Sunset rose (I call it this) starts out as a yellow and orange bud that opens to a pinkish flower that then turns deep red before drying out.
Hand shelled peas and corn cut off the cob – all included in a colourful mix of vegetables in home made pastry for pasties.
Last week was such a difficult week for me – so many times I was so tired and emotional I wanted to throw in the towel, climb into bed and wave the flag of defeat if bothered.
I did not, however, and on saturday night TFG told me that she was glad that I had gone to the effort I had that week because it had been a wonderful week. I kissed her goodnight and was able to say with complete honesty that I was too.
The show our little town runs yearly was this last weekend. The husband and TFG entered the Lego competition, both acting like neurotics as I drove them and their entries up to the hall. The husband placed second and TFG third in their sections and both were very excited and relieved (evidently there was a great deal of stress involved in having these works of art in a public place).
OFG is struggling a bit at the moment – partially our upsie downsie type of year keeping him anxious – his behaviour unpredictable and exhausting. He was meant to be entering the cut flowers display involving an old boot or shoe but chucked a sulk and wouldn’t set it up at the hall. A kind lady came over and hustled him and his flowers together into a sort of display….for which he placed second and won 50c to spend.
Kindness is very evident when a tired Mamma is biting back tears as her enraged five year old loses it in the street – I worry that people will be passing judgement but so far others have only been very gentle with me and him, restoring my faith in empathy and human connection.
Our postie (postal delivery officer) is awesome – she spots me walking back from the school and zips across the street to give me a parcel she couldn’t deliver because I wasn’t home. Possibly she has developed a soft spot for us as every morning during the school holidays OFG would run out to meet her by the gate yelling “Postie-lady, Postie-lady” and then waving her off madly with a “bye, love you”.
We are taking tickets at the gate of the show for Scouts and a family comes in and says they are from a Cub group in the neighbouring state of Victoria. He is a Dad and leader in training and his daughter is going up to Cubs – they greet us like long lost family and we stand a little taller in our uniforms.
We dress up and receive Trick or Treaters then play games for Halloween/Day of the Dead. TFG and OFG have been learning about the celebrations that happen around the world at this time of year and so we start to intermingle different elements. Unfortunately the husband is called out to attend a fire exactly as we start our evening but at the start of what looks to be a long, dry summer we expect this now.
The garden turns wild in the random spring weather – blossoms fade in the hot sun but the light mists of rain keep the lawn spasming in rebellious growth. I sketch up a garden plan and dig out my gardening gloves – finally, finally it is time.
We stare down the end of the year with great trepidation and the husband and I work hard on our humble lessons – we are slowly adapting physically, financially and emotionally to everything shrinking, simplifying and pulling into sharp focus. The kids are very excited about OFG’s birthday, about the Summer celebrations and the holidays from schooling – we look at pencil sketched houseplans in a dog eared exercise book and have small fits of panic. Our fears melt when I ask the kids about the best summer so far and it turns out that they both recall with great fondness the simple summer we had a couple of years ago. This, I remind myself, is why they are the Gurus.
