This was Wednesday, meant to be published Thursday, but today is Friday. I intended writing a brief post about my day like Steve does, with an economy of words, but I failed.
Hippie Niece's daughter needed a dental check at the Dental Hospital in Carlton. I met them for coffee and cake at a rather good cafe in Lygon Street, called Cyrus Artlounge. There is a gallery upstairs and the great niece has been there before and dragged me up a steep spiral stair case to see the tasteful nude female paintings. The cafe hosts 'life drawing' evenings. You know what life drawings is a code expression for.
It was a nice catch up with Hippie Niece and her daughter, H, who with her twin sister and father have recently travelled to New Zealand for the two girls to meet their father's family. They had a wonderful time, and their father's mother, who is quite strict, loved the girls and spoilt them. H told me she didn't like the plane trip, had a headache and was sick. Just a bit sick?, I asked. No, very sick. You didn't projectile vomit did you H? Yes, four times. I made a big mess.
Merlot, you may recall another projectile vomit situation at a theatre by another of my great nieces.
Hippie Niece had met the family in New Zealand when she was with her Maori partner. She recounted how his now late grandmother just stared at her with malevolent eyes as she ate a mango. Hippie Niece had been travelling in Europe and Britain just before she and her Kiwi partner got together, and she did think the twins might be red haired and Scottish looking.
It was a nice catch up with them. On Sunday I've been invited to Ex Sis in Law's home to meet her husband's daughter's second child, a month or so old. He is a nice looking baby named Winston, and there is a joke going around that it is Wynston. I was warned when I was invited to not mention anything about Wynston with a y. The parents are over the joke.
It was a hot day, so I was happy to return home to the cool. Kosov! Attend me. Yes Andrewww.
We will look in the crate in my wardrobe to see what is there and get rid of what I don't want to keep. I will help you Andrewww.
Forty plus years of theatre programmes from all kinds of shows, some possibly valuable. The oldest I believe is from the 1980s when we saw Debbie Reynolds perform at The Palais. Some work paperwork, which I should have gone through. A stack of of public transport timetables, from the 1990s I think. Several maps.
There was one single piece of paper with some Hungarian printed writing on one side and a handwritten address on the other. Cogs turned, gears engaged, and I remembered. When in Budapest (wow, 11 years ago) we met up with Jane and Lance Hattat and Lance wrote down the address of the rather good restaurant Spinoza in the Jewish quarter for us to catch a taxi to meet them later for dinner. We had a lovely evening, with the only problem being the fun couldn't kick on as we had to be up early to be ready to board our Danube River cruise boat. Lance had offered to escort us to a gay bar where there was a special leather party night. Ray was so annoyed with me that I insisted on being responsible and returning to our accommodation and not go off to a gay bar. I think that was my beginning of me being an old man.
In behind the crate was a gift from our friend Danny in Malaysia. He has a coffee sales and coffee machine business, as well as a barista training school and he gave us this 2002 Lavazza Coffee calendar. The were very popular to being hung in mechanics workshops and male building workers' lunch rooms. You get the idea. This calendar was never used and only opened once. I just checked and there is one the same on Ebay for about AU$180. I believe Lavazza collaborate with top photographers from around the world to produce the annual calendar. Duh, of course the calendar must be annual.
Keeping in mind I had cleared this crate out a few years ago, ridding it of most travel brochures, tickets and all sorts of things associated with travel, we just put everything back in the crate. So as Swedish death cleaning, that was a bit of a fail. I expect in a couple more years I will again wonder what is in the crate, and repeat the process.
There is a smaller crate that I need to check. It is marked 'Diaries and IT'. In the early days of IT, I wrote things down. I'll leave that for another day.
Travel sickness is no fun. Swedish death cleaning sounds sort of fun, but I know I'd get stuck on the first box, reading and remembering.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's fun to go through crates and boxes like that, so no worries if you didn't discard anything. I haven't thought of the Hattats in ages -- where did they go? I liked them even though they seemed way too smart for me.
ReplyDeleteI think you should have titled this post "Projectile Vomiting in New Zealand."
The are still in Budapest and at time Norfolk, I believe. I follow them on social media and they sent me a lovely note when Ray died.
DeleteHow about "Projectile vomiting over the Tasman Sea"?
Sorting through boxes of old "stuff" then putting it all back again sounds very, very familiar.
ReplyDeleteI know JayCee, I know.
DeleteThe Hattats are great. We used to follow each others' blogs, but I haven't heard for years now.
ReplyDeleteThey are still around but sadly don't blog anymore. They were the loveliest couple and took us out for a day into the Buda Hills and we travelled on the brilliant Children's Railway. Their apartment in one of the most desirable streets in Budapest was gorgeous, albeit with some very challenging artwork.
DeleteProjectile vomiting, life drawing (we all know what that means), the dubious origins of twins’ genetics, and a crate of theatre programs spanning decades
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a well focused post, was it Roentare.
DeleteI had British friends who moved to Spain, France, Italy, Australia and New Zealand. But the Hattats were the only Brits I knew who lived in Budapest so their perspectives were fresh and welcome.
ReplyDeleteHels, we absolutely loved Budapest but I wonder if we would have so much if it wasn't for the Hattatts.
DeleteI love sitting down and going through old boxes of things with the purpose of getting rid of some of the stuff, and then I don't.
ReplyDeleteBob, it can certainly eat into your time, but without a good result if clearing out is your desire.
DeleteThe times I've moved, I've fallen behind schedule because I spend so much time looking through the old boxes.
ReplyDeleteKirk, I can well imagine. I wonder how much paper information you have compared to how much electronic information.
DeletePS Will I see Gene Hackman post from you.
DeleteThank you for sharing this fascinating tour of your past. My brother and I recently spoke of how my mother would drag everything out of a large closet stuffed almost from floor to ceiling, then put it all back unsorted.
ReplyDeleteHe said it took a few days but I (perhaps falsely) think she did it all the same day before my father returned from work. Then again, he did go on week long fishing trips now and then. lol This closet was in the TV lounge.
Be well!
I get that Darla, but at least she did pull it out at times to see what was there.
DeleteYou could advertise those old theatre programmes and see if a collector might buy them. Coffee money for you.
ReplyDeleteRiver, I have sold stuff online before but it is so time consuming. I might advertise them as $200 for the lot, but there could be one that is very valuable. If someone wants to bother after I go, good for them and I hope they make plenty.
DeleteIt been years since I vomit. Last time I vomit, because I was young and stupid. Drank to much.
ReplyDeleteDora, I has the worst vomit when I was about 17 and drank Jim Beam. I've never touched it since.
DeleteI have a terrible problem. I'm a sympathetic puker. If your cafe au lait niece was projectile vomiting anywhere near me on a plane, I would have been throwing up right along with her. I imagine that this sort of thing gets you booted off mid-air if you're not a beautiful child. (Children always seem to have a lot more leeway that we old farts...)
ReplyDeleteInteresting thing. Two days ago, I saw a good deal on Lavazza at the Mennonite store. $2.99 for a 12 ounce bag of Classico. I have never had it, but I picked up a couple bags just because of the price. Now you've got me curious. I needed to fill the coffee canister, so based on your post, I grabbed a bag of that. I'll have it for my morning cup tomorrow. I had no idea that it was considered a 'fancy' brand.
Debby, much as I would like to see people booted off a plane mid air.
DeleteI am not sure if Lavazza is extra special. It is used in quite a few cafes. Anyway, I'll be interested in your opinion.
Poor H on the plane. Nothing like a good cleanout of old things and as you may realize some of those things might be worth a bit, if you can be bothered to find out. Also you have memories there.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, I suppose if I was short of money I would sell things, but I don't need to go to the bother.
DeleteI think crates just refill themselves, by magic, when left unattended:)
ReplyDeletePixie, like any newly created space in a home, something will fill it.
ReplyDeleteTruth
DeleteYes, going through our things is one of the major tasks of these. Shall we say mature years! It is rather a visit to the museum of me.... I find myself visualizing and being in in some place from my past, maybe my elementary school or the neighborhood I grew up in. Just for a minute. I will be in a familiar scene. If this is a to-do with past psychedelic use, I appreciate it even more!
ReplyDeleteOh yes Cloudia, the memories, and very strong ones, all flood back. Enjoy them as perhaps one day the memories will be gone.
Delete