Friday, 9th February, 2007

A new baby joined our family on Wednesday, bringing much joy and excitement. Well done, Fi and Gregg - he is quite beautiful - and apologies to all those to whom I sent text messages saying we had a baby box (the wxyz key on my mobile gets a bit stuck).

I've driven a few long distance trips this week and have noticed that often when I arrive at my destination after a two or three hour drive, I have no memory whatsoever of the journey. Does this mean that I am an irresponsible driver? I think not. I simply switch on the auto-pilot and let my mind take me to more pleasurable places than sitting squashed in amongst speeding, fume-belching heavy goods vehicles as we hurtle along the freeway.

In amongst the usual erotic fantasies, my thoughts often take me to some of the extraordinary people I have encountered on life's highway and today I remembered Anna, a Swedish backpacker (and yes, she did look like a Swedish backpacker, blonde hair, blue eyes and quite breathtakingly lovely). She came to the community farm where I was living, having just arrived from the UK. and as we all sat around the kitchen table, chatting over dinner, she revealed that she had been on remand in prison for six months in England for attempting to dismantle a nuclear warhead at an American base there. Apparently she had gone on this mission with a group of peace activists and they had been caught after they cut through the perimeter wire and gained entry to the base.

I don't think any of us knew quite how to respond - the usual polite, "Oh, really?" or "How lovely!" didn't apply but eventually someone said, "But do you know how to dismantle a nuclear warhead, Anna?" to which she sweetly replied in her Swedish sing-song, hurdy-gurdy voice, "Oh, well, I thought I would try."

Any way, she said prison was very nice and the women there were great. Anna was great, too.