Late Sunday post

Here is why — Class of 1959

As I said earlier on Facebook:

The chat among us Class of 1959 octogenarians continues apace by email. So many memories and questions. The joy of the internet at its best, and evidence we all turn back near the end of life — and that is where I and we all are, with many having already gone before us — to where we came in! And it is not at all morbid. But I won’t be bloggng it any more, unless something truly amazing comes up.

And I must go as Clive Kessler has just responded to my last email. Yes, all of us in, from H, an emeritus Professor of Theoretical Geophysics and Foundation Director, Institute of Theoretical Geophysics, at the University of Cambridge, to the very undistinguished like yours truly! All on a level back at Sydney High 50s-style!

And true to that I won’t be posting this to the OBU Group, or tagging it as part of the 65th Reunion set — though I have just guaranteed a Google search will now find it under that heading!

But let me share some pics, some of which come from things classmates have mentioned in the past day. First, the musical life of the school. I was in the choir 1955 to 1957 — the year my voice broke!

Not like that… But in the following look at the kid almost hidden by H R Billington, conductor, composer and music teacher. Yes, it is I! 1955.

And in some earlier posts, especially the “Timor mortis” one, I talk about my athlete friend Roger Dye, whose fate remains a mystery. But here he is, photo tinted, in 1959:

Brilliant high jumper was Roger! And that will do….

The mundane life of Neil

Mind you, some good phone calls. Diggers companion Col Macdonald rang to say he was back from the bush — hope to catch up tomorrow. And Sirdan in New Zealand rang too. I had published a memory on FB (which Sirdan does not use) so messaged him about it by phone.

Sirdan gardening in Gympie 2012

Mitchell (aka Mr Rabbit) saw this and commented “top bloke”! I mentioned this in my phone message.

Mr Rabbit and Sirdan, Shakespeare Hotel Surry Hills 2009

Sirdan rang back from New Zealand, where he now lives:

Just had a phone call from Sirdan in NZ. He has had a run of bad luck, including a serious car accident that wrote off the lovely VW Polo we 14 years ago travelled to Canberra in! Sirdan was in hospital for a while — bruising to the heart among other things. But Insurance paid out on the car, and he now has a brand new Skoda. However just recently he fell down the steps at home and is all black and blue…. Otherwise fine… And very happy to hear the greeting from Mitchell!

This morning and for much of the rest of the day I was involved in those email conversations with 1959 classmates. But the Woolies SMS arrived telling me my order was next in line for delivery… So I went outside.

I really could not see the phone screen because of the light falling on it; otherwise I would have shut my mouth! Eventually the delivery arrived.

All items as ordered, including the crumbed fish fillets all the way from England that I planned to have for lunch, and did. Obviously not as good as barra at City Diggers, but very acceptable. Not having lemons, I used apple cider vinegar which worked just as well.

So there you go… Now I need to look to the last part of the “Magic Round” for footy tipping, and I have done very well so far — except for the Bunnies, alas! Not their year at all… I hope the following trend continues, and I am already two up on the Kiwi Expert!

See you later….

Recent stats, and another look at May 2014

Yes, a pause after all those 65th Reunion posts

Looked just now at the stats for the month to date. You too may now see what I saw, and what has prompted this post.

Yes, there we are behind the curtain you usually see, where such magic as may be happens. (Speaking of which Games 1 and 2 of the “Magic Round” have gone my way in the Footy Tipping!) You will note 75 have now viewed the main 65th Reunion post, and yesterday’s post is doing fine. And even though Daniil in Russia recently assured us that nothing bad has happened to him, that question we asked still must pop up very high in searches, because my little post has had over 200 views in the past 17 days.

I also see there a lot of interest in my drinks with the Major-General. I wonder why?

I also note a few liked the May 2014 retro post, so here I am taking another dive into the second year of this blog’s history and my fourth year back in The Gong.

The view from my window changed in 2014

Before that the view was dominated by a very old coral tree.

These are not that one:

They were planted all over the Illawarra and Kiama districts last century mainly, I suspect, to provide shade for cows in the summer months. But nowadays, as this item from Brisbane shows, they are regarded as a pest. They are thorny. They shed branches easily.

A broadly spreading tree growing up to 6 m or more tall. Its stems are sparsely covered in sharp thorns. Its leaves are divided into three elongated leaflets. Its scarlet red to dark red pea-shaped flowers are borne in large elongated clusters at the tips of the branches. Its elongated, dark brown, pods are slightly constricted between each of the shiny mottled seeds. A hybrid of horticultural origin, that was probably developed in Australia or New Zealand.

So in May 2014 the neighbours removed the coral tree.

Ten years on and I again have a tree at my window, as a previously unnoticed rival has grown to replace the departed glory of the tree so loved by rainbow lorikeets — though this one does tend to attract the odd black cockatoo.

May 2023

The serious business of footy tipping, and food of course

But I start with yesterday’s post

I am composing this at 7.00 pm on Monday — beats watching the News again! So just over 12 hours on from publishing it there have been 53 visitors to that post, and at least a dozen of those registered “likes” on the SBHSOBU Group Page. That includes a couple of ex-students of mine. Nice to see.

I rarely get visited online by the person I am posting about while actually still writing the post! But that happened yesterday, and I enjoyed the experience. Thanks, Harry!

Footy tipping

Last round was a bit miserable, but I suspect I would not have been alone.

So Round 11, the “Magic Round” — hope if is for me! And the Bunnies!

Here is The Kiwi

We differ on only two this round.

Food — the patent sandwich and more tasty treats

With the weather here being more than a little damp, though that seems to be changing right now, I have not been to City Diggers, or indeed anywhere. As you saw here I received my Woolies order on Sunday, and used the stock thus renewed to demonstrate on Facebook my patent sandwich! On FB a few days back I introduced it thus;

I should patent this! So tasty. For my supper a sandwich with Helga’s wholemeal bread, thickly spread pepper chicken pate, a slice of cheese, two sliced solanato tomatoes, one sliced sweet gherkin. And a mug of hot coffee.

It really is good, and here is how my repeat went on Sunday.

Preparation

Assembly

Resting. There is method in this madness because resting gives the sandwich time to blend flavours a bit. There is a little garlic salt on those tomatoes….

Now to the carnivorous treats… especially the local kind

We won’t go into details about how in those days long before CGI these highly entertaining but extremely unlikely tricks were done… It almost seems a kindness to turn him/her into a burger…. And indeed kangaroo has sustained me for several days in the past week. Almost fat free, and a great shelf life in the fridge.

Grilled with onion gravy

Fried with onion gravy, chick peas and egg.

Not uncontroversial for some — and I have to say I came fairly late to this treat myself. But once you try it you will never look back. For a start, it is really healthy meat! And second, some of my own ancestors on one of my grandmothers’ lines were indulging long before Abraham was even dreamed of! I am talking tens of thousands of years….

My roo burger had no fur, obviously….

Mind you, yesterday I lunched on minced cattle with herbs and garlic rather than our national icon… And apologies to all my vegan or vegetarian friends….

They were very tasty too….