Morning has broken

Mum & Pop having a laugh

Morning breaks like every other
Opening eyes, the darkness that enveloped
the night remains, winter sits
a giant umbrella covering the light

A different routine, collect the paper
with must read news unwrapping the
squeaky plastic that holds it tight
a baton without a race, thrown across the grass

Prepare breakfast, bacon, tomato, toast, fine
cut shallots, tea piping hot, table set
His walker first with him behind, the eldest but
always the first to rise, as if to squeeze
in as many waking hours

He smiles, tucks in, asks if I can stay
…permanently
I smile, shake head, no, that is not possible
my Pop and kiss his beautiful forehead
knowing part of me would

Then she awakens, the kitchen clock moves 7:20
Breakfast is ready I whisper, with morning voice
yet to gain strength
She sits, she eats and then as every morning
she transforms to the little old lady in
Mary Poppins, feeding her birds

copyright JMTacken 25.6.2014

This photo was taken over 2 years ago, mum hates it, as she says, it looks like they are catching flies.

Chat time… I know it’s been far too long

Well, for some possibly, for others probably cringe moment. As usual when I get into poetry or challenge/prompt poetry mode, that is all I concentrate on, which for this old brain is an achievement in itself.

Updates:

1. For those of you who know that I smoke, (well wine and cigs to go hand in hand don’t they?) I have been very good the last 2 weeks and cut down to 3 a day, normally I’m an anywhere from 5-20 a day kinda gal and believe me 3 a day is pardon the pun – killing me!  I did quit cold turkey years back for 7 years and started again, yup stop shaking your heads all of those who don’t smoke (mybad). This time I am using nicobate lozenges – which I am sucking on quite vehemently I may tell you.  Being my age 51, 52, 53 ..and the rest,  I am fully aware how bad this habit is, but it’s one tough cookie to break let me tell you and mindset plays an enormous part.  So I’m not making any promises to anyone, let alone myself that I shall stop altogether, but if I can keep at a very low level, then I am okay with that.

2. I have received the work book and on- line lessons for the Marriage Celebrant course, only 138 page booklet of which I’m up to page 28 and have been for a few days, as I haven’t got around to study (mybad again). Then if and when I do pass, it’s up to the Attorney General’s Office to say yay or nay you  can conduct Marriages (depending on how many Celebrants are in my area at the time). Funeral Services I have one next Tuesday, this will be my 11th, I so need more..sad to say.

3. Penguins – Both pretty much the same, mums medications has been increased and she has started her ‘glazing off into the distance’ look a bit more than usual. She still gets cranky very easily too, something I find hard to cope with. Pop is struggling with his walking and if he hasn’t got his walker, only his cane, we need to hold his arm or hand to keep him balanced. He has also grown a beard, the poor love can’t get into all the nooks and crannies as he once was able to, so I told him, just grow it and every week I go over and trim and shape it for him with the clippers, he does look cute though.

4. Weddings – no not mine 😦  lol  This morning we attended my eldest nephews wedding, they held it in the Registry office in the City and then photographs in the adjoining gardens. In approximately 2 hours we  (Mr. S and I) will pick up the penguins again and go to the Reception. Whilst in the park getting photos, it was time for the Penguins and our side of family to get photos. Mum was sitting on a bench next to Pop, Pop was helped up, mum got up but her skirt fell down. 😦 I don’t know why, it was zipped and it looked like it fit, but there she was the poor lovey, blouse and pantyhose with this crumbled skirt around her ankles. OK so I giggled, as did others as we madly pulled it back up again, with her saying what happened, what happened???  Thankfully, not many witnessed the event and for those who did, they would be having a quiet chuckle too I’m sure. Luckily mum didn’t seem to phased about it, which was a good thing. If it was me I would have cringed and ran behind the nearest tree.

So that’s my updates folks – Hope you all have a lovely weekend, normal services, will resume tomorrow..depending how much wine I consume tonight and what my brain is like of course.

Thank you and goodnight.

Mums

x

 

Chat Time Personal ‘stuff’ – pour a drink – its been a while

Dear  Fans Followers,

My Muse is still drinking I think and poetry is a struggle (at 4:18 pm Thursday afternoon) but I didn’t begin this blog to even write poetry so YAY to me for attempting…yes?

This afternoon, as Melbourne Australia (Horsetralia) swelters under a blazing hot sun and hot northerly winds, the temperature is 44C – that’s erm roughly 111.2 Farenheit. That is hot, I am hot (well I was when I was younger – that’s a joke everyone) so I sit here under a ceiling fan with the Evaporative cooler going flat-out as she/he is struggling somewhat.

Since I haven’t had a chat for a while, and Poetry Muse is off in some corner possibly sporting a massive hangover, my chat Muse is still able to talk…stop groaning it won’t be that bad.

Last weekend I had a visitor, http://summerstommy.com Michael lives in NSW – that’s heading up North from where I live and he was down visiting some of his children. He is the 2nd blogger I have met through WP and being a fellow Aussie – well put it this way – I greeted him at the door with a hug and a few kindly expletives 🙂 as is ‘our way’.

He arrived Sat and he sat in the kitchen whilst I fiddled about making potato salad for our BBQ dinner that night. He chatted to Mr. S and it was all very lovely and relaxed. Later we had the BBQ and I cooked a peppered butterfly lamb (Lyn will know of this) 🙂

Now Michael being a retired Drama and English teacher has assisted me along the way with the writing of my Eulogies and he does a damn fine job let me tell you. I use the word ‘that’ too many times, he corrects, I word a paragraph weird..he corrects. So as I had the Service yesterday – it was a perfect opportunity for him to sit with me and go through what I had written. “He done good” 🙂 (he will hate that) I can write, but sometimes my use of the English language is a little all over the shop and he points me in the right direction.

He stayed over Saturday night and Sunday morning the 3 of us went out for breakfast – ah to be sure it was grand. Meeting a fellow blogger is strange, you realise – they aren’t some imaginary/virtual being that you have communicated with, but a real live person (odd but true).

He left Sunday afternoon and I have to say it was a great pleasure to not only meet him, but chat/banter/whine/discuss etc. I even put the poor bugga through an ordeal he probably didn’t anticipate and took him to meet my Penguins – so he could see that they too (to?) (waits for the correction) were ‘real’.

So if you don’t read him or follow him – go over and take a peek – he writes mainly poetry and he’s a lovely, caring human being.

Yesterday I had my first Burial – all my other Services have been Cremations.
It was 41C yesterday, the Chapel Cooling system was struggling, as was I and I stuffed up and where did I stuff up…reading the Lord’s Prayer for the family. Of all the things to go wrong when I should know this off by heart – and do… but the family were also saying it out loud in front of me..and well…I lost my place. I apologised and continued.

After the Service we went to the burial site for her internment. A family with 6 children, 19 grandchildren and 29 great grand children. They let free their balloons, scattered carnations and roses onto the Coffin and everyone was emotional and very flustered with the heat.

I was invited back for refreshments by the family, they were simply lovely, getting me food and drink and asking me to sit with them. Hopefully the ‘muck-up’ will be forgotten, I did apologise again to them, they said not to worry…

Homefront: My Penguins – Pop seems to be struggling to comprehend what I say to him of late, when he stands now, his whole body shakes and he must sit down within a couple of minutes. Mum is on her medication for her memory loss due to her strokes and now and then gets very angry for no real reason. I am at the point of talking to her like a child, but not in a demeaning way, for I know this is not her.

I won’t go on with other members of the family – let me just say, things are in place to get us back on track…hopefully.

So that’s it – you can wake up now – sorry if I bored the pants off you, as I said it’s been a while since I chatted.

Yours Sincerely,

Rambles

Penguins & Parents

I would like to proudly introduce you all to my mum and Pop.

Mum on the left bossing Pop. Pic courtesy of Google and fantom-xp.com

You may ask what is this woman on about??  I call my parents (affectionately) my little penguins for how they totter about these days. They don’t seem to have taken offence to this (thankfully), but I couldn’t think of a more apt description for them.

I am sure within time I shall be a little penguin too. Waddling from side to side as I walk and at a much slower pace than what I do now….but oh how cute they are so I won’t mind.

I look at the elderly walking down the street  for instance and automatically think hmm hip problems, when in fact their hips may be perfectly fine. So if you see another little penguin, be kind, knowing that it’s perfectly normal to swagger this way.

Courtesy of  weird.com website – http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2006/01/70053

Please take note:-

Three penguins are part of a University of Houston study researching the mechanics of penguin movement in an effort to help humans with balance and walking problems. According to Max Kurz, a biomechanics professor and study leader, human therapy regimens are at least several years away, but researchers hope to have their initial results published within the next year.Humans, the elderly in particular, have an inherent amount of instability in their side-to-side movement patterns that are controlled through the nervous system, Kurz said. As people age, their nervous systems deteriorate and walking patterns become more inconsistent, which can lead to instability and falls.Who cares if it takes them a little longer to get in & out of the car, or walk around the shops, or answer the front door… I don’t feel guilty for calling them my little penguins I LOVE ‘EM…it’s just how they roll….

Look out world I’ve leant how to use the Scanner! If only the photos would stay on the post & I could get the alignment right!!!

Ok so this is going to cause trouble because now that I have finally learnt (yes tech savvy I’m not) to operate my printer/fax/scanner thingy-ma-bob I probably have 2000 photos to share….oi!! stop running away and sit back down, I’m kidding…possibly…

Wedding Day Mum and Dad 1951-Melbourne

 

So even though I am wildly excited as I know you will be to show my thousands of photos… what ? I hear you’re not???? Hmmm maybe I should title the blogs “Another Photo” that way when you see it come up you can grab a glass of wine, read another blog, go do the dishes, walk the dog or switch the computer off… and I may even share some rather hideous photos of yours truly if you ask me nicely. 🙂 but of course you won’t see them if you switch your computer off now will you… ok enough rambling… BELOW LEFT IS MUM  & ON THE RIGHT IS DAD…’cos mum is wearing the dress…