For today's joke
For today's joke
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Dear All,
I've been busy writing my application to the Prime Minister for the
position of Governor-General. After all, that Doctor-whatever-his-name-is
is not the only one who can use a $185,000-a-year pension after having
been in the job for only two years! I feel so proud knowing that my
taxes are being used in looking after an ageing cleric to live in a
style he has never been accustomed to: a fully maintained car, unlimited
travel, subscriptions to all newspapers and magazines (probably the MONEY
magazine to help him look after his new-found riches!), a
secretary and office ... all in exchange for having kept us entertained
for two years and our minds off the real issues that concern this
Land of Milk and Honey (which has just curdled a bit more!)
I shan't hold my breath while I wait for a reply from our Prime
Minister but get on with our own lives here at Riverbend - which,
incidentally, is what we have decided to do: stay put! After
having looked at several other houses, all with their own faults and
problems, I reminded myself of Goethe's
"Erinnerung" we had learned at school:
It sounds even better in German!
However, we need to get away once in a while to better appreciate
the beauty of this place whenever we return to it. We did go up to
Canberra a few weeks ago and stayed overnight at the Canberra Rex.
The dogs slept inside the car and liked it so that this arrangement
is quite suitable for future trips up or down the coast. We
are planning an overnight trip to Bega and Eden and, of course, we
need to start thinking about our big trip to Indonesia next year.
 Courtesy Lonely Planet At this stage we plan to drive to Darwin and garage our car there (or abandon it as it is an old car and may only just us get there!) Then fly across to Denpasar on Bali, take the ferry across to Java to stay with Padma's family in Suarabaya for a few days, and then take a boat north to Kalimantan (Borneo). We could be away for as long as June, July and August and need to find a reliable house-sitter to look after Riverbend to feed the horses and dogs and keep an eye on the place. Just heard on the radio that at Heathrow Airport today, an individual, later discovered to be a public school teacher, was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a compass, a protractor, and a graphical calculator. Authorities believe he is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement. He is being charged with carrying weapons of math instruction.
With best wishes from the Riverbend Quartet!
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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, born 1749 died 1832