Here in Australia we are two days away from spring after a very wet winter. Monday is the first day of spring and I am going to celebrate but I’m not sure how yet. Perhaps I will buy another camellia tree like this one from which I take flowers in to Anthony every second day.
The other day I gave one each to the two women I play cards with during my volunteering hours. Gift-giving rules are very strict at the nursing home but I figure flowers can’t do anyone any harm, although Nat would prefer the chilli-garlic olives I used to bring in until reprimanded (risk of choking etc.)
And here is Ming with his little second-hand car, ‘Fran’. He has named her ‘Fran’ after the character in the comedy series Black Books, one of our favourites. As it happens, I am about to take this series into the nursing home to play on Anthony’s new DVD player. I took The IT Crowd in a couple of weeks ago and, even though Anthony slept through some of the two episodes I played, he woke up with a bit of a smile every time I guffawed, which was often.
The strange phenomenon in which Anthony sometimes thinks that what is happening on the television screen is happening in his room comes and goes. I only discovered this by accident one evening months ago when I rang him and he asked me to pick him up from Burekup (a nearby town) from an Aboriginal ceremony. At first I thought this was him hallucinating (a Parkinson’s disease symptom) but then I heard the background noise of his television which turned out to be a documentary about an Aboriginal ceremony; I could even hear the chanting! Now that we are watching Midsomer Murders every weekday afternoon from 3.30 – 5pm (another one of Anthony’s favourites, mainly because of the English countryside, the classic cars and the big old houses – not the murders), I sometimes worry that he will get scared. But seeing as this is probably the most benign ever of murder shows, it never happens and anyway he can no longer follow plots. I have gotten into the habit of checking the television guide before I leave every night and leaving the television on a channel that isn’t going to be showing a horror movie, or something like that. Ironically, this is usually the ABC news station.
Well, I better get going!
jmgoyder 
It’s quite funny that you are looking forward to summer and Ming is standing wearing a teeshirt. Here in Scotland we would all be wearing jackets as it does not often get warm in the summer until May/June.
Hopefully your summer won’t be too warm and our winter won’t be too cold. The thing I hate about winter is the short days as it is dark until 08.30 in the mornings and gets dark at 16.00 at night in midwinter.
My American friend says she hates getting up in winter when it is still cold and dark as she says in Florida it is sunny in the winter mornings when she gets up. Why anyone coming from warn and sunny Florida would want to live in cold Scotland is beyond me!
Our winter is probably like your summer!
Only warmer!
There’s lots to love in this post – especially Ming’s hair! Is he blonde now?
Bottle blonde!
Yes, I can feel spring coming and my spirits have been uplifted 🙂
Yay!
The pink Camellias look stunning, Julie.
was just about to post some from my own ‘neck of the woods’, but since my upload time seems to have been ‘stolen’ again this month, maybe not.
Love Ming’s new little car. I’m sure he is ecstatic about being mobile under his own steam again!
I watch the British public television station regularly – as I too am a fan Of Midsome Murders, Masterpiece Mystery and Fawlty Towers to name a meagre few. Welcome to spring Jules – may it flower and be gorgeous – just like you. (and Ming looks terrific!)
We love Fawlty Towers too!
Great minds (or very silly ones – perhaps both?)
It is a little strange to wrap my head around your “winter: Ming in the tee shirt in front of Fran is adorable. You sound very happy, I smiled the entire time I was reading. 🙂
Yes our winter is nothing compared to yours!
lol
Happy and beautiful day to you and yours Julie! I love Ming’s little bitty car. And I’m not surprised that what Anthony sees on his tv is possibly scaring him. It scares the bejeebers out of me!!!
Ming is looking so ‘grown up’… (and handsome too) You sound like you are so settled in your routine now …. and I sense that your anxiety level is way down…. Diane
Yes the anxiety peaked last week but is way down again now – thanks Diane.
Holy cow! What a stud-muffin Ming’s turned into. The blonde suits him, and yes, you’re right…Fran looks so small next to him! 🙂 Happy Spring Jules
Well that’s an expression I haven’t heard before – stud-muffin. You are hilarious!
Don’t tell Ming…it’ll go to his head! 😉
Hope spring brings you lots of happy new things. I love that car and photo of Ming. Such a handsome young man. Happy TV watching with your Ants. 🙂
Thanks Paulette.
Spring is nearing for you, winter is nearing for us. Ming has grown up so much this summer. I have never heard of those movies you watch. I find it interesting how at moments Ants recognizes and shows emotions about the movies. It just proves that although it may seem he is out of it, he is actually there too, maybe listening and feeling much more than we think. Hugs n love my friend
It reminds me of how Al used to have his favourite shows.
He sure did. I still can’t watch them, but maybe some day I can. Every time I see them on the guide my heart aches
I am so sorry, my friend.
Don’t be sorry my friend. I believe it is a process in the mourning I am still going through. Big hugs
Lovely photos and post Julie! Ming and his car look great. Thanks for sharing. ❤
Diana xo
Good car posing.
I like Fran she is a nice looking car, the tv in my nan’s room is usually on something that it will not upset her as she hears it and can get distressed by what she is hearing
Yes.
Ming’s little car is so cute! I hope you find an enjoyable way to celebrate the arrival of spring. Here, I am looking forward to the arrival of fall. Summer unofficially ends Labor Day weekend, which is this weekend, but I won’t celebrate until I feel a chill in the air.
News isn’t horror!!!
No, but lately some of the news has been horrifying.
Actually, I was totally sarcastic. We have no cable, but the news on Google is horrifying most of the time it seems. I’ll settle for fiction. 🙂
We are near the end of our summer here, and we hear stories from the meteorologists that it will be a wet winter. We sure need it, but I’m not looking forward. Perhaps you should do a “no more” rain dance in celebration of the new season!
Hahaha, I’ve been eating chilli garlic olives like crazy lately. This is getting weird! When I went into hospital to get my wisdom teeth out I did the same thing that Ants is doing – only my parents had the Lord of the Rings on the t.v. so I thought I was on a quest, lol.
Great photos of Ming – the second one, standing in front of the car, could be an advert for an action movie! 🙂
Great pics of Ming with his new car. My mom also hallucinates about stuff she sees on the TV. Fortunately it’s mostly the ‘soapie’ channel that’s playing in the lounge, so nothing too scary. The Camellia tree is lovely.
The news scares me. Almost like watching a horror movie:) My mom’s the same way. Thinks she’s living in whatever she watches on TV. My sister’s buy kids’ books to read to her now. Makes her happy.