A Small Miracle At Christmas
Without Prejudice
Had a little visitor last night. It had been a difficult day. Hot like only Melbourne
Can be, sometimes. 37 degrees. Not a lot you can do in days like that, the sun shines down relentlessly, especially hot in my unit, that has a tin roof and fabricated walls. I had coped with it pretty well but by 11 pm was feeling tired. There was a thankful cool change at about 7pm and I had opened all the windows and doors.
I was bent over cleaning my teeth in the bathroom when I heard a small sound outside the open window. It sounded like Cruz, my daughters 2 year old bubble of delight. I dismissed the idea at first, I had put a barrier up between the front house and my unit. ( I am having a side gate put in for privacy, and blocking off permanently the pathway to the front house)
Good fences make for good neighbours, I heard. I am a painstaking fuss bum and my daughter who lives in the front house, naturally enough, is not. So to keep us both happy we have strict boundaries that work very well. I don't go into her place without invitation and vice versa. I used to just pop my head and body in all the time, figuring I was helping. Yvette felt that I was virtually saying she couldn't cope. And she copes very well.
I had a house full of kids also when I was a young Mum and yes it was always messy. So now, if and when I do go into Yvette's I don't immediately start cleaning, as it drives her mad. I didn't realise I was doing it until it was pointed out to me. So peace reigns if I stop meddling and concentrate on my life. So the barrier was up.
Again came the noise this time the word, Wow, was introduced and the word, Nan. The outside area was cloaked in cool darkness and I flipped on the exterior light. At the wire screen door was a tiny figure, dressed in p.j's and crooning with delight to see me. Cruz. I looked at the wooden barrier still in place. I let him in and he ran behind me hiding for a moment and giggling.
"How did you get here, little man", I said and hugged him to me. He has a set routine when he visits. First a hug, then a big Wow at the Christmas tree. Then a play with the buttons on the water cooler. Pick up one marble from the decorator bowl in the coffe table. He never goes in my bedroom, ever. But last night he did. He exited immediately with his teddy bear. He's had it since birth and it was sorely in need of mending.
I had set it aside to fix and the spot he found it in had minutes before been covered in clean washing. I hadn't felt like folding and fluffing it all before bed, but had anyway. That's me all over. The teddy had lost its stuffing and I had it for a few weeks intending to re stuff and stitch. Somehow it was one chore I had not made time to do.
Yvette had stated about 8pm that Cruz was already in bed and his constant companion, Acer, aged 4, Cruz's brother was staying at his other Nana's. How he found his way to my unit in the dark without Yvette's knowledge was weird in itself. But he had the teddy clutched under one arm ans was eager to go back to the house, all of a sudden.
I took him back and we had look at the stars on the way. I had to dismantle the barrier to get to the side door of the house. Yvette commented,
"Where did you find him.?" indicating the teddy.
"I have been looking for him for weeks. He has been pinching Acers cow and Acer has been dragging it back off him. Now he will sleep"
And it was true, Cruz immediately lay down on his bed with Ted in his arms and closed his eyes in ecstasy. Lashes fluttering in a parody if sleep and contentment. But he went off to dream land within minutes. Yvette and I tip toed backwards out if the room. I had quickly stuffed an old top inside the teddy and said to Yvette I needed to stitch it. She said tomorrow, tomorrow.
Both of us had no idea how he had escaped the house and climbed the barrier in the dark, but he had. And finding Ted was almost a mission with Acer gone and the substitute cow. I came back to my unit and it was suddenly 12 midnight. And far on the midnight clear I swear I heard Christmas Carols being sung somewhere. Silent Night first the Good King Wenceslas. I looked at the stuffed statue beside me of the Good King and smiled.
Love Janette
Had a little visitor last night. It had been a difficult day. Hot like only Melbourne
Can be, sometimes. 37 degrees. Not a lot you can do in days like that, the sun shines down relentlessly, especially hot in my unit, that has a tin roof and fabricated walls. I had coped with it pretty well but by 11 pm was feeling tired. There was a thankful cool change at about 7pm and I had opened all the windows and doors.
I was bent over cleaning my teeth in the bathroom when I heard a small sound outside the open window. It sounded like Cruz, my daughters 2 year old bubble of delight. I dismissed the idea at first, I had put a barrier up between the front house and my unit. ( I am having a side gate put in for privacy, and blocking off permanently the pathway to the front house)
Good fences make for good neighbours, I heard. I am a painstaking fuss bum and my daughter who lives in the front house, naturally enough, is not. So to keep us both happy we have strict boundaries that work very well. I don't go into her place without invitation and vice versa. I used to just pop my head and body in all the time, figuring I was helping. Yvette felt that I was virtually saying she couldn't cope. And she copes very well.
I had a house full of kids also when I was a young Mum and yes it was always messy. So now, if and when I do go into Yvette's I don't immediately start cleaning, as it drives her mad. I didn't realise I was doing it until it was pointed out to me. So peace reigns if I stop meddling and concentrate on my life. So the barrier was up.
Again came the noise this time the word, Wow, was introduced and the word, Nan. The outside area was cloaked in cool darkness and I flipped on the exterior light. At the wire screen door was a tiny figure, dressed in p.j's and crooning with delight to see me. Cruz. I looked at the wooden barrier still in place. I let him in and he ran behind me hiding for a moment and giggling.
"How did you get here, little man", I said and hugged him to me. He has a set routine when he visits. First a hug, then a big Wow at the Christmas tree. Then a play with the buttons on the water cooler. Pick up one marble from the decorator bowl in the coffe table. He never goes in my bedroom, ever. But last night he did. He exited immediately with his teddy bear. He's had it since birth and it was sorely in need of mending.
I had set it aside to fix and the spot he found it in had minutes before been covered in clean washing. I hadn't felt like folding and fluffing it all before bed, but had anyway. That's me all over. The teddy had lost its stuffing and I had it for a few weeks intending to re stuff and stitch. Somehow it was one chore I had not made time to do.
Yvette had stated about 8pm that Cruz was already in bed and his constant companion, Acer, aged 4, Cruz's brother was staying at his other Nana's. How he found his way to my unit in the dark without Yvette's knowledge was weird in itself. But he had the teddy clutched under one arm ans was eager to go back to the house, all of a sudden.
I took him back and we had look at the stars on the way. I had to dismantle the barrier to get to the side door of the house. Yvette commented,
"Where did you find him.?" indicating the teddy.
"I have been looking for him for weeks. He has been pinching Acers cow and Acer has been dragging it back off him. Now he will sleep"
And it was true, Cruz immediately lay down on his bed with Ted in his arms and closed his eyes in ecstasy. Lashes fluttering in a parody if sleep and contentment. But he went off to dream land within minutes. Yvette and I tip toed backwards out if the room. I had quickly stuffed an old top inside the teddy and said to Yvette I needed to stitch it. She said tomorrow, tomorrow.
Both of us had no idea how he had escaped the house and climbed the barrier in the dark, but he had. And finding Ted was almost a mission with Acer gone and the substitute cow. I came back to my unit and it was suddenly 12 midnight. And far on the midnight clear I swear I heard Christmas Carols being sung somewhere. Silent Night first the Good King Wenceslas. I looked at the stuffed statue beside me of the Good King and smiled.
Love Janette
