The Morning After!

It's the morning after the Australian Open tennis men's final and Rodg the Dodge won again. I have nothing against Roger, but wish someone else could win for once! I know he's been beaten before - I think Rafael Nadal beat him last year and the GORGEOUS Marat Safin a year or so before that.

Did you know that apparently the golfing administration in USA had to do something to the rules so Tiger - he of the infamous wandering dick - couldn't win ALL the time. Apparently the public were staying away in droves because they were sick of the sight of him. Same with the Australian cricket team. What a mob of smug louts they are! 'We're only turning up as a favour to the other side because we know we'll win!' Poor winners and poor losers!

But I digress. How long before everyone gets sick of seeing The Fed win? I know it's up to the other players to work until they beat him, but the man is a machine - and getting a little smug this year, I think.

It's raining here this morning, quite a change from a dry spell recently.Up north in Australia it's the cyclone season and there's floods. My husband, Andrew, is a volunteer with the Red Cross Recovery Services. What this means is that when there's a disaster - floods, fire or whatever - he goes out with a team of volunteers and they visit every house/flat/farm to see what people need - money, clothes, furniture etc. The team gives them forms to fill in (yeah, Govt, I know!) and steer them in the right direction for assistance.

Earlier this month, Andrew undertook the Justice of the Peace course, which he is still doing, but this was so he could legally witness oaths in the field. If you lose all your ID in a disaster, you have to swear who you are :( Last year he spent time at Innisfail after the floods there.

Australia is a bugger of a country. If it's not flooding in the north, it's firing in the south ... People from outside think there's all that area for letting people from overseas move in and live,and we're not doing it. But I can advise them that there is nothing to live ON in the centre, in terms of normal household living and jobs. That is all done around the edges of the country!

On the other hand, Australia is a great country to live in - a safe country! We don't have to worry about going down to vote at electrion time and having the booth blow up around us! When I go to the shops, I can be reasonably sure of getting home safely. I feel so sorry for the innocents slaughtered in the name of "politics" in other countries. We have a great deal to be thankful for.

Andrew has buzzed off out to the donkey farm this morning to do some work, whipper-snipping weeds. We usually go out to groom donkeys on Monday, but they needed to swap the days around this week. If you want to see where we go and what it's all about: www.destinyboonah.com (not sure if there's an "au" on there or not)

Donkeys are stupendously affectionate animals. My favourites are a blue roan called Harry (a teamster donkey)Piers, a red teamster, and Joleen, a roaned mammoth donkey. Joleen is the size of a pony, Harry is much smaller, Piers about half-way between them. But all 24 of them are sweet, and I love them dearly!

I am off down town shortly to dump my library books.I don't know why I go to the library, I have around 1000 books of my own, a pile of them is always by my side of the bed waiting to be read ... and then I have to go and write them as well :(

Must be mad,

Bye for now!

Diana