Sun 01: May Day. There are dates in history that stand out in our minds. The assassination of US President John F Kennedy, the sacking of the Whitlam Government (1975), Gulf War 1 and 2, 9/11 and today - when a group of US Marines stormed the compound in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden had been living and killed him. Celebrations in western countries - elevated travel warnings too.

Mon 02: Today is the big day - I was scheduled to have a treadmill-stress test on Wednesday this week - I am having one - 48 hours early. Not looking forward to it. Taken there in a wheelchair by an orderly. Plugged in to 12 leads for the telemetry ECG - my heart was given a resting ultrasound. Onto the treadmill - walking at 4kph on the 'flat.' Not too bad. After 2min 30sec, speed raised to 8khp and the angle raised to simulate a 14º hill. After 6min 30sec, I was short of breath - but my heart-rate was what the staff wanted. At 7min 0sec, I was short of breath - having completed just over 300 metres. Quickly back on the couch for a stressed ultrasound. Irregular heartbeat (but not abnormal).

Tue 03: Dr Nigel Sinclair (Cardiologist) cleared me to go home from hospital today. I see him again on 01 June. Picked up by Tracey at 10am. Home to unwind. The only downside is Troy is unable to locate my prescription photo-chromic glasses! He brought them home Friday night. Turned the cars and house upside down - unable to locate them.

Wed 04: Up at 8.30am today - yes, a sleep in. Warm weather - Perth is looking at 13-17ºC overnight and daytime temperatures in the mid-20ºC. Phoned Optical Superstore at Centro Warwick Grove shopping Centre when they opened at 9am. Obtained a 10.15am appointment - saw the optician. It will take 2 weeks to get a replacement pair of transition multi-focal glasses as they have to be made in Adelaide, SA. Tracey was wonderful - and used her network to obtain an emergency pair of single lens driving glasses - today - so I can now legally get behind the wheel of my car.

Thu 05: Good grief - it's May. Winter starts (officially) in 3 weeks (at the end of this month). Tourists (and some locals) are still flocking to the beaches. Warm nights and warm days in Perth. There was a brief shower of rain tonight. Tracey had a busy day as I left her with a bundle of jobs to do - fortunately, she managed to get most of the list cleared, taking a lot of pressure off me. ULP 91 RON (standard, unleaded petrol) is 151.9cpl in Perth, distillate (diesel) is around 159.9cpl and LPG has rocketed to around 72.9cpl. Combined with high utility prices for electricity, gas and water, West Australians are doing it hard at the moment. Most charities are reporting record calls on their (limited) services - and winter hasn't begun yet! I am feeling a lot better - still quite a few bruises from when I had blood taken. I am too scared to take my blood pressure yet. Maybe at the weekend. The only really good news is that despite 5 days in hospital with no exercise, my weight is still around 92.8kg. yes - it's too high - but my goal is to crack the 90kg barrier, which is very elusive.

Fri 06: Slept in until 6am - wonderful! Took Witt to work at Scarborough - then headed down to Willeton to help a couple of friends move to Madeley. Home by 3.30pm. Checked my email and then went to Girrawheen to see my GP. Home via Woolworths. Nat (Tracey's friend) cooked us all a great pasta meal.

Sat 07: Today was a l-o-n-g day. it's hard to understand Perth's weather at the moment. Pleasant nights - not cold enough to turn on the electric blanket. Glorious days - temps in the mid-20s (Celcius). Large crowds sill flocking to the beaches. Winter is (officially) 3 weeks away. Where is the cold? Where is the rain? Amazing! I made a number of phone calls today - but I seem to be taking one step forward and two steps back lately. A few days of R & R coming up - I need it!

Sun 08: Mothers' Day. A happy Mothers Day to all mothers everywhere. Weather is still warm - but the nights are getting cooler (but still very pleasant). Drove Witt to work this morning at Scarborough (20 minutes by car - nearly 2 hours by train and bus). Quite a few surfers taking advantage of the swell and warm weather. Spent the day doing laundry and cleaning the house. Tracey helped with a lot of paperwork I will need for the end of next month. Troy and I have a house inspection in another 9 days - so we will have a Busy Bee next weekend.

Mon 09: Mid-20s (Celcius) and mostly sunny. That's Perth's weather forecast for this week - although there is the chance of a shower this coming weekend. A relaxing day today. I got up around 8am - did the dishes and did some general house-cleaning - before defrosting the food freezer. Had an afternoon nap. Tracey made some appointments for me for later this week.

Tue 10: A lot was achieved today. Tracey was very very helpful and sorted out lots of my personal paperwork. She also picked up my new replacement glasses and did some cleaning for the upcoming rent inspection. Thank you Princess. On a positive note, our rear side fence which blew down in February has finally been fixed. Tracey will be busy again tomorrow as I have a few more things I need her to sort out. BIG THANKS to Nat for mowing our front and back lawns in preperation for the inspection.

Wed 11: In case you didn't notice - yesterday's Diary entry was written by my daughter, Tracey. No harm in self-promotion. She deserved most of it. I am looking through my calendar for the rest of this month. It is quite busy. A lot of meetings are scheduled for the next couple of weeks. So - please do not think I am ignoring you - I am just tired and busy - and there is not enough hours in each day.

Thu 12: Perth's record breaking run of sunny weather is continuing - very nice for people - not very nice for our gardens and dam levels. Had a meeting with my legal adviser today and got a fair bit done either side of the meeting. Going to have an early night tonight.

Fri 13: Friday the 13th. Unlucky for some. A neutral day for me. A long day - Tracey drove Witt to work - so I was able to sleep in a bit - but then things got hectic. Unwinding - I noticed the top 2 pieces of news concerned a zombie-proof house and alignment of the planets. Those two items are not linked (fortunately) - just thought I should share them with you. Not sure what the weekend will bring - but I have an important appointment at 9am (Monday) and a house inspection on Tuesday morning. Thursday is also another stress-full day - by next weekend I will either be in the 'funny farm' or more relaxed.

Sat 14: Traditionally, this is called a Black Friday weekend - the assumption being that 'bad' things happen. I hope not. The weekend already got off to a bad start last night in Applecross (just south of Perth) when Police shot a knife-wielding man - the second such Police shooting in 3 days. Serco - the multi-national which runs Australia's detention centres is tipped to get a billion Dollars from Australian taxpayers this year - due to the sharp rise in the number of asylum seekers. In the two years since Serco took over the detention centre contract, there has been a blowout in both the number of refugees and detention facilities. In mid-2009, there were less than 1000 detainees housed in seven detention centres. But the latest figures show there are now 6700 detainees in 24 facilities across the country, all run by Serco. That billion dollars would go a long way to relieving the pressure on health, education and law and order. Unfortunately, most Australians are apathetic and couldn't care less. very sad. Fortunately, I live in Australia not South Africa. News from that country today - a carrier pigeon transferred data faster than the country's major ISP! Mind you - if Internet Filtering comes to Australia - we might have to all resort to using carrier pigeons! My news - I paid bills today (finished paying off the electricity bill, paid the Foxtel bill and the garden bag man.

Sun 15: Good grief - middle of the month already. Some months seem to take ages to pass. This one is flying by. A pleasant day today - slept in until almost 10.30am (okay - a nature visit at 3am and a phone call at 9.30am). Because it's our quarterly House Inspection this coming Tuesday, Troy pulled out all the stops and with a bit of help from 2 of his brothers - did a quick clean up with me. Thanks Troy, thanks also to Glenn and Dale. I have a 90 minute meeting tomorrow morning - a busy couple of days (Tuesday and Wednesday). Thursday could be 'interesting,' - more on that later. A little bit of drizzle (light rain) today - but not enough to stop my washing on the line drying.

Mon 16: With 2 weeks to go until the official start of Winter in Western Australia - I am amazed at the amount of sunshine. An early start to the day - as Tracey and I headed to a meeting in Morley. It was expected to run for 45 to 90 minutes - but was all over in under 30 minutes. No verdict - but I was told 'not to stress' about the result. That's a positive note! Then Tracey and I came home - and got stuck into the remaining housework - with Tracey doing most of the work. Finally - off to Woolworths for a quick shop. Tracey headed home and I laid back and relaxed.

Tue 17: The statistics are in ... peter991.com™ is now receiving a million hits a day. Thank you - loyal readers - you have helped make this website the highest rating Australian blog. Little did I know, 10 years ago, that I would exceed 10 hits a day. Rain - glorious rain in Perth - and it looks like it's here to stay - according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The moisture in the air caused a lot of local fog this morning - that burnt away to a nice day - then around lunchtime - the rain came down - nothing spectacular - but steady. A long day for me - the house inspection went well (as usual) - but there's a couple of small jobs our Property Manager wants done. Tracey came by to assist with paperwork and will be back tomorrow while we have some more security quotes done.

Wed 18: The weather was ... pleasant today. Not too cold this morning - at least I didn't notice any fog this morning. Barry, Troy and Witt had all gone to work by the time I got out of bed - so decadent. I had a good day - a lot quieter than yesterday. Vivien, Tri and Lawrence are off to Singapore (shopping by Vivienne), so I have been asked to step in and fill the breach.

Thu 19: Reading through this month's Diary entries and today was almost a copy/paste of Wed 11 May. I say almost because Tracey didn't write it - I did. But - I am feeling very anti-social at the moment, even though a lot of friends have picked up on this and offered support. I am sorry if I seem a bit distant - all I can say for now is I am going through a lot of stress - which (hopefully) will peak in 4 weeks time and (hopefully) be over by the end of June.

Fri 20: the Weather Bureau said it would rain in Perth today - and it did! A mini-tornado took off roofs and flattened fences in the southern suburb of Canning Vale. The normally mirror-smooth Swan River was very 'choppy' - with wave breaking over the low river wall - flooding parts of city at Riverside Drive and Mounts Bay Road; also Kwinana Freeway (near Mill Point Road), South Perth. the rain is very welcome. For me - a fairly relaxing day - I spent some of the day in ME Mode - relaxed. Tracey (and Nat) dropped over this evening - briefly - otherwise, it was a quiet evening (and an early night). The minimum temperature is tipped to be 6ºC tomorrow morning.

Sat 21: Apocalypse fears has world on tenterhooks. That's the breaking news. The World (as we know it) is due to end at 6pm (local time) as earthquakes signal Judgement Day. Good Christians are supposed to be beamed to heaven. The rest of us will suffer through 'hell on earth' until 21 October, when God is supposed to pull the plug. Hell on Earth - we have Julia Gillard, Wayne Swan and Justin Bieber -- if we can survive those 3 - what else could they inflict on us. So - if you are reading this after 6pm today - let me know.

Sun 22: Oops. For some reason (probably the excitement of waiting for the Rapture), I neglected to do a Diary entry for today. This entry is actually being entered 24 hours late! Actually, it was a hectic day - doing laundry, cleaning and getting ready for Julie's birthday BBQ / party - which was held at Chez Troy & Peter. Following that - a quick nap - then Tracey and I went out to do a favour for a friend. Back home - I climbed into my warm bed (hello electric blanket).

Mon 23: Brian and Julie's birthdays. Brr!!! Winter has arrived. At last. It was 4ºC this morning in Perth. Just as well my car was parked under cover. A relaxing day.

Tue 24: Oops! In all the chaos over the last few days I neglected to wish my brother Brian a happy birthday. I sent him a belated SMS - apologies, Brian. A hectic day today. Glad to get home and relax.

Wed 25: Another early start to the day - but a quiet day. Early night tonight. Troy and I have to go into Perth City tomorrow morning - tomorrow will be a VERY interesting day - stay tuned!

Thu 26: Mum and Ian's 27th wedding anniversary. Winter may be just a few days away - but I was expecting the rain and cold nights to continue in Perth. Not so - it was fine and a pleasant 14ºC at 8am today as Troy and I had breakfast in the city. My business was over by 10.30am. Troy dropped me at Perth Railway Station and I caught a train from Perth to Bassendean. Tracey collected me and brought me home. Troy headed off to work. While today was a bit of an anticlimax - I am quietly (a bit more) confident than I was a few days ago.

Fri 27: A special hello to Pauline Hanson today - she's having a birthday. Hi, Pauline. The rain which Perth desperately needs looks like coming back late this weekend. A bit of drizzle Sunday afternoon and evening - but get ready for Monday - strong winds and very heavy rain and localised flooding (get ready for 50mm of rain!). Easing Tuesday - more rain (but not as strong). You have been warned.

Sat 28: Up at 6am - just as Witt was getting ready for work. Busy for a few hours this morning, then checked out IGA and ended up going to Woolworths to do my food shopping. I managed to get some bargains and was quite pleased with my efforts. Unloaded the shopping and had a light lunch. Tracey and Nat dropped in and gave me a hand with housework.My son, Troy, drove over the hose from the vaccuum cleaner and killed it. A replacment hose - $50, a replacement vaccuum cleaner, $40. Not sure what to do. Will ask around. The Internet Cafe celebrates it's first month of operation tonight.

Sun 29: Nothing special planned today. Witt got himself off to work (I did offer to drive him to Scarborough); Troy and Amy came back last night from a wedding and went out for the day; Barry and (one of Troy's half-brothers) Glenn attended a junior football match - so I had the house to myself most of the day. Heavy rain is forecast for late tonight in Perth (around 11pm), so I made sure the yards were free of anything which could become a missile. My laundry is up to date - and I had an afternoon nap. Thanks for the massive effort from Tracey and Nat this past week.

Mon 30: Perth was expecting 50mm of rain today. I checked the BOM website - by 2.30pm, rainfall received varied from 0mm (Ocean Reef) to 45mm (Karnet). Witt has Monday and Tuesday as his days off. Doctor's appointment - so I can get a referral letter for my visit with my Cardiologist on 01 June. Also had a 'flu shot (influenza vaccine) as the doctor warned me catching the 'flu would double my chances of another heart attack. Also had an ECG to take to my Cardiologist. More on that later!

Tue 31: Last day of Autumn (Fall). I rarely take a sleeping tablet - but I did last night as I had trouble getting to sleep. Slept well until 3.30am - when the 'call of nature' woke me. Back to bed and back to sleep fairly fast. Woke again around 7am - had breakfast (cereal with fruit) and toast. My left arm is very sore - the side ofect of the 'flu vaccine. The needle was painless - but my arm feels like a lead weight. Occasional showers is the forecast for today - Perth desperately needs the rain. In front of me is a pile of paperwork 150mm high - I hope my daughter, Tracey, can help me with it some time in the next week. Winter officially starts tomorrow - but 12ºC overnight and 20ºC daytime temperatures in Perth - it's a very mild start to the wet season.