Peculiar...

...for Knots in the String.

Our weather is peculiar.

If like me, you dislike heat and humidity, thunder and grey skies, then you would hate it. Days of 24-28 Celsius, and dampness so that my hair springs into mad waves that may have been entirely fashionable in the 1920’s, but in this century of straighteners and blow-dries, it’s totally de trop. The humidity sucks the lifeblood, as though one walks with Dracula. It’s unnerving too. Climate change rattling its chains. Our weather pre-Christmas is/was traditionally 18-23’s, and it makes me so angry when I hear the trumps (small ‘t’, never a capital) of this world supporting fossil fuels, deriding environmental activism. My husband works with Pacific Islanders. Ask them what they think about climate change!

Anyway, as I said last week, the grey skies are headache-inducing and thus I must make my own sunshine.

I sneak a swim at one of our ocean beaches whilst the waves are small. The sky is iffy when my friend and I arrive on the beach, despite the warmth of the morning but then, just for an hour, the clouds burn off to Virgin blue and we wander into the water, drifting here and there like loose ribbons of kelp. It’s healing and I’m grateful.

Later, I have a craving for bush sounds and head out to a country road about 5 kms away. I have the whole road to myself and spend the walking time accompanied by bush birds and frogs, delighted that the rain has brought the frogs back. I’m relieved too that I’m at least starting to get out of my head. Since the Terrier passed away, I’ve spent too much time navel-gazing. So the frogs and birds are a good sign.

My last ballet class for ’24 (ten days ago) was fun. We danced to one of my favourite classical tracks, The Second Waltz by Shostakovitch and we’re also learning a barre routine that has gone viral on Tik Tok. Just google ‘Candy Girl ballet on Tik Tok’ and you’ll find quite a few entries but this one is a nice tempo… The odd little set of steps should keep me hopefully nimble through early summer until ballet returns.

I observe that if I turn outward instead of in, subtle pops of light appear: the delicious song of a grey fantail in the garden…

and signs that a magnificent giant white poppy will flower any day.

By the time you read this, we’ll be counting the days (7) until we visit the pups to see which one might choose us. Did I say we have a name? When these latest pics arrived mid-week, I melted that bit more … little butterballs.

We’ll work with Its Not About the Dog online. Zigrid Phillips is gifted with dogs, making sure that any dog has the best chance of a secure, safe home whilst gently reaching its maximum potential. Ziggy has just returned to the mainland for awhile, but has been a friend of ours for many years and we trust her to train us for the dog’s benefit. K9 language is something we are so keen to learn more about – it throws a whole new slant on observing and conversing with dogs.

I talk a lot about dogs, don’t I? So much so, my daughter sent me this:

And gave me these for our Christmas Tree. A position justly earned at the very top.

At night, we watch the last of Shetland Series 8. We’d let it slide as The Terrier began to sicken and really, I wonder why we bother catching up. It makes us (me) stretched, anxious and we (I) want the darkness done. On the other hand, we binge-watch A Man on the Inside with Ted Danson. In turns poignant and then humorous, we love it. But then we’re of an age.

And so, on this peculiar week where the only way to see what the forecast holds is to look out the window, we make our own sparkles, including seeing our grandson dressed as a star for his Prep Nativity. And hold the presses! As I write, I look across the garden and see a cloudless blue sky, almost dropping the laptop in shock. But wait, on going outside, there it is - the grey rolling back in.

See what I mean? Such peculiar weather…

Song for this week? Such a cool song!