research is well worth turning undead for. And you looked bloody awesome. Literally