Not my favourite week

As this week draws to a close, I have to say this has not been my favourite week of all time. On Tuesday afternoon an eye specialist told me that I should expect flashing lights to appear in my right eye within the next six months or so, on Wednesday morning I discovered that my house had been burgled overnight and this morning I arrived home from the shops, slipped my key into the front door lock, turned the key and the key snapped, leaving 2/3 of the barrel of the key embedded in the lock. At this stage you just have to wonder what’s going to happen next.

Go East young man

A friend and I have just returned from four days in Gippsland. The weather was kind to us – sunny and warm. Highlights of the trip – visited the high school in South Gippsland where I spent six happy years teaching in the 1960′s; inspected some family graves North of Traralgon; chased up some family photos at Sale Historical Museum; enjoyed the sunshine at Paynesville and Lakes Entrance. The only blot on the trip was a meal at a restaurant in Bairnsdale where the leader of a band which was supposedly providing entertainment for diners spent so much time shouting into a microphone while we were in the restaurant that we could not converse over dinner.

Buoyed by optimism

I had coffee with a friend this morning. He will finish his law degree at the end of Summer School, is booked into a practical legal training course commencing in February and expects to be admitted as a lawyer at the Supreme Court in September.  He was alive with optimism about his bright future.

Old times, old friends

On Monday evening I called in at the local headquarters of the SES unit to which I belonged 1991 – 2009. I chatted to the unit controller for half an hour or so about the developments which have taken place since I left SES in December, 2009. I was impressed with the changes which had occurred. The unit membership has grown from 55 to 65. 19 new members were put through probationary training during 2011. The number of response teams has grown from four to five. A new State-wide radio system has been introduced as a sequel to the February, 2009 bushfires.

Some individuals do weird things

This morning around 10.45 I was driving North along Smith Street, Collingwood when I noticed a 4 WD on the other side of Smith Street in the Southbound traffic lane. “So what ?”, I hear you cry. The first thing which struck me was that the 4 WD was stationary, not moving. The second thing which struck me (with a bit of a shock) was that there was no driver sitting at the steering wheel of the 4 WD. As I drove further down Smith Street towards the Johnson Street traffic lights, I looked in my rear view mirror and could see Southbound motorists banking up behind the stationary 4 WD. It was clear that the Southbound motorists assumed that there was a driver sitting in the 4 WD who had paused in Smith Street for some reason. As I watched, I could see Southbound motorists very slowly and cautiously pulling out and around the stationary 4 WD and continuing their journey Southbound. I know what you’re thinking. “The 4 WD had broken down. What’s the big deal ?” Well, here’s the rub. There was no sign of the driver of the 4 WD anywhere near the 4 WD. Go figure.

When you have one of those days

This morning about 7.15 I was barrelling along Victoria Street, North Richmond heading towards the City when I came to a road barrier at the corner of Victoria Street and Church Street. Victoria Street was closed to vehicle traffic ! My heart skipped a beat. I knew that I had to be at my community radio station ready to go to air at 7.30. I followed the Detour signs which lead me a merry dance through the back streets of North Richmond. I managed to enter the studio at my community radio station just after 7.20 in time to go live to air at 7.30. I could do without little surprises like that one.

The enemy at the gates

I woke up sometime during the night to hear possums in the driveway outside my bedroom window growling and snarling. Now I’m wondering if the possums have found a way back into the roof space in spite of the best efforts of the possum removal firm over a four week period to block all access points. I guess time will tell. I shall listen with interest over the next 3-4 nights to see if I can hear possums moving around in the roof space.

Entry barred

I know that the high winds across Melbourne yesterday resulted in hundreds of calls to the SES from householders seeking assistance but I was still caught by surprise early yesterday evening when I noticed that a large branch (complete with lots of foliage) in my front garden had snapped in the winds and dropped across the front of my house barring entry through my front door. Fortunately, I had a suitable saw close to hand and was able to remove the offending limbs fairly swiftly.

The sound of silence

Two nights have passed now since I received a note from the possum removal firm indicating that the the removal of possums from my roof space was complete. I’ve been home on both nights and have not heard the sound of possums moving around in the roof space. I’m starting to feel a tad optimistic that the last of the possums has left the building. I guess the jury’s still out on this question. I’ll give it ten days before I start drawing any firm conclusion.

Gone to a better place

When I arrived home this afternoon, I found a note in my letterbox from a representative of the possum removal firm that I engaged about four weeks ago. The note indicated that the worker had checked the exit door and removed it. His note confirmed that the job was concluded. I shall miss the sound of my possum tramping around in my roofspace after dark and in the early hours of the morning but I like to think that he’s gone to a better place (or,at the very least, someone else’s place).