Badger Galore
Staying ‘Up Over’ for a while.
New Ground.
Happy Christmas!
A very Happy Christmas everyone from Will, Dulcie and I.May your stockings bulge greatly and your goose (or tofu) be cooked.May your nuts crack easily and your sprouts not be mushy.May your family visit with wonderful gifts.........but not for too long.
The Annual Epistle.
Frogknotians
Chapter 14Verse 1; And it came to pass that in those days they didst dwell in the Underworld in both the city and the wilderness and it was good. The great star didst continue to shine upon them through the day, but not the night and it seemeth not that there might be a flood. And the creatures and the beasts that walketh and crawleth therein across the Underworld were strange unto Nick and yet some didst flocketh upon him and drank succour from his body which did make him itch and gnash his teeth. And he raised up his eyes unto the Heavens and beheld the moon, but it was not the likeness of a man.....but of a rabbit! And Nick didst ponder upon these things.Verse 2;And in the second month they didst receive an epistle from the Underworld High Commission and they spake saying “O.K. Thou mayest remain in the Underworld but thou must leave the Underworld for three days and four nights and then once more return unto us again.” And Nick spake saying “Eh?”And it came to pass that they didst follow the Commandment of the Underworld High Commission and didst leave the Underworld and didst travel unto Paradise, yea even unto Fiji. There they dwelt for three days and four nights beside the sea and it was more than good.And it came to pass that whilst in Paradise, as Nick didst bathe in the waters, he didst lose his picture making tool and it was not good. And he didst search beneath the waters for his tool but couldst not find it. And the waters didst offer up a shell unto him and he heard a voice saying “Sorry thou cannot find thine tool but lo, accept this shell as a token of our thanks.” And Nick didst look upon the shell and it was beautiful but he didst cast it back into the waters and cried “I do not want thy shell. I want my tool back!” and he look-ed down and there at his feet was his tool....and it was a miracle!And they didst return back unto the Underworld and the Underworld High Commission spake saying “Thou canst now work.”Nick wept. Verse 3;And it came to pass that in the third month, Phoebe, the daughter of Will didst visit with them and she didst rise very early every morn, yea, even before the great star itself, to commune with the ‘little angels’ in the Garden of Dulcie and it was not a blessing but more a curse. And later in the third month, whilst they were in the wilderness, the Mother of Will, who is four score years and eleven, didst fall and break her leg. They returned unto the city and didst visit with her. And it came to pass that she didst remain with the Healers for two months before they finally spake saying “Pick up thy hip, and walk!”And it came to pass that Nick didst find employment as a ‘Samaritan’ for the Mother of Will and the Underworld High Commission didst pay him a pension for his toil and it was very small but Nick didst not have to suffer the little children to come unto him and that was good.Verse 4;And in the seventh month Nick didst journey unto Eden to visit with his Mother and Father, Brethren and Sistren but Will didst remain in the Underworld to care for his Mother. And in Eden Nick didst feast and cavort and walk amongst the hills with friends and family and it was good.And lo, James, the brother of Nick didst wed Jo and there was a great feasting where they didst kill two fatt-ed hogs and there was singing and dancing into the night. And it was very good.And it came to pass that the day before Nick was to journey back unto the Underworld he didst hear news of a donkey accident in Ukraine and it was not good. As Nick mounted his own donkey he was sore afraid but he didst pray unto the Lord and make it safely back unto the Underworld and didst care for the Mother of Will once more and Will didst return unto his labour and continue to suffer the little children to come unto him.Verse5;And in the eighth month Joshua and Lewis, two of the sons of Nick didst make new homes in different metropolises, Joshua unto London and Lewis unto Edinburgh and they were good. And Nathan, the other son of Nick, spake unto the leaders of his labour saying “Stuffeth thy job.” And Nick spake to Nathan, saying “Come unto the Underworld!” for then, Nick Hopeth, the creatures and beasts therein wouldst have more to find succour upon than just him! And it was a good plan.Verse 6;And in the eleventh month God sent a terrible storm upon them and the wind didst howl and it didst hail and the rain didst fall. And it rained and howled and hailed for forty minutes and forty seconds and they were sore afraid. But the storm it did passover and they crept out of their stable and look-ed for a rainbow as a sign that God wouldst never send such a storm again....but there wasn’t one. And Nick spake saying “Bugger!”Verse 7;And at the ending of the year they didst receive an epistle from those that dwelt in their stable in Eden saying “We do not want thy stable anymore,” and Nick look-ed up to the Heavens and didst roll his eyes and gnash his teeth. And Nick didst call upon his brother, Rod and spake saying “Canst thou be the Innkeeper and findeth a shepherd for my stable?” And Rod spake saying “Yea.”Thanks be to Rod.And they didst look to the south where they wouldst journey, yea even unto Melbourne, to welcome in the New Year and so it is written and so it shall come to pass.Here endeth the lesson.
A busy Christmas Eve.
'No rest for the wicked!'......so the saying goes.A busy, busy day in preparation for all our departures tomorrow.It was quite fitting that 'Joy' came to help with the final shower before Christmas...I do hope she gets a bottom set of teeth from the big red man come the morning....she is in desperate need of them in my opinion....but heck, what do I know?....Maybe she has a lucrative extra job as a professional 'gurner'!
This is not her I hasten to add.
As soon as she had gone I had the tree down, well, it was dropping anyway. Wendi wants the trunk of it for her orchids....I don't understand that either.
We spent some time panicking about getting to the airport tomorrow....(Well, I did.) We were getting a lift but circumstances have arisen that have put the kibosh on that. I rang the place we parked Roxy when we flew to Fiji but the chap said
"Oh, sorry sir, we are not open tomorrow."
"Do you know who is then, or where would you suggest we park?" I asked.
"Probably at the airport itself, sir. I reckon all the other places will be booked up already."He had the voice of Doom!
I came off the phone in a right state.
"Have you had your pill?" Asked Will calmly.
I had.
Will found somewhere else online to take the car and it turned out cheaper anyway.....so all is not lost and calm has returned to my inner being.
I did three loads of washing then baked two lots of biscuits; one lot for Joanne, next door who is happily out of hospital just in time for Christmas, and one lot for Dulcie to take to Wendi's to have with her cup of tea.
Will has been busy too, defrosting the downstairs freezer, sorting all of Dulcie's bills and receipts into a file rather than the plastic bag they used to be stuffed in, then he was off to the post office to pay a bill. Back home he coloured Dulcie's hair and then we both went to wrap presents.
I am finally sitting quietly, sweating in the Man-Cave while he is upstairs making Kombucha.....as you do.
I can't remember if I have mentioned Kombucha before but it is a fermented tea that smells like vinegar....he is giving some as gifts tomorrow....there is nothing like presenting someone with a jar of cold, brown liquid with a gelatinous fungus floating on the top....."Merry Christmas! Enjoy!"
I have tried it....and to be honest it was not as bad as you would imagine.....a bit like being surprised at the taste of a wichetty grub (creamy) or a pigs anus (porky)....(which I have not tried....but I have only just observed people's reactions to eating those things.)
Even though I am out of Vimto.....I would not turn to Kombucha. I am resigned to drinking mineral water with a slice of lime in it.....until January 16th........that is when Foodworks at Morningside get their next Vimto shipment! Roll on!
Will still has to make lasagne for tea and Dulcie has to make her famous egg custard for tomorrow, then we all have to pack our bags and just before we go sleep I will put another load of washing on to dry by morning.
I don't remember ever being so wicked!
Springbrook National Park.
So.....today Wendi came to spend the day with Dulcie to allow Will and I time to head out to finish our Christmas shopping....but seeing as we had already finished it....we headed off to Springbrook National Park for the day.It is just over an hour to Springbrook and we went through places like Clagiraba and Wonglepong and over Boike Creek to get there.
