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Saturday, February 22, 2014

Happy Birthday, Lawrence Durrell !!!

An announcement for the Tatler (Sydney, London, and San Francisco editions).  An early birthday party was held for Lawrence Durrell, his 102nd, in anticipation of February 27th.  It was celebrated today on the beach, Bondi Beach, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.  The charter members of the AALDS gathered together for the festivities.  They traveled from far and wide and each made his or her unique contribution.  Dr. D., bedecked in saffron kaftan and colorful sandals, brought vegetarian delicacies for the barbie.  He was accompanied by a local mermaid, who had swam ashore in a bikini, not unlike Botticelli's Venus on the half shell.  The good doctor spoke about the birthday boy's affinity for whales, especially Hilda, "the great sonsy whale" of The Black Book.  David and Denise brought their special recipe of octopus in red sauce and many bottles of vin rouge and vin blanc, straight from the vineyards of the Blue Mountrains.  Ken and R. W. provided the music and had composed a special piece for the occasion — "Heraldic Ditties Downunder."  As the music played, David extemporized a poem on Lord Larry, and Paul read Anaïs Nin's encomium on young Durrell.  And Bruce (the other one) simply took it all in, listened to crickets in sheltered places, and admired a sky of hot nude pearl.  Nearby, nubile waxed beauties, tattooed bums twitching in the sunlight, watched in amusement.  A good time was had by all.  —  BR

3 comments:

  1. Thanks Bruce for organizing our delightful beach picnic downunder in honor of the Maître, Camper Van Norden. Always a pleasure celebrating with you blokes. Ta – cheers!

    - Ken

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  2. Ken, my pleasure. And don't forget to show up for David's do in Marrickville. — BR

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  3. Dr D, a wonderful picture of us all at Bondi celebrating Larry's birthday, but you left out all the metro gym junkies with waxed bodies and mermaids with fashionable tattoos on their bums and backs - although I feel that Larry would be in tune with this and his love of sea swimming would lead him into the foaming brine there to disport, dolphin like, with the bikinied sea creatures, that is if his emphysema did not force an early retirement to the shore.

    Yes, next Wednesday, the eve of Larry's birthday, we celebrate and I thought it would a good idea to have the party here in back courtyard of No. 16 William Street Marrickville as we did last year: the Kaftaned Dr D disclosing mood wisdom to the eager years of Thomas Green, Denise and David serving Greek salad and octopus in red sauce, poems being read and Grecian music wafting in the evening air as the crickets chirrup and odd leviathan of sky rumbles over to Mascot Airport momentarily rending the evening calm until the sky heals over again and the talk and music continues. I envisage a vegetarian curry for the mood doctor, octopus, dolmades, rice and Greek salad, bread and of course wine aplenty.

    Of course Bruce, Ken, Paul and RW are invited across vast geographic spaces to be present at least spiritually if not physically.

    David Green

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