Let me give you a run down of our week:

• Sunday – finish moving and clean old house ready for inspection
• Monday – (am) rehearsal with pianist
• Monday – (pm) rehearsal with sopranos
• Tuesday – (am) unpack and try to get started on paid work. Hey, I'm only two weeks behind schedule!
• Tuesday – (pm) rehearsal with choir
• Wednesday – (am) unpack and try to get started on paid work.
• Wednesday – (pm) Eldest son's graduation
• Thursday – Zoe's home, so unpack with her help. Go out and buy a cheap Indian cotton dress for the "hippy" number. Nothing scheduled for the night! Yippy!
• Friday – (am) desperately sew 18th Century gown for "Caro mio ben"
• Friday – (pm) rehearsal with choir
• Saturday – (am) finish sewing (hope it holds together). Concert setup at 4pm.
• Saturday – (pm) Concert! (panic)

The Crows

Our little family of crows is taking as active an interest in us as we are in them. The babies are all flapping their wings madly. They don't let go of the branches yet. Mum and Dad have started to keep an eye on us whenever we leave the house or stand on the verandah, just in case we throw them some food. Mum will even hold her ground on top of the clothes line when I'm downstairs now. They are still hesitant about taking the food. They watch and wait and have a good look around before hopping down and eating it. I hope that they lose just a little of that caution, and that the babies will be more trusting. I'm a bit worried about the cats though. I know that Diamunda wouldn't touch them, she has about the same hunting instinct as a rock. Neffie would love to have a go but they are bigger then she is, and if she tried they would probably add one blue Siamese eye to their diet. That doesn't stop her wishing though, and when they fly over, no matter how high, she leaps into the air like a ballet dancer on speed and swishes her paws around hopefully.

The Cats

Neffie has become a number one lizard and small bug hunter though. Zoe rushes around saving the poor little lizards left right and center. Personally, I'm more inclined to leave her to them. I mean, she did catch them didn't she? She is a preditor? You would think that Zoe, of all people, would understand that! I mean, how would she feel if someone came and took her gen off her? Exactly!

The cats definitely like it better here then at the old place. It's much cooler all through the house. Neffie can do what she has always wanted to do and go to bed anytime of the day without dying of heat prostration. Even Diamunda has found some bravery inside her and ventures outside from time to time.

The Sime

Zoe is settling in well too. Although the moving was physically harder then the last move (not having a car didn't help) mentally we are more relaxed here. For myself, being at the back of the house instead of at the front means that people don't just wander by my windows and I don't have to worry if they are talking about me or not (paranoid? Who you calling paranoid?) For Zoe, well, of course if I'm relaxed she is going to benefit isn't she! The aches and pains will gradually settle down. I've hired a channel who specializes in massage to come and give us both a massage on Thursday. Boy, am I looking forward to that!

The Choir

Actually, joining the choir has had several benefits. The massaging channel is one of them, she is a member of the choir, an alto and lives locally! Her partner is also useful (and a nice person too). She is a professional book critic! I kid you not. I'm tempted to give her "House of Zeor" to read. She reads paperbacks of that size in a few hours. I've given her one of my stories to read "Be careful what you wish for". Unfortunately the printer ate the last page and I didn't notice. She was incensed. "You gave me half a story! I want to know how it ends!" she said. She liked it – well, what there was of it!

We have met so many other lovely people through the choir. Still, I'll be glad when this concert is over! Then we have Christmas Concerts to do, but that's different, because we do them for other people and I won't have to do a solo!

Eliza ambrov Halwyn
Companion to Zoe Farris

Eliza ambrov Halwyn
Companion to Zoe Farris

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