She hath wings

Learning to soar above life's storms

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about

I am a wife and mother of three beautiful children. I love to write, do craft, cook, visit the beach, shop, go for walks in picturesque places, play music and sing.
  • Unexpected Visitors

    Unexpected Visitors

    Last Sunday I let out a scream bigger than the one when my son entered the world. Never in my life have I found a mouse in the washing! I asked my husband to help me carry the hamper outside, leaving the other one in the bath. Upon my request, he helped me to check each item of clothing thoroughly; I couldn’t bear to see that mouse again. Nothing was found and I was beginning to think that he felt I was ‘seeing things’. I cringed as I imagined the mouse running down the passageway at night (where I had left the clothes hampers for several days before placing them in the bath), squeezing through a hole in one of them and burrowing into the clothes. How did it get into the house? A couple of years ago when we had a mouse in the kitchen sink cupboard due to the smell of the worm farm scraps, we put aluminium foil in the back of the dishwasher where there was a gap; perhaps it had been displaced.

    After my husband carried the clothes hamper inside, he noted Rosie the cat stalking a mouse near the back of the freezer. How could the mouse have gotten inside the house so soon after we carried it out? Unless…

    The plot thickened when my daughter called out to me and informed me that her brother had found a tiny mouse out in the back yard and was guarding it. The one I had glimpsed was bigger than that, I remembered. Apart from being stunned, there was nothing wrong with this baby mouse. I trapped it in a soccer cone and my son ran to collect two sand play cups from the outdoor toy box, at my request. “Don’t kill it!”, he begged me. Casting my mind back 30 or so years, I could put myself in his shoes. Stray kittens in my grandparents’ garage, unfit to be given homes, had melted my heart and I pleaded with my parents in a similar way. Sensing he was distraught, I decided that catch and release was the best thing to do.

    I must have looked so comical in the green dish gloves which I had forgotten to take off while inside the house. My son and I walked briskly towards a local park and stopped a few hundred metres shy of the entrance. Waiting to be rid of the mouse before it died of shock, I emptied the little baby into the long grass and we walked away.

    We were due to go out for the afternoon so we set a trap “just in case” behind the freezer and I returned to the bathroom to retrieve a couple of washing items for soaking. I let out another scream. There was our stowaway, barely moving…in the bath where the washing hamper had been returned. Once again I called upon my husband to help- this time to put it out of its misery. All dealt with, we still wondered about Rosie’s find. Had it been the one that I found in the bath? I didn’t think so. Upon returning home, my thoughts were comfirmed.

    As much as I appreciate the council’s efforts to minimise household waste with mini food scrap bins, I can’t help but wonder if it was the smell of rotting food we should have emptied the day before, that brought those germy critters inside again. I hadn’t seen a mouse since I had collected food scraps in a box, waiting to put them in a worm farm. I am pleased to report that we haven’t had any more tiny visitors this week and I have stopped holding my breath whenever I sort the clothes!

    Have any small, unwelcome animal visitors entered your home before? Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments or add a link to your own post!

  • When The Writing Wouldn’t Flow

    When The Writing Wouldn’t Flow

    Tonight I tried to write a poem and all I could think of were the things I shouldn’t say. Sometimes it is in the process of writing from the heart that we realise how much pain we have stuffed down deep inside. Only when I wrote the unfiltered thoughts and discarded them could I find some more helpful things to say. I knew I couldn’t fool myself- the writing would be mechanical at best. Sometimes others try to tell us how to write and stifle our creativity. They think it is absolute arrogance that we should ignore their unhelpful opinions. It’s okay to offer suggestions, but when the words cripple our writing hand, I think they are best left unsaid. Usually I am accustomed to being a part of the writing that is given to family members as a gift, since I am known for my ability to compose a poem under time constraints. This time I bowed out gracefully, though it hurt. I am grateful for this blog- a chance to write and share my thoughts for those who are keen to read them. I will not be silenced by the ignorant or the unkind!

  • Accidental Pirouette

    Accidental Pirouette

    I fronted up to my first ballet class almost a week ago and it has taken me that long to recover! Who knew that I would be thrown in the deep end and trying to keep up with someone who started months ago!!! I started at the barre and pictured it being an easy stretching class for adult beginners. Some time later I was asked to stretch as far as I could into the splits. Um… was I hearing correctly? The teacher has every confidence that I will achieve it one day! She told me the first day after a ballet class is the worst- she wasn’t wrong!!!

    There were tears the next day- such fatigue that I thought that I would be wiped out for more than a few days. I planned to quit but I recalled that ballet was my preparation to be strong for Irish dance which will see me shred the stubborn pounds in very little time and make me smile because I love it so much! My husband encouraged me to return to ballet next week and so did a few friends. This surprised me enough to listen – often people talk me out of difficult things because I set myself very lofty goals! I will need to scale back the time I spend on the dance floor to start with, but now is not the time to quit!

    Yesterday I went to a dance wear place and bought some canvas ballet slippers- the shop assistant who is a dance teacher informed me that they breathe better and don’t fit so tightly as the leather ones when the hot weather comes. Maybe I will be able to feel my toes more this week without tingling; a well-fitted shoe is important ! Learning all those French dance terms and challenging myself to move gracefully, I couldn’t walk away. This is going to take time and for as long as I can, I am going to keep at it.

  • Waves In The Distance

    Waves In The Distance

    I’m lying in a tent, less than an hour from home. I can hear waves crashing in the distance and I remember the wonderful afternoon we had, sculpting the sand and dipping our toes in the water. A few waves took me by surprise so I ended up with jeans that were sandy and wet halfway up to the knee!

    An ibis wandered in the carpark soon after we arrived and greeted us on return from the beach. After a simple dinner of homemade souvlakis the kids and I played the McDonald’s version of Monopoly. That was the best Happy Meal toy my daughter has had I think!

    In the eucalypts overhead, we watched a ringtail possum leap from one branch to another. This is why I give up my comfy bed and reliable sleep. Nothing beats being out in nature.

    I recall a camping trip in my late 20s to Lake Elizabeth, in the Otways. There were glow worms in the mud at the start of the walk and we awoke one morning to find a sizeable koala climbing up a tree just a couple of metres from the tent.

    I generally find it hard to sleep while camping but now that all the families are asleep or quiet, it is beautiful to tune in to the night soundscape. I’m reminiscing about the camp fires and friends who surrounded them over a decade ago. I can still picture the laughter and eating too many roasted marshmallows. I’m also dreaming of some new camping experiences with some wonderful families we know. Now the kids are getting older and we have no travel restrictions, the possibilities are opening up!

    What are some of your favourite camping experiences? I would love to hear about them in the comments, or leave a link to a blog post you have written about it.

  • Tiptoeing My Way To Health

    Tiptoeing My Way To Health

    A few weeks ago I saw a little pink flier in letterbox, no bigger than my hand, and I decided to make inquiries. Adult ballet, available even for beginners, just 7 minutes from my house! The time slots will work in with the children and so I am starting in a fortnight. I have had an interest in dance for most of my life and over a decade ago I first had the idea of beginner ballet.

    The best part of all, was that somehow the classes are very affordable and my physiotherapist thinks they will be great preparation for Irish dance in terms of strength and flexibility. Also, doing stretches aids circulation, and having been sedentary a lot of the time due to many respiratory illnesses this year, this is a huge benefit.

    For those of you who, like me, have had limitations which prevent you from doing the exercise that you love, I encourage you to start small, rather that dive in to something too challenging and risk injury (which was my old way of doing things!). It’s okay for fitness and weight-loss to take time- the important thing is to make a small positive change rather than none at all.

    I may feel like an elephant wearing stilettos at first (!) but I have my eye on the prize- the ability to dance gracefully would be such a fun way to keep fit. Look out for the follow up blog post in a few weeks- I will let you know how it goes!

  • Caring Cats

    Caring Cats

    Do they park themselves next to you, keeping you warm,

    Or play with the pen in your hand?

    Do they meiow the house down when you put them to bed,

    Or distract you for hours, unplanned?

    Perhaps they greet you at the window,

    Or skid playfully across the floor-

    Do they curl up and clean away salty tears,

    Or offer you their paw?

    Often described as self centred at best,

    I have found it is not always true;

    There seems to be some cats on this earth

    Devoted to me and you.

    From dawn until dusk while they are awake,

    They’re involved in our routine;

    Drinking from our cups, staring down the toilet bowl,

    Or ‘helping’ us get clean!

    Jumping up on the childrens’ beds,

    Purring through “Story Time”;

    Chasing inanimate objects like mice,

    Always new heights to climb!

    Do they steal your heart, when you couldn’t love another,

    And cost you an arm and a leg?

    Do you give up your dressing gown, to keep them warm,

    And listen whenever they beg?

    Such beautiful creatures- our longtime companions,

    A language all of their own-

    Clambering into our hearts and our homes,

    With them, we are never alone.

    © M. Patterson 14.9.22

  • To My Dad

    To My Dad

    You weren’t always in agreement with me,

    But you were by my side;

    Serious when you needed to be,

    But always willing to chide.

    You worked long hours to keep us fed,

    Setting foot on many a shore-

    Oh how I wish that just for one day,

    You could come back through my door!

    You fixed my wounds and waited in hospitals,

    Driving me everywhere-

    You bought me things I didn’t need,

    Just to say, “I care”.

    Although you didn’t always have the answers,

    I believed you when you did-

    And I have so many great memories

    Of when I was just a kid!

    Today I long to bring you gifts,

    And hear you laugh again-

    To throw my arms around your neck,

    And let go of the pain.

    I know that Father’s Day comes and goes,

    But it reminds me of the bond we had;

    I hope you knew how proud I was,

    That I could call you Dad.

    © M. Patterson 3.9.22

  • Cats Choose Their People

    Cats Choose Their People

    Tonight I thought I would write a little post about Rosie, my cat. I have had her since Mother’s Day, 2013 and she’s still going strong, despite having thyroid disease.

    Due to a string of illnesses in the house and Rosie’s need for regular cortisone or antibiotic injections at the moment, I had to enlist help to get Rosie to the vet the other week. A contactless appointment was made. Rosie would be collected from the car and the driver could just wait in the vet carpark. Imagine my shock and amusement when Mav (not my husband’s real name) volunteered to take Rosie to the vet, given that Mum (then only other cat-over in our family) wasn’t going to be in our area at the right time. Mav is the man who has threatened to run over the cat, frequently exclaims, “You stupid cat!” and reminds me of how much money she uses per year (I don’t ask for flowers 🤣).

    I made a joke out of it and said, “ Here’s your chance- you can come home without her!” to which Mav replied, “I wouldn’t dare- I know the relationship would be over after that”. Who knew a fur ball could have such pull power?!!! After loading Rosie in her cage, I gave Mav some final instructions. “She likes classical music, not too loud. She will stop meowing once you are coming home from the vet!”.

    That poor cat was subjected to everything in Mav’s Spotify list it seemed. He was out to find out the true favourite feline hits for 2022. Mav came home in almost record time and declared, “It’s not the music! I’m convinced that she doesn’t like the bumps along the road as I drive!”. Trust Mav to turn it into a science experiment!

    The best was yet to come. Rosie and Mav now have a bit of an understanding. She comes up to him while he’s lying in bed or sitting in a chair and rubs around him like she owns him. She has picked her people, and his was the first ever lap she chose! Mav will go on declaring that he hates cats – Rosie especially. Yet he brought her home that day and so for Rosie, that is enough and she’s standing by her man! 😂