understanding patterns; connecting dots

By the end of 1985 I was hopelessly infatuated with Maria DiCocco. Inevitably I would get to meet her family. I sat on a stool at a breakfast bar, on the other side her Italian father served me fresh white bread with cheese and pepperoni salami washed down with a VB stubby. This an entree before amazing home cooked pasta. "Mangia, mangia". My relationship with food would never be the same. Some of the best of him is in the woman I love and I will be forever grateful that he decided to make his home in this land of migrants. He was indeed a 'character'. He made people laugh with his unique view of his world. He was indeed many things, but for me he was first and last Maria's father. While much of him was part of her, in recent times she, along with her sisters poured much of themselves back into him. That season finished yesterday when he died. Today was that surreal in-between time when nothing has changed and yet so much has. This morning we wandered along...

So after one of those months when days cascade into each other and you bounce around from organisation to organisation, city to city, agenda to agenda ... trying to engage meaningfully in relationships that matter, this morning I sat still in town and watched the morning coffee routine. After having got up a couple of hours before light to brain dump some ideas, I had an early medical appointment so grabbing a coffee at Starfish was the go - while I waited for the PO to open so I could go and collect  this . We've only been in town a little while, but I loved the familiarity and the nods of recognition we are getting already. I even had a passing cyclist yell to me ...  I know these are small things, but I love the simple sense of community. And then I get back home and it is washing etc and joy of joys, our first tomato blossom.

Oh Barkly Square I miss you ....

This afternoon we joined a bunch of interested and interesting people on an estuary walk. We learned about the difference between native and indigenous plants, the three dominant flora environments in our region and sampled various edible salt marsh plants. ... its the world we now live in. Understanding it better feels good. These old Moonah trees live for 3-400 years.

We are house hunting. But what we are really doing is preparing to create a new home, one for a phase of life that is just the two of us. We anticipate cultivating a space that facilities our particular idiosyncratic likes and eliminates those things we don't appreciate. ... so to help me think well I have reached onto my carefully curated book shelf and started a slow digestion of Monocle's Guide to Cosy Homes. 400 pages of rich reflection and and insight. (and 'yes' Leonard Cohen on rotation again tonight) It also means my radar is alert to good design ... spaces where the physical environment invites healthy human behaviour, and so snapped this shot while waiting for a flight last week.