I should know better

I`m sitting out a storm here - howling gale, trees down, and the field drain at the gate has overflowed and a muddy river is rolling past the front door. Amazingly for once the Papillons are not too eager to go out....

Nothing compared to what Queensland has just gone through. I followed the arrival of the cyclone in Townsville - the webcam had gone down when the power went, and a daring lad was upping video feed from his iPhone, standing out on a seventh floor balcony to film the cyclone`s landfall with horrific wind and rain and giving a commentary ("Well, the pool is really full, but the barbie`s gone..."). Great guy.

I should be eagerly anticipating a happy event, but a visit to the man with the scanner tells us that Allegra`s romantic interlude down south has not borne fruit. She is happy, but I am not. I have had a serious word with Solitaire and informed her that she is next in the line of fire. She rolled her eyes at me and backed off. Sex, you may remember, was one of the greatest disappointments of her life. Well, disappointments never come singly.......

I am reminded of the story of the girl who went to the fair and had her fortune read. The old gypsy woman looked at the cards, the crystal and her hand and then said;

"Well, hen, it`s like this. I can see nothing but trials, tribulations and disappointments - until you`re twenty-one."

"And after that?" cried the young girl eagerly.

"After that? " said the old wife........

"After that you`ll get used to it."