..one of those things I think you should know

very nearly didn't post this.. but here goes!

Ok, so this is to do with relationship breakups. Just thought I should let people know (and I'm sure most of you wouldn't do this, but you'd be suprised how much it happens) that when someone has broken up with someone else, you don't immediately jump in with telling them not to worry because 'there's a special person out there waiting just for you - they just haven't turned up yet'. When you've just broken up with someone your world may be in pieces and amongst all the bits of hopes and dreams and impossibly tangled feelings you're grieving this person that, due to whatever circumstances, has been ripped out of your life.

I know people mean well, but it's not about 'finding that one perfect person for you'. It's about knowing and caring for this particular person and who they are.. You don't just go 'oh well they weren't the right one so I'll start looking for someone new'.. maybe they weren't, and in time maybe you will join paths with someone else, but what I'm saying is, that's not the place you're in now.

Yes, I'm speaking from experience here (mine and close friends of mine who've had similar experiences with well-meaning others), and maybe not everyone feels the same way we do, but I think when people say things like the above, it feels like there's no understanding of what it meant.. And that you're freed up and 'on the hunt' again or something. ew.

Oh and I'm definitely not angry with anyone, just so you know! Only thought, maybe I could warn against making this one little mistake.

Cheers,

Flood II - The Aftermath

Oh slender mosquito
I must admit
I feel no guilt
in crushing you -
not one whit!

holiday reading

Books books books (the ones I've read already these hols are bolded)

Harry Potter 5, 6 & 7 (yes, I've been suffering withdrawals since last year's HP 9-day-7-book Challenge)
River Town (fascinating book about a guy's couple of years in a backwater chinese town, I should write a whole post just on it)
Cry, the Beloved Country - Alan Paton
In Patagonia - Bruce Chatwin
Fire & Hemlock - Diana Wynne Jones
The Book of Lights - Chaim Potok
El Leon, la Bruja y el Ropero - CS Lewis
The Silmarilion - JRR Tolkien
.....and finish War & Peace!

Any recommendations?

Flood Fun

I went walking across the swampy oval this morning:



It's funny how exciting it's been, staying in a partially flooded town. Since last friday up until a day or two ago, we had water nearly up to our back fence, and the road at the bottom of the block was totally under water! The river had turned into a lake covering soccer fields, carparks, everything nearby..

For those 5 days or so, I estimated that we had upwards of 1000 cars driving past our place everyday! (at least one per minute, morning-evening) We liked to call them 'flood tourists', dropping by to check the levels - though I'm sure at least some of them were just people frustrated by the road blocks all over town!

I was thinking, it's funny just how fascinating we find stuff like this. Funny cos normally we like to have everything under control, know what's happening and when and how.. have the day run according to plan, etc.

And then something like this happens, and the normal routines get thrown a bit haywire, and everything just looks so weird and different. And it might be a bit annoying (and really sad for all those farmers whose crops are stuffed :( ) but we love it all the same. Maybe we don't actually like everything to be quite so predictable after all..

Here are some flood-nearly-gone pics. Can't find the fully flooded ones at present, sorry!