to remember this time; it is the Time of Living Away from Home. Since Grand Final weekend (the second one). We moved out of our house & into the house of my parents. They are overseas. We are renovating.
And we squashed everything into our shed - tables, chairs, bikes, beds, you know - look around you. Brought some clothes with us here and some of the toys. And it's been about a month now.
What have I noticed?
I've noticed we drive everywhere now. Except to post a letter. They have been some good walks, kids in dress-ups, traipsing along wearing a beanie & a blow-up life-saving ring. But no bike riding. Driving to buy milk. Drive to get the paper. Sheesh.
I've noticed that we get by with the one car no worries, 6 days a week. That seventh day, however, upon which C & I each work for cash & the kids each check in at kinder for the duration, has us performing an intricate car shuffle.
It's difficult to overcome the prevailing culture. Difficult to swim upstream. Difficult to ride around the relative Alps of this suburb compared with our Dutch-like topography of our home suburb.
I've noticed that the kids are rolling with it. Life is good for them. whole days go by spent in exploration & imaginary lands, taking on imaginary characters, performing amazing feats - all with running commentary ("she muttered, as she escaped from the gaping jaws just in time" (for example)).
I've noticed that electronic communication is bad for your thinking. A much reduced value placed on editorship & revision of thought in this world of instant gratification and wall-to-wall OPINION. "I've had a thought - better post that." Or even "I'm yet to have a thought - better post that."
Came across an interesting article arguing that web culture is altering our brain's wiring & how it would be a Good Idea for us all to DISCONNECT once in a while. e.g. every weekend for starters.
How would you go with that? No internet all weekend, every weekend?
Work on our house is on track & looking good. The place is a mess, of course, but we aim to get back in there in a few more weeks.
My Mondays & Wednesdays are the gold of my week these days. My Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, regrettably, not much fun. As we say around here though, you make your own fun. And really, no one is responsible for my having a good time, except me. So I'd best pick up my strides.
Read "A Long Long Way" by Sebastian Barry just now. My word. I'm amid what I would call a reading period of my life, yet this one stands out from the recent pack. It had me laughing and crying and everything in between. It had me disembarking the train at Southern Cross, unable to stop reading, and instead standing off to the edge of Platform 9 as train after train arrived, spewing its passenger cargo round me, before I reached the end of a chapter. My best read of the year, to date, without a doubt.
slaínte
