The Agapanthus.

 

Agapanthus.

Certain domestic duties are shared between both of us. Washing-up is one of them. We have a dishwasher but we both decided that the effort in using it was more than just doing it by hand. Lately I do this chore more than H. as it warms my hands. As you all know, we are both on medications, some we share but all kept in different pill boxes. One has ‘Helvi’ and the other ‘Gerard’ written on. My pill-box is much bigger. (as it should)

One of the pills is giving me very cold hands. The quack reckons he sees those suffering from that condition rarely. He looked at my hands which I had gloved in Arctic gloves. The gloves are black and very solid, bought at great expense from the R.M Williams shop here in Bowral just around the corner from the CBA bank.  The cardiologist looked at my fingers and clicked with his tongue. I asked, should I be alarmed? He reassured me. ‘It is due to a medication that calms down your heart’, he said while looking at my list of medications. ‘Just keep wearing your gloves when your fingers turn white or show signs of distress. Fortunately, the cold fingers only last between about 10am and 2 pm when the drug starts to wear off. I am not sure how fingers are supposed to show distress.

Of course, when I wash up I don’t wear the gloves and have the water as hot as I can bear. With the present heatwave and the temperature outside inching towards 36C my fingers don’t need the gloves while outside.

We don’t share the vacuuming. Helvi would not know where the on/off switch on the vacuum cleaner is located nor how to empty the dust container. I have left it far too late now to change it. Helvi has her stock answer; “I do everything else.” This is so drummed into me I never even challenge anything to do with vacuuming or other duties fixed in concrete. Putting out the garbage bins, paying the bills on-line and most of the cooking, is also not to be challenged.

Of course, Helvi does all the beatifying in our lives. Our home is such a lifter of spirits, a  glorious poem in  form and beauty wherever one looks, the combination of furniture, the cushions, the books and all the odds and ends, both inside and outside.

The above photo shows a popping agapanthus outside, just like that and so all of a sudden. And then that blue bowl. It has been sitting there for years but how nice. Look at the two basil pots. How nice.   Who would think of trying to strike some Chrysanthemums from old flowers and use a wine-glass?

“It is everything else.”

Tags: Agapanthus, Beauty, Cardiologist, CBA, R M Williams, Vacuuming