Back
again
17 April, 2000
And, as suddenly, it seems, as it went, a desire to write is back again. Not that I should be writing this week. Tonight I should have been at Herepai hut, nursing aching legs, reading by candlelight, snuggled deep in my sleeping bag. We had a tramp long-planned, Bill and I, except since Friday I've been ill with some kind of bug. A churned up stomach, and diarrhoea, and not eating, and worst of all, an overall exhaustion that's left me shattered at the end of the day. It seems to be getting better today, slightly at least, but we've had to postpone the tramp for a month or so.
So I've been unexpectedly at home. Deb had taken the day off to work from home, meaning the computer's been off-limits to me, and I've been too tired to do much.
It's been wonderful! I've spent the day curled up on the couch, transported to faraway Madagascar and England in the 18th century. I've boarded pirate ships in the West Indies and seen men hanged from the mast. I've seen slaves traded, and smelt the stench on slave ships wallowing in the Atlantic. I've been reading a novel about Long John Silver — a wonderful read, the sort of pleasure that only a novel can provide. You forget, when you don't read enough for pure pleasure, just how good it is. Being ill, or more particularly, the recovery from being ill, has its advantages!
And in between reading, I've been listening incessantly to "If you're feeling sinister" by Belle and Sebastian. I've been wanting to by something by them for ages, but have either not had the money, or couldn't see anything in stores. But on Saturday, Deb, no doubt feeling a little sorry for me, relented the purse-strings enough for me to buy the CD.
Small pleasures. A good life is made of them.
Oh, and this is not really a small pleasure, but it's definitely relaxing. Matthew has been shipped off to his grandparents for three days. As much as we love him, there's something to be said for having some time away from the responsibility of him once in a while. We can read the paper without getting interrupted. We can leave the car and house keys lying around the house without having to worry about him playing with, and then losing, them. And we can sleep in in the mornings. Oh, yeah, that's just me. Deb still has to go to work.
So. How am I? Well, pretty good. No major changes, but a good feeling overall. Work is steady. Debbie and I have been getting on pretty well. Matty is just adorable. And he seems so intelligent. Sometimes we just look at each other, Deb and I, and wonder that he's ours.
My best friend John arrived from England with his girlfriend on Friday. They in the country for a three-week holiday and stayed with us a couple of nights. Our good friend Kate is moving down to Wellington for a job, so it will be cool to see more of her. I've started basketball practice for yet another season, after wondering, yet again, whether I'd have the motivation to play. I do!
And, as suddenly, it seems, as it went, a desire to write is back again …