Deciding to bludge CDs from Serious Espresso to introduce my ears to new sounds - I snaffled three, to get back to work and find two of the cases are empty. Ah, well - I'll go back tomorrow for another raid. Listening to something called "Luck Be A Weirdo Tonight". ..and now I need to brush my teeth. Oh, I was going to say: I don't believe computers should be in schools. Especially not in Primary [Elementary] Schools and not in Secondary Schools until the 6th Form. Why? because I think they are a financial drain and a diversion from other skills. I believe anyone can pick up on computer skills in a short amount of time so a course later in school life is all that is needed. Plus, kids who are interested in computers usually have them at home and are literate anyway. The cost of computers in school defere money away from sports equipment, core subjects budgets and fool parents into thinking their kids are getting a good education because there is x number of computers in the class room. Sitting in front of a computer doesn't mean you're working and it sure in hell doesn't mean you're learning either.

We went in search of curry, and coffee and 3mm single hole punches. They're fairly elusive, you see. Not the formers, but the later. In the olden days, when bus drives clipped your ticket, the hole patterned or otherwise, was a neat 3mm. Since the advent of mechanically printed and dispensed tickets, the need to clip has gone by the wayside, and so too have all the bus clipping devices. (someone somewhere'll have a box full of the suckers under their bed). James and I started at the top of our list, and went to Downtown and ate curry. *crossed that off the list* Re-prioritising as need be, we moved the "coffee" part of our plan down one notch and the "3mm single hole punch" up to second position. Upwards to the Warehouse Stationery to find they, too, had an abundance of 6mm single hole punches along with a plethora of decorative 6 mm hole punches but alas alack, no 3mm single hole punches. James, ever the ideas man, decided we needed to ask a ferryman, becauseyou see, ferrymen clip tickets. So in the bleak and rain and bluster, we squinted our way umbrellaless through the precipitation to the Ferry Terminal and explained to a bewildered pastey girl (ok she had that northern alabaster complextion but for now we'll just say it was pastey) who didn't seem to be following the conversation. Her colleague was extra helpful, phoning his manager who was the main purchaser of said clippers and she gave him and subsequently he gave us, the names of two possible suppliers. So James' trail for 3mm single hole punches is still warm enough to follow. So on to the final item on our list and it was up to Serious Espresso for coffee. A pretty decent lunchtime all-around.

My wonderful cousin Suzi sent me this picture. I am amazed I actually recognised/remembered nearly everyone in it - mostly because they still look the same, I think! Mum helped out on the boys-down-the-front. So.. from left-right, backrow: Suzi Park, Maree Chalker, me, Terry Chalker. from left-right, middle row: Debbie Chalker, Warren Harvey, Sharon Hart, Michael and Steven Devereaux. right in the front with the blue overalls, Wendy Harvey. the little blonde boy in the sailor suit to the right is my brother Wayne The Chalkers and Suzi are my cousins, Warren and Wendy Harvey lived next door (Warren called me "fat face" when I had the mumps), Sharon Hart lived across the road, the Devereaux kitchen caught fire and nearly burned their whole house down. This must've been a wonderful day for me, because I still have slivers of memory about it. About my tartin skirt which felt scratchy on my legs. About my wonderful farmyard cake with pink pigs and fences on its smooth white icing. Of a smell, which I've always smelled since when sniffing around new plastic dolls. Hey Delany? haha.. you look like me! Thanks Suzi, you rock.