‘Now that the election is over and everybody can go back to their lives, what do you think is in store for us this summer?’

‘Do you mean for the two of us or the world in general?’

‘I think they both intertwine. What’s good for the world is good for us and the same goes for the opposite. The world goes for shits, so do we.’

‘Clare is in the garden, I’m in the hammock reading my book and the sun rises every day in a predictable place. Summer is coming early which can mean many things. Fires, water shortages, holidays, swimming, sailing and generally spending more time outside. Personally, I like this time of year the best. Everything is in bloom or flowering, the birds are looking to nest, the frogs are croaking and the days are getting longer.’

‘I suppose this is a good life from your perspective. Of course, there are those in much worse shape than you and me and our little community by the water. All you have to do is turn on the telly or look at the news feeds on your phone or open a paper. Wars in Africa, the Russians crashing the European party, the Catholics looking for an old man to lead them and the idiot bully in the White House reshaping the world and making everybody, except his billionaire friends, poorer.’ 

‘You sound a tad maudlin there, Camp. Maybe you should have a shot of something to soothe the ripples. How about some of that local vodka or rum. Distilled right here on the Sunshine Coast. ‘

‘You’re a funny one. You know I can’t handle hard liquor. Let me stick to beer and the odd bottle of wine Muriel procures for dinner and I’m a happy camper. ‘

‘What always bothers me is the general state of the world and the direction we’re heading in. The environment, the fascist politics, the mail-order consumer society,’ I said. ‘I’m glad that Carney won the election but he will soon find out that managing people is a lot more challenging than managing numbers. Everybody will be lining up with their hands out from the Premiers to the First Nations, from the healthcare providers to the auto-workers, from the pensioners to the military.’

‘The good news is that the wife of our newly elected prime minister, Diana Fox Carney, is a world-renowned climate change policy expert, and active in several environmental and social justice causes and think tanks. She has degrees in economics from Oxford and an MA in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania.  She was also a star hockey player on the women’s Oxford Ice Hockey Club where she met her future hubby who played goal for the men’s team. Her Wikipedia entry fills a couple of dense pages. She is definitely a major influencer on her husband. They also found time to raise four daughters, all successful individuals.’

‘Elbows Up indeed. As the saying goes: Behind every successful man there is a good woman,’ I said.

‘Actually, the whole quote is by Mark Twain and it goes on to say that behind every unsuccessful man there are two women,’ Camp said grinning, while finishing his first pint.

‘Well, our new PM has five women behind him.’

‘You two look like you’re having a good time,’ Vicky said when she brought around another round of suds. ‘You must be relieved at the election results, even though we are as divided as the Americans.’

‘We are indeed,’ Camp said, but I think we got the right man at the right time.’

‘Let’s hope that brain wins over brawn,’ Vicky quipped. 

‘I’ll drink to that,’ I said.