February

The kids returned to school, remotely for two weeks, then returned to the physical school after all of our vaccinations had time to optimise our protection from Covid.

I opened my touring show at the Gladstone Regional Art Gallery, and it rained, a lot.

Stylistically, I tried to loosen my mark making a little, with marginal success.

Here are the images and movies for February 2022:

Images

Frog House. Day 32 of 365.JPG

A tree frog has moved into our hose reel housing. We don’t want to hurt it by retracting the hose, so now we have a frog house and 20 metres of garden hose unfurled in a messy pile on the deck.

Poop in a Hat. Day 33 of 365.jpg

It has been very hot and humid here for the last few days, and when I have returned from my walk with Penny I have been wrecked. I toss my hat and her lead in a pile behind the front door and rush to get a cool drink. This morning when I went to get Penny’s lead and my hat the area didn’t smell so great. When I opened my hat to put it on, I discovered Penny’s poop from yesterday tied up in a bag just sitting there. I laughed and laughed and wore my daughters hat for my walk whilst I put mine in the wash.

Thou Shalt not Pass. Day 33 of 365.JPG

There is a Magpie on our walk who stands in the middle of the footpath and refuses to move until I give it a dog treat. It acts like it is 10 feet tall and bulletproof.

Windy Walker. Day 35 of 365.jpg

A windy refreshing day after the heatwave felt amazing.

Showing Grandma and Grandpa his art. Day 36 of 365.jpg

Grandma and Grandpa live in another country, so face to face visits were rare anyway, but to have the option taken away is quite the loss. Video calls have proven wonderful, but nothing beats face to face.

Making Time. Day 37 of 365.JPG

As is normal for her age, I can feel my daughter slipping away, becoming more private and independent. I love this for her, but also want to keep our communication lines strong and open. I am so lucky that she shares my love of art. During the last few end of year breaks, I have tried to engage her with some type of art project. We are currently exploring an online experimental watercolour course and just completed an Urban Sketching course. The courses are inexpensive (aside from materials that is, but I have most of those) and have given me hours of one on one time with my daughter as we learn and talk and navigate out ever evolving relationship.

First Day of School 2022. Day 38 of 365.JPG

Not quite the start to the year that we had envisioned, but necessary until my son’s vaccinations kick in.

IMG_2225.JPG

Remote learning is no joke. We are only on day two and I am exhausted.

Second and Third. Day 40 of 365.JPG

Yesterday Alby had his second vaccination and I had my booster. We were given permission to give his second shot earlier due to his pre existing medical conditions. Two more weeks at home to wait for the vaccine to offer maximum protection and he can return to school.
He did freak out again when he had the needle, but made it through and received his Pokémon cards as a reward.

A glorious surprise upon waking up. Day 41 of 365.JPG

5 bush turkeys in the yard this morning, Penny took a long time to slowly walk down the stairs contemplating the order in which she would eat them. She of course didn’t catch any of them, but a girl can dream.

1 week in. Day 42 of 365.JPG

Remote learning with my son is 1:1 and hard work. Here we are on an MS teams call, I am hiding off to the side, taking notes,so that no one can see him sitting next to his Mum ( I suggested this, not him). We have taken an early mark today, it has been a long intense week. My daughter is working completely independently. I think it is by choice, but my lack of availability for her does make me feel guilty.

Travelling on my own. Day 43 of 365.JPG

Last night after my opening I stayed in a new place on my own. It was a nice place and I didn’t think it would do much, but a chair in front of the door made me feel better…and leaving some lights on,and sleeping with my phone and keys and bag next to my bed with easy access to my shoes. I am home now, safe and sound and wondering what I was even worried about.

The Opening (Still Image). Day 44 of 365.JPG

Opening an exhibition is like opening up your heart. You feel both very vulnerable and very liberated.

Chair Lump. Day 45 of 365.jpg

She is wherever we are.

On the veranda. Day 46 of 365.jpg

Taking some time for me.

A half boy halfway to being a man. Day 47 of 365.jpg

Helicopter Mum in a holding pattern. Day 48 of 365.JPG

Last week my lovely neighbour Vince donated his basketball ring to the little traffic island in our quiet court. We have used it quite often since. A couple of days ago my son and I went up to practice. While we were out there another boy, who recently moved in, came out to play. I felt like a bit of a third wheel and also wanted to socially push my son a bit, so I asked him if it would be ok if I went and did some weeding in our front yard- a couple of houses away. He could still mostly see me pottering around, and I would still be there if he needed me. He said ok, so off I went, expecting him to play for 10 or 20 minutes. But they kept playing, I could hear the basketball bouncing as I worked. Every now and then I would sneak glimpses of them through the trees and smile, incredulous that they were playing for so long. After an hour and a half, a red faced Alby ran up to me letting me know that they had plans to meet up again later in the week. And I am thrilled.

New Bed (Still Image). Day 49 of 365.jpg

Such patience. Day 50 of 365.jpg

She tolerates my humanness better than I do.

Beach Trip. Day 51 0f 365.JPG

We live close to the beach but always drive so we can maximise out time on the beach rather than walking to and from it.

Little Things 1 (Still Image). Day 52 of 365.JPG

With both vaccinations in effect, my son is returning to school tomorrow. He has difficulty with some fine motor skills and the buttons on his shorts are quite hard to get through the button holes. Previously he was able to leave them buttoned and just pull them on or off to dress himself, but he has grown and this won’t work any more. So today I changed the buttons out for small ones that are easier to fasten and unfasten. Such a little thing really. But just an example of small adjustments that have big impacts. By doing this, my son can maintain his independence and keep the self confidence that self dressing affords.

Identity. Day 53 of 365.JPG

For the last few months our lives have completely overlapped and we have become weak copies of ourselves. Now we can hopefully recapture our individuality and grow stronger.

In the early evening.Day 54 of 365.jpg

I usually try to squeeze in a second walk with Penny in the early evening. This path is near the final stretch. I love the way the path deviates around the power pole and the orange glow of the street lights. I love to see the reflection of tail lights on the metal fence poles. I appreciate the privilege of time to myself before the chaos of organising dinner.

school pickup. Day 55 of 365.jpg

It seems to rain at pick up time more than any other time of day. Yesterday whilst waiting for my children, a trio of discombobulated kangaroos came jumping through the school grounds. One leaped over a metre high hedge right next to me and into the car park. I hope it made its way back to its family.

In consideration of others.Day 56 of 365.jpg

Yesterday morning Penny and I got ready for our morning walk. As I walked along the veranda and past my sons room he opened his curtain and said “Mum, look at this”. He showed me the weather satellite for our area and said “ you might want to take an umbrella”. I was shocked and proud of his thoughtfulness and ran back and grabbed one, thanking him profusely. It is so unfortunate that autistic kids are often seen as unfeeling or self involved when the reality is that they are hyper aware of everything to the point of being overwhelmed. It did rain on our walk and I smiled widely under the comfort of my umbrella. When I got home, I thanked him again and loudly relayed the story to my husband and when I peeked back at Alby I could see his pride.