ferdinand the rhinoceros
So we’re back in Sydney, I guess. It’s overcast.
We visited Ric in Lulworth. He was okay. Afterwards…
Claire: Why do we have to visit Ric?
Jeremy: Because he’s my Dad.
Me: If your Dad were sick would you visit him?
C: But I’m shy of Ric.
J: I’m shy of him too.
Me: I’m not shy of him but seeing him this way makes me really sad.
J: Yeah. It’s not shyness. It’s sadness. And you don’t want to cry in front of him because that would just make him sad.
Me: Right, so I do this horrible smiling-all-the-time thing. I’m hideous.
J: Don’t be silly. It’s obvious how much he likes to see you.
At this, I burst into tears.
Me: Oh, to get through a single day without blubbing.
Next we visited Thussy. Thussy and her Reg are two of my favourite people on earth. She is Austrian. He is a former RAF pilot. In their house, it is always World War Two. Reg has walked away from plane crashes and fought off cancer and is now a bouncy and bellicose 87. I suspect he will outlive me. We whisked Thussy away to Cottage Point Kiosk for awesome fish and chips.
Thussy! Has met! George! Morris! She says he is very nice. Thussy has also tickled a rhinoceros named Ferdinand and hiked in Nepal and ridden in Iran and Patagonia. Good luck having an awesomer godmother than mine.
Next we met Mary and Andrew and Vincent at a chocolate cafe in St Ives. The chocolate was delicious and the company was even better. We have been making an effort to meet new people lately and have had a 100% They Are Lovely, We Like Them Very Much result, which seems absurdly yet gratifyingly high.
