An update.

It has been a little while since I blogged, however with so many things have been happening, and not happening it has been hard to write.

First to the not happening. The paving project is progressing extremely slowly.

This is because I was able to sprain both my thumbs. (but luckily, not at the same time).

A lot of the pavers have bits of concrete stuck to them, so most evenings in the summer I was outside with a hammer and chisel, cleaning the pavers up. The problem was I did not like wearing a glove on the hand I was holding the hammer with. I felt like I lost too much control over the hammer, so I just wore the glove on my other hand.

And this hand ended up doing all the work in moving the clay pavers, which weighed around 2 kilos each, and the ligaments in that thumb got sprained.

As for how I sprained the other thumb, there is even less of a story there. I just fell off my bike. The front wheel got trapped in a little drainage culvert, and I was trying to turn, and the wheel didn't.

As an accident, it was so unspectacular that if there was a video recording of it, it would note even have been considered for a weekly prize in Funniest Home Videos. However it was enough to result in my hand being strapped for a week and a bit, and a sore thumb for a few weeks.

The photos don't show the full full purple hue that encompassed my hand, as that details was lost in the flash of the camera.

As for the other things that are happening, well stay tuned.

Good Karma

I had an interesting week. On Sunday Taph and I were in the queue at the local Aldi getting our groceries.

A lady asked is she could jump ahead of us as she needed to buy one of the Aldi trolley tokens. Following my free range money challenge, I have managed to collect 15 of these little buggers tokens, so I offered her one, and suggested she pay it forward.

Later that evening, Taph reminded me that my parents wedding anniversary was coming up, and what was I going to get them. At the time I had no idea, so I said, I don’t know, however, something would turn up.

The next day I was in Salvos at Belconnen, when I spied this vase on their shelf.

This vase, along with another vase I had picked up earlier were both Johnson Brothers Summer Chintz patten, and would match thier dinner setting. I figured these would be great presents for their anniversary.

Later, when I mentioned this find to Taph that she said that Karma had decided to repay my previous good dead in full.

And the toy car? Dad collects the old matchbox toy cars, and I just gave it to him. .

X-mas gifts for men

Buying gifts for men is not nearly as complicated as it is for women. Follow these rules and you should have no problems.

1. When in doubt, buy him a cordless drill. It does not matter if he already has one. I have a friend who owns 17 and he has yet to complain. As a man, you can never have too many cordless drills. No one knows why.
2. If you cannot afford a cordless drill, buy him anything with the word ratchet or socket in it. Men love saying those two words. "Hey George, can I borrow your ratchet?" "Okay. By the way, are you through with my 3/8" socket yet?" Again, no one knows why.
3. If you are really, really broke, buy him anything for his car. A 99-cent ice scraper, a small bottle of de-icer or something to hang from his rear view mirror. Men love gifts for their cars. No one knows why.
4. Do not buy men socks. Do not buy men ties. And never buy men bathrobes. I was told that if God had wanted men to wear bathrobes, he would not have invented jockey shorts.
5. You can buy men new remote controls to replace the ones they have worn out. If you have a lot of money, buy your man a big screen TV with the little picture in the corner. Watch him go wild as he flips and flips and flips. Forget the program, your entertainment is watching him have fun!
6. Do not buy any man industrial-sized canisters of after-shave or deodorant. I'm told they do not stink-they are earthy.
7. Buy men label makers. Almost as good as cordless drills. Within a couple of weeks there will be labels absolutely everywhere. "Socks. Shorts. Cups. Saucers. Door. Lock. Sink." You get the idea. Again, no one knows why.
8. Never buy a man anything and then tell him he should read the instructions because the box says "some assembly required." It will ruin his special day. He will always have parts left over.
9. Good places to shop for men include Northwest Iron Works, Parr Lumber, Home Depot, John Deere, Valley RV Center and Les Schwab Tire. (NAPA Auto Parts and Sears Clearance Centers are also excellent men's stores. It doesn't matter if he doesn't know what the gift is. "From NAPA Auto, eh? Must be something I need. Hey! Isn't this a starter for a '68 Ford Fairlane? Wow! Thanks.")
10. Men enjoy danger. That's why they never cook (but they will barbecue). Get him a monster barbecue with a 100-pound propane tank. Tell him the gas line leaks. "Oh the thrill! The challenge! Who wants a hamburger?"
11. Tickets to a Wallabies game are a smart gift. However, he will not appreciate tickets to "A Retrospective of 19th Century Quilts." Everyone knows why.
12. Men love chain saws. Never, ever, buy a man you love a chain saw. If you don't know why, please refer to Rule #7 (Remember what happens when he gets a label maker?)
13. It's hard to beat a really good wheelbarrow or aluminum extension ladder. Never buy a real man a stepladder. It must be an extension ladder. No one knows why.
14. Rope. Men love rope. It takes us back to our cowboy origins, or at least the Boy Scouts. Nothing says "I love you" like a hundred feet of 3/8" manilla rope. No one knows why.