One year on, erstwhile home.

I'm back in the game.

Many factors prohibited the writing of a post prior to today: the possibility of England winning consecutive Rugby World Cups being the most dangerous. But today, their inability to score tries was their downfall, and some sense of normalcy can return.

There are gaps in the narrative which need Selley's All Clear to fill them in... seamlessly. Firstly the time back home - Brisbane style. The highlight of the Twenty20 world cup was hearing a female commentator and taking a good 2 or 3 overs to deduce that she was in fact female and not some inverted box wearing character. My run ins with the quaint game of cards known in the Spartan esque way of 500 was tempered by my new found bridge philanderings. Thus there were more sensible calls and less jumping from 6 no trumps to 9 spades in a heartbeat, then having to leap over the table and beat Knowlesy senseless.... well some things stayed the same.

A trip down to Sydney town was organised as well as a stay on the 70th floor of the Meriton World Tower. I arrived early and walked into the 'wrong' Meriton tower. But I managed to correct the mistake, after sizing it up from the outside and guessing it to be a bit less than 70 floors, then walking away from such an inferior structure. The Casino treated some of us well, as summarised in the following

The idea being that those who were winners are standing, and those who are seated, well... they are building the future of tomorrow... today... for the casino operator's children, and his children's children.

Warm up for the evening's play.

I did discover a function in the fridge which chilled beers (I typed in 'bears' there. At a pinch it could also chill bears) to the desired temperature, and also, for free, made the sound of a truck backing up when it was done. The morning was a hastened exodous for fear of late fees or APEC inspections, but the tea was found, and ceremoniously distributed:

But come to think of it, as we are relatively spritely in this photograph, this may be from the previous afternoon.

In other news, via my late great uncle I have inherited a billy. It was a little heavy for bringing over to the UK so there was only one option really - wearing two jackets to accommodate the metal wonder of Australian bush tea. There are plans a-foot to introduce the Scottish Highlands to the billy (and of course, the swinging of the arm around in a circle to settle the leaves as every girl scout and high school physicist knows and loves). I don't know if the Picts will be ready for it, but some Rogue MacGyver antics of W.R. Usher, a bottle of Glenmorangie, and the cool winter nights of damp and dark should be an adequate setting for some caperings.

Oh yes - work: it is going well - another main reason why I have not been at my desk churning out some e-comic gold. When I finish my final draft for my transfer thesis I will post it here - which should stop people asking me what those 'large numbers' are.

I have to zip up this bag of grapes.