The photos were taken when my girlfriend and I were 18 years of age. At the time my friend was an apprentice hairdresser, in a salon in Gympie...our hometown. Very often she did my hair for various occasions.. I'm in the white chiffon Grecian-style dress in the mirrored images. Those two photos were taken at the 21st birthday celebration of a friend of ours, who was also a work colleague of mine at the law firm where I was a Legal Secretary. The birthday boy was the son of my boss, the head of the firm.
My friend and I met when we were very young in our early primary school years. As teenagers we surfed at beaches on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast…. Mooloolaba, Maroochydore and Noosa Heads. We rocked the nights and early mornings away at the dances and record hops.
Her younger brother, and my brother, Graham were both lifesavers with the Noosa Heads Surf Lifesaving Club.
We've remained friends all these years (we're still 18, of course). We keep in touch, but we'd not seen each other since 2003, until last Sunday when that was rectified.
She came, by bus, from Gympie to here where I now live for a catch-up. The bus trip, by the way, takes just over five hours! Quite a distance, I can assure you. She made the trip especially for our get-together. We only had just over two hours to spend together before she had to climb aboard the bus once again, to head back to Gympie. I appreciate what she did so very much.
We met and had coffee at the local monthly market, which was filled with more people than I've seen since the David Bowie concert at Brisbane's Lang Park in the early 80s!!!!! For whatever reason, today's market was very, very busy. How absolutely wonderful it was to meet up again. All those intervening years just melted away. I will remember the time we spent together last Sunday. I will cherish it warmly in my heart.
My friend was a brilliant hairdresser. In my bare feet I stood almost 5ft 8-1/2 inches tall (1.75m) In high heels, which I wore almost every day, and, add the height of the my hair at times...I must have been almost 7ft (2.1m) tall!!!!!
Aww! Love all the photos! And so glad you finally had a reunion with your friend. Maybe you two could travel halfway and meet for lunch somewhere...friendships are so far and few in-between.
ReplyDeletehugs
Donna
G'day, Donna. The time we spent together was great. And even from a far distance, amongst the madding crowd, we recognised each other immediately. :)
DeleteThanks for coming....take good. I hope all is well.
That is a very long journey for a two-hour chat!
ReplyDeleteIt is/was, David. And that is one very good reason why I so very much appreciated, and continue to appreciate, what my friend did. At our age now, it is nowhere near as easy as it would have been a few years ago. She and I are no longer "spring chickens", that is for sure. :)
DeleteI still have a few good friends who mean a lot to me...friends from my childhood. I consider myself very lucky, indeed.
Thanks for coming by...take good care. :)
I just loved this post. I love seeing older pictures of people and hearing about their life. There is always a serious picture in our youth too. I can't imagine you surfing tho.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you got to meet up again.
Happy Valentine's Day.
I have a request - still can't get your email right. Would you just email me a quick hello at skcz@comcast.net? Maybe I can get it that way.
G'day. Sandie. One of my co-workers, the law clerk - I did all his dictation (the lost art of shorthand) was also the local freelance photographer. He was always taking photos of me, do whatever, and going wherever, and plonking them in the local newspaper! lol
DeleteBy "surfing" I mean body surfing. I could swim from when I was a little younger than three years of age. Both my brother and I learned how to swim when we were very young. I only ventured up on a surfboard a couple of times.
I will try sending you an email again....each time I've tried previously, they not gone through for whatever reason.
Happy Valentine's Day to you, too...thank you for coming by....take good care. :)
Your posts always spark memories for me, Lee, as we shared the same lifestyle in the same time and places. What wonderful days they were. The days of sun and surf. Not to mention the beehives! Your catch up with your old friend sounds lovely. I hope you can do it again sometime.
ReplyDeleteG'day, Pauline....You and I certainly did share lifestyles, time and places. I never cease to be amazed when I think about it. I know I've said it before to you, but I am sure we passed each other in Queen and Edward Streets, if not Adelaide Street at times as two young women eager to enjoy all that life had on offer.
DeleteOh! The beehives...so much teasing, piling and hairspray! lol
I doubt Joy and I will get the chance to meet up again...maybe, but as I don't venture far from hearth and home these days, I doubt it. There is no way I could face that trip to Gympie and return. I admire her so very much for doing that long bus trip...and appreciate what she did so very much. I'm a hermit, recluse by choice these days, crawling deeper and deeper into my shell. I'm considering changing my name to, "Myrtle Turtle"! :)
Thanks for coming by...take very good care. :)
What a blessing to get to spend time with your friend! Maybe you can go visit her for an overnight or something soon.
ReplyDeleteIt was, messymimi. There is no chance my visiting her up in Gympie.
DeleteI couldn't face driving the highway, or even taking the inland route, nor could I do the bus trim similar to what she did. I admire her greatly for doing that long trip, to and from.
I never leave this area. My anxiety levels would sky rocket! It is the way I am these days...a hermit. As each day passes I crawl further and further into my shell. I'm considering changing my name to, "Myrtle Turtle"! :)
Thanks for coming by...take good care.
oh bother! My comments are disappearing again.
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling, River. Blogger can be so very frustrating at times...far too often these days!
DeleteI believe my comment is gone too...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lee, for sharing gthese sweet photos of you and your friends. It was nice that your friend traveled all that distance for a meet-up, but sad that she had to return so soon after a brief get together. perhaps, in the future she can visit for a longer time?
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