THE four of us received a pleasant little surprise Friday night at around 9.30pm when the fire alarm went off and all the resort residents were evacuated. It turned out to be a false alarm which really humoured the bloke three doors down from us who was having a bath at the time the alarm sounded.

AFTER enjoying a birthday breakfast with Toby and the rest of his family just up the road at Mermaids Rest, Corlette, where they were staying, I was lying on the lounge relaxing when Toby’s head appeared from behind the lounge. He suggested it would be a good idea to eat the birthday cake, which was sitting on the kitchen bench, now.

WHEN I quizzed “Tobe” why, he reckoned it would be best before the cake went rotten. It wasn’t long before he was blowing out the candles and carving up the cake.

ONE of the presents Toby received was the game Pete the Cat, which was played soon after the wrapping paper had been removed. Rules and regulations were a bit sketchy early on, prompting the birthday boy’s older brother Eli to suggest reading the “constructions” might help.

ON Saturday, I strolled into a Shoal Bay bar to have a small wager on Santa Ana Lane in the Everest and would have been in the joint about 30 seconds when I heard, “Coog! What are you doing here?” When I turned around, there was Murray Rose and his wife Carol who was catching up with her sisters.

DAUGHTER Rachael and son-in-law Josh went for a paddle in a kayak while we were there and were lucky enough to be treated to an appearance by a couple of dolphins who surfaced a couple of oar-lengths away from where they were paddling.

WALCHA Roos hooker Jack McAlister has side-stepped plenty of opposition players in his time, but the swerve he executed on his way home last Thursday wasn’t bad either. As he was driving in an easterly direction along Fitzroy Street, a very straggly-looking sheep raced across the road in front of the old LP Cross and Company office, which suddenly engaged Jack’s evasive skills.

SWIMMING season opening day is over a month away, and council is on the lookout for casual pool attendants/kiosk operators for the 2018-19 season. Applications close tomorrow, Friday, October 19. For further information, please contact council’s HR manager Karla Lovell on 6774 2516.

A BIG pat on the back to the Brian Smith Transport truck drivers who showed great courtesy and consideration on the road between Nowendoc and the Pacific Highway last Friday and Monday. Don’t know who you were, but good on ya, guys.

DURING their recent trip to the USA, Mick Steep, Stephen “Pole” Bath and Jimmy Gehrke reckon one of the highlights, if not the biggest, was a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon. The boys reckon it was sensational but were also very happy on at least one other occasion.

WHILE in Edmond, Oklahoma City, the trio wandered into Earl’s Rib Place, only to find chairs still up on the tables. When “Steep” asked manager Robbie Allen when they would open, he received the reply, “in about one hour”.

MUST have been the Aussie accent that got the manager in, because from then on, it was open slather. After the boys sat down, they were fed until they couldn’t eat any more. Then there was one more hiccup – the bloke running the show wouldn’t accept any payment, but did negotiate to have some Aussie memorabilia sent over to decorate the walls of the “Palace”.

DID hear a whisper that one of the trio left a $50 Australian note before they exited the premises. Maybe it might be in a picture frame up on the wall by now.

RUMOUR has it that Topshelf Rocks businessman Stu Wellings may be reaching the milestone of 40 years young this Saturday. We all hope you have a great day, Stu.

HAPPY birthday to my long-suffering golf partner Jack O’Hara when he celebrates his special day tomorrow. Who would have thought it was seven years ago when we partied for Johnny’s 50^th at the Cox Plate.

MANY happy returns for my “best friend” Linda Jane Cross (nee Hoy) who will arrive at a magic milestone on Monday. I sincerely hope you have a great day, dear, and also an enjoyable one on Saturday when we celebrate your birthday a bit early.