Potpourri of August and Poems!! in Majimaze Musing!

Hi there all!Yes,I thought that without prompting or fanfare I would catch up.I am hopeless at this,really I am.I guess you have all really got that already!I have good intentions then something distracts me and off I go like the grasshopper in the parable.
Not to worry.I will make no promises this time.It has been a muddily time,July /August.Not my favourite months as I find winter intolerable.And this winter really got to me.As I do annually,I got my flu injection and then came down with the worst ‘flu I have had for many years.It was insulting,disgusting and has left me hating winter even more!To begin:
Late July we had some nasty frosts and one morning I slipped on ice I couldn’t see on the pavement when taking Taitai for his early morning walk!It gave me a heck of a fright even tho I wasn’t hurt and as I told my daughters,I was given a firm lecture to only start walking again when it was light and warmer.I took note.I am 72 after all!A few days later I caught one of my good toes on a piece of furniture and the entire toe turned into a blood blister and the PAIN!!I struggled with shoes to walk the dog still and after unwisely wearing a nice pair of boots to Toastmasters it turned black and was so sore I didn’t sleep at all that night!At one stage,I cried with pain then when I went to the bathroom I realised I was leaving a trail of blood!The damn thing had split!I didn’t got to the Doc as I knew it was a blood blister(Janet my eldest took a look at it and said it was turning black because it was swollen with old blood).It proceeded to ooze blood for a week then slowly healed and turned the right colour.I kept it covered all that time until just recently.So I couldn’t have walked Taitai early anyway.I still walked him in the afternoons even though it hurt.I walked on grassy paddocks.I had to revert to wearing sneakers every where.As my other toes are arthritic this was really horrible.
Early August, one of my cousins died.In the early 1970’s,he was a young lad of 19 at University doing a law degree when he took LSD.It tipped him over into schizophrenia and he was very very badly affected.He tried suicide about 5 times,the last major attempt was when he swallowed a big amount of petrol(Gasoline).When found he was nearly dead.A fire engine had to take him to hospital and he was taken to the basement so they could pump him out without an explosion.Very dramatic and absolutely awful for his family.His Mum is my favourite Aunt ( my late Mums sister) and I grew up with the family during school vacations.I loved him and was very distressed as well.He recovered from that however his schizophrenia was extremely unstable.After another few very traumatic episodes,one including him standing on the roof of his mother’s house swearing and cursing at everyone.His mother is a widow and she ran a business in his hometown, he was admitted to a secure institution and the experts finally got his mental health under some control,He was left very damaged, however after 5 years was released into a secure community housing project and with flatmates.He got himself a lawn mowing business and met a very nice woman,also mentally challenged and they set up together and were very happy.Both were damaged.
The drugs he was given to stabilse him were very strong and a side effects were his teeth rotted and he was toothless,(refused to got the dentist very very violently) and his lungs were affected.He lived another 30 years with Anna his girlfriend,and attended all the family occasions and I would see him often, and although his speech was affected and he talked very rapidly I loved catching up.Over the last few years,his lungs got worse,and he was hospitalised many times and ,the lungs gave up and he died July30th.He was 63.I tell you all this because I really admired him as well as loved him.He cobbled together a life for himself and Anna and he worked to support them both of them and his family was marvellous all the way through.I cried buckets.
I was writing a poem for my 16 year old granddaughters birthday on August 2nd(the next day)and had wanted to write a poem for Chris’s funeral on that same day.While writing her poem ,another for Chris struggled through my brain and insisted on coming out!I continued writing hers after I had written down Chris’s!!I had no time to fine tune it,just had to throw it in my handbag and hope it sounded OK!It was a very moving very wonderful funeral (at the Funeral directors rooms) in Auckland and there were so many of my family,one of my brothers,cousins, nephews and nieces and unfortunately,coughs,sneezes and slobber!Everyone seemed to have the ‘flu!The service was simple and lovely with eulogies and songs,so I stood up and gave my poem.
It was 5 verses long,I hadn’t done anything to it at all,it was the rough draft and I hadn’t practised it.Plus I was nervous as it was my family there..However,because I loved him so much,it came through without a pause and I did the rhyming right and you could hear a pin drop.It was just what I felt about Chris and his family and how he had lived as well as he could.As I left the lecturn,my Aunt hugged me with tears running down her cheeks, then Anna,then Chris’s sister and brother then my nephews and many others.It took me about 7-8mins to get seated again next to my brother and is wife.I don’t always get along with Lindy, Stuarts wife,so was delighted when she took my hand and said ‘That was beautiful Angela,and so right.’Yes, sometimes you shouldn’t try to fine tune sheer emotion.It worked.My Aunt has kept the rough draft for herself.
I didn’t stay too long for a cuppa as had to get a ferry back for my granddaughters birthday.Got a lift to the Ferry and arrived with 3 mins to spare and ran down the concourse and just flopped in to a seat.So rest in peace dear Chris.God Blessxxx

Four days later I came down with the ‘flu!I was really upset as I hadn’t had a cold or flu for 6 years.It was awful!Aches pains a nose like Niagara Falls and a cough like you wouldn’t believe.and a fever!I lived on eggs,soup and Panadol for a week.Still managed to look after Taitai and struggle out to the paddocks.Only once did I let Penny take him for a walk.I was really ill for a week,then it took another week to recover only to be left with deafness!Tolerated it for another week then went and got my ears syringed out!Bliss!

In the midst of all this,Polz turned 70 and was visited by her lovely family ,off and on for about 10 days!Wonderful, and methinks ,a little exhausting for Polz!It culminated with a party for her friends and on her request,I wrote poem for her and read it out!I asked her if she wanted to read it first and she said no,so I went ahead.In it I poked a bit of fun at her and was a bit cheeky!Well,it was MY poem and she had asked me to write one and I had checked with her if she wanted to read it first!She took it all in great spirit and altho looking gob-smacked sometimes, was very forgiving and laughed herself!The friends and family seemed to LOVE it!So,that was August!

The weather has behaved itself pretty well up to today when a late winter polar blast has taken over for 24 hours!Youch!
I have been fascinated by the American Presidential elections as both candidates are so different and are currently neck and neck with under 2 months to go!Not going to give you my opinion as I am Kiwi,however,I would hate to be American at the moment!Am quite engaged with our local body elections as well,as a contrast.For a small Island we are VERY polarised and volatile!What a hoot!
I will finish this now.It was my late Mum’s 98th birthday yesterday.She died 7 yrs ago.I didn’t get along with her for most of my life,however, the last 20 years of her life I changed my view and just loved her for being my Mum.I miss her quite a lot and think of her often.
We are all well again here and just waiting for the weather to improve again.Taitai has his spring trim tomorrow and I had mine yesterday!Hope all is well with you all,
Lots of love and best wishes,
Majimazexxxxx