November 14. Day 318. On the ball

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             It used to be that the pool was the big drawcard around our place that would magnetically attract the relatives. But over recent months most of my family have moved into homes with pools of their own. We do, however, still have a (not-so) secret attraction also beginning with P.  The new puppy Winkle is just crying out for a cuddle and is drawing the relatives to our front door. I am sure that most would agree she has to be seen to be believed. The thing is that puppy or no puppy, pool or no pool there is one low tech item in the garden that also has an almost irresistible pulling power. When you see a basketball hoop and a ball it's almost impossible not to take a shot. It's just the way it is even when there's a puppy to cuddle.

November 13. Day 317. Patience is a virtue

If I was to say that Rumple was put out by the appearance in the house of a new pup it would be an understatement. But there is no way I could overstate just how patient he has been with the pint-sized invader in the days since. She has taken to trying to chew his ear off not in the metaphoric sense of talking at him until his ear is worn off from overuse but in the literal sense. He puts up with it. She tries to suckle on him. He puts up with it. She chases him and jumps on him and steals food from his bowl and he just lets her. Rumple could get away. Winkle can not jump on the furniture or escape through the doggy door and a couple of times today he has taken refuge on the bed but most of the time he just puts up with her and her crazy version of puppy love. If he was going to snap today would have been the day. She didn't let up all day. She threw everything at him she even managed to commit the ultimate indignation. He had snuck into the bathroom while I showered and walked off with a pair of dirty knickers which in Rumple terms is about as good a prize as it gets. She took them from him. Even then, with such extreme provocation, he didn't snap. The fact that he didn't tells me they will be the very best of buddies. I hope so. He's done everything he can to make the relationship work.

November 12. Day 316. Cruel to be kind

Bring a parent is a tough, tough gig. Being a puppy parent also has its shares of ups and downs. While poos, wees and chewed things inflict pain on the puppy parent, the real hurt comes when your little fur bundle is suffering. Telling yourself the pain is a necessary evil, that you have to be cruel to be kind, that she is in expert and caring hands does little because that's the rational response to a most emotional and therefore irrational reaction. So it was when Drama Teen had to take his little Winkle to the vet today for a check over, worming and injections. Both were very brave and I was immensely proud. There was a vomit in the car on the way home but the irony was it was from neither puppy nor puppy parent. The more senior dog was the one with the travel tummy. It may have only been slight, but I think the knowledge that he could say "your dog, your mess" brought Drama Teen a small comfort - that and the fact that mum is paying the vet bills for both dogs.

November 11. Day 315. Remembrance Day

There are certain things, certain Australian things, I think every Aussie should do. I've been in Sydney to see the fireworks on New Year's Eve, dived on th Great Barrier Reef and sat in the stands when the first ball in bowled in an Ashes Test. But the bucket list is far from complete. Before I die (which hopefully isn't going to happen any time soon) I need to attend at least one Melbourne Cup, be at the MCG for a one day cricket final and see the sunrise or set over Uluru. Today, I came oh so close to another Aussie must do but fell short at the end. I was in Canberra on Remembrance Day. I drove past the War Memorial but was I there at 11am? No I was not. Today a meeting of journalism educators lured me to Canberra and it wasn't until I was there that the signficance of the date struck. The agenda was busy and the distance prohibitive so I was in a meeting not in a field of poppies at 11am. All I saw on Canberra was what you can spy from the window of  a can between the airport and Canberra University and back again and the inside of a seminar room.  My total photographic output for the day would be an image from the plane window if it wasn't for the cockatoo that decided to keep my company while I waited for a cab to take me home. As pretty as the bird is it really pales in comparison to the main game in town today. There was even royalty. Oh well next time. I just hope "next time" isn't quite as long as last time. I'm pretty sure the last time I was in the nation's capital was for a school trip in Year 9. That's unAustralian. I shall go eat some Vegemite to clear my conscience.

November 10. Day 314. Time flies

Time flies when you are having fun (by which I mean I have no idea where all the hours in the say evaporate to. It is now less than three weeks until I embark on a walking holiday of the Great Ocean Road. I should be far, far fitter than I am. I should have put in many, many more kilometres but ... well ... #life. It's not that I don't walk. Most days, like today, I walk at least to the University of Queensland or South Bank. Most days I consider this weight training because the fur friend rather prefers to be carried than actually put one paw in front of the other. I could argue that I am letting him get away with it because he is suffering from puppy panic and the sookiness is related to the arrival of Winkle on the weekend. That would be a fine excuse except we've had Winkle for three days and Rumple's walk reluctance dates back three years. Fact is I rather like having some up close and personal time with Rumple and I am sure the ducks prefer having the canine carried where he is guaranteed not to launch an attack. At least I know the Great Ocean Road walk will be puppy free.

November 9. Day 313. Ghost rider

It is so often portrayed as a war with cyclists and  motorists on opposing teams. Frankly anyone who thinks this is either an idiot or employed by a commercial current affairs program deliberately trying to inflame tensions. Sure there are instances of extreme bad behaviour in both camps but most road users just want EVERYONE to get safely to their destination with as little fuss and in as little time as possible. Seeing the white painted Ghost Bikes around town at sites where cyclists have been killed is a reminder of just how high the stakes are. So I both understand and fully endorse council attempts to put in place initiatives to make the roads safer for cyclists. But making the road more dangerous for motorists is hardly the answer and that's what has happened at the end of our street. It also drives me nuts that when residents point out design issues the reaction seems to be that you must be a car loving/cycle hating environmental vandal. That sort of thinking will create a war. I just hope there is a rethink before a white painted ghost car turns up at the intersection.

November 8. Day 312. Puppy love