Backyard Bush

I am writing this from my sick bed, in which I have been languishing for the last couple of days. The ailment involves feeling like a crock of sh*t, excruciating stomach cramps and needing to be within 10 feet of a loo at all times. I believe it is the same thing that Mike had a Christmas and I now fully understand why he did not appear for Christmas lunch! Of course, there is always a silver lining, and this evening I am starting to feel a bit more normal and.....I'm thin! Don't you just lurve a stomach upset? And this one has been particularly convenient, given that everyone could do with losing a few pounds after all the seasonal excess!

The children have coped fantastically while I've been out of action, bringing me glasses of water and actually finding things to amuse themselves with, without the help of money or extra people shipped in. One of the lovely things about moving to this house has turned out to be one of the things about which I was most worried - the lack of proximity to other children. Without all the lovely girls across the road, George and Anna seem to have made friends again, and have been playing together. I think that whilst Anna had constant access to all the girls at Wimbledon Avenue, she didn't bother with George, and he felt left out and resentful. They seemed to be arguing all the time.

Things are a lot more harmonious here. This afternoon they were playing 'businesses', which involved George putting on the suit and tie we bought him for James and Samantha's wedding, and them setting up desks. Now you can imagine my consternation when I went up to take a look and discovered George at a large desk on a comfy 'executive' chair (mine) being The Boss and Anna sitting on a stool at a tiny desk outside the door being the receptionist. Great. I have taught my daughter nothing. I probably need to get back to work....

Anyway, all this aside, I thought you might be interested in an update on the bandicoot position. Although I haven't had any news of the Christmas bandicoot, it seems that we have considerable bandicoot activity around our property. First we found a dead one floating in the swimming pool (eurgh), then the next evening we fished one out that hadn't yet drowned. We dried him off, kept him overnight and then on the advice of the wildlife service, released him just down the road in some bushland. It seems that they are getting in to cool down and then can't get out...so Andrew has constructed a bandicoot escape system! So far no more dead bush creatures in the pool.

And any mention of the wildlife here could not be complete with out talking about the cicadas. You know when you go on holiday and you hear that chirping noise in the trees and you know you are somewhere tropical? Well, that's them - except that here they are absolutely deafening. To the extent that I have been sleeping with earplugs so as not to be disturbed when they are at their shrill worst at dawn. Apparently, this year the Northern Beaches are suffering a plague of them, and Mona Vale is Cicada Central. They are absolutely harmless (apart from causing insanity and deafness), but they are big and ugly and divebomb the insect screens and night. Oh yes - and they wee on you.

I am just so loving the Australian wildlife.