Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Calm Before the Storm

Dear hearts,

Four years in the far far north and it appears the Baby and I are to experience our first Large and Powerful Tropical Cyclone. I quote the BOM site, they even used caps all the way through, but I didn’t want to shout so loud and frighten you.

All jokes aside (just for the moment), Cyclone Yasi is a category 5 cyclone about to hit the coast of far north QLD at 10pm tonight.

The Low pressure system started out off the East coast as a Category 3 then moved quickly to a Cat 4. I started thinking about it like a delivery. I liken this impending event to my first delivery. My darling Boy was a whopper. No other description. And I’m only a little girl. God love him. After 24hrs of effort he ended up a Mid-forceps delivery. At Category 4, I decided this was going to be a Mid-forceps delivery of a Cyclone.

And then we had the upgrade to Category 5. I love the expression “Ignorance is Bliss”. That’s how I approached my first pregnancy. None of these Ante natal classes. I was not interested in lying around on yoga mats with a bunch of other first timers and their partners blowing rapidly in intervals and having my back rubbed in public. No birthing centres or underwater births for me. I had no plan, no soothing music or preference for support persons. And I certainly didn’t want my mother with me.

At the end of the day, I could have given birth on the street. In front of anyone and delivered by anyone. No drugs, just sheer force and energy.

A little bit like Cyclone Yasi. Although this time Dear hearts, I wish I had drugs to help me through. Thank God for wine.

Upon advice the Baby and I decided to decamp to safer ground. The Cottage lovely as it is, is tucked into the rainforest with enormous palms, enormous glass windows and facing right in to the head of the enormous storm. We did our best and moved the chairs into the corners, packed up the shells and the candles, grabbed the vino and headed to the safety of Brinsmead . Sweet little Cassie Conan Kemp and her family have taken us in like the strays we are.

I did manage to pack a few essentials before we evacuated. I am more than happy for you to keep this checklist as a reference for the next emergency you find yourselves confronted with. ..(holiday in Palm Beach, trip to Hawaii, in laws coming to stay.)

Emergency Packing List

Trench coat. Obvi. - I have three to choose from but decided to narrow it down to just one. It was a difficult choice. The snow white Burberry seemed a little too formal for cowering under mattresses and the black silk evening trench was just all wrong despite the cyclone crossing the coast after 5. This left me with the practical all purpose Max Mara. The trench I travel with, that does the hard yards and gets me through customs, along Chapel St and through the antique markets of Clingancourt Paris. The logical and stylish choice for a Cat 5 event.

My Collette Dinnigan LBD. Again, obvi. After the whole shebang calms down I am going to want to go out for dinner. Stat. And this little number can take me anywhere. I can even wear it with jewelled flip flops. How I love love love Collette. A little sophistication in the midst of chaos.

Books. A selection of Stieg Larsson, DBC Pierre and Anais Nin. Something for every mood. Failing that we have the checkout fodder of Cosmo and Who Weekly.

My Jewels. The sum total of my entire net worth. My fortune moves with me. Such as it is.

My Child. Obvi.

Photos of the two Bright Young Things who are only with me in spirit. How I love them so.

My Rosary beads. Or as the Baby says, my Rosemary beads. I am currently sporting the yellow crystal beads that my darling Grandmother had blessed for me by the Archbishop of the Northern Rivers. Novena’s will begin at 9pm me thinks. Say a little prayer for me…

Everything else is only what is necessary to survive the next three days.

Oh and wine.

Unfortunately I couldn’t pack the Libertine. I would have put him in my bag first if I could have. But there you go.

I believe this will be an experience that will be good for me. It will test me and show me a little of what the universe is truly capable of. I look forward to sharing my thoughts post storm with you.

Here’s to survival of the fittest.

Enjoy the calm before the storm.

With love
Miss Mich.

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