When I get back from town in the afternoons the dogs go berserk until I take them out for their walk. It’s endearing how quickly they’ve latched onto this as their daily rite. Their doggy hearts are broken if I fail them, which I sometimes do.
So, although longing for tea and starvingpracticallytodeath hungry, I usually let them drag me out the second I’ve changed my shoes and grabbed a hat.
Yesterday was particularly, incredibly gorgeous outdoors. You can’t describe what it’s like here at this time of year. People have to experience it. It’s to do with the quality of air and light and a sense of deliciousness, of abundance and this tremendous contentment and at the same time a desperate knowledge that you have to soak it all in NOW, and save it somewhere in your internal batteries before the brutal winter closes everything down.
Yesterday the mountain was shining like an empress, watching over the farm and all the creatures that live worshipping at her feet.
Julia and the guys from the QwaQwa University natural sciences department, Michael and Irwin, climbed it recently.
Their outing began with getting two vehicles stuck fast in axle deep mud by the river within fifteen minutes of setting off. It ended after midnight with a third vehicle wedged on a huge rock in the wetland surrounded by very curious cows who watched four of us milling around falling over each other in the pitch dark trying to jack, dig and push it out.
I think the whole jaunt was doomed because they weren’t actually invited to go up in the first place. You don’t just storm up mountains like that. Just went stomping and yelling up her slopes, grabbing plants and frogs for their laboratories (which I find a bit upsetting, to tell the truth, though I haven’t said anything).
Hollander Irwin, clutching his spiky blonde head in actual, genuine despair, swearing most foully and heaping furious blame on Australian Michael who remained annoyingly bouncy and kept coming up with new, totally unworkable solutions. It ended after midnight with beer and food and my parent’s house full of complete strangers (after Michael and Irwin called some friends to come over for a drink). All these people coming and going and yakking away at the top of their voices while frogs wrestled in Michael’s specimen bag. Slightly mad. My 75 year-old parent’s faces were lit up. They had the most fun of everyone, I think.
I didn’t go up that day. It was too hot and just didn’t feel right.
When she calls me, I’ll go.
So, although longing for tea and starvingpracticallytodeath hungry, I usually let them drag me out the second I’ve changed my shoes and grabbed a hat.
Yesterday was particularly, incredibly gorgeous outdoors. You can’t describe what it’s like here at this time of year. People have to experience it. It’s to do with the quality of air and light and a sense of deliciousness, of abundance and this tremendous contentment and at the same time a desperate knowledge that you have to soak it all in NOW, and save it somewhere in your internal batteries before the brutal winter closes everything down.
Yesterday the mountain was shining like an empress, watching over the farm and all the creatures that live worshipping at her feet.
Julia and the guys from the QwaQwa University natural sciences department, Michael and Irwin, climbed it recently.
Their outing began with getting two vehicles stuck fast in axle deep mud by the river within fifteen minutes of setting off. It ended after midnight with a third vehicle wedged on a huge rock in the wetland surrounded by very curious cows who watched four of us milling around falling over each other in the pitch dark trying to jack, dig and push it out.
I think the whole jaunt was doomed because they weren’t actually invited to go up in the first place. You don’t just storm up mountains like that. Just went stomping and yelling up her slopes, grabbing plants and frogs for their laboratories (which I find a bit upsetting, to tell the truth, though I haven’t said anything).
Hollander Irwin, clutching his spiky blonde head in actual, genuine despair, swearing most foully and heaping furious blame on Australian Michael who remained annoyingly bouncy and kept coming up with new, totally unworkable solutions. It ended after midnight with beer and food and my parent’s house full of complete strangers (after Michael and Irwin called some friends to come over for a drink). All these people coming and going and yakking away at the top of their voices while frogs wrestled in Michael’s specimen bag. Slightly mad. My 75 year-old parent’s faces were lit up. They had the most fun of everyone, I think.
I didn’t go up that day. It was too hot and just didn’t feel right.
When she calls me, I’ll go.
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