The cats are not themselves. Blackie didn’t eat all his dinner. Pieter sat in the dog kennel and resisted my attempts at getting him out. It is cosy in there but he’s not wanted by the dog. He hissed at me. Blackie coughs and dribbles. His teeth look fine. I think the problem may be with his throat. He is much quieter than usual. Pieter has been quiet and his third eyelids have been up after he ate a rat. Whatever problems eating a rat may have caused him, it didn’t stop him from catching and eating a bird today.

I dragged the small dog kennel and little cat house out of the garage this morning and washed off the dust and spider webs. I’ve set them up for the cats so the dog can have his kennel to himself. The cats seem better today.

My career change ideas have included working at Aldi and running a roadside diner. I am adding butler to the list – or housekeeper. I don’t know that I’d like to wear a uniform. Oh, why not. I do anyway. The same few outfits rotated. You guessed it. I am reading The Remains of the Day.

A typical day: wake up at 0600 and listen to the news on 702; walk the dog; shower, breakfast and coffee and walk to train. Various exasperations and fun and surprises at work; eat lunch at the desk. Leave work in the dark and read on the train. Feed pets, change. Cook dinner while watching the news and 7.30 Report. Wash dishes and various chores. Watch TV and knit or fold clothes or read or use computer. Fill hot water bottle. Go to bed. Read for approximately 5 minutes until can’t keep eyes open. Wake up at 0600 and listen

Today I ran up and down stairs all day like some kind of servant. This was because of my change to an upstairs office on Fridays, and the unusually high need of my services in the downstairs office. I prepared the year end reports as instructed, to be told by another party it would be best not to until Monday, as more data may be entered. That wasted an hour or so. In spite of all this, I got through quite a large amount of work. The work scheduling system I put in place a week ago is working well.

I have spent a lot of time doing griddlers today. I haven’t done that for a while. I cut back some plants in the garden. The back has become a jungle and viny moth plants have grown right through to the top of the apple tree. I didn’t know they were called moth plants until I looked them up just now. I thought they were chokos, but not the fleshy kind. I had the rust in the car fixed a couple of weeks ago. How good did that feel. The car needs a polish. I have a lot to do.

I did a lot. I don’t know what has come over me. Maybe I am coming out of some kind of tunnel… not too sure. I can’t see a tunnel but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. I stayed home all day. I would have liked to go out and get the Sunday papers but it didn’t fit in with everything else. Then I would have had to read them, and I had other things to do, so it was better not to. I’m cookin’ dinner right now and have vacuumed and mopped the floor and dusted and bleached mould.

It is nice when it rains after a dry spell. It’s not the same as when it rains day after day and you can’t help but become well and truly sick of it. Today, it hasn’t rained for a week or so, and the smell of the rain wetting the concrete and soil is lovely. That’s what just happened. Big noisy splotchy rain drops fell and had pretty soon covered the ground. My clean floor and clean mat have doggy foot prints across them. Ah, that is the trouble with cleaning, it doesn’t last. I gardened this morning before work.

This morning was off to a fine start with my foregoing of dog walking duties. It is too cold! I feel pathetic, as it isn’t that cold. I have known far colder… it is all relative. Work was good and flowed along smoothly enough until the very end of the day when I was about to leave, but the issue was resolved. I had some trouble catching a bus as they were all full. I decided to take any bus at all instead of the bus that turns at Norton Street. I was very tired at the end of today.

I was very tired today, yawning my head off. I failed to get up yet again to walk poor doggy. I heard that he barked a lot today, the poor thing. He also dragged all his blankets out and it rained. I dried one on the heater. He will be walked tomorrow by hook or by crook. I saw a lost doggy when I was walking to the train. He had a collar and was wandering alone. He seemed happy enough. I am sure some kind soul who was not on way to work will have taken care of him.

I walked my dog today. It was freezing this morning, and I heard yesterday was colder, the coldest days so far this year. I went out to lunch and waited twenty minutes for everyone else. I wonder why this always happens to me. It was very frustrating, they were all late and I was on time. I felt sick in the evening though, and I think it was because of what I had at lunch. I didn’t have any dinner and then had to heat something up for my sister and nephew who arrived at 9pm for a few days.

We shopped for clothes today and did the grocery shopping. I walked the dog just before dark. My sister said it is so cold in the house there might be a ghost, because it’s cold where ghosts are. I said “it’s funny you should say that”. My brother pooh-poohed the whole idea. He says it’s cold because it’s winter. Maybe they are both a bit right. We had a sit down family dinner with table cloth and candles. I knitted some of the beanie and have found a mistake and inch or so down the rib. I’ll leave it there.

Today we had a walk around the water from Glebe Point Road to the Fish Markets, and I had another walk after that, taking doggie out by the river. We went out to dinner late to Una’s and had coffee at Leichhardt. The days are lovely making it all the more cold in the house. It’s warmer outside. This morning though, it’s warm inside as there’s been cloud cover since last night. Rain is due to start tomorrow but it might be sooner. Might have a day at home and not do anything today. I’ve enjoyed these last few days.

A big fat lazy day with a walk before lunch and out for dinner at brother’s house. The dog and I went into the cordoned off zone along the river. There were no workmen there today. It was good as we had it all to ourselves. We went as far as the next fence with the ‘no entry construction site’ signs then walked back. There is a big gravelled road through the area now for the trucks and other vehicles. I wonder if when it is all finished the current path will be extended further. I like it now, rustic.

I went in to work early intending to leave early, which I kind of did. I met sister and nephew at markets and we went home from there. I found work depressing. It is busy and I don’t like that(!) Depends on my mood I guess. I had to call in a freelancer. My house is a mess from a small boy opening any doors that are normally closed and closing any doors that are normally open, switching on all lights, radios, televisions, and things moved about all over the place. I don’t have many places to put things up.

I had to call in a freelancer today too. It’s WYD and there are other big stories happening. I have walked the dog five days in a row, possibly more if I think about it. I finished a beanie for my nephew that I started late last week. It is very nice. I put a pompom in but I’m not sure I like it. I find pompoms hard to do. He looks cute in the beanie but I haven’t seen him in the jumper yet. He is so cute and has learned more and more each time I see him.

No freelancer required today. I finished work, kind of, and decided to nick off after lunch. My visitors had left when I arrived home. I had fun tidying and putting washing on and putting everything back in place. I didn’t walk doggie this morning and he had a treat in the afternoon because he could come back in from the cold again, as in from the other side of the iron curtain. I have an old piece of fence iron to use to keep him out of the house area while kids are here. He’s a cattle dog that nips.

Today was another busy one. I’ll be glad to get this week over. I am catching up very well and the new system I have put in place is working, keeping things in order even when busy. It seems the system can cope with any amount of incoming work. I’ve been going out for a walk each day to get a couple of Japanese rolls for lunch. I didn’t get out for lunch and a walk but bought a rice pudding from the café. It was ordinary. By the end of the day I was bloated like a beach ball.

There was a bit of a shock today at work with a journo being arrested on drug charges in Singapore. I was not a beach ball today, thank goodness. We ordered pizza for dinner and the delivery time was an hour and a half. I had a couple of beers and a glass of red wine. I woke in the early hours of the morning because it was a bit too much and decided to read. The young fellow came in and showed me some drawings and I asked him to make me a cup of tea, which he did.

A great day with the usual grocery shopping, during which I hardly bought a thing. I didn’t need much. I bought a small bunch of flowers and two berry and white chocolate scones. Delicious. The lad found his old soldier dolls in the garage. I took the dog on the promised long walk. We were gone for two hours. It was a perfect afternoon. Back at home I trimmed some front garden shrubs. I’m still on the slow road to catching up on all the let-go household maintenance. The cats stayed in for the night. They are no longer annoying.

I spent a lot of time on the computer today on time-wasting pursuits. I am hooked on finding eggs in hatchlings. It is completely pointless but I do it anyway. Let no more be said. I walked to the shop to buy the Sunday papers but didn’t spend much time looking at them because I was busy wasting time on the computer. I vacuumed and cleaned, so the day wasn’t completely without purpose. I sorted through the paperwork which I am behind in. I am still catching up. I still like the laptop even though it is awkward to use.

For a Monday, not a bad day, although work is still busy, I’d hoped it would be quieter this week but it is not looking so. I made an appointment to have my hair cut again as it is getting difficult to style. It’s been five weeks since the short cut. I had a meeting with a manager to discuss monetary issues that had a favourable outcome. The lad starts his final term of school tomorrow. He’s not really made any progress on his art major work but I’m not very concerned. I’m sure he’ll get himself sorted in time.

I attended training in MS Office 2007 and I’m looking forward to using it. (I got it later but had no time to install it.) I left work at 5 and had two beers at the pub. I just missed a train so had to wait 20 mins for the next one. It was a painful trip because I didn’t go to the toilet before leaving the pub. I just thought I’d share that. The weather is still freezing and there is rain on the way. I need to get more heaters, or leave the heater on all the time.

Hair cut at lunch time, styled straight. It looked kind of weird and definitely better without my glasses. Maybe my glasses are too heavy to go with my short hair. The dog has noticed one of the cats is favoured and has started picking on the unfavoured one. Maybe there is another reason. The cats don’t seem aware of it. The dog blocks the cat as he tries to move around the house and constantly watches him. I had one beer after work, and went to the toilet before leaving. I watched a lot of TV and did some knitting.

I’m not as happy with this cut but that was the way before with short hair, sometimes it was a good cut, sometimes not. The end of two weeks of busyness and I have barely scratched the surface of the other work I do – other than take phone calls, answer emails and answer the beck and call. Oh well, you get times like this. I skipped walking the dog – first time since Friday. I felt like I was getting a cold when I got up too, and wondered if it was because I didn’t get out in the fresh air.

Friday! Friday! Friday! A happy coincidence it starts with the same letter as freedom! In the letter box today there was a leaflet with an invitation to hock the car (hockthecar.com), a furniture catalogue (have I written I need new lounges? With the piping popping out and the insides poking out it’s not a want anymore!) and pizza brochures. I’ve ordered pizza for dinner. When I left for work this morning the dog and cat were in the kennel side by side, out of the rain. Cute as hell. I still haven’t had time to install MS Office 2007. Bugger.

I dreamt I was on a work trip. We slept in the car, two in the front seats and I sat in the back with another person (I think a member of my family). One in the front said something about being too depressed to sleep and got out. We all followed and tried to get the talent interested. Next I was back at work and couldn’t find my trousers. I said, come on guys, where are they? No one was interested or cared. Suddenly I was wearing them again and was confused as I couldn’t remember putting them on.

Hey I can’t believe the weekend is over. They go so quickly. I had book club tonight by the fire at the pub. We didn’t see a movie first for the first time in about a year. I intended buying a heater for my room but put it off until after book club, when the shops had closed. Procrastinating! A good thing though as the girls know of a factory outlet and I should go there instead. I need to get a pink slip for the car rego this week. I expect the car to need a new exhaust pipe.

It’s raining again. It was pitch black at 4.30 in the afternoon. There must have been some sunny breaks because the dog dragged his blankets out under the bushes and they are soaking wet. If he is so smart I don’t know why he doesn’t figure this one out. For a Monday, work was OK. Work was OK for any day. I went out at lunch time and bought the kid some drugs for his sore throat. He had the day off school. I also bought some chips. This cold weather. It’s freezing and still no heater for my room.

Work is a fickle beast. Where am I in the guts of it, I don’t know. Maybe if people start acting distant and strange it is because of a problem they are having, not necessarily anything to do with me. (Me calling someone strange, yeah!) I have an enormous pimple on my top lip. I’ve had a mask of makeup on it when if I’d just leave the damn thing alone. List of four major anxieties: 1. getting cancer of the fingers from biting nails. 2. my weight. 3. my boy. 4. my job. And… 5. my lip. It hurts.

There is nothing like getting a delivery of new yarn to make you feel like getting started on a new knitting project. I spend too much time on the computer. Today, I didn’t turn it on (wrote this by hand, in a book). I am not able to get up in the mornings and have missed three days of dog walking. It is very cold in the mornings, in my defence. I took him out tonight. We went to the park and threw a ball and because we were close by called in on my brother and had a cuppa.

The last day of the month. I am very, very busy at work. It is frustrating. The boy is back at school today and more morose than usual. I think he’s worried about his major work. Not started and due at the end of August. I’d be worried about that if I were him. I’ve been too disorganised to pack my lunch since my sister was here. I’ve been buying it. Whatever. It is hard to get going in the cold weather. My household heating isn’t up to scratch. One would think I could afford decent heating, for goodness sake.