Sorry for the delay...but...

just wasn't up for it this week.  We had been sooooo looking forward to meeting some of our favourite authors and illustrators ( Bob Graham, Terry Denton et. al.) at the State Library last Sunday.  We were excitedly watching the wonderful Bob Graham talk about where he gets his writing and drawing inspiration from... I leant forward to comment to the boys about the sketch he was making- and some filthy, miserable low-life scum walked past and stole my backpack.  One of those split second things - I hardly ever take it off my back, my H always carries the camera - but not at this time, for some reason I hadn't handed the camera over, and THEY must have seen me put it into the backpack. And then it was gone. Along with our lunch;
*the camera of course (thankfuly we had downloaded all recent photos)
*my nearly brand new rivers raincoat & the boys' raincoats
* my knitting in my lovely flower knitting bag I made last year along with a ball of (thankfully cheap and as yet not started wool), 2 pairs of short knitting needles
*my first ever knitted beanie I made last year
* and my first ever little zip purse I had made, which I always carry on outings, because it has a mini sewing kit (for emergency repairs to loose buttons and broken elastic in pants), band aids, panadol and claratyne tablets, lip balm, mini bapanthem ointment, and my little old pocket knife I bought myself when I finished uni and was working in my Dad's shop - great for chopping apples/cake/slice/bread on spontaneous picnics. It was old, blunt, going rusty,  the timber is worn, but it was special, something I thought I would have forever, meaningless to anyone but me. And not something I mentioned to the police when I reported the theft of the bag...
I have managed to buy a new camera (not quite the same features, a cheapy one for now, but at least it has an optical view finder which is very rare these days.  I will have to hunt the op shops for another back pack, it was the most perfect design for day trips.
LUCKILY I had my favourite home made skirt on, with the secret pocket on the front  - with my phone in it. So I could call 000. The security guards at the library seemed to be pretty ineffectual, they're only concerned that people don't take coffee into the library.

SOOOO if anyone is going near a Spotlight or other store - I need one ball of Patons "Wilderness" in the flecky charcoal grey (it only comes in about 6 colours), so I can make another beanie. Brunswick don't have any, tried Lincraft at Highpoint but they don't sell much other than Lincraft brand wool.

And most amazingly, somehow in the midst of all the crap and chaos of the day, I managed to control myself and NOT drop the f-bomb in front of the kids! As much as I felt like SCREAMING it at the top of my lungs, I think I was more concerned not to interrupt the famous personage in the room!