Last time I took a few days off a few people were worried about me. Now isn't that wonderful? It is good to know I have friends in cyberspace who like to know where I am.

Well, I will be missing for a couple of days this week. Ray is off to Camp Breakaway, I think he must be one of the people they ring if they have a cancellation. I am always happy when he gets a chance to go and he is excited too as this time one of the men who go to Scallywags will be there too. Imagine being provided with food, music and entertainment, no chores to do, no cranky wife to please. It must be like Paradise for him for a few days.

I am going down to see my Sydney family like I did in May. I actually have builders here working on my carport but Trev will be here and there is access to power and water even with the house locked up so they are okay. Of course the predicted weather is cold, windy, rainy etc for the trip but trains are warm and I will manage okay. And it will be good to see Naomi who calls me Nanny/Granma because she can't remember which one I am. That is the pity of living at a distance from those you love.

One of my real time friends is back home after almost three months overseas so I went and had afternoon tea with her. She was full of her tales of trips to Scandinavia and Italy. Her late husband was Italian and she learned Italian for three years so she could visit the aunts and cousins and speak to them in their own language, quite an achievement. She said sometimes they looked puzzled at what she said and then changed the subject so she wasn't completely understood but the tales she told had me laughing. Good to have friends in real time. Glad she is back though.

I know there are lots of posts on missing the friends you used to have. I've done as much of that as anyone here. There were a lot of people I thought were good friends who I no longer see. That is partly my fault as life changed and I couldn't keep up with them anymore. Sad though as when our friendships break down both sides are losers. There are no winners as good friends are hard to replace, particularly ones you have shared a lot with. I wish I could gather all of mine in one place, so they could look around and see how many people have blessed my family and I in the one lifetime. Wonder if they would look around and be puzzled by what "those others" were doing there? Too often the only time the friends of a lifetime gather is at funerals, with the central figure unable to join in the fun!!

So Kristen, I will be away for a few days but "I will", as Arnie says," be back."