Topic : Is This Normal Social Discussion

happened but I've told this story soooo many times I'm simply forgetting all the stuff. It was a blast!!!! And we're going again in Jan. When it's not so hot!

 

I had my hardwood floors done while I was gone and there was an inch of dust everywhere. Every single thing I own has to be taken down and washed off. I'm doing that, working, and trying to see my friends. My little sister came in and my family had a picnic. We were all supposed to go danceing. It ended up they didn't want to so I called my friends and we decided not to go. I did more cleaning got more pics and watched Dateline and then came in here to talk to you guys.  I told ya'll I'd try and I made it. Whew! Another load off. And see I'm on Mexican time still. As in 45 min later than they say they'll be there. Got my shifts confused. It's been a trip being back let me tell you. So! There you've got it all. Or not. But that's ok. The effort was there.

 

Love you guys!

Sounds like you had a great time. But you didn't say if you put those "love beds" to good use... LOL

 

Did you not get the pictures of Vicki & Ron's wedding?

 

Email me so I know I have your correct email address, 'cause I sent them to you and several others.

 

kak

but Betty was a swingin on one bed and me the other. We had to exit stage right or we'da heard and seen alot more than we were in to! I went to my old addy to get your addy cos it ain't here and had alot of emails there. Got distracted and forgot. Now I jjust know you're suprised. How's life treating you?

How are you all going? Hope you are all doing well as you read this message.

 

Stephanie and I are doing fine, as for Mark well he is doing fine where he is. He is nearly finished the Course that he has been doing since the start of July. Once that's finished he will have abit of time before he starts the next part of what he's doing down there. So, hopefully in between the end of this Course and the start of the Recruit Trainning he might get a chance to come home for afew days, which is better than nothing, I guess!! Stephanie will be so happy to see her Daddy, if he is able to come home!! I'm not holding my breath for this to happen thought!! Will just have to wait and see what happens between now and then!!

 

Well I hope you all have a great weekend coming up and please do Take Care and bye-for-now, Love Kelly!!

Just popping in to say hello.  It's good to know that you're all well.

 

Hey JP - your snorkelling story made me smile!  It brought back memories of when I went to Cozumel ages ago, before Cozumel was even considered a travel/resort place.  I think there were only two hotels there..  we're going back some thirty years now.   My friend and I rented snorkelling stuff and a jeep and drove off to parts unknown.  What fools!  We got lost and ended up on some dirt road and had trouble turning the jeep around.   She started crying.

 

Now I don't know about you, but even in those days crying to me was pretty useless when you should really be thinking about your next move.  I walked around for a bit, letting her snort and snuffle into her biking top and then, lo and behold,  spotted what I thought was a pond.  Ran back to the jeep and told her that not all was lost!  We could at least go snorkelling...

 

So we put on our gear and waded into The Pond.  It turned out to be, gosh, I don't know, a thousand feet deep.  One of those dark, deep holes that sink you right back into the ocean.  These giant fish, I swear they were fifteen feet long, but oh so beautiful, swam up to us.  Oh!  The colours and the peaceful movements enthralled me.

 

But my slightly emotional friend got a little antsy.  I could see her eyes through the goggles, kind of bugging out.  And me, being the wonderful friend that I am, started to laugh.

 

Now, the last thing you want to do, especially if you're an asthmatic like me, is laugh while you're snorkelling.  It's a wonder we made it up to the top of The Pond.  My memory kind of fogs out after that.  Somehow we turned the jeep around and made it back to the hotel, turned in the snorkelling gear and keys to the front desk and got drunk.  The next day I vowed never to go into the water again and laid on the beach and got sunstroke.

 

But I'll never forget the calm, peaceful fish.

 

You know, I came on here intending to tell you something else.  Back soon.

 

 

This is the story I really wanted to tell you.  Perhaps it's a good thing that my mind gets swept away by all of you at times...

 

Nevertheless.  Those of you who have known me for some time now probably remember how excited I was when my good friend David moved here to Toronto from England.  To refresh your memory, he was the one I met in Brazil when I was sort of growing up.  He's very Queen's English British, drives a gold Cadillac.  When we lived in Brazil he was arrested when he refused to spit at a random police stop in Sao Paulo when they were looking for drugs.  In those days, the police would stop anyone for anything.  Especially foreigners.  And they had machine guns.   Once they stopped my Dad's car on a highway for no reason at all, and because my Mother didn't have her  passport with her, made my Dad sit in the car while they took my Mother  back to our house to prove that she was indeed who she was.  She of the Feather Boa.

 

Anyway, I'm rambling.  David got arrested because he refused to spit at a random roadblock (apparently that's how they knew that you were taking drugs in those days if you couldn't produce saliva).  "Spit",  David said, "I've never spat in my life!"  So they threw him in jail.  HIs father, who was the President of Rolls-Royce at the time and had tons of money and connections, bailed him out.

 

I've always loved David.  He moved back here to Toronto to be with his close friends.  Alot of us from those good old days, regardless of the countries we were born in, live here now.  He also moved back here to be with his Mother.  His parents, after they left Brazil moved here in 1980.  David's father died seven years ago and his mother has been ailing since. 

I first met David's mother when I was about 17.  I was invited to their mansion up in the hills just north of Sao Paulo, along with about 500 other of their closest friends!  What a sight to behold, that glittering place resounding with music as we drove up the driveway.  I was so young and enormously impressed.

 

And then I met Helen, David's mother.  And I was slightly shocked.

 

It should be made clear that David, even in those days, has impeccable taste.  Not that I'm a snob or anything (hell, I still run around in jeans and a t-shirt) but his mother was not what I expected.  Shall I say that, well, she and my own mother, She of the Feather Boa, were kind of cut from the same cloth. Tons of money and yet rather flamboyant choices.  Helen offered to show me around the mansion and took me up to the master "boo drawer" as she called it. It was covered in leopard skin rugs and mirrors on the ceiling.  I fell in love with her that moment.

 

Forty years later, I know why.  The more I discovered about her, the more I appreciated her.  She was born in Egypt, fell in love with and married Jock (David's father) much to her father's disapproval.  Jock was her exact opposite.  Extremely quiet and brilliant.  Just before he died he was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) for all of his work designing and creating engines for cars and airplanes.  Just before he died I co-wrote a book with him about his achievements.  It never sold - it was too technical.  But Helen never forgot it.  She told me that she started out being jealous of the time he spent with me, but then understood that he only wanted me because I could type!

When David moved here, Helen's health was failing.  He bought a house and moved her out of the apartment she had shared with Jock for so many years.  A beautiful home, where she had her own wing and constant care.  The last time I visited with her she was pouring gin and tonics and holding court.  Funny, colourful,  abounding with stories.

 

This grand old lady died last Thursday.  She always swore she was only 92, but in fact she was really 98.  Shannon and I went to her funeral on Tuesday.

 

What started out to be a solemn affair turned into a blessing of sorts.  One of her friends, her name is Babe of all things, told stories about the fun they had in the casinos.  Another friend of David's recounted how, when he and David were in boarding school, she showed up for one of their rugby tournaments.  David's friend said, "Oh my lord, look at that lady over there, she's wearing a garden on her head!"  To which David replied, "Be careful, that's my mother you're referring to.  And to her, that's probably the latest fashion from Paris".

 

The MInister recounted how he knew how much Helen had enjoyed her life and the fact that she probably lived in more countries with Jock than any of us can name.  How she eventually learned to speak seven languages (none of them well, and that I can account to - she once asked me if a had a wash dishing machine, and when I was going to throw a warming house party) and said that her cup did indeed flow over - usually with whisky though.

 

David is so sad.  I can only imagine.  How often do you meet someone who makes you admire and accept and forgive your own eccentricities.  I like to think that she's up there somewhere, hugging my Dad (whom she adored) and her Jock and redecorating the KIngdom she believed in with leopard skins and chandeliers.

 

As I told David, he was an incredible son.  And every time he hears thunder or sees lightening strike, he'll know that's Helen up there.  Making a statement.

 

Hugs.

Thanks for sharing another one of your wonderful true life stories. It's also very sad for David that he has lost his Dear Mum, but she wouldn't want him to be sad, I'm sure!!  She is up there with your dear Dad and Jock and I bet they are all having a ball together!!

 

Hope all is well with you, Shannon and Mia Jade. Take Care and Bye-for-now, Love Kelly!!

You tell the best damn stories. You've had such an adventurous life! I love when you tell us this stuff.

 

I'm hopeing you've told us about how things are going on the home front. You are in my thoughts always. I've been so busy since I've been home. It's one of those I need a vacation from all the work. *hugs*