Strange Notations From a Laborious Life

Sunday afternoon has turned a bit nasty. A few showers and a cool temperature has certainly made the weekend a little less palatable for outdoor activity. Rained quite a bit last night and is supposed to be a bit wet on at least a couple of days in the coming week.
It’s always a bit dicey this time of year in regards to the weather. Just when you think you are through the worst of it another cold front comes along.
Linda had arranged a party on Saturday night and was hoping for a continuation of the fabulous weather we have had all week as she had invited about 30 people and wanted them to gather on our back deck.
Alas, it was not to be and a dash to Bunnings saw her return with what looked like a prop from the old “War of the World’s” movie. Instead of a Martian ray gun it turned out to be a small patio heater.
I took it out of the box and had immeadiate doubts about it’s suitability as it had to be connected via screws to a beam somewhere on the back deck and of course with the afforementioned deck being built with certain flammable products I was a bit worried. And of course it came with no screws which would enable the bracket to be attached in the first place!
Luckily my father is a retired carpenter and he came to the rescue with some required equipment and despite our continuing doubts over the suitability of the heater and our vigilance in placing it at a safe distance from the guests less they be burnt by the rays emanating from the Martian ray gun lookalike, we eventually got it secured to a fixed postion and working to the maximum of it’s abilities.
Now I’m not sure if it threw out much heat at all as I was helping with food preparation but there were quite a few people huddled under it and if nothing else it provided a bit of extra light, albeit with a “Martian tinge” on our ill-lit deck.
I have a feeling that the local electricity company may have been the only entity to benefit from our new heater!
Of course another problem with our deck is that it leaks when the rain gets really heavy and the thought of someone being electrocuted by our new accesory did cross my mind but luckily we were well enconsed inside after dinner before the heavy showers came.
So all in all a pleasant night with the last of the “hangers on” leaving at about midnight.
Of course the next morning comes the hard part. Cleaning up and that is what I have spent the better part of the day helping Linda with and it is only now I can sit down for a bit and do some writing.
So another weekend runs down all too quickly and tomorrow I will be back to the monotonous grind of Australia Post.
It will be a late night for me as the World Professional Road Cycling Championship is on in Copenhagen and the last couple of hours will be broadcast on SBS and I wouldn’t miss that for the world although from all accounts it is a poor circuit this year and is likely to end in a bunch sprint. It doesn’t seem like a year since I was in Geelong watching the same Championship unfold. Little did I know when spotting Cadel Evans in the peleton that I was looking at the next Tour de France champion.
Cadel is not competing in Copenhagen this year but yesterday he was apparently a guest at the “Miss Switzerland” contest! I guess being the Tour de France champion has it’s benefits. Bye for now.