Six degrees of Kim

I caught up with old friends over the weekend, a couple called Kim and Jason. I have probably only met them in the flesh less than 10 times over the last 30 years, but our lives have been weirdly interconnected.

I am a bit hazy on some of the details, but I think the story goes like this … my ex met Kim while he working as a journalist at the Newcastle Herald. He may have interviewed her for a story, I’m not quite sure.

I think we may also have lived in Singapore at the same time.

My first clear memory of Kim and Jason is at a mutual friend’s wedding in Watson’s Bay. I remember being dazzled by vivacious Kim and her witty Scottish husband. We bonded big time.

Kim and Jason moved to Brissie and the stars never seemed to align to meet up, despite having daughters the same age and our parents living a mere kilometre apart in Newcastle.

Then, weirdly, while on our last-ever family holiday we randomly ran into Kim and Jason at Mantra Salt in Kingscliff.

We had an impromptu dinner together, filled with laughter and Pinot grigio. It was one of those gatherings where the time apart melts immediately away and the conversation zings and sparks like cracker night.

We sent each other joyful messages within moments of parting ways. Kim’s concluded with: “Move to Brissy. Or let’s all relocate to Newc.”

Yes!

Weeks later I disappeared into the dark, devastating place that is an unwanted divorce and we fell out of touch again.

I re-emerged from the gloom and got a job at Escape.com.au, working as a travel content writer. Kim was at Wotif and we had a great time together at a few PR functions. Then Kim moved to Singapore and we followed each other’s lives via social media.

She and Jason eventually moved back to Newcastle and we’d occasionally message each other, eager to catch up, but never finding the right time.

Finally, the stars aligned in early 2021 for a fun afternoon at Earps Distillery in Carrington, where Kim and Jason met DD for the first time.

Despite both Jason and I having terrible, long-term ear infections, we had a fabulous time.

Later that year we booked tickets to see James Reyne together at Toronto Hotel. It was an outdoor gig in pouring rain, soggy but bulk fun. My happy tears mingled with the raindrops during Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama.

Then life got in the way and we fell out of touch once more, aside from the occasional “like” on social media.

Recently I’ve been mulling over how infrequently people get in contact to organise to catch up. Busy lives, I suppose, and the lingering side effects of COVID-19.

So I was startled when my phone pinged a few weeks ago with a message from Kim. The message said she and Jason were dancing to retro songs in their lounge room, had thought of us and wanted to catch up.

Awwwww, yes!

So we organised to go to a Petersons dinner together on Saturday night.

Petersons is one of my favourite wineries from the Hunter Valley. I will never forget sipping one of their aged Chardonnays at an Italian restaurant in Nielsen Park pre-kids. It was one of the most extraordinary drops I’ve ever tasted, like someone had turned vanilla ice-cream into a wine.

Petersons hosts wine dinners all over the place as a way to bond with its consumers and teach them more about their wines while eating delicious food.

Saturday night’s dinner was at Norma’s Bistro at Alder Parks Sports Club in New Lambton. A little random, but we figured it was worth a try.

Chef Kenny Vandevelde is originally from Belgium and a classically trained chef.

He began his career in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Belgium before moving on to the Park Hyatt and Tatler in Sydney. He later ventured out on his own, establishing Coast Bar and 4 Hands Pizza & Bar on the Central Coast.

Before heading to Norma’s we ducked to the Kent Hotel in Hamilton to check out its recent renovation then caught an Uber to dinner, which kicked off at 6.30pm with the most delicious bubbles.

This was the menu – the food was so good – DD reckons they were the best lamb shanks he’s ever tasted.

And John the Pom was an excellent master of ceremonies, as per usual, when it came to waxing lyrical about Petersons wines.

Then we headed back to Kim and Jason’s to chitter chat late into the night and sip their wonderful, homemade limoncello.

The next morning we had just enough time for a flying visit to another friends’ place to say hi – I’ve been a slack friend, I really need to get up there more often to catch up with my Newie tribe – we took coffee to my mum and dad before hitting the road back to Sydney.

DD had a hankering for a sausage roll for lunch and pulled into Heatherbrae Pies off the freeway. He asked me if I wanted to come inside with him to order but I was feeling too lazy, despite feeling the niggle of a full bladder.

Never ignore the niggle of a full bladder when you make a stop on the freeway because you never know if you will get caught in a traffic jam soon afterwards from a car accident and almost wet your pants in the car.

DD eventually pull over on the side of the road so I could scurry off into the bushes. It was a VERY close call.

I had been planning on staying Sunday night at his place, but I was so knackered that I went home to make curried sausages and sleep in my own bed.

Hello Monday, my old friend. We meet again far too soon.

Song of the day: “A little help from my friends”