Random Nonsensical Right Brain Thoughts

I didn’t realise that you could smell sunlight. Suddenly today the realisation hit. We all know that we can smell rain but sunshine??? No way! Yes way!

As I walked in the garden I was aware that everything smelt different, better than it did yesterday when it was raining. I was also aware that everything was clearer, but I have known that my whole life. I was now enamoured with the fact that I was smelling sunlight.

So what words can I use that will help you smell sunlight? It smells clean. It smells fresh and the light reflecting from surfaces smells like pine and yet there are no pine trees anywhere around.

It is a smell that makes me want to run around touching plants, touching surfaces.

Sunlight – it brings light. It brings brightness. It brings positivity. It brings hope.

And it brings its own clear, fresh smell.

 

JouJou by Frances Roberts

My beloved cat JouJou left this world some fifteen years ago. I can still clearly remember the day we met. I answered an advertisement of a farmer from Creighton who brought day old chicks to Durban. I met her at the Hypermarket and climbed into the back seat of her yellow Volkswagen Beetle. A little bundle of fur crept out from under the front seat. I knew instantly that we were destined to be together. A pretty bluepoint Siamese, I named him JouJou. From the very beginning he was a special companion. He kept me grounded. Seriously. At the drop of a hat I would be off for the weekend or even longer. Now I had to think of JouJou. But on the bright side of course, I now had someone to come home to.

He was a delicate creature. In his early years he had health problems and we both developed a long and expensive relationship with the vet. Until, hooray! A certain pet food company came to the rescue. I know the special food for kidneys, teeth and general health not only saved my bank balance from slowly disappearing; it also extended JouJou’s life to a considerable degree. I loved him probably more than any human being and his loss was a pain beyond words.

Goldie by Nichola Rhys

Goldie realised that there was something different about her even while she was still suckling from her Golden Retriever mummy’s teats. She knew that she was meant for something different from the brothers and sisters suckling alongside her. She knew that she was meant for something special, even while she was still too little to be given a name by a human. She had barely started drinking and eating from grown-up bowls when a beautiful girl human with bouncy curly head fur the same lovely colour as her mum’s, bent over the basket in which she lay snuggled up with her siblings. That head fur, the same colour as her own too, set up an immediate connection. She sniffed the human’s hands, then felt herself lifted up close as the human touched her human nose against her own damp puppy nose. She sniffed the face human’s face and neck too. Mmm, she smelled good, in a human sort of way. The little pink puppy tongue came out and licked the human’s face. Mmm, that tasted good, too.

She knew enough human language by now to understand that this human’s name was Megan and that she was looking for a dog for her brother Geoff. Then there were some other words that she didn’t understand. Disabled. Lonely. Depressed. She hadn’t heard those words before but something about the sound of them made her little puppy heart ache. Nuzzling against the girl human’s neck, she hoped the human’s brother looked and smelled and tasted and felt as nice as this one did. If he did, then she knew that she could make his achy feelings go away; she knew that she could make him happy.

 

Missy by Presh Cele

I looked forward to walking you to the gate every morning although I hated to see you go. However, I knew that I would see you again after school. Do you know how much my legs pained from jumping up and down after school when you came home? All that excitment I couldn't contain.
But I wouldn't trade that pain for anything in this world.

One day you just left Presh, and you never came back. You didn't say goodbye!

I waited by the gate for weeks! Weeks turned into months, months turned years.

Do you still think about me?

Do you still remember me?
I miss you
Missy (your short legged Jack Russell)

Healing Touch

 She looked over the fence and watched the cows in the field. The one closest to her was black and had a spotted calf suckling while the mother chewed on the cud. As the mother stood ruminating she looked at Micha with her soft brown eyes framed with long eyelashes

Micha was afraid to break the contact as she was sure that the animal was trying to make contact with Micha’s eyes and seemed to delve deep into Micha’s soul. It felt as if it was trying to help her solve her problems. In a strange way the suckling calf brought a sense of closure.

Micha had been distraught since the miscarriage and wondered why an animal could bring such peace whereas all the people around her had not been able to. She felt that no one could relate. None of her friends had been through the same thing. She had almost felt inadequate in some way and yet here this babe was somehow getting through to her. Somehow it was giving her hope. As this thought started to take hold the calf trotted to the fence and nudged her hand. As she stroked the calf’s muzzle peace such as she had never felt before took hold and hope entered her being.

John Masefield loved the sea

 

As I sit on the beach I close my eyes until I am surrounded by the sounds of the waves crashing on to the beach. The sound is rhythmical and takes me with it. Crash…Sssshhh as it recedes. Suddenly the sound is disturbed by joyful barks. I open my eyes to see what has dared to come between me and the story that the waves are trying to tell me.

It is a young Alsatian who seems to be equally enthralled by the waves but whereas my thoughts were very personal and self-contained, this young dog wants everyone to hear his joy. He is quite funny. As the wave crashes to the beach he barks and darts backwards and forwards. As he reaches the wave he snaps at it and then darts away and seems surprised by its retreat. He leaps and bounds at it only to be surprised by the next wave as it gathers momentum.

Arrival in Cape Town

Leandra dreamed her way through the long trip and soon the rolling fields started to make way for houses. The houses became more clustered and if she looked out the one window the houses became more dilapidated and closer together. The other side of the bus showed simple houses with quite a bit of ground around them most were fenced off in an attempt to create a bit of privacy for the occupants.

As she glanced out at the squatter camp on the other side her eye was caught by bright colours as every now and then someone had tried to uplift their surroundings, a couple of the shacks had some artistic graffiti giving that shack some individuality. One thing that puzzled her was that almost every shack had a satellite dish. She pondered how the people could afford satellite and then she saw some spanking new cars scattered amongst the ghosts of cars past. Some people had strange priorities.

Soon she was at the bus terminus waiting to grab her meagre luggage as it was unloaded from the luggage compartment of the bus. It was good to stretch her legs. She stood for a few moments wondering “What next?”

She didn’t know anyone in Cape Town so had not made arrangements to be fetched. She had booked herself into a Clifton B&B temporally until she got her feet firmly set on her career path when she could upgrade her situation. Her new firm seemed to be fairly close to the B&B.

As she stood breathing in the clean Cape Town air she murmured “Ah 2020! What have you got in store for me?”

She remembered the New Year celebrations where everyone was cheering it in as it seemed to offer such great potential – 2020 eyesight etc.

The driver nudged her out of her reverie and asked if she was sorted. “Do you have someone coming to fetch you?” she asked.

“Um… No!” replied Leandra. “I suppose I should phone an Uber or something.”

“No need,” said the driver as she waved her hand in the air. “A few drivers wait around the bus station in the hopes of getting a fare. I’ve called over my cousin. He is trustworthy and won’t take advantage of a stranger to the city.”

Just then an old, sparkling clean Volksie pulled up driven by a smiling, open faced guy.

“Hi Marvin!” said the driver. “Look after this passenger of mine please.”

With that the driver turned to Leandra and said “My name is Margaret. Here is my card and here is Marvin’s card. If he gives you any sass phone me! But I know he won’t. I’d suggest that you get him to help you out until you get used to the city. Welcome to the Mother City.”

Giving Leandra a huge smile Margaret slammed the luggage compartment closed and made her way back to the bus.

Leandra turned back to Marvin who was hefting her luggage into the car’s boot before turning back to her and asking “Now where to Mam?”

Leandra gave him the piece of paper which had her new address, climbed into the back seat, breathed a deep breath as she thought “Now the bridges are burnt but there are new ones for me to cross.” She settled back into the seat as Marvin slid into the driver’s seat, started the car and drove out of the parking space.

© Vera Alexander.