G'day, Linda. Enjoy the retail therapy! Most of our schools in Australia have school uniforms, back to school shopping usually consists of getting all the various bits organised. Each year I watch with delight, knowing that difficult child 3 no longer requires school uniform - a good thing, too, as most uniforms are not very practical either in design or materials. They're also more expensive, as a rule.
Sorry to hear about your stove - enjoy picking out something new. Is it wood-fired, gas or electric?
I was cleaning my electric cook-top yesterday, it's not much longer for this world. The elements work OK but the other 'bits' are literally falling apart. When we replace it, I'll have no choice but to get something smaller overall, which will mean new benchtop. Which will mean new kitchen. We also need a new oven (electric wall oven, currently) because the cook-top and oven are a pigeon pair, both have irreparable problems.
Part of me dreads the bother and expense, another part of me can't wait for the updated technology.
I've had a quiet day today, still taking things quietly. I'd like to plan a total getaway for next Thurs-weekend because I just want to be right away from Sydney during APEC - a lot of demonstrators seem determined to exercise their democratic right to protest, despite warnings that it won't be pretty. Australia has a capital city (Canberra) perfectly designed to host this sort of thing, but we have a Prime Minister who prefers Sydney, and so inflicts this security nightmare onto us and brings the city to a standstill. They've declared a Public Holiday for Friday to keep as many people away from their inner city workplaces as possible. The Sydney weather will be cold and wet, typical for spring, while Canberra is beautiful at this time of year. The man is a fool.
We've been watching the news today - the preparations have begun. The "Great Wall of Sydney" is going up, they began in the small hours this morning. Roads are now closed, pedestrian areas blocked off, barricades up and security in place. Anyone needing to go through the barricades (which will include almost all the legal professions in Sydney) have to be searched physically each time, showing ID. Anyone with ANY record of ever having been questioned in regard to protests in the past will not be allowed entry under any circumstances and people on this list have already been notified of this by mail - including people who have never been found guilty of anything.
I'm feeling very uncomfortable about this, very nervous. Things just don't work this way in Australia - until now. Even the 2000 Olympics were not like this and the security they had in place for that was absolutely brilliant - but low profile. This feels like George Orwell's future. Not happy at all.
Enjoy your weekend, everyone. Don't let me bring you down.
Marg