Thursday, May 10

The blurs at the edge of your vision.

Raining, pouring. Great for the garden.

Not so great for the woolly babies.

Leo came rushing in, looking like a wet sheepskin rug, & smelling very much the same. I dont know how he got caught in the rain, as he normally doesnt like it much. Honey on the other hand, couldnt care less about it, but she seemed to only get a little damp.

There are past bloggers, who no longer blog, that I miss. I caught a glimpse of one, rushing past, with commiserations, on another blog. I know, in part, why she went. I hope she is happy. I hope all is well with her.

Another blur at the corners of my mind, or vision, I am not sure which, is a fleeting glimpse of a shadow. But usually the strongest of the sensations, produced by the blur, is the smell.

I am frequently 'visited' by a smoker. I smell the smoke so strongly, I often get up to check if there is anyone there. Of course, there never is. When I used to go to stay with my mother, she would smell the smoker also. We had no idea who, what, or how. My mother had long ago given up smoking, & so had I, so it was really noticeable. But not explicable. (is there such a word?) Goodness I am getting lazy & ignorant!

I am also frequently visited by a perfume. Not one I am familiar with, just a very sweet one, & I feel it must be a 'woman', though of course, there is no one there, & I see nothing. Sometimes the perfume is roses. I guess if I have to be visited by smells, pleasant ones are preferable! I used to believe in ghosts. Now I am not so sure I do. But the smells remain to visit, so where do they come from??

Once after our Employer had died, GOM & I both woke to see him sitting in the corner of our bedroom, in an armchair we kept there. We sat up in bed & stared at him, then each other. We could not believe our eyes. Then the image faded, & he was gone. It was a very odd feeling, & I think we were both glad we had had a witness to share the apparition. I am sure someone who dismisses such things could have a rational explanation for what happened. But it sure seemed real at the time.

************

Another 'blur' at the edges of my vision, was performing or 'committing an Intersection Choke'

This occurred in the days when I was a busy shop proprietor. I used to have to drive to work, in the peak hour traffic, to the city where the shop was located.
This particular morning there was clotted traffic as usual. Buses always delayed things in the crush of it all. I got almost over an intersection, when suddenly all movement stopped, & a great bus, broken down, blocked one of the lanes. There was bumper to bumper traffice ahead, & behind me. But my 'arse end' of the car was still hanging out, over the white line, by about a 1/4 length of the car.

I had my daughter with me, she used to come to work for me in the school holidays.

As we were sitting in the car, waiting for the traffic to move, I became aware of a horn blaring at me. I said to DJ 'What type of idiot, who can see we are stuck, would sit there honking the horn?'

I didnt have long to find out "What type of Idiot" A thumping rapping on the car window, & there was a huge cop standing in full Fancy Dress! (oops, Uniform) Gun, Batton, Dark Glasses, Hat. Glaring at me, & snarling at me, with a sneering curl to his lip.
"I have just observed you to perform an Intersection Choke"!!
"Show me your license!"

As I stuttered & stammered the sod wrote me out a ticket telling me how & where I could pay the hefty fine. I dont know what else, or where else I could have gone. I felt it the most unfair infringement ticket I ever got. I felt so intimidated by this hulking monster of a policeman, with gun & all, I just sat there like a gibbering idiot.

We had not been living in Australia very long. In New Zealand the police dont carry guns. I felt so mortified. I wanted to sink into the seat, & never emerge. My daughter was crying. I suppose at least I didnt cry.

Now I think I would argue for reason. I would write a letter explaining the details of the terrible crime of "Intersection Choke!" I have been held up many times since by people 'performing intersection choke'.

There is never a policeman about then, though!
I am the only person I have ever heard of, who has been 'done' for Intersection Choke'!

I once ran a red light, in a panic, in early morning mist, when they were closing the road for road works. I wrote a letter, explaining the circumstances, & got off. GOM got 'done' by a red light camera, for doing the wrong speed, at the wrong time FIVE MINUTES outside the time limit. I wrote a letter for him, & he got off.

On the whole I am a law abiding citizen. I respect the police- mostly. I have never been in trouble with the law. I obey, to the best of my ability, the road rules. I dont speed. I am courteous.

I couldnt believe a policeman would bother about a little thing like that. Why werent they out chasing robbers, or thieves, instead of monstering little old-ish ladies?? I made a policeman friend of ours in NZ laugh when I told him the story. And I laugh about it now.

But I couldnt laugh that day.


And I am not really in laughing mode today either. I still feel like C**P!

10 comments:

Thimbleanna said...

It's so fun to read your stories -- and how you phrase things differently than we do. I've never heard of "intersection choke." But what a great way to put it!

molly said...

I often see people pulling really crazy stunts while driving. The police are never anywhere in sight. But let me go a few miles over the speed limit and guess who's right there?

Catalyst said...

Great stories, Meggie.

BTW, my very first pet was a cocker spaniel named for his coloring: Honey!

And I've added you to my blogroll.

Ali Honey said...

I do hope you are feeling better really soon. Try not to dwell on old injustices like over zealous cops. Nobody got hurt, he may have had a quota for the day to fill.

I did enjoy all your eyes. Looking anyone you are speaking with in the eye is essential. Mine are greeny grey; brown would have been nice but I had the wrong parents for that! Hugs from Ali.

Sheila said...

Sorry to hear you are still feeling crappy..xx
I have been visited by my old black and white cat, especially when I felt down. The first time was about a month after he died, and it was very real. Some might say it was emotion on my part, but they can say what I they like, I know what I know.
It is amazing how a cop can give you a ticket for that, but they're never around when you need one.
My DIL works in a restaurant, and had a nasty patron who threatened them with violence, she called 911, and was put on hold...!
Hope you feel good next time I stop by..xx

riseoutofme said...

Sorry you are still feeling unwell.

Great story.

I get the smell thing as well. It spooks me.

Someone once told me that it was a connection from a different level and that bad smells were bad connections and vice versa.

Mind yourself.

My float said...

Intersection choke? As an Aussie, I can assure you that I've never heard of such a thing! Are you sure it was a real policeman?!

Imagine the smells visiting you - perhaps your grandparents looking after you? And as for ghosts, I've seen one too. I was staying at my aunt's house a few years ago and woke to find her (long dead) husband sitting on the chair beside the bed. He was holding worry beads. I told them in the morning and they laughed at me...until I mentioned the worry beads, which apparently he'd carried around with him everywhere. Bit spooky, really...!

Finn said...

Hi Meggie, do hope you are feeling better soon. I imagine it's hard with the heavy rain...dreary stuff.

I'm a kindred spirit in smell department. Mostly it's the faint trace of smoke I smell, altho there have been a few times it was the scent of lilacs or lily-of-the-valley. My mom used to wear Evening in Paris perfume, and sometimes I can almost smell that again.
The visiting spirits are frequent, but mosty my beloved Golden Retriever and a best love cat, Sam, who has been gone many, many years. He used to be around a great deal, walking on my bed while I was mostly asleep, curling up against my legs. Gradually that changed, and now my very real Ebby does those things. I suppose some day she will walk in the spirit world also. The golden, Daks, was a super big dog, and his tail hadn't a clue what it was doing...many things got brushed off in passing. Including a butter dish once...LOL.
Hugs for whatever needs them, Finn

velcro said...

I'm sorry to hear you're not feeling well I hope you get better soon.
That must be more than just a little creepy getting the visiting smells not to mention the ghost of your boss appearing in your bedroom.

Tanya Brown said...

I thought of you this morning when I read this BBC News story about a grandmother being fined 80 pounds when she kicked two crisps/potato chips her granddaughter had dropped into the gutter.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/6665641.stm

What a "lovely" welcome to Australia the intersection choke ticket must have been!