Bits and Bobs

Hmmm. Was stuck in bed for all the wrong reasons for the last few days or so. Migraine. Bastard things. Crawled out Sunday but still a little fuzzy. Not that this was a bad one. The nausea knocked me around more than the actual headache. Only counting on one hand the number of times I wanted to snap my own neck this time around. I'm pretty lucky though... I rarely get them these days. In fact, it has probably been a couple of years since I had one that actually timed itself so I missed a day of work.

It took me a little while to figure out why, while I was head down on the couch, there seemed to be hordes of children running around the streets, when normally scarcely a footstep is heard from the little dears (God forbid they should set aside the X Box or Nintendo or whatever the latest game fad is, and play in the open air!). Unless the pay-off is sweets. I don't know when we Australians began to take part in the Halloween celebration, but there were little family groups wandering the streets dressed in their witches outfits. It did seem very odd. And sort of pathetic.

Normally I wouldn't even think about Halloween, but this year I have to say that 31 October has some significance.

Firstly, it is the last day for our Tax Returns. Yep, mine will be late. I could go to an agent, but this is my tenacious (read "stubborn") side coming through. I will do the bloody thing myself. Normally it’s a breeze, but due to the freelancing this year, it is a little more complicated. Ah well.

The other significance is that a year ago on Halloween’s, my cat Billie was hit by a car and killed. He was my special connection, a clown and a comforter. And occasionally an assassin – I still have scars from his impromptu attacks on my arms. We adopted him when we were first married, and he was a constant for me throughout many difficult times. Even with a house full of wonderful cats, I still miss him. He is buried in the yard, where it is cool and shady. With lots of plants to peer through. As we called him then, the Grey Ghost.

Suppose I had better get on. Serious matters at hand, such as just how many Schedules am I going to have to fill in to go with my Tax Return this year. Seem to have been downloading them for hours. Blerk. Mutter mutter mutter