Well, what a day. The Queen died on Thursday [edit: yes, I originally wrote Friday]. I was awake at 1.30am (insomnia) listening to ABC radio when the upbeat tune being played faded down and after some silence, was replaced by quiet classical music. (That sounds like The Lark Ascending, I thought, and sure enough it was, music by Ralph Vaughan-Williams).

After a few minutes of that, the announcer said “We’re taking you to the newsroom”. The news announcer said the Queen had died. I think that’s the closest feeling I’ve had to an historic event.

It’s hard to believe, but I’m a bit sad. Even though I’m a strong republican (nothing to do with the GOP!), I’ve grown up and lived all my life with the Queen and Charlie. He and I were born at roughly the same time and I’ve always felt a kinda kinship, I don’t know why.

I can actually remember the time before Liz became the Queen. I was born in the time of King George VI, and I was six when the Queen was crowned. I can remember the King’s head on coins and notes, and I think Dad must have bought the newspapers because I have vague memories (just mental pictures, not the text) of articles about the King.

So now we have a new King. I find it cringworthy that he is now King of Australia. I quite like him, but he’s not my King! I bow to no-one, especially a Pom.

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Phew, Aldi is seductive. I discovered their hardware and bargain aisles a few years ago and recently I’ve told myself to lay off! I was spending too much money in Aldi.

Well, yesterday I saw their on-line catalogue and so I went to Clarkson shops to buy just a couple of items. Wow, I came away with a trolley full. I spent $262, the most I’ve ever spent in one trip.

I went in to get a battery powered hand vacuum, a battery powered window washer vacuum, some dishwasher cleaning tablets and washing machine cleaning liquid. I got all those, PLUS a new mattress protector and a trolleyfull of food items. I can hardly walk past the shelves without picking things up.

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I think I’ve mentioned how my mattress has sagged on one side and developed a hard ridge down the middle. In the olden days, I used to be able to lift the mattress up, turn it around and flop it down, bottom side up every year or so. But there’s no way I can lift it any more. I’ve lost my strength.

I had arranged for a friend to give me a hand to do this next Thursday, but I’ve found that Appliances Online not only stock a few of the mattresses mentioned in CHOICE as good buys, they will also deliver and take the old mattress away for disposal. That’s what I want.

So I think it’s time for a new mattress. I bought my present one in about 2000, so I think it’s had a good life. My abiding memory when I bought this present mattress was being at my Trigg house and awaiting delivery. I saw the truck pull up on the road, and next thing, a guy was walking down my driveway carrying the mattress. One guy! One hand under the bottom edge, the other hand steadying the top against his shoulder. Wow, it was heavy and he seemed to make it effortless. I was impressed.