Gratitude

Did I ever mention that I live with a very talented man and am related to a number of other very talented people, some of whom have really useful skills? I have been despairing at the notion that at this late stage of house renovations, impending Christmas and general expense that we would have to get a new computer. My brother-in-law came up with the idea of a USB port to internet router adapter and liberated one from my other brother-in-law with whom he shares a flat. Mr Blithe found the Mac open-source software driver for the adaptor on the web, installed it in about five minutes flat and we are back in action almost exactly a week after frying vital pieces of our computer.

Our other problem is a little more intractable: we have a swarm of bees that has taken up residency in the walls of the new living room. If I had time, I would write a story about the plagues of Marburg. Instead, I will be attempting on the advice of both a Department of Primary Industries-recommended apiarist and my beekeeper brother to persuade the bees to leave (or perish) by dint of strategic application of petrol. The thought of drenching the beautifully repaired and painted walls of our new living room with petrol fills me with fear, but so does the idea of the tongue and groove walls exploding in a few months under the weight of wax and honey. It would be a sweet yet tragic end to our building saga. As always, I will keep you informed.