I07

I've had a non-stop week, and on Tuesday night, Craig telephoned to let me know of a job as a receptionist going out at Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, Rural Health Division, and I should call Nadia and let her know I was interested.

Two minutes later, Craig telephoned back and was astounded to learn that I had just finished talking with Nadia and had the job! How much reception work have I done in the past - none! I used the old "When would you like me to start" routine. Bless Nadia, I went to work today for the first time and learned a few of the ropes from Mat, who finishes up tomorrow.

Brian has a shift tonight, and a couple of people came down and expressed their happiness with me, including my immediate boss, Barbara Ah Soo.

I did a lot of walking in relatively high heels today. I learned a lot about what it takes to keep the whole thing moving along. I was even given a free lunch as we said Goodbye to Mathew and welcomed some visiting professionals.

Craig just telephoned up to congratulate me on a job well done. Apparently Brian, hearing back from Barbara, my immediate boss, said that I was very impressive. It's only a six-month contract, but of course, there is a right of renewal, and the hourly pay rate is much better than that to which I am used, so Brian may well go part-time.

As I still get up at 5:30 every morning, and last night I was in bed finally at Midnight, you can imagine that my eyes want to draw the covers in an entirely sincere way.

We had our last Friesian bull die today. Scours again. Brian says that he told Aaron to get some medication for him, but Aaron maintains that Brian did no such thing. Whatever the story, the calf remains dead. We shall not be getting any calves in the forseeable future, and I for one, am very, very glad.

Our neighbour over the road is complaining about the geese on his property munching away, so Brian is going to hook up and electric fence there. He wants to see, if he puts it at bill height, whether it will work. I'm curious myself. At least it may stop them playing squash on the road.

We are having a time of exquisite smells lately, except for the calf poo, which is not at all pleasant, no matter what the dogs think! The tagasaste and the daphne are both out in flower, and at Deakin Campus, the genista is just heavenly.

How marvellous it is to go outside and be gently assailed (if that makes sense) by the tagasaste. Ahhh.

Lisa McInnes-Smith's word for the week: "A husband is a man who stands by you through all the problems you wouldn't have had, had you stayed single."

Peter Cundall, writing in his "Earthly Wisdom" column in The Weekly Times of July 28th states that one should not plant a potato crop using remnants of a previous crop or leftover peeling which has started to sprout. They can be carrying diseases and some are deadly. Once soil has been infected with potato idseaese organisms it can be years before it is safe to grow potatoes in that same bed again.

That is why the seed-tubers we buy must be certified as virus and deisease-free. These tubers have been grown in isolated places under strict supervision.

More of my Day

My hand brushes past such smells of life -

rosemary (remembrances!)

lavender (home!)

deep, lovely rose

the crunch of gum boots on the driveway

so perfect, so right

the musical honks of each of our feathers

and the occasional hiss, too

the sough of wind in the trees

a glimpse of THAT CAT

as it runs away from me

heading past the guinea-pig cage

and the shimering of Beau

with a fluffed-up turkey giving encouragement