English roses

Still no pictures, but words can conjure a thousand images!

At the weekend a friend brought me English roses from his garden. Large headed, with tender stems, cloaked in tiny prickles. No picture could do justice to the smell! From sweet lemony to dark blackberry, intoxicating body and mind. All with special names, all known by sight (to my friend) Even the air around them is heavy with perfume.

With each day, the blossoms drop: pink, peach, pale yellow and sherbet. And each day I scoop up handfuls of cool silky petals, and press my face into my hands, inhaling the potpourri of delicate smells, distinguishing new scents each time. Sometimes I put the handfuls down again, as they retain a fallen beauty, besides their smell, that requires salvation from the trash for another day (or two).

The scent evokes childhood memories of worm houses, tiled with broken found china, and perfume, made by mashing rose petals with rocks and water, under the shade of a weeping willow tree. It reminds me that nature often knows best, and that modification isn't always a good thing.

The blooms sag wearily now, heads too heavy for their delicate necks. But their mysterious beauty continues to draw me to them. Today I was trying to show Marli how to smell them, holding her close to enjoy their air. She held out a tiny finger and touched a petal, so delicately, I was amazed! But then she decided it was better eaten. Perhaps if I didn't know better, I would taste one too.

I have taken photos, and will share them when my computer issues are resolved!

More magic bag matters.

Thank you all for your kind words for Pixie. I am very happy to report that she is doing very well, and has now recovered, except for a lumpy face that I'm sure will soon be covered by a coating of soft blond hair!

The Magic bag continues it's streak of turning out it's nasty crumbs, when last week, the hard drive on my laptop took it's own life. Any of you that have experienced it will understand the horror and realization, as you remember quite how much was on it, and also as I realized the back up drive (set up to automatically back up) had not been doing so since last July.

The first thought, of course, was for the hundreds of photos of Marli, our daughter. Born in June last year, and soon to turn one. Photos that quite simply cannot be reproduced.
Anyway - I won't dwell on what was lost, as there is far too much to dwell on, but instead, urge anyone reading to back up your files right now! just in case.

So - no picture today, as I am typing on a borrowed machine, with none of my files, but I just wanted to check in and say hello. I will hopefully return soon, with more news and pictures of nice things. Hopefully, this is the last of the nasty surprises from the magic bag, and it will produce some joy soon.

Poor poor Pixie

What makes it's way out of the magic bag is for the most part good, but like all bags, it has it's dark and crumby corners that collect fluff and occasionally throw out the odd nasty surprise.

Yesterday's event was one of those, as I packed the car for a planned day in the city, looking forward to Golden Gate Park, and dinner with a friend. The Buttons happily trotted out towards the car, sensing a trip and excited, only to be ambushed by a neighborhood Labrador. Pixie barked at it, only to find her head suddenly in it's mouth (it fitted) and being shaken about. A moment later she was released and ran towards the house. I ran after her, following her trail of blood. Her screams of distress made it clear that things were very wrong, and one glance at her face made it obvious that our plans were about to change, and a trip to the emergency vet was now on the cards.

I suppose really she was very lucky. She weighs a whopping 4 lbs, compared to the Labrador's at least 70 + lbs. Her eyes were very lucky, being just bruised and not lost, but the other wounds will take some time and love to heal.

Today, she feels very sorry for herself, but I hope with each day that passes, she will rally more, and soon return to a happy button.