Big in Australia

So. What are your thoughts on The Boob?

This is how he is affectionately referred to by one of los besties, Brunnie Browser. Do you think The Boob — or Il Boob as he shall henceforth be known here beneath the virtual dusty rafters — is one of those performers who’s fair-to-middling popular on home turf, but Huge in Australia? Anyone remember Italian stallion Patrizio Buanne’s salad days of popularity in the Wide Brown Land? If you don’t, I bet your nonna or mamma does. She probably said, during one of his Down Under tours, “He can park his slippers under my bed anytime!” This is what my grandma used to say to me, aged 7, about Channel 10’s Tim Webster.

From the looks of Mrs Boob’s maxi-draped waistline, La’s guessing there’s a baby Boob on the way.

Brunnie loves a crooner, and a croon, too. Every Triv birthday (bloody wretched things keep rolling around despite los best efforts) she dials the Palazzo Trivialista answering device and trills her special cabaret/lounge version of “Happy Birthday To You”. Or some years it’s more of a torch song version. Somehow it alleviates the pain of becoming yet another year older than 40 35.

Usually, La reciprocates. But this year I forgot Brunnie’s birthday. Well, technically, I remembered it on Friday, then again on Monday, but forgot to check la diary on the weekend to remind Laself a croon was in order. Bad friend. Hope she’ll still come on LadyFest 13 with me in approximately 89 days. But who’s counting?

On la topic of birthdays, La Mamma Trivialista recently unearthed this great shot of an extraordinarily cute baby blowing out la candle on her numero uno cake.

Look at stylish Mamma, all of about 21, with her ring-pull zip top and funky ‘do. Clock the mashed potato-stuffed devon rolls at left, and La (much-missed) Nonna Joan’s super retro fridge. This amazingly gorgeous bambina is cutting into an ice-cream cake — very ahead of its time for 1971 1982.

Mamma Triv, if you’re reading (as I know you do, La being your super-special first-born loin fruit and all), what’s the pointy, tall, off-white thing in the cup to the left of the gateau? A candle? Some sort of whacking stick for disciplining errant one-year-olds?

As the years rolled on, this baby grew so Big in Australia (was it the devon rolls? Or the ice-cream cakes?) that she now finds herself a couple of days into the 12WBT Michelle Bridges business — the latest rung on the never-ending ladder toward svelteness.

Let’s hope that, in 11 weeks, the only one on this blog who’s Big in Australia is Il Boob.

Ciao.