I was a late comer to The Waifs. Since discovering their music a couple of years ago their poetic tones have provided a welcome commentary on life. As I sit here in the foyer of a hotel, taxi drivers stand and chat, one wipes the dew off his car. Groups of men meet near the front door and then disappear toward vehicles, presumably off on one of those work conferences from which places like this secure a living. A bloke with an American accent sits down a few metres away and complains to his waiting colleague that he has been trying to deal with ‘4 billion emails’.

My favourite Waifs tune is called ‘Take it in’. The song moves from carefree delirium on Cable Beach (Broome) to the Melbourne weather. The song’s exhortation is to immerse ourselves in the beauty of the moments of life in which we find ourselves because ‘now is a time that will not come again’.

I actually love Monday mornings &#8230 which is pretty ‘un-Australian’ and I can see Sir Bob raise an eyebrow. I love the awakening of activity, the embracing of the possibilities of a new week. Time is the most precious resource we have, the tragedy of contemporary society is that we ‘spend it’. I find myself hoping and praying that all the activity around me is being invested wisely, that people are aware and become more aware, of the pervasive beauty and goodness. ‘Take it in’.

Yesterday in Melbourne was an absolute cracker for the first day of winter. Cloudless, totally still. My cup of Tetleys drained, I savoured time ‘on the edge of snooze’ on the deck with the afternoon sun warming my face &#8230 spectacular.

I wonder what this week will hold. Whatever comes, I will be looking to ‘take it in’.