Words, then no words...
It's early morning, the 15th March, and I've written a good things list, which I have cleverly disguised in some sentences. Firstly, nothing hurts. Phew! And all my choirs (I am temporarily in charge of three choirs) are singing well. Overnight irrigation (plus early morning rain) has blessed my garden with plenty of water. It breathes a sigh of relief. But there's more. The house animals are making me laugh. Red Fred the kitten is playing peek-a-boo with young dog Pebbles, while Black Fred is attacking a leaf monster. Winnie the elder dog, far too mature for all this kitten nonsense, is sitting with me on the TV couch. And this leads to the best bit of all...
Good Things
I am having my breakfast 'on' a Youtube train, the slowest freight train in the world, enjoying 'cabview' as I clatter up the Kootenay valley in Canada. This trip is so slow that I can boil an egg, make a pot of tea, and not miss anything. Hee hee. Soothing, leafy scenery, visits from a purring kitten - the perfect way to start the day. More good things - in half an hour I get off my train (hee hee) and go out to Chamber Music (my friend and I are playing the wonderfully inspiring Prokovief flute and piano sonata). Then I meet my oldest friend (who I love dearly) for lunch. When I get back home the rain will have stopped and I will go gardening. Yeay! Back much later...
Late Afternoon...
I'm so sorry to be writing this. Good has turned terribly bad. Something really evil has happened. A gunman has shot and killed people worshipping in a mosque in my own city, Christchurch. I was weeding in The Hump and proudly digging up potatoes, making sure that the kittens were nowhere near the spade. I was laughing at my dogs singing their dog-chorus, smiling at all the pretty roses, feeling just great. Came inside, had a shower, then took the phone call from family. They couldn't get hold of me. Was I at home, safe? Of course I was! I'd been in my garden. No, I hadn't heard the news...
No words...
So on went the TV and within seconds all the joy faded completely away. It's unbelievable that this has happened in my country, in my city. New Zealand is so small, so far away from scary things that happen 'out there' in the big world. I really don't know what to say. This morning I had lots of words, and now I've got none.