Monday Miscellany

Our social summer continues. We went out to dinner with a friend who stayed over last week, then my sister and her daughter (Charlie) stayed for a couple of days over the weekend (as school summer holidays continue for a few more weeks). We had a lovely evening out on the deck as they arrived, then shopping on Saturday, and a dinner out. They left yesterday morning, when my husband’s golfing buddy went diving, caught some crayfish (the NZ the term means a saltwater rock lobster) and invited us over to a barbecue to eat them. How could we refuse? And today, the fine weather continues.

Growing my hair when I have grey streaks means I now moult grey and white hair. It’s almost worse than having white-haired cats moulting all over the place! (After the cats died, the frequency we vacuumed dropped by more than half!) Especially as, now that I am growing my hair, the white hairs are longer and curly and very noticeable. These longer white hairs are making me rethink all my black clothes. (Mind you, the white streak on my left side pops against black tops.)

It is almost two full years since I last coloured my hair. I have a white streak, as mentioned, at the front of my head on both sides (but more prominent on one side), but the back of my head is still quite dark. In fact, the longer my hair grows, the darker it looks. I’m happy with it though. At times I look in the mirror and look really old – usually when I haven’t styled it. But at other times, I think it looks very chic. At least it is natural!

For most of us here in NZ, unless we work at the border or in tourism (and I feel for those who have lost most of their income) or live in Auckland, the pandemic has scarcely touched our daily lives. Everything has pretty much gone on as usual. I’m sure you’re sick of me saying this. I’m sorry. But I look ahead with trepidation. It’s coming this year, without doubt. Omicron may be milder than Delta (if you are vaccinated), but it is still a killer. And I look at my medical history. Dengue fever contracted in the Philippines, rare ectopic pregnancies and infertility, trigeminal neuralgia, and a necessary hysterectomy after almost bleeding out. If it’s unusual or rare, I am not immune! So it would be just my luck to get COVID-19. None of my previous ailments have killed me, despite some of them trying. But there’s always a first time.

There is a little bird hanging out in the trees around our house. He/she chirps and chirps and chirps, but it is only on one note, sounding a little like a household fire alarm reminding us that it needs a new battery, except a lot more frequently! I managed to get a photo, then looked him up. He is apparently just a common chaffinch. (I’m hopeless at identifying birds!) But his chirps don’t sound like this typical chaffinch song. I worry that he’s going to miss out on finding a mate if his call is so different. Or maybe the male/female chaffinches will think he/she is exotic and attractive!