Relaxing Friday

I was lying in bed waiting for the alarm to go off. I’d lazily gazed at my watch to see what time it was and it was 7.15am. I looked at it under the doona so as not to wake Sam. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the last few seconds of bed. The next thing I knew, Buddy jumped on me and Sam was standing next to me with his coffee in his hand. Sam wasn’t lying next to me, I hadn’t even gazed over to see if he was.

Sam had a shower,

Buddy and I lay back against the pillows and drifted off.

Then Sam was standing next to the bed again. “Come on. Get up and get ready for your walk.”

“But I still have a very sore foot.” I do, it wasn’t a lie.

“That’s because you haven’t done enough exercise. Get your fat arse out of that bed you are walking me to the park.”

Buddy was completely relaxed next to me. “He doesn’t want to go either.”

“Get up, stop making excuses. I’ll take care of Buddy.”

It was freezing this morning, in Gertrude Street. My foot throbbed with pain with every step I took. 

We walked Sam to the edge of the park and then turned back.

Buddy touched noses with the Westie as we left the park by Gertrude Street. The Westie was full of himself. Buddy just turned and walked away. We trotted back down Gertrude Street together, Buddy stopping regularly to sniff at whatever he thought needed sniffing. Of course, he did. We weren’t in any hurry. 

I came home and make coffee, and put my muesli in a bowl with some milk. I let it soak a bit before I eat it, while I drink the coffee. I read the news, sitting on the carpet at my coffee table. Buddy squeezes in under the coffee table and lies between my legs, like he does. 

Mount Sangeang Api erupted in Indonesia, Boko Haram abducted two traditional rulers in Borno State, Nigeria, while the U.S. State Department confirmed a U.S. citizen's involvement in a suicide bombing during the Syrian civil war. Grrrr.

Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones performs on the main stage of the Rock in Rio music festival, in Lisbon. 

A total of 340 members of the Rotary Club break the Guinness World Record for the number of people simultaneously climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge, 24 more than the previous best.

A Bentley Flying Spur V8 (right) is unveiled beside a 1964 Bentley S3 Saloon during a news conference at the British embassy in Tokyo.

Temperatures in Beijing hit a record high of about 40C on Thursday, the highest since 1951. 

Give me the good news. Interesting news, perhaps. Well, just not never ending misery. 

I do hope that the last words I ever say aren’t, “Do you think this is off?” Or, “Hey everybody, watch this!” Chuckle. 

It’s quiet. Quieter than I’d ever really expect it to be there, in my lounge room in the middle of a big city. You know, when I stop and look up and really think about it. It’s not something I often think about, the correct level of quiet, or noise, in my lounge room, in the middle of a big city. The quiet, and the solitude when I stop and really feel it, gives me a shiver up my spine. I reach down and rub the fur on Buddy’s rump.