Friday, October 17, 2008

The dinner and an encounter with a gypsy man


Well, last night's dinner wasn't particularly gleeful, but I suppose I'm bound to blog about it, aren't I?

It was weird and slightly awkward at times and it turned out the zing we had the first time around was mostly absent, plus there was a large red flag waving over his head the whole time telling me to back away from the man and run.

But, that's not to say there was nothing positive about it - any "what ifs" sputtering in dark corners of my brain have now been snuffed out, and that's good. Maybe we'll stay friends, but no more.


Eels and little fish and the gypsy man

I spent the whole afternoon in the gardens today, reading the newspaper in the sun and listening to the bipping of the bellbirds in the trees overhead.

I saw eels swimming in the shallow murky water at the lake's edge (below). They are repulsive creatures but I was pleased to see them as I have a childish fascination with creatures in water (which is why I can't help myself looking for fish in the river when I cross the bridge near my house. Once I saw a whole school!). I also saw a school of teeny, tiny fish in the lake today.

Lots of people were out enjoying the sun - parents with small children, tourists with cameras in hand, other solo readers, young shirtless guys and their girlfriends with midriffs exposed to catch the rays, a group of gambolling primary school kids....and a Spanish cello player with a "gypsy heart".

No, I couldn't tell that just by looking at him. He wandered over to where I was sitting on a seat near the lake and said it was his favourite spot too. We got talking and he sat down and told me a little about himself. Then he told me his "gypsy heart" sensed I was a very passionate person who "wants to eat up everything in life" and made like he was eating corn on the cob as he said it. I have "Pah!", he said, his hands making a 'bursting forth' gesture in front of his face.

He said he's a little psychic and while I was half-thinking, "Yeah right, I've heard that from guys on the take before" (especially when he asked to hold my hand), but then he proceeded to make a few observations about me that were actually pretty spot on.

He picked I was not long out of a difficult period emotionally, that I can be very extreme in my moods (well, I used to be) and that I live in my own little world. He also observed that I had recently changed my hair style...perhaps not earthshattering in his accuracy, but certainly closer to the truth than the psychic I paid $40 to see earlier this year who told me four weeks hence I was going to meet and fall in love with gynaecologist from Beaumaris who enjoys fencing (the en garde! type) in his spare time.


On target

And on top of all of this, I got the nine-letter word in The Age's Target puzzle as soon as I clapped eyes on it. Go, me!

I make myself read the paper before I do the Target puzzle, and sometimes I even forget that it's coming up, which means I get a little "Oooh! Target puzzle!" frisson when I turn the page and see it.


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Well....maybe you just need to tidy up some loose ends at the moment, you know what they say about one door closing! Good to hear you have been getting some Park time, I can't cope if I don't get some deck time every week.

Jayne said...

Hi abbeysum. Yes, it has been a tying up loose ends sort of week. In some ways I'm relieved the door has closed because I'm not really ready to have doors opening up at the moment.

Sitting in the gardens in the sun is so good for the soul. I feel like I should make the most of it while it lasts too. Only a couple of weeks until my building goes under the hammer...

Anonymous said...

Gypsy man. Well, everyone likes to think of themselves as passionate. Anyone that's half agreeable will be able to think of a time of "difficult emotion", moods, we all have them, if your hair is looking something special, a safe bet, and your reading by yourself and he discerns that your in your own little world. Me thinks nobody takes the time to listen to him.
If you had wireless broadband you could blog from all the choice spots.

Anonymous said...

i love the target puzzle :)

Julian said...

Tying up loose ends is good: it sounds like the dinner outcome was a good one for where you are at the moment!

Sounds like a great day outside yesterday; I'm kind of envious. ;P I was stuck inside all day listening to my coursemates' final 1 hour practical training demonstrations, and giving my own. There was glee in there too though: my presentation went well, and I got lots of compliments about the brownies I baked and took in (being complimented is a definite glee enhancer for anyone, I think. It's also sorely under-rated and under-practised, if you ask me). The last bit of glee for the day was when I got home and could finally just lie down and let myself unwind after over a week of being tense and busy (something I really need to do more often).

Glee for me today is my new, big, bright-blue fitness ball that's now ready for use. :) Better posture and a recovered knee, here I come! Sitting around in the sun glee is out for today (cloudy and not that warm), but I'm seriously considering seeing who I can find to go out and have a nice, relaxing lunch or afternoon tea with. Chatting a few hours away out somewhere nice is a definite glee thing for me, and would be perfect at the moment.

On that gypsy man, I think that all of the things he was reasonably accurate with could be worked out through straight perception. It sounds like he's perceptive, but there's no real need to attach "psychic" to it, I think. (Not to say that he didn't believe that he was, just that people tend to underestimate what normal human perception is capable of.)

Jayne said...

Hi anonymous. Actually, until fairly recently, I considered myself to be quite lacking in passion but that has changed in recent years. I suppose that's why the gypsy man's observations rang true for me - because most of what he said would have been very wide of the mark not too long ago. But yes, he could have just been lucky! It was an amusing encounter nonetheless.

Hi Victoria. I loved the Target puzzle on Friday because I got the nine-letter word straight off and got all the words, bar one. Yesterday I didn't like it so much because I couldn't find the big word and I barely limped to "good" status! So I only like it when it makes me feel smart! Harrumph. ;)

Hi Julian. Good to see you here again and thanks for your long and thoughtful response. Nice to see other people glee spotting! I love it when people share with me.

You're right about the power of compliments - such a simple yet effective way to make other people feel good, and a wonderful boost to be on the recieving end as well. Baking brownies for your course mates was very thoughtful of you - can't go wrong with tasty baked goods!

Hope you have a nice Sunday, despite the less than ideal weather.