James Pond

You may have noticed a new duck in the Christmas photos, so I shall introduce you.

This is James Pond, licensed to quack!  Oh and the little devils to assist him.  


These charmers were a present from my daughter and a delightful companion to Big Duck.  The little ducks can be sometimes unruly and Big Duck was quite pleased to have a companion as back up and help keep the little ones in line with reality checks.


And more quacking is always a good idea!

Christmas 2009

Christmas has been lovely, of course.  The right amount of company, food and wine.  Weather has been hot and steamy so we have retreated to inside with air con on and books and cricket.  Relaxing.

The ducks joined us for Christmas and this dish of ducks was the closest I have come to ducks in a culinary setting, if you don't count the duck liver pate with cranberry. Unfortunately I have not made the santa hats, maybe before next December these will happen.  Slowly, slowly.  What seemed important a few weeks ago wasn't so important to accomplish as time fell into the week before Christmas. 


When we are all together on Boxing Day it is celebrated with heads in books; cricket on the TV - sound off, radio commentary on; start of the Sydney-Hobart; left over food turned into something different to excite the appetite and canasta.  Actually, I think these items are on the agenda of the children wherever they are on Boxing Day.

The ducks enjoyed our traditional Boxing Day with the cricket as well.

a missin letter

I have a missin letter on my keyboard.  It is bein dealt with but in the meantime it is a nuisance.  I now have a feelin about how many times I use this letter and how important it is.  That ot me to thinkin about the importance of all letters.  Can we put any one letter in front of any other in importance?  I would have said that yes, some are more important.  I now have chaned my mind.  EVERY letter is important, particularly if you proof read documents.  It just is not riht to have a missin letter.  What a joy it will be when the new keyboard is fitted and I have all my letters aain!

Christmas mango chutney

There is something very comforting and reassuring about having jars of this year's mango chutney ready to go. I have enough to give as presents and for me to enjoy during the year. Last year I ended up with one small jar for myself. Not sure how that happened but it did.


Each time I make this recipe it is different. Last year's batch I will admit to being one of the best I have made. This year's batch is much sweeter, hotter and thinner than last year's and I will look forward to any comments that are forthcoming on the comparison - purely for research purposes. I suppose I am hotter and sweeter this year than I was last year, not sure about thinner! So the chutney I made can be different as well.


My next project is making santa hats for the ducks to wear in this season of jocularity.  I bet you can't wait for those photos!

Darwin trees

There are some very special trees in Darwin and some that I love seeing in all the different ways that they appear during the year.  We are losing so many of the trees here - due to development, age of the trees, storms wrecking havoc - that I am taking photos of my favourite ones so I can always see them.  I will share a few with you that I managed to take photos of today.

These are two photos of a beauty in Margaret Street, Stuart Park, not far from where I live.  I have missed the full beauty of this by a week as we have had some strong winds come through and the red blossoms of the poinciana tree have diminished and are now on the ground.  This has been here ever since I have lived in Darwin and I would presume that these two trees were planted well before that - a poinciana with a bougainvillea entwined in it.  Whenever I go that way and see it for the first time that year in its full glory it takes my breath away.  It is on the edge of a small park linking two streets so maybe it will be safe for a long time yet for people to enjoy.

These two poincianas are in the Mindil Beach area.  They are two of the most elegant poincianas that I am aware of in Darwin and have been amongst my favourites since I came here.  From whatever angle you see them they are lovely.

Another poinciana.  I have been told that it is one of the oldest still surviving. It is in Gardens Road at one of the original Darwin cemeteries.  I do know that in the inner city it is the first tree to have flowers on it and somehow also the last.

Unfortunately, this photo does not do justice to this avenue of rain trees.  This is Gardens Road which runs from the top end of the city down to the Botanic Gardens and Mindil Beach area.  Again, it is always a pleasure to drive through here as the trees are majestic.  May the good burghers of Darwin stay with the vision of the people who planted these wonderful beings.

Couldn't resist putting in a photo of the magpie geese who are prolific at this time of the year.  See if you can find them amongst the graves. They love the Mindil Beach/Botanic Gardens area as there are also several sports ovals close by.  Space space space.  At Noonamah at the weekend, just before sunset, the sky was close to being black with the numbers of magpie geese flying across to find their roost for the night.

Easier to see them in a very small group on the park at Mindil Beach.


A small insight to some of the things I have loved about Darwin.

I haven't blogged!!!

A friend sent me a gentle reminder that I had not blogged for a moment.  Thank you.  I was distracted but thinking still about what was coming next.  I knew this involved taking photos and I was sidetracked.........


I did take a photo of the bathroom ducks to show you all what I meant about them not wanting anyone else on their shelf. Now you will understand!  The little ones all look so smug nestled together so I will leave them as they are. I know I should have had this photo a few weeks ago when I wrote the blog.  Oh well!!  I have been out of step with myself.  I have these moments sometimes.
But I am back, that is important.  I had a wonderfully relaxing weekend at the Noonamah house of friends and feel much better towards the world in general.
That's enough about me, now to the next blog.

meet ms sue

Heh, the newest addition to the ducks arrived as a surprise this week.  Meet Ms Sue.  Or formally Ms Sue Ducku.  

Yes, I have a passion for sudoku and now I have Ms Sue to help me.  


I introduced Ms Sue to the ducks in the bathroom and very strangely, I thought, they closed ranks on their shelf - the small ducks that is - and said that there was no room for anyone else there with them and Ms Sue would have to find somewhere else to hang out.  Well!!!!  


Ms Sue is now happily ensconced on the desk and will be the desk duck for now and be very good at it as well.  So much for the bathroom ducks.  Is that envy or jealousy that I saw a glimpse of or they really didn't want their feathers ruffled by being squashed.  I may never know.  Who really knows the moods of ducks and rubber ones at that.

delving

I have been delving into a box that I have not looked into for years. I have added items to the box in recent times by opening the lid and pushing them inside. They have been mostly 'I'll get to that later' type of documents, photos, jottings. Things that I think I want to keep but not sure and don't want to make a decision on them now as maybe they will be useful.

At the bottom of this box are diaries for 25 years and the middle layer are journals that I have used when I have been travelling as well as thoughts jotted down at different times. No real discipline in my jottings which has been interesting coming across something to think about the context. As the 'wearing different hats', that note was written in 2006, not so long ago but after having been disturbed by that saying for a number of years. Disturbed enough to write briefly about my dislike.

We are made up of our past, our present and the future we would like for ourselves. Why I am delving is to see how I came to this place where I am now. It's not being so helpful as yet but this is early days and there is always a teensy bit of hope left in the bottom of the barrel that what I am doing is useful. I may not see the usefulness, maybe that will be for my grandchildren to decide (who have not made their presence known as yet).

And the ducks? They accept what I am doing and hang out calmly until my attention will turn back to them. Which it will.

wearing different hats

You know, there is a phrase that I have disliked intensely for years - wearing different hats. Why do we have to wear different hats? Human beings are complex creatures and do a range of tasks at one time quite easily without having to switch their personality or 'hats'. Can we place a ban on this phrase and the people who use it constantly? Can we give them the courage they need to be themselves doing different tasks without having to change their 'hats', just being wonderful complex human beings at their best?

Down with the hats, I say!!!! And I know the ducks will agree. They will want us all to put the hats down and leave them there and be ourselves.

ducks as food

I am looking at the things that I may do during the Christmas holidays. The first week is already beautifully taken up with the kids coming to Darwin. Come on Christmas is what I say to that!

Then I have three weeks to play with. Will I visit friends in the north-east or shall I go to Bali for a real chill out? Or maybe I should do both? What I know is whatever I do I will be looking forward to checking out different ways of cooking ducks and enjoying the eating that follows the cooking. There are some fab restaurants in Bali which look at food in very modern and interesting ways. May all those chefs out there hone their duck cooking skills in the meantime!

Sorry, my gorgeous rubber duckies. I promise I will not take the ones that are travelling with me to any restaurants.

ducks are innately conservative!

It is my belief that ducks are innately conservative. They may be inquisitve and they travel far and well but the core of their existence is very conservative and traditional. They follow the same well flown paths that their ancestors have if they are left to their own devices in the wild. As domesticted animals they prefer to lead a disciplined lifestyle with regualrity as its key. My writing voice for the ducks has taken on this conservative tone due to these facts.

You never know, we all might lighten up and become more playful as we become more comfortable with this medium!

a pause

I may take a pause for a few days as I find myself still sailing along alone when for a moment in time I held a dream in my hand and it felt real.

The negative thoughts, sadness, pain and confusion are not things that need to be shared with the ducks or anyone reading this. I will sort through, get rid of and fumble along again.

Stay with the ducks is still a good sentiment.

INTRODUCING (3)..........

Now, who are we up to?  Before I do, I will mention again that if you have just come into the blog, you may want to read INTRODUCING (1) and (2) before reading this one as then the ducks will be in order.  But you really don't have to, only if you want to..........

BANANA DUCK

Banana Duck arrived Christmas 2008 as a replacement for Little Duck.  The story is a little more complicated than that but what counts is the end result and the end result was that Little Duck went home and I have Banana Duck in my life beccause a girl with ducks must have a yellow one.

Banana Duck is cool.  He is quite happy hanging out and being one of the newcomers.  He is completely stress free and therefore not hyperactive as Blue Duck and Bell Duck and not gung ho as Travel Duck.  He simply is.  A lot like Big Duck really without the responsibilty of being the washing machine alert.  It must be great to be yellow all over.

GORGEOUS DUCK

And presenting Gorgeous Duck.  Gorgeous is the latest addition to the family.  She came into my life for my birthday this year, August 2009, given to me by my youngest sister.  A parcel arrived from my youngest sister two weeks earlier than my birthday.  Inside were some items that have been going to be sent to me since early March and three very gorgeuosly wrapped presents.  Those three presents had to then sit around for two weeks before I could open them!!!!

One present was a small box wrapped in purple tissue paper (I love purple)with a red and white striped ribbon.  I guessed this was a duck but the suspense of which duck it was sometimes overcame me and I would find myself picking up the box and trying to guess.  That stern look that our youngest sister can give and the tut tutting always won out and I would put the present back down.

Why Gorgeous Duck?  Because I can often be found saying 'gorgeous' as an exclamation, when I am excited about something, when something is beautiful - a lot really.

Gorgeous Duck is an added bonus to the family as she is the first female.  Some sanity at last!  Okay, I know, questionable.  Are females sane?  Let's say we have our own particular form of sanity.  And this female (me) really has her own form of sanity.  I'm writing this am I not?

Another bonus is that the ducks give more of an appearance of listening to me now!  Okay, okay, I can hear one of the Darwin girlfriends saying, 'Cheryl, they are rubber!'  Totally beside the point.  I would like them to listen to me when I come home from work and download, so I pretend that they do.  Having a female amongst them gives more of an appearance that they are listening.  So all is good.

And look at Gorgeous Duck, she is really gorgeous.


KEYRING DUCK

I nearly forgot about Keyring Duck, possibly because he doesn't live in the bathroom but on my keyring, which is either in my handbag, in the bowl next to the front door or in the car when I am driving.  Keyring Duck was found in Aarchen, Germany on my second last day of the Europe trip 2008.  Small, portable, useful and always around, he had to be bought.

A few weeks later, back in Darwin, I was in the shop that Big Duck came from.  I know the then-owner and we started talking about Big Duck as she remembered my sister buying him for me three years previously.  I showed her Keyring Duck and told her about finding him in Germany.  She pointed to a box further along the counter and, yes, they are also in Darwin (I can't say 'replace him' as that may hurt his feelings).  If Keyring Duck ever disappears I know where to find him again.  He has come apart from my keys on a few occassions but so far he hasn't been very far away and he is put back fairly quickly.

If you press the sides of Keyring Duck he emits a blue light which is enough to allow you to find the keyhole in the front door if you have forgotten to turn on the outside light.  Or any keyhole really.  He also quacks quite loudly at the same time.  That's not quite so gorgeous at 1 am in the morning when the keyhole keeps moving whenever you try to insert the key in it.  Of course this has never happened to me, it's only hearsay and an assumption of what could happen to someone else.


And so these are the ducks in my life to this point.  Everyone has been introduced.  I am looking forward to what happens next in this blog.  What do the ducks have planned or maybe they will occasionally let me have a chat?  We'll see.

learning from the ducks

Just by thinking about the ducks and what I am going to write next, many items - concerning the ducks' physicality - arise, plus I find myself musing about a myriad of associated and unassociated ideas.

This morning, doing that 'it's Saturday morning and I can stay in bed with my eyes closed for however long I want to' thing, I began thinking of the trip to Europe last year and how best to write the ducks' story, what angle to take, where to start, what photos to include, shall I embarass my children. From there, via a few assorted other ideas, I came to think about mothering.

The term 'mothering' can be assoicated with smothering, overbearing, stepping in where you are not needed, too much advice when you want to find out yourself. The flip side of that is unconditional love, someone being there when you need to talk, cry, laugh, shop, cook, eat, vent. We think we get over the need for mothering when we are about 10 years old - some people it's later and some it's even earlier. Some people don't have the experience of being mothered for even that amount of time as their mother isn't in their life for long for whatever reason.

The fact that we think we don't need mothering because it is no longer in our lives or that we don't think we need mothering because we are adults and we are over that are totally irrelevant. We all need mothering at some moments in our adult life, maybe not for long, but the need is there. That feeling of being safe and loved and needed and listened to and coddled for a moment is a core need of humans.

We may not think we need something that is not there or that we didn't have. Maybe we are not allowing ourselves the thought that that is what we would like to feel as we don't have it in our lives. What we don't allow ourselves to know we don't miss.

More mothering is needed in our world with more people allowing themselves the luxury of being mothered, even as adults.

INTRODUCING (2)..........

If you have just come in to read this blog, you may need to go and read Introducing (1) first to see the ducks in their correct timeline. You don't need to, only if you wish.

LITTLE DUCK

This is Little Duck and if he was in the family photo you may have been able to see where he got his name from. Oh, he is in the header photo next to Blue Duck. That should give you the perspective. He is little and very gorgeous. He's not in the family photo as he doesn't live with us any more, he's gone back to his real home. He did live with us for about 6 months and went to Europe with Blue Duck and myself last year - as well as my son, daughter and son-in-law. They didn't travel in my suitcase though - my real children I mean. The ducks travelled in my suitcase and in Europe were often in my handbag awaiting photo ops. I think I've mentioned already that the ducks love a photo op.

Anyway, Europe with the ducks is another blog after everyone has been introduced, mustn't break the thread. Also, Little Duck has a very interesting history and I hope to be able to write that for him at a later date.

I must mention my son. I met up with him first in Europe, in Paris to be exact and Alex had to put up with me and the ducks having photo ops - the Eiffel Tower one is lovely. (Are you happy now you have a mention, dear?)

BELL DUCK

Meet Bell Duck. My daughter and I had a few shopping moments in Belgium while the boys did war things - museums, war sites etc. We did that as well and it was very interesting but we also had some shopping moments.

Oops, back to the duck. I found Bell Duck in a wonderful shop off the main drag in Bruges, Belgium - therefore Bell Duck. He's very arty and I thought a great combination with Blue Duck and Little Duck. They all travelled quite nicely together for the last week. That was in July 2008 and he is still with us (of course, he has no reason to leave).

Bell Duck doesn't say a lot, not sure if that is because he speaks Flemish and French as his main languages. I admit to not really checking the extent of his English. Anyway, he doesn't look unhappy and I'm sure he would make it known to us somehow if he wasn't.

TRAVEL DUCK

Travel Duck got his name because he is covered with visa stamps (fairly obvious) but he hasn't travelled with us, he came after we had been travelling. He came into my life via my eldest sister. Thank you again, I am loving the combinations of the ducks and the breadth of their experience. In that respect he HAS travelled as he flew in from Brisbane, via Australia Post and seems quite happy to sit next to the very well travelled Blue Duck.

Oh yes, that was in August 2008.

INTRODUCING (1)..........

The noise in my head earlier was all the small ducks talking at the same time about what they wanted to say and when.  I had to be quite stern with them to get them to be quiet.  Big Duck, of course, was above all of that nonsense and sat back and watched the small ones being silly.  My opinion in all this - and it does count as I am doing the typing because they can't, they don't have fingers - is that the polite thing to do would be to introduce them in their correct order and one at a time so everyone can get to know them for who they are.

Firstly, this is the family photo.  As you can see they hang out in the bathroom, which is a sensible place to be if you are a duck.  Now to the individuals in order of appearance in my life.

BIG DUCK

This is Big Duck and from the previous photo it should be fairly obvious why that is his name.  Big Duck came into my life in August 2006 and as he is the first he will always be special in my heart and the little ones just have to respect that. 

My eldest sister was visiting Darwin, we went shopping looking for a present for her youngest daughter who was expecting her first child.  My sister noticed the duck and pointed him out to me, I saw him and yes, love at first sight, and laughed.  I have a small bathroom and no bath so the thought of making Big Duck mine did not enter the equation.  My sister had other ideas.  It was my birthday in two weeks and so Big Duck came into my life and has been there ever since and will continue to be in my life.  How could he not?

The next thought was where would he live?  As I mentioned I have a small flat.  There being no bath, the only place for him is sitting on top of the washing machine.  Big Duck has never fussed over that, actually seems to enjoy it.  Always smiles at me and that makes me smile as well.

Big Duck has another important role in my life.  He also acts as the washing machine alert.  The washing machine is a top loader and so Big Duck has to shift when I put the washing on.  I have a tendency to forget that I have done this and the washing sometimes is left in the machine longer than it should be.  I discovered that by sitting Big Duck on the toilet seat when I put washing on, at some point later I would ask myself how he got there and remember to hang out the washing.  Simple but very effective.

BLUE DUCK

This is Blue Duck.  I had the fun to buy all the Christmas presents for the staff at the place that I was working in December 2007.  I went through the quite extensive list and had appropriate presents for everyone.  At the last shop I was in, buying the last three presents I had the thought that maybe it might be nice to receive one myself on the party night.  I looked aroung the shop and found Blue Duck.  Small, inexpensive, fun and a friend for Big Duck when I wasn't home.

On the night of the Christmas party after the presents were given out, I had several staff members come up and comment on the duck.  That was great!!! Blue Duck had made his mark and he hadn't even been home yet.

Blue Duck went to Europe with me last year but that is the stuff of other stories.

Before getting hijacked by the ducks

This is my third blog and I feel the ducks are hijacking this site already.  Boy, can they move in fast if they want to!!!!  I suppose I did promise them a book last year and never got to it so hijacking this site is pretty easy in comparison.

Before they do hijack this site I want to talk about last week.  I found myself contacting a man who I went out with 37 years ago, when I was 18.  It was great fun, re living for a moment a very special time in my life - the one before all the other special moments that involve my children much later (I had to put that in for my daughter).  

Later in the week I began looking to see what reason there was for me to have contacted him and posted photos of that time on facebook and I saw that that gorgeous, free spirited, in touch with who she was and enjoying it, 18 year old was the perfect person to hold my hand and walk beside me for a moment as I begin to launch myself into the next phase of my life which I don't know what it is at this time.  The 55 year old is feeling a little battered, war weary, scared and hesitant about the next steps so the encouraging voice of the young fresh me will give me the courage needed to jump off the ledge I have been perilously perched on for a while.

We are who we are because of our past.  Why forget it, never look at it and always look in front?  Why not sometimes reach behind us and use some of the fab bits to help push us along on what we need to do next?

Next blog, over to the ducks.   

lolling around in water

One of the luxuries of living in Darwin has been swimming in the afternoon when possible.  Lolling around in the water, looking at the sky, the trees and the birds, the sun beating down.   I allow my mind to float where it wants as my body is supported in the warm water. 
The day that has been washes itself away and there is space to to think about what is next in my life or what has been pleasant in the past. 
An even greater luxury is on the days when there are few people in the park and no one else in the water.  Yesterday and this afternoon belonged to this type - the tourists and backpackers have thinned their ranks in our town and I felt as if this was my own personal lake to loll around in at my leisure.  Yes, I have queenly pretentions.
Hanging out for a while relaxing, I watch the seagulls and herons on the side of the water - squabbling, standing nonchalantly, preening; quite the same as people at the seaside really - and remember that I would like to bring the ducks here for a photo op.  They, and myself, would enjoy the outing and bobbing around in the water.  Blue Duck and Little Duck are the only ones that have had that opportunity and that was in Europe.

Stay with the ducks and the water for sanity.

Why stay with the ducks.

There are times in my life where I find living very difficult - too many decisions, too much negativity from outside, not enough choices, too many restrictions, not enough money, too much pressure, stress.  This is where the ducks come into their own.  They are just there, they happily exist exactly as they are.  Looking at them relaxes me and talking to them takes out some of the stress I may be experieincing.  They don't ask for anything, they don't expect anything, they don't need feeding, no money has to be expended on them at all. 

If travelling with them they are just the same.  Never asking if they are there yet, happy to be shoved in the suitcase at the last moment, happy about being at the bottom of my handbag to be pulled out at any time that a photo opportunity comes along.  They don't fuss about the restaurants they should be going to, the food they can't eat, the jet lag, the boredom of airports, that they have finished the books and want more. 

Ducks are fun.  My ducks make me smile when I come home.  They listen to me more now that there is a female duck amongst them.  They are never angry; never complain about the dinner I have cooked or, quite often, not cooked; always allow me to read a book instead of doing the housework; don't nag if I haven't been to the supermarket.

Ducks keep their political opinions to themselves and don't expect me to vote the way they do (if they voted that is).  They don't raise their eyebrows about my spiritual beliefs (that is if they had eyebrows).  They don't fuss if I have had too much to drink when I am out with friends.  They look as if they sympathise with me next morning when I don't feel quite so bright.

All in all they are damm fine company to have for a single girl who lives on her own.

This is why I want to stay with the ducks.