Now celebrating at home with a friend after today's big brain strain
Tired ... red eyed ... swollen feet ... ruffled feathers .. but I DID it
AND ... still smiling!!
Yes!! A HUGE day .. and so so good to catch up with some ole friends I have not seen for nearly 10years .. now excuse me while I continue to celebrate.
After an 8 year break I am today going to try my hand (and brain) at penciling again.
Today is our big annual Race Day and I have been asked by my ole bookie to work. It seems with the introduction of computers at the racetrack there are not many of us ole folk left that can still pencil for a bookmaker manually. (Did it for 30 years previously)
Eric (the bookie) wants to run 2 stands .. one for the local races and one for the interstate city meets running 3 books for Brisbane, Sydney & Melbourne. And this is where he wants me to work ...on those 3 books. (He has a computer for the locals). It can be a hell of a lot of pressure but I USED to handle it well .... BUT .. can I still do it?? Hence I am anxious ..
800 to 100 each way .. 500 for the place ... a thousand on the nose ... those furious calls with people waving money in the air ... me yelling "what state", "straight out or eachway", "slow down!" .. those memories have been running through my mind all morning ..
My hands shall be cramped ... my head shall be pounding and my mind will be racing for hours after ... that I do remember well .. but how will the aging body cope. Am hoping it will be like riding a bike .. you just slide back into the swing of it all.
Long day too with daylight saving in the southern states .. first race at 10.15am and the last at 5.15pm .. all this time standing on an elevated platform in very limited space with ear phones attached.
By geez .. I AM nervous .. if anything .. that adrenalin will keep me going.
Was really tired after a long day of shovelling a truck load of compost into the gardens and thrilled when my daughter and grandsons surprised me with a visit after dinner.
When it was time to leave .. my darling grandson Jett was found in my bed .. and told his mum he was staying ... to look after his nanny.
THIS was one of those moments that welled my eyes.
For the past few hours I have had an absolute ball.
Had (let me see) about 8 girlfriends around to my little pad drinking champagne (and strawberries) AND ... AND ... AND ... surrounded by gold, diamonds and lots of bling bling. A woman's dream!
See Brian and Mary are from Sydney and are jewellery merchants. I have known them now for some 12 years and lo and behold Brian rang me out of the blue . This voice singing My Cherie Amour into the phone ... Ohhhh Brian ... it has been soooo long. Cherie .. I FINALLY found you. Brian .. my whole life has changed and I live elsewhere now .and so Brian ... where are you. Just driving into town and we want to come visit you. Brian .. do you have your stash with you? Sure do girl ... so Cherie rang her girlfriends ... and the rest is history.
And Cherie fell in love with a ring ... Ohhhhh yes ... Cherie has top shelf taste with a pauper's budget. So Brian let me wear IT for an hour and I just HAD to take a pic ... Because ... ONE day ... I SHALL buy that ring (yeh SURE). It retails at $9500 but Cherie .. you can have it for $6k. Sure Brian .. Sure!
Haha .. but we all had an absolutely fabulous time ... and yes we did buy some titbits ... but they were VERY mediocre compared to the one that jumped out at me.
Life really isn't about those expensive possessions hey ... it really isn't. But it was a wonderful wonderful girly giggly bling bling time.
