Summertime again

Here is me thinking it was only a few days since I did a post and 10 days have shot past again. All I can put in down to, is that most days I have been involved in the never ending assignment round - never ending because facebook games, and real life sometimes get in the road, lol. Aslo forgot to mention funniest saying of the weekend at the campdraft, when the announcer said, *name was as busy as a one legged duck in a snake pit"..... am stealing that one for future use, lol.

Summer is on the way, how do I know?? First clue is the temperatures - three days last week at 40oCel - woohoo. I actually have had ceiling fans on most days for the past week and even went so far last weekend as to put the aircon on. However, after some time I realised that it was blowing WARM air into the house. Went and had chat to DP who came over and removed cover to aircon outside (I did not go near it, dark spaces, possable spider retreat) to find that the vital ingredient, being water, was absent. What to do, the tap to the aircon made no difference on or off, so got a hose from inside (as you do, brand new and bought in my gardening phase) and got it fixed to the outside tap. Have to admit to a bit of girlie helplessness as to affix it to taps meant brushing under bush, possibly home to icky things again, so DP dutifully affixed hose to tap and promptly broke something when he went to turn it on, however what ever was broken did not stop hose filling up base of aircon and wetting panels on the side. Went in an gingerly switched the beast on and lo and behold, within two mins, had cold air circulating - bliss, except also had a smell of swamp permeating the place as the water and dust combined was interesting to say the least. Wasn't my weekend for things of a technological nature. Went to light element to cook veg for tea and phtttttt - small amount of flame and nothing. Buggary bollocks was the thought that went through my mind. To give the long suffering DP a break, I walked instead up to the WM's place and the WMH and two boys kindly got a new gas tank, bought it down and connected it for me. They also gave me a hand to fix my bed ...... (Just remembered that bit). Earlier in the week, during the night I rolled over and heard a couple of bits of wood drop to the floor, followed by a change in the feel of the mattress. Could not be bothered waking up properly, so gingerly placed myself in the most comfortable spot carefully, and went back to sleep. On investigation the next morning, I found three slats on the ground. Oh well time to change sheets and tidy room so heaved the mattress up of the base and rested it perpendicular against the window, whilst replacing said boards back in their slots. Tipped the mattress back and made bed. All went well except during the night, another two slats dropped out underneath me. It transpired that the bed had become loose and so after the WMH managed to screw the middle slat at each end to the base, so far, so good.

Second clue was when I opened pantry door the day after the first 40o and wondered what all the yellow stuff sliding down the inside of the door was and why was there an empty butter wrapper sitting on top of the golden syrup jar. The butter had not only almost entirely slid out of the wrapper, but the remainder was almost clarified in look and texture. Not impressed at all. Thirdly and my particular favourite was that during one of my lazier days I did the washing after lunch, finally hanging out the towels about 3.30pm to go back an hour later .... and they were dry. Now that is more like it.

Had a trip to Geraldton on Tuesday to take the ute in for a new windscreen and to get a new piece of exhaust - missing since the Mt Augustus expedition, lol. It involved much toing and froing across town with the office lady also getting her car fixed, so it was a weary me that finally got back here about 6pm. Luckily, got a second wind as it was a neighbours 40th birthday dinner which ended up by being a pot luck up at the WM's and a nice relax after a hectic day. Zoomed into Mullewa to post off assignment the following day and was taking photos on the side of the road by my favourite duck pond that has now dried out to a large puddle (as you do), when one of the neighbours pulled up and invited me back to theirs for a cup of coffee. Had to wait while she went and picked up her daughter from the bus, so took more photos. Noticed one of the other neighbours had started to harvest their wheat that afternoon and there are fields the size of small districts on the way into Geralton full of large round hay bales and huge square ones as well.Harvesting should start in earnest in the next two weeks.

Friday went into Geraldton again to get a hair cut. My quarterly treat to myself as I have averaged a cut a term so far this year. Have had a fairly radical shearing, and had a straightener used to give elegant sort of bob look and then a savaging with the thinning scissors so have a chomped bob look for summer. Looks better than it sounds I think, lol. Had gone in with the DP so as we had started off early (7.30am for appointment at 9.15am) we decided to have lunch in town and went and tried a new restaurant called altitude 28 I think. It is down one end of town (or perhaps up, still do not have directions entirely down pat, lol) overlooking the port and ocean. I was a bit suspicious as there seemed to be only one other patron, but nothing ventured. The other clue was OMG, what the waitresses were wearing and I can only say, it looked like a bunch of Heidie's had escaped the Swiss Alps!!!!!! Can't remember the shoes but think they were black, then white stockings to the knee or just above (wanted to ask if they were the ones you wear when flying long distance, lol), then a blue flared short skirt with gimp along the bottom. Now for those not familiar with sewing bits and pieces, gimp is the sort of edge, fringe stuff that goes along the edge of piano stools or lamp stands. This was sort of dangly stuff in white along the hem of the skirt. Next was a white blouse with black waistcoat thing- the blouse had a gathered neckline and puffed sleeves, almost expected to hear yodelling in the background. Almost enough to put you off your food, .... almost, lol. The food was not cheap but mine was very nice. Salmon on garlic crostini with several prawns and a creamy sauce all over it. Had very attentive service but do not think it will be on my hit list to return.

Have had nose in books most of the weekend, except for this afternoon when there was a knock at the door and the WM had popped in to tell me her boys had gone hunting with one of the neighbours and they had killed to bungarras (goannas). The neighbour was digging a fire pit as I went to look at the dead creatures and about an hour later, I went back out to try eating some. Have to say, it did taste exactly like chicken, lol. I ate some from the tail and then some from around the ribs. It was a little disconcerting to see a barbequed head lying on the ground and some of the claws attached to legs, still in the coals, lol. So can tick another wild animal I have eaten of the list!!!

I started writing this over an hour ago but nearly had a heart attack half way through when I saw something run across the floor under the table, that almost looked like a mouse out of the corner of my eye. However as I was processing what was moving at the speed of light, it was a SPIDER. Am surprised I didnt waken the neighbours with the scream that came from within. I moved at the speed of light abandoning the laptop, and leapt onto the couch to watch where the beast was lurking - got some shoes on and VERY gingerly slithered around the edge of the pantry to the laundry to try and find fly spray. Every sodding tin of what ever was in the cupboard, but no spray. There is a can in the ute but very dark and pouring with rain outside so not sure other spiders are not lurking where I cannot see them. Was envisioning a LOOOOONG night sitting up with eyes firmly fixed on bedroom door (did contemplate shutting myself in and putting a towel along the door so nothing could get in), when I espied a can of spray above the kitchen cupboards (thank you god). The can said surface spray, but would it kill something instantly - yes it would and anything else for up to 6 months where you spray - be still my beating heart. I slithered back into the lounge and back onto the couch and gave a blast of spray (almost a minutes worth) under the kitchen table where the multi legged thing was sitting. Nothing happened but other small insects and moths were beginning to go into death throes. I gave another blast and was lucky not to flip onto my back spinning with legs in the air, the smell was so noxious- lips started to tingle, could well be affected, lol. With the second blast, all was still and then zoom up it the leg of the table it shot. Laptop so close and yet so far away. Moved as close to table while still on the couch, after turning the overhead fan off and gave two more blasts of spray aimed under the table, hoping that it would not cause electrical combustion of laptop as spray is flammable (still spider/ melted laptop, hmmmmm, can replace laptop, lol). By now had shirt over my head so I wasn't inhaling anymore noxious fumes, peering through gap in neck, waiting, waiting, and after half an hour from the beginning of the spraying, the damn spider finally dropped from underneath the table with all 8 legs curled up underneath it. It was now hopefully an ex spider. Not trusting too much that it was totally dead, I got the vaccum cleaner out and sucked it up from a distance and yay, access to the laptop again. During this process I became aware that the slider door was open about 2inches which must have happened when the WM called round this afternoon, hence the reason there were so many insects inside. Was nearly ill at the thought at what else may have got in this afternoon as it is pouring with rain outside for several hours now and the sodding things are probably seeking shelter from the storm. I usually live with the place hermetically sealed and the continuous flyspray thing going continuously just in case anything does get in as I go in and out. At least I will be able to go to sleep now I know the damn thing is properly dead. Just another week in the outback, lol.