Solo

David's left me.

 But only for a few weeks and he is coming back at the end of July. The house feels really empty and I'm pretty lonely. No kids, no husband, no pets. It feels pretty weird. As far as I can remember, I have never, ever lived completely solo for longer than about a week! So this is a first. David's gone to Sydney for a three week program at The Royal North Shore Hospital's pain clinic. When that is over, he'll be staying on a few more days for a specialist appointment.

Our hope is that the pain clinic program will help with the management of his chronic neuropathic pain in his right hand and foot. So he's joining the Sydney rush hour commute on the trains to the hospital from Surry Hills every morning and back in the evenings.

It's like putting in a full day at work which is something David hasn't had to do for four years, so he's sounding exhausted on the phone. But he says the program is good and it's helping, so it's worth it. 

Meanwhile, I'm getting into the gardening. My poor old creaky body isn't used to wielding a pick or digging or hammering in stakes or squatting and kneeling for hours, but I'm doing it! Better than the gym, I reckon.

Yesterday and today I planted all of these. Hopefully we should have some nice flowers by spring. If the rabbits and wallabies don't eat them all off...Hmm. Rabbits. My previously fond attitude to rabbits is changing, being informed by the reality of their eating habits in the wild. I even found myself talking to the wallabies earlier today: Stay where you are, OK. You're very sweet and all, but don't eat my plants! Eat the grass! Or the weeds! (I was shouting by this time).

This is about 30 lillipillies potted up from some seeds sprouted by our friend Terry. One day they will be be 3 m tall and have red puff-ball flowers and then white berries. If what I am imagining actually happens...Gardening is all about dreaming a vision and trying to grow it. And patience. It's a real test of patience, waiting.

Even tinier, these are callistemons we grew from seed collected by David on a field trip. It will be a while before they are big enough to plant.

The forest of green triangles is expanding. This is yesterday's effort, with lots of strappies planted beside the land bridge going to the dam.

And more and more plants going into the future rainforest at the very top of our land. We'll get there. I believe this now. It seems possible now.