Nigella …

We have had some lovely weather here – lots of rain and storms (thunder and lightning) and some lovely sunny days as well. The air conditioner in the living area has also been having a bit of a workout. When it’s on M Kaz closes the door to the wc, the bathroom, my bedroom, mostly closes the door to the laundry (and the Outback … I can just shimmy through) and opens one of the doors to the hall cupboard … all to decrease the size of the area the air conditioning is itcooling. It does seem to work as well because the areas outside the cooling zone are a bit warmer.

Sooz is still running the air conditioner in the bedroom, and the ceiling fan and the Vornado fan (some days). M Kaz was telling M Sooz about the personal/handheld fan she saw at Harvey Norman which when you blow it on your face gives the same face-flapping effect as when someone is parachuting out of a plane. It has slower speeds as well if you just want to be like a dog hanging its head out of a car window. It may be something M Kaz keeps an eye out for in the Black Friday sales in a couple of weeks … I think she would buy it for M Sooz (she really does feel the heat) if she didn’t have to pay the full price of $129.

M Kaz has started moving boxes into the house … there is a small one and a big one at this point – but not so big that M Kaz can’t move the big one – although she did wheel it in on the trolley. I believe she bought the boxes (and the other three big ones in the garage) from IKEA and she’s going to build whatever’s in them. Flat packs. That’s what she called them. But one of them isn’t so flat anymore thanks to my excellent efforts as an apprentice/helper. Who knew she was going to make something that flat into a stool – or is it a small table? I can’t wait to see what she does with the big box and what she makes out of that one (and the other three in the garage if they are the same).

Where is that classical music coming from? It’s 7.30am on Sunday morning and I swear I can hear classical music.  I’m not sure which piece or which composer-but it’s there.  I know it’s not the Mummies because they’re both fast asleep, and one of them is snoring – I’d like to say “gently” but we all know that’s not the case. I’ve had a bit more of a scout around and I now know it’s definitely coming from M Kaz’s phone. It’s her alarm – she used to wake up to the alarm when she was getting up at (or before) dawn to take photographs down at the Broadwater but since she hasn’t been doing that, even though she still sets the alarm, she doesn’t take any notice of it. And, no, I don’t know why she hasn’t been going down to the Broadwater. I don’t think M Kaz knows either, but I did hear her tell M Sooz that she would go down again – starting on Monday (tomorrow). And, no, I did not even think “yeah, right” when she said that.

We were supposed to get big storms yesterday – maybe even a tornado – but that didn’t happen here although they had massive hailstones at a place called Pratten, not far from the Darling Downs Zoo. I hope none of the animals there were as scared as I am when there’s thunder and lightning – very very frightening.

Woohoo – my green rolley toy has made a re-appearance! He was feeling a bit flat but M Kaz put him on to charge and he’s full of energy again, zipping here and there all over the place;  which is all well and good unless you’re starving and waiting for breakfast and you can see the bottom of your food bowl. I left him to it while I went to have some breakfast. I figured if he was hungry he could get himself to the kitchen – I don’t have to carry him there like I do the others.

Glue. That’s what I said M Kaz … glue. Don’t think I’m letting you anywhere out of my sight now that you have finally rescued me from the cattery and Aunty Michelle. You wonder why I talk so much when I come home from visiting her. There’s a very simple explanation for that but you’ll have to stay with her a couple of days yourself to find out.

That being said, it is good to be home and sleeping in all my favourite spots again – and there are a few of them – the house that Aunty M got me, my box on the table, the chair under the table in the living area, my bed, your bed M Kaz, my washing basket outside, M Sooz’s bed … it’s a wonder I spend any time awake really with all the lovely sleeping spots I have.

I’m a bit concerned that all my friends have left me because I haven’t seen any of them since I arrived home. What’s that? Because I’ve been sleeping so much. Or is it because they don’t like the sound of your typewriter either? It’s much quieter when you use the computer (and you seem to say a lot less cuss words as well) but whatever makes you happy M Kaz – I don’t want you to worry because you’ve turned me into a social pariah.

I didn’t see the snake that was in the neighbour’s courtyard the other day. I’m not sure if it was a Cecil I know but I won’t know now because they bundled him up and took him over the road to the stormwater outlet and sent him on his way. They told M Kaz that they didn’t even think about popping him over the fence to our side. And speaking of fences, the biggest bird was on the one outside the Outback yesterday. It was huge, I would even say it was bigger than me. The Mummies called it a bin chicken but I don’t think that’s the scientific name for it – and it didn’t look like any other chicken I’ve seen on television or coming into Jannie in their little carry-home bags from the supermarket.

The Mummies seem to have had a good time without me while they had me with Aunty Michelle – for my own safety. They went to Lismore which must be miles and miles away because it is in another time zone – and don’t think M Kaz didn’t go on and on about that and how being in another time zone magically muddled her body clock and the calendar dates on her phone.

It’s rained a fair bit since I’ve been home and the good news is that the roof repairs seem to have worked. It hasn’t rained inside – not that it ever did but there would be a patch of something appearing on the ceiling in the hall – and yes, M Kaz, I have seen you watching that like a hawk. And the new shade sail has remained in place too. Good times.

You never know what those Mummies are going to come home with. This time it is a toy for me – or is it a new friend? They are battery-operated and go tearing through the house at a rate of knots. They have three settings – slow, fast and interactive. ‘Interactive’ means they make an annoying noise before scuttling off. I am not totally sure what I think of them yet. I sometimes deign to chase them – other times I let them have at it. I think M Kaz is getting more exercise from chasing it around than I am. The good news is that they are able to get themselves out from under things when they have put themselves there: the only thing M Kaz has to do is to make sure she notes whether the red light indicating ‘low charge’ is on – so she can snafu it before it races under something and gets stuck there. That’s why HAL (the robot vacuum cleaner) is not allowed in the Mummies’ bedroom because if he got stuck there – that’s where he would have to stay because there is no way the Mummies can move their beds – or get under them. And even though we know I’m strong, I wouldn’t be able to wrestle it out from under there either – and even if I could, there’s too much other stuff in the way.

So, where was I? The new toy/friend. The first night they were here, M Kaz made sure they were turned off and put in my mango box on the lounge. The Mummies know I like taking my little rubber band friends to share my food and M Kaz was worried I might do this with the ball and leave them somewhere in a transit area and cause a late night or early morning fall for one of the Mummies. That wouldn’t be good – it would be funny, but it wouldn’t be good.

I’m glad I don’t live with Cate and Steve over the courtyard fence – or that I can’t see what’s going on in there. Why? Because they had a snake visitor the other day that Cate didn’t even realise was there until she walked over it and it was between her and the door. She’s braver than Uncle Wayne because when he sees a snake he cries out ‘Nake … nake’. I didn’t hear anything from over the fence – not even when they were scooping the snake up into a box and then taking it over the road near a stormwater drain for the snake to ‘hide in’. ‘Don’t worry’ said Cate, ‘the boys there are big strapping lads and they’ll be able to deal with it if it shows up.’ The Mummies and I are very pleased she doesn’t think of us that way otherwise that snake might have come sailing over our fence.