Checks, Red & White

"Hello Aunt Jenny, what are you doing today?" asks Lois.

"I have to go to the supermarket, dear. The boys are coming with me to go to the fossil and mineral museum."



"Yeah," says Paul, "come and look at the insects in amber with us."


"No thanks," says Lois, "I'm going to the corner shop for lollies."

"Why are you holding that old parasol?" asks Bruce.


"It's not a parasol, it's an umbrella. It's going to rain - look at those grey clouds over there."

"Hah, that old thing won't keep you dry! And anyway, it probably won't rain for ages, we'll be right."

"Maybe you're right, dear," says Aunt Jenny, "but we don't seem to have any umbrellas or raincoats. They don't seem to make them in our size - but I'll have another look in the supermarket. Or maybe a mail-order catalogue would have them."


Jenny, her niece Lois and her nephews Bruce and Paul live in Bathurst, in NSW. It rained quite often while I was visiting them - though not as often as in Darwin, and not nearly enough to cause flooding like in Queensland, Victoria, northern NSW and Tasmania.
I'm afraid Jenny's right, that they are sadly under-supplied with wet weather gear. I will have to see what I can do about it!