Yesterday I went to the dentist to have what I thought would be a routine filling, but the tooth was too far gone so it had to be yanked out.
Now that I’ve grossed you out, here is a picture of this morning. Prince’s tail feathers are almost as long as King’s.
I don’t think I’m much good at this daily diary thing – I can’t seem to get the coherence right!
Apparently our phone wiring has had the bomb and that is why the home phone crackles and the internet is having so many siestas. I am tempted to let the home phone die and get one of those usb thingys for the internet. I have already replaced my ancient mobile phone with a new one.
It is still very wet so I am practically living in my wellys.
The alpacas are ambivalent when it comes to the rain. They seem to take everything in their stride, although Uluru looks slightly happier than Okami.
The camellias are responding ecstatically to the rain. Now, even though I can’t think of anything worse than gardening, I do love the dozens of camellias Anthony has planted over the years. The one with the ballerina petals is the only one I bought myself. I took the first bloom into Ants the other day.
I’ll take another one in this afternoon. On my way in, I’m hoping to collect a picture I’m having framed for Anthony’s wall. It’s a photo of Ants at around the time I first met him, 35 years ago. Funnily enough, it is not my idea to put this picture on the wall; it’s Anthony’s. I said why not one of our wedding photos, or that one of you on the motorbike with Ming?. But he said no, that he just wanted himself! His self-confidence is certainly still intact; he even got me to blow the photo up to a bigger size!
I think feeling happy is a bit different to being happy. Maybe this is because when you simply are happy (because your bank account, love-life, health, job, family and friends etc. are all okay) you don’t notice the happiness; you don’t appreciate it. But when you feel happy, you are noticing the fragile edges, blossoms, and sunsets of whatever happiness is and you are learning how to create it day by day by day.
Today, my happiness was hugging my baby peacock, having lunch at an Indian restaurant with my friend/niece, Jane, buying baking utensils for my new cooking phase, watching TV with Anthony in the nursing lodge whilst giving him the last of the sticky date pudding with lots of thickened cream, knowing my ma will be home soon from Scotland, riding my bike, watching ‘Undercover Boss’ with Ming, and looking forward to tomorrow’s unfolding.
All afternoon the phone and Internet have been behaving badly – doing that on/off thing. I am on my IPad now but we are still mere acquaintances, and Zelda is a little nervous since she did witness me destroying her virus-ridden predecessor, a mini-Toshiba laptop. (I threw it on the cement outside and jumped on it a few times – very satisfying.)
My main computer is back having a new keyboard installed to match its new hard drive and CD drive. According to the man fixing it, it will be as good as new in a few days. Good, because Zelda is difficult to type on.
Anyway the purpose of this post is to tell you my hypothesis as to why the phone and Internet have become dodgy. The rats that frolic all night long in the ceiling have eaten the wiring.
If you don’t hear from me for a few days, that is why. And if you never hear from me again, it may be because the rats have eaten me too.
It’s okay – I’ll be back.
Tiny moccasins for my soon-to-be-born niece
Anthony kissing my hand today as if I were royalty
The new kitchen sink plug that makes it possible to wash the dishes in less of a rush
My new red boots
Getting the stupid lawn mower fixed finally
Choosing Lino and blinds for Ming’s shed
Watching Judge Judy with Ants (he loves her!)
The baby kookaburra I saw yesterday
Accepting what is
Atop my shoulder
This beautiful little friend
My teenage peacock
[Many thanks to Samantha for this photo of G9 yesterday].
Well I had my month off blogging, and only kept up with other people’s blogs haphazardly, and I have to say it was a refreshingly silent month. It has given me the time needed to reassess a few things, turn some corners, contemplate the future, and come to terms better with Anthony’s deterioration.
Gutsy 9, the not-so-baby peacock, is thriving and now sleeps in the wattle trees at night with the other peacocks, and is quick enough to get away from our two dogs now. He still does madly joyful pirouettes whenever he hears my voice and loves to fly up onto my shoulder for a kiss. (I don’t have a new picture of this so have included one from when he was little. He is now twice this size, so rather heavy).
Ming is still happily milking for our dairy farmer neighbours, and creating music in the evenings. He gave me 4 nights at a luxury resort for Mothers’Day – not a bad gift!
I still battle bouts of volcanic grief about what is happening to Anthony, but have learned a few more ways of bringing joy back into our little family.
It’s good to back and thanks for the many comments. This is a lovely community.
“Reject” is the name Anthony gave a steer whose mother had rejected him at birth, and who Ants raised by hand. When he was little, this steer loved Ants so much that he would run at him, jump up and try to hug him around the neck with his two front legs.
jmgoyder 