The Dark Arts.

We've been re-watching the entire Harry Potter series. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Delores Umbridge is placed into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by the Minister of Magic. Ms Umbridge happens to be particularly fond of cats and her favourite colour is any shade of pink. Ostensibly she’s there to teach but she has a secret agenda as the Ministry seeks to gain control of the school. Clipboard in hand, Umbridge clinically assesses the staff and decides who stays and who goes. Sybill Trelawney, the Divination teacher, is marched out while the entire school looks on in dismay. With the connivance of the Ministry, headmaster Dumbledore is sacked. The highly-respected wizard who devoted a lifetime of service to the school is forced to leave. In a memorable scene, Dumbledore refuses to go quietly and disappears in a spectacular flash of flame. "You have to admit that Dumbledore's got style," concedes one member of the Ministry.  This story springs to mind today, the first anniversary of my own experience of the dark art of retrenchment. This will be the only anniversary because I would like to obliviate those unpleasant memories and move on.

Harry and Raffy.

[A very good tale.]

Today was clear and sunny which is unusual for this time of year but not unusual this particular year. While Ben waited patiently in Dr Bob's surgery, I waited patiently in a nearby park and read a good book. I had a bench all to myself and enjoyed the sun's warmth on my back. Gum trees were flowering and cheerful sounds of parrots filled the air. A Filipino lady appeared, attached the leads of her two shaggy terriers to one leg of the bench, checked that I didn't mind then walked off to the Salvos op shop. Before she left, I asked about the dogs' names but it wasn't really clear which was Harry and which was Raffy. One whimpered constantly and looked sadly in the direction of the shop. The other growled at anyone who walked by and yapped at other dogs in the distance. I kept reading. A few minutes later, a grandfather arrived. He was pushing his grandson along on a colourful plastic trike, one of those trikes with a long handle at the back. "He likes dogs," the grandfather explained. "They're not mine," I replied. Soon afterwards, Ben came to tell me the doctor was running late. He kept his distance but was clearly amused by the small crowd gathered around my bench. Dog leads were entwined around the grandfather's legs, one dog whimpered, the other one growled, the grandchild sat quietly on his trike slowly extending his tiny fingers towards Harry's or Raffy's nose and I kept reading.

Kitchen gymnasium.

[Kitchen gymnasium on a sunny autumn-nearly-winter morning.]

Our kitchen has been the focus of many activities* over the years. In its latest iteration, the area has been transformed into a small gymnasium complete with floor mats, punching bag, boxing speed ball on a stand and 'Draco' the Jiu Jitsu grappling dummy.

The TV has been moved to an adjoining room which has become the "home theatre" complete with a comfy couch. We're all amazed that, considering how many years we've lived in this house, no one thought of it earlier.

The table has been pushed up against the bench so there's not much space for eating in the kitchen these days. However, like many of our relatives, we can now eat dinner and watch videos while sitting on the couch.

* One year in the kitchen (2013),  Heating and sleeping (2012),  Kitchen workshop (2013),
Camping in the kitchen (2013),  Music in the kitchen (2013),  Christmas in the kitchen (2012),
Kitchen tap (2012),  Yoga in the kitchen (2012),  Kitchen battlefield (2012).

The Cottage.

The cottage sold for $135,000 back in August 2013 and has just been listed for sale again at an asking price of $189,000. The new owners have made many improvements. It now has a wood heater, two large plastic water tanks, a good-sized tool/garden shed, a concreted area behind the house and some nice landscaping. One of the photos shows there's even a very neat and tidy dog kennel situated behind the rear bedroom. All of the original furniture is still there but is not included in this sale. No longer connected to the grid, the cottage has solar panels with a 24v battery bank, though I wonder how they manage during those dark wet winters. One of the locals mentioned a generator when we re-visited the town earlier this year. As I write this, Ben's still in the kitchen and happily back into WOW and other internet activities. There's no NBN access in Weldborough. If there was, that little cottage would be mighty tempting!

29689 Tasman Highway Weldborough Tas 7264

Tick Tock.

Tick tock,
Time to stop.
Story continues,
Blog ends.

Bourne in Berlin.

(web image)

We’ve been watching and enjoying the Bourne series. According to Ben, "Jason Bourne wouldn’t be such a hero without the European public transport system". He especially enjoyed identifying familiar places in The Bourne Supremacy which was set in Berlin. We do have to return to Berlin for one final medical procedure, probably next year, and will make good use of the trains.

Yami Yami.

Ben had another appointment at Box Hill today. We also had a delicious lunch at the Yami Yami Korean restaurant. We’ll be back in a few weeks time for the next appointment and for lunch.