I’m baaaa-aaack!

Did anyone miss me? Anyone notice I was gone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

SO, it’s 8.14 and I’ve got ten minutes to write a blog before going to a writers’ gathering an hour away from home. (Personally, I can’t understand these people who can function adequately before 10 am.)

If things suddenly fall silent half way through this, it’s probably because I’ve fallen asleep.

Here’s just a little gripe to brighten your day: on our TV there’s a new cooking program (yes, another one!). It’s called “Aussie Barbecue Heroes”. Apparently, it’s a competition to see who can cook the best barbecues. So far I’m well up with the cooking side of it. However, I’ve yet to see where the “hero” bit fits.

I expected they’d be barbecuing on a beach and suddenly they all drop tongs and race into the water to save a kid from a shark attack. Or, they’re barbecuing in front of a building, which catches fire, and they race in and save the trapped residents. You know, that sort of thing. But, so far, the bravest thing I’ve seen is their devil-may-care attitude towards chillies and coriander.

We’ve recently had a horrendous fire in my part of the world. 87 homes were lost, thousands of livestock gone and people died. The people who fought that fire, risking their own lives, were all volunteers. They saved people’s lives. They saved homes and animals, and some of them were seriously injured while they were doing that. That to me, is the definition of a hero.

Perhaps, to fit with television’s idea of a hero, they should have barbecued some sausages and steak, while they were on the back of their truck.