Friday, August 31, 2007

Just a bit wonky

After I wrote the last blog post, we ate our dinner in the darkness of the backyard, under a full moon and the myriad of sparkling stars, which were slipped a little differently in the sky than I’m used to. As we ate, a dark shadow began nipping at the bottom of the moon.

I bent over the telescope, my dinner bowl in one hand, the other hand nudging the scope to follow the moon’s slow arch. The shadow bit deeper into the bright orb. Through the telescope’s magnification, the moon looked like a glowing ball that had been dipped into a puddle of ink. As the evening wore on, the shadow filled the moon, until at last the whole thing turned a dusky red. When I stepped back into the house, the edge of the ball was once again tinging a brilliant cream.

Last night we had a different sort of adventure. Norm was out of town with business, and I was washing up the dinner dishes as Chrissy finished a shower. Suddenly I heard not just a thump, but a whole series of huge thumps and bangs. I rushed for the bathroom and hollered through the door, “Did you fall?” A slight whimper answered me. “Can I come in?” I pushed open the door and found Chrissy sprawled on the floor in her pajamas, a dazed look splashed across her face.

Thankfully she was all right, though her back was jarred, and a large bruise has spread across her arm from her frantic attempts to keep her weight off her back as she slipped on the mat and fell. For some reason I was reminded of my days as an assistant figure skating teacher as I helped her up, showing her the easiest way to find her feet again.

Today Norm was back from his trip, and had the afternoon off work. Chrissy was feeling well enough to go out, so we went for a wander around Richmond Lagoon and then the Nepean River. I was glad Norm was there to push the wheelchair, because my back is still crying from getting used to pushing it on paved ground, and this was grass or gravel half the time.

(Norm says it's fashionable to take pics at a wonky angle like this. ;-) )

The sun sparkled merrily on the water, and birds swam and waddled about, looking for food and chatting to us and each other. As I spotted a couple of particularly large water birds, I asked, “What are those black swan-like things?”

“They are black swans.” Norm laughed.

Which would be why they looked rather like black swans. (What can I say? I’m used to white swans.) We even saw a pair with a family of fluffy grey signets.


Here's me infront of a wattle tree--they have tiny fluffy yellow blooms. The sun was rather bright in my eyes, so pardon my squint.

(Wattle it be)

On the way home, we stopped at Koorong, a large Christian bookstore that I hear about often on the FW message boards. A bit further down the road from there, we passed some military acreage. I was tickled pink to spot dozens of grey kangaroos grazing in the fields. One of them even jumped about a little for me.

Tomorrow we’re going to a Koala Park where I actually get to HOLD some koalas!!


P.S. Haha, check out a silly “Are you a Crazy-Creative Writer?” test I made for the fun of it: http://www.nerdtests.com/mq/take.php?id=29080

1 comment:

story takes time said...

Looks like you are having a great time, Amy! Glad that you are enjoying yourself as well as being a help to Chrissy.