Category: friends

Memories cannot be divorced

Ian HunterLeave a comment

He woke up very early

Remembering clearly his dream

About good friends who got divorced

How they split all their assets

Then somehow split up their friends too

They had both been good friends as a couple

Spending many happy times together

He had tried  hard to stay friends with both after they split

Not taking sides or getting in the middle

For a while it seemed to be working

Until one of them abruptly cut him off

Not answering his calls or texts

Not giving him any explanation

Not even saying goodbye

Death of a loved one is hard to endure

A friendship death without closure is perhaps harder

Because you know the person is still out there

Available to resume that friendship at any time 

He could only assume that this friend was upset

Because he was still in contact with their ex

Some people choose to divorce their friends as well as their spouse

In his dream he was contacted by this long lost friend

Appearing from nowhere and wanting to socialize

Like nothing had ever happened

He tried to understand the significance of the dream

Was it just his subconscious grieving at a loss

Or was it a message that he should reach out again

He decided to punt and leave it to the universe

Maybe the answer will come in a future dream

In the meantime he will be reflecting on the good times of the past

A person can decide to terminate their friendship with you

But nobody can take away your happy memories of them

Family and Friends

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you can stay connected to family even when far apart

it easy to pick up where you left off because they are family

family ties are hard to break and often easy to mend

family is forgiving with never ending patience and love

you have little choice in selecting family members

other than choosing a spouse the rest come as is

there is usually a black sheep in every family

always a weird uncle or aunt at weddings and funerals

families grow with every generation

when you are young the rest of the family seem so old

you bond with brothers sister and cousins

playing in big groups at large family gatherings

as you grow up you start to notice older family members dying off

grandparents pass away to be replaced by your parents

you get married and have kids who join all the other little ones in the family

before you are ready for it your parents pass away

your own children become adults and start to have babies

you become part of the elder group

surrounded by grandchildren who you adore and spoil relentlessly

that crazy young brother still does mad stuff but now takes on the role of the weird old uncle

friendships however are much harder to maintain

it takes a lot of effort to keep friendships going over time

we often lose touch with friends who move away

those parting moments are full of promises that are rarely kept

long term friends grow into honorary family members

your sister from another mother

the brother you never had

you could never imagine life without them

with all the people you meet through work or social activities how do you develop friendships

they don’t exactly apply for the job of your friend with form filling and interviews

somehow you instinctively know when a true friend comes along

investing time with good friends will reap life long dividends

Food tastes so much better with a view

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We spent the weekend in St Michaels MD

A welcome retreat in a waterfront cottage

Breathtaking views of sunset over the creek

A place to do nothing except soak up the serenity

A trip into town for lunch and supplies

Bustling with tourists and preppy second homers

Galleries selling expensive artwork

Stores selling high end trendy furniture 

The harbor bustling with expensive yachts

A sure sign of high net worth residents and visitors

Taking advantage of the two hour drive from the city

Close enough for a comfortable week end commute from the city

Far enough to be deep into the Eastern shore countryside

Devoid of city sky light pollution

The clear night sky is adorned with millions of stars

We enjoyed the company of good friends 

Chatting well into the evening

The next morning we woke after sunrise

Watching ducks paddling in the creek

We felt like we were floating too

A hearty breakfast overlooking the water

Friendships were honored by breaking bread together

Food tastes so much better with a view

Invasion of the weeds – Part 3

Ian Hunter1 Comment

My talking weed was gasping

I grabbed the stems of the vine

Cutting them with the pruning shears

The vine recoiled and my talking weed gasped for breath

You saved my life again he said

I shall forever be in your debt

I decided it was safer for him to be inside

Placing him on the coffee table and asking his name

My full name is Capsella bursa-pastoris

but you can call me Caps

For the next few hours I asked lots of questions of Caps

I learned a lot about the conflict between plants and weeds

It started with playground style pushing and shoving

But as the weeds were persecuted by humans it took a sinister turn

Radical weed groups were formed

They organized paramilitary insurgent cells

Set up training camps for weed commandoes

Hacking into the Mycelium which connects all organic matter underground

Its like the Internet for trees and plants

The radicalized weeds were able to detect where weeds were being eradicated

Then they sent in their troops to overrun these areas

more frightening were the terrorist weed cells

They were actually targeting weed eliminating gardeners

Poisoning them with natural herbal substances

Inducing heart attacks and strokes

Deaths of these gardeners appeared to be natural

Nobody had ever suspected that terrorist weeds were to blame

Caps had attended training camps but wanted to abandon their ways

He knew that they would forever hunt him down and kill him

But he was prepared to take that risk

I thought he was such a brave little weed

I told him we should talk more tomorrow

It was getting late so I gave him a sip of water

Then I headed off to bed

I could hear a strange voice in the bedroom

You are making a big mistake

This will end badly for us all

Day 2- Hiking before school detention

Ian Hunter1 Comment

Karen and I spent the first night at the home of my sister Kath and her husband John.  Norbie and Maria, our friends from Miami, stayed at the  Carnforth Station Hotel and we started the day having a big breakfast together at home.  Endless cups of tea flowed as we all fought the jet lag of living five hours ahead of our usual time zone. 

Soon we were all bundling into the rental car for a short drive to Jenny Brown’s Point, a local beauty spot.  We hiked along the tiny roads passing cute cottages and a working farm.  We reached the rocky  trail  which lead to the giant stone bench overlooking Morecambe bay. This seven mile estuary is flooded by tides twice daily. The receding tide reveals miles of wet sands  and its a haven for birds. We could see Grange over Sands across the bay and the rolling hills of the south Lakes District. I had seen these views many times before but they always fill me with joy, especially in the company of family and friends making more memories. 

Our next stop was the Old School Brewery, which was once a school, at the foot of Wharton Crag. This very old building had recently been converted to a brew pub serving fine beers and delicious meals. They offered a range of beers with school themed names. After sampling Blackboard and Headmaster we homed in on a beer called Detention.  We had and tasty lunch followed by two long detentions in school that afternoon.  

Back at my sister’s house we relaxed and made plans for the next part of our adventure. I gave Norbie a lesson in fly fishing in the garden. He caught two bushes and a tree. 

We were still jet-lagged but managed to stay up late watching TV and sipping single malt whisky. 

We all slept soundly that night.  

You don’t know what you’ve got till its gone

Ian Hunter8 Comments

That song is stuck in my head right now

As I lay in bed on day three of having Covid symptoms

Yes I am fully vaccinated and boosted but I still got a breakthrough infection, presumably Omicron

So here are some of the things that are gone from my life right now

Fresh air… I am confined to the bedroom in a condo with no balcony access due to external renovation

People… my darling wife is caring for me but she has to stay in the spare room while I am infectious

Exercise…..I don’t have the energy to do anything right now, my bike is looking at me like a sad puppy

Good health….I am not expecting to die from this Covid infection, however, flu like symptoms are no fun to endure for three days (or more?)

Clarity….my brain is foggy and I get tired just thinking

Freedom…I am not a prisoner but I am confined to barracks for a while

I could list many more things that I miss right now but I wanted to reflect on some positives

I have had time alone to check in with myself

I made some commitments to change things about myself that need fixing, things I have been putting off for too long

I plan to reach out to some friends who I have not been in touch with for too long

The next time its safe to actually see friends, they are going to get extra strong hugs

Time for me to rest now, be safe out there all you cheeky monkeys

You don’t know what you’ve got till its gone…….

Remember that line please

Friendships are the perennial flowers sewn by the seeds of acquaintanceships

Ian Hunter4 Comments

Its nice to meet new people

Get to know them

Become acquainted

Discover what makes them tick

While they do the same towards you

Sometimes things do not click

You may naturally drift apart

For no apparent reason

Without any bad feelings

Sometimes a lasting friendship blossoms

You become soulmates

Always looking out for each other

Ready to lend a helping hand

Offering a shoulder to cry on

Or just an ear to listen

You will laugh a lot together

Cry a little too

Memories will be made

You might be physically separated

Perhaps not see each other so often

Friendship will still endure

You will gain an extra brother or sister

Reunions will be sweet

Picking up where you left off

Acquaintances will come and go

Some will bloom briefly but fade away

Friendships are the perennial flowers 

Sewn by the seeds of acquaintanceships

Not my circus not my monkeys

Ian Hunter2 Comments

his friend was a real drama queen

she always had some desperate problem to solve

a pending crisis was invariably looming in her life

he spent most of his time rescuing her

helping her escape from bad relationships

lending her money when she was broke

sobering her up when she came around drunk

consoling her when she was crying and upset

giving her advice on her work problems

telling her how to deal with her crazy brother

there were no end to her issues

but he just kept dealing with her drama

one day she asked to meet up

said she would love to have dinner 

he suggested he cooked for them both

she agreed to come over to his place at 7

he prepared a delicious meal

set the table and waited

he waited and waited and waited

she was not answering his calls or texts

she eventually showed up after 10pm

he had to pay the cab and help her walk to the door

she was drunk and could hardly stand

telling him she had a big row with her boyfriend

he had dumped her via text and she was upset

so she had spent three hours trying to call him

but she was hungry now

he served dinner as she rambled away

complaining about her life

her lack of facebook likes

jealous of her instagram friends lives

she was considering dating a random guy

just to make her boyfriend jealous

she asked him what he could do to help her

he took a deep breath

looked her straight in the eyes and said

not my circus not my monkeys

he called an Uber to take her home

she protested as he put her in the car

his phone never stopped ringing

sending her a final text

NOT MY CIRCUS NOT MY MONKEYS

then he blocked her number

I like

Ian Hunter1 Comment

I like

chill music

relaxing time

greeting guests

strong hugs

big manhattans

more manhattans

light appetizers

good company

lively conversation

dinner party

jazz music

tasty food

paired wine

sweet desserts

funny speeches

old stories

reciprocal roastings

hearty laughs

strong hugs

reluctant goodbyes

clearing up

bed time

spa music

short read

long cuddle

sweet dreams

waking up

more cuddles

repeat repeat