I had a hat. A woolen, crocheted hat with a pigtail. It’s kept the sun off when it’s been hot and it’s been warm in the cold..... and I could swing the pigtail around as if I had hair. Alas, alack ... I’m used to sticking it in the microwave for twenty seconds when it gets wet with sweat. It comes out steaming, I wave it around in the air and - if it’s still damp - I put it back in the microwave for another twenty seconds and - Hey presto - warm, dry hat.
My friend’s microwave doesn’t have a digital readout which makes timing a bit sloppy. The microwave is now light green, on the inside, where it was white; it now continually smells of burnt plastic and electrical offerings and my woolen hat was found with two large holes and a mound of black powder which was a sod to scrub off. I’m happy to replace the microwave which disliked me anyway and my friend has crocheted another splendid hat and a ‘Dr Who’ length scarf so - all’s well that ends well. I have a hat.
The week was warm to hot with dusk still pleasant to be outside. Helped move a pile of small scrubby trees, spent about two full days with the whipper snipper, transplanted a couple of bushes, fixed some steps and the last small corner of a deck and generally felt good to be alive - albeit a bit creaky. Helping out can be very energising.
I left the mountains at five a.m. and arrived at Willawarren in time to be at the small produce market by mid afternoon where my friend and family were selling home made jams and cakes. It’s an old, community village hall with a stage at the far end and perhaps eight or nine stalls along the walls. Not many people and so I plucked up courage and guitar and provided forty minutes or so of ambient background song. Got to meet good people and was quietly appreciated...... and yet again, I’ve met solid country folk who’ve shared a UFO experience with me - as a casual acquaintance - that they haven’t shared with their neighbours. It’s unfortunate that the subject is still couched in terms of believers and adherents when the reality is that UFOs exist. Not the slightest question about the truth of that simple fact. While the speculation regarding UFOs is about belief, the experience of seeing a UFO is about knowing - a vastly different experience to believing.
So I got to play music and move my bones. Back to the Imperial and Family Hotels next week. Back to work tomorrow and I’ve been offered a publishing deal which may be common to some but is the first that I’ve had. Very nice to be offered.