Monday night was our annual building's Christmas barbeque and it was very nice. There was a decent amount of nice prawns on offer and I ate several but they did not seem so popular and there were quite a few left. Very strange and unusual.
While we did mingle a bit we spent most of our time sitting with a friend a couple of floors down from us, a 75 year old woman whose husband is in care with dementia, but he is fortunately a happy person with dementia and while his care place is two hours drive away, he is near to his children. She is the longest term resident of the building, we are the second longest. That's quite something out of 128 apartments.
We also sat with an Australian/Asian couple, who were both of a similar age to each other and to us. While she was obviously Asian looking, she speaks perfect Australian. They are nice people and she could speak Asian, maybe Chinese Malaysian to the young Asian couple who were at the end of the table who live on the same floor as they do. They seemed nice but what do people our age have in common them. We dutifully admired and cooed at their almost toddler Jason/Jayson/Jaysen/Jaysyn/Jay.
Thursday night was out to meet our Friend in Japan for an old style Chinese restaurant meal. It was lovely to see her again and an enjoyable evening out. She is spending Christmas in Lorne, an ultra busy seaside coastal town.
Friday night, we met up with my former workmate for some Indian food near his home. The food was, as always, delicious. I tried not to talk about work too much with R there but I probably failed. I wanted to hear the juicy gossip of who is ...who, and learn of the latest outrages perpetrated by management against my former workmates. And I thought it was bad when I left. One story was about someone who I remember, about sixty years old with a very Greek name, because he was Greek, was selling four Taylor Swift Melbourne concert tickets online for $300 each. I think the real price would be well over $1,000, but one of his workmates bought the tickets, only to learn later that George's FB has been hacked and a scammer had the $1,200. I am not sure about you, but my antennae would rise if I was buying pop concert tickets on FB from a sixty year old fellow employee Greek man.
So, it was a busy enough week for us and now Christmas and family is almost upon us.
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It sounds v busy to my antisocial self. I am glad you enjoyed it - and had some delicious meals as well.
ReplyDeleteChristmas this year is going to be different and probably sometimes difficult for you and your family. I hope it goes really well and is packed with love and laughter.
EC, the people we know are very easy going. It makes all the difference. Yes, indeed it will be very different. I try not to think about it but I've had my moments, and I'm sure Sister has too. Thanks for your kindness in the year past and earlier. It means a lot to me.
DeleteI'm with EC. lol Best wishes to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteThank you Darla. You are a sweetie.
DeleteMerry holidays of all kinds! The foods sound great. I do love prawn, unobtainable where I live, have to make do with shrimp, poor me, first world problem.
ReplyDeleteThanks Boud. Aren't prawns and shrimps the same thing?
DeleteReading about your BBQ reminded me of an expression that P brought back with him when he left Oz in 1979. Don't come the raw prawn with me, mate.
ReplyDeleteIs that now long gone?
JayCee, I think that line came from a film and was never really in use by the average person, but we all understood exactly what it meant and it covered many things. I've never heard anyone say it in real life.
DeleteHuman connection is a wonderful thing (mostly)
ReplyDeleteRoentare, for better or worse, we are meant to be social creatures.
DeleteDementia is a toughie and seemingly more common now in older age. Despite trying not to think about it, I suppose we have to plan for the future, just in case.
ReplyDeleteHels, you have pretty good long life genes without dementia. I think you'll be ok. We live longer now and see the brain decay that we never saw when people generally died at younger ages.
DeleteYou and R are quite the social butterflies.
ReplyDeleteScammers are very clever but sometimes I think their victims might be a little bit slow off the mark.
Merlot, it happens in bursts. Four events in one week and then nothing for a month. I feel we are bombarded, necessarily at the moment, by warnings and how to check for scams. The recent one of minor details on accounts being altered is one that we really need to focus on.
DeleteYou should have pocketed the left over prawns for your supper. So many ways to spell Jaysan. Beware the scammers! I had a scam text message telling me my parcel was about to be delivered, something I hadn't ordered from a company I have never heard of. Deleted that right away.
ReplyDeleteRiver, I am so cautious with seafood. The prawns had been sitting out for a couple of hours. Not for me. We rarely order over the net, so when we just ignore those waiting parcels messages. When I do order something over the net, I try my best to find out who is delivering it.
DeleteBBQ in at Solstice/Christmas sounds outrageous in our winter but it sounds like you had a marvelous time socializing and behaving yourself. It will be a rough one for you this year. May it be (sometimes?) merry and bright.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
WWW, I always behave myself when I am out. At home...I can't say. Yes, it will be a bit rough at times. I've already had my moments. I feel better when I tell myself this is the absolutely normal grieving process. Thanks hon.
DeleteSounds like a nice barbecue at the High Riser, some times it's hard to make conversation with some people especially when they are younger, they think differently.
ReplyDeleteAlways good to catch up on what has been happening in your old work place but understand you not wanting to talk about that when R is there, would have been hard.
Enjoy your Christmas, a different one this year for you..Take care.
Margaret, yes it can be hard with young people, even some rels I know well. Generally R is fine with whatever we talk about. He and my friend get on well and can talk about things between them. Yes, a different Christmas this year. We will mourn for who isn't there, but it will still be great.
DeleteWow! That's quite a scam! Yeah, I think I'd also be suspicious of George's sudden interest in Taylor Swift. (And I don't even know him!)
ReplyDeleteSteve, yes, so out of character. Just for some titillation, when he was young he was very 'popular' with female employees. There were 'big' rumours why.
DeleteBeware Greeks bearing tickets.
ReplyDeleteLove your work Kirk.
DeleteThat's nice to get all the inhabitants of the building together ! We have 11 ° ! Quite unusual for December, that's almost spring temperature.
ReplyDeleteGattina, enjoy the mild weather while it lasts, as it won't.
DeleteEnjoy the holidays.
ReplyDeleteThanks TP. You too.
DeleteJuicy gossip from an old workplace is always fun! But really, on fb, Taylor Swift tickets for that price!!! You'd be nuts or a wishful thinker, to fall for that.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, that is cheap. You'd be paying much more for legal tickets bought on the web.
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