But guess what? DTM’s noted that wattle in the bush has started to bloom, the jonquils are out and some fruit trees are starting to bud up. A gentle reminder that spring’s not too far away.

The clearest indication that the seasons continue to roll around is that the repair shops are starting to report people bringing in their cobweb-encrusted lawnmowers to try keep up with the weeds.

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Which brings to mind the story one mad mate tells about his own kids.

As spring came around each year, his kids noted there were trucks driving around the neighbourhood loaded with thick rolls of lawn turf.

He had his kids convinced that these trucks only went to rich people’s houses. 

People rich enough to send their lawns out to be cut.

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Our  award for the chap with too much time on his hands this week goes to astrophysicist Bob Rutledge, who did some analysis of Donald Trump’s wife’s speech this week.

Poor Melania Trump had 14 phrases which fell in exactly the same spots as a speech made years earlier by Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle.

Rutledge pointed out that having one phrase in the same spot was a 14-to-one shot. 

Having the second multiplied the chances by 13 and so on. This meant that the odds of the two speeches’ similarity being a coincidence were one in 87 million.

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One of DTM’s favourite chaps is Bendigo historian, collector (and about 17 other things), Dennis O’Hoy. 

We ran into him this week and remarked he was looking well. 

“Yes,” he replied.

“Some people seem surprised at that.”

It turns out people have been telling Dennis they thought he’d passed on. 

It took him some time to work out why these rumours were going around.

Then it hit him. In last month’s Queen’s Birthday honours, Dennis was made a member of the Order of Australia. 

People hadn’t been listening carefully and thought that he’d had the gong, rather than been awarded one.