tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34040621152907941702024-03-14T17:34:32.229+13:00Windows and Mirrors“Be silent or let thy words be worth more than silence.” ― PythagorasMoniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-16799968477979146522013-09-25T13:12:00.002+12:002013-09-25T13:13:49.016+12:00Lemonade Rain
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">This time last year it must have been
raining as much as it has been this spring. I put myself in kids' shoes,
watching the incessant raindrops on the window and wondered what it must feel
like to be stuck inside, unhappily, for hours, when all you want to do is go
out and put your feet in rubbery gumboots and go out and splash around in
puddles. Now that my awesome friends, Jo & Jo, have created this amazing
rainwear as part of their </b><a href="http://www.mum2mum.com/Rain-Wear" target="_blank">Mum2Mum Rain-Wear</a> <strong>range, kids can!</strong><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Meanwhile, I wrote this, thinking of
my wee great nephew Finn (“Cool name, Mum”, said my kids. Yes, yes it is.) as
the central character. <o:p></o:p></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Lemonade
Rain<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Finn pressed his nose against the window
and watched the raindrops slide down the glass. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“It's been raining all day. Rain, rain,
rain. I’m so sick of the rain,” said Finn, putting on his pajamas. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“If
only it rained something exciting, instead of boring old water-rain. Like….jelly!
I wish it rained jelly! Green jelly and red jelly, in nice big blobs I could
eat! Then I wouldn’t mind the rain so much,” said Finn, climbing into bed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">On Monday morning, Finn woke up to hear
the pitter patter, blob, glob of rain on the roof.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh, no,” he said. “It’s raining again.”
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Running down the windowpane were slimy
streaks of colour, like rainbow snail trails. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Outside, Finn saw big blobby puddles of
red and green, heaped up like pudding in a bowl. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Jelly!
It’s raining jelly!” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Finn raced outside to taste the rain. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He opened his mouth and gobbled the
blobs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He cupped his hands and licked his
fingers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Finn stomped around in his boots.
Squelch, slurp, schlop!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But instead of running down the drain
like water-rain, the jelly rain piled up in big blobby mounds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The jelly got higher and higher, and
sucked in tight around Finn’s boots.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh no, I’m stuck!” said Finn. “Maybe
jelly rain isn’t such a good idea, after all.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That night, Finn pressed his nose
against the window and watched the jelly raindrops slide down the glass. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“It's been raining jelly all day. I’m so
sick of the jelly rain,” said Finn, putting on his pajamas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“If only it rained something less
blobby. Like….lemonade! I wish it rained lemonade! Sweet, delicious lemonade!
Then I wouldn’t mind the rain so much,” said Finn, climbing into bed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">On Tuesday morning, Finn woke up to hear
the pitter patter, clitter clatter of rain on the roof.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh, no,” he said. “It's raining again.”
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Running down the windowpane were clear,
bubbly drips. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Outside, Finn saw fizzy little bubbles
in the puddles. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Lemonade! It’s raining lemonade!” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Finn raced outside to taste the rain. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He opened his mouth and drank the raindrops.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He cupped his hands and licked his
fingers. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Finn stomped around in his boots.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But Finn wasn’t the only one who liked
sweet, sticky lemonade.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Ants!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are ants all over my lemonade!” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">They climbed all over the path and up
Finn’s boots! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Eek!” shrieked Finn. “Maybe lemonade
rain isn’t such a good idea, after all.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That night, Finn pressed his nose
against the window and watched the lemonade raindrops slide down the glass. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It's
been raining lemonade all day. I’m so sick of the lemonade rain,” said Finn,
putting on his pajamas. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“If only it rained something less
sticky. Like….jelly beans! I wish it rained jelly beans! Chunky, chewy jelly
beans! They wouldn’t be sticky or blobby. If it rained jelly beans, then I
wouldn’t mind the rain so much,” said Finn, climbing into bed.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">On Wednesday morning, Finn woke up to
hear the pitter patter, clunk dunk of rain on the roof.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh, no,” he said. “It’s raining again.”
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But there were no drips on the
windowpane at all.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Outside, Finn saw piles of brightly
coloured raindrop puddles in the garden. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Jelly
beans! It’s raining jelly beans!” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Finn raced outside to taste the rain. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He opened his mouth and chewed the
raindrops. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He cupped his hands and caught a pile of
jelly beans.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It started raining harder and faster. Finn put
his hands over his head. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Ouch! This jelly bean rain hurts!” he
said. “Maybe jelly bean rain isn’t such a good idea, after all.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That night, Finn pressed his nose
against the window and watched the jelly bean rain pile up outside. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It's
been raining jelly beans all day. I’m so sick of the jelly bean rain,” said
Finn, putting on his pajamas. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“If
only it rained something less painful. Like….marshmallows! I wish it rained marshmallows!
Fluffy, soft, pink and white marshmallows! They wouldn’t be painful or sticky
or blobby. If it rained marshmallows, then I wouldn’t mind the rain so much,”
said Finn, climbing into bed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">On Thursday morning, Finn woke up to hear
the pitter patter, flop, plop of rain on the roof.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh, no,” he said. “It’s raining again.”
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Outside, Finn saw piles of fluffy, pink
and white pillowy puddles in the garden. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Marshmallows!
It’s raining marshmallows!” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Finn raced outside to taste the rain. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He opened his mouth and chewed the raindrops.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He cupped his hands and popped one
little pink or white fluffy marshmallow raindrop after the other into his mouth.
He happily chomped and chewed, and chewed and chomped.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Soon, Finn‘s stomach started to ache. He
felt rather sick.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Arrgh<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">,</b>” he groaned. “Maybe marshmallow rain isn’t such a good idea,
after all.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That night, Finn pressed his nose
against the window and watched the marshmallow rain pile up outside. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It's
been raining marshmallows all day. I’m so sick of the marshmallow rain. I can’t
even bear to watch it.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finn closed the
curtains and put on his pajamas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“If only rained something less sickly
sweet. Like….water. I wish it rained water! Just fresh, clear water. It
wouldn’t be sickly sweet or painful or sticky or blobby. If it rained water,
then I wouldn’t mind the rain so much,” said Finn, climbing into bed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">On Friday morning, Finn woke up to hear
the pitter patter, pitter patter of rain on the roof.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh, no,” he said. “It’s raining again.”
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Running
down the windowpane were wiggly lines of ordinary little raindrops. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Outside, Finn could see big, round
puddles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Water!
It’s raining water!” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Finn raced outside to taste the rain. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Finn opened his mouth and drank the raindrops.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He cupped his hands and caught some
water. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It was clear and fresh, and fell softly
on his head. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Maybe water rain is the best kind of
rain, after all,” said Finn. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">On Saturday morning, Finn woke up to
hear no pitter patter of rain on the roof at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He looked out of the window.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It was sunny! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b></div>
Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-19462840527508286592013-09-20T10:40:00.002+12:002013-09-20T10:41:23.967+12:00Short short story
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sweet Silence<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunlight peeks through a slit in the curtains. She rolls
over, sighs, stretches. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So rested. Not for months - over four - has she slept more
than 3 hours at a time. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">She listens. Sweet silence. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dare she risk a shower? </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The bliss of warm water cascading over the bulges and bumps
where previously was sleek flesh. A moment of luxury, pure self-indulgence.
Remembering how it felt, not to be so exhausted. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Breasts bulging, she slips on her dressing gown. Tiptoes to
the bedroom doorway. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The scent of powder and milkiness and soap and skin
tantilises her nostrils.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A surge of
longing. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Silence. Too much silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Horror shoots up her spine. She leaps across the room,
throws herself at the cot and grabs up the form. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Limp. Lifeless. Cold. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Breasts pouring milky
tears. Dry retching fear. Breath stolen from her lungs. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“My baby!” she
screams to an empty house. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-55540650646886649082013-09-12T14:00:00.001+12:002013-09-12T14:01:30.170+12:00Hell is Other People
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“’Hell is other people’ (J-P Satre). But so is heaven”
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Johnathan Haidt, The Happiness Hypothesis. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Read it!</span></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I remember doing a training exercise years ago, in which we
had to cut out magazine pictures of things that were important to us and make a
poster of them. Many people did pictures of family, forests, sea, fashion,
pets, books, etc. What would be on yours? I covered mine with pictures of
people. (I remember being frustrated when someone called it ‘conservative’ but
it showed me photos in magazines really are of a narrow sector of society!) Yes,
I love nature and books and movies and all those other things, but at the end
of the day, what really matters is other people in my life. Although I do agree
with Satre – people can also drive me nuts! </span></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday a friend posted this on facebook;</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dC5JcfAsJaM/UjEeV85Y63I/AAAAAAAAALU/ewfM-UPS9vc/s1600/1185800_647809455252504_1412258633_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="526" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dC5JcfAsJaM/UjEeV85Y63I/AAAAAAAAALU/ewfM-UPS9vc/s640/1185800_647809455252504_1412258633_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(from The Idealist’s Photo website)</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">which reminded me of an
old poem I wrote years ago & recently dug out of one of the screeds of
journals which litter my bedside table, to
type up. I can still adore people for something as simple as the way they
smile, laugh, look after another person, move, tell a story, or speak.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as long as I don’t
have to live with them all…. </span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<o:p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I
fall in love all the time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Just
at a glance<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I
can fall<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">head over heels<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">for
no reason at all<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I
fell in love<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">with
my daughter’s doctor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">his
gentle accent<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">his
delicate words<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">talking
about her<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">asking
about her<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the
way he carried his tall torso<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">as
he leaned over her<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">checking
her little body<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the
tubes and wires<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">her
heartbeat<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">as
she lay<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">healing
on the bed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I
fell in love <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">with
a friend of a friend<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">her
laughter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">her
sorrow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">as
she told of the fire<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">that
destroyed her house<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Her
hair bounced, shook,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">as
she swished it out of the way<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The
distress of the recollection<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">shattering
the smile on her lips<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I
fell in love with an aunt-to-be<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">(they
never quite made the wedding<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">before
the uncle died of cancer)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">At
the funeral<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">her
tear-stained eyes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">her
bittersweet smile<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">her
kind words for everyone else<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">her
honesty, directness, openness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">admitting
her vulnerability<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">She
warmed herself to me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I
fall in love all the time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Just
at a glance<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I
can fall<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">head
over heels<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">for
no reason at all<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
</o:p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-29956640401620290612013-08-09T14:31:00.001+12:002013-08-09T16:49:35.396+12:00Washing Lines in a Waikato Winter<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I have been very remiss in blogging – has anyone
noticed? But I have not been completely idle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And I have been making a few blissful discoveries.
The first is ‘spoken poetry’, also known as ‘slamming.’ Basically is a
harmonic marriage between drama and poetry. I realise my family have been doing
this forever, through the Dutch tradition of performing poems and skits at
birthdays, weddings, Sinterklaas etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So now I just have a cool name for it. For great examples see the famous
Sarah Kay <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter.html" target="_blank">If I should have a daughter</a> if you haven’t already or<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Katie </span>
Makkai (rude word alert- she drops the F bomb, in case you are particularly
sensitive towards it)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7B9LtKPTBE&ytsession=bFxYE6ZKF2qrWFowtyxxRWu2Vnvl4DqQOpI2QVT1T7waI2mrDx9cTCLy-yjtj6ENp_75sGpAvMOdyOTVydEDu66dDrBMA0y9Ntcr7fofEHJ3UPU2rdN4qRU32-Y__21vz0Phe9B9kpuCsjzY_rsz5B1tBA72ZaOObrELzkVK7FpG9UNI3wzaazzIlmfNrUHnQNON2j22C5ZZJXQdbi0xgD-q-Ju1oWwk75X_A-sRom9uy-x3PeVzsZmPsk6sGYw1DRHF84fjbclrC3S_fjguRgmGgkb7wdaLXbse_zLOEL7Eq5JeYcCjTsBJAYNl3oncGCak8G-Rvm2Uvh-PgVUvlAJKfrwZBeT4j7NPNOtmsC49T0sbS41BdSyR466qnrJzjRtjDcOizwiKUBoH0lDKqoYZOvFlNiTAWH_LFunm2NPSTRmnl3jwmrEm1LcgAPTso_6a5OCqVShzV6RRzDZKwYc9JXWkUhlzdotcqFCIRnCFLuEepQTt7NiLgszETXf3FahjGXhixEwICyNCWobfC-XkyKTOtAhJET14nXa6cKyeoO_WLP_i2kJhNlJ7T2WpqU3KdpWOgXbEgKBX2AmNiosrSNlaDrYH" target="_blank">Pretty</a> .</span>I have been
attending a Spoken Word poetry workshop and preparing myself – poetically &
mentally – to get up on stage myself one day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My other discovery was Margaret Attwood – long time
author who has only just introduced herself to me. I love her style, it’s like
she exposes all those silly secret thoughts that we all share. So for my writing
exercise today I thought I’d write in a style to emulate her – not IMMITATE – I
know I need my own voice blah blah, but just to ‘try on her shoes for size and
walk around in them a little’. She wrote a whole chapter in ‘Moral Disorder’ on
getting up and having toast for breakfast, making it more than readable and
interesting , but engaging and entertaining. So I chose something from my
everyday – doing the washing (which, with 4 kids and a travelling husband, I
have to do daily), trying to write in a style inspired by Margaret Attwood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This morning I read that if you are not enjoying a
book, throw it across the room. Really. Life is short, so you will never read
all the books in the world. If there is one that doesn’t live up to you, don’t
just stop reading it (which you should)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>- throw it across the room, for wasting your time! So, sorry ‘Salmon
Fishing in the Yemen’, I hope I didn’t break your spine. I may still watch the
movie, but reading emails from the Prime Minister to fishery officials just aint
what I call entertaining. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Even hanging out the washing is more entertaining than
that. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The
laundry game<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Once
the children have left for school, the house lies silent but for the aching the
of the building itself – the creaking of the wood as it settles into the day,
the clicking of the flue as heat distorts the metal, the inexplicable clunks
and groans of the plumbing or the gutters, the wind on the downpipes and birds
tiptoeing on the tin roof. Outside, fog clings to the windows, the misty- eyed
blanket that brings the damp to the flat land down here between the mountain
and ridgeline. Inside, discarded clothing dots the floor from the lounge to the
laundry and behind all the doors in between. I collect the pieces like a washer
woman of old, tossing shoes and belts and hair-ties in their allotted places on
my journey towards the washing machine. Fortunately, unlike washerwomen of old,
I do not have to spend hours at the washtub, the scrubbing rack, or worse, the
river, to deal with the pile of discarded items, which vary from hardly-worn to
grassy-kneed to school-uniform-shirt to so-high-its-almost-walking-by-itself. I
used to try the ‘smell test’ to decide if something really needed to be washed,
but got caught out badly once too often, and now randomly throw almost any item
resembling material lying on the floor into the washing machine. Even the cat,
which resembles a large fluffy mat, had to screech and run before it was
collected, soaked and sudsed, once. While let its complaint be known, the
washing machine never has. Well, that’s not true. Once, when the children had
been vomiting all night, kindly passing it on, rendering me so deathly ill that
my husband <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">volunteered</i> to stay home
from work to care for me without having to be begged, the washing machine
co-incidentally ‘shat itself’, as the proverbial would have it. Being the
pragmatic man that he is, he promptly went online to see what a worthy
replacement – for the washing machine, not the wife - would be, called the
local dealer and had it delivered that afternoon, to deal with the aftermath of
the night’s entertainment as provided by the virus the children and I were
suffering from.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The
‘new’ washing machine, which is by now some 8 years old but still holds the
title with</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> honour</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">, duly
spat out the grime along with the suds, rinsed, spun and repeat, to finally beep
inimitably while its little display screen elicits a smiley face with ‘Have a
nice day’ inscribed. I kid you not. It also plays the national anthem of New
Zealand, Australia and the United States, if you can remember the odd sequence
of buttons to push. Unfortunately I do not, nor do I often happen to be
standing watching the display screen as it wishes me said nice day, but I still</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
endeavour</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> to
have one notwithstanding. Today, as I scoop the freshly laundered clothes from
the machine, the fog still hangs about as thick as it was at early dawn. It is
one of those Waikato days where it threatens to hang around all day, or at
least till one o’clock, when it will rise for about 2 hours before coming back
to earth with a thud, bringing an early evening soon after the children get
back from school. Using the dampness of the air as an excuse – nothing can dry
outside in the cloud- I immediately throw the washing into the drier. Be
damned, electricity bill! <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Almost
immediately, as if to disprove my skepticism, the sun comes out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guiltily I remove the still damp washing from
the drier and hang it on the line, reminding myself how lucky I am to have a
job which allows me to work outside from time to time. The thrush in the
bare-branched peach tree sings to keep me company, and a fantail peeps along
daringly close. I like to think it is talking to me, a spirit of my dead father
or <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>such, but actually it is probably
just enjoying the insects my presence has stirred up in the nearby bushes.
Refusing to let the drudgery the menial task of hanging out the washing draw
into a mental black hole from which there is no return, I focus on the birds,
the fresh air, the smell of bark and mulch and leaves, trying to ignore the
stains not quite removed, the holes in the trouser knees, the torn sleeves, and
the tired garments which nag me of more menial work to do once they’re dry.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">No
sooner is the last item duly pinned to the wire rope that strings between the
umbrella shaped clothesline poles, than the cloud that once hovered at ground
level is swept away by a rush of wind, to be replaced by the more ominous
black, threatening kind. It releases its first sporadic, thick drops, with all
the glee of a toddler flicking food it doesn’t want to eat, across the
highchair onto the floor below. I look up, the portentous cloud hovering
resolutely above, daring me to challenge it. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I know
when my limits are reached. The thrush laughs outright while the fantail
titters, as I resignedly take the washing back down again, lug the basket of
heavy, damp clothes, determined to defeat me, back to the drier. The drops fall
thick and fast now, covering the driveway with splatters of dark grey on the
lighter grey concrete. For a whole three minutes it pours, the rain of a two
year old throwing a tantrum at the slightest provocation, screaming blue murder
for some minor transgression which has disturbed the perfection of their world,
which - just as suddenly - stops, as soon as the toy is returned, the food
item<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>provided, or the hurt cuddled ‘all
better’. Likewise, the cloud is suddenly placated and withdraws its threatened
flood. The sun pops out again, as if it never said it was going away for long,
and I stand, shoulders downcast, listening to the rhythmic hum of the churning
drier, as I watch the sun quickly dry the patches of wet on the driveway. A
gentle breeze picks up the very edges of the trees, tickling their last few
clinging autumn leaves, to create the most perfect drying weather ever. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The
game was played. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I have
lost. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">But my
washing will still get dry. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-55633573729757176002013-06-28T13:58:00.001+12:002013-06-28T14:00:54.731+12:00Supermoons, Supermums
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This week we have been treated to a supermoon. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IfxVI7d3thQ/UczpJVPCwiI/AAAAAAAAAKA/zFbCok8Q5QY/s600/8834507_600x400+moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IfxVI7d3thQ/UczpJVPCwiI/AAAAAAAAAKA/zFbCok8Q5QY/s320/8834507_600x400+moon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Supermoon photo from Waikato Times</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I read that the moon looks 14% bigger and 30% brighter than when it is furtherest away from us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am amazed that scientists can be so accurate
- sounds like a TV ad to me - ‘Now with 14% more moon than before! 30% extra brightness, free! Don’t delay!
See your supermoon today! Offer expires Wednesday!’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And between the clouds, it was stunning. Europeans talk of a
‘man in the moon’, but the Japanese say there is an ‘usagi’ – a rabbit, and now
I can never see anything other than a long-eared, hopping rabbit. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am intrigued at how brightly the moon shines, yet I know
it is not actually the moon itself – so deceptive, and further proof for me
that things are not always as they seem. We can be convinced of one truth,
while actually another is more accurate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes the moon shines, but it is actually just a lump of rock.
Both perspectives are true, so who is to judge which is more valid? I am no
longer sure what is true in this world!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As an aside, I got talking this week with a foster mother
who has taken on the challenge of taking on a child from a very rough
background. My admiration for her is immense. It is no exaggeration to say that
she is saving this kid’s life, and no doubt the lives of who he would have
damaged on his inevitable route to prison. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again it affirmed for me that the job we
do as parents, bringing up mostly normal, mostly civilised human beings, with
just the standard amount of baggage, is no short order. Having your kids
survive to be robust, contributing adults is indeed a huge feat. We are all
supermums and superdads, whether your kids are baby Einsteins, Beethovens or
normal garden-variety slightly-interesting, mostly-benevolent human beings. Well done you! Supermoons, supermums and dads- shine on!</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></b> </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am the moon<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am the moon</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Waxing and waning</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In monthly cycles </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today, shining full, and round, and bright <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yet I shine not my own light<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Merely reflecting you<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The sun<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So strong and bright,<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That even in the dark<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You light up the sky<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Through me.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But who would say<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">‘Moon!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You are not enough of a moon!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You should shine yourself!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You should be like the sun!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You should be more than just a Moon!’?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am the moon. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today I am a thin sliver<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a fingernail in the sky<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Until I disappear, unseen.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Silently there<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Until you shine your light on me again<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span></div>
Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-47236011929527305582013-06-07T15:16:00.000+12:002013-06-10T21:48:37.104+12:00Neat-freaks and self-confessions<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Okay, time for another soppy poem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am not much of a neat-freak, I have to admit. I’d like
to be – well, actually I’d just like someone else to come and clean my house as
fast as it gets messed up – which is pretty much daily. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we were kids and I shared a room with my
sister, she actually got to the point where she drew a line down the middle of
the room because she got sick of my messiness! But now that I’m a growed-up
Mummy, the job of chief bottle-washer & tidy-upper now appears to be mostly
mine (don’t get me started on my feminist principles!), so I have learnt to put
away after myself – and the 5 other people who live here,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>not to mention the cat, dog and bird who
consider themselves part of the family. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
betting for every parent out there, there is a time when the dust bunnies and
cut-out messes drive you mad, so some aspect of this poem may resonate. Trying
to keep my beliefs about mindfulness and presence in daily practice, this poem is
a reminder to myself about what is really important.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I have been having this on-going discussion with myself
and anyone else who will listen, ever since attending the Auckland Readers and Writers
festival, about what makes good writing? Is it just enough to ‘express yourself’
or should you actually have to connect with an audience, have something to say,
make a point, add to the reader’s life experience? I have to confess I just do
not ‘get’ some of the really famous stuff. Am I being obtuse, just not sophisticated
enough (both possibilities) or is the rest of the world as puzzled as I am, but
Emperor’s clothes syndrome is preventing from anyone else from saying anything?
Discussion welcome (Add a comment below)! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Meanwhile, enjoy ‘The essence of you’ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The essence of you</span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes
I forget </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
essence of you</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And I
get caught up </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In the
lost shoes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The mislaid
jumpers</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
solitary jandal </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">as if
they were more important<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">in my
misplaced priorities.</span></div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes
I forget </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
essence of you</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When I
see piles of crafty debris</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Half-completed
projects, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">paint
pots and staplers</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Pages
of your spider-writing</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Weaving
webs about the house</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Paper
cutouts all over the freshly vacuumed floor</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Leaving
a trail of destruction</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In my
organized mind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes
I forget</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
essence of you</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When the
dust bunnies</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">under
your bed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">taunt
me and laugh at me</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As I
discover </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">discarded
underwear</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">they
have been hiding</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">From my
washed out thinking</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes
I forget</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the essence of you</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">as I
discover</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">that
rattling sound from the drier</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">was
your tooth</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">you had
put in your pocket</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">when it
came out at school</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and
refused to put </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">under
your pillow</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">for the
tooth fairy</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">because
you “will not sell your body parts”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">as I
sell my sanity</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes
I forget</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
essence of you</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As your
dinner plate tips</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Food
flops to the floor</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In a
splodge of spaghetti blob-inaise </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And you
contritely</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">use the hand towel</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to
clean it up</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Leaving
a greasy shine</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">on the
just-washed lino</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A smear
on my psyche</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes
I forget </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the
essence of you</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When I
tuck you up in bed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">a quick
cuddle, a kiss</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My
tired body</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">aching
for the couch</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">numbing
TV</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and a
cup of tea</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and you
say</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">in your sleepy voice</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Mummy,
I don’t want to do things wrong”</span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And
suddenly </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My
litany of sins</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Washes
back over me</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And I
think of all the items I have lost</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
things I have broken</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
chaos which commands my cupboards</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the virtual warren of dust bunnies </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">vicariously
breeding under my bed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the
half-done projects</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I have
been avoiding in my in-tray</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And it’s
all I can do </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">To stop
myself saying</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">‘get
used to it, baby’. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Instead
I fight back the tears</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And try
to come up with something profound</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That
you can take away with you </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">On your
years</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“If you
don’t make mistakes,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">You
won’t learn, darling”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“We all
stuff up sometimes, sweetie, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">it’s
part of being human”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">or
maybe </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">a
clever quote </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">from Dr
Seuss</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">or
Einstein</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">(Were
they maybe</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the
same person?)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But all
I can come up with,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As my
heart melts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Is that
nothing</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">is as
important</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">There
is nothing</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I love
more </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">than
finding</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">strewn
about the house</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">the essence</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of you</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />
</span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<br />
<br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-42283296334474962482013-05-24T14:17:00.000+12:002013-05-27T21:26:33.462+12:00Middle Distance Stare<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My wonderful crazy friend Jennie is a painter, world famous
in Ngahinapouri. Her paintings of mad fluro cows, dead fish and the stunning scenery
around here are becoming very popular. See here for yourself: <a href="http://www.thedistractedpainter.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">Jennie's blog</a> and <a href="http://jenniedegroot.com/" target="_blank">Jennie's website</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(btw she takes commissions </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">She painted this,
called ‘Middle Distance Stare’, the kind of look you get in your eyes when someone
asks you a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> tricky question. This
is what she imagined she needed to see.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Qbn5wEz7ig/UZ7MMIMoFPI/AAAAAAAAAJU/NOT6pAwRiVI/s1600/0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Qbn5wEz7ig/UZ7MMIMoFPI/AAAAAAAAAJU/NOT6pAwRiVI/s1600/0.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I tried to think what question would throw me, and for parents,
I think our biggest worry is what our kids, as teenagers, might get up to. I
like to think I’m pretty liberal (cough & spluttering!) but still,
I think I’d be shocked if my kids got involved in the KKK (or whatever the kiwi
version of it is – the KKKK?), or into serious drugs. The legal ones are enough
of a problem! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hence, this nice little naïve story… </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Think of the painting as you read it!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span> </div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Middle distance stare<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
‘So why did your daughter run away, do you think, Mrs
Johnson?’ The officer’s voice was soft, but the uniform and the stark
surroundings made the question harsh and accusing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She stared out past the concrete walls, the bare desk and
empty chair, through the tiny window, into the middle distance, as if the
clouded sky could provide an answer where she could not.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why did anyone do anything? Why would a child run away from
a warm, loving home, to live on the streets with the waifs and strays? She
didn’t even know this child any more. How could she know what she was thinking?
<o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">‘I really don’t know,’ she murmured. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“How about the pills? Where might she have got those from?’ </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A sickening feeling lurched in her stomach. Her child - her
baby- using drugs. She knew it was commonplace amongst teenagers these days,
but that didn’t make it all right for her child. The fears of her own
teenagehood and the warnings instilled in her about pot and dreaded heroin came
flooding back. It had all seemed so distant, so American, to ‘use’, that the
warnings just seemed superfluous, back then. But the whole new world of party
drugs, of pill-popping, was so much more accessible, so much more acceptable
today, no wonder her daughter just had to try it for herself. That’s what teens
did, after all, experiment. But not her child. Not ever. Until now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p>‘I really don’t know,’ she repeated. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her mind remained as clouded as the sky, as she tried to
focus on the issue before her. She thought of the baby in her arms, the toddler
running around in just a T shirt and nappy, the child with bouncing curls and a
curiosity about the world. She had always felt like she had a strong, loving
relationship with her gorgeous child. Come the teenage years she had struggled
with the usual problems, see-sawing on the parenting scale between being too
demanding, too disciplined, too harsh, and then the next day too lenient, too
forgiving, too helpful when the child needed rescuing. It was all such a
struggle, such a learning curve. Children came with no instruction manual, and
even if they did, it would need to be constantly updated as the child grew and
changed. She had hoped that she could, in the end, just rely on the
relationship, the unconditional love, to see them through all the hassles- the
untidiness; the rudeness; the manner of dress – or undress, as it might be; the
disagreement about choice of friends; the lack of focus on schoolwork; the
reliance on technology for communication with friends…. The list went on. But
this, this was something beyond imagination, this was scary. This was real
life, at the wrong end of the scale.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p>The coldness of the building was not offset by the heat
blasting from the heatpump. She followed the officer down the corridor to a
further desk, this one loaded with paper in front of a harassed looking
policewoman.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p>‘Officer Roberts will help you fill out the paperwork before
you take your daughter home. You’ll get the court notice in the mail some time
in the next week.’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A lump in her stomach sat like cold porridge at the sound of
the unfamiliar terms. She skimmed the papers put in front of her and signed
where she was told to. She wrapped her coat tighter around herself, and
followed the officer to a lobby to wait until her daughter was brought to her. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The vignette from her imagination of her child running to
her, throwing herself in her arms and sobbing ‘Mum, mum, I’m so sorry’ was
quickly replaced by the reality of a surly teen, barely looking up through her
mascara-smeared panda eyes, who sulkily followed her out the swing doors into
the evening air. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They drove the fifteen minutes home in silence. What was
there to say, to ask, that could help make sense of this predicament?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As they came to the last stretch of road before reaching the
place they called home, the girl finally looked up. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p>‘Thanks for picking me up, Mum,’ she said, barely audibly. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p>Taking one hand from the steering wheel, she reached over
and touched her daughter’s arm gently, but warmly. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p>Their eyes locked for hardly a second, just enough to make
her heart skip a beat. She caught her breath before returning her stare to the
road, into the middle distance beyond. Was that, there in the grey clouded sky,
way out to the right, just the tiniest speck of blue daring to show itself, on
the horizon?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-29757419609926002372013-05-15T15:43:00.000+12:002013-05-27T21:27:09.779+12:00<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 4.5pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tuesday
Morning Grumps<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Okay, I promised something a bit more light-hearted, this
time. So try this on for size – a poemy-story thing I wrote for children,
called ‘Tuesday Morning Grumps’. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Contrary to popular opinion, writing for children is the
HARDEST writing to do- every word has to count, language has to be ‘fresh’, can’t
be preachy, has appeal to kids, empower them and ideally be fun and/or funny,
and if you make it rhyming it’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">DOUBLY
HARD</b> – rhythm and cadence have to be <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">perfect</b>,
rhymes have to be original, the story still has to ‘move along’ and it has to
fit in a 32 page children’s book layout. All in all, a TALL order. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You know how Tuesday mornings are? – Too long since the
weekend to remember how that felt, DAYS before the next one so it’s too soon to
even start looking forward to. It seem like Tuesday mornings <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are when your socks get gets lost, the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>washing won’t get dry, you run out of milk,
the cat spews up…. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even put something special
like a fruit string (“It’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fruit,</i> not
lollies </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">”) in
the kids’ lunch boxes for ‘Cheer-up Tuesday’ so they actually have something
to look forward to on a Tuesday. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kids’ books aren’t meant to be preachy, but I still wanted
to get a message across, - that we all have days like ‘em and the ‘Tuesdays’ in
our lives come & go any day of the week. By making the 'Grumps' a kind of a imaginary monster, I hoped kids would get the idea that they can control how they react to them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Just gotta go with it, and turn the page of the calendar….!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em><strong>Read the poem to your kids & tell me how they react :)</strong></em></blockquote>
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jJ-58wq-1bQ/UZMDGTPI2oI/AAAAAAAAAJE/J2bE9jfgvLs/s1600/120px-Crystal_Clear_app_date.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jJ-58wq-1bQ/UZMDGTPI2oI/AAAAAAAAAJE/J2bE9jfgvLs/s1600/120px-Crystal_Clear_app_date.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beware
the Tuesday Morning Grumps!<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You wake up one morning, a Tuesday, let’s say.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It seems like a perfectly promising day,</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">but the moment your toes touch the cold wooden floor</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All your warm cosy dreams seem to fly out the door.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everything, anything, starts to go wrong. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The day looms ahead looking dreary and long.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beware- it’s the Tuesday
Morning Grumps! <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They get in your hair and they fluff it about-</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Impossible knots that you’ll never get out.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They hide your left sock somewhere under the bed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You crawl down to get it and bump goes your head! </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They mess with your mind ‘til you can’t even</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> choose </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">which clothes to wear with your favourite shoes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beware- it’s the Tuesday
Morning Grumps!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They make porridge go cold and burn all your toast </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and use up the strawberry jam you love most.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then they spill orange juice all over your books</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">so your Mum gives you one of those ‘not again’ looks.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You go to the bathroom, the toothpaste’s all squeezed
up. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The basin’s disgusting, like someone has sneezed up. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beware- it’s the Tuesday
Morning Grumps!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They mess up your homework, like the dog has chewed
it. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your library book looks as if someone has glued it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They make your bag heavy, though your lunch isn’t in
it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You’re rushing and racing ‘till the very last minute. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You stub your big toe but there’s no time to fuss,</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">if you don’t hurry up, you’ll be late for the bus.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beware- it’s the Tuesday
Morning Grumps!</span></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">
</span></i>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></i><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But as Tuesday wears on, they get tired and lazy</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of thinking up tricks to make you go crazy!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Things start to go better, they slink sadly away</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It turns out, after all, to be quite a good day.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By bedtime that night, you’ve rid the Grumps from your
head.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thinking ‘what a great day’, you snuggle down into
bed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But…..</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beware the Wednesday morning
grumps!</span></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-36423159253871865712013-05-06T15:37:00.000+12:002013-05-27T21:28:11.805+12:00A moment of remembrance
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This month marks 5 years since my Dad and brother died, both
of cancer, within 10 days of each other. Now there’s a story – truth is
stranger than fiction after all! The poem is pretty much Johnny, straight up,
and attempts to note that story. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<o:p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Remembering John<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>who
shares my father’s name and for many years, the same address</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">John, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> w</span>ho
never spoke, withdrawn, surly, silent, rude, to the fury of my father</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John,
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>who called me a “bloody little
nuisance” and had no regards for the picture of a tractor I had drawn him for
Christmas</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John,<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span> who went to Holland, his first big OE, and
came back talking so much we couldn’t shut him up</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>who
married and had 4 children, now all grown up and having children of their own</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>who
loved his farm and his cows, his tractors and his motorbikes</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John,
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>who once said he’d “sell the bloody
lot and move to town” except that he wouldn’t know what to do with himself</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John,
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>who once told me he didn’t know if
land would keep increasing in value, but he did know they weren’t making any
more of it </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>who
sat and told me stories at a party, after a beer or 2, and laughed and talked
for hours</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>who
was told shortly after his 50<sup>th</sup> birthday (what a party!) that he had
a brain tumour</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>who
quietly resigned himself to his fate, saying ‘what else can I do?’</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John,<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span> who, when my mother asked what he would
like for his 51<sup>st</sup> birthday, quietly asked for 20 more years please</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John,
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>who I sat with in hospitals and homes,
at bedsides, holding his hand, talking, taking him out from those four walls
when he could manage it</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>the
stoic farmer, who called a spade a bloody spade</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>who
quietly died on his own one night</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">John,
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>who, 10 days later, called our father,
with whom he shares a name, and once again, the same address</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: xx-small;">
</span></div>
</o:p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I’ve said before, death & tragedy bring forth poems
and stories, as my way of learning to deal with it. ‘Spring heart’ is just a
simple story about an old man experiencing his last moments, as I wondered what
that must really feel like. I guess I’ll never be able to really find out how
close I come. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, don't stress about the state of my mental health. But we all go through tough stuff, and I am thinking of friends as they 'take their turn'. Hopefully these pieces will connect to them and help them accept what is happening as a normal part of life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Promise -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>after this
some more light–hearted pieces! </span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Spring Heart<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He had been waiting for this moment all his
life. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And now that it was here, it caught him by
surprise, really. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He had been expecting it for years. Well,
for always. Who could ever presume they had a tomorrow? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But he hadn’t expected it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">today</i>. There was nothing to mark this
day as momentous.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As the pains came and went in waves, bands
of tightness across his chest, he gasped for air, knowing that this was,
indeed, the day. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He reached for his chest, as if holding his
heart would encourage it to go on just a little longer. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He had just sat down at the kitchen table
with his morning coffee, feeling slightly dizzy and nauseous after his usual short
walk to collect the post from the mail box. Daphne was in town, she would be
away for hours. So it was just him, his coffee, the morning paper, his blossoming
spring garden through the plated glass, and the coronary. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Spring. How ironic. Spring was meant to be
a time of growth, of renewal. But not for him.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was true. Your life did flash past your
eyes. But his was more like a slow 8mm movie, with flickers and scratches, grey
and disjointed, just like those old movies he took in the 70s when the kids
were little and home movie cameras were new. He saw the boys, in their little
checked rompers, splashing in the paddling pool. He saw Valerie, coy and
pretty, like first loves should be. How she had stolen his heart! They had married
way too young, people said it wouldn’t last, but the cancer took her long
before complacency and divorce could. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He looked around. Perhaps if he could just
reach his coffee. He would have preferred water, but the kitchen sink was a
marathon away. His shaking hand knocked the cup, the coffee spilt to make a
footbath in the saucer. He had always hated that, growled at Daphne whenever
she delivered his coffee already slopping around the ankles of the cup. How
petty those irritants seemed now. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Perhaps she would get sick of shopping and
come home early? Perhaps he could reach the phone on the sideboard? He chuckled
inwardly. She would never have remembered her mobile, much less have it fully
charged and switched on. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Daphne. Sweet, obliging, grey-haired,
Daphne. They had been good for each other in these later years. Company.
Caring. She had that wicked sense of humour which kept him on his toes. Pushed
him out to join the bridge club, take up bowls, attend the rose competitions -
do things no self-respecting farmer would have done without a woman to cajole
him into it. She would be devastated to find him here, slouched in his chair,
at the kitchen table. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">His breath came short and sharp now,
matching the pains which spread from his heart, throughout his body. The heart-
that symbol of love. Ironic, again, that it should be the thing to kill him. He’d
spent all his life working for love. The years on the farm, the miles of fences
he had built; the hours he had spent walking up and down the pit in the milking
shed,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>putting on and taking cups off
cows; the hay he had cut, raked, baled, stacked in the barn and fed out to the
stock; the ragwort he had pulled; the drenching... It was all for the people he
had loved. The portraits drifted through his memory as his consciousness faded
in and out. His boys, his wives, his family, his mates- yes, even his mates.
That had been love, although no kiwi bloke would ever use that word out loud. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He felt poised on a precipice. The pain
kept him still very much in this life, but he teetered on the brink of whatever
came next. Is this how a caterpillar felt as it wove its cocoon? Did it have
any consciousness of the process, if not the destination? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Thoughts of his sons flashed through his
consciousness. They had both done well, but neither of them had followed him
onto the farm. Perhaps he had been too hard on them, expected too much, wanted
them to be who they were not? How would they take the news? Gary, in Sydney, a partner
in some fancy accountant’s firm. Having to take a few days off for Dad’s
funeral. Bit of a nuisance. Slight regret he hadn’t stayed a few days longer
last Christmas. Phil, in Auckland, living the vibrant gay lifestyle. How had
that happened to a good kiwi farm boy? It didn’t matter now, anyway, he
thought. They were good kids. Men. They were men now. Good men. He’d done a
good job on them really. They were kind, hard working, good blokes. Valerie
would be proud. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A new wave of pain shot through his chest,
extending from his breastbone, up to his throat, a strangulating, suffocating
pain. It pushed up through his neck, his jaw, his shoulder, crippling, shooting
pain, nothing like the angina he had ignored for years.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Years. Seventy seven, he had had, nearly seventy
eight. A fair old innings, although you always hope for at least 5 more. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it had to end sometime, somehow. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">His moment had come. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And now that it was here, he wished he
could go back and do each moment again, laugh more, worry less; play more, work
less; love more, argue less. But it was too late for regrets. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In the end, it all came down to him. Just
him, on his own. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He had lived. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He had had the gift of life.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He had done what he had done; he had not
done, what he had not done. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With a final closing of his eyes, he let it
be.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
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</div>
Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-2571081336838538542013-04-26T20:08:00.002+12:002013-05-27T21:28:40.606+12:00Linseed Oil
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is a short short story. I hope it is long enough to
convey the intended meaning….</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Often stories come to me from one phrase that I heard in a
totally different context, and I make up a whole new scenario from. This one is
a mixture of the real feeling I had of being first pregnant (mainly the nausea)
back in the days on two incomes when we could afford new furniture, and the
line ‘I guess we love one another’ from another couple of dear friends, whose
fate was sealed together at something seemingly offhand and random. Happily, they
are still together, unlike this fictional pair (there, now I’ve gone and told
you the ending in case it was too subtle).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Linseed
Oil</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">The wood was as dry and sallow as some of
the books contained on its shelves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">“About time someone did this,” he said, the
words in themselves an accusation against her. “This ought to fix it. Been in
the shed awhile. Should still be good though. Don’t think this stuff goes off.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">As soon as the lid was removed, the smell
of the linseed oil permeated the room. Almost immediately she choked back a dry
retch. It was as if her olfactory cells had the reaction imprinted upon them.</span> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">It threw her back 13 years, to that first
dreaded excitement of knowing she contained a life within. The bookshelf had
been new, the unmistakeable linseed smell wafted through the house. Each
morning as she rose to get breakfast, the smell hit her first, followed by a
wave of nausea. Then came the fear, which sat cold and hard, somewhere deep in
her belly, near the soft, warm tissue that was to become another person.</span> </span></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">She remembers telling him of her suspicions,
almost as a weapon in a heated conversation about their unlikely future
together. The arguments had been thick and fast, and now they mixed with words
of blame and anger. Neither had planned on a baby, and indeed, each had been
secretly planning a different future. A simple test result would decide their
future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Although they both awaited it, the shrill,
demanding telephone ring made them jump. He was the one who answered, nodded
resolutely, and said ‘I see. Thank you,’ as he hung up the receiver. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">“Well, I guess we love each other then.”
was all he said.</span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Almost without question, their lives had merged
after that. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">And now, two further lifetimes later, the
stench of the linseed oil still made her physically ill. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">“No. I was wrong. It goes off alright.” Too
late, he resealed the lid. But the smell had already escaped and like an ethereal
genie, could not be put back. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Their gaze held longer than was necessary. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">“I’ll be off then,” he said lightly, and he
firmly shut the door behind him, still carrying the jar of oil. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-75731913581203667152013-04-19T14:45:00.003+12:002013-05-27T21:29:11.069+12:00Confessions of a Coffee-holic<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CVYOK953J28/UXCrjG4Px2I/AAAAAAAAAIk/Xrdl371y4T4/s1600/0ff5b6738c786d6da21db193483c8aaa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CVYOK953J28/UXCrjG4Px2I/AAAAAAAAAIk/Xrdl371y4T4/s1600/0ff5b6738c786d6da21db193483c8aaa.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My name is Monique Reymer and I’ve been a coffee-holic for
most of my adult life.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There. Now it’s out in the open.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those of you who know
me, this will come as no surprise, merely a confirmation of what you already
suspected.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t know if there is a cure. I’m not sure I want one. My
new-ish coffee machine and I have an on-going relationship of mutual affection
(Okay, its mainly one-sided- I adore it, I’m not sure it realises I exist), and
it has ‘bought’ me many a friend, who, in our café deficient rural area,
happily come to imbibe at my place. I’m sure it’s just the coffee they’re
after. I usually just have two – or 3 – coffees before midday, and no obvious
serious side effects to date. I blame (or credit) my Dutch heritage. The Dutch
always have a ‘second’ everything – a ‘second cup,’ a ‘second drink’ and they
even have a ‘second Christmas Day’!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A warm up exercise
in the online writing course I have been doing was to ‘eat a piece of food and use it as a starter to write about’. I had my
steaming, freshly brewed cup of coffee on the desk beside me, so it felt appropriate
to use that as my subject. I had fun writing this and even more fun reading it
to my friends one morning (over coffee, of course). </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This got me thinking seriously about 'spoken poetry' or 'poetry slams' as it is called in the business. If you
have never had the joy of experiencing this, check out ‘Sarah Kay’ as a good example. Her ‘if I should
have a daughter’ was on a TED talk which I<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
luuurved</i>. </span><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sarah Kay, TED talk: 'If I should have a daughter'</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> or this one with </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6wJl37N9C0" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Katie Makkai - Pretty</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I always did like public speaking (weird, I know. Most people
hate it. I am a ‘closet exhibitionist’- lol. ) So I may be working more
seriously on Spoken Poetry in future – watch this space- but for now, have a
coffee as you read:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">COFFEE</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
You can spend three hours a day playing the piano,
practising and practising until every last note is perfect, the rhythm and
cadence faultless, the nuance and emotion effortless. And then you play the
performance piece, and it is done. If you don’t keep up the practice, it won’t
stay perfect. You are only ever as good as your last performance. It’s not like
a painting you can put on the wall, and say ‘see, look how good I once was’,
even if you never paint again. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p> </o:p>Coffee is not like that. Coffee is like the piano. It
doesn’t matter how many you have, if today’s is better or worse than
yesterday’s. All that matters is the coffee you have <em>right now</em>. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p> </o:p>It starts with the aroma, long before the first drop is
drunk. Scent wafts in the air, luring the senses of even the non-believers who
stick to their herbal teas, teasing the nostrils and seducing the saliva
glands. Then there is the ritual of the making – the whirr and hum of the
grinder, the hiss and splutter of the milk frother, the gurgle and chug of the
coffee maker, combining to make a symphony of impending caffeine. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
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The product itself is a sight to make many a barista swell
with a sense of proud satisfaction. Soft milky whiteness, with an artful
scattering of cinnamon dust on the snowy surface, hides the true content of the
black, inky bitterness lurking beneath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>The cup, too, an important part in the illusion- sturdy, but
beautiful; graceful, but functional; bright, but practical. The mere movement
of lifting it to one’s lips, the aroma coming at full force towards the
unsuspecting nose, the<span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> flavour</span>
ready to attack the innocent taste buds, are worthy the drama of a full length
feature film. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Then, finally; The Tasting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The foaminess of the milk, the smoothness of the blend, the gentle
bitterness soothed by the hint of cinnamon, swirl around the mouth in a
dizzying combination, rendering the brain<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> defenceless</span> as it is at once both drugged by the headiness of
the brew, and then shocked, as if struck by a lightning bolt in the mouth.
Alert now, the body admits defeat, as it succumbs to the giddying effects of a
brew well made, well presented, and well imbibed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
The concerto is complete. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
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The audience rise to a standing ovation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Today’s coffee was good.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-62194615615560390212013-04-08T14:56:00.003+12:002013-04-09T11:42:26.305+12:00Alternative Realities<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Seeing the newspaper report of the 2 Degrees CEO & his
wife being hauled out of their crashed wreckage off the coast of Raglan (not
far from here) is somewhat poignant for me, as my partner is also a private
pilot, as is his father – it’s been in his blood ever since he was a lad. There
are no guarantees for any of us - every time we jump in a car, we take a risk
of not making our destination. Flying is no different- there some increased
risks (especially with aerobatics like he does!), but there are less idiots up there in the
sky. Pilots are by nature very cautious folk, but still, sometimes sh*t
happens, as it must have for the Hertz couple. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arohanui.</span></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8OsCwdgZn_E/UWIv6ju-omI/AAAAAAAAAH0/RGG4MxqCUWs/s1600/Jan-July2010+357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8OsCwdgZn_E/UWIv6ju-omI/AAAAAAAAAH0/RGG4MxqCUWs/s320/Jan-July2010+357.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I write, inevitably I draw on my own life experiences.
It may be as simple as a line I overhear which sparks an idea, which leads to a
story, or it may be an actual experience I have gone through. The tricky thing is
to write about these incidents without indicting anyone – including myself! So
of course I change characters/scenes/ plots/ outcomes from the original, but
still some may recognize the original occurrence. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What you will never know is which bits are
real and which bits I made up! </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LHaVtD2K54s/UWIvgohXmYI/AAAAAAAAAHo/TaQsjYMtmmA/s1600/Jan-July2010+384+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LHaVtD2K54s/UWIvgohXmYI/AAAAAAAAAHo/TaQsjYMtmmA/s320/Jan-July2010+384+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One day I am going to take these stories I made up from real-life
jump-off points and publish them in a book called ‘Alternative realities: things
that might have happened but didn’t”.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This story will definitely be in it:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Elements.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I watch the clouds every day from my hilltop home, forming
shapes and patterns over the landscape. As individual as personalities, no two
clouds are ever the same. Some days they are painted streaks against the azure
blue sky, wisps of<span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> vapour</span>
I can almost taste as a hint of lemon in an icy sorbet. Then there are days the
balls of cotton fluff dance along the sky, animal shapes which contort and
change as they race in the wind. Other days, they hang full and heavy, pregnant
with rain, threatening, menacing.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He should have known
better than to take off that day.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p>And the sunsets. Oh, the sunsets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the sun leans down in the western sky
beyond the mountain, the last gorgeous golden rays radiated each day are taken
by the clouds and enhanced. Silver linings shine out behind cumulus, fingers of
light stretch through between cirrus, every slightest hint of colour is
reflected and refracted to produce a rainbow of not just the usual orange and
red and gold, but tangerine and cerise and mauve and peach, yes, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">peach</i> - into the indigo evening
sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Take offs are
optional, only landings are compulsory’, he often joked, not listening to his
own advice.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
Clouds. So innocuous. Almost nothing at all. Just vapour.
Untouchable, unobtainable. You can walk right through them. So harmless, so
innocent, so stunningly beautiful. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><o:p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">‘Metservice says it’s
clearing,’ he justified to himself, as he packed his headset.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Swan feathers and tutus, light and airy in the blue sky,
innocently hid the angry grey turbulence which brewed just beyond. As if a
frustrated artist had wielded her paintbrush haphazardly, dabbing and streaking
the sky with violence, the storm fermented far to the west, clandestinely challenging
the blue sky.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">‘It’s just a quick
trip to the coast. I’ll be back by 5. Saves hours of driving.’ He kissed me
goodbye, same as any morning.</span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p>In winter, the clouds cannot hold themselves up and fall
silently to the ground. Some days it is porridge thick; other days, so light
that a halo of sun glows through, silhouetting the trees in a hazy shroud. People
grumble, complaining about the fog, cursing the coveting blanket that surrounds
us. But it is these mornings I choose to go out, walking amongst the mist along
the country roads, claiming the fog as my own in the same way the Scottish
claim the ‘mist in the Glen’. I embrace it, as it embraces me. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He rang the airfield
where he planned to land. ‘It’s clear. Just a little bit of drizzle,’ they
said. His instincts should have told him to be wary. Drizzle does not fall out
of blue sky.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></i>I am fascinated how I cannot see further than a hundred
metres around myself, but as I draw closer to something, it gradually becomes
visible until it is part of my landscape. Meanwhile, behind me, what I have
passed by is enshrouded in mist. A metaphor for life - the future stands before
us,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we know not what it holds until we
get close enough to it, while behind us, our past is soon lost in the fading
mists of memory. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He had been flying for
years. Flying was in his genes, in his blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was a cautious man, a good pilot. Who knows what else was on his
mind, that influenced his decision making that day? And what, now, did it
matter, anyway?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p>I loved the way the clouds could change my perspective of
the mountain, daily. Once I took photos of it at the same time each day for a
month. Some days the mountain lay long and languid as a sleeping goddess on the
landscape, picture book fluffy clouds dotted around like in a child’s painting.
Other days the mountain had completely disappeared, covered in cloud as if a
blanket had been hung before it. If you did not know the area, you would never
believe there was a whole mountain range just there, just beyond the green
grass and kahikatea trees in the foreground. But my favourite scene was when the
clouds would intersperse themselves between the peaks and valleys of the
mountain, changing the two dimensional scene to a series of foothills and furrows,
closer crags and more distant ridges. Suddenly the mountain range became
visible in three indomitable dimensions, with the depth and perspective an
artist would have appreciated. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Who would choose the
job of a weather forecaster? How can they ever know what might blow in from the
coast, island country that we are. It changes so quickly. Most days it doesn’t
matter at all, if you get caught in an unexpected shower or happen to wear a
layer too many on a warmer than expected day. But some days, it can be life
changing. </i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This day, the sun peeked through the uncertain clouds, some
high, some low, some racing through the sky on a fervent wind, while above
lurked the greyer, more solid clouds, in no hurry to go anywhere. Knees damp on
the grass, my mind drifts with them as I dig, turn, work the soil, planting
bulbs. There is something elemental about the smell of freshly turned earth.
Perhaps it is our soul responding to the reminder that therein lies the origin
of our body - dust to dust, ashes to ashes.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The small aircraft had
set out below the bank of high cloud, flying uneventfully across the plains.
Tufts of light fairy-cloud kept him company as he watched the road twist and
turn below. There is such a feeling of freedom, defying gravity and several
other laws of physics, soaring above the intricacies of the everyday, bringing
all his senses alive. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The lifelessly dry, flaky-skinned bulbs are placed in the
damp soil, hope buried for the spring, when the tulips and daffodils would fill
the air with their carefree scent, at the end of what would be a bleak, lonely
winter.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The flat land soon
gave way to foothills, before he entered the valley with walls of green native bush
on either side. Pockets of blue above the distant range hinted at promise and
possibility. As he flew further into the valley, the land rose up to meet him
from below and the hillsides grew closer. Gradually, the clouds drew in from
above, the range ahead became grey. The small plane circled lower and lower, searching
for a clear patch between the clouds. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The first rain fell fat and cold, not just droplets but
spoonfuls of water, in riverlets down my neck, sending me inside. Dirt still
clumped beneath my nails, I put the kettle on. Steam formed clouds of its own,
trickling down the glass as it hit the inside of the window, matching those on
the outside pane. Quietly, I sat
drinking tea, reading the paper, having a perfectly pleasant morning, oblivious
to what was just out of sight, just beyond the fog that was yet to clear.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There were no clear
patches, anymore. White, fluffy vapour had crept in from all sides, called to
the valley floor as the temperature had dropped. The plane circled frantically,
like a fly in a trap. Up or down were the only choices. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The water that fell freely, innocently, outside, had sent me
indoors to shelter. Yet once inside, I sought its sustenance. Water. One could
float on it or drown in it. An element, both vital and lethal, changing form
and potency at whim, it seemed. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">'Down’ were trees,
rocks, rivers. ‘Up’ were clouds, storm, rain, and eventually blue sky. While
the earth may be overcast, always, above the cloud, was sunshine and infinite
blue sky. It was the best of a bad choice.</span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I lit the fire. It was not particularly cold, but a fire
helped dry out the air, clear the dampness that had surrounded the house as the
clouds closed in. The wood was solid and fragrant, a hint of the pine tree it once
was, still clinging to it. The match struck immediately. I watched the flames
lick and flicker at the paper and tinder dry pinecones. Fire- beautiful,
innocent, innocuous - when contained. Deadly, if let loose. Vital, yet lethal. I
shut the door to the fire box firmly. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Up’ were also the
valley walls. Trees, rocks, streams tumbling into cascading waterfalls to the
valley floor far below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Visual Flight
Rulebook and all training cast aside, ‘up’ he went, the embracing, encompassing
clouds forbidding him from seeing the future, until it was upon him. And in
that instant, there was nothing he could do to change it. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Five o’clock came and went. ‘No news is good news,’ I told
myself, trying not to watch the clock. And I would be proven right. There would
be no news that was good news, that night. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There was no body to recover.
The plane had burst into flames, a scorch mark on the hillside his
epitaph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had always said he wanted to
be cremated. His body turned to vapour, his DNA intermingling with the
beautiful, turbulent clouds that blew from the west, bringing rain inland. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The young officer had clearly not had experience at this
before. This was a small town, it didn’t happen very often. It was certainly
the first time in his short career. I almost felt sorry for him, wanted to
comfort <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">him</i> in his awkward task. I
already knew, of course. There could be no other possibilities. I had sensed him
in the rain clouds as I breathed in their density. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">There would be just a
small article in tomorrow’s paper. Two lines, under the headline ‘Light Plane Crash’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His name, in black ink on white
newsprint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">People drew in, like clouds, around me, encircling me,
enshrouding me, their sympathy a stifling blanket which threatened to suffocate
me. The vaporous clouds had turned to liquid and I was drowning in a sea of
grief, only some of it mine. Why do people bring food, food and more food, when
sadness fills the stomach with its dull ache, allowing nothing else to enter?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I escape from the silent din made by these friendly
strangers in my house and walk out, into the cool refreshing mist that the
evening has brought. The worst of the storm has blown over, and the stars begin
to dare show their faces and between the drifting clouds.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Light. If it were not for the darkness, we would never see
the stars, even though they are always there. Deep within, I know this night
will pass, the morning will shine again tomorrow. There will be clouds, there
will be rain, there will be fire and water and light, but for now, I let the
last of the storm clouds that took him wrap themselves around me, as his arms
would have that night, and I sink into their </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">embrace for
one last time. </span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-78755636628927167982013-03-20T12:47:00.001+13:002013-04-03T09:02:28.211+13:00Japan - Warning Holiday snaps!<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently I ticked one of my dreams off my bucket list- to take my family to Japan, where I have lived for two years. The first time was 30 years ago (do the maths!) as a Rotary Exchange student, in a lovely town called Tokamachi (which means '10-day town' as they had a market there on the 10th of every month, which I thought was so cool until I realised nearby was a 6-day town, a 4-day town....) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tokamachi is in 'yukiguni' (snow country) and as such, holds an amazing snow festival every year as a way to 'make friends with the snow', a good move since they have 3 - 4 metres of it for four or five months every year. There were snow statues all around town, and the main event was a concert of some famous Japanese singers we'd never heard of, singing here:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pMz7ogCuf2M/UUj0Z6U-yKI/AAAAAAAAAFM/clh588hseKU/s1600/IMG_0851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pMz7ogCuf2M/UUj0Z6U-yKI/AAAAAAAAAFM/clh588hseKU/s400/IMG_0851.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main Stage of the snow festival</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w9RU0Lsz9YI/UUkI9uQbe0I/AAAAAAAAAG4/eZr4ks1hAqE/s1600/131IMG_0878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w9RU0Lsz9YI/UUkI9uQbe0I/AAAAAAAAAG4/eZr4ks1hAqE/s320/131IMG_0878.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanabi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Fireworks in Japanese is 'hanabi' - literally 'flower fire'. (Wouldn't it be cool to make up new words in a language?) btw, you can see the size of the ship now, with the kimono clad models, unknown famous singers and lines of red tracksuit wearing school students (it was held on their school sports grounds, after all). Note the snow covered Christmas trees in the background- sooo pretty I want to weep!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ID8CjpZ1CY0/UUj32AmWCHI/AAAAAAAAAFk/fNvi9_d0zGQ/s1600/115-2013-02-17_11-33-30_109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ID8CjpZ1CY0/UUj32AmWCHI/AAAAAAAAAFk/fNvi9_d0zGQ/s320/115-2013-02-17_11-33-30_109.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the snow sculptures around town</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We saw snow monkeys who keep warm in natural hotpools in the snow</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V4mn4yCfdfI/UUkKszgWfdI/AAAAAAAAAHA/C05JVGBkZrM/s1600/279-IMG_1208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V4mn4yCfdfI/UUkKszgWfdI/AAAAAAAAAHA/C05JVGBkZrM/s200/279-IMG_1208.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">and had a go at tea ceremony at the Buddhist temple where I used to learn 'ocha' (tea) and 'ohana' (flower arranging - ikebana)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dKBVVSQGk9Q/UUkMEdIl04I/AAAAAAAAAHI/U6FklqomEeU/s1600/241-SAM_3869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dKBVVSQGk9Q/UUkMEdIl04I/AAAAAAAAAHI/U6FklqomEeU/s320/241-SAM_3869.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We also went on to a gorgeous little alpine village called Nozawa Onsen for some fantastic powder skiing. Onsen is the Japanese word for hot pool, rather like the geothermal hotpools we have in Rotorua, NZ. However, in Japan,onsen are for bathing, not swimming, the difference being (much to my children's digust) one does not wear anything in the water! Needless to say, they refused to join me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our last night in Nozawa left me with a strong impression, which epitomised everything I love about Japan (excluding the food).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It led to this short story: </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JbnRTwA1MUQ/UUj3EQ4G4kI/AAAAAAAAAFY/-m932rItUXQ/s1600/IMG_1445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JbnRTwA1MUQ/UUj3EQ4G4kI/AAAAAAAAAFY/-m932rItUXQ/s200/IMG_1445.JPG" width="133" /></a><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Onsen<sup>*</sup> on a snowy night<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;">(</span></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;">*
Japanese style natural hotpool)</span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The flakes fall thick and fast, white jewels in the darkness, melting
into the wet black tar or disappearing into the mounds that have built up on
what must have once been footpaths. The streetlights glisten with daggers of
ice dripping from the glass shades, the snowflakes catching their glow for a
final visible moment. All along the roadsides, candles light up the snowy path,
flickering in their decorated paper surrounds, welcoming, luring, encouraging,
in the cold. The faint smell of sulphur lures me on as I study the neon signs,
decoding the scripted characters until I spot one with ‘lady’ in handwritten
English under the Japanese symbol for ‘woman’. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M5OoSYlbrac/UUj30Mig4tI/AAAAAAAAAFg/0utcoOiLeCk/s1600/127d-SAM_4001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M5OoSYlbrac/UUj30Mig4tI/AAAAAAAAAFg/0utcoOiLeCk/s200/127d-SAM_4001.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sliding the door to one side, the bathhouse curtain flutters around
my head as I enter the steamy room. At first I go the wrong way, then follow
the lead as I see half-naked women along the opposite wall, their clothes and
towels piled in baskets arranged cubby holes. Shoes stand silently at attention
on the wooden slatted walkway in the changing area. The women smile and nod in
welcome, giggling behind their hands, at the sight of a foreign woman joining
them in their daily ritual. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I crouch at the pool edge, shivering as the bone-chilling snow
permeates the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bare wooden walls
do little to insulate against the stark cold that three metres of snow outside
bestows. Using the small plastic basins provided, I throw mercifully warm water
over myself, washing modestly as other women chat around me. A child beside her
mother has almost finished dressing in fleecy pyjamas with blue and purple
hearts. She stares at me un-self-consciously, wary of the white skin, the
blonde hair and the green eyes smiling back at her. An overcoat protects her
from the snow as she returns to her gas-warmed house and waiting futon.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One woman, on her knees at the pool edge, washes her hair profusely.
Another merrily soaps herself in public, despite her mutilated right breast.
The mood is casual, friendly, cordial. The women come daily, catching up on
gossip and news as they wash their bodies and wash away their day. They know
each others’ families, their homes, their jobs, their worries, their stories.
Problems are aired as are their bodies, the walls protecting their confidences
as well as their privacy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Climbing into the scalding water to soak, I find it hard to equate
the modest, shy people I see each day on the street, in the shops, at the
convenience store, with these women here, happily washing together. The sulphur
smell is almost intoxicating as I watch the water trickling in through a bamboo
pipe. I let my arms and legs float, weightless, not daring to move, for every
movement creates a burning sensation on my skin, as it turns to bright
pig-pink. The women beside me giggle, reciting ‘atsui, atsui, atsui’ under
their breath, as if admitting how hot it is will somehow make it more bearable.
I feel relieved that they too feel the heat, and that it is not just my white gaijin
body that is not used to the searing water. I breathe deeply, lying back, my
head supported by the cold stone edge of the pool. “Ichi-go, ichi-e” I think.
This moment called ‘now’ will not return, and so I treasure it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dried and reclad, encased in a down jacket, I trudge home back
through the falling snow to our Japanese Inn, each snowflake living its moment
as it falls to the ground. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that
falling, it is doing its living, whether anyone is there to see it or not. Toes
pulsating with warmth, I melt the snow with my leather-clad footsteps, which
are promptly re-covered in soft petals of snow. Somehow, deep in my warmed-up bones,
I know I will be back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com0Japan37.195330582800651 139.262695312535.555441582800654 136.6809083125 38.835219582800647 141.8444823125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3404062115290794170.post-20140937654188805982013-03-20T11:33:00.000+13:002013-03-27T15:10:48.295+13:00Better than silence?<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And so I jump on the
blogwagon!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<o:p> </o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">With a veritable cacophony of
words already spinning around the stratosphere, I have resisted thus far,
wondering if what I had to say could possibly be 'better than silence'. (Who
knew Pythagoras said something profound other than a<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">2</span></sup>+b<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">2</span></sup>=c<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">2
</span></sup>?).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<o:p> </o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Writing is my natural
reaction to the vagaries life throws us. It is what I do between my other jobs
of parenting four kids/managing a household/being a landlord/running a small
business (kiwifruit farm & a very low-key B&B). <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<o:p> </o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I have always wished I was
Joy Cowley, but apparently that position is already taken. Suffice to be myself
(no-one does that job quite like me!), I intend this blog, then, to make use of
the wonderful, free, expansive gift that is the internet, to get my writing
'out there'. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<o:p> </o:p><br />
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<em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo from Hayla Delano</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Kate De Goldi (of The 10pm
Question- great read for adults & teens, and one that I can relate to as I
often enact my own version of the 10pm discussion in my own home with my
teenage son!) incites us to write, saying we provide 'windows and mirrors' in
our words- windows through which we see other people's lives, and mirrors where
our own lives are reflected back at us. Both windows and mirrors provide more
understanding of ourselves and the situations we find ourselves in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I know the process of writing helps me find windows and mirrors, which brings me closer to discovery of
self. Hopefully along the way you have a good giggle and the odd ‘ah ha’
moment, too. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Arohanui.</span>Moniquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02332409297396832231noreply@blogger.com0