Painting and listening

...to Tommy Emmanuel, playing "I've always thought of you"

Next step

Our garden

From our garden I can see the Sun rise...

It's a place where Creatures lurk.

There are lots of pretty corners:

...and at the end of the long hot days, the sun sets over the river,

and the stars come out one by one.

Great Auntie Eva

I found a lovely blog entitled "Sticky Fingers" the other day.  Although the author was apologetic, I found the stories of Things Her Children Had Done absolutely delightful and very funny. And they brought back memories of my own early mothering days, full of wall-to-wall action, tears, exhaustion, joy, frustration and satisfaction, like no days before or since have ever been.*

So, without any more long-winded introduction except to say skip it if it makes you gag, and enjoy it if it makes you smile, here is one of mine.

When daughter was about 18 months old, Great Auntie Eva came to live with us for a while. She was 91, intelligent, articulate, mobile, and a lot of fun.  Although she'd never had children, she loved my three and it was a very special year.  One day when daughter was about two and a bit, she was lying in Auntie's lap looking up at her face.  I could see and hear from the kitchen. 

Sitting up, she put her hand gently on Auntie's cheek.

"You got really sof' skin haven't you Auntie?"   (I smiled to myself)

"Do I dear?"

"Yes".  

Long pause. 

"You are vewwy winkly, aren't you?"  (Oh dear)

"Am I dear?"

"Yes."  

Another longer pause. 

"You're vewwy old aren't you Auntie?"  (Oh shit)

Slight hesitation:  "I suppose so, dear"

Very long pause while I held my breath.

"You're going to die soon aren't you Auntie?"  (Auugggh!)

Short pause, and to my relief this marvelous lady replied with a chuckle

"Oh not for a little while yet, I hope dear."

And it was.  She died peacefully when she was 97.

* Except maybe my last relationship.

Making another start

Jupiter, Venus and Moon very happy to be together

Don't forget to check out the western sky early evening on the 1st December for a special smile.

The three-day-old crescent moon gets together with the two next brightest objects in the sky Venus and Jupiter and, close enough to be all three covered with an outstretched thumb, will form a 'smiley' face.  Best view will be from about 9 onward.  

Eye Candy Day 4