If you recall from a post of mine back in April, Taj and I were very busy making streamers to celebrate the arrival of a loved one, my loved one. Well, ‘The Captain’ arrived yesterday - yay!
But, hmm… I wonder how he knew he was at the right house?
When writing a blog post, don’t be like me and forget you’ve been sitting here this whole time, with a slab of chocolate tucked safely into the pocket of your pjs. Otherwise, you’ll also forget that chocolate melts at body temperature.
However, I now do have the wonderful surprise of a pocket of melted chocolate.
I went for a stroll the other afternoon, well, to tell the truth Taj had decided we were going to walk in the opposite direction (from what we’ve been normally walking lately). And was we rounded the corner, a neighbour drove past in his big four wheel drive. I guess he had been collecting his two young sons from school.
As he drove past, the Dad gave me a big wave, as all our neighbours do, and I thought nothing more of it. Until, I was walking past the back of his car, noticing how fast his boys from bursting from their seats, when one little tucker must have been bursting in more ways than one. Because as soon as this younger boy was free of the car, he struck a certain pose which can only mean one thing.
He was peeing, mightly, while having his body pointed at an angle away from me. It was cute and so natural, and the type of thing you can do in the countryside where I live, and get away with without anyone seeing.
Except this time.
This time, while the lil’ billy was making watery shapes in the grass, he glanced over his shoulder and spied Taj and I trotting along, trying to show that we noticed, but not weren’t actually looking.
“Ohhhhh!!! There’s a Lady!!! There’s a Lady walking there!!” The lil’ tike yelled at the top of his voice - still striking ‘the pose’.
”That’s why we do it in the toilet, isn’t it” His Dad immediately replied,with a sigh, and in the flattest, most deadpan manner. If you’d heard him you’d swear he’d had to say to hi son, every afternoon this week.
I went on my way, giggling as much from the situation as from being called a Lady by such a little man. Even in his moment of surprise, his tone made it sound so flattering.
Oh, almost forgot – so two minutes later I saw a sweet little pair of kangaroos having a relaxed munchy-munch of grass in the nearby paddock. And silly me I had decided not to bring my camera with me. But I went all the way back home to get it, just to be able to bring these photos to you.
I also had to scamper up the side of another neighbour’s yard to get close enough to the action, and in doing so, got the beejeebers scared out of me, when I got too close to the neighbour’s turkey-ginnea-foul-something-scaries.
” G-gg-gooble-gooble!!!”
Was the sound they made, in frightening unison, like surround-sound-ness and it almost had me flung into a big puddley ditch!
But, in the end, all was well.
I spent some time in the garden this afternoon, doing my small bit to keep the place looking pretty.
As we are going into winter now, a blanket of chilly damp air descend quickly near the end of each afternoon. And as my health is not strong, when I had finished with everything outside I needed to jump into a hot shower to stop the cold air from seeping into my chest.
Fast forward to my exiting the bathroom, and seeing this little face peeping around the corner. He actually gave me a fright, until I saw this….
I saw this – aw, look at his little paws tucked up against the wall. How sweet is that, just tucked up tight, and waiting for me to come out and be on the go, again.
Um, well, he’s obviously not in a hurry for me to be on the go again.
And this just cracks me up, because no matter how many photos I take of him, from any angle, he just isn’t phased in the least. That’s really being comfortable in your own skin.
I’ve been walking the Taji Dog most afternoons now, and we’re both loving it. He is so good, if I pause to take a photo (which I regularly do) he will stand still and wait, or even heel and sit at my feet for me. I am doubly impressed by this because we spoil him rotten, and when food becomes the issue, he’s lost almost all his manners. But, I digress and I think I have mentioned all that before.
I bring him up though, because we had a little spooky incident last night, which made me thankful to have his company and good watchdog skills. On our way home, we saw from a distance that a strange car slowed and parked on the side of the road, between Taj and I, and our corner. Taj and I looked busy for a minute, taking photos of a brolga in the paddock beyond, while under our eyelashes we watched this car. After a moment or two, the car drove off, and I was pleased to see a man and a woman inside. That seemed less worrying.
To be safe though, Taj and I had decided to cross the road so we could skirt around them as we got closer to our corner and drive way. And what happens? But these people drive slowly past me, do a U-turn and park behind me, on the (now) other side of the road to where I was just a moment before. Luckily Taj and I where far enough along and ready to cross the road once more, but I couldn’t figure out if these people were lost, or up to something weird.
They weren’t after me, they walked straight over to the fence and looked at the dam and birds that I had just been photographing. Well, I assume that is what they were doing, because as soon as Taj and I had safely turned the corner I looked back down the road at them. One door was open, but they become pretty much hidden by the bushes. I still can’t think why they pulled over. Were they tourists, interested to see the birds and pretty scene I was snapping. Were they looking at property to buy? There was no ‘For Sale’ sign.
Whatever the reason, I wish they were more like my real neighbours who all give me the biggest, most reassuring waves, from their utes and four-wheel-drives, as they round our corner on their way home from work. Not only is it reassuring, but it really makes me feel like I live in the bush, as it is a universally countrified greeting which you must always be ready to respond to, so as not to offend.
Edit: here is the mysterious car-parking-people-disappearing-into-bushes-spookiness
