My friend, Lorelle, went off to work; Michael the Bavarian engineer (and backpacker for three months) went off to Maroochydore (my computer wants to call it “Hydrochloride”) with her; and I was left all alone. I did some hoovering and brushing up (trying to be a good guest) and considered packing up my things and heading off early, with the idea of calling in to see one of my nieces en route to Brisbane; but I remembered how those visits can seem a little rushed, and then there’s the peak traffic to contend with… so I dismissed the thought and decided not to make any arrangements that would commit me to a particular timescale. There was no need to hurry. I had all day. I was still drowsy from allergy tablets. And it was hot…

I looked out of my bedroom window onto the pool and noticed that quite a few yellow leaves had dropped in overnight. Lorelle has always emphasised (to the point of brainwashing me) the dangers of organic matter ruining the ph levels of the water and clogging up the pool filter, therefore, I hurriedly popped into my hot pink bikini with the frill (the one Lorelle “wouldn’t be seen dead in”, and set about my labour of love. It wasn’t until every leaf and groat had been removed that I allowed myself the pleasure of taking a mermaid swim.

I wondered about the omnipresent old neighbour (who may be Austrian) who used to spend much of his time working by the back fence whenever I came to stay or house-sit at Lorelle’s… I couldn’t see him through the gaps in the fence, nor did I hear him. I reasoned that it didn’t really matter if he was there or not – after all, if he had seen it all before, why become so prudish all of a sudden? Besides, mermaids are very quiet creatures and do not splash about too much or, by any means, draw attention to their presence deliberately.

And so, like a water-baby, I had the most delightful of swims on my own (my first since a year ago).

Later on I learned that, at around the same time I would have been travelling on the Bruce Highway, had I decided to visit my niece, there was a bad accident between two caravans and a car on the highway. The road had to be blocked off and the traffic was held up for hours. So glad I decided not to rush.