What a Blessing

Took me a week to get into see my doctor today. Even then he was 45-minutes late... but he was delivering a baby up at the hospital, so that's quite alright. Absolutely.

Even then, I was in-and-out in like 10 minutes. I mean, I was able to tell him practically everything that's been going on for me, both health and mentally-wise, and he made some good suggestions. Put me back on the mild anti-d's, which I had already anticipated. But it's all good.

I had all the good intentions to spend an hour up at Meals on Wheels this arvo, and go help with the 'cleaning up' at the end of their day (a shitty job that I don't mind doing at all), after the doctors etc etc. But because he was running so late and all that, they would have actually finished at MOW by the time I'd eventually got there! Oh... pooh!

We're having a mid-week quick Box of Sox rehearsal tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. Matt's parents are away overseas for 2 1/2 months, and we're able to use their country property (about 10 minutes out of town) as a non-neighbour-annoying rehearsal space. We had ourselves a brilliant rehearsal on Sunday arvo, at Julian's in his garage. Normally his neighbours are great, and actually come out with their lawn chairs to listen! [blushes]. But yeah, this was the first time someone came along after about three hours and asked us to turn down... he'd only recently moved into the cul-de-sac - and he's a shift worker who needed sleep! So yeah - most of us having experienced the... erm... "mixed blessings" of working shifts totally understood where he was coming from. He wasn't complaining - not at all. So yeah, we called it an early close.

It's understandable... we're a four-to-five piece rock'n'roll band playing in a suburban garage! The sound is gonna carry, no matter how 'pianoforte' we play! (that's 'softly'! lol). So, moving out of town will be a positive situation, as we won't be disturbing anyone. Plus after that time we should be able to move back into Mick's basement, which is a pretty sound-proof place.

Matt invited me to dinner with his work colleagues on the "Red Shift" (what we were originally gonna call the band!) at a really fancy restaurant in town. His work paid for it, which blew me away! So I shouted him some drinks, and we had a really nice evening talking to new people around us. I drooled over the most-succulent piece of rib eye steak with mushroom sauce you could dream of...

I spent an hour getting to know a couple, only a few years older than us. the guy was also a frustrated part-time muso, so we chatted along those lines for a while. Then I got chatting to his wife, and we talked about our kids for an hour! Yes yes... once you get me started about my boys, it's not easy to shut me up! But seriously, we were able to reassure and encourage each other as parents in the joys, frustrations and angst of parenting sons!

Afterwards, they both came back to Matt's place (literally a 2-minute walk around the corner), and Matt and myself 'performed' on two acoustic/classical guitars for them. we were just mucking around (perhaps a few too many bourbons floating around in me may have made a difference? heh heh), and yeah, we played some silly but fun stuff. Yeah, we had fun and just played off one another for about 25 minutes or something - and they were amazed!

It was kinda embarrassing... Matt and I kinda found ourselves "into the pocket" and kinda forgot they were there, and just played and played all sorts of stuff, bouncing off and complementing each others' playing and phrasing. I guess hanging out over the last few months has been a positive thing in a subconscious way, musically.

Anyway, although technically it was "silly rubbish", we still had lots of fun playing, and this couple couldn't stop raving about it. We were so embarrassed!

But they were a fantastic couple, "salt of the earth" people. Married 30 years and still deeply romantically in love with each other.

It was truly a joy to behold.

On late Saturday afternoon, I found myself sitting at home staring at my own bum (basically). Rather than sit there moping about, I jumped in the car, threw in my guitar (the one on the left), and headed out to Ben Chifley Dam for an hour. Matt had originally organized to spend the day out there with some of his mates, water skiing. He'd suggested dropping out later and having a jam and all that. So yeah, on that slim pretext I headed out. It's only a 20 minute drive.

The weather was glorious. Basically, it was too late in the day to take my boat out. By the time I would have got it rigged and gone out, it would have been getting dark... and sailing on your own when there's no-one else around in the dark didn't exactly appeal to me either! heh heh.

I had a look about, but I couldn't see Matt anywhere. There were only a small handful of ski boats out and about - no sailboats to be seen anywhere. So, bugger that. I sat on the shore on a rug, and played my guitar in the glorious late day sunshine and light puffs of fresh country breeze.

Simply glorious moments.

As it was, I drove past and dropped into his place on the way back into town... he'd decided, in the end, to stay at home being domestic for the day instead! Woah! heh heh.

Nevertheless, we ended up sitting around casually playing CDs and guitars for a few hours anyways!

Took my own advice and the doctors, and went for a gorgeous 45-minute walk this evening (Tuesday), just as the sun was setting. Glorious colours everywhere after another warm-ish day. I actually walked up one or two streets I haven't walked along for at least six months! Enjoying looking at house designs and gardens, that kinda thing. Nice way to unwind a bit and get some fresh air into my lungs. I'm gonna try and do that at least 4 nights each week from now on in.

Now, if only I could find someone to go 'walking' with me, to kinda motivate me! Hrm... [opens address book...] hrm....

Oh, and I finally remembered to acquire a good-quality set of headphones to use with "The Thing"... much better sounding than the taught-piece-of-string-between-two-tin-cans I had been using before, by comparison! heh heh

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Thanks to Caroline for leading me to this awesome site... "English Russia" - some amazing photos of life in Russia.

Peas be with ewe

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