tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post7192406713488534667..comments2023-06-28T22:58:28.247+10:00Comments on Sixth In Line: Don't talk to strangersElisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-79119453101427889862012-01-17T21:14:03.558+11:002012-01-17T21:14:03.558+11:00Yes, I think that I detected that warmth, Elisabet...Yes, I think that I detected that warmth, Elisabeth.<br />Even that family photo was taken, presumably, by someone who valued the family. Sad, if he was also the destructive element: it's not a role any parent would elect, I think.u<br />I am reminded of Alan Bennett's comment: "Every family has a secret: the secret is that it's not like other families."Franceshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05588049222095187200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-76303429923481257212012-01-16T18:26:54.890+11:002012-01-16T18:26:54.890+11:00I understood you meant, photos, Frances, but it se...I understood you meant, photos, Frances, but it seems not many people analyse them closely, not like you. But they can reveal a lot, and at the same time they can be deceptive and tricky. <br /><br />And, yes, for all the difficulties in my family of origin, there were also pockets of great warmth, love and affection, especially between us siblings. <br /><br />As for that clock, it has quite a history but I only know about the fact that it entered our childhood lives in Australia from Holland many years ago and that rumour has it my mother intends to leave it to one of my brothers, who, as far as I know, has never expressed an interest in owning it, while one of my sisters who has long expressed the desire to have it left to her, will miss out. <br /><br />Funny that. But it hasn't happened yet, so who's to say? The future and the past can be muddy. <br /><br />Thanks again, Frances.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-1783141025983417582012-01-16T09:34:18.937+11:002012-01-16T09:34:18.937+11:00I meant photos, not posts, Elisabeth.
For example:...I meant photos, not posts, Elisabeth.<br />For example: the large wall clock in your mother's room is unusual. Does it have a history?Franceshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05588049222095187200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-75724614075522952702012-01-16T08:20:14.346+11:002012-01-16T08:20:14.346+11:00It's interesting how you see the handshake, Fr...It's interesting how you see the handshake, Frances. Isabel initiated it, which might be why my fingers appear to curl around hers. There is a story behind the shape of her arm and had, as there is behind mine. I'm very partial to silver jewelry and wear it most of the time. <br /><br />As for the dearth of comments on my more 'revealing' posts, I can't say. I don't experience one post as being more revealing than the other, though I am aware that sometimes I raise subjects that are more discomforting for some from time to time.<br /><br />Thanks, Frances.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-48320320413971039842012-01-16T08:14:18.033+11:002012-01-16T08:14:18.033+11:00One day you too might meet a fellow blogger, Sheil...One day you too might meet a fellow blogger, Sheila, that is if you'd like to do so. Clearly your daughter has relished the experience. <br /><br />It's not a requirement for blogging I'm glad to say, but only an occasional perk if you so desire it and can 'meet 'someone who feels likewise. I certainly won't be meeting fellow bloggers every day.<br /><br />Thanks, Sheila.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-29953321264716862562012-01-16T08:11:23.766+11:002012-01-16T08:11:23.766+11:00It's probably good you took precautions, Young...It's probably good you took precautions, Young at heart before meeting that stranger, your architect whose intentions were perhaps not so honourable. At least you could look after yourself in that instance. What a pity it did not work out so well, though.<br /><br />It's good to see you here, Young at Heart. Thanks.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-89019131573287537802012-01-15T19:32:17.486+11:002012-01-15T19:32:17.486+11:00I write at the end, Elisabeth, so that if my comme...I write at the end, Elisabeth, so that if my comments sound contrarian, most readers won't be aware.<br />I thought that hand was yours, Elisabeth, because I could not see you with a plump hand. I was surprised at the amount of jewellery that you wore: I hadn't thought of you thus. Just interested: I have a friend who wears a ring -(with an expensive stone or 2) on every finger. It just doesn't suit me: but it intrigues me.<br />I notice how your fingers curl around Isabel's hand, but hers don't reciprocate. I assume that you won't become best friends.<br />I have been surprised how little comment there has been on your very revealing photos. I think, for one, of your brother, embarrassed but loving, brushing his little sister's hair. That wouldn't happen nowadays, and it suggests that good things were happening n your family, despite.Franceshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05588049222095187200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-23422302382715114642012-01-14T21:38:32.933+11:002012-01-14T21:38:32.933+11:00glad your meeting went so well.... better safe tha...glad your meeting went so well.... better safe than sorry......I did text a friend with the architect's name, phone number, business, time and place of meeting etc.......just in case!!Young at Hearthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07585882466695145340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-21953086556693487302012-01-14T17:31:28.331+11:002012-01-14T17:31:28.331+11:00Well Cuby Poet, the dog's still fine and the s...Well Cuby Poet, the dog's still fine and the sky hasn't fallen in a week after meeting Isabel. So presumably all's good there too.<br /><br />Thanks.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-50935218440052229212012-01-14T17:30:13.512+11:002012-01-14T17:30:13.512+11:00I'm not sure what I'd have done in the cir...I'm not sure what I'd have done in the circumstances you describe, Dave. Smile and chat I suppose. Even octogenarian men holding pink floppy hats can be fun. <br /><br />Thanks, Dave.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-66841862960203913512012-01-13T23:01:57.003+11:002012-01-13T23:01:57.003+11:00I enjoyed this your style is a pleasure to read.So...I enjoyed this your style is a pleasure to read.So glad that your dog emergency wasn't! Meeting Isabel obviously was a really positive experience which is so good.:)Cubyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12925180435458519715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-75915293222200949682012-01-13T22:19:11.221+11:002012-01-13T22:19:11.221+11:00Fascinating post. The first bit sort of falls into...Fascinating post. The first bit sort of falls into the "aint life funny" category.<br />It's the second that is fascinating - but what would you have done if your blogger friend had turned out to be an octogenarian man carrying a pink floppy hat?Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-66351668643964560362012-01-13T21:58:12.053+11:002012-01-13T21:58:12.053+11:00At the risk of underestimating my dog's experi...At the risk of underestimating my dog's experience, Ann, I think it must have been far worse worrying about your son for a day. A whole day in hospital before whatever it was that ailed him passed. Good thing that it did. Pity about the bill. <br /><br />Thanks, Ann.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-64422616257995750782012-01-13T21:55:55.513+11:002012-01-13T21:55:55.513+11:00It was strange to queue up on the telephone on a S...It was strange to queue up on the telephone on a Sunday morning early, Juliet, and to think of all those animals in distress. <br /><br />I'm glad we did not get to the point of needing to go to the Lort Smith centre, at least not his time, and that i met with good fortune too, as in my meeting Isabel. <br /><br />Thanks, Juliet.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-7396254972865162332012-01-13T21:51:04.846+11:002012-01-13T21:51:04.846+11:00Disappointed? Me,Jim? Never.
I used to think ...Disappointed? Me,Jim? Never. <br /><br />I used to think the same of Gerald Murnane, that he or I would disappoint one another if we were ever to meet. <br /><br />I'd never want to meet him, I thought. Better simply to write to one another. But then we met, a number of times now, at book launches, at talks, at his wife's funeral, and it hasn't altered our relationship or our correspondence. <br /><br />That's because our relationship exists through writing to one another. And that's because Gerald's like you. <br /><br />He has his friends, he has his way of life and that's enough. In some ways I'm that way inclined, too. <br /><br />I listened to my third daughter last night. She was over for dinner following a visit to Sri Lanka for a short holiday. She talked on and on to her father about all the amazing sights they has seen, she and her boyfriend and her friends, the ones who had traveled with them. She raved about all the experiences they had shared. <br /><br />My husband listened, enthralled. He too loves to travel. He'll be off with another daughter, the oldest and her small family, to Thailand and Cambodia in a couple of weeks time. <br /><br />I will stay at home, happy for my own small world.<br /><br />'You should travel more,' my daughter says. 'You should not stay cooped up as you do' Not that I am cooped up. <br /><br />I work. I travel locally, but unless I have a task for which I might travel further, a conference or some such other event, I'd much rather stay at home. <br /><br />I'm sad to hear about your cockatiel. <br /><br />You tend to anthropomorphise him so, but then why shouldn't you? He's been your constant companion. Our dog less so. <br /><br />It would be good to meet, perhaps, but ever so hard. It's good therefore that we live on opposite sides of the world. <br /><br />As you say, it's unlikely we will ever have the chance to disappoint one another in that way. <br /><br />Thanks, Jim.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-77786323034927353842012-01-13T21:42:58.806+11:002012-01-13T21:42:58.806+11:00Great post, we get to meet so many lovely people i...Great post, we get to meet so many lovely people in the blogging world, thanks for your kind commentsPearl Maplehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18422871022765340647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-82545518002164979912012-01-13T20:48:30.347+11:002012-01-13T20:48:30.347+11:00Dog saved you from a hefty vet bill.
Once my son,...Dog saved you from a hefty vet bill.<br /><br />Once my son, then 3 years old, fell, couldn't move his hand, a whole day in the hospital A & E, after a giant bill, and Xray, 5 hours later, he found he could move his hand.Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪https://www.blogger.com/profile/04399207312968010460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-64448805193176037612012-01-13T18:14:47.422+11:002012-01-13T18:14:47.422+11:00The story about your dog gives a new perspective o...The story about your dog gives a new perspective on telephone queues! I loved reading about your meeting with Isabel. Sometimes we just have to trust our feelings and take a chance.Juliethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01542985048406828693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-58011193361086132982012-01-13T18:10:47.933+11:002012-01-13T18:10:47.933+11:00I'd heard of Catfish but it was good to see mo...I'd heard of Catfish but it was good to see more about it through our link. I might try to get hold of the film. It's certainly made me curious as to how the encounter ended. <br /><br />My experience is so much less exciting I believe but perhaps more pleasurable as sometimes the gentler life experience can be.<br /><br />Thanks, Glenn.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-57841008270839606422012-01-13T18:07:34.191+11:002012-01-13T18:07:34.191+11:00I agree River, in such circumstances, it's imp...I agree River, in such circumstances, it's important to meet in a public place, otherwise who knows what might happen. <br /><br />As you say blog encounters are not unlike other meetings with so-called strangers. <br /><br />As soon as we meet for the first time, after only the first few minutes, we are no longer strangers.<br /><br />Thanks, River.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-31968034598915533012012-01-13T18:05:01.921+11:002012-01-13T18:05:01.921+11:00I suppose all our offerings on line can be like ca...I suppose all our offerings on line can be like candy, Who, and therefore can be seen as a seduction or as a generous offering. I suppose it all depends on the motive behind the offer. <br /><br />Hopefully, it's a good one, and when we offer our comments to one another we do not do so to corrupt or falsely seduce, but to extend the hand of friendship and an empathic listening ear. <br /><br />Thanks, Dusty Who.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-32611837747587176202012-01-13T18:01:30.533+11:002012-01-13T18:01:30.533+11:00Cyberspace bullying is a significant problem, Wind...Cyberspace bullying is a significant problem, Windsmoke, particularly among the younger folk. <br /><br />I can only hope it doesn't happen to me or mine, or to you and yours. <br /><br />Somehow it seems to me it's less likely to happen to older folk, though that said, perhaps it's more of an issue for lonely and vulnerable folk regardless of their age.<br /><br />Thanks, Windsmoke.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-12725905720623821242012-01-13T17:58:33.829+11:002012-01-13T17:58:33.829+11:00I get sick of our dog from time to time, Ms Moon a...I get sick of our dog from time to time, Ms Moon and then I love him to bits. It's an up and down thing. <br /><br />I don't think you're at all bad for being sick of your dogs, especially when they are multiple and when they give you trouble over time. <br /><br />Ours is less troublesome as he ages, but he too can be demanding and when he piddles inside, I too find I can't stand him, but I have to forgive him otherwise what's the point of having him. Though truth is, he's not my dog. He belongs to certain of the daughters. <br /><br />Thanks, Ms Moon.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-5631563121194298912012-01-13T17:54:02.282+11:002012-01-13T17:54:02.282+11:00I agree, Elizabeth, our blog connections can be as...I agree, Elizabeth, our blog connections can be as real and authentic as any of our real connections, only they are different. <br /><br />We do not have as much to go on. We rely on words and images and sometimes even sound, but it's not the same as face to face. <br /><br />Technology is a great help but it also comes between us. It also allows many more connections than we could otherwise possibly enjoy in real life. <br /><br />I'm very grateful to have both in my life: the real and the virtual. To me both can become their opposites: the real can become virtual and vice versa. <br /><br />Thanks, ElizabethElisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-32883395995814817512012-01-13T17:49:55.896+11:002012-01-13T17:49:55.896+11:00Disappointment with our fellow bloggers when we ac...Disappointment with our fellow bloggers when we actually meet them is, as you say,Kirk, a far greater likelihood than getting kidnapped.<br /><br />But isn't it funny how we rise to the extreme fantasy and ignore the deeper possibility. <br /><br />I hope I would not be disappointed meeting you, nor you me, Kirk, despite our respective vocal defects. <br /><br />Thanks.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.com