We arrived at the Spiegeltent late and tickets had sold out to Piff the Magic Dragon, so we walked into Northbridge to get some dinner. And dinner we did!
A wonderful Italian place with tightly arranged little tables and the windows open wide onto the warm night.
M bought me flowers and a munted little white bear we've called Muki and to finish the meal I had a glass of Grand Marnier and a heavenly panna cotta.
Friday was a full moon, and there was no wind and there were stars out. So when we got home, M parked the ute at the bottom of the backyard where the ground is flat and while I pottered about inside the house he made up the most luxurious bed on the back. I have never slept under the open sky before and it was the most wonderful romantic thing I've ever done. V Day be damned!
Saturday was consumed mostly with house-worky things until we went to City Beach to meet Betty and Pete etc (late as always) for a barbecue. While we waited for them we took the boogie boards into the water and much screaming and squealing ensued. Mostly it was M helping me keep my balance and pushing me forward onto the waves. Great fun.

And yesterday was abandonment. M left to drive back to Newman early, so after an extra 3 hours of sleep I spent a day of Anna-time. Went to a museum, bought cheese and French bread and read in the park, watched a movie and the waited, tetchy with nerves to hear that M had arrived safely having driven over roads that were legally closed to traffic due to flooding.
The phone call came at 10 and afterwards I fell into bed, heavy with relief.

A new week, resplendent with hope!

Motley Crue...

only kidding...

I just remembered the song "Change" as I sat down to write. And I should write because a couple of people have commented on my recent blogsilence. Thanks for the nudge, guys!

Since the last post, my daily (nay, hourly) mood has swung from leaving to staying to leaving, both house and relationship, until a final good and honest conversation helped me make the decision to stay in Duncraig and see if we both can't hammer out a decent relationship that's worthy of the love we're pouring into it. So we wait and see. Of course, some changes are being made and both of us are much clearer than we were before.

I have spent a lot of time inside my head these last few weeks and they have felt long and drawn out and I don't always like what I find inside there. I think sometimes I also have to accept that I'm not the easiest person to live with.

But a few good things have also emerged. That try as I might to deny it, culture and the arts still makes me feel exuberantly alive.
The List Operators were here for the Perth Fringe Festival, and not only was it gut-shakingly good to see Matt again (and feel the link to Bud a little stronger again) but the show and the festival were fantastic. So fantastic in fact that I went back again on Friday and met Frisky and Mannish, another couple of performers who I hope to see sometime this week.
Perth might be racist and homophobic, but there are pockets of pleasure in the city that do try hard.

This weekend just passed was strangely empty, in that we weren't running around to various activities, although we did get in a sweaty game of cricket in the park yesterday afternoon. I won an innings (whatever the hell that means) but mostly just practiced my girlish bowling.

I am reading All the Pretty Horses, and although it was quite difficult to get into at the start, it has become quite readable. And I hate hate hate to admit this, but I am seriously considering a Kindle. As a means of buying books cheaper, mostly.

Festivals, and days of Love and cliche... happy Monday!