fab night in

Just time to put the kettle on, make a cuppa, and settle down in comfort for a double episode of The Bill!! Yeee Haa!!

on the beach

I have to report another Freddie adventure; once again the caper took place at the edge of edges; where Fremantle meets the ocean at South Beach.

On Monday the temperatures soared suddenly and unexpectedly and when 5 o-clock arrived what better place to visit. Rang my friend and we soon had our bathers on. At first all went according to plan. The ocean was an inviting cool release from the furnace the house had become. Freddie was happy retrieving his ball and paddling away at top speed, tail up. Because the day had heated up so quickly it had taken the population by suprise and the beach and carpark were practically empty. The beach however was far from empty of flies and they were definately the down side of the excursion. There had been no warning on the weather forecast so people hadn't factored a swim into their afterwork activities. We walked slowly up the beach keeping our toes wet and Freddie occupied. He did his customary thing of rolling around in the sand after a swim. Not a pretty sight esspecially with a swarm of black insects hovering around. We walked towards the groyn and Freddie ran here and there, finally getting left behind playing chasey with a labradoodle. I cast a look back and notice he is surrounded by two or three dogwalkers - I wonder why, surely he's not that interesting? A woman breaks away and runs towards us to convey the unwelcome news that Freddie is eating a blowfish! I run - yes run - back to the scene of the crime. He's definately found something suitably disgusting to eat and is very resistant to me easing it from clenched jaws. All the flies on the beach seem to have congregated around his head and I battle through them to grab his collar and wrench him from his deadly and foul smelling supper. Now, Freddie's history is one of abandonment. I retrieved him from a dog pound a couple of years ago but by that stage certain habits had been inground into his personality - one being the neccessity to be constantly focussed on food. He'll eat anything. So bearing this in mind I reason that he's probably grown up on blowfish. But when we finally get him home and washed and I look up blowfish on the net I find that they are extremely poisonous and potentially deadly. I keep checking Freddie for signs of paralysis setting in. Poor dog isn't allowed to rest. After 24 hours of vigilance I reacon he's out of danger and it probably wasn't a blowfish anyway.

awesome read

There is a strong sense of relief now that I have finally finished my degree. I look at a door marked 'New Beginning' and wonder what secrets hide behind it. In the meantime I weed the garden, walk the mongrel, shop, worry and read. I visit a friend and she says I've just read this fantastic book - hold on a minute while I read the last ten pages and you can take it with you - I hold on. I take it with me.

Now I know that my two most faithful readers are staunch science fiction/fantasy fans and Satima, I will attempt to read some of your recommendations and see if I can be tempted. Myself, well, I like all kind of reads. For an escape I might dip into Elizabeth George for a spot of crime. The other day I picked up a Michael Connelly that looked promising. But the book I took home was a real winner and highly recommended. It is Richard Flanagan's latest entitled, The Unknown Terrorist. Be afraid, be very afraid. This amazing Australian writer has managed to get his finger right on the pulse of certain aspects of our culture, especially the power of the media to completely assassinate a character. But its not only the story, so relevant to our times. The book is written in beautiful poetic language. The characters are spot on and the plot carried me along to the last page. The action takes place during a few steamy days of a Sydney heatwave. The city is in the middle of a 'terror alert'. The main character is a pole dancer who seems to live on a diet of Stemetil, Tamazopan and Zoloft (don't ask me what they are) has several aliases and is mainly referred to as The Doll. She meets a man she is instantly attracted to while at the Bondi Beach and later runs into him again at the Mardi Gras. There follows a night of passion before her life seriously starts to unravel. Tariq, her lover, is framed as a terrorist suspect and there is CCTV footage of him and The Doll entering his hotel. The Doll's life may have seemed inconsequential and meaningless before this incident but when she becomes the centre of a so called terrorist network it now turns into a horrific nightmare. Through her tragedy Flanagan reveals the truth and humanity of his character. The media, like a pack of mad wolves, set out to frame and find The Black Widow as she subsequently becomes labelled. The art, subtlety and sensitivity with which Flanagan treats his subject is awesome. I haven't read any of his other books but I'll be heading down to the library with a list as soon as I get a chance.

once upon a time

Tonight is the last night of a three day stay in Albany. Each night I put my three year old grandaughter to bed and she demands (in the nicest possible way) that I make up stories before she goes to sleep. When we lie in her bed, face to face, after a story she might say 'that was a really good story grannie' it makes me prouder than any mark that I got for a uni assignment. I love the opportunity she gives me to allow spontaneous stories to emerge from the unconscious. She never tires of the ever favourite opening line - Once upon a time.....When I say those few words her eyes widen and a look of joyful anticipation crosses her face just inches away from mine. Then for somewhere a name will emerge, a situation, one thing leads to another some of which bring a smile or laughter, always listening and interested. After a story comes to its conclusion she says, 'just one more grannie' and when I said my brain is empty she said her brain will fill mine up!

the wild side

The beach was pretty close to perfection yesterday: the water flat and glassy; the sky wide, pure and radiant was sunshine. Our toes were warmed in the sand, even so early in the day. Fred kicked up the beach in clouds of dusty sand as he raced for the water. He was in his element, barking at the rippling waves, running after the ball, rolling in smelly seaweed, chasing other canines and generally taking the position of owner of all he surveys. He set off on a mountaineering expedition over the rocky outcrops, disappearing from view as my friend and I trudged across the dunes to the next beach. He cheekily bounds back from his adventure with a look that says - 'so what' - and you know he's been up to no good.


One adventure I didn't want him to have though happened along the C Y O'Connor stretch of the beach. My friend and I are engaged in an entertaining exchange when I vaguely notice a retired couple walk towards us with an elderly looking black labrador. Fred and their dog struck up a acquaintanceship with perfunctory bum sniffing by both parties. All is as it should be when suddenly the boat is rocked, something shifts in the universe. What I see is the man grabbing the woman and pushing her to one side. What my friend sees is the reason why - a black snake sliding down a slope from the sand dunes. Someone, or all of us voice the obvious - 'a snake, a snake!' with all the conotations that word enfolds. For me the protective instinct kicks in fast - Freddie is vulnerable, protect, protect. Not having his lead I have to act quickly to distract him - throwing the ball far up the beach to get him away from the venomous wild creature. One thing is for sure if Freddie sees it he is going to attack, I've seen his reaction to blue tongue lizards and its not a pretty sight. In the fight or flight scenario Fred always takes the fight option esspecially with something unusual invading his territory . The moment was an instant of hieghtened awareness - a sudden 'stop' exercise, a micro-second of pause in the calm security we are lulled into by our familiar routines. The snake sensibly takes off back into the dunes, alarmed by our alarm, and our walk continues. Yet our senses have been intensified by the sudden shock; a confrontation with the random element of life, the unknown.

testing the waters

Yes, after a long absence I am back to blogging. There are many stories to tell. Yesterday I handed in my final assignment for my undergraduate degree. The new begins each moment but this moment seems to herald a bigger better new beginning. Now it is time to don the swim suit and the sun lotion, grab Freddie and put him on the lead, and head for the edge of edges, the summer sands of South Beach.