The Canaster Queen is Back, lol

Modestly I say, I have not lost my touch heh, heh. Have been playing several new card games recently at the WM's place plus scrabble, boggle, chook foot (a domino game) to name a few when last night I remembered I had a canaster pack - unopened at that, so thought it was time to christen it. The WMH and I started playing at 10pm while listening to the tennis out of one ear (already forgotten who was playing) and I lost the first game. By the end of it some of my remembered tricks had come back into sharp focus in my mind and whammo, the next two games were resoundingly mine. As I usually get beaten in most games, it made a pleasant change I must say. It bought happy memories of a weekly game session I used to attend in Hamilton days with friend Val now living in Sydney and another work colleague.

Have not done much in the last two days except attend meetings with the new boss as we gear up for the beginning of school next week. Much is still in the unknown quantity basket, as there is no definite numbers yet of returning students but we know for sure our numbers will be much less than last year.

The weather remains cool. I have turned off the aircon and have a cardigan on as I type this. The sky remained overcast today but I did get some washing dry as it was breezy. When I went out to array my laundry on the clotheshorse thing I use for smallish items, there were three magpies sitting on the ledge of my verandah and two on my clothes horse. It looks as though they have been using it for a perch over the holidays. The extra magpies are the babies of last year I think. My garden is very much an ex garden with all plants withered and beyond dried out. Hopefully I will get myself organised in the next few weeks and get to the plant shop to replace my usual herbs and spinach which are the mainstay of what I grow.

Have continued to eat up at the WM's place and tonight I took up some pastry I had in the fridge and used some rhubarb they had to make a rhubarb pie. The pastry was a smidgeon past its youth but it all worked out and slathered with custard, who would know, lol. Cannot wait to do some grocery shopping tomorrow for some fresh supplies. We are off at 8.30am as the WM needs to go to the dentist before we attend our comissioning Mass at 2pm so I will get some wandering about in, while she attends the fangsnatchers.

Frightened the life out of myself earlier today and have done serious damage to the carbon footprint or ozone layer as I emptied a good amount of flyspray into the bathroom. As I picked the bathmat up off the floor to fling over the shower rail, a black spider about 1 1/2" long ran up the mat. There was a strangled sort noise in the room and I realised it came from me as I threw the mat upwards and leapt out into the laundry, whereupon I sent a nuclear holocaust amount of spray onto the mat. Unfortunately, there is no ex spider to be seen so may have to suffice with a flannel wash at the sink tomorrow morning until I get get the WM or someone else to investigate. She is not squemish about insects whereas I cannot abide them. I have ant death and more insect death goods to buy tomorrow before I can relax again. My can of spray that constantly emits into the atmosphere ran out over the holidays and the ants have also returned in force while I was away.

Watched Roger Federer beat his American opponent tonight during the tennis semi-finals so his next game is the finals on Sunday night I think. There has been much on the telly about the 'hot' weather in Melbourne - between 30 -35/40o - and how it has buckled the railway lines and caused powercuts. Am having a small chuckle as that will be a normal day out here once the warm weather comes back again.

Am feeling a mite weary after last night's late finish so am off to bed with my book.