CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
In between snap lockdowns and an unexpected covidbaby, young Betoota Heights mother, Dani Pixley (40) has once again found herself exploring internalised hypotheticals in which Zoë Foster Blake and Hamish come over for dinner.
It’s not like fandom or a celebrity crush or anything like that, she just thinks that she would probably be able to provide the type of honest friendship that the prominent Australian author and cosmetics entrepreneur needs in her busy life.
“She just gets me” says Dani.
“And I reckon I get her too”
“It’d be great if they came through Betoota on their Australian Tourism shoot, we’d be able to show them the garden… Maybe invite a couple of the girls around”
As one of the millions of Australians who loyally prescribes to Zöe’s writing, Dani has obviously given quite a lot of thought to this fictional scenario.
“It wouldn’t even be a dinner party. It’d be more of a soiree”
“Nothing too big. Just like Millie, Catherine, Harriet, Alice, Timothy, Shel and Uma. I’d get the hubby on the barbecue and I’d do like a low-key smoke salmon and champagne vinaigrette salad”
“I dunno. It’s probably not that likely, but we were just talking about this on the group chat about how crazy this would be!!! hahaha”
While Dani admits these fantasies are far more frequent since the launch of the new Tourism Australia campaign, she says she’s always backed herself as a kindred spirit to Zoë, ever since they first bonded through the pages of Cosmopolitan Magazine.
“It’s not like I’m obsessed or anything. I’m not that type of person. Don’t obsess with anything. Except for Chat 10”
While the dinner party is a bridge that she’ll cross in the off-chance that the Foster Blakes ever visit the Diamantina Shire, for now she’s just focusing on the follow back.
“She liked a comment on one of her posts that Millie tagged me in once” she says.
Dani grins, as she drifts off daydreaming about how she can capture Zoë’s attention and cement their best friendship in earnest. To date, her strategy of commenting “couple goals!” over multiple posts has failed to catch on.
“I mean….”
“If they did come over for dinner…”
“I know her and I would get on like a house on fire”
“I’m just worried about my husband Brett trying to impress Hamish”
“Hamish doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who likes to hang out with people who insist on turning football commentary into drinking games and making Chewbacca noises when the conversation turns to him and he hasn’t been listening”
