Today was my first entirely Ray free day. I did some housework this morning, tidying up the bedroom to start, bye spiders, be gone dust bunnies. Reminds me I need a new bag for the vaccuum cleaner, I tore the old one emptying it...first casualty of my war on dust.

I came on to chat and had the usual fun talking to everyone, some serious talk, some general, just following the flow of conversation. It was very satisfying to just interact with people in a "normal" way, no interruptions, no running out to see how Ray was. It was relaxing just to chat for a while. Thanks to those who came by.

Went to the shopping centre (mall ) this afternoon to look for and track down and maybe buy items for the upcoming birthdays, Christmas etc. I ran into a friend and spent some time over coffee chatting away. We are in the run up to elections. In Australia we all vote for the local Federal representative who sits in the Lower House (in Canberra) and for senators who sit in the Upper House all at the one election on the one day. The person who becomes Prime Minister is the head of the party that has the most elected members in the Lower House which is also called the House of Representatives. The Prime Minister is important but he is not THE most important person in the country as the U.S President is.

As in most elections both major parties trot out whoever they can get of any importance to boost the popularity of the local candidate. So Sadie and I are having coffee when two men come around the corner and one almost trips over us. He shoots out his hand and there I am shaking the hand of former Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Well! people you meet in a mall! What do you say besides "Hello" and "Nice to see you again" and Yes, I've already met Craig" ? ( I had as he stopped to talk to us in another shopping area last week). I guess they don't receive extra votes based on who accompanies them on their "pressing the flesh" as we call politicians shaking hands with the people, but it was nice that they stopped and talked to two ladies having coffee out eh?

The rest of the day went on as normal. I went home and unpacked the groceries, had a meal, then both our sons came in. Trev had gone over to his brother's place to mind the "boys" while Tori went to her first "Joey" (baby girls scouts) meeting with her mother. Steve came to borrow Ray's old lawn bowls as his firm is sponsoring part of a charity day at a local bowling club. Nice to see him as I hadn't had time to see him for a couple of weeks.

Spoke to my daughter on the phone tonight, all is well in the Salvation Army Corps at Cairns, won't tell you all the gossip there except they are doing the interviews for the Lord Mayor's Christmas Appeal which is taking a good deal of her time for three weeks. Guess someone has to do all that interviewing or Christmas Appeals would never get the goods to the folk who really need them eh?

And so the week will go on, a bit of the same, a bit different to how it goes when Ray is home here with me. It is not exactly the heady smell of freedom but it is a chance to do things at my pace and in my own way for a while.