in our back room: Rob, Guthrie (all the way from London), Llyn & Iain. There was a bit of afternoon drama as we were sitting around talking and Nemo snuck into next door’s 2 story guinea pig cage and abducted one of the babies. Blood was shed but I think the little fella will survive.
get together
Photo of Clarion veterans taken at Balmoral yesterday: Me, Susan Wardle, Wendy Waring, Chris Barnes and Nathan Burrage. Wendy and Keenan have bought a house in France. Apparently it’s a helluva lot cheaper than buying one in Sydney these days.
farewell
Earlier this week my fellow Clarion South classmate Alinta Thornton lost her battle with cancer. She died at home with her partner Julian and close friends by her side. Alinta’s funeral will be held tomorrow, 11.30 am, at the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park and Chapel, Military Road, Matraville, Sydney. The Service will be held in the West Chapel.This is the best photograph I ever took of her.
dining out
Went out for a terrific Mexican dinner at Cafe Pacifico last night to celebrate the fact of Jonathan Strahan passing through Sydney en route to World Fantasy Convention which, sadly, I’m unable to attend myself this year.The place was fun, noisy and packed. Checking out all the stylish outfits worn by other diners, I was reminded of how vastly different culture-wise Sydney is from Wollongong.Occasionally I have moments of thinking I might like to move back to Sydney one day, just to be closer to ‘stuff’.Then I remember that getting away from ‘stuff’ and its myriad distractions was kinda why I moved down the coast in the first place.Rob, Terry, Adrian, Nick & Jonathan
visitors
On Saturday we had visitors, Ali and her sons J & K. Ali and I used to live together in various share house arrangements over the years.The boys were very taken with the dragonand by the millions of cool toys our house containsIf you can’t impress small boys with your toy collection then you’re collecting it wrong, I say!
through the gate
It was utterly pissing with rain on Monday and Cityrail was doing trackwork. Rob dropped me off at Wollongong station. The Christian cafe was closed so I couldn’t even score myself a bloody coffee. Hopped a bus to Waterfall, then a train to Town Hall and another on to North Sydney. By then the rain had stopped and the sun came out so I decided to walk the rest of the way. Where was I going?Through a magical gateway still glistening with fresh rain drops. Back about twenty-five years in time, in fact, to hang out with some people I have barely clapped eyes on since.Peggy, Mike, Cat and AndrewCaroline, Peggy, Cat and AnnieTania and MikeAnnie and CarolineAndrew and MiaThe grass was damp so we went down the road to Peg’s mum’s place which, to me, will always be known as Lytton Street. An Aladdin’s cave stuffed to the rafters…