On a pirate ship with a chicken

Michael is still crook. He had a quiet day yesterday with lots of snoozing but he had a high temperature overnight and didn't sleep well. Elf is coming down with something too, and couldn't sleep, so she bore the brunt of the nursing.

We visited Michael's classmate Mungo and his family up the road today. Since we were last there they have finished their fort and added a pirate ship. It began as a deck and grew. It now has a mast, a helm, a bowsprit, and a few things I don't know the names of. Mungo has a nine-year-old hen called Hetty who he carries around under his arm. She digs it.

As we walked down the hill toward the ship, Marcus was yelling "take the chicken on the pirate ship! Take the chicken on the pirate ship!" We did and she was fine with that too. I never knew how much I would love being on a pirate ship with a chicken.

Mungo's parents Menna and Leon are biologists. They have set up their garden to encourage wildlife as much as possible. They have a pond for frogs, and this is encouraging copperhead snakes to come by. Which is great and all, except for their extreme poisonosity. The Don Burkes and Peter Cundalls who are encouraging everyone to make a snuggly spot for frogs usually don't mention the snakes.
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Did 12km on the exercise bike in 23:55. Felt all wobbly (but victorious) afterwards.
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Richmond played North Melbourne this afternoon. Marcus has had it lined up for a week at least as a must-see. Both clubs' coaches resigned mid-season and they are playing under caretakers, and hoping to land recently retired champion player Natahn Buckley as next year's coach. As the game started Dennis Cometti said "This game is a Nathan Buckley mating dance". In the top 5 all-time Comettis I think.

1. If loving Fraser Gehrig is wrong, then I don't want to be right
2. Brent (Guerra) hates losing and that extends to his hair.
3. And the umpire says "Hey, you, get off of McLeod"
4. When it comes to hard nuts, he's right up there with Macadamias and Courtney Love.

Cometti trivia: He is still the youngest Test cricket commentator in ABC history, (debut in 1973 aged 23). Apart from a year in Melbourne during his playing career, he has lived in the same house in Perth all his life.