Author: awmalloyadmin

I don’t know why but this story makes me smile every year.

Santa cleared to fly over Australia
20 December 2002

SANTA has been given the all-clear for Australian airspace on Christmas Eve.

Transport Minister John Anderson said Santa had been fully briefed about changes in the national airspace system since his flight last Christmas.

And it appears Rudolph the reindeer will lead Santa this year, in a bid to comply with aviation lighting rules.

“I am pleased to confirm that Santa will be able to operate in Australian airspace as normal,” Mr Anderson said in a statement.

“However, the briefing was complicated by a disagreement about the navigation lights carried by the sleigh.”

Mr Anderson said civil aviation regulations require all aircraft to carry red, green and white navigation lights.

But Santa’s elves had complained the lights would distract the reindeer.

“One of the reindeer, Rudolph, has a very shiny nose,” he said.

“The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has therefore directed that Rudolph must lead the sleigh on Christmas Eve.”

Mr Anderson said as there had never been a complaint about low-flying sleighs and reindeer, Santa had been cleared to operate through the Adelaide, Coolangatta and Sydney airport curfew hours.

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,5713131%255E13762,00.html

www.anthonymalloy.com/merrychristmas/ from us to you.

For those following the Thomas saga it’s all good news. He’s home now and the only signs of his grand misadventure are a bit of wire sticking out of his jaw, wide pupils and a shaved chin.

He’s made an amazing recovery for a cat hit by a car and is incredibly grumpy at not being allowed outside. Out calculations are he has 8.5 lives left and he’ll be sent out to work to pay off our Visa bills as soon as is felinely possible.

Some photos from Williamstown.

The pub hasn’t been used for years and the other is an old hotel from the times Williamstown was a bustling sea port.

Further to One Down.

Overnight there have been big improvements. He’s seeing, but not well. He’s walking around so it appears the pelvic bones and urinary tract are both fine. They hope to do a quick general anaesthetic today to rewire his jaw – he was trying to eat through it this morning. Atta boy.

Last night was just weird. Rae and I were hearing phantom bells and there was no boy to greet us this morning, or for Phee to harass. We’ll tell Phee tonight and take her to see him tomorrow.

Scroll down and read ‘One Down‘ first.

He’s doing okay. Looks like there’s no trouble with the urinary tract, he’s up and about a little but still not seeing properly (which we think means he is seeing a little). We’re doing a list of questions to ask when we call back tonight.

We’re both so relieved. Fingers are still crossed.

At work today. I think they were here to see an opthamologist.

Guys with blonde hair and big smiles who drive silver convertibles always look as though they’re over compensating.

Always.

It started off in a sleepy blur. I registered Rae had got out of bed and then I heard her talking to the cat. I finally put together the words ‘oh’,’poor baby’,’blood’,’try to breath’ with the memory he didn’t come in when called last night. Our Tom had been hit by a car.

Rae was wonderful. She bundled Tom up, got through to me as I awoke to get Phee ready after she left and then called the local vet. Poor Tom, his eyes were so wide and he was labouring to breath. He could still walk though, and complained when he was picked up. The local vet sent Rae and Tom off to the nearest open major animal hospital, the Melbourne University Veterinary School in Werribee. I got Phee together – thank god she’s only 6 and is more than happy being told that Mum had to go to work very early – and dropped her off at her Nana’s.

I went to Werribee and waited with Rae. I’m not sure how long it was before the vet came out. Tom has a broken jaw, swelling on the brain that is causing blindness (both hopefully only temporary), possible fractured pelvis and maybe some urinary tract damage – we won’t know for sure until tomorrow. They need to stabilise him first before doing more tests. The amazing thing is that, even though he’d been hit and was blind he managed to find his way through a park, over a two and half metre fence and in to his outside box where he was safe and warm.

I know they are ‘only’ pets but this cat is such a part of our family. We’re not telling Phee just now. One reason, it’s her last day of school tomorrow so it’s best she gets through that, and another is we really don’t know yet what the situation is. We’re going to say we haven’t seen him if she asks where he is (as she always does). We both think she will cope a lot better knowing exactly what is going on rather than saying Tom is not well and we have to wait and see. So tonight wish us luck as we try not to let on.

Now we wait until we can call to see how he is. Damn that clock is moving slow.

LEGO Dilbert.

I was told in a meeting today that I was just like Wally. It was the greatest thing anyone has ever said to me at work.