Thursday

M and S and Mouse went off to the movies at the Gold Coast Arts Centre today. It was surprising because even one movie there can be quite torrid - and they fronted up for two! (I remember earlier this year they went to one that had been interrupted by a fire alarm and building evacuation and they all seemed quite happy to have had a "break" because of the forced intermission.) It seems like The Eye of the Storm was a bit similar - quite emotional and with very well drawn characters. It was interesting to hear M and S talking about Patrick White this afternoon/evening and how he had always wanted to be a screenwriter. I didn't know that but I had heard that he would write/type his manuscripts on onion paper - both sides and every available space - before sending them off overseas to publishers - in the times before there were word processors, computers or email!

After the movies their next stop was Ferry Road Markets - which is where F and his brother E found them when they dropped in for a coffee there. It is amazing how people "find" each other, isn't it? And that's where I found them too - although, to be fair, we had agreed to meet there - because we had plans to drive down to Currumbin Beach to visit the annual Swell festival - which was, simply, fantastic. This is its ninth year and as well as the sculptures by the sea, there are also workshops and other activities linked to Swell these days. We did the walk up and down beside the beach visiting each of the sculptures and M read out their blurbs as we got to each. There are 45 pieces in this year's Swell. We didn't leave until dusk - we stopped for refreshments including a piece of very caramel/banana cake (with four forks!) at The Elephant Rock Cafe! It was yummy - and just enough to not take the goodness out of our afternoon amble amongst the art.

Dinner was Thai and we had it in rather than going out for Date Night especially because it was after 7 by the time we arrived home and there were still furries to feed and assure them we still loved them even though they had been on their own all day (M and S had also had an early start today as M had to drop her car off for servicing).

It was one of those evenings where everyone seemed to be tired but happy and it really wasn't that much of a surprise when M took herself (and Pearl) off to bed soon after lock-down was effected at 8:30! S went not too long after that, leaving me to download my Swell photos.

Good news of the day is that Mi and F's son Lu was accepted into the Berkley music course in Boston in the US. He did the audition a while ago and has been waiting to hear for almost a couple of months. The news of his acceptance came through this evening. Well done Lu.