In five weeks time it will all be over folks. Don’t give in now. I know, I know, the running of the Christmas shoppers has started early this year. Santas are already in short supply. Some are now being lured away by Captains of Cash Registers (CCR’s) from underneath bridges and wheelie bins. I already noticed an abandoned trolley. Its owner sobbing (inconsolably) nearby. Her tears wetting the grass but some ducks were consoling her. Ducks are good at that. You can tell by their kind eyes. They always seem to be saying “It is never too late to reform”, repent, all will come good.”
There is hope growing eternally, especially along our creek at the back of our house. Each year and few weeks prior to Christmas, more and more elderly but still in revolutionary spirits, are to be found fondly looking into reflections of the creek’s water bubbling demurely over reeds and rushes. Some have, very wisely, taken the grandkids, to partake in the simple act of feeding wise ducks. For those with insight into the real spirit of Christmas it is the only thing left to do. Seek an answer in duck’s eyes and listen to flowing waters. Give generously to ducks.
We know the pull of materialism is strong and overwhelming. Most succumb to drop-dead shopping-malls, only to be taken by howling ambulance to hospital and hoisted into emergency beds, still warm from previous shoppers still with laden trolley’s frozen turkeys oozing bags of Violent crumble and 2 kilos of acidly sweetened jute bags of Mars Bars. Jingle bells, jingle bells!
We are almost ready to go for our daily walk and meet up with the elderly but true believers at the creek. I know the ducks will be waiting and Milo is respectful, even considerate, seeing we are feeding the ducks food that he normally would receive. Good Boy!
We had a bad fish yesterday. The kitchen still smells even though I cooked the fish on the Webber outside. It wasn’t a good meal. The sauce was far too spicy. I had bought a jar of Sambal Oelek and even half a tea-spoon proved too much. Fortunately Helvi had also opened a jar of Hak’s sweet red cabbage that somehow diluted the chilli taste. Sundays are not good for fish buying. I should have known. Since buying the fish cook book I seem to want to try out recipes. Why are the pictures of food books so alluring? We ended up squabbling because the meal was almost inedible. Yet, the intention was so noble and good.
This morning I discovered the reason for the fish smell. The foil that the fish was baked in was doing its stinking job in the kitchen tidy. I had once again bought a large roll of those plastic tidy bags that never seem to fit the tidy. Either too big, too small or without handles. We even bought a large roll and then went shopping for the tidy so that both would match. Alas, even though they were matched, the bags did not have handles allowing it to be tightened into a bag without any spillage on the floor. The bags just had four flaps that somehow hung listlessly over the edge of the kitchen tidy. It is quite an art to then lift it out of its tidy without a nervous break-down.
We need the ducks this morning. They know and understand!
Tags: Christmas, Ducks, Hak., Hospital, Jingle Bells, Mars Bars, Milo, Sambal Oelek, Santa, Violent Crumble
November 23, 2015 at 12:14 am |
Christmas is so far off my radar right now that if I’m not careful, I’ll miss it completely. And I doubt my kids would appreciate that, so I best start paying attention. But I’m just not ready for the work it involves. Guess it shouldn’t be that way, but between shopping, wrapping, and baking, it often is.
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November 23, 2015 at 10:48 pm |
Each year is the same. People rushing about pushing trolleys and screaming kids. Tenseness on the rise. Police have their hands full with domestics, people suffering from marital whiplash. Counsillors flat out, soothing frayed nerves. Christmas!
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November 23, 2015 at 1:26 am |
Sorry about the stinking fish and the problem with kitchen tidies. Good you could go for your walk and enjoy the ducks.
When I was very young, I was scared of the “Weihnachtsmann”. He had a “Rute”
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November 23, 2015 at 10:51 pm |
The fish was on the edge off being off. We are lucky to be alive. Never buy fish away from the sea.
There was no bad Father Christmas in Holland. There was Black Pieter on the 5th of december with a Spanish Bishop, which was used with great success by my mother for us to behave and do houshold chores. Till this day I do the washing up.
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November 24, 2015 at 8:55 pm
I wished Australian mothers were that successful too!
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November 23, 2015 at 9:26 pm |
There is nothing worse than rotten fish smell. Hard to get rid of too. Sometimes there isn’t much you can do about it. Maybe move?
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November 23, 2015 at 10:53 pm |
We had a chicken on the Webber yesterday with asparagus and zuccini. The fish smell lingered for a whole day but with generous use of fly spray had now dispersed.
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November 23, 2015 at 10:17 pm |
Hope the daily walk has relieved the situation . . .
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November 23, 2015 at 10:53 pm |
Yes, walk each day does help. The ducks look forward to our arrival each day.
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November 23, 2015 at 11:46 pm |
Bad fish, ouch. I am not even that wild about good fish. –Curt
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November 24, 2015 at 1:15 am |
There’s a rumor going around that ISIS plans to attack a few malls this season. I assume the folks rushing to the mall haven’t heard it yet.
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November 25, 2015 at 8:01 pm |
We’ve been making all our presents for the last few years. The only thing I shop for is baking and craft supplies, which cuts down on the madness for sure!
Unfortunately we don’t have any ducks nearby us. We get deer and wild turkeys, but sadly no ducks.
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