oatmeal for one.

for fifteen days, chris was here in sydney with me. fifteen glorious days, almost all sunny, all of them made immeasurably better by being together. and now chris is no longer in sydney.

chris and i fell into a routine of starting our days with breakfast on my front verandah in the early morning sun: oatmeal, fresh fruit, maybe a flat white coffee from the cafe at the end of the drive, a glass of a mixed fruit cocktail referred to simply as "brekky juice." plans for the day would unfold, one spoonful at a time. perhaps a gecko would dart across the patio. perhaps there would be a newly ripe kumquat on the tree. it was just wonderful.

yesterday chris boarded air canada flight ac34 from sydney to toronto, departing australia at 12:30pm and somehow, after twenty-two hours in the air, returning to canada by 5:30pm. neat trick. tuesday is just beginning now and he is on his way back to work.

this morning i measured out one serving of oatmeal. just one.

it was wonderful to have chris here. i realize how lucky i am that he could come over here. but i still don't like eating my oatmeal alone.