That Was A Fun Day

Highlight of yesterday - both Mistress and my mother had told me not to do something, to do with the zipper on my camera bag, had gotten stuck with the cord attached to my actual camera.  I continued to play with the zipper, trying to rip the cord away from it.  Mum looked at Mistress and said 'stubborn, isn't he?'  Mistress replied, 'yes, yes he is.'  And they both turned their long suffering stares to me, at the same time.  Might be strange to say, but it was awesome.  No, I won't try to analyse that just for the moment, because I have a feeling my head will explode if I try lol.

So yes, Mistress was fixing up the computer in the morning - well, she fixed her computer, but then the interwebs died, or went to dial up speed, and it was frustrating the hell out of her.  And then we had another delivery of internet ordered dresses, and she was all excited again, trying on the new clothes.  With seven new dresses and two new tops over the last couple of weeks, she said she won't have to do any more new clothes shopping for five years.  Sir and I both think she will need new stuff in a year, at maximum.  So then she was deciding what to wear out and make that vital first impression on my mother.  And I was going squee (in a happy way) at the thought of those two particular worlds colliding.

We went up to the Botanic Gardens, and found a parking spot and there were Mum and Dad and Grandma.  Mistress still hadn't got the hang of my mother's name, because sometime during the gardens visit, she called Mum Bev, which isn't her name lol.  My relatives hadn't had lunch but were going to suggest just having rubbish fast food from the coffee stand, but Mistress suggested we go to the actual sit down cafe.  Which we did, and after two minutes of waiting for a table to clear, we had the sit down cafe thing.

Mistress was talking to Mum and Grandma about what food to get, and what food to share with me.  Sitting across the other end of the table from her, and I was saying that we would be throwing the food like frisbees across to each other.  And then me and Dad got up to put the actual orders in, and I glanced across at the table, at Mistress and Mum and Grandma deep in conversation, and I had one of those 'this is perfect' feelings going on.  I mean, Mistress could have been tearing me limb from limb in the conversation, but from my vantage point, it was one of those I could die happy moments.

Then Mistress got more talking about me time without me listening, as one of the employment agencies rang with a job proposal, likely to get back to me in the next couple of days, with a probable start date of Monday.  Which was nice.  And the meal itself, chorizo pizza and caesar salad, sharing with Mistress, was absolutely divine.  There are a set of war memorials overlooking the city, so we had a look at those, and the most perfect vantage point of the central city there is, and the story about how my grandmother got her photo on the front page for VE Day came out.  Which is always a funny one, my great grandfather was not impressed when he opened up the paper the day after VE.  Grandma was surrounded by soldiers, one of which had his arm around her waist.

Grandma had a bit of a sit down - her powers of walking extended periods of time aren't what they used to be - while Mum, Dad, Mistress and I had a bit of a wander of the gardens.  And it is just about the perfect time for a lot of the flowers to come out.  I was very glad I had brought my camera.

I was going to stick around with the parents while Mistress went home and picked up the kids for dinner, but Mistress had said earlier in the day, are you going to the restaurant in that - looking rather disdainfully at my jeans and tshirt Botanic Gardens wear - and followed that up with I bet your grandmother would really like to see you in a suit.  And well, when Mistress puts on that strong suggestion voice, I am putty in her hands.  So I caught the ride home with Mistress - mmm, that word, home - and felt very grown up when saying to Mum I will catch you later, as I headed into someone else's car.  It's the small things, sometimes.

Got into my suit, got the kids ready, Mistress slipped into another new dress, something a bit more eveningware, and we headed out to restaurant.  Sir had made the booking at a place he knows, very swish, and was glad I wore the suit.  I think it impressed the hell out of my parents, and especially my grandmother.  She had never seen me in a suit before.  And as I said before, restaurant very swish, not the usual happy meal and shake variety lol.  There was a staff member to escort you to table, a staff member to wait on you, and a staff member bringing out drinks.  The food itself was buffet, no, we didn't go to Sizzler LOL, but again, very lovely, and all the chefs behind the counters had those chef hats - even the girl serving the ice cream.

Oh yes, that is what I had for mains - you can't go wrong with pizza, roast lamb and steak on the same plate.  I also had curry, but I was too full by that stage.  And I did have cauliflower and broccoli on the plate, just that didn't get eaten either.  Though I told Mum that since being Here, I have had more fruit and veges in a month than I have the previous decade lol.  Mum and Mistress were sitting next to each other, getting along like a house on fire.  There is one photo I took of the two of them, where they look like giggling school girls.

Oh dear, how much trouble am I going to be in from the TWO of them, now that they have met and like each other LOL.

Oh, and the seating arrangement came together quite organically, and, dare I say it, quite perfectly for the situation.  Table of eight, two rows of four seats facing each other.  The two kids took the furthrest seats, facing each other, then it was the three girls and the three boys.  Mistress sitting next to the children, Sir sitting across from her, and me sitting immediately diagonal to Mistress.  Which, as complicated as the situation is, was a good seating set up.

Convival conversation, grins all over the place, Sir and the kids behaving, well, Sir kinda sorta doing so.  Then Sir taking the kids home, Mistress and I walking the parentals and grandparental to the pedestrian crossing - they were only staying a block away from the restaurant.  And driving home in the car ourselves.

Was an absolutely fantastic day.  Mum and Mistress really like each other, and I texted Mum later on, and she was impressed with Sir and the kids as well.  Keeping all the balls of everyone being happy as much as I could, even though it was so relaxed and so easy going, had exhausted me.  I made Sir a cup of tea when we got home, and crashed into bed, at 10.30 - way early for me.