Filed words

Holidays 8

We had X over to lunch on Sunday. She made a long trip home earlier this year, going via Hong Kong, Pekin and the Trans-Siberian railway to Moscow. But we didn’t gather that she really enjoyed it very much – she said that the ordinary Russian people seemed to be very frightened of being seen talking to foreigners, so she didn’t really feel very welcome; and the hotel was rather like a prison – your passport was taken away when you were signed in (and it was literally signed in – the young man from Intourist who met them off the train and took them to the hotel – they didn’t know which one, until they got there – actually got a receipt for them!) – and they were given an identity card which had to be shown to get either in or out of the hotel. The last straw was at the Polish border when they were just about to heave signs of relief, only to find themselves hauled out of the train because, owing to the train’s lateness, the witching hour had struck and their visas were a day out of date! However they were allowed to proceed after some anxious moments – and I gathered that X was not contemplating a return trip.

When we reached the camp, it was on the one hand a bit scruffy and ‘tripperish’ and in addition occupied by millions of invisibly small insects which were delighted with us as ‘afters’ to their ordinary lunch – so we were depressed. But walking on the beach came across an old dear who had been helping her 80 yr old husband wheel his fishing boat home on a beach trailer, and stayed to gossip about his catch, their golden wedding trip last Easter, and her opinions of the local camps – from which we returned to make a reconnaissance of this second camp and booked in for this morning. There was this to be said for the old place – it was about the only camp shower I recall which was too hot – the cold supply just couldn’t cope with any regularity with it! We managed to get packed up in time to drive out and park 200 yds down the road next to the church for an 8.45 service – and only missed the first hymn.

[from Big Bend, Texas] Just watched the sun go down – the wind is getting up in the trees and owls are hooting.

We didn’t know it was a service motel – no cooking facilities and expensive hotel attached for dinner etc. Praise be we’d had a super lunch so declined dinner and boiled eggs in the electric jug (laid on for coffee) but the damn things cracked and froth flowed out the top. I added a generous shake of salt to no avail. We were both hysterical by then. I thought I’d never get it clean but we’ve had coffee from the same jug since and it was OK.

[from the Ngamoko Track, NZ] I went up there! Just out from doing the big walk round Waikaremoane. 4 days of between 4 and 6 hours walking, including up to the top of the bluffs, and another 50 minutes today to get picked up by water taxi back across the lake. The bush was lovely and we met nice people. My legs held out very well but got a couple of sore blisters – otherwise I’d be ready to keep going… perhaps!

Had the bill for all the travel yesterday, though I haven’t got to pay it yet – and it is fairly shattering. But the main worry is (a) will they be fighting in Bangkok by the time we want to stop there on the way out and (b) will Russia have invaded China by the time we want to go to Hong Kong on the way back – or shall we get to UK and find we can’t get back at all? I don’t think the news is at all happy.

We had an ecstatic letter from X, all about the fun it was walking through her PNG forest, climbing over tree roots and wading rivers up to the armpits! But her house 2 days walk from the nearest village has running water and a loo thanks to having been built for people on a 5-year research scholarship!

Pets 3

We spent the weekend with X and her wild young – how she copes I can’t imagine – they had 8 cats, then when we went to the school some of the boys came and asked if we knew there was a cat and 3 kittens under the passenger seat! They were brand new – she hadn’t made a sound. X was very apprehensive as he had so many cats. They already had 3 new kits from another cat. The child and I hid them away in a box in a shed but he must have found out and drowned them which upset the boy a lot – and me.

They have a new small kitten and the dog spent all her time trying to make the beast’s acquaintance, snorting and blowing under doors to find it, and rushing round when they were in the same room to find which side of a chair she could get nearest to the cat underneath – all she got for her pains were a number of smart raps to the jaw with claws very much to the fore, but it didn’t deter her much. I think it was friendliness too, and not mere aggression as I have never known a less aggressive dog than her. She will even trot down the drive past the neighbour’s goose which occasionally invades us, studiously ignoring it at a range of three or four feet. I’ve even seen her try to do the same with a rabbit, but it was less trusting than the goose, or more mobile, and departed in the middle.

Our boxer bitch came on heat 3 days after joining us and went on the PILL for eight days and we trust all is well but I strongly suspect she’s now embarked on a phantom pregnancy – woe is me – I trust it is at least phantom. I feel a bit guilty at the amount she eats when people are starving. A big attraction is she doesn’t yap all the time – she didn’t bark at all for 10 days then a friend of the neighbour’s came up here with him while we were heading off a sheep up our drive and she took an instant dislike to the friend (we don’t like him either!) and strained on the lead barking and hackles up – I was quite relieved to see she could rise to the occasion.

I heard fierce hissing whilst I was serving coffee in the drawing room and looked down to see Charlie Brown his white cat stretched out at my feet and suddenly realised there was a large man standing on both her back feet! Yes, he’s a she – they found out when she produced.

[from one reporter] I don’t really want to be tied with a dog but feel I need one here if X has to be away and other people have remarked the same thing. I thought I’d like a boxer and phoned a kennel I was told of, to find they bred beagles – which reminded me that was really what I meant to have (just like the man my grandfather knew…!) [???] so we went off miles into backwoods – they were delightful but v. exuberant and the owners said they were v. difficult to train and handle and did just what they wanted if you weren’t v. firm with them. Fortunately, they’d only got a dog pup (gorgeous) and I want a bitch. So then I saw an ad for 2 boxer bitch pups – phoned there – and the 8 1/2 month one left chased sheep. When I said I didn’t really want too young a dog she came up with the idea of a 4 year old bitch who’s had 2 litters of 12 and 14 pups and she felt should be retired. Being a new idea I’m thinking about it but I think it’s the answer – X and I are hopeless at training dogs and I don’t want that chewing up stage again – so we may go and have a look. The idea of having to exercise her on a day like this doesn’t appeal!!

[and from partner]

We have just acquired a boxer bitch, 4 years old, generally well trained and of a pleasant temperament it seems. One good point, she is almost entirely mute, apart from snuffling noises when curious.

What if…

It’s always I wonder … I can think of a number of times life could have changed course ‘if only I …’ but I suspect each turning would have its own set of trials. Now and then in my more fey moments I wonder if each person starts a whole train of events after some decision, whilst another person has a different set of circumstances, so all is really in the mind (like the tree in the quad). If taken too far it gets very complicated!!

He has been accepted without an interview at X but hasn’t heard yet from the Y interview which sounded much more interesting and probing. He’s almost hoping not to be offered a place there as then he’ll have to make a decision.

Yesterday I was shown a house, next to a river touching the house and a tar factory: I can imagine the smell in the summer. No doubt ‘idiot’ is still written on my forehead.

If we took down the back porch which has all the odd bits in, logs box, shoe cleaning cupboard and my house plants, which X is averse to my having indoors, we would be able to see the hills – it all proves you can’t have everything! (but I’ll go on wanting it!)

I’m getting quite excited about the Mars probe – I’ll be so cross if I die too soon – the next quarter century will be amazing – tho’ I fear with little grace.

Doctors 2

The surgeon offered a nice bit of plastic surgery to change the shape of his nose, which he politely refused on the grounds that he was used to it as it was thank you – at which the surgeon was apparently quite put out. He apparently fancied himself as a nose-modeller.

This man does the op at the General, and also at one other place which is still run by nuns and at neither of those does he charge for his services. He keeps a list for people who need the op more urgently than the waiting list of eighteen months at the General but have no insurance. Then he charges enough for three if you have insurance. And the hospital is equally expensive – they charge the use of the theatre by the minute! I think it’s a good thing I am only having a local: I can see they don’t waste any time saying good morning! I suppose it’s a fair enough system, except of course that our insurance only covers 80% of the actual charges. The whole system is a bit reminiscent of panel beaters, I think, though the surgeons probably wouldn’t like the comparison!

Earning

Our dentist – the one who sold half his practice – now charges his remaining patients double and spends the rest of his time modelling (most beautifully) the most terribly twee and often-disproportionate little figurines. His stuff sells like hot cakes.

She has the chance to be a sales rep. for this odd man (I don’t really trust him!) who gives her so many odd jobs, from modelling to hostessing at the Fair and being receptionist for his office whenever his secretary lets him down.

The millennium

We went for a picnic in the park at the end of my street to watch the sun set on the old millennium. Very low key – we were the only ones there. I even have some very poor photos of the last sunset over X for the next millennium (they may be worth a fortune by the next if they survive that long). Then we caught the tram to X where there was entertainment and after all the excitement of the clock ticking was over we walked home and had a cup of tea and lamingtons.

Of course, like just about everyone, we went to a big bash to celebrate the Millennium. The village put on a terrific do with wonderful food, fantastic disco and a really spectacular firework display to round off an absolutely marvellous start to the New Year.

Languages

I’ve been learning Tsonga – the mother language of the ones spoken around here – recently. It seems quite easy after Russian, but not very guessable – as most European languages are.

Dowsing 4

He even let X divine for water the other day! It seems a spring was causing the water in the drive which they thought was the soak-away.

A local boy got separated from a school in some local bush and disappeared. Parties were out combing the bush for him. We offered help but they said it was difficult country and they kept to people with knowledge of it. So I tried a dowse, with no knowledge except boy 11, but felt certain I had got a reaction, and X, bless him, in the pouring rain, and I set off in gumboots and macs and drove to the end of a track as near as we could get to the bush I wanted. I was a little taken aback when I saw how wild it was, but we set off and crossed the river as soon as it looked shallow enough. Once I’d got my gumboots full and X just didn’t try but walked in the river in his shoes, it was quicker; after scrambling about 1 1/2 hours upstream and only covering between quarter to half a mile we were soaked through, I’ve never been so wet, and X said there was about 200 more yards and then we’d have to go straight up into the bush (and we hadn’t brought any food) I fear I gave in. Just as well – 2 days later they found his body in quite a different place. We don’t know what happened but he was cremated the next day, and the announcement said ’killed in an accident’ – I suppose he fell. Very sad.

I’ve got a super $32 book on the world’s oil wells which is s’posed to be for ref. only but I begged it from the rather pleasant odd type at the Library – I know he thinks I’m a bit scatty and obviously knows what I’m at as both the dowsing books and oil books are kept in the technical and scientific section. I’ve been stymied for a while as none of my depths coincided with the depths in the book – but I think I’m on the right track again now. Did I tell you X and I are going to look at the place I think there’s a seepage on the surface – one on shore which should be easy to confirm and one near the shore which I’m told you should be able to see from shore as if the water is still you see the bubbles and oil patches on the sea. If I can get a skindiver to go and have a look-see for a reasonable amount I’ll try that but it is about 60ft down.

X was anxious to have another look for her spring at the zoo, and we did a drive around all the local roads to spy out the ground. We found one dead end road which ran up to the top of the hill, roughly where she wanted to go, and we found a gap between the houses to look down about 300 ft onto the playing field where she had dowsed. And I then suggested she should just pop up to a house about another 100 ft up some very steep steps. I had to wait a long time for her, and was just wondering whether she had passed out from the heat, when I heard her again. She had apparently been able to go through the back garden and find some traces of what was probably the same water source. So that was very satisfactory. [And from a later letter] X’s report and map of the zoo water, which went off nine days ago, and had not turned up by Monday. So she started pestering the Post Office, who nowadays have a lot of machinery (computers) to chase up any parcel that goes astray. And at last they rang yesterday to say that it had turned up and was being sent by special delivery, and they were very sorry and would refund her expense. So that was satisfactory for the idea of getting yet another copy of the map and tracing off her streams on it was a despairing thought!

Sad, sad – the latest well on which I’d staked my all, including 500 shares, was reported dry yesterday, so as I was so sure, I’ve resigned, and told the man at DSIR I’m nonplussed. I know something happens, and must try and find another map dowser to advise me what I’m doing wrong; the reactions are so definite I’m still convinced there’s something.

Gardening 8

Here, summer is on its way, so one hour in the garden is very welcomed; the runner beans are pointing the right way; the red currants are getting bigger, and my favourite lily of the valley is divine.

The wheely bin cost me about $150 for a year’s hire, so it is worth trying to fill it each week. At the moment we are doing well as the bush with red berries has been getting obstreperous and last week I chopped it all back to the height of the fence which not only filled the bin but left enough over to do it again this week.

I said nothing was happening here but I’ve had 2 pink blooming trees in my long view and a very bright rhododendron and a large 20’-30’ mauve magnolia outside my sitting room window and I’ve put lots of plants in my new bed and far too many in another, I now know what a ‘riot of colour’ means. They’re all 3 times as large as I expected. I bought a plant of mauve chrysanthemums to replace the cyclamen that’s lasted for months – and cheaper than buying a bunch of spring flowers. Mine aren’t pickable sorts – apart from the daffodils and if I can count them there aren’t enough to pick!!

We attacked the garden. We uprooted about half the waist-high weeds and planted carrots, broccoli, potatoes and pumpkin beside the rhubarb and silverbeet we found so now we’re hoping for selective showers – to water the vegetables but not the weeds or grass!

The half row of runner beans are wonderful – I have had them every night for nearly a month! and put down enough for 5 days in the df and had some broccoli I’d grown, which was revolting!!

Earwigging

I thoroughly upset X in the middle of the evening. Actually I was talking to Y and uncharitably commenting on the bride’s dress as a bit inappropriate in the circumstances, when X [mother of the bridegroom] came up in time to hear the final part, which she took grave objection to, and found she said ‘very hurtful’. I couldn’t for the life of me see why she should be hurt, but attempts at apology were rejected, and the next day she was to begin with still cutting me dead.

An 8 year old was trying to explain, with great forbearance, to his little sister how 8 pennies were 8 pennies whether they were stretched out or not. The last word came from a small-voiced little sister ‘I’m tired of these pennies’!