Sunday, March 3

Lunch at the Carrick Hotel yesterday was great.  We kept it low-key so there were just 6 of us but Marilyn had organised a cake for the occasion.  It was tall - three layers covered in icing - and the top was decorated with bobbins, reels of cotton, scissors, etc , all made with icing.  It was created by a Filipina friend who is married to a fellow who was Principal of Giant Steps after me.

The food is always great there and I was brave enough to try Venison and Duck sausages: not bad but I probably wouldn't have them again.

Robyn flies home this afternoon.  It's always nice to have people but we look forward to having the place to ourselves again.  We have a comfortable routine, not too much conversation, no arguments about what to watch on TV, and so on.  I wonder if we're becoming set in our ways in our old age.

Saturday, March 2

Our friend, Robyn is staying with us at the moment. Her 80th birthday is next month and we won't be able to be in Wollongong to help her celebrate so she has come to Tassie instead.  We're taking her out to lunch today and there will be a birthday cake and everything.  The situation is complicated by the fact that today is Marilyn's actual birthday but, of course, she is determined not to overshadow Robyn's celebration and we will acknowledge Marilyn at a later time.

It's a bit cooler today so there's a lot of discussion about appropriate clothes to wear to the lunch.

Yesterday was my regular Poetry and Writing classes.  This term, the Poetry class has reduced itself to just 7 and that includes the old-fashioned pedantic ones who believed that good poetry begins and end with Wordsworth.  I offered a poem yesterday called The Caveman's Lament and it went down like a lead balloon.

The Writing group has grown to 18! When reading our stories, our rule is 'no more than 800 words' but a couple of newbies are pushing the boundaries.  If I were the boss, I'd ring a bell when I thought they had talked enough but everyone else is too polite. I don't know where it will end but my enjoyment of the classes is being sorely tested.

Sunday, February 25

 It's been a bit busy and I haven't managed to scribble something down each day.  Having a visitor in the house changes the dynamic.  However, I'm back.

Marilyn commented that she needed  to buy a new doona; one of the older ones was getting quite shabby and needed to be replaced. Goodie, I thought, another job for Temu.  The prices were great and we knew that the quality would be excellent so I placed the order.  It arrived on Friday in a vacuum-sealed package. After I gave it a good shake, it was as I expected - beautifully made, lined with satin  ribbon.  The only problem was, it was too big.  I must have misread the dimensions.  No problem, I thought, I'll just order another one or cut a bit off this one.  It will be inside a cover and no-one will see a rough edge.

Not good enough!  So we spent yesterday afternoon shopping for a king-size doona cover to accommodate our cheap Chinese doona and  a new cover deserves new pillow cases as well.  So, our bargain from Temu was not such a bargain after all.

I had to order something else yesterday and I discovered the minimum order to get free delivery is now $45. That's going to put a spanner in the works.

Tuesday, February 20

 Marilyn's gone off to some get-together this morning at the local RSL Club.  It's the group of ladies she met at Probus and, apart from the normal meeting, they have get-togethers to chat and have morning tea,  I suspect that the RSL poker machines are a bit of a draw but what would I know?

I have a couple of jobs to do while I have the house to myself.  The bird bath in the front garden needs attention.  There were three or four birds having their bath there this morning but, on inspection, it's a bit grubby.  I've mentioned before that I blame the 'planes flying in to Launceston airport but even if that's not true there's something black and sticky which keeps coming back.. That reminds me of a joke: what's black and sticky?  A licorice stick!  But I'm sure the pollution in my bird bath is not licorice.

I also have to write my story for Friday's group: three topics I haven't even looked at yet so I had better make that a priority.  I've just had a notification from Australia Post that a parcel will be delivered today: from Temu, no doubt, and I wonder what it will be.

Monday, February 19

 Brogan Tates.  I stumbled across this name when I was browsing YouTube looking for something interesting to look at.  I can only take so much of Steve or Scott and their tedious trips in Europe and knew I had to look further afield.  Brogan is an enthusiastic, young English girl and was talking about a flight with her boyfriend on Emirates to Dubai.  I would normally click over to the next offering but Marilyn happened to be watching and wanted a closer look.  In fact, Brogan was quite entertaining and the flight to Dubai turned out to be the first leg of a trip to New Zealand where they are going a cruise back to the UK.

Later, we looked for more of her stuff and found a series where she talked about her plans to be married on the cruise, described her philosophy of packing, and so on.  This morning I notice she has posted a video of the flight from Dubai to Auckland.  We'll watch it later.

Yesterday, we suffered her showing the stuff she is packing for the trip.  She and her boyfriend were travelling with 6 suitcases and a wedding dress in a carry bag.  As travellers who never had more than a medium size 20Kg bag and a small carry-on, we were horrified with the stuff she thought essential: masses of gadgets, first aid stuff, board games, various metal and plastic clips, fold-up plastic boxes (to put your socks in on the cruise) .... it was ridiculous!  However, this girl has a massive following on Youtube and makes a very decent living at it.  

I think I'll get tired of her very quickly but we need to see how this trip (and the wedding) turn out.

Sunday, February 18

It's a beautiful day here; the sun is shining and there's not a sound to be heard.  Marilyn watches the sun streaming through our lounge-room windows and comments, idly, "Those windows are due for their annual clean.  I must ring whatsisname to come back and give them the once over."

"How much did he charge," I asked.

"I think it was $150," she replied.

My heart jumped in shock and I found myself volunteering to do it myself.  How hard could it be?

The outside was fine: a bucket of soapy water, a squeegee mop and a final hose off and I could stand back and think what a good job I had done.  The inside, though, is a different story.  I have to take off the fly screen to get at the glass.

"You just squeeze these two lugs and lift it out," Marilyn explained patiently but, no matter how much I squeezed, there was no movement. I'll have to wait for Jamie to drop by and see whether he can work it out.

Clearly the window-washer man charges for expertise as well as time on task. 

Saturday 17 (2)

 As planned, I went to the Berry Farm: my face is becoming familiar, I suspect, so the farmer knew I was there for the blackberries.  He suggested I head in a different direction, 'down past the apricot trees and look for one row of blackberries. Pick from the other side of the row,'  It was a goldmine and I picked two large punnets in no time.  Many of the berries were close to the ground so there was some stooping but, all-in-all, it was well worth it.

When I got home, Marilyn immediately rang Jamie to say there were berries to be had.  A bit rich, I thought - I pick the berries and he gets a share.  I needn't have worried; he arrived with half a crayfish to swap.  

I've squeezed a lemon and mixed it with mayonnaise and that will be the dressing.  Marilyn has cut up the cray and we'll have it with tiny tomatoes and thinly-sliced bread and butter.  Life's good!

Saturday, February 17

 I came home yesterday to find the house transformed.  The gardener had been and, as instructed, had removed the large armchair from the loungeroom and disposed of it.  Jamie had dropped in to help lift it on to the back of the ute but he wasn't needed.  I have to say the removal of the chair has made a terrific difference to the lounge room.  It now looks much more open.  We still have comfortable seating for 6 and Marilyn still has a full-length lounge to stretch out on in the afternoons, but there is much more room to move around and nothing looks cluttered.

It's a bit overcast today but it doesn't look like rain.  I've already done the watering and I'm keen to get to the Berry Farm for a final pick of the blackberries.  Marilyn tells me there is still a little room in the freezer so I should take advantage of the crop while I can.

Friday, February 16

I normally wake about 7 and my first job is to make coffee. Marilyn likes to enjoy hers in bed with a book but I prefer my favourite chair with some rubbish show on TV.  This morning, though, it was 8 before I opened my eyes. Marilyn was still sound asleep so I decided not to disturb her.  I had just settled down with my first morning brew ready to watch a fascinating video about the new trains for Sydney when the doorbell rang.  It was our cleaning lady about 2 hours earlier than she normally arrives.  

There was a bit of a scatter but I'm sure the girl had seen it all before: we retired people can't be expected to  fit in with the routine of normal people.

Today is the first day of my Poetry and Writing groups at the School for Seniors and I'm looking forward to presenting my first story of the year.  I've called it The Mean Streets of Melbourne and it's about a hapless private detective trying to find evidence that someone is up to no good.  While I'm away, Daniel the gardener will arrive to do some of the heavy work in our tiny garden. Although I normally like to watch people doing jobs that would otherwise fall to me, I'll be just as happy to see the results of his labours when I get home.  One job is to take away a large, leather armchair which is starting to show signs of wear.  I've put up with the odd stain but it's now torn in two places so it has to go.  Shame, really, I liked it.  However, I can now start to make a case for getting one of those Smoky Dawson chairs which have a mechanical lift built in to help elderly people get to their feet.  I wonder if they sell them on Temu!

Wednesday, February 14

I was quite pleased to get back to Probus this morning.  It's not that the meetings are particularly stimulating, but there's always a bit of chat, a guest speaker and a terrific morning tea.  There were three or  four members missing: a couple were still on holiday and one had a particularly important meeting he couldn't miss.  He's on the local Council and I suppose all his meetings are super-important.

The guest speaker was a local farmer who has been following up the history of his family.  The original settler in Tasmania was transported here after stealing a silk handkerchief.  After a while he was able to get some land and flourished, eventually building Longford House, one of the local stately homes.  The fellow who spoke to us was not a great orator and read from a screed he had prepared earlier.  I found it a bit tedious but those who had lived here longer were able to ask questions and make sensible comments.

Our next meeting, in March, is the AGM and I've been tagged to become Treasurer.  I suspected it would be on the cards because the fellow who held the position died towards the end of last year.  The stand-in has done the job before and wants rid of it.  As the new boy, I'm the first port of call.  I don't suppose I mind; it's not a big job and I can do to all on the computer.  As Marilyn says, it will help keep me out of mischief (or stop me buying stuff on Temu!)

Tuesday, February 13

Today started off fine but, by lunchtime, the rain had come on.  Jamie popped in this morning to drop Archie off and stayed for a chat.  He called in to the local service station he uses as he felt one of his tyres was a bit soft.  There was no hose on the air pump so he went into the counter and asked what was going on.  The surly fellow behind the till said that they had taken the hose off because  "people were driving in and stealing our air."  Well, we can't have that, can we?  Perhaps someone should explain the concept of 'service' station!

Jamie does a lot of driving and probably fills up twice a week but he'll be taking his business elsewhere.  In fact, he drove into the next service station on the main road and a very cheerful lady came out from her cubby-hole to see if he was OK with the air pump.  No doubt, she will see a lot more of Jamie in the future.

Checking my calendar, I note that the summer holidays are over.  My Probus Club starts back tomorrow and my Writing and Poetry groups on Friday.  It's been a lazy time over the summer but it will be good to get back into a routine.

Sunday, February 11

 It was my birthday yesterday, the one day of the year when I might expect to receive an odd 'phone call.  And, of course, it was just the day my mobile phone would choose to play up: something to do with the sound.  With these phones, they're cheaper to replace than to repair, especially if you buy lesser-know, brands like Oppo, as I do.  Jamie happened to drop in so I recruited him to drive me to JB Hifi to make a purchase.

I was surprised how difficult it was.  We ended up in Officeworks where they had an expensive display  I made my choice just to be told 'out of stock'.  The assistant suggested I walk next door to JB Hifi where I heard the same story.   I chose another model there, which was on special, but JB was out of stock and recommended I look next door (at Officeworks) in case they had one.  No, of course they didn't.  I made my third choice and requested it be in Glowing Gold colour.  "Out of stock, but we have it in black."I bought it anyway.

Apparently, stores around Australia are struggling to get supplies of popular mobile phones.  I wouldn't have thought Oppo was one of the sought-after brands but I don't have my finger on that particular pulse.

However, I spent an hour setting it up and transferring files and am now waiting for someone to ring me to see whether it works.

Thursday, February 8

On these beautiful summer morning, Marilyn and I take our coffee out to the front of the unit where we have two chairs and a little table.  Since the gardener chopped down the overgrown bushes, the garden is looking good and it's a pleasure to sit there.  I don't know how long it has been since Daniel was here: a week or so, perhaps, but it's frightening to see how quickly the flax plants are growing back.  He took off about 150cm of growth, leaving just stumps but already some of the new shoots are about 20cm tall!

At this rate, they'll be back to their original height in about 8 weeks.  Clearly Daniel has organised himself a job for life.

Not much is happening here today.  Jamie dropped Archie off because he has a busy day planned and Archie has settled himself down in a sunny spot to think doggy thoughts.  We have nothing planned and this is the sort of day I think could be well used for catching up on some of the TV we've missed or watching a movie.  But, it never happens that way.  We're both reluctant to fall into that habit and will more likely read our books or find something else productive to do.

Monday, February 5

 Marilyn had booked to have some enhancement work done in her eyebrows so I offered to drive her and have a coffee while I was waiting. In fact, I found a comfy chair in the foyer of the shopping centre and waited until she had finished and we had coffee together.  While I was waiting I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of the local politician who lurks around the supermarket looking for people to talk to.  He usually does this on Saturday and/or Sunday morning but he must have thought a Monday excursion might bear fruit.

He was in his usual 'meet the public' outfit: unbuttoned blue blazer, 'stockman' trousers and cocky's hat.  His name is Polley which is pretty appropriate and I've had dealings with him over the years I was at Giant Steps.  He stopped to chat with the couple at the next table but I kept my head down, hoping he would pass me by.  I saw him looking at me with a quizzical look, 'Where do I know him from?' but, thankfully, he gave me a miss and moved on to some other poor mugs.

Just another day in paradise.

Sunday, February 4

We had a call from a friend at the end go the week inviting us to a picnic.  He thought it might be good to meet up in Longford to save us a drive but, just this week, the Council has removed all of the barbecues from the local park intending to develop the area into something bigger and better.  So, it was decided we would  meet at Evandale instead.  It's a town about 12 Km away, famous for running the Penny Farthing Festival each year, when foolhardy daredevils chase each other through the streets hoping to win a prize.

This year's event is not for a couple of weeks so it was a good decision. Except that there was a market being held and you could hardly drive down the narrow streets, with cars parked both sides and irate drivers losing their cool.  We finally found our friends in a great barbecue area far enough away from the rest of the town and we had an enjoyable time.

I'm a bit over barbecues so we took some chopped up chicken and bread rolls although, when we arrived the barbecue was already going strong with everybody else's lunch.  I had taken a box of my freshly-picked blackberries from yesterday and they made a great follow-up to the greasy sausages. 

Saturday, February 3

 I learnt a new word today.  I was reading something on the internet about 'why Americans think they have it so bad'.  The erudite answer suggested that they 'don't properly grok how bad it can actually be.'

Grok?  I assumed it was a typo until I read it used again later in the comment, referring to pregnant women: 'the actual worse case was so bad they really didn't grok how bad it could be.'

Clearly this was something I needed to follow up.  Mr Google assured me it was a 'real' word  albeit 'American' and 'informal'.  The definitions suggested included 'understand something intuitively or by empathy', and 'establishing a rapport', eg nestling earth couple would like to find water brothers to grok with in peace'.

There's so much about that last example I struggle with and I've decided I don't need any new words, especially if they're like 'grok'.

Friday, February 2

 It was all go here this morning.  Marilyn's cleaning lady was due and we had a call from our gardener to say he was coming as well to make up for what he had missed the last time when it poured with rain.  We never know at what time the cleaning lady will come; in fact, we don't even know who the cleaning lady will be.  Marilyn gets them through some government agency and I think it's policy not to make the relationships too cosy.  It would be too easy for a cleaning lady to take advantage of an old dear who only wanted someone to talk to.

I was looking forward to her coming because one of her tasks would be to change the sheets on the bed.  It's usually my job and I hate it.  I find it hurts my back lifting the heavy QS mattress to tuck in the bottom sheet.  When the cleaner arrived she turned out to be a young Asian girl who looked too frail to pick up a bucket let alone a mattress.  However, I kept out of her way and left her to get on with it.  Later, I had to tidy up the corners of the bottom sheet but that's was OK.

The gardener, in the meantime, used every sharp tool he had to decimate the overgrown New Zealand flax and other plants in the front yard.  It takes years for them to grow but only minutes to knock them back into shape.  I can't watch him because I'd be telling him to take it easy but, of course, he knows much better than I do what is required.  They're even shorter now than when we moved in.

Life can get back to normal now.

Thursday, February 1

 The start of a new month but little change in our day-to-day activities.  Marilyn decided she would celebrate the beginning of the month with a change of bedding. I can cope with the weekly change of sheets but today's event included quilt covers, etc.  The covers on both beds were stripped off and consigned to the laundry while more summery covers were retrieved from the linen cupboard.  My arms are longer so it's my job to feed the doonas into the covers, stretching the extremities into the corners and buttoning them up.  Yes, they have buttons.  I don't do buttons any more. I got rid of all my buttoned shirt but forgot to extend the ban to doona covers.  My clumsy fingers struggled but, eventually, the job was complete and I must admit the brighter, more summery colours certainly look good.

When I was watering this morning, I avoided the bushes around the little lawn at the back.  The grass grows so quickly in this weather that it needs frequent attention and I decided today would be mowing day, so no water to make the job more difficult.

However, by mid-morning the wind had got up and it was  a good excuse to put the job off until things quieten down.  It doesn't get dark until late so I can probably string this along for another couple of hours.

Monday, January 29

My breakfast this morning was a work of art and a culinary masterpiece.  The nondescript cereal was simply a base on to which I piled  freshly-picked blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and my home-grown stewed rhubarb.  We don't know how lucky we are, living in this paradise.

We're having a day at home today which is becoming very much the norm.  Our Probus Clubs close down over the Christmas/New Year period, my Writing and Poetry groups are on holiday and only Marilyn's Reading Group is meeting regularly, but that's not until next week.  It should be a good time to catch up on some of the good TV programs we have accumulated but we seem to be preferring to read. Marilyn's engrossed in a series of detective stories written by Pauline Rowson and I'm enjoying a series about a monk in 12th century England.  It sounds very esoteric, I know, but they're just mystery stories with a different slant.

Saturday, January 27

Jamie collected me this morning and we drove round to the local Berry farm to pick some fruit.  The blackberries were amazing so we picked two large punnets and a punnet of strawberries. There's also a caravan where they sell morning tea so we collected two servings of pancakes, berries and ice cream and two servings of pavlova and ice cream, all liberally covered with berries.  Sometimes I think it is heaven on earth living in Longford.

When he dropped me off, I discovered we have Archie to stay with us for a couple of days.  While we were out, Marilyn had given him a bath and he was looking particularly smart.  

There's nothing else organised for the weekend.  I might convince Marilyn to watch a movie this afternoon although we're both a bit allergic to watching TV during the day.  We had been watching Season 2 of Reacher, mainly because I'm a fan of the books, but chucked it in mid way through episode 5.  It's just another over-aggressive US blockbuster and totally misses the nuances which make the book series so exceptional.  Instead we've started Series 2 of Annika a UK series set around the water police unit based in Glasgow.  I always remember listening to The Goons in the 1950's.  One of their favourite lines was, "How would you like to join the Water Police?' followed by a splash.  

Silly the things that stick in your mind.

Thursday, January 25

 We're waiting patiently for Marilyn's cleaner to arrive.  Normally, she would be here on Friday but, of course, tomorrow is a public holiday and special arrangements have been made.  Because she has a list of people to see, we have no idea when she will darken our doorstep.   With the Friday arrangement, I seldom become involved as I'm usually at my Writing Group  but that hasn't started yet;  I'll just have to keep out of her way.  It would be good if we could go and have a coffee somewhere but Marilyn is obliged to be here.  The Department doesn't want to have to deal with any suggestion of misbehaviour from their employees if they were left in an empty house.

No matter, I'll sit outside with a book or a puzzle and keep out of everyone's hair.  

I'm putting together my list of poems for the first meeting of my poetry book and I'm becoming really interested in Lewis Carroll.  He was one of the first people in the UK to use a camera and he used the daughter of a colleague as a model for some of his photographs.  Her name was Alice and he immortalised her in his book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  It's a wee bit creepy; she was only 8.  He also wrote a poem called Hiawatha's Photographing, which I'm going to introduce to the group.  The first few lines are:

   

From his shoulder Hiawatha  Took the camera of rosewood,  Made of sliding, folding rosewood;  Neatly put it all together.  In its case it lay compactly,  Folded into nearly nothing;  But he opened out the hinges,  Pushed and pulled the joints and hinges,  Till it looked all squares and oblongs,  Like a complicated figure  In the Second Book of Euclid. ......

Wednesday, January 24

I was up this morning at my usual time of 7 o'clock.  I enjoy this time of the day; I make myself a coffee, read my book or watch some rubbish on YouTube while Marilyn enjoys her time to herself, sitting comfortably in bed with a coffee and book as well.  It's great that our preferred morning activities fit so well together and one doesn't impinge on the other.  I didn't bother with the TV this morning so my eye was caught by movement outside the front window.  A large truck had driven in and stopped just opposite the house.  On the door of the truck was the cryptic slogan "Garage Door Solutions."

And I remembered:  today was the day when the garage door was to have its annual check-up.  I know, it sounds daft.  If it ain't broke, why fix it?  However, it's better not to be caught with a jammed door when we need the car in a hurry.

Two young men got out and I knew by their big yellow boots that they were real tradesnem..  They. might have been there half an hour, reassured me that everything was as it should be and left. One of them, clearly the boss, informed me in detail what they had done but, as usual with technical matters none of it stuck so I just thanked them.

The weather is looking good and I've been told the blackberries are 'on' at the local berry farm so I might make a trip there later today.

Tuesday, January 23

I woke early this morning and made myself a cup of coffee while thinking about my plans for the day.  It's a bit colder and the grass is wet so I don't have to bother watering the plants.  The lawn needs a mow but it will need to dry out a bit before I can attack that.  I have a little patch of concrete still to be katchered but that's a job for later in the day; the neighbours don't appreciate industrial noise too early in the morning.

I took Marilyn a cup of coffee and she settled down to read her book.  She relishes her hour in the morning, tucked up in bed with her book.  Before I could get involved in anything, Jamie arrived to drop Archie off for the day.  He always allows am hour or so for a chat before he rushes off and he was able to help with a problem I was having downloading a photograph from the internet.  Lewis Carroll, who wrote Alice in Wonderland, was one of the UK's first photographers, and his favourite subject was Alice Liddell, the daughter of a colleague.  I want to talk about this when my Poetry group starts up and I need a photograph as an illustration.

By the time we had our chat and sorted out the download, it's 11.30 and he's just gone.  I won't bother starting a job before lunch so I pick up my puzzle book while Marilyn potters in the kitchen.  If I play my cards right, I might manage to get through the day without doing too much at all.

Saturday, January 20

 Jen, the young woman who lives next door, has her dad in occasionally to do some of the maintenance work around her unit.  The other day, he had a Karcher machine, cleaning the concrete around her front door.  Afterwards, it looked a million dollars.  The concrete around our back door is a disgrace.  Until recently, the bins lived there, the air conditioner motor unit lies against the wall and the hot water service  tank snuggles close by.  On the other side of the slab, lies my small garden.  Understandably there has been a build up of residue and it is certainly in need of some attention.

Jamie brought his Karcher around and it sat in the garage for a week or two until I felt motivated enough this morning to take a deep breath and set it up.  It went quite well.  My back is still sore but the concrete is  once again its usual grey.  At another time, I'll have a go at the slab under the clothes line and the one at the back door.  There's also an area at the front which I'll leave till last; it will need particular attention.

Friday, January 19

I'm a creature of habit so, when I find a pattern in my life, I tend to follow it.  I stumbled across Noel Phillips' videos  on Youtube so I will continue to watch them until something better comes along.  Youtube, of course, knows this and presents me each morning with another one in the series; but not in the right order.  This morning, Noel was in Sydney.  I've no idea how he got there but he was waiting to board an Air Calin flight to Noumea.  Air Calin is, apparently, the national airline of New Caledonia.  Noel was flying Business Class.

From Noumea, he was planning to fly on to Singapore and Japan.  Half his luck!.  Now, my generation always dresses for a flight: long trousers, proper shoes and socks, collared shirt, and so on - especially if we are in Business Class.  But Noel was in a t-shirt and shorts!  How does he expect to taken seriously if he dresses like a beach bum?

The 'plane was great, as you would expect, and Noel was full of praise - until they arrived in Noumea and he discovered his bag wasn't on the 'plane.  Instead of taking it as a hazard of flying, he started to whinge - full-on, no holds barred, whinge!  You can see why pommies have this reputation.  Noel's whinge was world class.  Air Calin were sympathetic and gave him an 'emergency bag' containing toothbrush and other bits and pieces and promised his bag, when found, would be sent off to his home n Houston;

Any other person would have accepted the reality, although maybe a Yank would have roared a bit, but that's one of the joys of travel.  He was heading to Singapore, for goodness sake where you can buy anything you want at the airport for Asian prices.  Throughout his whinge, he criticised the airline even though he acknowledged they had no control over the baggage-handlers in Sydney.  You'd think an experienced traveller like Mr Phillips would have been more understanding.  And, he knows he'll get compensation.

I was getting tired of his sickly grin, anyway, so I'll look for someone else to watch

Thursday, January 19

When we first moved into our unit, a fellow gave me a couple of crowns of rhubarb which I duly planted. In fact, they were the first inhabitants of a planter box that I bought as I was aware I would be no good looking after plants at ground level.  The rhubarb thrived and, every few week or so, I pick 6 or 7 stalks which Marilyn stews for my cereal.  Not being a gardener, I didn't realise that the crowns have to be broken up each year or the garden will become over-crowded, like mine is now.

I can't keep up with the over-growth and none of my friends want the stuff.  I checked Google which told me smugly that I should have broken them up in early- Spring and, either, given away the extra crown or put them in the Fogo bin.  It's useless telling me what I should have done four months ago so I'll just have to make a note in my diary that, on September 1st, 2024, I must break up my rhubarb crowns.

I made an effort his morning and thinned out the stalks that are ready for eating and I collected 36.  They're all long, plump and healthy so I halved them, put them in bundles of 12 and tied them up with leftover Christmas ribbon.  Marilyn suggested I take them to the library (?) and leave them for people to take home.  The librarians were delighted to accept them so I piled them on a spare table and left quickly.

Tuesday, January 16

 This fellow, Noel Phillips, I've been watching on YouTube, moved from Manchester to Houston a while ago.  The video which I found this morning was of that move.  The moving party included Noel and his wife, two kids, and two of the grandparents.  Their goods and chattels had been taken away in a container but it would take three months for it to be delivered  so they had to take extra with them to get through those three months.  The party of 6 had 16 suitcases, so they had to shop around to find an airline which would take that amount of luggage.  When they got to the airport, they wee 4Kg overweight and had to pay 120 euros, or something.

To compound the issue, three of the group were in wheelchairs!!  It might have taken a moving van to get them all to the airport.

Questions arise.  Is it a good idea to take three people who need a wheelchair to a country notorious for having issues with providing health care and has more medical bankruptcies than anywhere else?  What benefit could there be for that family to move from the place where they grew up to somewhere like Texas? How will the kids benefit by having to attend an educational system which brings up the rear in world rankings?    Why take on the risk of being involved in a school shooting if you don't have to?

Noel didn't address any of those questions and waffled on about 'always wanting to move there' and 'it will be good for my business'.  I would have thought that you could make videos from anywhere in the world but what do I know.  

Good luck, Noel!  Let us know how you get on.

Monday, January 15

 It's another pleasant day in Longford and we haven't anything organised to distract us.  Tomorrow, we had planned to head to Deloraine for a Garden Party and I would normally have taken my celebrated fruit platter, but we're having second thoughts.  We haven't been involved in the Deloraine Probus Club for many months and we feel we have to cut the ties some time.  It's a long drive and we have other ways of entertaining ourselves.

When Jamie popped in yesterday, he brought us each a side of a favourite filipino cake.  It's bright purple made from a yam they cultivate called ube (oo-bay).  It's very sweet and Marilyn avoids it so I was forced to eat two slices - shame.  Even though Nera is making a very good life for herself here, she still clings on to the traditions of the Philippines.  I suppose it's no different to the Poms and Scots who came here in the 40s, joining pipe bands, eating stovies and drinking whisky.  I'm certainly not complaining as I always get my share of the nice things the filipino community produce.

Saturday, January 13

It's been a quiet few days with not much happening.  Jamie pops in most days, a friend and his wife called in on Thursday and the cleaning lady spent an hour or two tidying up yesterday, but that's about the extent of our socialising. Our Probus clubs start their regular meetings next week and we're visiting the Deloraine  Club at their annual Garden Part so our social life will take a turn for the better very soon.

In the meantime, we amuse ourselves reading and so on.  I've discovered a new face on Youtube (well, new to me).  His name is Noel Philips and he's a pom but lives in Texas.  The first clip I saw was a trip to he took on Greyhound buses the whole length of the USA.  I forget how long it took but the trip was horrendous: cancelled buses, drivers not turning up, appalling treatment of, mostly, black passengers and so on.  It's the less well-off who have to use the buses and they are certainly treated like second-class citizens.

The clip I watched this morning was of an eighty-hour trip around the world using only low-cost airlines.  It all worked but his conclusion was that Jetstar was the worst of them all.  Makes you feel all patriotic, doesn't it!

Tuesday, January 9

 I've been out to do my regular watering and I think that doing it in the morning is appreciated by the plants.  In fact, we have had to make arrangements to have some of them cut back.  Somebody advertised on the local Facebook page that he was looking for some gardening work; we rang him up and booked him in.  He's a professional, has his own insurance and registered with Mygov as offering special services to oldies.  We expect him next week for his first stint.

The main issue is some hedge-type plants at the side of the house which are growing over the path.  It's a narrow space and we're. being crowded out by the extra growth.  At the front, too, we have some flax plants which are going mad.  In the summer, they produce masses of large purple berries which look particularly lethal. However, they are popular with the blackbirds which feast on them.  There's a male and a female out there at the moment, taking turns to fly in and snatch a berry.  It's all go here.

Monday, January 8

 I was woken early this morning by the sound of wild weather outside: strong winds and rain, and somewhere in the house a blind was flapping.  Marilyn nudged me and stated the obvious so I staggered out and went looking for the problem.  It was just the blind in the bathroom so easily remedied.  The weather has been so hot we've taken to sleeping with the windows and the back door open.

As I slowly came awake I realised it was our 58th wedding anniversary and clearly the elements had conspired to remind me early.  Of course my mind is full of memories and things I want to say but, typically, I avoid the heartfelt thoughts that come to mind and fall back on the trite, throwaway lines that reveal nothing.  The overwhelming thought is how fortunate I am to have enjoyed this life with a remarkable soulmate. I wouldn't choose to be anyone else in the world today.

Sunday, January 7

 It's been years since we had a meal at Stillwater and it's certainly changed in the meantime.  I was surprised at the number of customers who were there, many of them siting outside. I had thought that the prices might have limited the clientele but maybe there are more prosperous people on Launceston that I imagined.  The staff were all dressed in long aprons and the tables were rustic so there was a nice ambience to the place.  The prices on the menu were horrendous; a main course was over $40 and it wasn't large enough to satisfy. Our friends had first planned to have their Anniversary dinner at the Casino but couldn't get a booking.  They'd come here on the recommendation of the maitre'd of the casino.

The food was pretentious and the servings were small.  Steen and I asked for a glass of red wine each and received abut a half inch in a large glass.  I can't say the meal satisfied me but nouvelle cuisine isn't about filling you up.  I shuddered to think what the final bill would be but Steen suggested he pay it all this time and I would pick it up next time.  I happily agreed, hoping the next get-together would be somewhere cheaper.

Saturday, January 6

Marilyn's in the shower and I'm scribbling this note as we get ready for our lunch out to celebrate our anniversary.  Our friends, Steen and Claire were keen to go to Stillwater Restaurant and we're happy to go with the flow. We haven't been there for years and, in the meantime it has acquired a reputation of being a bit posh so, to avoid any surprises, I looked up their menu on the internet.

As you'd expect, nothing is served with chips and salad and they've tapped into the idea of regional flavours with such delicacies as Mt Zero olives, Cape Grim beef and Lenah wallaby wings.  Even our town gets a mention with Longford scotch fillet in honour of the local MeatWorks.  There's such exotic fare as quinoa, kohlrabi, vadouvan lentils and witlof. I'm not sure what witlof is but I check it on the internet and am informed it is Belgian endive.  What is endive?  Who cares.

I'll probably stick with local and have Longford scotch fillet, charred corn salsa, chat potato, chimichurri sauce.  I note that it's (gf) and that can only be a good thing.

Friday, January 5

Marilyn's allocated reading for her book Club this week is 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman, not something she would normally pick up but she girded her loins and got stuck in.  It's fair to say she became enthralled and said I would like it too.  I had come across it months ago just after I had finished 'A Man Called Ove'.  Having enjoyed that a lot, I asked Google to suggest any other books like it and 'Eleanor Oliphant ...'  was one on the list.  However, the description of the storyline didn't appeal to me so I moved on to something else.

In fact, I've been wading through the Jeeves books by PG Wodehouse.  They're awful and I was just starting to tear my hair out when Marilyn made her suggestion.  The cover notes didn't appeal to me: a single female, struggling with relationships meets an obvious misfit, and so on.  However, I thought I should give it a go and, within a few pages, I was hooked.  Eleanor is obviously socially inept, perhaps on the autism spectrum, and naive.  She is in love with a member of a band whom she has never met.  Of course, by chance she meets an unlikely soulmate and the book has a happy ending.  It is beautifully written and gripping.

I might start to take more notice of Marilyn's recommendations in future.  I'm still blinkered into thinking that women read different books to men but I only have to look at Marilyn's taste to know that it's rubbish.  She reads the same books as I do: mostly UK crime novels, and she reads them faster and in more depth.

Wednesday, January 3

There's been a subtle change in our decor over the past few days.  Over the years, we've adopted s minimalist look to our home decor: no elaborate, olde-world furniture with curlicues and embellishments, no soft curves or flowing lines.  Where the TV might once have been generously curved, the new ones are stark rectangular boxes.   It's been straight lines and sharp edges all the way, recently, in keeping with a no-nonsense approach to life. 

However, as I look around the lounge-room this evening, I see a subtle but marked change.  And it's all because of several purchases we've made, or acquisitions we've accepted in the past week or so.  In the Black Friday sales, we bought a new fan: not a circular, bladed thing with a mesh front, but a sleek, modern one designated as a 'tower'. It's, in fact a tall white plastic cylinder about a metre in height  Over the next week or so, it was joined by two smaller versions: a 12 inch one which sits on my desk and a 16 inch one which sits on the kitchen bench to cool the cook.

Yesterday, Jamie arrived with a new internet system, composed of 2 white plastic cylinders, about 8 inches high.  The first sits beside the modem in the garage but its twin nestles behind the TV.  These cylinders by themselves can'r transform the ambience of our home but it's nice to see some soft curves among the sharp angles.

Tuesday, January 2

Like all parents we worry about the lifestyle of our kids: in this case, Jamie and Nera.  We know they have a good income but shudder, sometimes, at their lavish expenditure.  So, we were pleased when we heard that their New Year's Resolution was to be a little more careful with their cash.  It's January 2nd and we have a call from Jamie to say that they are in Harvey Norman picking out a new karaoke system which Nera had seen at a friend's place last night.  Apparently, it plays the same songs as other systems but the 'interface' is much more 'user-friendly'.  Perhaps their understanding of 'being more careful' is slightly different to mine.

However, I can't say anything.  Jamie called in today with a very interesting box for us.  It was a belated Christmas gift of a new internet system for the house.  Apparently, it 'paints the house with internet' so that no corner is left out.  It was a very generous gift but we're now implicated in their extravagance.  And, he's right: there is a noticeable difference in the internet.