Ah Grasshopper....

Confucius says "is this a grasshopper? I'm not sure but it looks like I imagine a grasshopper would look." Wise words indeed.

"You give me fever in the morning, fever all through the night".

So sang Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Madonna and indeed it's what I was thinking early last week. Yes, I've been sick. Still am actually. And according to the lady in the local health shop it's a virus, it's doing the rounds, lots of people have been getting exactly the same symptoms as me, it lasts six weeks and there's nothing! NOTHING!! you can do to make it go away quicker. And she knows. She probably knows more than the GPs because I think more people spend a couple of minutes popping in to the health shop than a week for an appointment followed by an hour in the waiting room. So I have now resigned myself to the fact that I am going to be somewhat indisposed for the next 4 1/2 weeks. Thankfully, the worst of it seems to be over and I'm regaining some kind of normality in my life but sadly I am watching people around me drop like flies as they develop the Six Week Mystery Virus (or 6WMV as it is known in medical circles). I'm just praying it isn't bird flu. Which is silly really because I'm not even a bird.

Anyway, one fortunate aspect of being sick was that I got to meet my good friend Confucius. That's him in the photograph, hanging onto my sick tree. I don't think the tree has 6WMV as it has been sick much longer than six weeks.

I just have to say, before I pop off, that the weather has been absolutely stunning lately and that I have been taking lots of photographs. I am going to try and upload one a day or every couple of days for your perusal, rather than driveling at length about nothing very much (although there'll be a little bit of that around too because I can't help it. If you don't like it you know what to do about it.*)

Oh yes, and the other fortunate thing that came out of being sick is that I successfully identified Mr Clack (I think). He's a Little (or Brush) Wattlebird, a kind of honeyeater. I have not managed to get a photograph of him yet as he's a bit elusive but you can find one at Birds in Backyards. Honeyeaters are beautiful birds but very noisy. Their squawky calls just don't quite match their elegant form. Last week I spotted a striking blue-faced honeyeater, lots of photos of which can be found at http://www.birdphotos.com.au/bluefacedhoneyeaterweb/index.htm.

Anyway, enough about birds. I'm popping off now. Til next time...


(* For those of you that don't know the answer is leave a comment. Or send an email. I love hearing from you all. That is, of course, assuming that anyone other than me or the guys in the office bothers to read this blog. And the guys in the office only read it because I excitedly yell "I've updated my blog" and then stand over their shoulders watching them until they pretend to look.)