Today's kindly donation of two ute-loads of garden soil (and the labour to shovel it in and out of the ute) is just about the most exciting thing that's happened this month. Certainly more exciting than Canberra, where I've been for a few days. How do those people live there? It is an odd, sterile ghost town. You can put as many National Cultural Institutions you like there (and indeed they have) and it's still as dreary as dishwater. The clear sky is nice. And there are lots of trees. But little else to recommend it.

I didn't even get the change to visit a certain new canine companion because I just didn't have a moment that wasn't consumed by work duties. Sorry about that Ellen. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't have time for the other important mission I had set myself - to buy some Arnott's Gingernuts because I read on the excellent A Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down that there are four different recipes baked in one factory because the various states have different preferences. I was hoping to get some NSW/ACT examples to compare. If anyone reading lives in SA, NSW or QLD and would like to participate in a swap (purely in the name of science, you understand), let me know - I'll send you some VIC ones and we can arrange a thorough and intellectual comparison. Maybe even over skype. Realtime! Now THAT'S why they invented the internet!