Fetch

While wandering through Rosalie and Milton this morning, Conor and I passed by a park. There were families sprawled about on picnic blankets and in lawn chairs, children running around with cricket bats, dressed in their sun hats. Typical. One family had brought along a couple of hula-hoops and the kids were going mad for them. We watched one mother toss the hula-hoops at her two young children for a few seconds before we realised she was playing fetch with them. And they loved it! She threw the hula-hoops into the field, the kids ran after them, grabbed them and then returned, dropping the objects at her feet. They then waited, twitching and yelping for the chase to begin all over again.

I looked at Conor, "That's not right. It's hot out here." We kept walking.

As we continued our Saturday morning stroll, we talked about Bella, our little black mutt. Bella loves to play fetch.

Conor stopped to get some cash at an ATM and I noted, pointing to our feet, "Bella would never drink out of that bowl." The Milton grocery store had set up a metal carousel outside of their front door, allowing patrons to tie up their dogs while they shopped. They also put out a stainless steel water bowl. Bella is a huge water bowl snob. If the water is not fresh, cold and clear, she will not drink it, no matter how high the air temperature. We laughed for a moment. "No, she would never drink that."



We purchased our margarita supplies and sauntered home, sweating more with every step.

It was a wonderful morning. Today is my first day off in over a week - my second day off in the last 15. Conor and I slept until 8:30AM. We ate brunch at a wonderful little restaurant in Rosalie called Salt. We wandered, reminisced about a handful of our favourite moments spent with Bella. We talked about the milkshakes we would buy later that afternoon (which a few hours later we did enjoy). We went to the grocery store and bought fabric softener, and then returned home to do our laundry. We went for a dip in the pool and then set up on the balcony with our cocktails and computers.

It was a perfect Saturday. It was a pretty good Friday too. Conor and I finished up work, met at home, showered and headed to the Tivoli in Fortitude Valley to hear David Sedaris speak. Two Coronas, some hot chips, a short, intelligent, liberal author, and a late-night burger to boot. Although we tend to avoid spending time in the Valley, we enjoyed our time at the Tivoli very much. David read from his new book, to be released Fall 2010, answered a handful of questions and told the audience about his favourite Christmas gifts. He was hysterical. He was a touch of home.



Bella is most likely sleeping in front of my parent's wood stove or romping through two feet of snow, chasing after her favourite red Frisbee. Conor and I are sitting on our balcony in shorts and tee-shirts, still sweating, and talking about how much we enjoy a good breeze. (That's somewhat sad, isn't it?)

Here's hoping Sunday brings many more common, yet enjoyable, occurances.