Teardrops and roses

It was a normal day, we did nothing extra-ordinary at all..

except that we spent it together..

and you gave me twenty four

of the most

gorgeous pink roses..

Flying High

I would love to be sitting here sharing a cup of coffee with you all, while reading through all my favourite daily blogs, but.. Im busy busy busy, doing laundry, washing floors..car..dog..and anything else that keeps still long enough. Its been too long and now he's coming home...tomorrow!

Im pretty tired, I worked last night, so home will be a loose interpretation of clean..he won't notice, hopefully, all he will see is my huge smile, arms open wide..and my pounding heart. I do hope he notices the towels folded neatly and the books stacked next to his side of the bed..just so, but he probably wont..what he will see is my chin tremble and tears glisten as I spot him in the crowd at the tiny caribbean style airport. Im hoping he will notice the clean floors and clean linen..but he wont, he will be looking for the windchimes and pottery bell he bought on a previous visit.

What he will notice is the colour of my hair and the texture of my skin...the excitement in my voice and the sunglasses perched on top of my head.

I will worry about the superfical..

and he will show me what's really important...

and remind me that Love is everything its cracked up to be.

(..and now back to the grindstone..because love is also very very hard work it seems!!)

The Striped Cup

I see you in the

half-light

of my dreams,
the slight

arc

of your smile,
as you consider an answer
to yet another question

as I try to fit inside

the space between
your bones

Hope wrapped with certainty

surround me

and hold me tight against the sheets,

against the pillow...

I am surrounded

by your words

spilling softly from your lips

to my ears

you pour some coffee
in the

striped cup

and

go outside

to sit.

Rituals of love

Within a week,
I can nudge you gently
when you snore,
and feel you turn over
my portion of
the comforter
in tow.
I will wake to the smell of coffee,
listen to the sounds of you in the shower
and discuss the news
first hand.
At the end of my shift,
I will come home to a house
that isnt empty,
and
snuggle close as we watch a movie
we've discussed
but havent seen before.
Ive missed you most in the mornings
your familiar sounds and
tell tale signs of you
in the kitchen before me..
the simple
rituals and rhythms
of everyday life.
In one week..I will glimpse
the twinkle in your eye
as I tell you
politely,
to please
put
your teaspoon
in the
kitchen sink...

a walk on the wildside

Its been lovely having my family here for the weekend, they arrived, dog and all, early Saturday morning so we could watch the rugby match together.
What with constant texts between my daughter and son in law in South Africa, and my son in Tucson..it truly felt as though we were all together watching the game in one room just as we used to, and not all spread out across all corner of the globe as we really are.
Winning was as emotional and real as if I had been right there in the stadium. Just beautiful.
Sport has the ability to transcend all barriers and unites a country like ours so intensely, as with the win in 1995, this one will continue to feed our patriotism and carry us through some pretty tough times.
This morning the three of us took the dogs, and hiked the trails through The Hans Christian Anderson park which is nearby. What started off as a pretty chilly morning soon warmed and the day turned out sunny and clear with not a cloud in the sky.
The trail itself winds its way up through the forests with intermittent views of the hills in the distance, and then dips down into the valley and loops back through the sports fields back to the starting point. There were no other hikers out, just a couple of hawks circling overhead to keep us company as we chatted quietly and kept an eye out for the mountain lions we had seen warnings for.
We joked about sending my mum out ahead as bait..funny how she didn't laugh quite as loudly as my sister and I did.
Eventually arriving home dusty and sweaty with two exhausted little dogs...

all of us ready for a nap

Have dog..will travel

While we were packing the car the night before, Hughie
(my sisters older and very regal scottie)
showed little Senga exactly where the best viewing postions were.
Throughout all the travelling we have done, she has always sat on the front seat,
or on the floor next to me.
Not anymore it seems..

He showed her that being higher up was wayyy better...

The next day, she hopped up and spent the entire trip in the new, elevated position.

I was surprised she remebered!
She seems to forget most of what I teach her however...

All ready to go!

New Horizons

This morning at around 0715, I watched the sun rise over the Pacific ocean as I cruised down the 101 S on my way to work. This evening I watched the same sun set over the hills of Bakersfield as I drove along the I-5, a truly stunning spectacle which unfortunately seemed to be over in the blink of an eye. As fleeting perhaps as happiness, or joy.. but the memory of which keeps us yearning /striving for more of the same.
Im unpacked and fairly settled, amazing the spare time one has when there is no internet available! Its been good to settle my belongings in my own space, and feel familiar with that! This townhouse feels comfy, with a real sense of home. Hopefully I will have internet sometime this week.
Im in Bakersfield for the night, and drive back to Solvang tomorrow with my pup! Senga has yet to see her new home, she has spent the past 2 weeks with my mom and had the luxury of a huge garden and another scottie to play with. The pool however was becoming a nightmare, she has fallen in three times, and has never quite got the hang of swimming to the edge. Scotties have a heavy coat and short legs..not the ideal combo for pool swimming! It's time to come home...
Three days (yep 3..!) of hospital orientation is done (finally) I know its neccessary, but geeez its pretty boring stuff, thank heavens there were multiple distractions in the form of some pretty interesting characters in the classroom. Nothing like someone with a twitch or other weird personal habits to keep one amused. I discovered I missed being a student, but not that much! My neck got sore and my concentration proved to be shocking, I fidget alot, I found myself asking for endless toilet breaks (nothing to do with a weak bladder either) just a chance to wander the hallways and sneak off a text or two..
More news soon..