Bits and pieces

Lovely quiet day today. Must have made some impression on Mr Machinery, or else he just wasn't there. Gone to his paid employment, maybe. Well, no doubt he'll be back at it sometime, but at least he knows now that not everyone approves of him pretending his lawn is the back forty.
     The old bird's nest in the pear tree is being plundered by a clever blackbird, who is taking it to pieces to build his own nest somewhere else. It's a bit like someone using recycled lumber to make a new house. You could see his glee at having found such a good source of readymade material.
     Saw the black-and-white tomcat just now, Thomas finds him very unnerving and is sitting on my knee looking wary and frightened. I think the cat comes from a place I call the Car Yard, more lovely neighbours who run a wrecking business and use their garden for storing the wrecks. (They've been doing this for years, in spite of numerous complaints from many people to the city council). One day there'll be a showdown, and I fear for my lovely little Thom-thom - that cat is one ornery crittur. I try and shoo him away when I see him - he likes to pee up my doorstep, not much appreciated.
     Reconstruction/demolition continues in the city. Today our nearest supermarket reopened, yay! Never thought I'd be excited about a supermarket reopening, but it's been a big inconvenience, having to schlep over a couple of suburbs to get groceries or get them on my way home from work when I'm feeling tired and hungry. I didn't go in today, drove past the car park and it was chocka, so I'll leave it for another time.
    And the leader of our rebuild, the Right Honourable Gerald Brownlee, as is his official title, has made another of his trademark gaffes. He told the newspaper that he was sick of Christchurch people whinging and moaning, with nothing better to do than "buggerise around on Facebook all day". This deathless phrase (which will be inscribed on his tombstone) has now become one of our memes. "Well, I think I'll just buggerise around on Facebook for a bit" is how we in Christchurch now describe our daily interaction with the social media giant.
 Well, I think I'll just go and buggerise around on Facebook for a bit. Oooroo.