I am temporarilly in a rented duplex while building. The neighbour in the
other unit is quite a decent bloke but will remain nameless for now. The
guvermint recently intoduced a law that all rented properties must have
smoke alarms installed and our landlord - bless his heart - had two
installed in each unit a few weeks ago.

The neighbour likes to cook on his gas barbeque on his front verandah about
once a month. Well I suppose you would call it cooking, we usually refer to
it (quietly) as cremation. The objects that are taken off the hot plate
look a lot like those hunks of rubber you see on the side of the road when a
tyre has lost its re-tread or come apart. Black and curled up and ragged
round the edges.

A few days ago I heard this persistent beep-beep-beep and had to look around
to see what it was, of course it was the smoke alarm next door. I poked my
head out the front door to check that the place wasn't on fire and (you
didn't guess did you?) there was a cremation in progress.

The neighbour from two doors down the street was riding by on his horse
(people do that sort of thing around here) and being a friendly sort of
bloke passed the time of day with next door.

"Gday"
"How are you mate"
"Good, good, ah is that your smoke alarm going?"
"Hmm yes"
"You know they say that it's a sign of a bad cook when you set off the smoke
alarm"
"Do they?"
"Yes, well see you later"
"Bye for now"

And he rode on.

David