Burnt Out Ends

I took this photo yesterday morning on my way home from drinking tea with my lovely friend Mika. 

My first thought was one of horror at how close the recent bushfires came to our town. 

My second thought was that fire is a part of life in the country and if I am to continue living here I must get used to the uneasy, dislocating feeling the threat of fire induces in the hotter months.

My third thought was about Wabi Sabi, and how the landscape was still beautiful, but at the other end of the spectrum to what we are used to.

And my final thought was about the bombed terrain of Laos. I taught English there many years ago and saw firsthand how much damage was done decades earlier during the Vietnam War. But because of the indents in the landscape, when it rains these craters catch the most water, and are greener and more fertile as a result. I like this as a metaphor.

Wabi Sabi

I was in a rush, I can't remember why. And I whacked my elbow on the clear plastic lid of the butter compartment on the inside of the fridge door, and it fell out. A small piece of the plastic broke off and now the lid won't stay on.

I tried again to fix it today, but to no avail. Small bit of plastic; high traffic.

This here is a photo of my everyday ring. You can see where it has broken a dozen or so times. PJ wanted to buy me a new one for my birthday, but I said no. I love that he presents it to me afresh each time he repairs it.

And here too, my everyday boots that a friend made me, worn through on the heels, now patched asymmetrically and more Meg.