A New Beginning

Life With Kermie

25 June

Life with Kermie

Bloody hell! Where to start? You all know about Big Rigs demise – or you wouldn’t be reading this. To that end every waking moment over the past couple of weeks has been spent:

1: Shocked.
2: Angry.
3: Sad.
4: Trying to think of ‘What the hell am I going to do next?’
5: Formulating this idea with some urging from family and friends.
6: The offer of help from our I.T. savvy son, Steve and his Miki over in London.
7: Without sleep.

Everything else on that front has been covered in ‘Drivin’ the Desk’, so I’ll leave the rest of it alone.

…….

Like everyone else during the Covid lockdown - or so it would appear - I grew a moustache and goatee. The ‘tache came out a commensurate grey but the goatee was split, with white on the edges and a black strip down the middle – sort of a skunk in reverse. That had to come off.

Then Rita convinced me that the Mo aged me by ten years, which possibly puts me beyond my projected lifespan, so that went as well, leaving me with the soul patch that has been part of me for decades.

Rita’s hair grows at a speed that could possibly outdo Daniel Ricciardo so she has been feeling decidedly untidy. After three months my #2 had also grown – around the sides! The middle of the scone remained as sparse as ever. No amount of wishful thinking could help on that front.

The loosening up of the Covid 19 rules allowed Rita and I to escape the confines of MooTown after three months of me doing essential shopping only, and Rita in total lockdown due to her dicky immune system. While we have always been happy in our own skins, having spent all of our thirteen years together 24/7, it was exciting to be able move beyond the front gate.

Our Tom and Laura had just recently moved into their own home in Hooterville – the first time that they have not shared digs with mates or family. They were excited for us to come visit and for the first time, stay with them, rather than with friends who have put us up on our frequent visits to the old home town.

For us it represented an opportunity to spend all our time with the kids, rather than a meet and greet at a local pub for an hour or two with them and our Nick.

It was also the first time in three months that we would be able to get those haircuts - because our loyalty extends to Adrian and Libby @ Mugshot Hairdressing in Hooterville.

“Ask Tom what he intends to cook us for dinner when we come down,” said Rita.

WithTom being Head Chef at The Bodhi Tree restaurant in Healesville, we could look forward to some exquisite dish. So I asked him.

“Umm, thought we’d get some take-away from Express Noodles,” he said.

Fair enough, we thought a little sadly. They’ve only been in the new joint for a few day. Probably haven’t unpacked the pots and pans as yet.

They were as excited for us to see them and their home as we were to see them. Expecting to see the place covered in unpacked boxes, we were surprised to see the joint looking as though they’d lived there for like ever. Everything had been unpacked and put in its place – including those pots and pans.

“So you’re cooking for us then?”

“Nope. We’ll be too busy drinking. But tomorrow morning I’m going to make you guys the best breakfast wrap you’ve ever tasted.”

And it was.

Nicko joined us, we sat and talked and drank and ate a mountain of Express Noodles excellent food and laughed and just totally enjoyed each other’s company until well into the night. We knew we were missing our kids – just not by how much until we met up with them after so long. We were only missing two pieces of the family jigsaw. You reading this Steve and Miki?

Otherwise the time at home over these months has been spent doing odds and ends to improve our surroundings, particularly the back patio where we spend most of our time. Aldi had outdoor lounges for $250 each so I grabbed a couple. They’re great, with black cushions, but the frames were in plain wood which didn’t fit in with our mainly black and white colour scheme. So, after putting them together I pulled ‘em apart again and painted them in white tile paint. That took a while. Then Rita spied the wooden bench I’d knocked together over a morning to go with the fire pit. “That would be the perfect coffee table to go between the lounges,” she says.

Now the rough old bench is a gleaming (black & white of course) and very usable coffee table. You can see the result of my efforts here.

ta meantime, has been busy knitting scarves for all of us. Mine’s bright red, so you’ll have something to aim your truck at should you be passing me by.

Fingers crossed, it won’t be too much longer before someone is able to put on a truck show again. I’m itching to get out and about and catch up with you guys. Truck shows are also a great source of many of my stories, so launching this site now has come with a few difficulties. Still, gotta start in 1st gear.

If any of you have a story to tell, you can leave your name and phone number in ‘Contact’ and I’ll happily embellish your story to the edge of believability, Lol. Meantime - and for the first time in Truckin with Kermie – I’ll say,

Take care of You.

PS: Because this is the first post in truckinwithkermie.com, I’ve included a few golden oldies to reminisce over.

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