Floral Instincts

Our house looks like a florist. We have had six flower arrangements delivered in the last 24 hours—in sympathy for dad. We almost ran out of vases, which is why I think it's important for people to send flowers in a vessel. However, I am not criticising those who sent these.

Below, you can see the brightest flowers, which came from Blooms on the Parade. The first photo shows Mum holding the flowers, and the next one shows how they wrapped them so that the cellophane at the bottom of the bunch held water. I think this is a good idea if they aren't going to send the flowers in a vase, especially if there is no one home to keep the flowers fresh. The water spilled everywhere, but it wasn't the end of the world.

By the time these ones arrived, we only had one small vase left. Mum asked me to get creative and draw on my floral instincts to make the arrangement fit. The final photo demonstrates my work.

Below, you can see a huge bunch of lilies that haven't bloomed yet. They will be spectacular when they do. They actually came in a vase, which I thought was good. These flowers are from my half-sister's ex-husband, who turned out to be gay, his partner, his children with my half-sister, and all their partners. Mum and I read the card and realised we didn't know who half the people were.

The flowers came from the Marryatville Florist, a shop I have passed a few times but have never ordered from.

Here are the these two beautiful arrangements side by side.

The last arrangement that came today was from some of Mum's friends in the country. They are smaller, boxed, and made up of native flowers. I think they are really simple and lovely. I took two photos because I wanted to show a side view, but the best view is from above. They were sent from a florist called "Sarah's Florist." I have heard of them but don't know much about them.

I think everyone thinks their father is a hero, but what do you do when your dad really was a hero? I remember when I was very young, maybe younger than five. Mum and Dad took my brother and me on Popeye. While the boat was moving, another child was playing around and fell into the water. My dad heard her fall and instantly jumped into the water to get her out. He did not hesitate for a second.

He would also help people out when they were having a rough time. We used to have a gardener named Bill who had many difficulties in life. He didn't have a lot of money and had no car, so Dad bought him a car and told him he could work to pay it off.

In another instance, at the first house we lived in, there was a car that used to park out front. It appeared that a man was living in the car. Dad went and had a chat with him about what was going on in his life, and he ended up giving him hundreds of dollars to help him out. The man left our street, and hopefully, the money Dad gave him helped in some way.

I remember one day I had a concert at my ridiculous, pretentious, and bitchy all-girls school, which was just up the road from our house. As we were driving to the school, we spotted a man who looked homeless and quite rough. He appeared to be carrying his belongings, and Dad said to me that he had to go and check on the man. I told Dad that it could be dangerous, but Dad said, "As a man, what do you expect me to do? It is my responsibility to check on him."

So we stopped the car, and Dad approached the man. He looked quite aggressive, and they had what ended up being a heated conversation. Then Dad came back to the car. He didn't say anything or give the man anything, and we ended up just driving to the school. But I was struck by my father's bravery in approaching him.

He believed in helping homeless people. Although he gave the man living in his car money, when people approached him on the street or he saw someone begging for money, he wouldn't give them cash. Instead, he would offer to take them to a deli or a shop and buy them some food. Often, people would take him up on his offer.

I understand why he did that; however, I view that approach as a form of control. Personally, I do the complete opposite. I don't have a lot of money, but I keep $50 in my purse. I don't have any hard and fast rules about this, but if I see a homeless person who looks like they are in trouble and they are asking for cash, I whip out the $50 and give it to them. I don't care what they spend it on or what they do with it.

I know that's different from the way Dad went about it, but I honestly think if they smoke and want a packet of cigarettes, they can go and buy one with my money. Not that $50 could buy them a packet of smokes these days, as I understand it, but what I'm getting at is that I want them to be empowered to use the money for what they want.

The last time I did this was months ago; it was a woman at the end of Rundle Mall. She had a sign saying she was homeless and needed money. She was sitting down, so I gave her $50 and then sat down with her. I asked her if she wanted to use my phone to call anyone, but she said no. She told me she had a support worker who was looking after her and trying to find her appropriate housing and services.

On another note, today in the mail I got more Lithuanian coins for my Nanny. Mum rolled her eyes and told me that giving her the coins was ridiculous. To be honest, I don't think Nanny was overly thrilled with the first coins I gave her either. I don't understand why people aren't celebrating these coins. I personally find it so exciting.

Receiving the coins is half as good as travelling to Lithuania yourself, if you ask me. It's like my letters. I love receiving letters from across the world; it's an adventure you don't even have to leave your house for.

I'm still waiting on the stamps I ordered to arrive at the post office, but it's okay — there is no rush. I just need to get them out before the end of the month because the prices of stamps go up in July. Just to refresh your memory, I am writing to all the heads of government around the world and asking for a copy of the oath they swore when they were sworn into office.

After I've sent those letters out, I will be writing to all the Chief Justices of the world and asking for a copy of the oath used in their courtroom. The final in the series of oaths will be writing to international police commissioners and asking for a copy of the oath their officers swear.

I am very interested in oaths and also find it interesting whether someone chooses to swear an oath or affirmation. If I had the choice, I would choose an oath to the Jewish God. Like I've said before, I'm not religious, but I do believe in the existence of Yahweh as a player in pre-Jesus power politics, at least.