Black Dogs & Days.

This is our outlook today. Rain, , a few lightning bolts just to 'lighten' things. Followed of course, by Thunder. So loud & close I yelped in fright, & almost fell off my chair. My nerves are not too steady at the best of times, where sudden loud noises are concerned.

Need I say, the garden is just loving all this rain! The ferns haven't looked this happy for years!

The untidy clutter that I like, is just thriving from all the moisture. The Bromeliads, who are not supposed to mind being a little dry, seem to be particularly happy, & we currently have 4 bracts of the pink one.

The herbs are delighted. Which is just as well, as I have been eating them, as fast as they grow. The Devil's Ivy, which is just a weed now, is very vigourous. The path to the clothesline runds with rainwater. The tree fern is drooping with pleasure, & the Thyme has flopped onto the path with joy.

We have been recently spoilt, with choices of movies to watch.

We last watched Juno, & both enjoyed it. It was fun. 8/10

My favourite was The Bucket List, starring Morgan Freeman -love that man!- & Jack Nicholson. I think this movie will go down as a classic along with Shawshank Redemption. I give it 11/10. I would watch it again right now.

We have seen Flawless, with Dondald Sutherland & Charlise Theron. 9/10 Very entertaining. Charlise is flawless looking. I am not usually a blond liker, but she is lovely.

3.10 to Yuma was very gripping. I like Russel Crowe's acting, & found it an interesting movie to watch. 9/10

Charlie Wilson's War with Tom Hanks was excellently entertaining. Gom felt it was propaganda, but the ending told the truth, I felt. Tom Hanks is a great actor I feel. 9/10.

Shiloh Falls, is boring me to tears. Still have not completed watching it... do I care? zzzzzzz

There have been other notables, whose names escape me at present...haha.

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

The Black Dog continues to lurk. Weather doesn't exactly help.

I have been longing for the ocean again.

Want to salt some wounds?

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

Pondering family stories, & legends, has made me smile.

An Uncle has long loved to trout fish. New Zealand has some wild & wonderous trout laden rivers. Some of them are very hard to access, but the 90 year old Uncle has recently been taken fishing again, much to his joy.

We privately laughed, my brother & I, about the fact that a distant ancient rellie had wished their ashes scattered in one of the rivers he loved to fish. He disliked the person concerned, intensely. We were imagining how he would never eat another trout from the river if he thought the ashes had been scattered there!

I spent a part of my childhood staying with my Grandparents beside a wild river. It ran through a very deep gorge, & when it flooded it raged in wild torrents, & was extremely dangerous. I was well protected, & someone always ensured I was never in any danger from the river. How well I remember the smell of that river, & the surrounding wonderful New Zealand native Bush.

The smell of the ferns growing on the sheer cliff on the other side, from the rocks, which dripped water, & grew moss. Such a clean fresh smell. When the river ran slowly & easily, the fish could be seen darting carelessly through the lovely clear water. I loved the sounds of that river, as it spoke to me. The soft tinkle as is flowed & played gently over the rocks. The roar of the torrent when it raged in flood.

I loved the wonderful water worn rocks, with their gently rounded curves. I loved those rocks. I loved to walk on them, pick them up, take some back to the house. I loved the noise they made when they moved under my feet.

I don't remember ever swimming in that river. My mother did, when she was a child, & later, she lost her engagement ring, whilst swimming in that river. It was sadly prophetic. I wonder if it lies there still, & will remain for eternity in the mud & rocks.

Slava Grigoryan, The Sounds of Rain, Parts 1 & 2.