Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are…(Mason Cooley)

I’m still skidding across the floor from last week’s activities. I keep thinking one of these weeks will slow down but not yet.

LOOKING AHEAD

We are preparing to spend most of September in Cambodia and Vietnam so organising household things, eating up food or toss it out, doing final preparations on boarding for two cats and two dogs and attending to normal social activities. The pets are all going to camp in wonderful places though we’ve not told them yet.

 BOOK

I had a wonderful conversation with a friend last week and of course the topics always veer around to books. I asked her what she is reading, and she mentioned the book “The Deed” by Australian writer and GP Susannah Begbie. I downloaded it and am also nearly finished with it.

 Tom Edwards is a cranky old landowner of 10,000 acres and has four adult children he doesn’t put much stock in. One daughter is flighty, travels and is quite vague. One son has a business he is obsessed with. Then another daughter has a family with teenagers and is busy taking them to all their after school events and the last daughter stays on the farm, seemingly being the only responsible one in his eyes of her father. Then Tom, the old man, suddenly dies.

 The deed is what is announced when the will is read. None of the children will inherit a cent unless the four of them come together and in four days build his coffin, from wood on the property, to his exact specifications. Of course, all four of them squabble all the time and barely see one another and now they must cope with this enormous task. And I remind you they only have four days.

 It is a very light hearted read that I find a tiny bit tedious at times. It is also quite predictable too. This is what I always refer to as a “fluffy” book. A “fluffy” book is one that you just read and enjoy. A bit of escapism from all one must do daily.

 LIFE IN GENERAL

 Last week saw a few medical appointments. Our annual skin check is always important. Australia has the highest rates of melanoma in the world. I came out clear, but Mr. P has a few things to attend to once we’re back from our trip.

Then a notice for the bi-annual mammogram appointment came but they won’t do it now as I’m going to be away and in case they need to call me in they want me in the country. So that has been deferred to October.

We had to get Visa photos and visas for Cambodia and Vietnam and that took all afternoon one day. The travel bureau was using new software to finalise the Visas and Australia Post wasn’t doing the right thing in transferring visa photos to us digitally so that had to be redone.

We also managed to squeeze a performance by Australian tv personality and comedian, Kitty Flanagan with some friends, at the Theatre Royal. She was very funny and just what we needed to finish a hectic week.

Friday had me at the optometrist as I’ve been noticing (or is it my imagination) my glasses I purchased last November don’t seem to be doing the job. Sure enough my dodgy eye (left) is still stable, meaning I can’t see much out of it but the right eye had very high pressure and has deteriorated just a bit. So another pair of specs have been ordered and a very decent pair of prescription sunglasses. They are supposed to arrive before we head off on our trip.

I went out to the lamp store and bought a very good medical reading lamp that almost lights up the whole neighbourhood when switched on. It has this great bulb that has three settings on it. Warm light, cool light and very high bright light. I’ll be able to read real books with this light instead of always depending on Big Font Kindle and Audible with the new glasses. Very excited about it.

I just picked up a lovely book at Fullers recently that was featured in their newsletter and I’m really looking forward to reading it.  In light of having mentioned I need to read more short stories and essays this book is entitled “A Different Sound:  Stories by Mid- Century Women Writers.” Selected by Lucy Scholes who I haven’t heard of.

As you can see from the Table of Contents there are some interesting writers here. Stay tuned for how I go with this.

THE WEATHER – 11 C ~ 51 F Drizzle

On the seasonal front I am happy to report that spring is definitely in the air, and I am really enjoying it. So are the dogs who are playing in the yard for longer periods of time checking out their neighbourhood outside of the fence.  The silver wattle trees are in full bloom. The temperatures though are still a bit of a roller coaster.

 The only thing on tv that has held my interest was the Amsterdam detective series of Van der Valk. I really like this show and the Amsterdam location. But now done with it and watching a lot of you tube videos on the Kamala Harris and Tim Walz rallies in the U. S. and the Democratic National Convention is this week.

Well, I think I’ve wrapped up the past 10 days and hopefully will get some time this week to read some of your posts you put up with a couple of comments. All the best.

Laugh of the day from funniest photographs competition. I don’t know who the photographer is.