Mogga - the time this joke took in the telling 'my burglar' was out the window, across a big backyard and into the bush and probably biking his way to his/her car.
thanks for all the advice, jokes etc. guys and gals - I really appreciate it.
The big emotional 'hump' will be tonight when I need to face going to bed in my house; (lately it's really strange I have been seriously thinking about finding a partner - again).
Actually the police told me that Dobermans are the best dogs to get - burglars fear them. The trouble with animals round the house is 'me' - I always treat them like people and worry too much and hence get tied up in the knots of responsibility which restrict my freedom.
I had to organise a lot of things today, made up with an old friend who came around instantly - I still need to talk or write to various agencies, as I need a new passport (cancelled the old one, of course); copies of Certificate of Title in the document case - there is also a backup drive in there (something 'Passport') which is a worry, letter from the Council saying I can subdivide my property is another loss maybe they'll send me another one. There is even a complete timeline of my and my family's life in the document case, as I was planning to leave a detailed written record for my children. Luckily that's all on the computer. I am actually annoyed that I am an organised, tidy person, anyone else and they wouln't have found a thing; for them the actual results are meagre, for me and the insurance and repair people it's probably in the region of $1000.
Thanks for all the other advice re hiding places for important documents etc. - I'll have to face that once and for all. I already have bolt holes outdoors for keys which they didn't find.
As far as defensive weapons go, I suspect those very bright (military grade) torches they have been advertising lately might be useful. All the other stuff can easily turn into a weapon in the burglars' hands. I actually think some kind of alarm sound which I could activate from my bed might be the best bet.
All this went through my head when I first woke and sensed a presence in my bedroom, by the time I was fully awake there was only the squeaking swaying door and a bit of light visible, a scrambling noise out the laundry window, but they left a strong perfume behind which took hours to dissipate; I would recognise it instantly. I then took a few moments to decide if they had left so I could go into my office and call the police, at the same time I wanted them to hear me calling 000.
Luckily they left enough DNA behind to help identify them, or at least to make their debut onto a criminal database.
Thankyou all again
Tau
