I’ve stayed with many people and many families, though it’d never happened where I’ve stayed with several members of one family at four different homes! In five days I’ve stayed with Emily & Hannah at their home, Jessie and her partner at their home, Carmel and her husband at their home, and Carmel’s mum and brother at their home. In early June I met Carmel in Queenstown whilst she and her husband Greg were on a ski holiday. The snow wasn’t so good but Carmel bought my book and enjoyed convo with me over a glass of wine at 1876 (the old courthouse). A few days ago I arrived in Oz and I stayed with Diana for the first three nights. On the fourth day Carmel said “I can’t host you tonight, but why not stay with my daughter, Emily?” Emily and her friend did their thing at the Brisbane Festival and picked me up late after a CS gathering. Emily works with children on the spectrum and lives with her sister, Hannah and her cousin, Ashlee. Emily intrigued me enough that I stayed with her two nights. She was out very late the other night so Carmel then set me up with Jessie and her partner, Gerard. “I haven’t eaten yet, may we stop at Domino’s” I asked, she emphatically said “Oh, no we have dinner for you!” Over a glass of shiraz to go with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and steak cooked just the way I like it, we all said grace before we tucked into our tucker. “Kia ora bro, I like your greenstone” said Gerard. He’s Maori and one of 13 children! Staying with Emily and Hannah and then Jessie, I noticed that all three of Carmel’s girls are very different to each other! Emily is, in her mum’s words, a chatterbox, Hannah is a bit quiet until she breaks out of her shell, and Jessie is a bit reserved and the only practicing Catholic in the family (though they were all raised Catholic). Last night everyone except for Jessie and Gerard convened at Carmel’s place for a barbeque. G’day mate! Throw some kangaroo burgers on the barbie! For the first time I tucked into kangaroo. It was good, topped with barbeque sauce and fresh spinach. Hannah said she’s never eat kangaroo, so Emily dared her to eat one in exchange for two bottles of wine. Sure enough, she ate half of one. And Emily still said she’d buy her two bottles of wine. Carmel has treated me like royalty, even doing my washing and fixing the button on my only pair of long pants. On top of that, I slept on a comfortable leather couch. This morning we would drive to the Gold Coast and stay with her mum tonight. She’s 83 and shares the home she’s lived in for more than 50 years with her son (Carmel’s brother). It seems I’ve met the whole family! Carmel’s sister even gave me a birthday card and a bit of cash to help out with my journey. The one thing they all have in common is that they’re all huggers! It’s nice to be around a family where I can hug any of them without them backing off. Tonight it would be a bit of drama because I had a friend in the Gold Coast who desperately wanted to see me, yet she was too far, and my host in Tokyo had to cancel suddenly due to a job commitment in Fukuoka. The perfect cure for all that: wine! Carmel had some scotch and I had a few glasses of vino as a toast to my upcoming 30th birthday! In a few months I shall be back in Australia, and I shall see all the Davy Girls once more!
