Yesterday I was burnt by liquid nitrogen at The Alfred Hospital, under my right big toe, a wart apparently, and under my left eye for sun damaged skin. At times, waits can be a bit too long, but on the whole I have received excellent treatment as a public patient at The Alf. Our Medicare system ensures no cost to the user of public hospitals. Generally, that is.
On the way home into the lift came my 'dead in bed' neighbour HH, who I communicate with daily to ensure we are both alive. She has her older sister staying with her, and the older sister spoke very old school posh. I said as I was leaving after being invited in for a chat, 'Today's trivia is that in the old and tall flat block we can see in South Yarra, lived Una Fraser, the mother of the late Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser'.
HH's sister chipped in with an amusing anecdote. "We were leaving a reception at the Australian embassy in Seoul when out taxi driver yelled at us, 'Look, look, your king has fallen into the gutter'". The driver was referring to Malcolm Fraser. I remember Fraser losing his pants somewhere in the Tennessee, and there was another indiscretion too. Marcellous? NB, he was not our king but Prime Minister.
Last night was take away pizza, except I had it delivered and did not take it away. Peri peri chicken pizza, very nice.
Last Sunday was the family party for Jo's 18th birthday. All the family were there and it was a great gathering. The venue was perfect, a boating venue on Swan Lake. The water looked so clear and beautiful. The decking has seats and tables overlooking the calm water. The gazillion young kiddies caught crabs from boat ramps. No child fell in the water, and the crabs were returned safely to the water.
Phyllis and Kosov were with me, and while they had met some family, they met all and people were very nice to them. They connected well with the kiddies, but the load on their social batteries was high. Quite high on mine too.
Sister had cooked three dishes for around 25 people, and Phyllis contributed a curry and brought along his rice cooker.
Sister teaches senior boys at a posh private school, and is inclined to be bossy. She is a great organiser, but can be bossy out of school too. We three adoring brothers don't take too much notice, but I did apologise to Phyllis regarding her snappiness on the day. Phyllis replied, she was very stressed, which is quite true. A good time was had by all.
We were right next to the railway line of the Bellarine Express, with the train passing by several times. The first time it passed everyone went out to wave at the Thomas train. I took a last minute video.
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That was a great family party it seems. (Couldn't see the video at the end).
ReplyDeletePS.. I am that bossy sister in our family ...
JayCee, yes the clip didn't work. I've uploaded it to YouTube now. Bossy people can also be the ones who get things done.
DeleteI am surprised to hear that you received such commendable care at the Alfred. To my understanding, it is no longer regarded as a centre of excellence. I have heard of numerous grave errors and instances of mistreatment occurring there on a daily basis. Perhaps the services you required were of a more straightforward nature.
ReplyDeleteRoentare, I can only fault it once when someone with the same name as mine was to receive treatment for a serious spreading melanoma. It was the only time my birthdate wasn't checked. It was alarming for me, to learn of the heavy treatment for a stage 0 melanoma. I now understand the importance of the constant checking of identity.
DeleteI'm the bossy sister (Eldest - 4 bros and 1 baby sis) I find that I am so old now I get away with it and don't argue as much as before. Sounds like a lovely party but like yourselves, my social batteries run out far too quickly.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
It may help to be bossy when you are the oldest, but in my case, my sister is the youngest. I bring on the social stress myself, asking Phyllis and Kesav if they would like to go, then asking Sister if they were welcome, and her wife replying 'maybe they can bring a curry'. Then me offering to pick up people from the ferry.
Delete"..in the flat block we can in South Yarra lived former..." What??
ReplyDeleteThe party sounds like it was a lot of fun, though I might have dropped the crabs into a pot of boiling water...
River, that paragraph was very sloppy, and there were other errors too, which I've fixed now. There still may be more.
DeleteYou would need a lot of those very small crabs to make a meal. I was pleased that for three hours, while a few people briefly checked their phones, no one, child or adult, was absorbed with screens.
Liquid nitrogen sounds so...explosive. But thankfully you're still with us, just minus one wart.
ReplyDeleteKIrk, it is dry ice. It is so cold, you don't really feel it as cold. It just stings a bit.
DeleteCooking for 25! I think I would be more than just bossy. Glad the medical interventions went OK. At our age you're never too sure what might follow. Another busy week for you. Really enjoyed the video with the happy sounds of children.
ReplyDeleteFun60, while she had made all the food, her friend came and helped her in the kitchen, and then the friend disappeared as everyone arrived. The sound of children is great. New life. Innocence, and maybe they'll make the world a better place.
DeleteA busy time, but enjoyable. I hope it didn't take too many days to recover. I love the Thomas the Tank Engine video - what fun for the children.
ReplyDeleteI have three bossy daughters and one bossy daughter-in-law . . .
I expect a mother allows herself to be bossed by children if it suits her purpose. Bossy DiL is a bit different.
DeleteI like your video, Andrew.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to believe Jo is now 18, she was only small when I first came to your blog.
Well the sister is a school teacher, it's her nature to be bossy which is ok. Everybody is her pupil.
Margaret, I began blogging in 2004 and she was born in 2007, and I talked about her a lot in her early days when we looked after her so often. Yes, I understand why Sister is bossy. She is the only one in my extended family, even to now, to receive a tertiary education. She paid the modest fees back then by washing dishes in a Chinese restaurant.
DeleteMalcolm Fraser was etched in history when he became a hero Prime Minister for the Liberal Party and again when he boldly ditched his party to cross the political divide. But wherever Mr Fraser's name arises, so does the notorious incident in Memphis TN in 1986 when he lost his pants. He wandered into the foyer of his dodgy hotel frequented by wearing nothing but a towel .
ReplyDeleteDaily Mail, March 2015
Hels, all so long ago now. But I am pleased to have lived through that period and have the first hand knowledge of the time. I think I was 18 when Whitlam was sacked I and went to a protest at the Leonda restaurant in Hawthorn where the old drunk Governor General Kerr was dining. While I was naive, I knew sacking Whitlam was a bad thing.
DeleteYou have lots of family contact.
ReplyDeleteYes TP, and that is such a good thing. I am now the senior of the family, but I don't receive the respect due to me.
DeleteThe party sounds fabulous! Don't kids become adults in the blink of an eye?
ReplyDeleteKylie, that is so true. When young, the time passes so slowly as you grow to adulthood, but now, it flies past.
DeleteI thought that Thomas the Tank Engine resided on the island of Sodor, not in rural south eastern Australia.
ReplyDeleteLike most of you fellows, Thomas has relatives around the world, some even with the same name.
DeleteNow I'm older I find I dislike bossy behaviour more and more which is ironic because I used to have bossy traits myself and some folk probably rolled their eyes when they saw me coming 😂
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
Lol Alison. I think as I was oldest, I was perhaps a bit bossy when I was young, mainly to my next brother down.
DeleteAndrew, flattered that you suggest I might be able to provide a missing detail, but I can only remember the pants story.
ReplyDeleteMC, I heard one recently and I can't remember it. There was a fairly clear indication that Fraser was fond of a drink.
DeleteMalcolm Fraser lost his pants in Tennessee? What?!
ReplyDeleteOh, I read Hels' comment above. Still, I think I need to look this up and get more information! LOL!
DeleteSteve, there was never a satisfactory explanation, as I recall.
DeleteThat sounds like a wonderful party for the birthday. I'm glad the lads went with you, Andrew.
ReplyDeletePat, it was good. While it went for three hours, it was such a long day for me, with nearly four hours of driving, even if Phyllis actually drove.
DeleteThat makes me stressed to think about---cooking, preparing a party, for 25. Nice your boys took a curry. That train is cute.
ReplyDeleteThanks Strayer. I would make a total you know what of cooking for ten people, let alone 25.
Delete