We had a lovely time, recorded in my weekly Dylusions Dyary.
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A little history, a lot of food
Tony can’t walk very far these days, so we plan things where we can sit a lot, take frequent breaks, and so on. Not that I’m all that mobile some days either! At least we can still enjoy good food together.
We slept in, then headed to Bordeaux for brunch. I had chicken and Camembert with cranberry, he had a ham, cheese & tomato loaded croissant. Tony had a lemon meringue tart. I got a chocolate one but didn’t eat it because it was quite solid, and I was expecting soft and gooey.
We went to Te Papa and checked out the new permanent exhibition, Te Taiao/ Nature. There was so much to love about it; diverse ways of presenting information, some amazing specimens, plenty to do and touch. I loved one very busy display that reminded me of a daft Victorian house … the photo of marine stuff with a dark grey background is one small section of it. The other thing I loved was that everything was bilingual, with Te Reo first – what a great signal about the value of our language. I could even read some bits for myself.
We also went through the Gallipoli exhibit too. I’ll blog about that when I’ve had more time to consider it. Suffice to say, Tony said he was pleased he’d seen it but wouldn’t do it again.
We went to Ombra for lunch – a tapa style restaurant with Venetian food. We had a tomato, mozzarella and stracciatella pizza which looked runny but was delicious. Followed by beef polpette on polenta with Gorgonzola mousse. Tony tried a fairly strong Italian beer, then a tiny and very strong short black. Then, just because we could, we had an orange pannacotta with honey and pistachio. Tony’s comment – I could come back here for dinner, it was just like being back in a Rome.
We went out to Porirua to the mall but neither of us likes shopping for the sake of it and, really, seen one mall, you’ve seen ’em all! Unless it’s a giant one in Dubai, I can’t be bothered these days.
Tonight we’ll probably go to Spruce Goose here in Island Bay, because there’s a Hurricanes game on at the CakeTin so going into town would probably be awful. Now Tony’s watching tv to rest and I’m fluffing round online. It’s been a good day so far.
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Faith and trust
For the last two nights I have woken up and been able to smell a woman’s old-fashioned perfume – pansies or African violets maybe? And the smell of a man, from decades ago, who smoked, mixed with something else I couldn’t quite identify. My brother-in-law is a fragrance aficionado and strongly connects smells with memories. I thought I knew what I was smelling so asked him tonight, without saying why I was asking.
Sure enough, I’m describing Roger and Tony’s Mum and Dad. She wore Coty Lily of the Valley, he sometimes smoked a pipe. Tony helped me identify the rest of the smell, probably leather and leather work dyes etc. That feels right to me.
Why are they visiting us (me)? Not sure. Probably just to let me know they’re around and everything is ok with Tony.
Done in my large Dylusions journal. Inks: Slate grey, Crushed grape, After midnight, White linen. Paints: Crushed grape, Laidback lilac. Stencils: Shutters, Diamonds in the rough, Squares. Stamps: Dy’s alphabet. Other: Pitt Big Brush pen, Distress ink, Archival ink, Distress collage medium, white gel pen, black Uniball pen.
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Love is love
I talked with a friend today about love and friendship, and responded to a FaceBook post about gay and lesbian love. My comment, as always; love is love.
I sometimes comment to my staff that there’s infinite variety in the human condition. We don’t all share the same taste in music, shoes or tattoos, thank goodness. And we don’t all want the same things in a partner or lover – thank goodness again!
Tonight I talked to my brother-in-law about a past unrequited love, and the way his feelings for the person have changed over time. Sometimes passion is fleeting – burning bright then burning out – other passions transcend time and what life throws at us along the way.
Time and life’s challenges change us too. We age, get sick, need something different from our partners than when we were younger. That’s just life it’s ok. It’s still love.
You love a man? Great. A woman? Nice. A man *and* a woman? Good on you! If we spent more time loving others and less time worrying about what others do, the world might be a safer and happier place. Love is love.
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A balancing act
Recently someone contacted me regarding the local newspaper and I felt the need to explain I have little spare time (not that they had pressured me at all – the need was in my own head). That said, my life is a bit of a juggling act, and I’m fortunate to have the support I need to keep the balance. Tony has always supported me to do my art and be involved in the wider library profession, and my family and friends support me in myriad ways.
What’s going on in my life? Here’s a snapshot of most, but not all, the things:
- I work fulltime as Libraries & Cultural Services Manager at STDC; I manage 7 libraries, the museum and an arts position
- I’m Chair of the Professional Registration Board with LIANZA, which means I’m also ex officio to the LIANZA Council
- I’m 3/4 of the way through the Papa Reo course with Te Wananga o Aotearoa
- I mentor a couple of librarians around the country
- I have a month long art exhibition coming up October with the lovely and talented Dimmie
- I travel for work, and art, fairly regularly
- I teach art classes locally, and am teaching in the South Island in July
- Tony and I publish the local monthly newspaper
- I have some ongoing health issues, and am waiting on a 3rd MRI (2nd on my spine)
- I’m a food addict and, following weight loss surgery, need to make sure I do the right things every single day
- Tony has some serious ongoing health issues which are increasingly restrictive
- Tony has PoA for his cousin who has dementia, and I support him in this
Don’t get me wrong – Tony and I have a good life; we’re fortunate and this busyness is my (our) choosing. But the health issues are an unwelcome complication that mean I make sure we both get enough rest, and there’s “uh oh” flexi-time built into our schedules. Taking anything else on just isn’t a goer for now.
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Cath Sheard Art 