Today’s morning news featured Australia’s latest scandal, involving a company called Pan Pharmaceuticals which was in breach of production standards, causing many customers to fall sick.
After lunch, we met up with Raphael and Beatrice Tan, two lovely Christians, and Raphael’s coursemate at Bible school, Ai Mee. They all have children, mostly rowdy little boys, and it was like a little Singaporean community between the three of them. I played Raphael’s piano and he taught me the basics of jazz improvisation.
He also taught the three of us to shoot a crossbow. That was exciting although the force of the release did jerk me out of place a little. I managed to hit the target board all three times, although I didn’t make it to the inner rings. Vicki shot one arrow into the ground so deep that we couldn’t even find it. Mum’s last shot was a killer, almost a bullseye!
Then, Raphael took my mum, my sis and me on a drive to another plot of land they owned, which was mostly left untouched and had many large boulders, trees and lots of kangaroos bounding about everywhere! He then let me drive his vehicle and activated the four-wheel drive so I could feel the difference in the control of the car. That was another first for me.
By the time we got back from our drive it was dark and the trio persuaded us to stay for a very satisfactory dinner of chicken rice. Vicki and I plucked tapioca leaves, while mum helped debone the chicken. After dinner Raphael proceeded to jam with me on his guitar as I played a latin jazz piece I wrote back in ’93 called ‘Couldn’t Believe It’ (to the few of you who know, it’s the tune that Gwen likes). It was mindblowing. I must jam more with people.