One thing doesn’t change

For as long as I can remember, my sister and I have celebrated the kids’ birthdays at a local teppanyaki place.

It’s the opposite of fancy, with chipped laminex on the tables and peeling paint on the walls, but the kids love it.

Last night we gathered for the youngest’s 14th birthday (oh, and mine), although it felt a little bit strange to be out, with Australia having closed its borders a few hours earlier.

We must have hundreds of photos of bowls and egg and fried rice being thrown at various family members over the years.

This time it was just my sister and her son and her husband, and DD and my two kids at dinner. My parents aren’t well enough to make the trip. Although it freaked me out slightly when the eldest asked if my sister’s ex was attending because he’d been spotted on the street outside the restaurant.

Argh! I hadn’t booked a seat for him! Although he would have been very welcome. We’ve had many a teppanyaki dinner with him there.

But, no, he was just popping by to say hello to his son on his way home from work.

Phew.

We laughed and chatted together, while keeping our social distance, on the street outside the restaurant for a few minutes.

Inside the restaurant felt socially safe too, as it only seats about 30 people and we were one of only three small bookings last night.

The familiarity of the teppanyaki restaurant was comforting in such unprecedented times. I haven’t quite come to grips with living in a world with closed borders.

The youngest was stoked when the waitress asked if she’d like a glass of wine, thinking she was turning 18, not 14!

DD brought me a 12-pack of toilet paper as a belated birthday gift, plus a couple of sugar-free protein bars for the youngest. Bless him.

My sister has given me a night out with her as my gift. It’s exactly what I wanted because I’m not feeling like acquiring things at the moment, I want experiences with those I love.

I may downgrade it to Prosecco and takeaway in her spa, depending on how the world turns.

We’re hoping to squeeze in something before nights out are banned, but it’s at the point where I really don’t know what the next day will hold.

Let’s just hope this weekend is a happy and healthy one for us all.

Catch you on Monday.

Take care.