Category: Friendship

Waiting for a Wave

News just in from the WA Premier, the hard border that has been closed since April will finally be opened for travellers from NSW and Victoria from midnight tonight!

Good news, right?

I certainly hope so.

Because from what I’ve seen recently, the coronvirus crisis isn’t being taken seriously, and there is a frightening sense of complacency that has settled into the WA community.

It’s certainly felt like one of the safest places in the world to be, and yes I know that for those who have been ‘stuck outside’ it has been a long wait.

The Premier turned us into an island within an island, and we’ve had months to get ourselves ready for the opening but are we really ready?

Just in time for Christmas shopping queues, and the silly season when after a few drinks everyone is a friend.

Is it just me or do we all need to stop and think and remind ourselves that yes we have been lucky to not have had any community transmission in this state, yet.

And do whatever we can to prevent a second wave.

It may not impact you personally but think about the implications of you passing the virus onto someone else, who has an elderly friend or relative, or whose immunity is compromised, and the impact on our health workers and health system.

Maybe I am a glass half empty ‘negative Nancy’, but I’m feeling a lot of anxiety while waiting for the wave.

So download the SafeWA app, avoid close contact with others, avoid shaking hands, stay home if you are not well, cover your mouth/nose when you cough/sneeze and wash your hands.

Please 🥺🙏

Not a ‘sickie’, just a cold

I’m not at work today, I’m sick.

Not a ‘sickie’, just a cold.

Probably still okay to be at work, just feels like a ‘normal’ cold but I did the ‘right thing’ and went to a respiratory clinic for a Covid test earlier today.

And yes it wasn’t pleasant.

I did the biggest loudest sneeze of my life after the nostril swab! And it’s true, your glasses fog up when you wear a mask.

And I’m annoyed I’m stuck at home until the test results are confirmed, because we’re heading away this weekend and I still need to sort out my outfit for the wedding, and was planning to catch up with the girls on my rostered day off tomorrow.

But that’s a small price to pay at the end of the day.

First World Problem as they say?

On a day I heard Doctors Without Borders are on their way to the US to help deal with the pandemic.

Because it’s people like me, who assumed it was ‘just a cold’ but actually had the virus, who helped spread it and we can all see how that is panning out overseas.

Because I heard on the radio that we need to think of the virus like the smell of cigarettes you breathe in even after the smoker has stopped smoking.

It’s in the air you breathe.

Yes we’re lucky here in Western Australia that we’ve not had any community transmission yet. But it feels like it’s only a matter of time.

Just look at how fast it’s spread in South Australia. From one person.

So maybe think about having Christmas outside this year, or a smaller family gathering than usual, or if you have to be inside have a fan circulating air.

And if you feel like you’ve ‘just got a cold’ go and get a Covid test.

It’s just the right thing to do.

What’s in a name?

It meant a lot to the Double Banger team that the name we proposed for our ‘baby’ was accepted.

We put a lot of thought into it, apart from being a double banger name it reflects the history and heritage of his parents as well as Belhus Racing in our considered opinion.

And it meant a lot when we found out that our baby, back at Belmont tomorrow for his second race, is up against a horse in barrier 2 being ridden by William Pike (Pikey).

Back Pike and you can drink what you like, right?

‘Pikey’ already has ten WA jockey premierships and only needs two more wins to equal his own Australian riding record of 234 wins.

So to say he’s going to put his ‘all’ into the race would be an understatement.

On any other day we’d be backing Pikey, just not tomorrow. My tip is an each way bet on Pikey and Pinball Player.

Pikey riding Pinball Player? Now that would be the dream!

And a Triple Banger!

The Boys, their WAGs and a Double Banger

My husband has a group of mates, The Boys, who have all been friends since high school. They share a love of playing, watching and betting on sport, and have a lifetime of stories to share whenever they get together.

The Double Banger story started a few years ago at a local hotel, when two of The Boys struck up a conversation with another punter about her winning streak betting on horses with two names that start with the same letter.

News of the punting formula soon spread among the group and The Boys started betting on Double Bangers themselves, but it wasn’t until one of the Wives and Girlfriends (WAGs) won big on Pinker Pinker that the Double Banger streak began.

Owning a racehorse wasn’t something I would have seriously considered, as a day at the races is more about frocks and fascinators than fillies for me.

But thanks to my involvement in the Own the Dream competition, I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about the racing industry and win a share in a horse!

Our Double Banger team of ten entered the 2019 competition, attending free events and tours showcasing the WA racing industry.

By registering and attending every event in the series, along with gaining insight into the industry we also earned entries in the final draw.

Our prize was a 20 percent share in an Arcade Game x Magnus colt we selected through Belhus Racing. He is being trained by Trevor Andrews and has had four trials.

Pulling up with shin soreness after his first 1000 metre trial, he recently returned from a rest and did well at his second trials.

Fast forward to now, the horse we named ‘Pinball Player’ has been entered in his first race, mid-week at Belmont tomorrow, and finally, Covid-19 restrictions are being lifted with the track open and we can all go and watch our ‘baby’ run!

To say we’re all excited is an understatement. Celebrations or commiserations will be likely on the day, but either way it’s a story we’ll continue to share beyond middle age.

Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

As well as having a heavenly scent, the flowers on this plant in my garden also have a story to tell.

I chose and planted it when we returned from our first ever cruise on Dawn Princess from Fremantle to Sydney in March 2010. The cruise we boarded on the day of an infamous hail storm, when my now-husband proposed and we met our wonderful cruise buddies.

What is amazing about this plant is that every year around this time it puts on the most wonderful tricolour floral display; the flowers range in colour from purple to mauve to white, depending how old they are. Hence its nickname of Yesterday Today Tomorrow.

Yesterday I was a young mother with long hair and lean limbs, living and loving every moment of every day of my life with my ‘babies’. Today my hair is still long but my limbs are no longer lean, and my children are young adults living and loving every day in their own way. Tomorrow they will hopefully be blessed with children of their own and they will recall their yesterday with me and remember to make the most of their today.

Yesterday I never imagined the today I would be living, full of love and life and tomorrow plans, with so many wonderful friendships and journeys and memories.

Today I am OK and Tomorrow I will be too.

Sometimes all I need is to stop and admire these flowers to remind myself of that.

Here Comes the Sun

Only three more sleeps until we embark on our third cruise this year, two nights on board Sun Princess. Having already travelled on the Dawn, Sea and Diamond it is going to feel very familiar which means we should be able to hit the ground running and make the most of our time on board.

Packing for two nights and days at sea with no formals should be a breeze, but of course that means planning exactly what to wear and when in advance which has never been my specialty.

Not travelling with our usual cruise buddies this time, instead with a large group celebrating a milestone birthday of a mutual friend.

It will be interesting to see how our large party is accommodated on board, and also to see how our friends enjoy what for many of them is their first cruise experience.
Crossing my fingers for smooth seas and a mild breeze.

Sea Princess Positives

It’s been three weeks since we disembarked and now that post-cruise
depression is kicking in it feels timely to reflect on the positives of our
recent cruise experience.

A friendship started on board our Diamond Princess Christmas New Year cruise with the wonderful Joao Paulo, now Head Waiter in the Rigoletto Dining Room on Sea Princess, resulted in a truly special and memorable 50th Birthday Celebration for my man while we were on board.

Thanks Joao for the special service, cake and seafood pasta personally
prepared by Chef Carlos, along with the celebration serenade from
Edward, Marina and what felt like the full contingent of waiters on duty.

Adjoining balconies with our cruise buddies made for many memorable sailaways and also allowed for air-dried laundry on the odd occasion. Nothing beats the feeling of waking up each morning with a different view, as well as the opportunity to witness so many stunning seascapes, sunrises and sunsets.

The AU$59 per day drinks package is ridiculously good value considering it included bottled water and ‘specialty’ coffees as well as any other drinks less than $14. Likewise the twice daily Happy Hour – buy one drink less than AU$14 and get the other for AU$1.
Thanks to our extended journey we were able to take advantage of both during our 12 + 14 night itinerary.

Really enjoyed the entertaining and informative Art Auctions and look forward to receiving my winning prize in the mail sometime soon.
Likewise the opportunity to watch new release movies under the stars as well as be entertained by some very talented entertainers.

The Princess@Sea Intranet is a wonderful innovation; here’s hoping
Princess invest in face recognition technology for the on-board
photographers then I could truly have everything I need to know available to view on my Smartphone.

Zumba, line dancing and using the stairs every day in theory helped keep my cruise-belly-bulge under control; it’s just a pity that every single meal I enjoyed on board was so delicious and hard to refuse. Highlights for me included the delicious birthday cake, a bottomless Bircher muesli bowl and the wonderful Natalya remembering the coffee orders of our party of four.

Next on the horizon is another short Princess Cruise, two nights
celebrating a friends 50th birthday in early December.
Not exactly an opportunity to ‘Escape Completely’ and ‘Come Back New’ but I am still looking forward to the another cruise on a Princess vessel.

Thankyou Facebook for remembering my birthday

And reminding me to wish my friends and family best wishes on their special day.

Yesterday was my birthday, and given the popularity and reach of
Facebook it was also the anniversary of birth for many other people in the world.

Yet thanks to Facebook I received numerous birthday wishes and
messages, both online and in person, from old school friends and
acquaintances who I only touch base with on Social Media, to close friends and family I regularly catch up with in person.

Every single post on my page reminded me that, even if ever so briefly, I was in their thoughts, and that their thoughts of me were positive and happy.

Kind of a similar concept to the ‘Warm Fuzzies’ we were encouraged to write and leave in individual envelopes at school camp a long time ago in a Galaxy far away. Would you believe that I still have mine, in a box along with the letters and cards I have received from friends and lovers over the years.

Not that I ever look at them, just knowing they are there is enough to make me feel warm and fuzzy, as did reading through my birthday posts throughout my special day.

So thanks again everyone for the birthday wishes, and thankyou
Facebook for making them possible.

My ‘Claytons’ @Dry July

This year is my first attempt at committing to Dry July and for me the experience has evolved into an interesting social experiment.

Drinking alcohol is so ingrained in my world that my abstinence appears to be somewhat of an affront to others and they are only too willing to pay for me TO drink rather than have me be the wallflower.

Obviously this is a dilemma others have experienced, hence the ability to purchase a ‘Golden Ticket’ for a specific date, which means that despite being signed on to staying sober for 31 days I have the option of taking a ‘leave pass’ from sobriety.

Effectively a win-win for me and my nominated charity recipient, to date I have already received three Golden Tickets which has helped boost my fundraising tally and (in theory)
allow me to drink with a clear conscience.

So why is my conscience standing with her arms folded and one eye-brow raised giving me ‘Evils’?

It feels like I am cheating, having a drink when I am not drinking, hence the Claytons reference.

For the uninitiated, Claytons is a Kola Tonic packaged to look like Whisky that was heavily advertised in my childhood as
“the drink you have when you’re not having a drink”.

A quick search online reveals that it is still available but hard to source in my local area. To be honest I don’t think it sounds particularly appetising, and like all the other non-alcoholic beverages I have been drinking over the past two weeks it’s likely that there is only so much you can consume before craving a spirit to mix it with.

As for my Dry July, to be fair I logged a not-too-shabby ten day draught before my first Golden Ticket, and that is longer than I have gone without a ‘social lubricant’ in a very long time.
My fundraising total is already $200+ and I have two more ‘leave pass’ dates to look forward to before the end of July.

It will be interesting to see how many Golden Tickets I accumulate and what they contribute to my fundraising tally by the end of the month, but in the meantime I will ignore my conscience and look forward to the opportunity to plan for and savour my next alcoholic drink.

At the end of the day, it’s looking like that will be my key learning from the whole experience.

Think before you drink; I think there’s a lesson in there for all of us.

#dryjuly

A Milestone Celebration

My baby girl celebrated her 21st birthday yesterday, inviting her closest friends and family to our home for a champagne brunch.

For me it provided the perfect opportunity to reflect on how far we have come as a family over this time, and also on the meaning of this milestone in the modern world.

Given that the age of consent is 16, and a person is legally considered an adult at 18, what is it about turning 21 that is worth celebrating?

In Australia it was not until 1973 that the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18, so perhaps the acknowledgment of turning 21 is a hangover from another generation, representing the traditional age of maturity?

Or is it that by 21 most young adults have settled into a clear path into their future, determined by their immininent graduation from University, experience in the workplace or traveling, depending on their family background and circumstances.

In my case I was mother to an 18 month old by the time I turned 21, yet invited a cast of thousands to join me in marking this rite of passage. And everyone who I invited was happy to be there to celebrate with me, most likely because of the free flowing alcohol but still it was nice to be the centre of attention for the night.

The sad thing about the brunch for my daughter was that less than half of those who accepted the invitation actually made it to the gathering.

Not that she was bothered, those who did make it were inspiringly authentic and genuine in their friendship, and happily left with delicious treats leftover from the hoards I mistakenly catered for.

My opinion of those who didn’t attend is that chances are they got a better offer, weren’t enticed to attend by our comparatively low key celebration, or perhaps were too hungover from celebrating the end of Semester but at the very least common courtesy would have them send their apologies.

But of course that would have been the mature thing to do.