Another day.....

Yesterday (wednesday) went off as Mik would have wanted it to. He was surrounded by those he held dear and cared about.
The day started with me being a bit off colour, I'd gotten up early to shower and wash my hair and do the usual household chores that I do automatically every morning. I meditated for 30 mins before a wave of grief hit me full force. I thought I'd better get it over and done with so I could be rational during the funeral so I let it carry me away, I put Joe Cocker (Miks favourite singer) on the CD player and wallowed fully in my misery.
I thought I had got it beat, friends picked me up, Matt had already gone with his mate, Ryan was going with LIam. I'd made sure we set off in good time, I have a phobia about getting anywhere late, which usually results in us hanging around for ages because we are always too early. It was amazing, the roads were clear, all except for a truck Number plate TAU 01, which tried to pull off the range road on a bad bend to let us past and Daunne had no option but to go over the lines.
Phil (one of MIks closest friends) was wittering on in the back like an old woman. But he didn't stand a chance with three deranged women in the car. All the traffic lights were green, the roundabouts clear and we managed to find where we were going easily. Yes, we did arrive early but so had everybody else.
The undertaker asked for Liam, Matt and RYan to go into the chapel with him and I was able to see the casket. That was a big mistake, my stomach clenched and I felt sick, my legs went and I just couldn't go in. My dearest friends wanted to stay outside with me but I insisted they go in. Tom my wonderful brother-in-law read the eulogy, he broke a couple of times but I prayed for strength for him and he got back into the swing of things, Sushila his wife sat with me and we just held hands. Out of the blue Tom then said I will read you something that Janet wrote, I felt like jumping up and running in yelling like a mad woman. It was not mean t to be read out as it had not been edited and was just scribbles meant for toms eyes only. I couldn't even remember what I had written, only knowng that whatever it was had moved people.
On the way back to Toms house a truck came weaving in and out of traffic and we alway seemed to get stuck behind it. We even turned off the main highway and there he was again, number plate TAU 02, Daunne got spooked and said he was following us, which was hard since he had always been in front.
The atmosphere at Toms was very laid back, just a group of friends chilling out, swapping tales and memories, I think Mik would have approved that I had gone against his wishes. It was closure for a lot of people and for the boys. We had talked about it and he had said i was to do what I thought best but he would prefer it if there was no-one there. Jessie Rose shone like a star and loved all the attention. Duanne and Patricia got up to their usual tricks borrowing cuttings of the exotic plants that Sushi grows.
On the way home, sat on the back seat with Phil with three giant spinach bushes between us we headed for home, slowly as the air con started to kick the bushes shrank. We had to pop into Big W so Duanne could pay off some of her christmas lay-by and I decided to get a clothes airer/rack, Pat decided she wanted an ice-cream and phil said he'd stay in the car to look after the bushes. It all seemed rather strange that we were laughing and joking, but I'm sure Mik would be getting a laugh out of it as well. We hated going to Cairns so we always managed to cram has many jobs in as we could while we were down there so he wouldn't have minded.
Heading back towards Kuranda, what was in front of us but a truck, overloaded and with the same orange tarp on it but this time the number plate was TAU 03. Whats are the odds of running into three trucks, all with terrible drivers in them, all overloaded. Luckily he turned off before us. Duanne was getting very worried. By the time we had got to Duannes we were all exhausted and the poor poor spinach bushes had wilted away. She got such a shock when she saw them as she thought we had been joking. After a quick beer and a salute to MIk Pat and I jumped into Phils car for the trip back to Yungaburra, after of course Pat and I had gone around Duannes garden looking for cuttings. Duanne gave Pat some potted palm cuttings which Phil insisted he wasn't putting in his boot and he'd had enough of nagging women for the day and could we please just go home. I think he learnt that you don't argue with a woman with a fishtail palm in a pot. After opening his boot we discovered why he didn't want to take them, it was full of junk, there was no room. Pat was placated by him finding room to stick my clothes airer in, all the cakes that Duanne had made for the boys, all the extra food that Sushi had insisted I take home with me and making just enough room to put one small potted palm. I was soooooo glad to get home, Phil whinged about the soil in his boot when he dropped me off and unloaded all my stuff. It is really good to be comfortable with friends you can joke with and cry with and who love you despite all your faults.
I was alone at home, Ryan was at Liams and Matt was who knows where, he'd gone off with his older cousin so I've no idea what he's up to. I went to bed at 7.45 and was asleep in minutes un til Liam knocked on the bedroom door to see if I was all right at 10.30 after he'd brought Ryan back. I was asleep again in seconds and slept solid till 6.00 a.m. NO dreams, no mulling things over, just deep deep sleep.
Thank you my dearest friend Karen for phoning this morning, its so good to hear your voice.
Karen and I go a long way back, we lived a few doors away from each other ( yes, the doors were attached to houses LOL) back in the UK, we had so much fun together and we were like one big family; the babies sharing the same pram on our trips out, we did each others ironing (now that is friendship), there was always tea or coffee being drunk, we warned each other when there were door knockers around touting for business. We hid from the gypsy behind the front door, giggling away like kids, she probably knew we were there and went away muttering curses and then we used to feel guilty when we saw her in the street. We gate crashed new year parties and gossiped about the neighbours. I'm her youngests god mother and she's Matts godmother. Our dh's could never understand how we could spend all day together and then phone each other up to gossip. It was a very happy relationship, I can remember a few tears but mainly we had fun didn't we.
Flipping heck, I don't half waffle on when I get going, all those poor donkeys with missing back legs, the RSPCA will be after me at this rate. I'm on my own tonight, RYans gone camping with his mates down by the lake, he's peed off cos his driving test was cancelled at the last minute and he wanted to chill out. So instead of talking to myself I'm rabbiting on in here. How desperate am I.
The piccy is the last one of us taken together, its at Mt. Cootha in Brisbane. Mik had had his first liver op the week before and the hospital allowed Barb and I to take him out for a couple hours.
Well I'm off for a glass of wine and to watch a joe cocker dvd a friends husband has just given me. I'm nicking the last of Ryans chocolate stash as well.

JanJan