A little bereavement

I had a bereavement this week - of the mousy kind. I think the neighbour's new kitten frightened him/her to death. When I found them, they were still warm and soft. It was nearly time for a lesson so I brought them in to lie in wake ( with a candle) while I worked. Later, I had a short ceremony in the garden. Pirate said a few words about how she would have liked to have met the mouse but I am not sure of her intentions. 

As I was holding the mouse, one of my neighbours came up. They looked at my little friend and scrunched up their face. Why care about such creatures? It made me feel sad and also reminded me that not everyone sees the world in the same way. Actually, I rarely find anyone who sees the world like me or lets me see the world my way without diminishing it in some way.

The little mousy reminded me of a bird I once rescued when I lived in Basel. That had a happy ending but mostly I found myself thinking about the person I shared that experience with. Unlike my neighbour, they didn't belittle or question my actions. In fact, they did the opposite. Expressing empathy and compassion  while gently guiding me to the right decision to let the bird go. We had assumed it was dead, and yet when we opened up the box, it flew into the trees. I find it rare that I meet people who just let me be me and this little mousy reminded me of this but also of the beautiful fact that those people do exist.

Run free little mousy, up to the wheel in the sky. 

On a brighter note, the mimosa tree has started flowering. It reminds me of Australia and smells like spring, Happy daze. 

Black eye

Today I got myself a black eye trying to help a randaggio (stray) in my garden.  It wasn't his fault. I handled him wrongly and he punched me ( claws out) in the face. I will not be winning any pageants this week. It caps off a bit of a bleak January, I have to say. 

Pirate has offered to defend me, should it happen again.

Just look at that face. Terrifying.

Pirate X

 It has been a little while but I have a new story out. :-)

click here to read Pirate X

Yay

New year, new blog

 So 2022 has arrived with little fanfare on my part but then I wonder who really felt like celebrating this year. 

My new year gift to me is a new blog. 

https://nopanino.blogspot.com/

My intention with this blog is to write about the more travel-related things I do. You see, last September I began a travel writing course online because what I would really like to do is shift away from teaching or, at the the very least, make a side income so I can improve my standard of living enough to keep the heating on :-) The course is quite intensive but I have an excellent tutor who is an incredible support and an extremely successful travel writer - Dan Scott. I am learning heaps from him but I also fear I am going to run into my old nemesis - confidence ( or the lack thereof) when it comes to actually trying to get paid for the work. I already baulk at the idea of pitching and selling myself but I know if I don't shake this shackle, I will be forever doomed. I know I can write, I just don't know how to tell the people with the money I can. 

Fingers crossed, anyway.