Dear Inner Circle,

On the footpath yesterday as I approached our building, a young man and woman welcomed me into their conversation. Although the man is homeless, you’d be hard pressed to find a more positive person among the entrepreneurs and “go getting” young business people anywhere in this city. The young woman is an arrestingly beautiful yet shy person. We were then joined by a fourth person, a woman not known to me or to either of the young people. The young fellow shared his name and then the young woman said, “Hi, my name is Gretel – as in Hansel and Gretel.” The lovable bloke said, “Yeah, I’ve been leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for Gretel but she won’t follow me.” “Yeah,” she said quietly and with wisdom beyond her years, “That’s because I’m not living in a fairy tale”.

Robyn and I had the joy of two of our grandchildren for the weekend. Grandma and Aunty took Miss 11 to a crochet class while Miss 9 spent some time with me. We ended up at Luna Park where I went on a pile of rides that a bloke my age should not have to endure. My beautiful girl had a lot of fun and I finished the day with a sore neck and back. Naturally, I’d do it again in a heartbeat because a grandparent’s job is nothing other than to create a happy memory. Next time I’m with Miss 9 however, I’m going to take her somewhere where we can get mugged and robbed. It would achieve a similar outcome without the need to wait in queues.

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