Hungry Buddha

The Hungry Buddha is a greasy spoon that sells veggie breakfasts. Kathryn loves it. When she's home we fill up on fried eggs, veggie sausages, hash browns, tomatoes, beans, mushrooms and toast before setting off on our shopping expeditions.

My sister, Lizzy, playfully calls it the 'hungry buggar'. I met Lizzy with her two daughters, Lesley and Sarah for brunch there today. While tucking into our full English, I asked Lizzy about the shrinkage problem. "Apparently, if blown up too early and it turns cold, they can shrink."
"Graham has the same problem," Lesley sniggered.
"Should I swap balloon shops?" I asked. "I saw one advert saying their balloons are treated with something that makes them stay up."
"Could do with some of that," Lesley said.
"Me too," Sarah said "Does it work on everything?"
Lizzy assured me that the shrinkage was just a warning that they have to give everyone. "We've had balloons from there before and they didn't shrink," she told me "Stop worrying."
"There's the streamers and photographs. Peter has enlarged some 60s pics and superimposed them onto a psychedelic background. They look brilliant."
"You're supposed to have photos of you as a child, not in the 60s," Lizzy said.
"Am I? It's a 60s party so I chose 60s pics. But I'll get Dan to do some of me as a kid," I said guessing that Lizzy wanted to be in the hall of fame with me, in photos from our childhood. " When can we put them up?" I asked.
We'll do all that," Lizzy said. "You just turn up."

"Have you and Kathryn thought any more about the flowers for the wedding?" Lizzy asked.
"I can't think about the wedding now." I groaned. "My mind's full of party and 60s outfits and shrinking balloons, and caterers, and DJs and whether they'll all turn up."
"They'll all turn up," said Lizzy "and probably more besides."

We talked about what we are wearing for the party. Lizzy is a bit overweight and has made herself a kaftan, Demis Roussos style. She's going as a hippy. Lesley and Sarah are wearing the swirly pattered sixties-ish mini frocks that are in the shops at the moment, but with black tights mod hairstyles and makeup.

After we'd paid the bill we walked up to the market to buy false eyelashes, green eyeshadow, hippy beads, bandannas and flower tattoos.

Copyright © 2007 Barbara Attwood