Living in a world of couples ….

When I was younger I did not notice the world was filled with couples and that one’s social group tends to be determined in part by one’s relationship status.  

Within social occasions there seem to be niches tailored to the target group, so if everyone is partnered, it’s hard to fit in without a partner. For example, if you are going to a wedding – you need to bring someone of the opposite gender, except if you are gay and then the same gender is acceptable.

Another key issue for a lady with mostly male friends is that once the male friends get married, they tend to be wary of showing friendship to a lady, let alone a single lady!  

So how do you avoid looking like a lone predatory seabird sitting on a rock? How do you avoid unsettling every married woman (or man) in the room? FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS, THAT’S HOW! No, not that kind of benefit silly! I mean social benefits. You need a selection of socially acceptable people you can invite to partner you at weddings and other social events.

Awesome is very busy and often away on business, so I’ve cultivated a stable of male friends with social benefits. Billy may attend lectures and seminars if they are of interest to him. Ellis will attend social events and Nelson has specifically offered to attend weddings - after seeing my social plight at Ronaldo’s wedding.  FIXED!  

…..and as I write this I am reminded that the world of the older single is sooo different from the world of the married person. We should take this into account when arranging social functions so singles are not further socially isolated. 

Usually I don't photograph people - but on a recent trip to Moreton Bay I was struck by the beauty and meaning of the combination of people and landscape ... and as I look back at those photos I see the family groups, the pairs of friends and the lovers - and morose singles sitting alone ...  

No longer serving longer term goals, turning to new experiences …

Today I went to see a national league football match at the biggest stadium in Brisbane. It was AWESOME! This after a sports car club rally on a previous weekend! 

 ….

For most of my life I’ve planned and worked to make the family stronger. It takes at least 6 generations for a landed country family to do really well - six unbroken and quality links in a long chain. 

From a very young age I’ve endeavoured to lift my link above the income level at which families become richer rather than poorer - to provide a substantial foundation on which the next generation could build.

Then the disastrous marriage!  I’m by nature loyal and diligent – in this case losing rather than gaining attributes. It is too late to try again. There are no children. There is no future - only the now.

It’s taken many years of grieving to accept a necessary change in direction. Other branches of the family still have the chance to achieve greatness.  I’ve broken my particular side chain and there is nothing I can do except play the hand I have dealt myself as best I can. Hence, enjoy the now!

……

When Ronaldo and his wife offered two free passes to their corporate box, I leapt into action. Awesome is away and Billy is not into football so I bundled up old pal and colleague Ellis and off we went!

The photos don’t capture anything like the ambiance and excitement of the event. We took the free bus full of hopeful and happy fans to the venue – so much fun and excitement building!

My first glimpse of the playing field through the portal of a door to a corporate box was massively impressive! It looked so green and so close! 

The players were sooo fit and sooo graceful as they warmed up on the field. Aussie rules players are truly the best examples of Australian men! Most appeared over 6’4”! 

    

As we left the stadium, Ronaldo’s glamorous and very classy wife complimented my hair and new blouse! Can life in the “now” get any better? 

A lovely weekend in Brisbane with some excitement!

Friday night I went to Dipawali, the Hindu festival of light, in King George Square in the shadow of our council building - it's undergoing extensive rescue renovations, hence the cranes. The sign "Rescue city hall" is just a rectangle of bright light.

I went with Billy, my soul-twin, and it was a wonderful experience and helped us both feel less lonely. Surprise, surprise, we both chose the same curried fried rice for dinner and teamed that up with a mango lassi.  Here's one of the better acts - a professional Punjabi dance group:

We went home early - leaving after the speeches and multi-faith prayers - because Billy had been up for most of the night helping people with houses damaged by a bad thunderstorm.

The next day Awesome and I went walking and we stopped at Kangaroo Point to enjoy a rather nice view of the Brisbane River, Botanic Gardens and CBD.

Spring is the season for jacaranda flowers - I turned around to see this lovely old Queensland-style worker's cottage with a jacaranda in front of it. This tree is probably only 30 years old - some are HUGE and protected by the Council. Note the carpet of lavender blooms on the footpath.

The day was bright then - but towards the end of the afternoon a storm started to build. I decided to make for home a tad early rather than spending a little more time with Awesome. Here's a shot I took which does not really show how dark and nasty the sky was becoming - after I realised how fast the storm cells were appraoching, I stopped taking photos and concentrated on getting home.

The storm cell overtook me as I walked the 10 minutes from the bus stop - I could see ragged whisps of tortured clouds twist and turn as they were pulled up into the centre of dark foreboding storm cells. I saw green light between the columns of dark cloud, so I knew hail was imminent.

Many years ago I just made it home at a quick run chased by golf ball size hail which was bouncing off each successive galvanised iron roof behind me. I heard it coming progressively closer and when I realised what it was I sprinted for the safety of home! Obviously I was scared yesterday as I felt the cold updraft from the storm cells and saw them looming overhead.

I was lucky, I got home just as large rain drops fell and about 5 minutes before the hail.  :-)

Recognition at last!

After some days, a search in Google for "Candidly Candice" returns this blog in first place! What better way to celebrate than with a picture of pink flowering tree? 

Brisbane Botanic Gardens before the big flood of 2011!

A small adventure ....

Today I went walking in the local forest just on dusk when most people had gone home. I so treasure times when the forest is deserted! I used to often walk on my own when I was quite young, but then that was on the family property and I'd often take a canine companion to protect me. Now it's just me and there could be dangerous humans around!

While looking for the formed path, I found a place where people had walked quite a few times - the grass and leaf litter were quite crushed.  I figured that the pathway must emerge at the bottom of the hill and that where ever that was, I could find my way home. Also, I was unlikely to meet anyone at this late hour, so it would be very safe.

The forest was green and lush from the recent rains and it was a lovely experience to at last be alone in the deep forest again. I found some lovely rocks and a running stream. I may go there again to read and think, but I will make sure I am hidden from the pathway!