The Day Began At Nick's Place...

I sometimes wake up in the little hours at Nick's place and listen to the sounds of Collingwood swirling around in the streets below. It seems that this is the only time that Johnston street isn't just an endless river of traffic, with only the occasional lonely taxi drifting aimlessly along. Men stumble out of the city and around the streets, drunk and bleary, smashing bottles and shouting at inanimate objects, whilst Audrey Hepburn, perched pristine above the Vespa shop next door, smiles serenely down upon them. The giant purple graffiti dragon, who guards the front door, shifts irritably in his sleep and flicks his forked tongue in annoyance.
He slides softly around the wall, circling until he is comfortable, then winks at Audrey and settles back into his slumber. I pull the doona up around my ears and watch Nick sleep until the circus outside becomes a hum. Then I drift off again.

When we woke up this morning the river of traffic had solidly returned, the drunken stumblers had disappeared, and the dragon was pretending to be graffiti. We lay in bed for ages talking about truth, love, God, life, freedom and the act of 'seeking' when it isn't a verb. There was some misunderstanding in our communication, at times, and some conflicting views, but I'm currently learning to regard that without anxiety. I'm trying to work out how to see difference in a relationship as a good thing and not something to be feared, or viewed as a threat. It's quite hard. Some people seem to be completely fine with that idea and see it as something rather obvious, which makes me wonder if many other people find it as difficult as I do. Anyway, it was a great conversation, concluded with a prayer, and I think we were both left feeling fairly alive and enlightened as a result.

We left the house, through the door that shrieks in pain every time you open it, and headed for the convent to have breakfast/lunch at Lentil As Anything. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! A buffet lunch of really good curries and stuff, for which you pay whatever you think they're worth. After eating like hungry piglets and barely speaking a word, we decided that a visit to the Collingwood Childrens' Farm was in order. I SO wish I'd taken photos... but I didn't. So I've had to make do with what i've got at home. Here is a list of exciting things we did there:

1. Patted goats with weird eyes like green marbles.
2. Patted a silky-soft baby goat that was three days old.
3. Made deaf jokes about a black and white cat that had no ears. (Here is a picture of a black and white cat... although this one has ears.)

4. Laughed at our jokes about the black and white cat with no ears.
5. Caught a giant, puffed up, white chicken and held it, patted it, clucked at it and touched its red, wobbly chin bit. (Here is a picture of one of my chickens. Red, wobbly chin bit and all.)

6. Made fun of the peacocks for being all dressed up with nowhere to go. I think I only did this because I am jealous of their tails.
7. Patted a lamb
8. Learnt that sheep don't 'Baaa', but make more of a 'Maaaaaaa'-ing sound whilst sticking their tongues out really far.
9. Got in trouble for attempting to feed cabbage leaves to a enormous, hairy, black pig.
10. Looked at cows.
11. Patted a brown horse. (Here is a brown horse.)

12. Met a goat with three legs called, 'Tripod'. (The closest I could get was a three legged horse... not too different... I was pretty pleased with myself actually!)

13. Laughed at Tripod.
14. Sat on a bench next to lots of little kids and held fat, squeeking guinea pigs.

Then we had a chai and a coffee and a scone and I tried to work out a way that I might be able to live at the Collingwood Children's Farm. It's SUCH an amazing place. You look around and, if you didn't know any better, you'd think you were out in the middle of the country. It is so quiet and cheerful and green, nestled under Studley Park Road. It's literally about two minutes from Nick's place (the raucous Collingwood I described earlier!) yet it is peaceful and full of gum trees. I love it there.

After that we went to the Salvos in Collingwood and put heaps of our clothes in their bins - a very cleansing act. I love getting rid of stuff. It's very satisfying. But then, of course, we went inside the op shop and I bought three rolling pins and Nick bought a video called 'Exciting Basketball Endings' which I, for one, can't wait to watch.

It's getting late now. Time for sleep. Today was a golden day. It made me feel like this,