FAMILIAR

the celebrated mr k comes round for lunch
usually he performs his tricks on saturday
but today is an exception
fireseed dons apron for the first time in quite a while
and rustles up a bean and tomato salad
and tofu and bean curry
on a bed of couscous
mrs f pitches in with some vegetable pancakes
and some fried potatoes
we wash it down
with a few gulps of australian shiraz cabernet
suitably fed
mr k takes a seriously good look at our new computer
soon he's downloading this, that and the other software
which will turn this beast of a machine
the heart of my music studio
into a true powerhouse!
one thing he sadly can't do is recover my lost photos and songs
but i have long since mentally resigned myself
to losing them anyway
hannah e and i walk mr k to the bus stop
through the puddled streets of mangwon
the rain has returned after a two-day break
the changma hangs suspended...
for the first time in ages
i talk down the blower to my little bro
john geoffrey
three years my junior
a sweet and intelligent boy
if a little temperamental at times
unfortunately the poor lad is in agony
he can't sit up and he can't lie down
he put his back out yesterday
doing a bit of light lifting
and woke up this morning
stiff as a proverbial board
he has spent the last two years renovating a house
buying to resell
to get onto the property ladder
it has been a labour of love
he has landscaped the garden
repaired the exterior
done up the interior
all practically singlehanded
i take my hat off to him
i am proud of his practical nature
particularly as putting up a shelf
presents me with a major challenge
it is going to be good to catch up
spend a bit of time with him
after six long years away
hannah loves her funny uncle johnny
she talks about him a lot
funny uncle tells me he's just started dating a 21-year-old
he turns 36 on tuesday
i guess that's what you could call good going!