Busting the House and Bicycles

Yay - I did it - I harnessed that Red Wednesday Rage and - well, my feet delight in the feel of clean tiles, lino and carpet, my eyes feast on lines of clarity - and my daughter got awfully grumpy at the pile of "crap" on her chair for her to sort!

One thing that helped lift me up to the realm of house-buster after I blogged yesterday was while I was reading a little booklet that I had stolen retrieved from my mother's packing when she moved house. The booklet is entitled "Souvenir of the Centenary of the Central and Upper Burnett River District of Queensland 1848 - 1948" (Which you can get a copy from the Cornstalk Bookstore in Glebe for only $100 if you are interested!). In the section "Transport on the Burnett 1848 - 1948" I read:

...In later years another well-known mailman was Frederic Schafer who, in 1889, ran a weekly mail service from Gayndah to Camboon. He did this on a saddle horse, leaving Gayndah at 6 a.m. on a Sunday and arriving at Camboon about mid-day on the following Tuesday, returning to Gayndah by the following Thursday evening, covering a total distance of 330 miles. In the big drought of 1902 he did this great distance on a push bike, to which he had fitted a carrier back and front, and in these he carried mails and newspapers. When there was too much mail for his improvised carriers he slung two mail bags over his shoulders. The amazing stamina of the man is more fully realised when it is remember that no man made roads existed and the bicycle had to travel over dirt and stony bush tracks.

It put things a little into perspective for me, that is for sure!

Today is one of those wonderful local public holidays that give you the opportunity to spend at the local show if you are so inclined - well, as much as 'Salina would like to be inclined our bank balance currently has no such illusions.

So while I do this and finish a little work and chasing invoices, 'Salina is down at the beach with friends and V is hard at work. In his industry there is no such things as "show holiday" (or several other non-religious holidays) as they get plenty of (unpaid) holidays in Summer when everything sort of shuts down for a few weeks.

This afternoon I am tossing up whether to try and refind yesterday's rage and whip 'Salina's room with her assistance or just chill in the back yard and do a little garden meditation. After all, it is another beautiful day in Paradise.

No doubt there will be a cycle somewhere along the way - for about 2 kilometres to the post office and back - not quite in Mr Schafer's league.