Saturday 24^th November

Last week I bought a new computer. It is a glorious thing, a Macbook Air, with an accompanying and cutely named MagicMouse. It weighs 1.2 kilos, which is a great selling point. It is a Mac and therefore not as prone to viruses. And so on…It will soon become my pride and joy. My old computer – that old thing – is going to a new home in Blackmans Bay with Claire, where it will become her pride and joy.

The only thing wrong with my new precious pride & joy is…they didn’t have one in the shop and I have to wait. Delayed gratification!

Of course they do sell Mac computers in other shops, but I have been looking around for weeks, testing the waters in this shop and that. I finally settled upon JB HiFi, the original home of that old thing. The only reason – and a good one – is that the young blokes in the computer area are so very helpful, kind, and enthusiastic. In some of the other shops the salespeople were knowledgeable but less than helpful. I find anything to do with new computer systems very stressful (not uncommon, I am sure,) and I need to be reassured all along the way. JB Rick was very kind and patient. He offered to write me out an official quote, which he said would have to be honoured by any other shop in Hobart. I said I would prefer to buy it from him and that I am quite good at delayed gratification.

Rick has a Mac, in fact has had many Macs over the years, and he is wildly enthusiastic. We somehow got onto the topic of Star Wars and Lego, and I asked if his 6 year old son was interested – it sounded as if his house was full of Star Wars and Lego paraphernalia. Rick looked a bit embarrassed and said, “Well yes but mainly it is me…”

India #26

The 26 kilometre drive from Hospet to Hampi was quite extraordinary. It is a very rural area, so there were bullock carts everywhere, and donkeys, and wagons piled high with green bananas, with about twenty cheery farm workers perched on top of the bananas. I think autorickshaw was my very favourite mode of transport. Best with only two people, mind you… We sometimes jammed three or four of us in and this was not quite so comfy and cushy. With two it was just great, sitting back behind the driver with the sides open to the air and the smells and the sounds. So much nicer than a limousine with tinted windows!


I kept my eyes open all over India so that I could make a list of Worst Jobs. It was on this trip that I found the very worst job EVER. They were making bitumen on the sides of the road, by burning old tyres around piles of blue metal. Small groups of women would gather around the burning, melting gravel, and when it was just the right consistency, they would crawl out – into the traffic – and pat it into deep potholes WITH THEIR BARE HANDS! Oh dear…oh no…