An Episode of Mishaps.

Standing there, staring at the long shelves crammed with books, I felt myself relax and was suddenly at peace ~ Helene Hanff.

Twice a year, or thereabouts, we go into the big Christian bookstore, Koorong, & spend waaay too much money. To date, Liddy has been the driver.  This is not good news for directionally dysfunctionals like Star & I because when we want to go by ourselves it is never straightforward.  Having discussed the issue with my Star we decided the outer suburb one was a better option than the inner city one because  there was less traffic, the parking was easier & Star could drive.  Oh, & Star said she thought she knew where this one was!

There are no prizes for guessing she did not have a clue.  We crossed the highway heading the wrong way in to town.  We crossed the highway heading the wrong way down to the Gold Coast.  We crossed the highway....all I can say is Star's driving hours increased dramatically!!!!  We crossed the highway so many times we needed to find fuel.

Having discovered on the boat that thanks to Dearest distracting me at the critical moment I had left my card at home we were down to Star's & Star, naturally, had no idea if she could even remember her pin!  While she went to find out I investigated the catalogue for an address & the refedex for directions.  She'd actually been pretty close but having come through on a different road to the one she knew, had become disoriented.

Star being Star put fuel in the car [ a process which required me standing beside her for moral support because she'd never done this before!  How hard can it be to put fuel in a car?] & chocolate in us.  By then we needed it.

However we did eventually find Koorong, which is good for mainstream stuff ~ not so good if you want something even a little unusual.  Just the same God is invariably very good to me.  I had bookmarked something for Dino, who is even more computer illiterate than I am, & which he hadn't got round to watching ~ & there it was, in book form, for under $10~. Score!  I wandered happily until Star made it really plain she was bored witless then gathered up our goodies to do battle with the checkout where we have a discount on at least one person's details but weren't sure if any of us had changed those to the new ones.  No, we have never claimed to be the well organised sort.

We then headed back to our regular stomping grounds so Star could make her purchases ~ an exercise that always leaves me reeling & exhausted, especially when said purchases involve me.  I adore my daughter but she has decided my rather unispired dressing style needs to change.  Considering my figue in a full length mirror does nothing for my ego & is an exercise I usually manage to avoid by the simple process of sticking to Ts & trackies, 2 articles of clothing I know my size for & can buy off the rack in the plainest styles & colours.  This does not suit my flibberty~gibbit daughter who promptly chose something long, flowing & flowery.  Um, no.  I have tactile issues about bits of me touching other bits of me.  Eventually she chose a rather nice top ~ with accessories!  OK, so I do do dangly ear~rings  & a couple of plain rings but I rarely wear any other jewellery.  Tactile issues again.  I can get fraught very quickly by things touching my skin. *sigh*  The things I do for love.

We got home only to immediately head out the door again for the island carol night.  This is one activity Star absolutely adores & insists on attending no matter how difficult & fraught making it is to achieve.  She says it is the only performance where she gets to be in the audience ~ which is sorta true.  It is totally for fun & as we are invariably running late we invariably end up in front row seats where the Singers, who all know Star very well indeed, target her as their audience responder.  Nothing loathe Star plays along!

We had a great crowd ~ the best in years.  It wasn't too hot & Star & I always head towards the alto section where Star's cracking voice is not so noticable & I have some hope of hitting some of the notes some of the time!   All the hours & hours of sitting in singing classes is paying off in the strangest ways.  I've known most of these voices for years.  Now I am hearing quite clearly strengths & faults & the ravages of age ~ & for a good part of the programme [& lets face it most carols are not musically difficult] was able to hold an alto part against the high soprano on my right!  My friend, Sian, had a solo & whatever she has done this last year her voice has improved out of sight!  The timbre, the richness, the control ~ just amazing!  Lovely to listen to.

So just feeling my way throught this season because one of the things of course is that if we want everybody to be able to participate in something we have to take into account their schedule & everybody's schedule is geared around Christmas.  Still, the Lord has given me one or two ideas & Christmas being on a Sunday this year makes things so much easier. To really plan out what I would like to do requires not running like a mad woman all through September.  And October.  And November.  And all of December.  Which is unlikely in the short term.  But one day it will happen.