Cheese: the meaning of life?

 

 There's not much in life that can't be resolved by eating cheese with a spoon!

Life's all been a bit big lately: after a few days off post-flinging myself down the stairs, I headed to my hometown, Adelaide, 3,400 kms away, for my grandfather's memorial. My brothers came over from Melbourne, several relatives came over from Port Hedland in Western Australia, it was surprisingly huge in many senses of the word. What I found particularly fascinating was the difference between my memory of Grandpa and the memories of some of my cousins. I am the eldest grandchild, followed closely by my first brother, and when we were growing up in the '70s Grandpa still worked. After us there is a gap of between eight and 17 years for my cousins and my youngest brother, and it seems Grandpa in his retirement was a much mellower man than the one I remember.

While in Adelaide, I got to spend some good, quality time with my family, got rip roaringly drunk on Frangelico with my youngest brother (my hangover felt more sugar- than alcohol-induced - ugh!), did the rounds of the Adelaide Central Market where I wished I could have bought the entire Gorgonzola pictured above, met my new baby nephew, and stocked up big time for my Etsy shop. I found some really great pieces that I am very excited about - coming soon! 

By sheer coincidence, there was a 25 year school reunion on the Friday night I was there. I wimped out because it was a long way from my Mum's house where I was staying that night, and by the time we got to the day of the wake I was so glad I hadn't gone - it would have been way too much emotion to tackle the reunion, which would have been the first I'd been to, and also see my grandma, who is suffering from dementia, and go to the wake all in the one weekend.

Grandma was a classic though. She was present when my grandfather died, but, naturally, her condition means she forgets this. Most of the time she forgets he's even gone. She suggested to my youngest brother and I that we should go and visit him in his room up the hallway in the nursing home, "But," she added, "He's not been very well lately. In fact, he's a bit useless these days!" Awkward!