My troublesome neighbours are, in fact, delightful companions to have next door! A few parties, and a wandering cat. But you’ve gotta pick when to pop in! The other day I desperately needed a smoke. I had run out. Their front gate squeaked.
“Hiya, wanna cuppa? Kettle’s just boiled.” Julie was hunkered down in her favourite seat on the verandah, out of the wind and catching the watery, winter sunshine. “Here’s the rollies, help yourself.”
“Kylie popped in the other day as I was sitting here. She needed to use the loo and suggested we should go shopping. She’s after one of those new earbuds; the ones with the pink and grey stripes? Nichole got a pair last week. Apparently, they deliver great sound, and you can just imagine those colours against her new green cardigan!”
“Talking of being caught short, I was in the kitchen making scones earlier, and I ran out of self-raising flour. I luckily had some baking powder, and I mixed two tablespoons into the plain flour. It worked a treat, and with the lime marmalade, they will be great for morning tea. Jason will be home shortly. He had to go to the doctor for his annual prostate thingy. Ya know where they stick their finger up – oh yer, ya know all about that, don’t ya!”
“It levels the playing field a bit – we ladies have all of those fingers prodding, and those bloody cold speculums and it, well, ya know, it sorta levels things a bit.”
“I was talking to Melissa last week, and she has found this amazing recipe for spaghetti bog. Ya fry the onions first, then add everything else quickly, so ya don’t burn it. She uses the premium mince. It doesn’t cost that much extra and, while there is still a bit of water in it, it’s nowhere near as much as the ordinary stuff!”
“We are going to have plums tonight. I thought I would give Jason a treat. Renee says she sometimes adds vanilla to her custard as Darren really likes that. I cheat and buy the ready-made stuff from IGA. It is only $3.79, for nearly a litre!”
At that moment I made a commitment to never, ever, run out of smokes again!