Welcome to Another Weekend Coffee Share!
This week I’m going to keep it short and sweet, because I’ve been running around so much today with my teenage kids on school holidays, that I’ve forgotten what day of the week it is.
Well, to be fair, I’m not sure if I ever know what day of the week it is, but it’s much harder during school holidays, especially our extended Summer holidays where we Australians tend to bake in the sun so much, our brain cells get fried. Even if we’re not indoors, the heat can do crazy things to us anyway.
So, I invite you to join me for a rather odd assortment of “snacks”. I’ve been baking all night, because we’re going down to my parents place in Sydney to watch my Great Aunt’s funeral online. She lived in Brisbane and the NSW-Queensland border is currently closed and so we can’t get there. This is a story being repeated right around the world, but it still doesn’t feel right, comfortable or respectful. We’ll all supposed to make the effort and be there in person to pay our respects and also to get together and share stories, photos and ironically usually quite a few laughs. I also find funerals very therapeutic, as you have that shared grief, and it’s really good to come together in that, and I always find I learn so much about the person too.
Anyway, I’ve been busy baking a Macadamia and Caramel Tart, my grandmother’s Bran Cake recipe and also my grandmother’s Honey Biscuits, which I’ve featured a few times on the blog lately. However, they’re only partially cooked at the moment, as I want them to be as close to straight out of the oven as I can manage tomorrow. I loved baked stuff when it’s still hot straight out of the oven. It’s so much better.
In between all of this, I was able to get out on a picnic with some friends. We went out fora paddle in the kayaks and I also played badminton very, very badly with my friend and her son. He’s about nine, and has spent the week at tennis camp. I’m just over 50 with long standing disability and health issues, and to be perfectly honest, I had real trouble even hitting the shuttlecock, and my efforts weren’t helped by the wind. So after failing to discover some lost inner talent, I naturally headed down the comedy route and we had a lot of fun. I joked about hitting it right over the train line, when it took three or four goes to even make contact with the shuttlecock. Indeed, when I reflect back on my efforts, it reminds me of the Swedish chef from The Muppets. I always loved him.
Well, I’m going to head off now.
However, before I do, I just want to mention that the Weekend Coffee Share has changed locations. It’s now being hosted by Natalie the Explorer at https://natalietheexplorer.home.blog/2021/01/08/welcome-two-in-one/ We hope you might come along and join us.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Beyond the Flow 
always think shuttlecocks are strange things to hit and I was never much good at badminton, but at least it’s less dangerous than a squash ball flying at high speed!
Hello Rowena, Yep, we seem to be in good hands with Natalie.
I love the image of you taking on both that young man/child with a badminton racquet and off only this, much better that it was you and not me. A man’s ego can tolerate only so much embarrassment. But when the game turns to, Cast the Raquet, I’m your man.
Okay, we’re both in a hurry I think so I wanted to make sure you checked out and responded to my coffee share as it’s fast closing on the time for our Global Coffee Share Zoom meeting and I want to make sure you know I’d love to have you in one of Zoom’s little photo boxes, chatting with us. The date is still open, but I’ve narrowed it down some and given some timing by time zone.https://garyawilsonstories.wordpress.com/coffee-share-210108-getting-back-to-work/
Also, you know most likely better than most how writers do have favorite readers. Well you’re one of mine and I’m hoping you can send the kids off somewhere, put your baking on hold and admit that your fingers are just plain tired of typing and that an hour spent reading Gary’s latest story may be just the mental break you’ve been looking, even praying for. It has had a couple of clean up passes and now some of the major plot lines are in question. It’s been lots of fun and hard work but I still think of it in beta-read stage. I think you might like how this one unfolds but there is always a chance you might instead decide to deny ever having known me, but this is the only danger my old frame is up to anymore. I know you read the shorter version so you know the basic idea and after several esteemed readers let me know the story needed more filing out, I obliged and now it’s about an hour long read, but it should also more deeply engage my readers.
Anyway, I know the feedback would be insightful if it came from my favorite corner of Australia. Here’s the link so you have virtually no excuse but to grab a favorite drink, a few cookies perhaps and enjoy a quiet hour with Ayem & Havilah.
That’s it. Hope everyone is and remains healthy and is loving life.
These days…EVERY day is “Blursday” in my books. 😁
Thank you, Rowena, for linking up. Glad to hear you had fun baking and picnic time with friends. Hope to see you again at my upcoming Weekend Coffee Share blog party.
Thanks, Natalie and thanks once again for keeping it going. I often seem to end up writing my coffee share on Monday nights around midnight which is getting a bit late now. I’ve had a bit of buffer with the time difference.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Hi Gary. I just spotted your message. It’s been a crazy week. I’d love to read your story and will try to get to it in the next couple of days. Just said me a reminder if you don’t hear from me by Wednesday.
Best wishes,
Rowena