365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 106 : Flying For Two

There was once a time when I flew up to see my beloved family on the far North Coast once a year at Christmas. It wasn't because I didn't want to see them - I have a wonderfully close, caring family - but largely because time would get away from me, I would call them on the phone anyway, and before you knew it, Christmas had come screaming in to the here and now!

All that changed with the birth of my lovely niece, Zara. Now I am planning 3-4 trips a year with others added as the whim seizes me (gently and in an oh-so-OH & S way naturally in this delicate politically correct age) and loving being part of the rhythm of my family once again.

This trip was a little different. It was mainly to celebrate my Mum's 70th birthday - I still can't believe she is that age; that's the age of grandparents, and while yes, she is a grandmother, she isn't my grandmother! - on the Gold Coast, where my two sisters, spouses and one very cute 9 month old girl live.

The exciting, and enormously sentimental, part of tonight's flight to the Gold Coast  - all the shots are from dinner in the food court at Sydney Domestic - is that it's the first time my gorgeous boyfriend Steve & I have taken a flight together, and more so, to a family event. My Mum is still adjusting by degrees to the fact that I am a gay man and I have a boyfriend, not a girlfriend, and it will be lovely for Steve to spend some more time with her (he met last October at Yum Cha), and rather than making me nervous, I am excited and really happy that something I dreamed of for many years - having my boyfriend at a family event - is finally coming to pass.....

*****

The flight got in on time, and we were met at the airport by my lovely sister Helen (closest in age to me), and mother to Zara, who Steve met for the first time. While driving back to her place, I ordered some pizzas from Marie's Pizzas (Love the brihgt yellow boxes!) and after Helen said goodnight, we went and picked them up, and sat in the apartment eating pizza, watching TV and excited about the weekend ahead....