Round 6: Once again, close but too little too late. Shocking kicking for goal and the defence let us down. I admit once again to only watching the last quarter, but when I switched on, they were down by 30 points and I thought it was over. The Bear was thinking positively altho he can't bring himself to actually watch a match live (and you thought I was a wuss), so I kept watching and they got within 4 points with only a couple of minutes left on the clock, and then proceeded to miss kicks for goal and let Shannon Grant score 2 goals to seal it. Craig Bolton was not doing a very good job against him, but I'll give him an allowance as everyone was very tired by that point. Mick was still pumped, Bazza did well and Spida sneaked a goal in but all for naught. At least a narrow defeat hurts somewhat less in percentage but it doesn't help with being 3 and 3 on the ladder. St Kilda again away next week. I hate these Saturday night matches.

I forgot to take my meds last night so am not feeling all that chirpy today. I went off my normal routine as I opened an 11 year old bottle of late harvest Riesling to have with 2 enormous figs (purchased at great cost at the markets) and some shortbread brought from A Little Piece of Scotland in Sutton Forest. This led me astray from my usual after dinner pill popping. I also heard from BFLB that the bitch previously mentioned not only believed I was having an affair but made her business to tell everyone, even people she didn't like. Sigh. I don't know that it had any effect on my career and the bitch left several years before I did. She must have been very disappointed when she found out I wasn't having one.

My hands hurt today as well, and I guess I'm going to have to live with it. I always rotate projects during an evening, some sock knitting, some jumper knitting, some spinning, but it doesn't have any effect on whether I wake up sore or not. In wandering around I found this sock pattern which I wish I had the guts and/or brains to knit because it's just gorgeous. I can do cables. Do I dare try? I usually knit socks as mindless "comfort knitting" and these certainly don't fall into that category. My legs are skinnier now and one of them doesn't swell any more. (I had to go out and buy a new pair of jeans because all my other pants were beginning to give me a home-boy look and I was having to lurk in the stacks and haul then up periodically)

I emailed the city we have bought land in about how we pay our rates (land tax) and that we didn't know what our address was. I got email back asking to call and talk to them. I don't mind as I have a lot of questions to ask and since we are going to live there, I want to be legal. I found a guide to birding in the bit of national park closest to us and it's an entirely different ecosystem to what we are used to and opens up options for lots of new birds. I especially like the ones that sit low in heavy brush, are silent and immobile.

I have Brunswick stew on the stove since the Bear came home with a huge free range chook (chicken) that was on sale. If you are not a Southerner by birth or marriage (in my case), Brunswick stew is composed of very finely shredded chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, shoepeg (white) corn, and butter beans (baby limas) and has some zing to it but is not designed for fire breathing. When we were in Williamsburg I tried out the local varieties to make sure I was still doing it right. I have to grow my own butter beans as they do not exist here and the canned variety is awful. Yet another of my comfort foods from the US, and if I am feeling brave I'll make corn muffins when we eat it. Diet, shmiet.

The Imp is snoring on my bed. The Senior cat is looking increasingly creaky and her cough has not improved. ANy further intervention would require invasive tests that I don't want to put her through. She's almost 16 and I want her to be untroubled by doctors doing nasty things to her.