saturday lovely
2012
We haven’t had a good, slow, cosy Saturday like this in a while … bliss! After some quick goings-out in the morning we embraced the cold, cold, bleak, rainy weather, closed the doors (locked the back door which kept blowing open!), stuffed the draft stoppers along the doorjambs, made hot drinks, gathered our supplies and set up camp in the front room.
With an added twist (giggle) … when hard rubbishing a while back, I found an old television. Now, anyone who notices hard rubbish knows that huge old televisions are a dime a dozen. Horrible things … I don’t know what the dumpers expect is going to happen – the ugly huge television fairy is going to come along and turn them into spring bluebells. Yeah right! However, I found a glorious old television set from the 1960s/70s with an elegant wooden case, gold tipped cigar shaped legs, all the knobs … looked like it came straight out of the Brady Bunch’s den. So we hefted it (boy was it heavy!) into the car and brought it home (cue mum: what on earth are you bringing this home for – it’s revolting!).
It no longer worked, so I pulled out it’s innards – long, heavy, sharp and dirty work, and gave the television and it’s knobs a lovely and thorough clean. I had visions of popping a flat screened television into it and bringing it back to life. Which could easily happen one day, just not any time soon – slight problem of cost :-) Instead, yesterday afternoon, Abby and I (with secretive chuckles and hunting of cords and power supplies – we didn’t want Julian to know what we were up to – it was a surprise) shoved an old flat screen computer monitor in there and attached it to Abby’s laptop. Voila! A working television :-)
So, to the accompaniment of sweet chattering, snuggling doggles, crochet, sewing and plotting (Abby’s working on a new original character), and whilst the wind HOWLED and eventually the rain settled in for the evening, we watched the beautiful Studio Ghibli films “My Neighbour Totoro” (my favourite – I adore everything about this film – their falling-down country house, Granny, her vegetable garden, the gorgeous father, the responsible big sister, the full-of-life little sister, the helpful neighbours, the marvellous teacher, the soot gremlins, the cat bus (man I LOVE the cat bus!) and of course Totoro – mwah! mwah!) and Spirited Away (a very close second – explores much more complex themes – really gets the family conversation going about the nature of good and bad and the care we need to take when we define one thing as more valuable than another – what the consequences are – Mr. Miyazaki is a gift to our world)
Oh it was good :-) So good! Now, the morning sun is shining – Julian is out bike riding, Abby’s still in bed and there’s washing that needs to be hung out. And I know, that when Abby finally stirs, she’s going to wishing for those wintery clouds to roll back in …
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I also adore the Ghibli films and Totoro is one of my favourites. I had the good fortune to visit the Ghibli museum in Tokyo a few years ago and it is like being inside a film. The theme of the museum is “let’s get lost together” and no cameras are allowed inside. Miazaki forbade it as he wants people to experience his lovely, beautifully made museum full of little rooms and twisty, unexpected turns. There is a room with a gigantic, plush cat bus for little kids to play on. I really, really wished I was four again! I could go on for pages about the Ghibli Musuem – one of the most magical experiences of my life.
Did I miss a post? New dog? Or are you sitting someone’s. I follow your stories of yours pets faithfully and feel I even know your chickens. How did I miss a dog.
Sue
Ah! We are baby sitting Lucy – she’s my mum’s dog and has been with us for a couple of months now. Mum’s in Canada – home in a couple of weeks.
Lucy is Simon’s sister. There were five pups in the litter – Simon was the only boy and Lucy was the only blonde – their three siblings were little black girls. They were such gorgeous pups – so funny – and they had a lovely babyhood and childhood together – we were living with Mum at the time so it was a very easy transition for them – boy did they get up to some mischief. Abby used to write picture books about their adventures – so funny! Then when we had our own place in Brisbane they would visit each other most days.
Lucy was terribly sad when we came to Melbourne … Simon and Toph were staying with Mum and were collected by the Pet transport people. They cheerfully hopped into the crates but Lucy went and stood behind Mum with her tail between her legs – then she just lay on the back porch for days looking terribly forlorn and getting up to sniff around as if looking for them. Then, when she came to Melbourne with Mum when Mum had her eye surgery the Pet transport people brought her into the back garden in a crate – they let her out and she was hysterical – she raced round and round the back garden frantically sniffing and then through the house sniffing and sniffing everywhere – it was only a few months since Simon and Toph had died and we are sure she could smell them and realised that this is where they were but she still couldn’t find them. It was so sad because she adored Simon and loved to boss Toph around – she came back to us in the garden and cried.
She’s ten this year and mostly used to Sweetpea – but they are not especially fond of each other despite having spent quite a bit of time together. Lucy’s a sweetie – so like Simon – same coat, same smell, same habits – she’s very smoochy. It’s lovely having her stay. It’s been two years this weekend since Simon and Toph died – unbelievable. We still talk about them every day and miss them so much.
Another owl, so cute.
Oh how we LOVEloveLOVE Totoro, and Ponyo, and all the rest. He captures the spirit of a 4 year old little sibling perfectly!
Popped over here from Soulemama — thank you for your well worded comment regarding the efficacy of the pertussis vaccine. The debate is getting a bit hot over there and the rudeness, and quite frankly the ignorance, of some people is killing me.
Having said that you have a lovely blog. That fluffy curly dog of yours looks just like my Walter. Given that we live continents apart they are likely not related but he’s a dead ringer.
Anyway I just wanted to pop in an say hello. Have a lovely day.
I love reading about your handmade adventures, your crafting genius, your sweet inventive daughter. I am crossing my fingers that my daughters (now 7 and 3) turn out as awesome as yours. The three year old is already addicted to knitting needles and glitter glue….good start!
Love reading about you and your girl. You are both so fun and stinking clever! Love the telly transformation…though I bet it was super hard to remove the innards. I’ve always been afraid to try that…anyway we love Ponyo and all the others but we have yet to see “My Neighbour Totoro,” but now based on your recommendation I think we must.