dalene will be turning 50 on 17 june. from the beginning of the year she has been saying that she is "definitely not having a party", "don't (you dare) do the surprise thing", "i just want a quiet weekend away with the family for the weekend of my birthday". so her third wish has been granted, david and lucie arrived back in cape town yesterday, a weekend has been booked at rusty gate just outside franschhoek for the long weekend of her birthday, so all is looking good.
kathy is leaving for the states on wednesday and will be away for 6 weeks. so under the pretence of kathy taking her for sushi before she leaves we booked a lunch date with dalene for friday “just dalene, kathy, lesley and i”. we then disobeyed her 2 first rules and invited 15 of her girlfriends to lunch at salushi in claremont. when i made the reservation with grant the owner i told him that my name would not mean anything but when we arrived he would remember us!! at 12.15 we moved in with table decorations, a huge champagne ice bucket filled with champagne (this was part of the present we clubbed in to buy for her), ice for the ice bucket, balloons, masks. grant looked at us in disbelief (the place was pretty full with people watching the stormers match) and said “OMG you lot!!” (we had been there for kathy’s birthday lunch as well). he took one look at the presents (boxes of wine glasses as well) and asked “did you bring your own food?” a super guy who goes out of his way for you. http://www.salushi.com/. ask for grant and say you come recommended by the “50 year old chicks” (we wish). 
dalene arrived (a tad late as she always is) and was suitably, teary and surprised. i was relieved as she did not have her hair in her “teacher’s pony” and was not wearing her “teaching crocs” and k-way sleeveless jacket.
the sushi was divine – we ordered one hand roll each and then 4 platters of the mixed half-price salmon roses, maki rolls, california rolls and bon-bon gifts
got a pleasant surprise when the bill arrived and each person had to only pay R100 for their food. we took our own villiera champagne (thanks bob). grant charges R30 per bottle corkage.
looking around the table it was so great to see a group where not everybody knew each other with the common denominator being dalene. we had a brain surgeon sitting next to a sporty squash player, a famous architect who is just the funniest person ever and who is one of the few ladies i know that can swear like a sailor and get away with it. she was seated next to mrs min – they know each other well – and were planning a walk in the forest. the minister’s wife (hence the nickname mrs min) asked the architect (very politely) that that if a certain friend suzie came along the architect must please not swear. “not a #@% - walk on your own with her!!”. tom, dalene’s husband is away on bowls tour. this she mentioned at the table. the architect shook her head in disbelief “%$#@ dalene, NEVER admit to that. people will think you are 70. you must tell people he is a kite-surfer”. so for the rest of the day tom was away kite-surfing (with gareth and the springbok cricketer, whose wife is the sporty one). sporty one after lunch and champagne had to leave at 6 to play in a squash competition. hectic.
well the afternoon went off really well, some had to leave earlier than others, a couple of husbands arrived to have a drink and take their wives home. all the champagne was finished (9 bottles, me thinks) and a bottle of wine was ordered with some slap chips (it was now supper time). nic was babysitting the girls so no worries there. he commented that he knew our lunches could go on and on but 12 – 12 must be a new record.
so you gathered it was a good lunch but there is an interesting ending. we are almost ready to leave and this most handsome man (boy) (probably 35) comes over to chat to dalene. they have a long, serious chat. it looks like he is with his father. they take a seat at the bar. dalene advises that he is the father of a little girl who was at her school but has now left the country with her mother. this young father is just shattered and unfortunately has no rights of his own to keep her here. next moment a bottle of very expensive champagne arrives at the table and then another….. and the 75 year old father joins the table to chat us up!!! i got a lift home with korky (husband of barbie who was at my home watching tennis with mike) left the 3 reprobates behind and went home to put a few pizzas in the oven and to watch the end of the tennis. roger did not disappoint.
when they eventually arrived for pizza they were in an hysterical state, i had to hear stories of getting 2 cars out of claremont pick n pay for the price of one – lesley’s car had been checked in at 12 and it was now 10.45 (and she did not want to draw more money). the mind boggles thinking about lesley in her brand new polo driving out at speed on dalene’s tail. “what about that dangerous boom”, i asked. they collapsed again in fits of laughter. i also heard that the father was not the father but the landlord and owns flats in intaba. the reprobates were keen to see what a penthouse at intaba looks like so went upstairs to look at the show flat with the poor man. bet he did not know what he was letting himself in for? because they proceeded to rip his taste in decorating to threads, consulted him on his swatches of carpeting and told him that the feathers on the lampshade had to go.
lesson for today. be very careful of a harem of 50 year olds and one soon to be 50 year old when her husband is on a kitesurfing tour.
ok byeeee.... amazing thing this blog. just been invited to watch the tennis with wendy and liz (mentioned them in the last posting) - the nadal fanatics. got to go and put in a word for roger (although i don't mind who wins). could be 2 friends short by the end of today. will keep you posted.
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