A Meeting of Like Minds

[wizardfromoz]

Brian @Condobloke and I first "met" at a previous forum and site 7 years ago, coming up around 1st October.

Over the following year we became firm and fast friends, emailed and talked on the telephone and had ideas of meeting, when he and his wife Te lived in Condobolin in north-west New South Wales, only about a 7 - 8 hour drive from Elaine and me (not a lot of distance in Australia).

Before we could arrange same, he and Te moved overseas, and ultimately spent a couple of years in the Philippines, her homeland.

They returned to Australia last year just in the nick of time before international borders closed due to COVID.

After 6 months back here, they bought a house in Glen Innes only 160 km away from us, in northern NSW, but our state borders were closed with COVID.

So this morning there was a knock on my front door, and who should be there but Brian and Te.

Here's a couple of pics.

Wizard is the good looking bloke on the left

Te, Brian, and my long-suffering wife Elaine

Probably more photos to come, and I hope many more meetings

Wizard

Post script - and there were at least two more occasions, but sadly, eleven and a half months after this occasion, Elaine passed away from Systemic Lupus, a condition she had carried with dignity and courage for over 21 years (I was her Carer for that time)

 

[f33dm3bits]

Great to see how the internet can bring people together and sometimes turn online friends in real life friends and forever friends.

 

[wizardfromoz]

Great to see how the internet...

I totally agree.

More on my tomorrow.

Stay safe, my friends.

Wizard

 

[wizardfromoz]

I should say before I sign off for my evening, that not the least of Brian & Te's party was their dog, Belle (pronounced "Bella", I learned), a wonderful and venerable canine lady who seemed to like us as much as we liked her

Later

Chris

 

[Condobloke]

And....so the 'ice' is broken...it 'only' took 7 years.
Te, Belle and I drove up to Stanthorpe the night before....
......Landed on Chris & Elaine's doorstep around 7.40am
The look of utter amazement on Chris's face was well worth the effort !

As Chris noted above, Belle was overjoyed to be with good people....as were we.

I am going to hit the sack for the night......have to rise again at 3.40am for Te's work.

 

[stan]

So happy your meeting has finally happened... it's been a long time coming! That it was a SURPRISE makes it all the more special. All the best to you all. Cheers!

 

[KGIII]

Glad it went well! The pics are awesome!

I've met tons of people in real life that I originally met online. All except one was pretty awesome. The one that wasn't was the one I tried dating for a while. That one did not end well. No, sir. No, it did not.

That said, if anyone is in Maine and in my area, lemme know and I may have some free time. (I have delicious food and delightful wine!)

 

[wizardfromoz]

......Landed on Chris & Elaine's doorstep around 7.40am
The look of utter amazement on Chris's face was well worth the effort !

Cheeky sod, took years off my life!

Brian and Stan and I have a 3-way conversation going for years, and in it he/I said

Yesterday at 7:03 AM
Where are you this morning, Chris ?…wide awake and bushy tailed ?

Yesterday at 7:27 AM
Probably as cold at your place as it is at mine, I reckon….

(Me)
Yesterday at 7:31 AM
Zero feels like -2.1 - more coffee

Yours says 0.3 feels like -3.5

Let's get out and sunbake

10 minutes later, he and Te and Belle were on my doorstep.

I opened the door (a frost was outside) and exclaimed

"F*** me! What are YOU doing here???"

and then recovered my composure and said

"Pardon the French Te (and Belle) ... come in, come in", and told Elaine we had visitors.

SO funny.

He's a bugger, our Brian, but lovable.

 

[Condobloke]

Priceless. There is no other word for it.

The test of a moment like that is : Would I do it again ?

YES...in a heartbeat, no hesitation.

 

[Deleted member 101831]

I'm glad you two were able to get together.

 

[wizardfromoz]

Thank you Nelson , and for the likes and laughs and loves, everybody.

These "unprecedented times" (COVID) have been so tumultuous, and so stressful.

There is always a possibility that our Queensland and New South Wales borders might close again, and send us into lockdown. So Elaine and I were ever so thankful that, when Te had a day off on Monday, she and Brian did a carpe diem and seized the day and said words to the effect of

"Bugger it. Let's go and meet Chris and Elaine".

And about "like minds"?

I had the same idea in mind for some weeks, and was just waiting for a weekend when Elaine (who has a painful bursa in her right hip making it difficult to walk and travel) would have a good day, and then it might have been Chris and Elaine showing up on their doorstep.

Cheers

 

[Condobloke]

I was mindful of the fact that Te had the Monday off (Queens Birthday), but I waited until I could see that she was feeling good and tiredness from the previous weeks work had left her.
I walked out into the lounge room and said......I think we had better go and see Chris & Elaine.....Te replied.."when?....I said ..."Now".
30 minutes later we were out the door.

 

[wizardfromoz]

More pics

BELLE says "Hey, I wanna be in the pictures too. Woof."

 

[Condobloke]

Looks like we may have just made it into Queensland by the skin of our teeth !!!....maybe...

(June 17th 2021)

Queensland introduces new border pass system

www.9news.com.au

""Queensland has introduced a new travel declaration pass that will have to be completed by any travellers entering the state, regardless of whether they have been to a COVID-19 hotspot.""

This is an online declaration, so not particularly arduous. It will make contact tracing much easier for those in the business of doing so in Qld.

I can see some people (who are inclined that way), telling fibs on their declaration and setting in motion further restrictions to get over the Queensland/NSW border.
Passing through Wallangarra last Sunday would leave a person wondering if there was a border there at all !....but just let a few fibs be told and I am sure the barricades will spring from nowhere !

 

[wizardfromoz]

Good timing, then, Brian, on your parts - Phew!

(Could've been worse, if the borders had closed while you were here, we would be stuck with you).

 

[Condobloke]

.....and then you & Elaine could have sampled Te's cooking !

 

[wizardfromoz]

Damn! Knew there was an up side to that scenario tickling around the back of my mind.

 

[Nik-Ken-Bah]

@wizardfromoz
Just looking at your photo and I have a feeling somewhere in our lives we have crossed paths but I just can't place where or when. Though should we have done so it was a brief nameless encounter or just travelers to somewhere or while waiting to go to destinations unknown.

 

[wizardfromoz]

Davy maybe if we meet one day (which would be wonderful) we can puzzle it out together

 

[wizardfromoz]

Over a steak and a beer, of course