With winter over, I've moved from the now "mothballed" fireplace in the lounge room to my riverside "office". The sliding door is wide open, the sun is shining, and I can hear the birds singing and the fish jumping.
Padma has driven into town for some shopping. Her list read, "Ricotta cheese, cream cheese, sultanas, lemon ..." I think I was looking at some of the ingredients for a backed German cheesecake to celebrate the fifty-fourth anniversary of my 21st birthday.
She gets a kick out of giving presents, and couldn't wait to give me mine already - books, of course! Nor could she keep a secret and already told me that there will be some friends waiting at the Nelligen Park across the river to celebrate Papua New Guinea's Independence Day with us.
Unfortunately, Michael Somare can't make it because of coronavirus!
