It's been a strange morning and I've only been a participating part of it for three and a half hours. The sun is shining out of a flawless sky and yet I'm sitting in my study hidden away from it. Why? I should be out in the sun doing 'things'. I could go for a ride or visit the open air 'market' or do the garden or even wash and clean the car. But, no, I'm hidden away listening to a Mozart Mass (I've finished the four Brahms Symphonies this morning already) and doing indoor things albeit with the ranch sliders wide apart. So be it.
I picked up the phone earlier to ring a friend and when I scrolled to the phonebook discovered that the software within it had scrambled the contents with the following result:
This is serious. Gone are the days when the telephone had a little slider underneath it (or built in in some cases) with the numbers written on it. I don't know any one's telephone number because they are all stored electronically and provided that I can recall the name of the person I wish to telephone the number will be called at the press of a button. So I'm in a quandary. I expect that I shall simply put a list of numbers on the wall and cope with the massive inconvenience it will cause in my life.
Then I decided that I would treat myself to a bacon buttie (bacon sandwich for those who are not familiar with the term 'buttie') and a cup of tea on the deck for breakfast. Bacon butties are never worth the effort unless made by someone else and, preferably, eaten on the boat crossing between Stornoway and Ullapool at 0630 on a cold winter's morning. But that didn't stop me. Of course it wasn't worth the effort and I'm still trying to get bits of bacon from between my teeth despite possessing every gadget known to dentistry which can be used upon ones self.
I really do not like wasps. I love bees. A bee sting hurts me a great deal more than a wasp's sting. I will quite happily share my space with a bee but not with a wasp. There are a lot of wasps around HeeBeeGeBeEs (The Cottage's proper name) at the moment. And that's what they give me. So I sat having my bacon buttie in the sun with a book and a can of Raid with which to defend myself. So far as I know I avoided actually spraying the buttie but I did score a few direct hits on the wasps.
Then a very peculiar and, in its way, touching thing (in more ways than one) happened. Comet, who had been sitting motionless in between stalking bouts came trotting up (do cats trot?) with a mouse in her mouth. She promptly deposited the gift and demonstration of her prowess on my naked foot. Unfortunately it wasn't dead and, using my foot as a springboard launched a bid for freedom. How do cats move that quickly? Comet got her name from the fact that there was a comet in the sky the night Wendy and Martin acquired her. One might be mistaken for thinking it related to her speed. The last I saw of her she was wandering off towards The House with the mouse in her mouth.
What an exciting life I do lead. I wonder what the rest of the morning will bring. Ah, yes, I forgot:
No. You just never know what life has in store for you.
This is serious. Gone are the days when the telephone had a little slider underneath it (or built in in some cases) with the numbers written on it. I don't know any one's telephone number because they are all stored electronically and provided that I can recall the name of the person I wish to telephone the number will be called at the press of a button. So I'm in a quandary. I expect that I shall simply put a list of numbers on the wall and cope with the massive inconvenience it will cause in my life.
What an exciting life I do lead. I wonder what the rest of the morning will bring. Ah, yes, I forgot:
On a Thursday I take two of the children to the gym and a couple of hours later bring one of them home (Martin picks up Fraser on the way to Sea Scouts). So I have a couple of hours in which to do my shopping or whatever else takes my fancy. Sometimes I take a book or crossword and sit and alternate between reading and watching the gymnasts practice. Sometimes I just fancy a coffee in the sun. Napier has a plethora of wonderful coffee shops. Almost all of which are closed by 5pm. In their defence many open at 0700 and before. But that does not help me when I want a coffee at 5.10pm.
I very rarely stay in bed for more than a few seconds once I have woken up. This morning was different. I lay awake for a good five minutes. Last night the clocks went back. So at 0600 instead of it still being dark the sky was lightening (despite the fact that I was asleep and didn't see it!) and by 0630 the sun was creeping over the rim of the kettle in which The Cottage is situated. I just lay and contemplated the last few days. I am one of the luckiest people in the world.
My Birthday pressie from Wendy and Martin was a visit to the Ballet. It was tonight at the Hawkes Bay Opera House in Hastings. Wendy drove and we met a friend there. I had not been in the building before. I can truthfully say that I have never enjoyed a ballet performance more than this one (and I've seen a few in my time). The emotions and interpretation of the music was absolutely breathtaking. I could have openly wept during the representation of Arvo Pärt's Spiegel im Spieiel. The fun, enthusiasm and electricity between the dancers was a joy to behold. What an absolutely fabulous present.
This 1935 Lagonda which wandered the streets of Napier in February is a real beauty and had the air of a car which is both cherished and used. The mascot is a masterpiece.
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