0 Unruffled by raffles...

There was a raffle for fundraising at school this week.

For 50c each, anyone could buy a chance to win - 1st prize a very schmick Breville coffee machine, 2nd prize a basket of "mumsy" stuff, and 3rd prize a voucher for a local fish and chippery.

Setting the bar low, a book of 4 tickets was sent home to each of the 200 families - that is, they expected each family to sell $2 worth of tickets.

They don't know our extended family.

'Salina, wishing to spread the opportunity, wanted us to flog tickets to them - we persuaded her to do the hard yards on the phone herself.

So with sales of 10 tickets here, 10 tickets there and a few more to another branch, she soon had a list of prospective winners. We agreed to match her personal contribution dollar for dollar, and so by the end of the day she had amassed $41 of ticket sales.

She went to school and spent the whole of one lunch break writing tickets for all of her customers.

The raffle was drawn last night - and one of our tickets won the $25 voucher for free fish and chips.

I have held the voucher in reserve for a night I REALLY don't feel like cooking - which no doubt will come soon.

I did the maths. I subbed her outstanding ticket sales as well as our own - and so for an outlay of $31 I have scored $25 value. Ah, I am extremely tinny!!

Our weekend will be fairly quiet - we have tentative plans to go to Brisbane NEXT weekend (at one stage we thought about it for this one, but too short a notice) and so this one will be close to home.

I have a leg of lamb in the freezer to cook myself (and the family) a traditional meal, and 'Salina and V have been whispering in the kitchen about secret shopping trips.

Oh - and if any Brisvegans want to be part of a small gathering of internetty and other-worldy friends while I am in the vicinity, let me know - probably involving a park and kids.