Visiting Friends

The hinge that popped through the screen. I nursed this from Morocco to Australia, but it kept working.

Maurene, Cory and Cassie.

Preparing beer bottom chicken.

Graham, Edward, Findley and Tess.

Water fun.

Chelsea beach.

The underwater rugby team after practice.

The New Year's party crowd.

A lit up bridge on the drive back on the freeway.

Dec 28 – 31st

On the 28^th Lucy had to work and I did some photo editing, and talked to a couple of people back home. I also spent some time researching computers and cameras before going to the Good Guys (like Best Buy) and where I bought a new Canon SX730, which is the latest model of pocket sized cameras. It replaces the previous model which I have with me. Mine unfortunately is having problems with dust and a scratch on the lens, the zoom is acting up because of dust in the mechanism and the lense covers are not closing properly anymore. Basically, after a year in Australia and four months this year I have worn it out taking thousands of photos. In the evening Lucy’s underwater rugby team had a three hour practice with a coach from Switzerland, after which I joined the whole team for dinner at an Indian restaurant.

On the 29^th Lucy and I were invited by Maurene to a dinner at an Indian restaurant in her neighbourhood, with two of her four children, Cassie and Cory. I had lived in Cassie’s Chelsea area house while I lived in Melbourne, so it was good to see her. Cory is her youngest child and is still in university.

It was great to see them and catch up. Cassie is leaving an IT career and going back to university to earn her master’s in education so that she can become a teacher. Maurene is delighted that she has outlasted Amanda (the principal that I worked for and who has since left the school). We had a good talk about the exchange, the cities, the houses, how she wouldn’t drive in the snow or go down into my ‘man cave’. She misses the school, staff, kids, my parents, my neighbours and the Canadian winter. We both had excellent experiences in the exchange and would happily do it again.

Before the dinner, when I left to pick Lucy up from her work, I saw the recycle bins at the end of the drive, put down my computer, wheeled them inside and then walked out and got in the car. Unfortunately, I left my computer at the end of the driveway. It was not until I got to her work that I remembered I left the computer behind. Of course, it was gone when we got back to her house. I can’t believe I was that stupid, careless and forgetful. Fortunately, I had backed up the photos and all the information about this trip onto an external drive. I wanted to buy a new computer anyway, because the hinge on the old one was broken and the screen was hanging on by a couple of cables. I was wondering what to do with it when I bought a new one. I had planned to remove the drive and send it home, but now I don’t have to worry about that. The person who stole it will probably not be able to use it as it needs a North American plug. What a stupid thing to do.

On the 30th we went to visit Graham and Tess at their new home. We had a great visit with them and their two boys, Edward and Findley. They have a beautiful home with a nice swimming pool in the yard. Edward who is five is already quite a fish; he loves the pool and it was hard to get him out. They made us a beer bottom chicken barbie for brunch. The chicken is balanced bottom down on top of a pot full of beer. The beer evaporates as it cooks and keep the chicken moist, and adds a bit of flavour. Great to catch up with good friends.

On the last day of 2017 Lucy and I went to the local Good Guys store and I bought a new laptop. I bought a 14” HP Pavillion, with lot of bells and whistles. Then as the weather had warmed up again to a very nice 25 we drove to Chelsea where I used to live, and hung out on the beach and in the ocean.

For new year’s we were invited to a small party at a couple of Lucy’s Colombian underwater rugby friends. There were nine Colombians, one Australian, one Peruvian and one Canadian. Almost all of them were young people who had left their home country to make a better life for themselves in Australia. Lee the Aussie, had worked for a couple of winter seasons in BC at a ski resort. It was interesting talking to all of them about their experiences.