A walk in the park

Yesterday I went to Perth's most prominent city park - Kings Park. It's a very beautiful place though I feel most residents take it for granted, whisk visitors to the top to see the skyline (now blighted by the Expo centre) and whisk them back down again before they can appreciate just how vast and varied it is.

I spent a bit of time of time in the Lottery funded areas of the garden with fabulous cultivated native plants. I also spent some time sleeping by the pond, in duck poo, awakening to find myself surrounded by the little quackers.

Even though it wasn't good for chaffing or sunburn, it was a really glorious afternoon. I realised how lucky I am to be able to live in many of the world's beautiful places but always have the right to call this clean and beautiful city home if I wish to.

My morning was equally glorious as I spent it with the Chaplain. He's going to be renamed (by me, not by the Lord) because I don't think the name does him justice. I know some of you think I am chasing a man of the cloth a la Benny Hill or have said things like "of course he's nice, he's a bloody Chaplain" and I think even nicknaming him that way puts an emphasis on the role and not the person. So he's now called Results, after his role at rally, not because I am trying to get some!

Anyway, the friendship is ticking along nicely. He is one of those people you meet in life that you instantly connect with (like a girl you take for after lunch cocktails only knowing her for an hour; or a couple who email you instructions on how to find toilet roll in Finland!) It's no secret that if he wasn't happily married with a million kids, I'd whisk him away to er somewhere but he is and that's that. He's also happily married which helps my mild adoration keep in check because I only know one other couple that's happily married and I do know a lot of married people.

What has been an additional bonus to the friendship is that there is a level of intimacy that is added for the "what if" element. For example, you share things that you might have shared if you were partners but not just friends, but because there isn't going to be that eventuality, you offer so much of the personal side of you to compensate for the more traditional intimacy. This has been lovely for me, to remember what it's like to have that kind of honesty. It's certainly put into perspective how or what I felt for my last relationships, which I feel hasn't gained any maturity or depth in the attempted friendships since their failures. I had started to think that this was my doing, but now being able to have frank and open discussions with someone again reminds me that it is possible and that I am not being unreasonable to want such things.

All these musings came to mind as I lay in the duck poo, their gentle quack quacking around me, and the occasional fly trying to land in my nostril. Parks are great for contemplation. Not so good for white clothing, grass stains and icky smears of bird mess.

Pics of the park will eventually be here