Friday June 9, 2006

No woman is an island

          
                         

This is my dog Chance doing her favourite thing. Walking, I mean, not posing. Though she is a bit of a poser. She may join me during some of this retreat. I don't know that she'll write any songs, but she will definitely wag some tail and eat some bone.

 

By the time I'd packed and finished sending my goddamn emails it was lunchtime. I arranged to meet Fi for a swim in Raumati, then I'd head to the bach from there. But the KCDC in all their glory had fecked up again and the pool was closed with no notice. Fionnaigh had driven from Naenae, I felt terrible.

Anyway, getting into it now. I've got my guitar out, everything's spread out. Sian's Care Package pile is on the bed in the bedroom. The little plastic container with my Dilmah teabags and almonds is open on the bench.

 

And there's Fruit Squares.

 

                               


Care Package Day 1:

It's in two parts. Part One...Oh! A beautiful welcome letter. And all in a hand-illustrated enveloped, sewn with gold thread. Already writing words - 'the trouble with her, she's shut up tight, she's like a letter, she's so hard to open, come away...'

Now Part Two...the package:

Oh my god. The most amazing drawing, it looks like a medieval village, drawn from the rooftop of one of the buildings - it's like Doctor Seuss and Escher-esque, it's childhood nightmares in a cosy bed.

Rooftops. Just now, on Raumati Beach, Fi and I saw a round house with a thatched-looking conical roof. We wondered who lived in there as we walked past the next rambling mansion on the waterfront. I told Fi how much I love Mana Island - the shape of it is so simple, almost pre-historic, especially with the little clump of trees on top. I think I love it more than Kapiti, even - as a shape, I mean.

                                                                               

I've blue-tacked Sian's incredible drawing onto the glass French doors. Been taking some good photos of it. Writing lots of words and got a few chords. But I have no idea how to put the two of them together. How do you do that? The chords sound very country, and the lyrics are kind of Don McGlashan-esque. And all I have is my voice to make them sound like they're meant to be together.

Maybe the difference in the chords and the words is a good thing. I don't know.

It seems like a very long time since I've done this thing.