cacophony

Sorry I haven’t been around for a few weeks, guys. I’ve been busy; falling in love.

My new beau, Darren, is an extraordinary fellow. He’s smart, funny, caring, drop dead gorgeous and keen on me. I’m the kind of girl who falls in love at the drop of a hat but a broken heart or seven have taught me to exercise caution. We’ve been going out for a month.

I know that I’m falling in love with him. He can probably tell. But at some point, you need to say it.

So when is the right time to use the “L” word?

Do you prefer the rain or the sunshine? Me, I’m a rain girl. I love nothing more than to listen to the sound of rain on the roof, watch it trickle down the window, walk through it, dance in it; thrust my head back and feel it on my eyelids and taste it on my tongue.

And I love the way the city smells clean after rain, how much more give my garden soil has, how clean my car gets and how the tram tracks squeak under my tyres.

But I was never one for excessive sunshine. What about you?

Is it just me or is everyone else -over- Missy Higgins? I’m sure she’s a nice girl and her music is pretty but she’s absolutely everywhere!

As of Saturday, my wee Westgarth terrace has a compost heap. It’s nothing special (and it certainly ain’t pretty) but it makes me feel good to look at it, doing its composting thing in the corner of my little yard. I’m looking forward to using it to create a springtime vegie garden.

Recently, I’ve spent most weekends out there, cutting back the vines that had taken over my garden. In fact, it was so overgrown when I moved in that I couldn’t tell where the pavers stopped and the dirt began. Now it has been tamed somewhat, it’s actually a nice place to spend time in, especially while gardening.

Which brings me to my question: why does it make us feel good to tend our gardens? Why is digging in the dirt good for the soul?

This day has been so awful I am staying up til midnight just to make sure it goes away. What do you do to cheer yourself up when you’re having a shocker?

My friend recently stayed interstate at the house of his old friend, who I have recently fallen out with. This ex-friend has piles of unwanted CDs by virtue of her job as a music reviewer. The reviewer girl and I had a major falling out this month and I’m still so mad at her I’ve just about written off the friendship.

My current friend came back to Melbourne with 20-odd discs from the reviewer’s collection that he thought I would like. And I do - they are really great records. (In fact, one of them I had until it was stolen from my car late last year.)

So here’s my dilemma: do I accept the CDs even though they came from a girl I am cranky with? And is it rude to refuse them when my friend went to the effort to choose them and bring them back to me?

Like Cold Chisel says, should I “mind taking charity from those that I despise?”

Is anyone else out there suffering post-fun disorder? I grieve for the end of my holidays.