Friendship

Travelling to reconnect

/ Robert / 6 Comments
Dream state Airhead, watercolour, ink, salt

Around fifteen months ago, before moving from Brisbane to our new home, we caught up with friends over lunch.

We had not seen them for maybe a decade. They had moved from Sydney to Coffs Harbour via the Central Coast, New South Wales. We had lost contact. The lunch was like slipping into a favourite outfit. We were comfortable, relaxed, and happy to see each other.

Yesterday, my husband drove us to Dogs of Balmoral so that we could drop Stan off to spend a long weekend with a family that love him for who he is.

We drove on for a further two and a half hours from Queensland to a small town inland from Byron Bay. There we enjoyed lunch at Butcher Baker Bangalow before heading on for another two and a half hours, south to the beachside suburb of Korora, Coffs Harbour.

We are staying with the friends from Sydney, in their beautifully renovated house perched high enough to be able to gaze at the uppermost branches of the surrounding trees. We are told the sapphire blue of the ocean can be glimpsed on sunny days. Today showers and a bank of blue grey cloud dominate the scene.

It is as if we only caught up with them yesterday.

As Airhead above, slowly tumbles through a dream state our lives flux, shift, and we reconnect at a personal level. The jovial camaraderie embraces us like a warm blanket during this Winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

Frolicking with friends

/ Robert / 1 Comment

After state border closures and COVID lockdowns, a couple of weeks ago we enjoyed a weekend reunion with three longtime friends from Sydney.

My husband relished the process of planning logistics and implementing the three day itinerary. Food, drinks, laughter, reminiscing, and fun buoyed up the Winter weekend.

On Sunday night we all joined Brisbane based friends for dinner in a restaurant and bar converted from a American World War II aircraft hangar.

Following dinner most of us headed southwest on Ann Street from Newstead to Fortitude Valley, stopping off for roof top cocktails at Maya Mexican.

After this, we continued along Ann Street to Fluffy at Cloudland for drag shows and dancing. As can be seen in the picture above the staircase is a perfect feature for performers to access and exit the ground floor stage.

Apart from a minor hiccup with not being able to pay for ferry travel with a credit card, the sojourn in Brisbane was heralded a resounding success.

Old friends

/ Robert / 4 Comments

We never grow tired of seeing the Sydney Opera House. It is synonymous with living in this Antipodean city. We are thrilled when friends visit and we get to experience the moment when they see it for the first time.

A couple of weeks ago our next door neighbour from Worcester, England came to visit. She is working in Brisbane for six months. Even though we had not caught up for 22 plus years, the conversations were like it was yesterday.

Tracey saw the Opera House as we arrived at Circular Quay train station. This picture was taken from the ferry. We were on our way to Manly for lunch.

Friendship rekindled

/ Robert / 3 Comments

During the last twelve months of residing in the U.K. we became friends with a lovely couple. They shared our love of great food, wine and conversation. We enjoyed going to antique fairs, afternoon teas and dining in each other’s homes.

The date drew nearer for when we were due to emigrate to Australia. They told us that they were relieved that they hadn’t known us longer as the farewell would would have been much worse. 
We exchanged emails and Christmas cards for a number of years. Somewhere during six house moves we lost touch. Towards the end of October last year we were delighted to hear via LinkedIn that they would be visiting Australia in 2017.
Over their five days’ stay in Sydney we caught up for dinners and a lunch. The nineteen years slipped away in conversation, laughter and gaiety. 
I took the above picture of three of us chatting while gazing across Coogee Beach. There is mutual agreement that we will all catch up again, when we can.