Well...its currently nearly half past 8 in the morning, and I am in the bath with the tap dripping on my knee as apparently it doesn't know how to NOT. I feel amazingly frazzled. You left on a work trip yesterday morning, and things haven't been right since. I miss you terribly, and my week is looking bleak without you. Not ony isit looking bleak, it is looking empty, bar sleepless nights, as apparently I once again have insomnia. You leaving me alone should be banned for the sake of my mental health!

And because of this, I have made a decission. I know I cannot fly over to be with you right now, though god help me, I really really would totally want to do that, so instead,next time you have to go on on of these trips, ima come too! I know that means finding someone to sit the animals and look after the house. I know thats a possibly expensive thing. But I don't care. I miss you. I would do anything to be with you right now. I watched the sun come up this morning at 5am, I had a shower at 4.

By the end of this week I will have drunk enough coffee to be immune to it.

So I think we need to take the 'have and to hold' thing majorly serious, an have and hold each other everywhere we have to go. I'll come too next time. And we'll both continue sleeping, which is something I am currently wishing for like mad. And we'll spend every moment we can cuddling. I'll see you on Saturday, and that day cannot come soon enough, love.

Because I Can

FRIENDSHIPS

Human beings are interesting creatures. Like monkeys of all varieties, we are social animals, better suited to pack life with a large group of members existing within our pack. And an integral part of our pack, one that exists without question for most of us, is family; those annoying siblings whom Mum and Dad seem to favour over you, the aunts and uncles who are always nosing around in your life and pinching your cheek and spoiling you, the grandparents with their stories of “back in my day...”.

However, family is not the only social group we need to make our world go round properly. In fact, it is only one of the groups; the other group, just as important, is that of our friends. Those people we meet over our years on this earth, who influence our lives, share adventures and misshaps with us, with whom we share our secrets and with whom we laugh. And without them, our family would most likely drive us all to the verge of insanity.

Now, insanity can be fun, we all know this, or should do if we have had any form of havoc in our lives before. But insanity is no fun without friends. And the better the friend who shares your insanity, the better the fun, as with everything in life. And without good friends we may as well check ourselves into the asylum.

I can safely say that my last few weeks, months, would have been a lot different if I hadnt had so many awesome, supportive friends there with me...shoulders to cry on, drinking buddies, sharers of hangovers, when necessary, someone to shake me firmly when I was being unrealistic and tell me to get over it and grow up. And you know, only a friend, a good, real friend, can do any of that. Anyone else can try, but it will never be the same.

And friends are the people who need us as people, as who we are, the most. Had a bad day? You are going to call your best friend, or even rock up on their door step. And so you should, thats why friends are who they are. I've randomly appeared on doorsteps this past couple of months with my bag, and no idea how long im stayng, and each of those friends has taken me in, given me a cup of tea, and let me sort myself out. And they can do the same to me, some have before, others will in the future.

The best part of a friend is you can just drop pretences and simply be yourself. You dont have to look good around them, you dont have to watch what you say, you dont have to be bright and cheerful. If you feel like teaching them some new uncouth words, they are fine with it; heck, my friends could probably teach me a word or two of their own! They expect you to be no one but yourself, act no other way than you normally would on your own; with good friends, you can be free as a bird to do as you wish, and its awesome.

The other day I was down south, in Bunbury, walking along in a medieval dress with my best friend, and we randomly started skipping, arm in arm down the main street, singing 'We're off to see the Wizard' from the Wizard of Oz. And we looked insane. We scared people off the side walk and across the street, just by being so uncontrolled and free. And afterward we went and got coffee, and laughed ourselves silly, and agreed it was the most fun we had had in months. And there is no one else in the whole world I would rather do that with, or know it was ok to do that with, and at the time, acting like that with that friend, really made my day so much brighter, and made the problems all go away, just for the day.

So I guess what im saying here is that friends are amazing. They are the best people ever, and when the whole world seems to have gone to hell in a little pretty hand basket, they are there. They pick you up, dust you off, tell you off if they need to, tell you if you've been stupid, and are there on those dire occasions when you really need a drinking buddy, and nothing else, not that I've called in that favour much in the past, or am going to much in the future. And they know, or should know, that you are there for them as much as they are for you, and any favour they do for you when you need it will always be returned. And I know there are people out there who dont understand the attachment I have to my friends; all I can say to them is that friends, more than family, are the most important features in my life. They will always be there for you. Family won't, partners won't, but friends...there will always be a friend there for you to turn to.

Thanks guys, all of you, for being there the last couple of months; you have been amazing, and I hope I get the chance to return the favours some time soon :)

Cats, Relationships, Stuff.

Cats are glorious, cats are a marvel. Forget about dog being mans best friend, bring in cats to fill the position! I know that opinions vary, but you can easily be won over to loving cats, and incorporating them in your life, where is it is no where near as easy to try and add, say, a dog to an already jam packed lifestyle. Who would feed it, and walk it? Who would play games with it? Suddenly all your free time after work, all that relaxation tome that was yours and yours alone, its gone. With a cat, you are spared all those finicky problems that go with dogs, all the demands of attention, all of the lack of independence. Heck, sometimes you don't even see them for days at a time; talk about wonderfully independent creatures! So this one goes out to all you cat people out there. All you people who can think of nothing better than cuddling up to a cute, fuzzy, purring ball of self contented self centered love.

Now, I myself used to be a dog person. I grew up with dogs, I had a puppy of my own, and I loved all 5 of our dogs to bits; to this day I still believe that red cloud kelpy cross is the most amazing lovable energetic breed of dog out there, and is specifically designed to be everyone's best friend. And they're loyal to one person, and one person alone; that gets them the most brownie points in my books. But my relationship with dogs as a collective started going downhill a few years ago now, when I came home one day to find my gorgeous puppy was no more; still, I see that as one of the saddest days of my life. I moved on, life went on, I moved to Perth a couple of years later, and was convinced by a friend to take one of her kittens. A more entertaining ball of fun I have never since experienced, and that kitten, with her various antics, including suspending herself off my balcony railing, kept me so highly amused that I could not help but get another one a year later, just to double the laughs.

Recently my marriage has been going through a very nasty rock filled stage that reminds me of the rapids you get on the Blackwood river in autumn or spring; beautiful to look at, a mincer to be within. And both my husband and I have been distraught and upset 90% of the last month. And each time that I have retreated to a different part of the house, or someone else's house for that matter, there are cats. My kitten crawls in with me each night these days, and when I went to someone else's place to give us a little time apart, a random cat made its way in and made itself at home. And at home here, whenever he has been upset, our original cat, now coming up for two years old, curls up on his lap, or gets into bed with him. She isn't a very hug loving cat, and is rather independent, but she has spent 90% of the last month on my husband's lap.

So, no matter how things turn out, I must say I will always be grateful to those cats who have been by us the last month, and who we have nurtured in their lives for the last nearly two years. They are selfish independent creatures most of the time, but when you need a non biased friend, who has no opinion and no favoritism, I suggest to you a cat every time. They won't tell you what they think of the situation, they wont give you advice. They will simply love you unconditionally provided you feed them. And what more could anyone ask of a good friend? So Maus, Sootica, I thank you both. The last few months, and the last one in particular, have been hard both of your owners. And you two cats, black little panthers that you are, have been the best friends anyone could have asked for.