Today I got told I looked like a little boy

and I laughed. Genuinely. So that's good I suppose. But stop asking me for photos. Not going to happen.

Conversation in our kitchen tonight

(Mr Bear is sucking on a tea bag)
Miss Pix: that is the grossest thing i've ever seen, ever.
Miss L: It reminds me of Samantha off Sex and the City
Mr Bear and Miss Pix are grimacing with distaste at this point, Miss L has been lowering the tone of our lofty Kelburn home as of late.
Mr Bear: I still don't know what tea-bagging is (feigning innocence).
Miss Pix: Uggghhh (knowing what's about to come)
Miss L: I think it means sucking balls (she says with relish)
Miss Pix: (Giggling hysterically, she would never say anything so inappropriate)
Mr Bear: (looking at Miss Pix with a decided air of superiority about him as he departs the kitchen) Well see, that just implies that sucking tea bags is something people do all the time

So last time my hair was short, it wasn't soooooooo short, but it was pretty short. And when i did that Abel Tasman walk, I know I wrote about this, but I don't know if I got to the part in the tale where I hadn't showered for five days, and had done quite a bit of walking and sweating, and was in a long pair of shorts with my black army cap on, and on the bus trip back to Picton, a little four year old girl befriended my friend Corinne, and spent ages talking to her, learning all our names, and telling Corinne about her and her little brother (who was so fucking cute).You can see where this is headed.

Anyway at some stage in the voyage Delwyn and I switched seats because the bus had emptied of people somewhat, I think it was in Blenheim, and we were sitting right behind the little girl. And she spun around in the seat and started talking to us....i hope i haven't already told this story. And I, loving children as i do, responded warmly to her question, and she exclaimed in a very innocent, genuinely surprised way:

You're a girl!

Ha ha ha, all round.

So then we were on the ferry across the Cook Strait with the same little girl and her mum and brother, and the ocean was viciously rough, and people were spewing all about us, and little cups of ice were being handed out for people to suck on, but when it had calmed down a bit the little girl found us again, and began to cement her newfound friendships.

Little girl to me: I know what your name is
Me, feeling a benevolent surge of forgiveness for questioning my femininity: Do you?
Little girl to me: Yes, it's Brian.

Ha ha ha ha ha, all round, again.

That kind of stuck. And i haven't even seen any of the girls from the tramp yet. Oh no, wait, I saw Delwyn at Toast Martinborough, and she was kind....