Friday

Okay, it's official. I'm not well... Sore throat, runny nose and constant dry cough. One of the kittens very poorly and at breakfast u suggested she stay in her room and rest for the day but she says she is unlikely to ever be in Canberra again so wants to do all the sightseeing. Hindsight is a bitch as I should have insisted she stay behind as she was a misery all day, however I am getting ahead of myself. Blue skies and not going to rain so that's great, albeit still very cold outdoors. After breakfast, first stop is new Parliament House where we have a private 'Behind the scenes' tour. Our guide, Sascha was a mine of information . Then early lunch at the cafe. Time to round up my kittens and the two M's are missing. I eventually locate them 10 minutes later as they had decided that they would find their own way downstairs and as little M refuses to use stairs, they went in search of a lift. Not a bad idea except they didn't think to tell me and walked straight past the lift they needed so got themselves lost. However all back on the coach eventually and off for a drive around the various Embassies and then on to the Mint for a guided tour which was really interesting. No rest for the wicked as we were then straight on to the War Memorial with only minutes to spare before our 3 pm tour. Our volunteer guide David was just a gem with all the background info and stories that he had. We didn't see half the exhibits as there was so much to see but having our guide was worth missing some of the displays as he put everything we stopped at into perspective and had us all wanting to know more. It was only at the very end he mentioned to a couple of us as we were looking at all the names on the Remembrance wall that he lost a son in Iraq. Brings the futility of war home to you with a thud. I deliberately booked the later tour so that we would be at the War Memorial at closing time when they do a lovely little Last Post ceremony. The only thing that frustrated me was that so many of the adults didn't know the words to our national anthem. Shame on them! Just before that service I had a fellow in a motor bike jacket come up to me and say 'I'd know that beautiful shining hair anywhere!' It was one of my Sergeants from when I was a instructor at the Police Academy. He and his wife are part of the Wall to Wall ride. Never did remember his name but that didn't seem to matter!!! So after the moving Last Post we all start making our way out of the memorial to go to where the coach had dropped us off. As we had not stayed as one group during the tour as some were simply sitting in halls rather than walk around, I did my head count at the bus pick up point and I am missing little M. No one knows where she is or where they last saw her. Back to the memorial I go only to find them locking it up. A security guard tells me they have done a final sweep and there is no one there so I go back to our coach, no little M so I then check out a big bus parked in front of ours, doing a seat check to make sure she hasn't gotten onto the wrong coach and then ask all on board if they have seen my missing kitten. No, so back to the memorial where the gates are now locked but the same security guard tells me that someone has had a fall and medics are on their way to assist. He lets me into the closed site and thankfully it is an elderly gent who has had a fall. Not so good for him, but at least she hasn't had an injury that I know of. At this stage some big wig official comes to where I am wanting to know what I'm still doing inside the memorial. I tell him about my run away kitten and he checks the cctv to confirm she isn't left in any building. By thus time I've called her mobile but it goes straight through to voicemail. As I am now being locked out of the museum for a second time a lady comes up to the entrance asking if I am looking for and elderly little lady on a walking stick!!! Little M has somehow managed to come out of the memorial and turned right instead if left, taking her to a public car park almost 500 metres away. She has come down stairs, across a park, along a walkway and ended up in the public at park where a delightful couple have stumbled upon her. I did tell the woman that it was a case of Finders Keepers' but she wasn't having any if it. So more than half an hour later in the bloody cold I get Little M and put her on the coach. Not a sorry or anything resembling an apology from her, just a thanks for waiting..... grrrrr. This is the last trip with her if I have any say in it. So finally back to the hotel for a quick cuppa to warm up, pen these lines to you and then off downstairs for a much needed whiskey before dinner (PS after I've dosed up on cold tablets and cough medicine...) By the way, Cinstable Teddy had a fabulous day...