alicespringstomind

13 August, 2010
Lunchtime today I got a call from Mutitjulu Community at Ayers Rock, from one of the aunties to the kids I know. “There’s bin bad luck <death>. Can you go over there and find out?”. Really, who? She guessed a couple of young men, describing them by who they’re married to as the names of recently dead should not be uttered. Oh really?! Yeah, police and ambulance was there.

So I got in my car and drove out, fully expecting to find a Sorry Camp in full swing. I pulled up at a neutral place, so as not to disturb anyone’s mourning, and got out. Only to be greeted by happy kids wondering what I was there for? Is everyone okay? Yeah! Really, everyone? Yeah!

My friend Rosie was across at a different location to usual, and waving out to me so I got back in the car and drove over to her. Is everyone okay? Yeah, why? Because I heard there’d been bad luck? Nah, who told you that? <Aunty> rang me up and asked me to come out, she said the ambulance and police were out here and wanted me to find out. Nah, there was accident over there, but it wasn’t us and they all okay, they went to hospital! OH! PHEW!

So we rang aunty and let her know, then I went to leave, and an old patient of mine known as Tiwi was already sitting in the passenger seat of my car, wanting a lift to a place just down the road. Okay, but who’s paying the fine if I get pulled over and you’re holding that beer can in my car? Nah, it’s alright, drop me! Well you’re paying the fine Tiwi! No comment.

Tiwi regularly tells people “Alan always look after me and worry for me, she my Other Mother”. I am old enough to be his mother, which shocked me the first time he said it and I did a quick calculation.

As we drove along he announced “You real old, Alan”. Oh, thanks for that. “Nah, but you look young, but you old!”. Oh, well thanks then..?! You got noone, eh? <A common question – no boyfriend, no ‘usband and no kids. Poor Alan, how dreadful it all must be>. No. Why you got noone? Because I like to be single, I am happy to be single. Well you should get black man because then you can learn all culture stuff. Oh? Yeah, you can learn all culture and language if you get black man. Righty-ho I’ll keep that advice in mind, thanks. “Alan! Stop looking me like that! You always look in my eye! And don’t smile! Just leab it, don’t smile at me, okay?”. Errrrrr….. Awkward!  “I might come and visit you oneday”. Yep, no worries, but only if you’re sober, no drunks at my house. “Nah, I’ll come sober oneday”. Yep, alright, but there’s no rush, okay?

Rabbit Procurement

19 August 2010

I’ve inherited a bloody rabbit !!

Last night a car load of people turned up over the road, making the biggest raucous, god knows what was going on out there but as soon as I heard it (I was on a work call at the time) I knew it was for me.

I answer the door and there’s Molly with son 1 (13), son 2 (10) and daughter (7), and large cage with small furry rabbit looking extremely out of place!

We got nowhere to stay tonight, <ex husband, father of kids, who isn’t averse to hitting Mum> is staying somewhere but look (and brings my hand to a lump on her head). Well, I am working tonight because there’s some sick people we need to talk to, so I can’t look after kids. Oh, well we don’t know where we staying. Well if you stay in the lounge while I do my work. Okay. So we go out to the car and it’s heaving with people, none of whom I could see except ex-husband in the drivers’ seat, who isn’t speaking to me because he knows I called the cops on him recently. She gets whatever she needs out of the car, and from the darkness a voice says “hello Helen”. Mathew! Hello! He gets out and gives me a hug, and says he’ll come to visit me today.

So in the family came, and I won the argument about whether the rabbit was going to stay inside (because it’s warmer) or outside (because I say so). Huge pot of porridge this morning, and off they came with me to work and I dropped them off on my rounds to the temporary accommodation where grandma and grandad stay. Rang the relevant domestic violence organisation and told them that they need to work something out because I can’t play hostess again tonight.

Rabbit remained on my verandah for the day.  When I got home, I read up on rabbits and I really don’t want to give this rabbit back! I’m going to try and get them to let me keep him/her. He/she needs a same-sex companion, and the cage it is in is totally inappropriate, it needs natural ground and mosquito mesh etc. I was feeding it beans, which I’ve just read are a no-no so I hope I haven’t already killed the poor little mite.

If they let me keep it, I’ll get a proper hutch etc. Gawd! But the poor thing, it’ll die otherwise, not because they’d be cruel, but they just won’t research the necessities etc.

28 August 2010

After about ten days on a steep curve, learning how to care for a rabbit, I managed to find someone living a few blocks away whose rabbit recently died, and they came to see Whitey, aka Button, aka Punchinello (he had a few name changes), and decided to take him.  What a relief!  I had him in my bedroom and he took off under the bed, and it was some performance getting him out from under there, to meet his new owners.

When the original owners came back and he was gone, I told them that he had run away.  Far easier than admitting I’d given him away!