TUESDAY 22 JUNE     ALICE SPRINGS

The mornings here are quite crisp.

Today was my mother’s birthday – and is also the shortest day of the year. The nights in Alice Springs are long and cold. We have taken to leaving the little electric fan heater to cycle on and off all night, to take away the worst of the chill. It is well down close to zero degrees.

My skin and hair are drying out – due to the low humidity, dry air in these parts.

We got to the auction house about 10am. Had to wait quite some time before the items that interested us came up. Watching as things were sold, we thought that some items were really quite dear.

There were only two bundles of windcheaters – which was what interested me the most – and they were bid up too high for us. We were able to buy two bundles of T shirts, for about $8.50 per shirt. There were 13 altogether, some cream, some navy. We will keep some for ourselves and give the others as presents.

After watching some purchasers fiddling with other bundles of these, trying to swap sizes and colours, we felt it prudent to hang around, watching and waiting until the time we could pick ours up. Did not want to turn our backs and find we suddenly had two bundles of child’s sizes!

There was a dumpy level sold. John was annoyed because he hadn’t seen it until after it was done,  and he has always wanted one. I have no idea what one of these is, or if he would ever use it, at home!

It was well into the afternoon by the time we had collected our purchases.

Tea was soup, more sausages, salad. I have lots of leftover cold sausages for lunchtime sandwich fillings, now!