Mike,

That is wonderful news! I have to admit to preferring the fast ripoff technique rather than the slow agonising tension some doctors use. But it is the state of the wound that counts & you've proved to be a clean healing, clean living guy!! To misquote the Goons "Dammit, have we nothing in common"!!!

One piece of completely good news to pass on. My deeply beloved daughter (currently living in England - Exeter) gave birth to my 1st grandchild on Monday morning my time. Max is feeding greedily, setting new records for soiled nappies and is very keen on being cuddled to sleep rather than being put down! They are all well. So life does go on.

Jenny, I got the giggles over your fantasies re the double bed. If you do all come I'll find a way because such a gathering would be too too good to let logistics get in the way!!! And Mike, let's hope there is a song growing through winter that blooms next spring. Over a certain age, popular wisdom says 'Never waste a hard on". Don't you waste the prickling of your creative streak!

And Mick, I don't know if your papers cover Aussie politics much but the Labour Party - the traditional voice of the working man - is in the process of tearing itself apart in search of a leader who can reverse the string of 4 losses over the last 4 elections. The incumbent is a big cheery bloke from the west who most people like but agree he doesn't have the cojones for the main job or the political savvy of John Howard. So he faces a party room vote Monday our time. We desperately need a new leader & a new team to confront & drive out a master of political expediency who sycophantically follows Bush in Iran (& the overall war on terror)and refuses to be accountable for stuffups & ripoffs by claiming he (&/or his cabinet) were never told what was going on!

Twenty odd years ago, Eric Bogle sang up a storm at the Troubadore after Malcolm Fraser & John Howard lost the election to Bob Hawke. Eric remarked that he was euphoric & shattered. We had a Labour government but he had lost over 30% of his satirical repertory!!!
We need another supreme sacrifice like that.

The very best continuing wishes to Mike and my still stunned reaction to the discovery of the friends I didn't know I had.

As the Terminator said - "I'll be back"

Dave