As I typed “Day 66” for today’s title I thought of bingo. “All the sixes, clickety click.”

How bizarre is that? I have only played bingo about 10 times in my whole life, and it was nearly a lifetime ago. When I was a Customs Officer in Sydney in the mid-80’s and working at an office in Parramatta, a couple of work friends and I used to sometimes go to Bingo at Granville RSL club on weekday lunches. I have no recollection of why we did that – but I do remember that we often won some pretty good prizes!

Memories are strange things. We hold on to some things, and yet completely forget others.  Yesterday, as I remembered my mum on her birthday, the memories were sad, but often memories are pleasantly etched with the thoughts of especially good times, or random moments of extreme fun, heightened pleasure or particularly exceptional situations.

Many of my fondest memories include both family and food. Christmas lunches with my family, right from my childhood to the most recent, are all particularly happy and easy-to-recollect memories. Seafood has often featured along with delicious whole glazed hams, Mum’s special Christmas pudding and Marnies’ sickly sweet ‘hard sauce’. Many smiles, Christmas gifts and funny situations are also easily recalled.

Some of my favourite memories are from family get-togethers at Scotland Island or, more recently,  Elvina bay. A few (too many?) champagnes, all the ‘chefs’ competing to produce the best food; grandkids running wild; tricks played on each others mobile phones while they are not looking; midnight raids of Dad’s good liqueurs.

Or memories from my own kid’s childhoods. Skun knees without tears from Victoria, Will riding a bike before he could walk, his leopard crawls in full camoflauge through the mud in our backyard in sub-zero temperatures. Or  adventures with camping in a Land Rover 4WD we had when they were esarly teenagers.

Holidays so often produce the most memorable of moments. Dave, Victoria and Will skydiving in New Zealand was both an exciting and terrifying experience; The UK and France with Grandma, the kids and us is filled with moments we won’t forget;   the Caribbean Cruise for Dave and I last year is re-lived on regular occasions for so many reasons. 🙂

I wonder how we will look back on the ‘Hodgkin Lymphoma’ experience? Will we forget the pain and the worry and the sickness? Will we remember that through the difficult times we both learnt a lot? That our relationship became closer and deeper than we thought possible? That we now had a new respect for others enduring cancer and a greater general ability to empathise and understand?

Who knows. But for now we will keep making memories; no doubt both good and bad.

Today I am going into work for a couple of hours to a celebratory ‘long-service’ lunch for staff who are being recognised for either 20 or 30 years service. One of my Head Teachers reached 20 years this year so I, as his manager, get to benefit from this by being invited to the lunch 😉  Congratulations Craig! Only a couple of years till I get my 20 years up. Plenty of memories made with TAFE too.

A couple of my staff with some help from students are cooking and serving the lunch. I can feel my first atttempt at a formal restaurant reivew coming on. What do you think?   

PS: I didnt put the link to yesterdays post up on FB because it was a bit melancholy. But its there if your game:  click here