We added to our Taipei tradition of watching the AFL Grand Final at Patio 84 on Saturday. Formerly the Green Bar, we started watching the big game there so many years ago that it's difficult to recall: let's just say it's more than one decade and less than two! Many of the same old jokes eventually came out as well, including the always hilarious cry of "Who's throwing coasters?!" which Marcus skillfully demonstrates in the last photo above.
This celebration was tinged with sadness as our trusty companion, Shaun, will no longer be with us in coming years as he's packing up mid-year and traveling back to Tassie with his family. My half time brickbats and bouquets to the tipping club participants went off without a hitch, although I do admit I avoided saying too much about farewells lest I lapse into sentimentality and suddenly find myself unable to talk!
There are a plethora of farewells coming up: Dame Nellie Melba springs to mind as does our mate Lewy who organized about 4 farewell shows just for himself! This time, Shaun is already having an official farewell downtown at the Hyatt organised by the school, a full on weekend of golf and roasting organized by some mates and another friend's gathering at a restaurant downtown which we will attend. The AFL final was an un-offcial gathering, but Wal and I will hope to get Shaun down to Uli's at some point as well, if he can squeeze anything else into his already very full dance card!
Cass enjoyed the usual stellar fare at Il Mercato's cafe on Friday night for her Book Club monthly get-together. The weather was squirly with a typhoon bothering the northern tip of the country as it meandered its way to Japan. The wind and rain didn't deter all of them, but they were a little light on their usual number. Nevertheless, they enjoyed the outing and vowed to double time on the book talk next occasion, as they demurred on the discussion this time due to the absentees.
We watched the wonderful Sydney Roosters clinically dissect the Melbourne Storm in the NRL Grand Final on Sunday evening. What heroics and brutal defense! What courage to play through shocking injuries! It was quite the spectacle and emulated the huge excitement in a very close contest the day before.
We've been so busy grading essays at work that we've barely drawn a breath lately: 100 or so each later we've just handed them back ready for another onslaught on Wednesday and Thursday. We've decided that we need to reward ourselves after that, so in the next break we're jetting off to the Thai city of Chiang Mai and the luxe resort of X2 Riverside. Should be blissful.....we just have to make it there now!
Cass finished Richard Flanagan's First Person but I ditched it half way through. She's now reading Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday and I'm reading the latest Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child, The Midnight Line