for what ails you

This shitty, wet weather has made for one damp companion animal.
Constant rain = moist hound.

Rufus is getting on in years and has been ailment free his entire life - he's nine and a half and has never required anything more than an annual grease and oil change. An unexpected side effect of the saturated environs is he has developed 'hotspots' for the first time in his life. Acute moist pyoderma or moist eczema to be accurate. Nasty, nasty raw oozing sores that just erupt from nowhere.

After initially panicking and convincing myself
   A. he was terminal
   B. I'd have to donate him to veterinary science to pay the vets bill
I did some research into home remedies. Apparently Apple Cider Vinegar is the shizz for all manner of skin complaints in animals... who knew!

$11.50 later, latex gloves donned and I'm bathing those weeping wounds with the best raw, organic APV one can get in Thirroul (you have to do it multiple times per day). The juries out on Day 1 but the poor pup is getting some TLC, some tasty fur to suck + the acrid, vinegar smell is covering up
'Eau de Musty Mutt' nicely.

fail

...domestically that is.

Sometimes I wake up and seem incapable of asserting any control over this place. Full bins, clean washing four-ways (folded, piled on sufaces, thrown in baskets, wet in baskets), unmade beds, dishes in the sink/dishwasher/table, piles of debris on my desk... shit just everywhere. When its like this I lurch about not solving any of the problems and getting myself in a stupor.

The looming arrival of my OCD partner is usually enough to snap me out of it and I do often manage to pull it together as he walks in the door. Very 1950's actually...

scouts

boy scouts... cub scouts... both big boys have signed up since our move down here. In Paddington, it was probably the most dork-tastic thing you could do and noone we knew was involved. Here plenty of boys (and lots of girls) don the uniform and dib, dib, dib, dob, dob, dob. Even the image conscious nearly-teen is a card carrying member complete, with the vintage Johnson hat (provided by the Salvos).

It's been a really refreshing addition to our weekly routine. They attend at a gnarly old hall which has hosted the local Scouts since the 1920's... the decades of writhing, sweaty bodies are soaked into the timbers and nothing has been done to deodorise or sanitise it in any way... refreshing.

The boys have been on more hikes, treks and bush outings in 12months than their entire lives. Jasper even went on an overnight trek into the bush with 5 other boys/teens - no adults. Unthinkable to most of my friends (actually I didn't have time to consider my true feelings about it because we arrived at the set-off point completely unawares that were going it alone, so I played it cool to spare him any embarrassment and then had a minor conniption on the drive home). We aint the Bear Grylls type of parent so this really compensates for our inadequacies. Starting fires, bashing about in the wilderness at night with a headlamp on, building giant multi-story structures... tying each other up. All good apparently.

There is saluting and strange left-handed handshakes that I don't know anything about... there are prayers, but there is a lot of respect + inclusiveness.

poor weather

I know everyone is banging on about the shithouse weather... constant, non-stop drizzle interspersed with major downpours and fluctuating temps. The hottest January night in 15 years, followed 4 days later by trackpants + wool jumpers.

Not only is it a pain in the ass and an extremely disappointing summer, for our family it means we are scraping by financially. No film/TV work means housepainting for Al but houses can't be painted in this weather. Poor weather really is poor weather. Getting the boys back into their school groove means my ability to work is restricted (that plus a healthy case of CBF)... Two freelancers in one family makes for a financial roller-coaster. It's nauseating.... and boring.

At least someone can find the fun in all the wet.