Ming the Merciless adjusted her new red felt landskin scarf

found along with velvet offerings in red and brown

and also several in chiffon silk

at Aspects Gallery, Kings Park, Perth

"are you sure about this?" she mused

and then ducked off

to mend her spectacles

using the trusty guide from the Reader's Digest of 1970something

all of which translates as a gibbering sigh of relief

because

my mother has again eluded the undertaker

i've finally delivered an order for the West [see first image]

and

i've nearly finished that manuscript

and just for the record, the tag with the question

came from a tea-bag

the way of the duck [and an angel playing piano]

yesterday was a truly splendid day

it began well

i awoke breathing

[always a good beginning]

the sun shone and twinkled

on ice-rimed grass

and the spring blossomsnow

was everywhere

we wandered to the farmer's market

a happy saturday habit

where we found

among other things

ducks

cartoonist Michael Leunig has good advice

'study the way of the duck'

these ducks had good ways

obviously

they needed to come home with us

and join the other rescued ducks

who knows what fates might otherwise have overtaken them?

someone might have thought they were food

not recognised their real purpose as great teachers

and philosophers

so here they are

with their new friends

i mentioned earlier that it was a splendid day

a wonderful day for weeding

finding small things that had been buried in the garden

and forgotten in the general buzz of things

there are few activities quite so satisfying

as carefully weeding out grass

from in between the freesias

while an old

and slightly tubby

Border Collie snores contentedly nearby

observed [a little disdainfully]

by a small fluffy CatfishWeaselBear

[for enlightenment scroll down the right hand side

to the image labelled 'Martha']

at sunset my parents and i

washed our hands and faces

put on clean socks

and tucked fresh hankies into our pockets

got into The Beastie

drove to Adelaide

and sat rapt in the audience

as David Helfgott

played piano, like an angel on speed

a truly splendid day

ps dear Mr Leunig, i know your images are copyright but i hope you don't mind me borrowing them cos they do link back to your site...