It's another new year, and we've all survived it... well, most of us. Some people we have loved in Hollywood have left us high and dry - comedian Robin Williams is a man I grew up with on 'Mork & Mindy' and I don't think his presence will ever be really replaced and we'll always miss him in one way or another...
Each year, I seem to lose a few friends of mine or within my family. This started happening a few years ago, and it's something I have hated more and more. One of the parents who camp next to us at Brunswick Heads passed away in the last quarter of 2014 and now we're all down here again, it just doesn't seem the same without him here.
I've gotten a car over the last year, and well, it's been wonderful to have my independence back again after 20 years of missing it completely. After losing the use of a car, you really never get over not being able to drive - you just don't. You have a very trapped feeling all the time; and it's not a very nice feeling to be on holidays by the sea, but not able to drive anywhere unless somebody else is going. Even then, you have to leave when they want to. You still have the kept feeling of only being the passenger - the child - in the situation, when you want to stick around more in a place.
It's been great here at Brunswick Heads, seeing I have my Little Green Machine to take me places. The only tiny problem is that there's no promises of my visitors parking spot being there when I return from wherever I've taken off to.
I did get my butt out to Mullumbimby where I sweated it out in the sweatbowl of a town. For once I wasn't following my folks around the town and looking in on stores at my own pace; and it felt wonderful to do just that... I haven't been able to do that for years.
While Mum and Dad were out visiting friends at Cabberetta Beach, one day, I went and did the shopping. They didn't realise how hard it had been for me to not have a car until this past year... and when they arrived back to the van and found all the products they wanted, it was wonderful to have all their shopping done without stressing out about it. And Little Green Machine got a run too.
On New Year's Eve, we had an Italian Night. However, I made a Ratatouille... yeah, I know, it's a French dish, but nobody complained about that, not when they were scooping it into their mouths. I was asked how I did it; and I told them about how long the preparation took and that it was a layering process, with garlic, freshly chopped parsley and patience... and they said it was well worth the wait. Dad had insisted, though to get my dish cooking after his pizzas were done, but it cut the cooking time by about half and hour and we were rushing it... so so it wasn't fully cooked, but everyone loved it anyway. It was hot, delicious and very yummy.
However, as the dessert came out, we felt a few sparse drops of rain, which turned into a shower... then as we looked around at the river, we spotted some lightning flickering over at Ocean Shores and out to sea, and down at Byron. I had commented earlier that afternoon that we were in for a storm - at which everyone snorted and said it would be just a shower.
Well, the thunder and lightning really lit up the skies and the rain poured from the darkness above! Everyone ran off to check on their own places and came back with muddy feet and umbrellas dripping with rain.
The New Year came and went... we all hugged and kissed and sat down under a fly and chatted. Then, I wanted to go back to our van and just read... so I did. I dropped in on our neighbours and found the booze in one of the desserts was catching up with me... oops! Then, once the rain settled down, I headed off home and found I was too full, had eaten way too much, but wasn't ready to go to bed yet - not that Mother Nature was going to allow us any sleep this night.
Well, the storms lasted all night from around 10:30pm until 4am... and well, I was right about them. They had shown up and I told everyone about them... but nobody believed me.
Okay, next time, I'll just keep my mouth shut and nod the next time there's a storm around and I know it. Besides, who's going to believe me? Well, besides me?
Hoping your NYE parties went well. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.
Each year, I seem to lose a few friends of mine or within my family. This started happening a few years ago, and it's something I have hated more and more. One of the parents who camp next to us at Brunswick Heads passed away in the last quarter of 2014 and now we're all down here again, it just doesn't seem the same without him here.
I've gotten a car over the last year, and well, it's been wonderful to have my independence back again after 20 years of missing it completely. After losing the use of a car, you really never get over not being able to drive - you just don't. You have a very trapped feeling all the time; and it's not a very nice feeling to be on holidays by the sea, but not able to drive anywhere unless somebody else is going. Even then, you have to leave when they want to. You still have the kept feeling of only being the passenger - the child - in the situation, when you want to stick around more in a place.
It's been great here at Brunswick Heads, seeing I have my Little Green Machine to take me places. The only tiny problem is that there's no promises of my visitors parking spot being there when I return from wherever I've taken off to.
I did get my butt out to Mullumbimby where I sweated it out in the sweatbowl of a town. For once I wasn't following my folks around the town and looking in on stores at my own pace; and it felt wonderful to do just that... I haven't been able to do that for years.
While Mum and Dad were out visiting friends at Cabberetta Beach, one day, I went and did the shopping. They didn't realise how hard it had been for me to not have a car until this past year... and when they arrived back to the van and found all the products they wanted, it was wonderful to have all their shopping done without stressing out about it. And Little Green Machine got a run too.
On New Year's Eve, we had an Italian Night. However, I made a Ratatouille... yeah, I know, it's a French dish, but nobody complained about that, not when they were scooping it into their mouths. I was asked how I did it; and I told them about how long the preparation took and that it was a layering process, with garlic, freshly chopped parsley and patience... and they said it was well worth the wait. Dad had insisted, though to get my dish cooking after his pizzas were done, but it cut the cooking time by about half and hour and we were rushing it... so so it wasn't fully cooked, but everyone loved it anyway. It was hot, delicious and very yummy.
However, as the dessert came out, we felt a few sparse drops of rain, which turned into a shower... then as we looked around at the river, we spotted some lightning flickering over at Ocean Shores and out to sea, and down at Byron. I had commented earlier that afternoon that we were in for a storm - at which everyone snorted and said it would be just a shower.
Well, the thunder and lightning really lit up the skies and the rain poured from the darkness above! Everyone ran off to check on their own places and came back with muddy feet and umbrellas dripping with rain.
The New Year came and went... we all hugged and kissed and sat down under a fly and chatted. Then, I wanted to go back to our van and just read... so I did. I dropped in on our neighbours and found the booze in one of the desserts was catching up with me... oops! Then, once the rain settled down, I headed off home and found I was too full, had eaten way too much, but wasn't ready to go to bed yet - not that Mother Nature was going to allow us any sleep this night.
Well, the storms lasted all night from around 10:30pm until 4am... and well, I was right about them. They had shown up and I told everyone about them... but nobody believed me.
Okay, next time, I'll just keep my mouth shut and nod the next time there's a storm around and I know it. Besides, who's going to believe me? Well, besides me?
Hoping your NYE parties went well. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.
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