Four Days in the Life of…

Four days in the life of Al & Judy… BUSY! Here’s a snapshot of the last four days, you can then judge for yourself whether we live a busy life or what!

Saturday, we have company. They actually arrived Friday night. The morning starts in a typically Aussie way, coffee and in our house, trivia from the Sydney Morning Herald. This mornings trivia is about Australia as Australia day is on Tuesday. Al aced it! Not only is he a trivia buff, he is very knowledgeable about his country.

This lazy morning was followed by a swim on the beach with Stef and Steffani. The water was great. I also had the luxury of sitting in our beach tent while I viewed life through the eyes of seven year old (Steffani). This not only meant playing in the water, but also building a duck pond at waters edge for the gaggle of ducks who kept swimming by. The ducks weren’t impressed with the makeshift pond, but I was. I think the ducks would have much rathered a couple of slices of bread to impress them, but Steffani had other ideas. Her grand plan of the duck pond only managed to attract… Al! What a great Godfather he is.

Saturday night was dinner and entertainment at Lizottes, a local eatery that has good food and great entertainment. This Saturday was a treat for us because Al and Stef’s friends The Robbo’s were playing. Check them out at http://www.robertsonbrothers.com.au. Al has known them for many years which makes it even nicer to listen to their toe tapping music. We even danced, which is quite a feat since it is a restaurant. Al & I are so shy!

Sunday was a nice relaxing day spent walking on the beach, going to the markets and then a drive to Patonga for coffee on the waterfront, which is silly because it is waterfront everywhere you go on the Peninsula (where we live), but Patonga is “different” waterfront!

Monday morning, company is gone, it’s early and Al and I are golfing at Peats Ridge. The weather was beautiful. When I say the weather was beautiful, it means overcast and warm. Perfect golfing weather for me. We have recently joined a golf “club” which entitles us to inexpensive (a nice way of saying cheap) golfing at many courses, some of which are very near to us. Peats Ridge is only a half hour away and turns out to be a nice challenging course. More challenging perhaps because we haven’t golfed since we were in Vancouver last July. How do you say… rusty?!

We actually didn’t do nearly as bad as I thought we would. In fact for such a challenging course, we did pretty well. There are a lot of water hazards and sand traps, but the biggest hazard of all was the crow on the 17th hole! I was using a fluorescent yellow golf ball. I had just tee’d off with a great hit, when he (the crow) swooped down and stole my ball. I had even hollered at him to drop it, but he wasn’t having any of that. He flew into a tree with his new treasure. I had to drop a pink ball very near (I am sure) where my yellow ball had been and proceeded with another great swing! It was the kind of hit that keeps one playing this silly game. When all of a sudden, the crazy crow was back. I couldn’t imagine he would steal another ball, but that is exactly what he did! He took my pink ball!!! I played the rest of the hole and the last hole with a white ball. I wasn’t taking any more chances.

When we got back to the clubhouse, I mentioned the crow incident to the lady at the desk. “Oh, he’s back” she said. Turns out that he is a fairly regular thief at the course and does take white balls at times. Here I had thought it was only because I was using the coloured balls.

On our way home we stopped at a couple of roadside fruit and veg stands to pick up some yummy local produce. It is all sold on the honour system and if you happen to be out this way, well worth the drive!

Today (Tuesday) is Australia Day. This is the day that Australia comes out to party in a big way. The flags are flying, the beer is out and Australia is celebrating… Australia! The streets are filled with “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi! It should be the national anthem!

We were up early again, this time to ride with a motorcycle club that we have just recently joined, Ulysses. This club is in a nutshell, for old people or nutters who are old, whichever way you want to look at it.  You must be over 40 to be an junior member, and over 50 to be a full member. Al qualifies for full membership, I only qualify because I am his spouse (just had to add that).

This was our first ride with the club and my first ride with any motorcycle club. The ride was great, the people were nice, I look forward to getting to know them better.

I know what you are thinking, another club! We now belong to a business group, Toastmasters (of which Al is president), a golf club and the motorcycle club! In our spare time we kayak, write and snorkel. It’s enough to make one’s head spin.

In fact the thought of all these clubs has made me so faint (could be the heat also) that I think it is time to go for a swim before heading out with friends to the Australia Day celebrations and fireworks! And, that is four days in the life of Al & Judy, too much fun! Know of any good clubs to join? We’re in!

A time to change – growing old disgracefully!

The signs are everywhere. The government has dispatched the bowel cancer screening test, reading demands the use of spectacles and all the jokes about partying for half a century have faded into the dark distance behind me. Youth has officially left the building! Now I am able to to appreciate the sage words of the insightful George Bernard Shaw – youth is most definitely wasted on the young!

As I peer into the life that now lays before me, I think about the things left to be achieved (some of which are on Austin Power’s list of things to do before I die). Today, Australia Day 2010, I have ticked another box. I went on my first ride with the Ulysses Motorcycle Club – as a full member (the Ulysses web site will tell you what that means). Yes, I am a FULL member.

My plan is to grow old disgracefully so Ulysses is the perfect fit (this is their motto after all). If it has two wheels or a skirt you cannot afford it… so the expression goes. I have spent my life adoring both. My gorgeous girl Kitty talks of a motorcycle trike, that would be when I cannot hold the motorcycle up anymore – a long way off I hope!

Kitty has joined Ulysses also. A junior for now. I guess this means Kitty and I will are destined to ride off into the sunset – Tequila flowing and action aplenty and growing old disgracefully – Yaaaahhhhooooo!!!!!!!