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but I do stock ordering and stock taking, telephone answering and transferring, sorting and processing mail, teleconferencing, responsibility for travel arrangements and the three cars in the Department, catering and conference room vacancies, faxing and odd jobs, and I know there's more, but gee, I can't remember it all at the moment! You see, I've never been a receptionist before this past week.

Sometimes it is trivial stuff - matching up serial numbers on one sheet with those on another, or, as today, alphabetizing the pigeonholes for easier mail delivery.

Alice is now catching three buses to get out to Deakin, which she did for the first time today, and by herself! What a daughter! She arrives close to 4:30, and then sits and reads for the last half-hour of my work.

Brian has caught up with the football coach of a young man who's passenger threw out a pie from a moving vehicle at mine recently. As this happened when we were both coming out of Deakin, it was fairly easy to find the culprit. I had, it must be noted, gone to the Police, who issued a littering fine to the offender (along with a severe talking). I thought that reinforcing the point with Brian in his security guard's uniform would be worthwhile (my wonderful Mother-in-Law, Betty, and my daughter were in the car with me, and I'm glad I'm not a panicky driver).

The upshot is that the young man will be given yet another Word by his Coach. As the Coach is also a Black Belt, I think some attention may well be paid. I am smiling as I write this, but all the same, I believe it worthwhile for the young men (driver and passengers) not to be allowed to get away with this, as then I know it won't escalate.

Back to the Farm - we have been given some more roosters and handsome fellows they are, too! They are happily strutting around our acreage as the poor bloke who owned them couldn't bear to chop them and they were bothering the hens too much. As we have our hens separated, I don't see that as a problem, and if Brian decides they are lunch, then that's fine. I don't like our chances however, as he does get as busy as a piece of paper in a firestorm on his days off.

Brian has now also set up a low-placed electric fence. He hasn't circumnavigated the whole farm, but the Eastern side, on McVicar Street, has a very cleverly organised thin black poly-pipe protusion every so often along the bottom wire, with electricity running along it. The geese and ducks have learned today, its first day of operation, not to try and get past it. At last!

Poor Mowgli is really missing the human contact. When Brian came home today, Mowgli greeted him like a long-lost rich relative. He wouldn't leave Brian alone. I hope that we can get him a little companion soon. I certainly can't leave him with the German Shepherds or Nathan's labrador.

I'm still hoping for another little daschie, preferably a female tan version of Mowgli. The Lord moves in mysterious ways, His Wonders to perform.

We are thinking of eventually selling up in Koroit and moving a bit further along towards Deakin, which is on the other side of Warrnambool to us. Naringal is a lovely area, and I am hoping that it is not as expensive as the closer-to-Deakin Allansford.

We have a blockage in the condensate wastewater pipe from Murray Goulburn and today the plumbers were over the road from us trying to find the exact location of the problem. I'm glad it's them and not me because the pipe is well-buried and very long.

My Day

Wind whispering, soughing, sighing, moving, whipping, rushing

and the clouds track its progress

tree limbs flail

and the blossoms drop like a carpet of perfumed confetti

My nose is cold and wet, and I sniff constantly

it itches and I am miserable.

But I stop, startled, as a branch hits me in the chest

the pain is sudden, but the smell lingers

and I forget, momentarily, all the troubles of this World

and float, instead, in a dimension of utter beauty,

imagining Eden and this Earths beginning.