December 2. Day 336. Black and blue

Exercise is bad for you. Okay, every scientific study - and even my personal experience - would say the opposite but the pain screaming my right ankle is bad enough to counteract all that and more.
The worst of it is that I didn't actually do anything to hurt it. Sure, I hiked up Mount Cooth-tha before breakfast but it felt fine until some hours later at which point it moved from a bit sore to unbearably painful in the space of about 30 minutes. I couldn't walk on it. I couldn't touch it and even using my foot on the accelerator was enough to bring real tears to my eyes.
With the level of pain it should have looked as black and blue as this bird I photographed on the walk but no. Nothing. No bruising. No swelling and no elaborate story to explain the limp.
But the pharmacy assistant could tell. "You were running away from Brad Pitt, right?" She asked. Don't be ridiculous. That wasn't how it happened. It was George Clooney. Seriously George, I know you are only human but could you just leave me alone ...

December 1. Day 335. Cool. Summer's here

The weather gods appear to be more than a little confused at the moment. In fact, I would go as far as to suggest that someone should give them a calendar or download an app on the heavenly fruit phone or something.
Today is December 1 and that makes it the first day of summer in this part of the world. Yet at 2am it was 14 degrees - that's what we get most winter days. It's cool, baby.
I know, I know. Most people would laugh at the idea of maximum of 24 being cool but with low humidity and a bit of a breeze today felt very unlike a Brisbane summer.
Still, that didn't stop many people from enjoying the blue skies. Even at 5.30pm there was still quite a crowd in the pool at South Bank.
No-one there seemed to be letting a number on a thermometer stop them from throwing themselves into summer.
It was only old people like myself who considered themselves too cool for school

November 30. Day 334. A bit of a blur

Much of today was a blur, mainly because I couldn't find my glasses. Again. Still.
I blame my family and their boy looks. I mean, I couldn't be expected to find my glasses without my glasses now could I?
The most annoying thing was that they were exactly where I thought they would and should be - by the bed where I had taken them off last night. They had lodged themselves between the bedside table and the bed and, apparently wrapped themselves in a Harry Potter style cloak of invisibility.
Finally, eight hours of near blindness later they were found when there was just enough light  to take the fur creature for an afternoon walk.
Even though I was again seeing clearly I found it hard to believe my eyes. There in Highgate Hill park was Tanzin the Bengal cat being taken for a walk on a lead by owners James and Mary.
I don't think I've ever seen a cat going off for a walk before. Then again, few people have ever seen our interpretation of dog walk before where the dog is often being carried on my shoulders. The look in Tanzin's eyes would suggest he was as surprised and amused by the sight as I was. Perhaps you need your eyes checked pussycat.

November 29. Day 333. Smokin' hot

 It's the most wonderful time of the year. Tonight thousands of Brisbane families packed King George Square in the CBD for the official ceremony to turn on the Christmas lights. And what a lovely night it was. I especially enjoyed the fact that the organisers were able to weave indigenous culture into what could have been a very "European" celebration. Before the solar lights on the tree were turned on, an Indigenous dance troop welcomed the crowd to their land and showed how light was made going back thousands of years in this land. The huge crowd of kids looked equally in awe either way. Yes Brisbane, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Ho, ho, ho ....

November 28. Day 332. The fog is lifting

I'm pretty sure I have never turned up to a medical appointment in a worse state than I did this morning. Unshowered, sweaty, smelly in walking boots and and an old T Shirt. It was not a good look.
But
a) it was not my fault and
b) my psychologist was delighted.
Operation kick Susan up the arse continues and this morning that involved walking up Mount Cooth-tha at the crack of dawn with a friend and the fur ball.
But the friend was delayed, the traffic was terrible and as a result I was running terribly late.
So I either went to the appointment straight from the mountain or not at all. I went with the former, phoning through in advance to apologise.
The sweaty but happy version of self is a vast improvement on the model who has been slumping in for recent appointments.Evidence of emerging from the fog is to be congratulated. Big gold star for seizing the day.
But frankly Brisbane, you could at least put on a better show instead of the hazy version of yourself you put on display this morning. If a girl is going to climb a mountain before breakfast, she should at least be able to enjoy the view at the top.

November 27. Day 331. Dipping your toe in the water

Some parents are such pains in the arse. The teachers must see them coming and try to hide in the staff room or lock themselves in the toilet or something.
Um, sorry about that. I try to keep my mouth shut but sometimes I can't help myself.
So it was at a school meeting tonight to discuss the roll out of student laptops for Year 11 next year. The school was running through the terms of use which included no social media and a wireless network that would block all social media sites. Okay, plenty of workplaces have similar bans. Okay, I have spent too much time in front of tutorials where students devote much of the class to updating their Facebook statuses not to be aware how distracting social media can be in education.
But I also know that in a classroom setting, social media can be used for good as well as evil and banning it seems crazy. Embrace it, teach responsible use, engage with it. It will be part of their world so you really should be using it rather than pretending it doesn't exist ... So when the presentation was over and parents were invited to talk to the staff one-on-one about the new program, pain-in the-arse mother puts the case for using social media in the classroom.
If there was eye rolling they did their best to hide it. And, in fact, they agreed with me. But the program is new, protocols need to be put in place and not all teachers are sufficiently well versed in the use of social media to bring it into the classroom. It is coming and training will happen. At this stage they are just dipping their toes in the water, not yet ready to dive in. So, on reflection, perhaps this little black duck isn't so bad after all. Just causing the odd ripple like this ducky moorhen at South Bank this morning.

November 26. Day 330. Patience grasshopper

I remember nothing of the 70s TV show Kung Fu except for the catch phrase Patience Grasshopper. Exactly why a grasshopper would want or need to be any more patient than any other creature great or small is a mystery but it obviously made sense at the time. Today, I exhibited a small amount of patience taking this photograph and a great deal more taking another snap of the Fur Friend Rumple for this year's Christmas card. For the past 15 years I have taken a photo of The Boy for the card. Every year that involves tears and tantrums (mainly from me) and far, far too many frames to get the "perfect" image. It's a ritual The Boy has long despised but put up with (usually because of a bribe). This year he decided it was time to hand over the modelling duties to the new kid on the block. He warned Rumple wouldn't have the patience for the job. Silly boy. It's me, not the dog who needs to display infinite patience and I have years of practice - 15 years to be exact.
Yes, there are challenges in working with animals not children - for one The Boy never tried to hump my arm during the photography session. On the plus side Rumple knows no rude words and Schmackos are cheaper than any "positive reinforcement" The Boy demanded as a modelling fee.
As for the image itself, it's awesome but you can't see it yet. Patience Grasshopper.