Monday, July 22

As expected, the Coles order arrived yesterday morning as did the person who was buying our table and chairs.  While we were waiting for her husband to back his trailer into our narrow driveway, she told me that they were moving into a new house and needed some extra furniture. She had answered an ad for a lounge and the fellow had said that other people were interested and, if she wanted it, she had better transfer the money to him straight away.  It was a scam, of course, and she had 'done her dough'.  She also mentioned that she has four children, all of whom have some kind of disability.  One has autism

When she left, Marilyn and I had a chat. We have an old leather 3-seater lounge and decided that she needed it more than we do so we rang her and they came back to pick it up, and we didn't take any money for it.  Our good deed for the day,

Standing back to review, we now have lots of elbow room.  My desk has moved to the front part of the living room which gives me more space (and it's away from the air conditioner!).  For lounge seating, we have a two seater sofa and a single recliner chair, both of which we bought when we moved in here.  That's plenty for our needs, if we don't have more than one visitor.  Perhaps we need to add to that, but that's a decision for another time.

I've decided we need a poem today:

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

 

There was always great excitement when the circus came to town

The brightly-coloured posters told the tale

Of wonders and delights that would take your breath away

And early discount tickets were on sale.

 

On Saturday, to tease the crowd, a Grand Parade was planned

The circus folk would show what they could do

And everyone with time to spare would be there, standing by

The Mayor and the City Council too.

 

Football games were cancelled and meetings re-arranged

No-one was prepared to miss the treat

It wasn’t every day that the pubs were emptied out

While hardened drinkers cluttered up the street.

 

First there came the Ringmaster, resplendent to behold

Striped trousers, fancy hat and jaunty walk.

He knew he drew attention from the ladies in the crowd

Whose husbands had to watch them like a hawk.

 

Who came next? The acrobats – nobility of the ring

Their costumes were, perhaps, a little tight

They strutted, proud as peacocks, down the shabby little street,

Already making plans for opening night.

 

Behind them came the elephants, no longer in their youth

They live to be a hundred, so they say.

This pair were Senior Citizens and should have been retired

But had to earn a living every day.

 

What happened next, it’s hard to say, but an elephant was certainly involved

Some think he’d finally had enough

A steaming pile of dung engulfed the mayor’s shoes

And left His Honour standing in the stuff.

 

When life returned to normal in that sleepy little town

And the circus had moved on to pastures new

The Mayor had had to set aside his thoughts of greater glory

As stories of his adventure grew and grew.