Monday, February 25, 2013

Short and Sweet, I like Anthony’s Phone Calls

I went to bed at 1.30am.

Sam woke me before he left for work. I was so in such a deep sleep that I just couldn’t pretend to be anything but actually asleep. I could only manage one eye open, to look back at him, as he held me up. Held me up, that doesn’t sound right. I remember feeling like a rag doll, as if propped up with a stick shoved up the back of my t-shirt.

He’s taken to running through my day’s schedule for me, first thing in the morning. Yes, he is very funny.

“Did you get all of that?”

“Ah? Er? What?”

Not long after Sam woke me again, just before a snuffly bulldog jumped on top of me. Sneeze! Splatter. Wet. Yuk! Ah. Oh. Yes, now I am awake. Thanks Buddy.

I woke again at 9am. 9.30am and 10am. Buddy was snoring on the floor next to the bed. The builder said he was coming late morning. My idea of late morning is 11.45am, but as I lay there in the morning heat, I realised that may not be the builder’s idea of late morning. As I gazed at the clock at 10am. I thought that this could be his idea of late morning, you know, starting at 6am. A few moments after that thought the doorbell rang.

So, as it turns out, everything that I bought, or should I say Jill bought, is fine, the builder will be starting tomorrow at 8am. The meeting was over in 10 minutes. I closed the front door and staggered backwards into the darkness and the quiet. Intrusion over, time to head for coffee and the days news.

Time for my daily contemplation and naval gazing.

Anthony, has been very quiet out there in the suburbs, I think? What's up, cat got his tongue? I brew coffee and prepare muesli.

It is bright and sunny on this bright and sunny day. Lovely.

It must be time for our daily phone call. I’ve been a bit remiss with my communication with Mr Anthony, best I get straight on the phone and remedy that. It is much more pleasant now that he has stopped drinking, he could some times become belligerent.

“Yes, I’m good. That’s all my news.”

Short and sweet, I like Anthony’s phone calls. I wish a few more people would take lessons from him. I hate getting on the phone to people who clearly are using the phone call to fill in their day. I hate calling people like that.

I have to go and see my mother today. It is something about petty cash. I topped it up a month ago, but, apparently, it must have been over drawn more than the $200 I topped it up with. They sent me some paper work to read, which I didn’t. And Lyn called last week reminding me that they needed money.

And there she was, lying like a crumpled doll on the couch watching TV. That’s what they all do, watch TV. It is a weird way to end for a woman who never had time to watch TV.

Mum and I sat out in the sun and had a chat. We sat under the shade house in the garden. After we'd been chatting for a while, I turned to her and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

"No, I don't,” she replied."

“Do you know my name?”

“No, no I don’t know who you are,” she said.

I was just checking, as I normally do. It was the first time she said that she didn't know who I was. Sad huh?

She realised who I was, when I told her my name. “Oh yes, Christian. Christian. Of course I know you are Christian.”

Oh well, that is life.

We'll be next... in a frighteningly short time, I suspect. Oh well, just as long as I have someone’s hand to hold in the nursing home as we are unpleasant to those around us. Sadly, that is not likely to happen, we come in alone and we leave alone.

Like lovely Beryl, today, sitting next to my mum. She accosted me as soon as I got there. She was asking me all sorts of nonsensical questions about golf. I kept up with her, asking a few (admittedly stupid) questions of my own. To which she responded. "Are you trying to be a smart arse?" I instantly liked her.

"No, I thought I was being awfully polite and charming?" I was amused.

"Well, you are not," she replied, not amused.

I want to be just like her when it is my turn at God’s waiting room.

I came home and made tea. Then I made a large glass of iced water. Iced water is the best drink, despite the fact that iced water isn’t meant to be the best thing for you. Drinks at body temperature are always better for you than any drink that has been iced.

I got on the phone to (new provider), as I am in the process of changing internet providers. So my (current provider) email account will become obsolete and my (current email) account will become my only email address. I hope I can remember all the email address I have to change? :)

Buddy and I were out on the footpath sweeping when Sam came home at 5.30. I was trying to get Buddy acclimatised to being out on the front path with no lead… as I swept the plant debris from my front path out into the gutter. He has a habit of putting his nose down and just walking, when he is out the front. He wriggled and bounced about upon seeing Sam.

There was a cool change, the sky clouded over, it got quite cool, it even looked as though it is going to rain. Undeterred, we put the lead on Buddy and walked him through the grounds of the Atherton Gardens to the Asian grocer on Brunswick Street. Two aboriginal boys wanted to pat Buddy, assuring me that they weren’t scared of dogs. Two Asian chicks coming through the gardens toward us told us they’d love a dog like Buddy, even if they were making faces as if to show they weren’t sure at which end to even pat him. They had on the faces I imagined they would wear if they saw a mouse.

Then we walked across the oval to Woollies. Sam learned that the supermarket stocks bean shoots, he was surprised. We had noodles for dinner.

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