Mum's day

I rang my Mum in Perth today. The flowers I sent arrived safely and she was thrilled.

When she first moved to Perth, I often picked out potted plants for my Mum from an Interflora catalogue - and she always ended up getting so much more than advertised, such was the lower costs of flowers in sunny Perth. Select a little flowering pot plant, receive several huge ones. Select a small green ferny thing, receive a small rainforest. And so on.

I don't always send flowers for birthdays and other special days, but if I want to get a parcel of goodies to her, I've found that an "overnight" postal satchel works well, but suburban Perth actually takes 48 hours, not 24. I did have a few interesting little items I'd found over recent months, but I couldn't get away from work early enough last week to guarantee delivery in time for Mother's Day. So flowers it had to be.

These days, the Internet (and the online White Pages phone directory) makes flower deliveries so much easier. I had to laugh, though. The florist I've come to use in Perth doesn't record orders on a computer; I assumed they'd have my details on file since the last time, but they do it the old fashioned way. A pad and pen. How quaint.

No matter. I tried cut flowers this time and my mother received her (apparently very generous) "bright colours" arrangement of cut flowers on Friday morning, and has thus enjoyed Mother's Day all weekend - and no doubt will for most of the coming week.

Sunday's magic number: 94.0. Absolutely no change since last week. I have mastered the art of keeping my mass stable? I've been fairly careful this week; just not careful enough to get the numbers down again.

Going postal

Ah! The queues.

It's polling day for Australia, electing a new Prime Minister - 'cos most of us have gotten very tired of the old one. I'm off to my literary agent's annual seminar today so I had to think far enough ahead of time to organise my postal vote.

So I don't have to queue. Nor will I see the riveting (ho hum) television election coverage, 'cos I'll be partying with Australia's (popular) literati. We'll be more worried about who wins a Sassy Award than who wins the election, I reckon. It may be all over and decided because I get back home.

Big Blank

On the way home this afternoon, I had a wonderful thought about a funny, heartwarming topic for a blog entry. I couldn't wait to get started...

Right now? I have no idea what that story may have been. Let's retrace my steps... I went to the post office, continued on down the main street to Penrith Plaza; picked up the eagerly-awaited (by me), just-released DVD of "Hollywoodland", the story of the death of George Reeves, the television "Superman" of the 1950s; bought dinner; and trudged home.

Mmmmmmmmmm.

Ah! Now I know!

The post office had a new stamp series on display - and even stamped, collectible postcards - dedicated to Australia's bizarre "Big Things" tourist attractions. The recently-renovated Big Banana, the recently-moved Big Merino of Goulburn, the recently cash-strapped Big Pineapple of Nambour, plus the Big Golden Guitar of Tamworth and the Big Lobster of Kingston South East, were all represented!

Of course, I just noticed that the anecdote I was planning to tell was already my topic on Sunday, May 27, 2007. Maybe this is like a non-ratings period and I can start repeating the best of my earlier stories? Big deal, eh?

One step in front for Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day in Australia on Sunday, and my mother lives in Perth, meaning that today was the last possible chance to get a yellow overnight mailer in the post box for delivery to Perth suburban regions on Friday. It's overnight anywhere else, including Perth CBD. But Perth suburbs require an additional day. Dammit.

Often something comes up at work and I miss the post office. Or I walk right past it, in my usual daydreaming state, and forget I have something to send off. Today was almost no different; I was about to leave work this afternoon when the carpet shampooers showed up at the last minute, and "requested" me to be "ready". Which means: everything off the floor, etc.

I'd bought Mum's gifts weeks ago, but she encourages me to combine her birthday, Easter and Mother's Day presents in the one satchel. But I'd left the contents at home! Luckily, I bought a mailer, got it all packaged up at home, then Jack and I headed off back to the post box, to beat both an imminent thunderstorm and the 6pm cut-off time for the overnight mail. With only a few toilet breaks (for Jack), we made it in good time, then celebrated with a takeaway kebab.

Jack was quite hilarious at the kebab shop. I extended his lead out all the way, as per usual, so I could reach the shop's counter and place my order. Sometimes the owner brings Jack out a few morsels of kebab meat, but tonight Jack just stood in the doorway, staring at the guy and looking distressed: ears pinned back, one paw raised, and trembling all over.

It took me a while to work it out, but the shop had one of those ultraviolet mozzie zappers. Every time it went zzzzzzzzzzztttttt!!!!!, meaning yet another bug had just bitten the dust, Jack reacted in an atypical Jack Russell way. Also particularly scary when you're so low to the ground, was an empty McDonald's bag that blew towards him in the breeze. Jack reversed onto my foot, I almost tripped - and, to any bystanders, it would have looked like I'd just kicked him.

Big Brave Jack Russell!