I woke before 6am to a cold southerly pounding the beach.
Took my book out to the spa and read while I heated my blood!
Then once I was dressed I decided to attack my art corner.
As I worked away at clearing stuff that had been piled on top of my desk over the past months the tears began welling up and soon I could barely see what I was doing.
The silence in the living room was overwhelming.
Tim’s presence in the kitchen was the one normal of the day.
He would always be pottering away out there, getting the fires lit, making porridge, feeding the cats, and when all that was done he would sit at the table reading his Bible and eat his breakfast.
He would happily share that time with whoever woke early enough.
He always loved me having my creative corner in the living room.
He hated it if I moved it out to another room cuz he missed having me there.
We had our own space within our shared space.
I would often sit and work at my art table and we would chat across the room.
This morning it was so quiet, for several hours I was just there on my own.
It just didn’t feel right.
I wasn’t depressed or being morbid.
I was just plain missing Tim’s company.
I cried, and cried as I sorted and cleaned.
Several hours later the family began surfacing one by one, my tears had dried and the day carried on as usual.
In a ‘normal’ sort of way.
Just another ‘normal’ sort of day.
Jon-Paul went off with Anson to check the possum line.
Couldn’t figure what I wanted to eat for breakfast so I made date scones.
The girls were making the most of their last day together.
Melanie & Mahalia appeared and made waffles.
Joanna came up to chat so I sat and knitted until midday when she went back to make lunch for her crew.
Jesika went off for a walk.
Azzan was not feeling the best.
He has been randomly vomiting.
So I decided he should have a day off food to give his tummy a rest.
He wasn’t at all impressed with that idea!
I found this note on my desk a bit later 🙂
We suggested he had a couple of dry crackers.
Found out later he had half a box with cheese and tomatoes on top.
No sympathy from us after that!!
I went to bed for a sleep.
At 5pm decided to get up and make dinner.
I had taken out two bags of beef.
Made up a stew in the slow cooker for tomorrow.
Shoshannah & Nicky helped with veges.
They cut up pumpkin & parsnip to roast.
Filled the steamer with chopped silver beet and a did a pot of potatoes.
Cat arrived down so I asked her to do the steak.
It said it was frying steak but it was rather large chunks so she cut it smaller and quick fried it.
The meat is a bit tough so really needs long slow cooking.
It was already to serve soon after 7pm.
I left them all to it and headed up the hill to meet Sandra.
She had picked up Shoshannah’s birthday laptop and bought it in for me.
The wind was really fierce up the top so I had to tuck the Regulus in against the western side of the bank.
It was too scary sitting on the ridge top exposed to the savage gusts.
When Sandra arrived I hoped in with her and we sat and talked.
Not too many places where you can park in the middle of the road and not worry about blocking other traffic!
It was really good to have some quiet peaceful one on one time to talk without interruption.
Sandra and family have had a very worrying time with their newest grandson.
He has been extremely sick in hospital so she has been staying over in Wellington with his parents for the past 10 days.
He has now thankfully turned the corner and is making positive progress, enough that she felt happy to come home.
We chatted in the dark up there for a while, the vehicle was being buffeted by wind and rain.
It was a really wild night.
Figured at about 8:30pm we both should head homewards.
Dinner was over when I got back but mine was waiting on the wood stove.
I sat and talked with Cat, Jesika & Jon Paul while I ate.
Then after the girls went off to bed Jon Paul and I talked some more.
So good to have him back after all these years.
He made himself at home in the kitchen straight away 🙂
Rabbits Nest 