November 1st Words

We’ve spent the weekend in Port Elliot celebrating Dave’s birthday. Friday night was one of those rare times I truly enjoyed myself. Why those moments have become few and far between I don’t know. It’s something I’d like to master - having a really good time.

At dinner I wanted to splurge - and we did - on a stupidly priced bottle of Italian wine. It was slightly ‘thin’ (I tend to describe my wines with viscosity), and what irked me the most is that the label didn’t identify where within Italy it was manufactured. It would have been more special had it been from the north, with some sort of relevance to my family.

After dinner the five of us came back to our holiday house and hit the table tennis. This was the highlight of my night. Something about partnering with my sister Marina and beating the boys just made me dance on the inside. Maybe the Italian wine helped. Marina is a singer and I’ve always wanted to sing, both with and without her. l led us in song with We Are The Champions after we won. Marina is a really, really special human. Those 15 minutes, playing table tennis alongside my sister, the woman who has looked out for me since the moment I was born, accepted me with all my faults, fantasies and flailings, and beating my husband and brother…. they were priceless. I love her. I love her a lot.

These moments... they come when you least expect them.

Saturday was also a winner for me. My seediness from the wine, of which there was plenty, was put to rest with a couple of panadol, a pasty and custard tart from the Port Elliot Bakery. It was my first visit to this iconic establishment. A very simple bucket list item ticked off, just like that. The thing that most made me happy yesterday was that I didn’t chastise myself on the good time I’d had the night before. That’s what I do. But I didn’t do it yesterday.

And today… Sunday 1 November 2020 has been spent home. Gardening. Photography. Writing. Loving Angel. Working on being happy. Working on being me. Feeling a lot lighter because woven between Dave’s birthday, Vic’s birthday, belly laughs with my sister and brother and general Port Elliot good times I’ve delved into some mind stuff that’s been hanging around. Why do I photograph? What do I want to photograph? What do I want my future to hold?

Big questions but there’s been light relief.