Perth 2009, Day One!! Part Two: Reunion

So Judi, Justin and I arrived back at their place, and immediately they showed me around their house, which doesn't look too large from the outside but is really quite spacious on the inside. I've got my own comfy little guest room (at one point referred to as the Asian room, but given the Chinese bric-a-brac in their living room and the Oriental fan in their dining room, I think we can safely transfer the name to other parts of the house!). We had breakfast (Judi and I are still on the diet, which should make for an interesting rest-of-holiday), and then I caught up on some much-needed sleep!!

Later in the afternoon, we had lunch, and then it was preparation for the barbecue tonight: a reunion dinner that doubled as a "welcome back" celebration! And oh my, wasn't it wonderful: to see mostly everybody again and to fall back into the comfort and familiarity of each other's company, to engage in conversation and banter, sometimes intelligent, most times ridiculous, always fun. Chris and Jade and their beautiful little girl Arielle were the first to arrive. And that was followed by Beattie, good ol' Beattie! Followed by Bernie and her beau Mikey (whom I met for the first time), and then Carol Weh!!, and then Josie and Brett. YAY!

So we caught up, ate (Judi and I on limited portions; see how determined we are?? Meanwhile, it sure was an exercise in restraint and willpower for yours truly, what with all the chips and sausages and steaks and stuffed potatoes and and and), chatted, laughed, joked, played board games the way we used to, had coffees and teas, and all in all had a really really good night.

The festivities eventually came to a close about an hour and a half ago, with Judi, Justin, Carol, Brett and Josie practising dance moves in the foyer and trying to spell out the letters of the alphabet with their bums. It was quite a sight to behold, I kid you not!! I've got to put up the videos of this soon!! And I will, later, I promise! But right now, it's cold and my guest room is warming up, and I'm still pretty tired, so it's going to be beddybyes for me very shortly. But as day one draws to an end, I'm feeling content. I love these guys and am truly happy to be spending time with them again. And the holiday's just begun.

I'll quickly put up some pics from today just for your viewing pleasure. But I'll do it in the post after this one, i.e. the one that's going to be above. ;) Till then, to be continued...