of Quidditch & Kites

Yesterday was a pretty cool day. I got to hang out with three different groups of people that I don't usually, and it was great. 
First was the Kite Party 350, organised by a friend and her climate change club. We were joining in with groups all over the world, simultaneously having some fun in the sun & raising awareness about climate-y stuff. I borrowed two kites from a friend, and after nearly an hour untangling them, had some awesome flying fun. One of them required a bit of resourcefulness to get going (a stick for a new spine), and behaved like a particularly swoopy magpie the whole time, but that just added to the excitement. It was cool meeting some of Em's AYCC friends.
Someone did take photos, but I don't have any, so you'll have to accept this one of another Kite Party:

Emily also baked cupcakes. yum :)


Then I ran off to play Quidditch. We had lots of fun racing about in a couple of muckaround games. Less competitive didn't equal less injuries, however, as I still gathered a few scratches, a lump on the head, and a bludger to the face. My neck also made an interesting crunching sound when one of my own teammates sailed into me (he was aiming for the guy I was blocking :P) - but it seems to be ok today.


Then we just hung out and talked about Quidditch and the obvious fact that the only quantity in which to purchase bacon is "shitloads", and where all of the closest maccas are - all interspersed with lashings of pop culture references (most of which I'm sure went straight over my head) and sydney accents. Happy days.


Then it was off to help the Miskos move house. I was rather late by now (yes I did say I got caught up playing Quidditch - how fun that it's actually true!!) but at 4pm they were still eating lunch so the timing wasn't so bad, really ;).
So we packed and moved and swept and unpacked - all with the entertaining presences of the lovely Pip and many tall young men with booming voices. 
[Jo: "What appears to be me helping my parents move is in actual fact me obtaining a new desk, bookshelf, guitar, books, jigsaw puzzles, bed, keyboard and piano accordion"].


Most of them kept going into the night but I made my escape in the downpour around 10.

Good work guys!!


ps. Photo update:

A Kite is a Victim

A kite is a victim you are sure of.
You love it because it pulls
gentle enough to call you master,
strong enough to call you fool;
because it lives
like a desperate trained falcon
in the high sweet air
and you can always haul it down
to tame it in your drawer.

A kite is a fish you have already caught
in a pool where no fish come,
so you play him carefully and long,
and hope he won't give up,
or the wind die down.

A kite is the last poem you've written,
so you give it to the wind,
but you don't let it go
until someone finds you
something else to do.

A kite is a contract of glory
that must be made with the sun,
so you make friends with the field
the river and the wind,
then you pray the whole cold night before,
under the travelling cordless moon,
to make you worthy and lyric and pure.

-Leonard Cohen