What's the matter with The Mummy?

Another very thirsty Koala

The local veterinary office rang me yesterday - apparently to check my contact details. The young lady asked me how Bill was going.

I said that as far as I was aware he was still dead – but as it was they who took the body away in a shoe box they would know best.

This put a dampener on the conversation for a while but the young lady cheered up immensely when I said we still had Muffin.

“Oh you have a new cat?” she said

I explained that Muffin was in fact a very old cat but that she hadn’t been to see the vet yet for a checkup – which would probably happen this week.

I did not attempt to explain the Kitten Acquisition Program.

She was really, really glad to finish the call and move on to the next client.

One of my Blog readers (I won’t’ mention his name) has questioned my taste in movies - in particular The Mummy.

In response I shall say only that all my pursuits cannot be cerebral. All of us need some form of escape from our otherwise crushing existence and mine is to sometimes watch escapist action movies of which the Mummy is an excellently example.

John Howard used to escape from his horrid existence by pretending to be the Prime Minister – for well over a century as I remember.

I have received from Joan (Cate’s Mother who is 90 in July) the Rooster Appliquéd Oven Mitts – and a fine example of post modern kitchen helper design they are too. I cannot imagine that Lizzie did not think that Cate would like them – they are adorable.

Unfortunately we have far too many oven mitts for the hooks in the kitchen so some of them will have to be stored temporarily.

I have been watching the World Ski Championships at Val d’Isere. Some of the skiers in the downhill reach speeds of 130 kilometers per hour. This is faster than I go on the A2 – and is a very scary speed indeed.

And when they fall over – as some of them do – they slide for a very, very long time – unless they are caught by the nets they have down the sides of the Piste. There was a skier yesterday who went into the nets so hard I thought they would never get him out.

(The people who rescue skiers probably practice in summer by cutting turtles out of fishing nets in the Maldives).

I can understand the downhill and the slalom - and the giant slalom – and why some skiers can be quicker than others.

But I do not understand jumping. They all travel the same distance down the ramp, they all take off at the same time and they all look like geese coming in for a landing - and they all use a Telemark landing. But some jumpers are simply so much better than the others - by many metres.

Perhaps someone can tell me why? If I see Wolfgang Loitzl at the Billabong I will ask him. ‘Wuff’ as we call him here is one of our best!

Incidentally – Austria is in 3rd position on the medal table with 3 medals. The Germans have none (giggle).

I have booked my tickets for Paris and have a booked a hotel very close to Melissa. I have talked to them and they have promised me that they will turn my straw down at night and put a chocolate on it.

I just discovered that Annie has been making comments on my Flickr photos. I of course am too lazy to actually add descriptions so she has been doing it for me. Keep up the good work Annie – as far as I can see you have so far done only 5 out of more than 2,000 so you have a way to go.