Saturday with friends

Men in coveralls working on a caravan named "The Ant." It's pretty small. Covered in grease and dirt, Steve gets under the old rig, and Conrad hands him tools. A bent axle needs a closer look.



Women in the kitchen, preparing evening tea. Denise putters back and forth in the small space, Heidi watches from the doorway. Keeping company. A cup of coffee for her, a good English cuppa tea for the cook.



With women's work done, the duo head to the lounge room and chat about life, love, children, husbands, and other mysteries. Denise has stories to tell, and often gets up to illustrate. She keeps me smiling, and pondering, and wanting to tell my own stories.

Men arrive, tired and hungry. Break out the wine, crackers and dip. Tea ready soon. More stories float around the room. Content to be together on a Saturday.

Table set, steaming boat of gravy, corned beef (aka silverside), British-style roasted potatoes, peas, and honeyed carrots. More wine, water, pineapple soft drink. More stories. Ice cream topped with stewed apples and rhubarb, not too sweet...enough to make glands pucker a bit.





We decide to play Trivial Pursuit...the original edition. Trouble is no one realizes its the Australian edition as well. Lots of trivia about worldwide stuff, but Heidi seems to get all the Australian and New Zealand questions. Needless to say, she gave up and just enjoyed answering everyone else's questions. Steve and Conrad pull all the war history and other blokey stuff, so they do well. But Denise, the transplanted Brit among us, commiserates with me, and she wins.



Dogs, Spike and Rusty, snooze until potato chips and crackers are brought out. After begging, they go back to nap and keep a wary eye on the adults who burst into laughter at silly guesses and wild answers that turn out right.



I look around at my friends, my husband, and I know that the people I love 10,000 miles away would enjoy this evening with us. Perhaps someday.

A late night home, crash into bed. Contented again.