04.15 pm

I wonder how the election is going? Not that the outcome is going to make very much difference to anybody – you are aware, aren’t you, that if voting really could change anything, then voting would immediately be declared illegal? F’rinstance – marriage equality… Plebiscite or not, do any of you think that even if 99 and 3/4 of the Australian population voted in favour of it, that the Christian hard right MPs would allow it to go ahead? Ditto euthanasia, becoming a Republic, and many other things that the people want, but that the politicians, the authoritarian rulers of this wonderful sunburnt country, won’t let us have – because they don’t want to give up their power and prestige … All this stupid, expensive “voting” business (which we pay for, by the way) is just a huge waste of everyone’s time, and a very clever con game to make us think that we actually have a say in how the country is run! Oh well – as I said – it doesn’t really matter who gets in, nothing will change, but it’ll be interesting to see who’s lies were swallowed the easiest.

Although I was hoping to beat the eager crowds to the Polling place this morning, we didn’t leave until around eleven-ish. It was interesting to note some changes in the placement and numbers of the people handing out their party’s “How to Vote” leaflets! While we lived in Doncaster, we used to send in Postal Votes, as being easier than carting me and my wheelchair around, especially if it was wet and miserable outside, so it’s been quite a while since we actually fronted up to a School or Scout hall – however I do remember voting at the local Primary School when we lived in Glen Waverley. People stood around then handing out their “How to Vote for the “XYZ” Party” pamphlets – but they were all mixed in together – Liberals, Labor, Greens, the little Independents – never in great big clumps of one particular party, as they were today. Everywhere we walked, there’d be a contingent of about six to eight (and sometimes a lot more!) of “a” particular Party – it was like running a gauntlet! They’d be there in a group in front of you, and you’d walk towards them. Like the Red Sea, they’d part down the middle before us, each of them stretching out a hand clutching one of their leaflets, and waving them in our faces. We’d hurry through, with a somewhat stiff smile and a hastily muttered “No, thanks!” Then there’d be a bit of a gap until we got to the next big group, all from the same party – and the original scene would be repeated – the parting, the leaflet waving, the muttered “No, thanks!”, and we’d be through, for another short breather, before the next gauntlet, and the next, and the next… They seemed to be – when I dared to raise my eyes to actually look them in the eye – mainly from the Christian hard right? I think! It was really hard to tell, but I don’t recall seeing any Labor or Liberal groups there, though I’m quite sure they were (Julian might have spotted them, but I didn’t) I think I saw a motley group of Greens, but, you know, they were all wearing completely anonymous jeans and Tee-shirts, with no “House Colours” or badges to show which Party they were representing! And if they were wearing badges, or a coloured ribbon, or something, they can’t have been very eye-catching or remarkable, because I didn’t see them  – at this point, I should probably point out that I marched in, wearing jeans, a dark rust jumper hidden underneath a smart black cape… which had a large, round, white “button” pin, proudly displaying the Australian Sex Party logo! I’m pretty sure that none of the “gauntleteers” missed it – because I got a combination of smirks, annoyed looks, and looks of sheer disbelief, as I shouldered my way through the waving leaflets. But that’s the sort of thing that they should have been wearing! Something that shouted out to the passer-by “Look at me! I’m with the Greens!”, or “Look at me! I’m with the Family First Party!” Perhaps I might have been more interested in their silly leaflets if I’d known what party they were for! Actually, I probably wouldn’t have been – but you never know, I might have!

And so we made our way into the hall – I think it was a Gym Hall, actually – presented ourselves, and were given our papers. I finished mine first and put them in the boxes, and turned around to see Julian sitting with an official, getting a new big white voting thingy! He’d managed to muck his first one up! Oh, and if you’re thinking that I might have put in a “Donkey Vote” because of my disparaging remarks about this election, and elections in general, well, I didn’t! I do believe in voting, even though I’m cynical enough to think that it doesn’t really achieve anything – and I believe it’s every citizen’s duty to vote, because if you don’t vote, the chances of anything ever changing diminishes, with every invalid ballot paper pulled out of the boxes.

Anyway, we voted, came home, had a most welcome cup of coffee… and then Julian gave me the first two of my (shudder!) ear drops 😮 When I’d recovered sufficiently from that harrowing ordeal, we had lunch. The weather was still holding together moderately well, so Julian went out to plant some of our new little vegetables – and guess what! He ran out of garden bed! We’re going to have to go back to the Nursery to get a large planter, in which to put the rest of them! Not tomorrow, of course, because that’s Sunday, and we’ll be busy continuing to set up our Garrisons in Draenor! We’re putting in potatoes, too, and apparently you have to cut the seed potatoes before you plant them, so that they can “heal” themselves (across the cut) before you plant them – I think it’s to stop them getting any diseases from the soil? Summat along those lines, anyway! Anyway, we ordered some interesting looking “Potato Bags“, so we won’t be cutting and planting the potatoes until those arrive, sometime next week, we hope. Julian’s also planted my Fig Tree, so now I just have to go out and talk to it every day, to encourage it to grow quickly, so I can have some yummy fresh figs next year! 🙂

While Julian was outside busily planting things, I stayed inside, getting Phoenìx into the swing of things in Netherstorm! So far, so good – I did die once though – I made the mistake of getting myself caught under a piece of machinery while I was waiting to get the machine’s “heart”, but I was being attacked on all sides, and I couldn’t see where these attackers were, as everything (including me!) was hidden under this great big piece of machinery! So I got myself all better again, and sorted that out, and finally got the “heart” of the machine. I didn’t go up a full level, but I managed just over half a level before it was time to stop playing, and start writing! 🙂 And now I’ve got this far, it’s time to get onto the good bits! 😉

Food stuffs. Last night we had chicken breast with dukkah, on a bed of plain steamed rice with finely chopped spring onion mixed through it. What Julian did was cut the chicken breast in half, and drop it in a plastic zip-lock bag with the dukkah, then tossed it around and massaged it all together a bit – then he simply pan-fried it! It was absolutely delicious! We’re starting to experiment a bit with rubs and marinades, and I’m starting a file of “interesting sounding” spice and herb rubs and mixes – they’re usually dry, so they keep fairly well in little air-tight jars and tins! For dessert I didn’t have one of my Fuji apples, I had a Corella pear, which was exactly at the right “ripeness” (?) to eat, and it was lovely – but not quite as lovely as what I had after it – a small bowl of my favourite Coles-brand, very low-calorie Rice Pudding! Today for lunch we had a ham, cheese and tomato Toastie, again made with the really yummy whole-meal bread with the sesame and poppy seeded crust, and with a bit of butter, as we don’t think that the basil-pesto hummus would work terribly well toasted! Tonight, because it’s election night, and we wanted something quick, easy and mess-less, we’re having one of the Lamb and Harissa Lasagne frozen left-over meals, and for dessert tonight I will have one of the Fuji apples, before my small bowl of the delicious and yummy Coles-brand, very low-calorie Rice Pudding.

Weigh-in this morning. Wasn’t too bad – in fact, not much change at all! I went from 64.4 kg to 64.3 kg, back down one point, to where I was on Thursday! However, I’m still within that narrow “margin of error”, so just as in voting, everything’s still more-or-less the same! It’ll be interesting to see what my weight decides to do tomorrow – on the one hand, I did have a Toastie for lunch, with butter and cheese in it – but on the other hand, I did walk a fair way to the Polling Booth from where we’d parked, and then I stood around for quite a bit… So we’ll see what the scales thought of them little red apples in the morning! 🙂

Which brings me to tomorrow, and our “Day Doing Draenor”, or the “Definitive Dancing Duo Do Draenor” – whatever! I’m looking forward to doing some more work on Xãnthe’s Garrison, as well as handling the Draenor quests – the last time I did this with a Horde character (Arisnoë, before she changed Factions) I was doing it solo, and it really wasn’t much fun! I think I really prefer playing with Julian – it’s much more fun ganging up on nasty monsters! 😉  And once again, that’s about “it” from me for tonight! 🙂 Do drop in again tomorrow night though, to see what my weight did, how Xãnthe and Jemimah fared with their Garrisons, and whether they died while questing or not – and what else all of us, including Flipper, Auric and Dapple, have been up to! Until then though, please bee good, don’t forget that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that sometimes, something else is more important than fear – and remember to look after yourselves, to always drive carefully, and to keep warm and dry during this bleak mid-winter – but most importantly, please remember to stay safe! 🙂 ciao, all! 🙂