From the Front Steps.. Again

It's a little bit like letter writing, this, isn't it.  Except in my case, I don't always know who will read my "letter".  I guess in this context you hope that some regular readers continue to stop by and see what is happening in my world.  It's after school time.  I'm again outside with Maxie, my creamy Lilac Burmese.  Yesterday I was outside with him while I was on a TeleConference with Racing Victoria.  And the little toad jumped down the wall into the backyard, and eventually pulled right out of his harness and got free.  He just sniffed around the carport though, and I walked casually down and picked him up.  We went inside after that.  Heath was trying to watch Doctor Who on iView, and so he frowned at me when I tried to continue the call from the lounge, so I ended up in my bedroom, and then Heath's bedroom, because he had some late afternoon sun coming through his window and it was warm.  

It continues to be frustrating to still have to join in meetings such as this one by phone and I'll be so much happier when I can finally attend them in person.  It's hard to hear everyone, particularly those with soft voices or when they are seated away from the phone speaker, and you miss out on body language and I have enough trouble remembering names even when there's a face involved. When it's just a number of voices of people I've never met, that's just plain difficult!!!!

I pause to pick up the lunge whip, which from time to time I gently wave for Maxie to play with.  Largely I thought the meeting went well.  I shiver slightly, and put my soft hood up, because it's colder than I thought it would be, and the wind is blowing gustily and it's still cold.  The sun struggles to come out from behind the cloud, and it's faint warmth is dulled, and I know I'd be more comfortable inside, but Maxie is loving his play time outside, and I like writing from my front step.  Maxie's fur looks softer and more creamy in the sunlight.  He's been sleeping on Heath's bed quite a lot since Heath started feeding him, but usually he always ends up in my bed.   

I hope to ride Snips tomorrow and/or the next day.  A girl needs to have something bright to look forward to when things can feel tough.  Snips is the bright thing for me (aside from my children obviously), and so I hope I can ride and/or jump him tomorrow.

I have found a nice real estate agent who I am working with, and I've told him when I'm in Melbourne next, and he's got it booked in so we can look at houses.  I glance up at the date and shiver again, because August is almost half way gone already.  Time ticks away, it makes me count how many days it's been, and I catch my breath.  And how many days I have before our deadline.  The kids and I want to get some bunnies.  Is anyone shaking their head?  Yes, we watched Watership Down again the other day and we are still reading it (slightly more slowly than before though).  

This evening I need to finish the images for Australia Post that I'm working on for them, and get them through.  I continue to improve at deep etching, although I'm yet to try a complicated shape like a horse.  How do a tackle their mane and tail?  Do you know?  I don't.  So I have one I've started, but that's as far as I got.  Started.....

I get up to untangle Maxie.  He's gotten wound around Dan's front tyre.  I mutter at him when I get a bindy in my finger, and eventually have to unclip him.  The sun still stubbornly refuses to come out again, and I'm shivering with the cold.  And I guess that this is all that I have to report on my day today.  Just in case you were stopping by to find out...

I sigh as I glance up at Maxie, who's become hopelessly tangled again, and prepare to close my laptop, and take all my things inside.

Postcript:

Last night I watched (yes, on iView again) The Song of Lunch which is a 2010 television adaptation of Christopher Reid's poem of the same name.  It was directed by Niall MacCormick and stars Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson.  The play tells the story of a reunion between two former lovers in a Soho Italian restaurant. Rickman's character ("he") is a London book editor who writes poetry in his spare time (unsuccessfully). Thompson's character ("she") is his former lover, who left him to marry a successful novelist fifteen years ago.

I absolutely love Alan Rickman.  And I really like Emma Thompson as well.  Alan's voice, you could listen to it for hours.  His face grows more interesting as he ages, as faces frequently do.  I found myself thinking what a wonderful subject to photograph he would be.  You could literally drown in his eyes, and he can be funny, soulful, sinister, and soft, and funny, all seemingly at the same time.

We loved him in the Harry Potter movies.  JK Rowling was apparently insistent that Rickman play Snape in the films, even though the directors originally chose another actor as their first choice.  How lucky we are that the author's opinion prevailed.  Heath was in bed, while I watched The Song of Lunch, which is mainly narrated by Rickman.  He wandered down the hallway, saying 'can I hear Severus Snape?'  That's my boy..

"Caught a fish and let it go.  Found a treasure and threw it away".  

I think that Alan Rickman is a master of his craft, and I adore watching him in anything he stars in.   Just a little bit of trivia.  Watch it if you can.  Although it's a bit dark, and sad, I hope you enjoy their performances as much as I did....

I heard back from Forest Park too, and I am able to ride Snips tomorrow evening and join the 6pm jumping lesson.  No doubt jumping as part of a group may make me nervous, but I am enjoying getting better known around the riding school.  And I'm allowed to ride him on Friday as well, so I've got 2 lovely days to enjoy with him before the weekend.  And that's a very good thing.

Scandiva, half sister (by Fastnet Rock) to Helsinge, so she is from The Famous Family.  She is nominated for the races at Caulfield this Saturday.  It will be 31st August before I am on track next.  Sitting on the sidelines is tough.  Next weekend is Darley so I'll look forward to that instead and try to clean my house.