Day 55

Day 55 of the year I will turn 55. 
Wind and sand at the beach.

I ran 3.25km today, on a rainy stormy day, temps (38 - 40F)  although the rain let up a bit while I was running, which was very kind of it.  Our family was very happy because even though it is still raining now, late at night, and has been all day, at least it is rain, not snow filling up our steep driveway, making so much hard manual labour for us all!  Further west, where our friends Karen and Dave live, they have had 6 inches or more of snow already today!

Rain all day means a lot of fiddling with umbrellas, trying to get them to open, a sudden gust of wind blowing them inside out - ping!  Gauging the direction of the wind so that you can push the umbrella into it,  hoping the umbrella will oblige and blow back the right way again - bing!  Trying to close the umbrella, which, even though it is a little one, has a hefty stubborn streak! And all this time, getting wetter than you probably would have done without an umbrella. 

Driving down the highway I always love to see the pigeons which live under each bridge. They often sit on the wires which run the length of the bridges, looking like like so many melodic notes on the staff of a musical notation. Today they were all sitting there quietly, even in the rain.  Perhaps pigeons get cabin fever too.  Or they were sick of their children and went to sit at the adults only area.

I met Angelina Hall this afternoon, the new little daughter of our friends.  (You can see Tim's beautiful pictures of her on his Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/bowtoo).  Such a dear little person.  Babies are really tiny creatures,you forget how fragile and delicate human beings are when we embark on our journey of life.  I got to hold her for almost the whole visit, and fell instantly in love, as she gazed at me in that innocent, wise way babies sometimes have.  Earlier, I had immense difficulty choosing the things for her presents, I could have bought the whole baby section of the store!  I did buy her her very first tutu, a little pink swimsuit for a 9 month old, the cutest thing!  My big son Nick (who was once smaller than she is) also held Angelina with his long-fingered hands and long-boned arms, with great care and fascination.

This is my long henna-red hair that I love.  When I was little the doctors thought that long hair might hold dust which would increase asthma, so I always had to have short short (ugly) hair, whereas my best friend Trish had long dark wavy hair, which she could wear in a pony-tail or plaits or any different way, and of which I was very jealous.  So since I became a teenager I have had long hair, only a few times in my life have I cut it short short again, but I always regret it.