In heaven it will always be autumn
October 23rd, 2005 at 7:40 pm by jamesWith a quiet bit of deck, a patio heater, good company and an inquisitive robin.
I suppose it’s unlikely Josie would turn to me again, proffering her fork and saying, “Have some sausage, James. It’ll make you grow little like me.” Converse theorems are going to be a doddle.
Sophie slept late this afternoon. Having not slept the last two nights we decided to let her get a bit of sleep (yes, the shards of Michelle and I are being held together by sheer will-power, caffeine and carbohydrate). We wound up heading over to the park quite late to let Jo burn off some energy. There was an immensely entertaining moment in which Josie, on top of a wooden tower, noticed that she could see through the gaps between the boards of the platform and immediately went bandy-legged and weak at the knees. Reminded me precisely of her maternal grandmother. She tiptoed, orangutan-like, to the edge avoiding gaps as far as possible then hung on and yelled for help. This from a little girl who was up ladders picking paw-paws and helping me build stuff almost before she could walk. When Michelle and I had picked ourselves up off the floor where we’d collapsed in hysterical laughter I talked her down gently. Last time I tried that was on my brother and it didn’t work; this time it did … it’ll be interesting to see how her confidence (re)develops.
I re-commenced work on my climbing wall today. I started it sometime last year and feel, once again, like I need a bit more exercise, so started with drilling holes in board, which exercises my right arm and shoulder and more importantly makes me feel manly as I wear out battery pack after battery pack on my industrial-strength cordless drill. At current rates of progress I expect I’ll have a serviceable wall sometime in 2007, so opportunities for exercise will be plentiful, if sporadic, for quite some time to come.
October 24th, 2005 at 6:23 pm
When did your mother go bandy-legged and yell for help. Always thought she was pretty good at heights?
October 24th, 2005 at 6:25 pm
Did Josie really say that? You write like dad and its hard to discern truth from fanciful fiction!
October 24th, 2005 at 7:30 pm
james, i read your entire page – not the hundred or so links – and was totally absorbed the whole time – it’s an amazing tool, this blog – I mean I accoasionally forget what a git you are, and this blog is the perfect way to remind myself 😉 I kid, I kid, am just a bonehead who striggles to express his overwhelming affection for a kindred spirit…?!?
Your revised header is awesome – what a great pic!
I very seldom get to browse the web -Rops is on my work computer at teh other end of the orifice, trying to put a powerpoint presentation together on ‘the boy with blue toes’ – peripheral gangrene, which she needs to persent to a hal full of doctors on Wednesday morining after working in Mdantsane all night – so she’s a bit amped right now, hence the other end of the orifice…
I’m going to folloe your link to Ben ‘n Ana’s site now, keep writing lie you do, it’s like as breath of fresh air!
Peter
October 24th, 2005 at 9:14 pm
thanks Pete
gillian, “maternal grandmother” doesn’t mean you …
Yes Josie said that just after she’d said that when she eats her food it makes her big and strong “like a boy”, a statement which filled me with the same anger I remember feeling at the general absence of female characters in books for infants. I wouldn’t dare misquote her in public forum.