Let the joy be unbridled! My neighbour's windchimes have FINALLY broken through their string and have fallen! And said neighbours are away for the next week so I'll have at least a week of blessed silence. Happy happy happy!

EOFY grizzles.

EDIT: On the up side, I had the great privilege of addressing a parcel to a gentleman named Huw Janos. I bet he has to spell his name out a lot. And had a terrible time in primary school. Some parents should be shot before they have a chance to produce offspring let alone name them.

Irl cake day today for me. We are insanely busy at work so won't celebrate much until the weekend. EOFY is weird this year - weirder than normal and people are doing strange things with their money. Profitable for us, but I wonder at the fallout later on.

EDIT: thank you all so much - it makes a difference. My boys are calling me tonight, and I've just run away from work leaving my staff in charge for the rest of the day. If they can't cope, I didn't train them right. We'll be having work cake tomozz. This is a special birthday, as I am now OF PENSION AGE!!!! And eligible for ALL the discounts! So I can now threaten to retire if da boss gives me grief.

Hi Everyone! I had a computer disaster on Friday, and had to replace my home computer. And then sign in again to the DT. Aaaaaannd I'd forgotten my password, so I had to re-register and therefore am now the Witch of Thornbury instead of Thornburywitch. Will organise cute ID piccy as soon as I discover one. Suggestions welcome.

Do not talk to me about resetting my network access password - there are some things that are better left unspoken. This includes Optus Customer Service - which falls into the three lies for the price of one category imo. On the good side, the nice people that sold me this device removed all the bloatware - I am deeply grateful.

Yes. There was an altercation, and Baku's quite sensitive on some topics. We hope he'll come back, as we miss him greatly. Other participant was briefly banned but we hope they'll keep contributing too.

Exhausted. One of my neighbours (a pro landscape gardener) alerted me to one of her up-market clients who was getting rid of two magnificent concrete planters in order to have a new garden design. Spent this afternoon picking them up, cleaning them and placing them in the garden. They're gorgeous - 60 cm across urns with Pan faces and garlands and fluting on the outside. Very italianate. Made in Brunswick/Coburg back in the 80s and the firm has gone out of business since. They even have a little concrete plinth for each one.

Now the hard part - deciding what to put in them. They're large enough for a smallish tree, so practically anything except daphne would suit. Am thinking might re-locate the rosemary to one of them, and maybe lavender in the other. Maybe a cumquat ...

I am hot, bothered, sweaty, every muscle is aching and I have no fingernails left to speak of, but also seriously stoked that these beauties are not going to end up in landfill. Estimated cost of purchasing a similar item (only made in China/Bali and not as decorated or as sturdy) is $200 plus - each.

Breaking news - Rossmoyne Street in Thornbury is having a collective garage sale tomorrow at 10 am to 3 pm - lots of people are all coming together to put excess stoff out for sale. Just got told. See you there.

Riiight. Peter Mac appointment has confirmed that I am alive and likely to stay that way. Flu vaccine and shingles vaccine accomplished. Lamb chops for dins with potato mash & veg stir fry purchased. Time to veg out until time to cook dins dins. Or maybe YT & chill.

Just got home after leaving work at 5pm. Given that I live in the inner north ... The tram I was in was t-boned by a car on St Georges Road just shy of my stop. Stuck there for quite a while. Everyone is OK tg. Just some very spectacular scars on the tram's paintwork and the car's front end is pretty much cactus. I would like to know how someone could not notice a tram directly in front of them with all it's lights on and pinging its bell etc.

Just got off the phone with my younger son (the one in Florida). He's given in his notice effective immediately, and his wife starts her new job in Germany in April, so they're getting out as soon as they can. They expect to fly out at the end of this coming week, leaving all accumulated stuff behind bar photos and important documents. I wasn't expecting them to go for another month or so, but he reckons the USA is turning extremely nasty on the street so the sooner the better. They're going straight to Germany but plan on coming home for a visit over next Xmas or so. I'm more than a little relieved that they're leaving the USA.

There are nice people in the world. Got home, it was bin night yesterday and so I went to collect my bins which were half full of water from the rain. The tradies who are renovating the house next door saw me struggling with the big recycling bin and swooped in and emptied it out and put it away for me. And the other bin too. I feel blessed.

Happy Xmas Everybody!

On my street, the massed chorus of lawnmowers, whippersnippers and blowers has just started up. Right now it's fairly minor, but I predict it will reach a crescendo later on today.

I bought a portable air con from Appliances Online. Rare delivery fail - didn't get notified until the guys actually rocked up to deliver. First time this has happened to me.

Mega dramas hooking it up to the outside to vent (we all gotta vent from time to time). At the moment it's held in place by repurposed cardboard and the magic of duct tape, which will do until it rains. If it continues to do well over the next few days, then will invest in a proper window fitment.

Unit works well - has shrunk the temp in my bedroom from 30 plus to 23 over 1 hour. Methinks this was money well spent.

Will be keeping an eye on the power bill, but my last one was $45, so I think I can splurge a bit on personal comfort.

Bought a dozen eggs on my way home. ALL of them were rotten. The best before date still had 3 weeks to go. If using eggs, crack them into a bowl before adding them to dinner folks, for your own protection. I reckon they must be scraping the absolute bottom of the barrel now in the egg warehouses.

Um, we're having TWO Thursdays this week? Does that mean 2 paydays????? Please please let this be true. Or is this a fiendish plot to prevent our Friday overindulgences?

Feels. You got this, for the moment. Look after yourself too.

Finally! Some rain. Ok, I could use a bit less chilly southerly wimd, but the rain is wonderful!

Cheesus! Pepperoni is preserved, goddamit. If no one dies or gets sick, the preservation worked.