Wood Lizards (Skinks), Kookaburras and a Birthday

Skink Out of Place & Out of Season
For the last6 weeks or so there has been a surprising resident in the ladies toilet at work - a Wood Lizard (skink). He was only small - body about 2 inches long, a baby I guessed.
I wondered at his presence - seemingly totally out of season. These are the lizards we usually see in summer, sunning themselves on a piece of wood or bricks somewhere. I like them.

I realised that, in winter, the toilets are the warmest place at work as the sun shines on the rear wall of the building. So perhaps that's why he made his home there.

He had trouble walking on the tiled floor, kind of slipping/sliding over them instead of being able to get a firm grip. He seemed rather lethargic - never darting away like we see them do in summer - probably because the temperature is low and he is a cold-blooded reptile.

Sometimes fluff from the floor would collect on his legs .. I'd pick him up and remove it.

Everytime I went to the loo I'd look for him; brought a little smile to my face (smiles have been rather lacking at work lately). I wondered what on earth he was finding to eat ... there aren't many bugs around in winter.

This week he was still there, but my concerns about diet, and the cold, were confirmed. He was laying half curled up dead on the floor. It made me feel sad. It made me feel bad - that perhaps I should have put him outside long ago :(

Kookaburras
Something else MN (Mother Nature) has surprised me with the last couple of weeks. Whilst I don't particularly like getting up when it's dark, I do like to see the sun rise .. and with it has come a most glorious sound - Kookaburras laughing. I don't get to hear them too often usually, but lately they have been part of every morning. Maybe it's a signal that I need to laugh a little more myself.

Garden
Being neglected due to the weather - here we are in August and finally we get to have some semblance of winter. But the plants are still confused - my nectarine tree is already in full bloom.

Birthday
My baby turned 17 yesterday. 17!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to have to stop referring to them as 'the kids' I guess. Family celebration Friday night went well (although I was not particularly in the mood thanks to work stresses).

Her dad wins at birthday presents. We'd seen, quite some months ago, a wonderful pirates hat at a costume hire shop; it wasn't for sale. We shopped all over the place looking for a similarly fabulous one unsucesfully and we had given up on the hunt. She hired the hat recently to wear to a school function. Somehow dad managed to get them to sell it to him. The smile and wonder on her face was just great.

Yesterday (the actual birthday) was quieter, but good. Drove her around all kinds of places so she could spend her birthday loot. She bought a fabulous pair of 'bovver boots' - seems she has inherited some of my wont to be at least slightly left of centre :)

She chronicalled (sp?) the entire day by noting down what she did when and taking photos along the way - starting off with her asleep in bed before I woke her. Will be interesting to see the photos when they are developed.

Evening spent watching DVDs of her choice (Aeon Flux and Brothers Grimm).

Strangely her asthma seems to be playing up, she hasn't suffered from it in a long time.

More to come ..
There are other things I need to write about. There will be more, later.