Togetherness

Back home after several days in Melbourne seeing all my children and four of my grandchildren, I sit at the computer feeling strangely lethargic. Where to start? What to say? Perhaps my muse is still in the air. It is certainly not inhabiting my imagination.

Being with all my children does not happen very often. My daughter Stomper and Fixit gave me, in their loving home, my lovely grandsons, a bed, cups of tea, a sympathetic ear, the chance to put aside the things which beset me, liberty to do whatever suited me, Basil the cat to play with (he was really only interested in the long narrow ribbons dangling from my nightie - the rest of the time he played difficult to find and hard to get). My other daughter and my son and his boys were also there. It happens rarely that we are all together, and it felt good. We all spent some hours yesterday at the pool. Pools and swimming are such enjoyable pursuits, and it was lovely to see so many families having such a good time, with the littlies flinging themselves in and out of the water and having such fun. It was a VERY hot day.

I have returned home feeling better than when I left it. The minor vexation occasioned by the impenetrable instructions in the crochet pattern was assuaged by all the good and nice things that happened.

I had dinner one night with a friend. My youngest sister and I spent some time wandering in and out of shops of varying degrees of trendiness. I tried on a sundress, but it was too short. The salesgirl suggested it could be worn with leggings.  With a sundress?  No way!

When we parted, I decided to walk some of the way home. My newish sandals chafed my little toes, and thus I resorted to the tram. Alas, a tram had broken down further up the line, so the route was clogged with stationary trams. It enabled me to get out, and go to the supermarket to buy bandaids for my little toes, and then get back on the tram again.

On Saturday I met another sister and we saw the Metropolitan Opera's production of Gounod's Faust, which went for over four hours, and was absolutely stupendous and enthralling, with superb singing and acting. I recommend it.