Birthday Week

It is very disconcerting when you are heading down the driveway in your brother-in-law's car - and something bounds out in front of you.  The first thought is: "What the hell was that???" Then you realise it is not one but about half a dozen kangaroos who had been peacefully minding their own business in the trees and shrubs to your right, until you passed by in a car (mercifully very slowly!!) and disturbed them all.

Then they zig-zagged their way down the driveway, only bouncing over the fence into the paddock at the very bottom of the driveway!!

We followed them down very slowly, didn't leap over the fence into the paddock, and took ourselves off, about our business, into Ballarat.

We were quite careful coming back up the driveway on our return, but they were back in amongst the trees at the top of the the driveway and stayed put as we went slowly, slowly by.

They weren't there when Sam and I went out for our late afternoon walk, although Sam was remarkably interested in the spot where they had been!

Monday night Steak, Mount Helen style

Tuesday I got up early and set off to the surgery to resume my scanning career.  Fortunately the scanning backlog wasn't too bad.  Someone had been keeping up with it while I had been away.  Then I trundled into East Melbourne and left the car in Lindsey's car space before catching a tram into town.  I was due to meet Wendy in Federation Square for a coffee and cake.  Although in fact we had a bowl of chips instead of cake.  And I might have had an iced chocolate instead of coffee.  And Wendy might have had a beer :-)  

What I hadn't expected was the consternation that ensued when I collected the car and drove it back to Ballarat.  I didn't realise that Ian had noticed his car in Lindsey's car space.  He thought it odd that I had left it there and gone back to Ballarat by train, or by some other means of transport but didn't really think very much about it - until the following morning when it wasn't there any more!!  Fortunately, a quick phone call to me sorted that out.  I had indeed come back to Ballarat in it!!

And so to my birthday.  We had a fairly quiet day, Jim and me.  We did head into town to see if we could do any Christmas shopping but alas hadn't found anything suitable.  Lindsey and Ian came back just before 8 in the evening and we headed out to a Japanese restaurant for a very tasty birthday feast

I got several lovely presents, including a cat book from Wendy and a coffee machine from Ian.  And these from Lindsey:

I wonder if I'll ever dare use these for their intended purpose

And now we segue into Christmas.  Lindsey has started decorating the house