Kiddo and Mic were arriving late Friday night. I was near zombie like as we waited for them, just after 9.30pm and so I stretched out on the bigger sofa, and lightly snoozed. The little Padawan lied down across my legs and it felt cosy but I was simultaneously tired and restless. About an hour later, Tress said they were already towards Blackburn Road so I got up and took the car out of the driveway, so they could park nearer to unload their stuff, and we can leave our car at the end of the driveway for us all to use throughout the long weekend.
It was great, as always, to have had Kiddo and Mic and their furry friend Milo, with us over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. The last time we saw them was over the Christmas/New Year period nearly 6 months ago now.
I continued to feel tired but contented and happy at the same time, right through the long weekend. Maybe it’s just an accumulation of things. Busy work, bad knees, cold days and nights and also maybe pushing myself a bit more to be fitter and more active. We had fun though – we ate out a lot, and just talked and shopped too. They trekked into the city on Sat after lunch, and Kiddo picked up a pair of heels she was going to use for Sammy’s wedding in September. It was another bridesmaid’s idea but each of the other girls had to fork out for those heels but I guess this is what you do when an old and dear friend asked you to do the honors.
Sunday night was the main event, of sorts. We got some 24 people to come along for dinner. Tress and I got married a week shy of 30 years back, and we sacrificed the romantic idea of celebrating the occasion on the actual day (20 June) for the pragmatism of having people come for dinner on a Sunday night when Monday was going to be a public holiday. Dinner with close friends and relatives was at a local Lebanese restaurant and I think everyone had fun and enjoyed the food and occasion. Alex, LiHar and their boys (except for Josef), Jason and Mel, Gerry, Jesslyn, PMM and the two sweet little girls – Sheanne and Sheryl – were the friends. U Jin and A Pin, USeng and AAnne, A Lay Bee and U Lee and A Hooi and U Marloney made up the relatives. We asked Ruth, Jonathan and Micah too but they couldn’t make it. Ruth is a geriatrician and attending a dinner party with so many guests at close quarters, was perhaps too high a risk, so they skipped. Gerry and Jesslyn surprised Tress with a cake (it was her birthday also) and I was very grateful for that.
We got home late, unloaded the unused wines and weird gifts and tried to wind down to go to bed. My tiredness plumbed low, and Kiddo and Mic had earlier decided to treat Tress to a very special “high tea” at the Langham Hotel in the city so we went to bed in anticipation of that.
The next morning, Mic and I walked Milo and Padawan, then we all got ready and trekked into the city for the treat. It speaks of Australians’ acceptance of all sorts of culinary experiences, that an egalitarian society embraces an otherwise showy indulgence of a “high tea” that serves cute looking offerings on four-tiered stands, washed down with a tea list comprising a dozen or so choices, and a glass of bubbly at 10 in the morning. The food was deceptively filling, as the small (but beautiful) pieces of savory and sweet stuff soon filled our bellies till they were bursting at their seams. Tress and I couldn’t eat anything else for the rest of the day!
Kiddo and Mic left for Canberra soon after the swanky meal and arrived at their home around 9pm, with a busy work week ahead for all of us. Life goes on after a weekend of celebrating a little milestone. Last night as Tress and I climbed into bed, I felt my tiredness ebb away. I was refreshed this morning and went for my usual 5km trek, something I hadnt done for a week for a bad knee. I felt like my journey with Tress has only just begun, in some ways. Bring on the next milestone…
Ante 