Summerabbacat

I was sick for about 9 months after the last COVID vaccine. Within 12 hours of having it my blood pressure shot up to 170/120 and I had to double my medication from 5mg to 10mg per day, I had debilitating fevers, oedema in both legs, blinding headaches and extreme fatigue. This lasted for about 9 months, then in one day I had to halve my medication as my blood pressure suddenly plummeted. I vowed never to have another COVID vaccine after that. Mind you, I usually get sick after the 'flu vaccine too. I had that vaccine last Friday and am still under the weather from it.

I wonder if there is such a thing as a vegetarian or vegan wolf @Laura S. Fox? I cannot think of eating anything more disgusting than meat, especially if it is still raw, so I guess I will have to remain wholly human if given the opportunity to shift. Even as a 10 year old pup Theo was already a cocky and somewhat petulant creature, bound to alienate others as he aged. Jack is closer to him in age and retains a childlike innocence and lack of cynicism which is likely to resonate more with young Theo than Vince's more adult behaviour. Jack's exclamation "Liar, liar, pants on fire" had me rolling on the floor with laughter. Just as he has done with the adult Theo, Jack has managed to confuse, infuriate and charm the young pup, Theo, sometimes all at the same time.

Very considerate of you. I have mild asthma and a somewhat limited immune system and pick up anything going around. I am one of the few people I know who has not had COVID, although the last vaccine I had may as well have been COVID itself given how sick I got when I had it.

"He was wearing dark sunglasses and a mauve coloured tracksuit, and looking every bit the showman – even in lockdown. ‘Darlings! I couldn’t let this little reunion happen without popping in to pay my respects,’ he announced, sweeping Kevin into a theatrical hug. ‘And I come bearing plans! Now, where are your parents?’" I had an immediate image of Patrick aka Trinity de la Creme resembling Bob Downe in the outfit he arrived in. It is hard to imagine @Mark Ponyboy Peters that Mark Trevorrow aka Bob Downe is 67 years of age now. The Prince of Polyester direct from Murwillumbah is now old enough to receive the Age Pension. It appeared neither Kevin's sister, Pippa, nor his mother, Trish, cared much for Ruth. I wonder if they knew or suspected something about her which Kevin did not, or if maybe they have a little gaydar of their own and suspected Kevin might be more interested in Ruth's brother if she had one. We are well past the worst of the 'COVID years', but I still wear a mask on public transport in Sydney. There are so many other viruses doing the rounds at any given time, and so many filthy, disgusting, inconsiderate "humans" who delight in sharing their toxicity with everyone else, that I feel it quite necessary to continue to do so. One of my cats was in an emergency hospital twice during the 'COVID years' and on the second occasion I was not allowed to visit her. This for me was very upsetting and challenging. This story continues to charm, delight and entertain Mark. A bloody little ripper.

"As Francesco left, Olivia said “You’re not such a dork afterall, you know some cool dudes” “I’ll take that as a compliment” Olivia went back to her cabin to freshen up and Caleb went for snacks." I will admit I can be a snarky bitch at times, but I am disliking Olivia a little more each time she makes an appearance and opens her mouth. Her behaviour is far more akin to a de Havilland than a Newton-John. I wonder if she has a sister named Joan. Rodney seems very pleasant, but I have to wonder if he might find a more suitable companion with an older version of Maz, Raz or Shaz. Francesco learned a hard lesson when he returned to the circus. He had previously thought of Jack, Candy, Wanda and the other circus performers as his family. To Jack at least, he was nothing more than an employee, a product to attract prospective buyers, the audience. To his "gentlemen" callers, whom Jack apparently knew about, he was a cumdump. He was fortunate to have already made Ruby's acquaintance prior to leaving the circus; had he not done so he could have been in dire straits. I hope he reaches out to James, even if only for friendship.

Wow! Sam is an even bigger c u next Tuesday than what we readers could possibly have imagined. I think for what they are worth, Margaret should have taken out a restraining order preventing Sam from coming near the family home. She would not have done it, but at least James, Evan or the police should have planted the idea in her mind. I have no doubt Sam will become violent once he learns the money tree has been cut down. I doubt Margaret has a "digital footprint" which in the circumstances is a good thing as the fraud could have been worse. Sam's father has a lot to answer for, which he of course can no longer do. I cannot believe that he did not know what was going on, although he may not have been aware of the full extent of Sam's nefarious activities.

Martin once again displayed his generosity with lending his car to Justin so he can drive to Albury to see his mother and sister to celebrate his birthday. Would he have been so generous if Benjamin was not accompanying Justin? I believe it is likely he would. I imagine his generosity in the past was used and abused by Natasha. The situation with Ray has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. The root cause for Ray's behaviour, an abusive uncle. For a moment @Paladin I thought we may have another story cross over. The role reversal with the "talk" was amusing. It reminded me of an acquaintance, long deceased, who at one time had a boyfriend whose father and his boyfriend used to accompany them regularly to a gay sauna.

I think Caleb was very lucky Gran did not rip him a new one. She may have been angry, but she certainly restrained herself, particularly when Caleb disclosed the real reason as to why he was late. Gran's speculation regarding Philippe was likely well founded too. I think her speculation took Caleb by surprise, which is a little concerning as he appears to believe whatever he is told as being the truth. Perhaps when Gran reveals to him what Kevin spiked his hydrating water with he may become a little more circumspect.

"He made to pick up the towel, which gave me a view of his nice smooth, shapely and definitely very-ample bum. I put my hand on his back. "Leave that. I want to enjoy the view a bit longer." Mmmmm, delicious. It appears the baker's buns weren't the only ones which appealed to Alex. I do so hope he enjoyed feasting on all. I daresay Neil would have responded positively to being feasted upon too, a tantalising tongue removing any shyness or reservations he may have had about man sex. Clearly he was hoping for an evening of homoeroticism having lied about his motorbike being in for repairs. The restrained writing was titillating @Gary L, Robert's method for getting we readers to use our imagination. The conversation about buns, subtle but provocative, or is it just me because winter is approaching and it is damn cold (it is only 18°C at the moment so I have the heater on). I agree with @Gary L @Robert Hugill, the restrained writing matches the slow burn of the "relationship" between Alex and Neil to date. Now that Neil has experienced man sex he may be voracious for more, and given his statement he does not do one-night stands, Alex may find himself "putting out" frequently.

This is my concern @mayday. If she was merely playing the dutiful wife all these years, not daring to disobey her husband's rejection of their son, I could perhaps understand, but I am inclined to think this was not the case. I still do not trust her as she is still making excuses for Sam, when even blind Freddie could see Sam is an aggressive, self-centred, dishonest leech. Time will tell, but I am still very sceptical about James' mother's "real" motives for her apparent change of heart.

I think the "real" Caleb has been kidnapped by aliens, perhaps those who kidnapped Fallon Carrington Colby back in the 1980's in the Mojave Desert, California. Caleb has to date always been such a responsible, sensible and thoughtful teenager, with nary a sign of rebellion. Suddenly he is behaving like a normal teenager, without a care for anyone but himself. I blame that hussy, Olivia, putting her hand on his knee, it has released a deluge of hormones into his body, confusing his brain and convincing him he should be drinking, fucking anything which moves and bugger the consequences. In all seriousness though, this is the second time Caleb has shown extraordinary naïveté in going off somewhere with someone he does not know. I would have thought his unpleasant encounter with Kevin might would made him a little more wary, but seemingly it has not. I assume he will return in time and Gran will read him the riot act. It may be the first time she and her Sonny boy have a serious argument. If anything good does come of this latest incident, it will be that he is NOT interested in Olivia and anything she may have on offer.

COVID in the early days of 2020 was terrifying and it came so shortly after the catastrophic bushfires of summer 2019/2020. In NSW alone it is estimated approximately 800 million animals died, with the NSW, VIC and QLD total being estimated in excess of 1 billion. They are the forgotten victims by and large, with many only remembering how many people died or lost their homes. No further comments from @Summerabbacat on this issue. I echo the sentiments expressed by my fellow readers; Kieran's discussion with Toby could not have gone any better. "We sat together as the afternoon light shifted across the room. Toby slowly relaxed again, asking a few more careful questions. I answered every one of them without judgement. This was my little brother, my Tobes, growing up right in front of me. It wasn’t always easy, but it was moments like this that reminded me why I took the big brother role so seriously." Some of your most moving prose yet @Mark Ponyboy Peters. It reminded me of The Seventeenth Summer, which for me remains your magnum opus. I "see" a lot of similarities between it and Traditions, which is one of the reasons I am enjoying Traditions so much. And I am very, very, very pleased Toby has made a reappearance. I hope this chapter heralds an expanding role for him in future chapters.

Who ever would have thunk it, a lemon-scented Gran, engaging in sapphic pleasures with her high school friend, Marie. There is more to Gran than meets the eye, it seems she has possessed cunning linguist skills since her teens. Caleb is in a little dilemma, he appears to have enjoyed Olivia's wandering hands during the movie they attended together. Gran's wise counsel to essentially go with the flow will hopefully resolve his dilemma.

Anton von Strassberg. Another nazi in Lawrence's book of suspects. Anton with a severely bloated opinion of his intelligence and importance, buoyed by the sycophantic Ableard, a "fluffer" for all Anton's needs. Apart from Bastien, the only other member of the Golden Circle who has shown any degree of pleasantry is Felix, Ali's alleged twin. The rest appear to be in awe of Bastien, perhaps threatened by his wealth and apparent beauty, and intimidated by Anton's cold, supercilious manner. Even if he is not the murderer, Anton needs to be brought down a peg or two as he is an arrogant sonofabitch.

Never be concerned about any similarities in your creations @Robert Hugill as most are so very likeable. Even the horrid ones such as Venetia and Deirdre provide entertainment value because we can enjoy detesting them. I think of all your creations the only ones who were truly loathsome and without any redeeming features at all were Nathan, Jasper, Jackie, Norman and Sheila, and Rory's father Lachlan.

Mary, Raelene and Sharon, the bogans known as Maz, Raz and Shaz are striking out left, right and centre. So far all the men they have lusted after and/or hit on have been gay. They have been gracious in defeat though, with none of them spouting the oft said "what a waste". They may have thought it, but not said it, at least not "on screen". A "Gran-free" chapter @Wombat Bill did not have anywhere near the usual humour, but was very enjoyable nevertheless. She really is quite a feisty woman, with a renewed zest for life due to her Sonny boy. I would like to see her come up against the odious Rani, Rajani's bitch of a sister. Gran would tear strips off the nasty little spoilt princess.

Although the music, opera etc is all a bit high brow for a pop philistine like myself, I am enjoying the characters and storylines you are developing as is always the case with your works @Robert Hugill. Neil is one of your more "challenging" characters, quite a mystery thus far. Shy, very private and often apologising for his behaviour, a little like young Matt from Not Just Another Summer.

I am somewhat facetiously referring to him as Boris. He, Boris, is 58 years of age now, but looks much older. He has been married three times and has a number of children by wives/girlfriends/one night stands and has been in jail too. When a popular tennis player he seemed so wholesome, but seemingly he was either a good actor or he made too much many and succumbed to too many temptations.

Maybe they could reclaim the word poofter and be the Port Mac Poofters. Or one especially for you, Friends Of Kylie.

Now I see. When @Mark Ponyboy Peters mentioned Babe Ruth above I thought it must have had something to do with baseball (I have heard of him), but failed to make a connection between baseball and a candy bar. In Australia we would not refer to it as a candy bar either, it would be referred to by its name and classified as a chocolate.

Wow! It is a tough call as to who is the bigger drama queen. Carmen or Leo. Carmen is loud, loquacious and unnaturally effervescent, especially at 8.00am. She is best taken in small doses, preferably whilst wearing noise-cancelling headphones. Leo is unrealistic, demanding and behaving like an entitled millennial princess. He revealed to Noah he has been attracted to him for sometime, whereas for Noah his attraction to Leo is brand new. Leo has demanded they announce their "new" relationship to friends and family alike forthwith, a very selfish demand I think. Firstly, we do not know in which nation Leo and Noah live. It may be all sunny and pleasant weather wise, but what are its laws as they relate to LGBTQI citizens? Are its citizens conservative by nature, brainwashed by religious dogma and/or violent towards anyone different? Secondly, Leo and Noah have only kissed to date (or have I forgotten sexual activity between the two). If and when they have sex, one or the other or both may not enjoy it and realise they wish to remain just friends. If they declare their "new" relationship and then it goes nowhere, both will look like fools. Leo needs to calm down so he and Noah can explore a relationship without being pressured by anyone other than themselves. Having said all this, I do like Leo and Noah may need a little push, but not straight away. As for Noah's father, he is like a broken record. You should be more ambitious to make more money which is the ultimate goal in life, or at least should be. Oh just fuck off Peter. A very enjoyable story thus far @ObicanDecko.

Caleb's naïveté surprised me somewhat given his significant involvement at school in the identification of the online grooming of a younger student. Furthermore, he recognised Olivia was interested in him for something more than friendship, but not Kevin who was far more blatant than Olivia. Kevin surprised me somewhat with his rash behaviour. I suspect he must have slipped a roofie into Caleb's glass of "rehydrating" water for Caleb to have been affected so quickly. In an enclosed environment like a cruise ship, particularly after having been hit on by Maz and disclosed he was not Caleb' father, Kevin's behaviour was incredibly stupid. Maz is to be congratulated for her quick thinking in this situation, the outcome of which could have been so much worse for Caleb. In one respect it is beneficial the incident occurred as it did. If Kevin had behaved in the same manner in the world at large, Caleb would likely have been in far greater danger than he was in the enclosed environ of the cruise ship. I imagine Caleb will be far more wary from now on. I would not like to be in Kevin's shoes if Gran gets a hold of him. He may find himself gelded. Kevin is an idiot and Olivia is a rather spoilt and self-centred princess @Wombat Bill. I am not fond of either.

I still don't get it. A possible pregnancy did not occur to me because in the previous chapter Kevin stated ‘I’ve been seeing this girl, on and off, for a while now. Her name is Ruth. Nothing too serious, we’ve fooled around a little . . . haven’t actually had sex . . . but we’re still in touch." Kevin has no reason to lie about this, so a pregnancy is very unlikely, at least one where he is the father. My immediate thought was Ruth has somehow discovered Kevin may be bisexual, but then dismissed this as very unlikely. My next thought, which is still my current thought, is Ruth has met someone else and/or has realised she is a dyke. Jack's appearance in this story surprised me somewhat @Mark Ponyboy Peters. I assumed, quite wrongly it would seem, that Something In The Water was set some time in the past, but it appears to be current. I have to wonder if that story was a segue into The Third Generation i.e. Kieran, Charlie and now possibly Kevin, becoming part of a larger gay group including The Second Generation i.e. Luke, Matt, Tim, Guy, Scott Justin, Tony and Aaron, linked by Jack's "connection" to Tony. I shall have to hold my horses and see if this transpires. If it does, Tropical Fruits has already been taken as a possible "group name". Perhaps Mac Harbour Marys, although the boys may be a little too young for this moniker.

Apisai may have been the first born in his family, but Gran wasn't born yesterday. She quickly cottoned on to the fact Apisai was taking them on a shopping tour of Lautoka, and the shops he was recommending as having the best of this and that were owned by family members. The gratis he collected from the shopkeepers for his deceit were the only "tips" he got; his plan backfired when Gran's tip was something other than monetary. LOL. The beach as pictured above proved to be a disappointment, more like something one might see in the UK. Very bleak looking, not at all conducive to a beach walk or swimming. The teaser for the next chapter indicates Gran is going to be pissed off again. Acid Alice may emerge again. LOL.

Methinks Olivia will be disappointed when she learns Caleb is gay, although if my reading of the teaser for the next chapter is correct, they may form a friendship, even if it is one for the duration of the cruise only. As for the other part of next chapter's teaser, I hazard a guess Gran is going to encounter a taxi driver in Fiji who will either try to rip her off, or who will treat her like an idiot because of her age and/or gender. If so, he will rue the day he messed with Alice. “That’s Olivia coming over now in the red bikini” “Umph, I don’t suppose I can compete with that in my beige one-piece, even if it covers my stretch marks….That is unless you’d prefer experience over youth” “I’m not sure I’m looking for either” “Well, if that’s how you feel, I’ll leave you to your teenybopper” “And besides, I’m gay” Maz was laughing raucously when Olivia arrived, but that was extinguished rapidly when Olivia asked “Is this your mother” “Well, I never” Maz exclaimed “Good luck bedding this one girlie”. This scene was the highlight of the chapter, very amusing. I assume Olivia was being deliberately bitchy, if not she is not the smartest of girls. If Maz is Caleb's mother why would he be in foster care with Craig and Justin. And speaking of Caleb being in foster care with Craig, Rodney did not bat an eyelid when Gran revealed this. I suppose he may think Craig's partner is a woman, but he may also not. Most amusing chapter @Wombat Bill. I am intrigued as to where Gran and Nigel had their farm. I am thinking somewhere between Taree and Coffs Harbour as Gran mentioned catching the train to Sydney and going through Taree and Gloucester. I daresay it is a town or near a town I have been through on many occasions as a younger lad. The XPT still stops at Eungai, Macksville and Nambucca Heads, but I don't think it stops anymore at Urunga and Nana Glen.