hi. let me take you on a little tour of my garden. the lawn area is incredibly large & was overgrown since i moved in, so i’m ever so gradually chipping away at the edges, making it tidy, pleasing. i hope you notice the front is looking nice.. (i was at with scissors today & yesterday) & also out here i have roses on the side. a few different colours when they’re blooming. out the back i’ve planted beans alone, tho i have plans for some more things. i’m a fan of herbs.. (the snails have been eating the beans but i’ve been a bit lazy & not done too much to stop this. anyway, it seems like once the creepers grow high enough the snails can’t get up there.) right down the back there’s a separate fenced off area that i believe once would have kept horses. i’m yet to determine a use for it, tho i have placed the poetry panels there, left over from last year’s project – they continue to degrade nicely in the weather. that’s about it. oh i also have a nice wild patch of mint down in the back corner. it’s a herb you don’t use too much but i like having it. there’s a great mint sauce i remember making once that i should look into preparing again..

so how was your new year’s? i spent mine quietly in a hotel room. i was quite happy with that tho. i’d gone out with some friends the night before so was tired, & content to watch tv & be by myself. i didn’t feel particularly reflective but that’s ok. right now i’m preferring to look forward rather than dwell on the past. i did see the fireworks on the melbourne horizon. it was pretty, albeit kinda distant. it was good to be away for a short time. now i’m back somewhat refreshed, & as you might have ascertained, i’m pouring some efforts into the garden before work life intrudes next week.

i’m still waiting for the necessary work-role enthusiasm to appear. perhaps it won’t. it might. perhaps i’ll change roles. idk. it’s not that easy for me tho.. if anything, i’m ok with my lack of arts project motivation at the moment because i’m enthusiastic about my own work. this should provide some balance. i do aim to travel around a little this year & take on some writing projects. my dream locations are back to tasmania (loved it the one time i’ve been, & wrote a lot), but also new zealand.

while i was away my cat had to stay at the narrandera pet motel. she was totally wild-eyed when i picked her up, not understanding anything. you can understand what it must be like for a pet. she seemed to weigh more too when i put her in the car. the proprietor told me that often happens – there’s a continuous supply of food in the caged area so some cats just do nothing but eat. for a change she curled up right under my arm to sleep the first night back. but of course, she’s now back into her home-life routine, & has gone back to being her more aloof self, only appearing for food, sleeping out of reach.

perhaps i need a dog? we were talking yesterday about the differences in the two, how dogs can sometimes be more human-like companions, how you can talk to them more like they’re people, how you can elicit responses from them, play with them, et cetera. people seem pretty certain about being either dog or cat ‘types’ but i don’t know.. look at this dog tho!

he stormed around the house yesterday bringing a lot of joy. i’m still loving the idea now of a companion i can take places, who’ll hang his head out the window of the car lapping up the air.. anyhoo.. we’ll see.

i began unlocking all of my social media accounts & unblocking every person i’ve ever blocked. it all seems pointless. i’m here, writing things & existing. you can read, look, interact. or not. i don’t have anything to hide. (oh except for that one guy i don’t know who bizarrely msgd me a few months back with ‘fuck you’re a wanker derek motion’ – he can stay blocked i think?..)

i hope you achieve beautiful things in 2016, take on challenges, tackle changes, love & be loved.