Friday, July 18, 2025

Saturday, July 19

 Tasmania is heading for the polls today.   Marilyn and I are without a car at the moment so we've arranged to get a lift with Bertine from Unit 5.  The polling station is at the local primary school which is just up the road but it's a bit cold to walk and it's uphill.

When you read about how elections are run in other parts of the world, Australia should be proud of how we do it here. A totally amateur bunch of local people turn a school hall into a polling place, hundreds of people turn up, line up patiently and cast their votes.  Nobody asks them to show ID; we just trust that they are who they claim to be.  We support the local charity by buying a sausage as we are leaving and the whole thing is civilized.  USians would be amazed if they saw how understated the whole process is.

I had a restless night last night.  The cold weather is affecting my throat and I have a persistent cough. It's not helped by lying down and I had to abandon my bed in the early hours of the morning and set myself up in the loungeroom.  I found if I reclined my chair half-way, I could sleep more comfortably and the heat of the room helps me doze.  Winter in Tasmania is not a lot of fun and it's not a season I look forward to.

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Friday, July 18

 The trouble with buying something new for the house is that it tends to lead on to buying something else to enhance the original purchase.  So it is with my new chair.  We've been in this unit almost 5 years and, for all of that time, my habit has been to sit in my chair reading a book.  At my left shoulder I had a smallish table lamp which illuminated the pages of the book so I could read reasonably comfortably.

With the new arrangement, the table (and the lamp) has moved to my right side between my chair and Marilyn's and she is now more aware of how relatively poor the lighting is. 

We need a standard lamp, she decides, about 6 foot tall to throw a light on your book.  "Check out Buy, Swap and Sell on Facebook," she instructs me.

I do, and also look at the websites of various shops in Launceston, but they're either short of suitable items or they're too dear.  I fall back on Amazon, find exactly what I want at a reasonable price and, with one click, it's on its way. It will be here by August 1st.

Today's story goes back 4 years.


THE ONE WHO CAME BEFORE                                                                                2021

Liam knew from an early age that his parents had high expectations of him.  His mother had taught him how to make his bed as soon as he was tall enough to pull up the blanket, his father gave him chores to do in the garden and, on his 6th birthday he was allowed to steer the electric mower around the lawn, under strict supervision, of course.  His parents often said they wanted him to be able to look after himself.

There was vague talk that one day he would study to be an accountant and eventually be able to take over the family business.  Liam watched his father go off to work each morning, always dressed in a dark suit and striped tie, and carrying a briefcase.

As he grew older, he became aware that there were some things in the house which seemed not quite right but were never talked about.  There was a bedroom which he wasn’t allowed to go in, there was a shed in the yard which was always locked.  He never seemed to get any new clothes; when he needed another singlet or pair of shorts, his mother would look in a drawer and find what he needed.  All his toys had a ‘used-before’ look about them and he was never allowed to ask for a particular present for Christmas. His presents didn’t even seem to come from a shop, they seemed to have been in the house all the time.  At first, Liam didn’t think this was odd; as far as he knew this was normal but, when he became more aware of how his friends’ lives differed, he started to wonder.

One time he found some picture books in the bookcase with the name William inside the front cover.  I wonder who William is, he thought.  Another time, he found his mother crying in the kitchen.  He had never seen his mother cry before, but she never laughed either, or even smiled.  “Don’t worry, William,” she said. “I’m only thinking about someone that I used to know.”

Why is she calling me William, Liam thought.  That’s not my name.

On his 12th birthday, his parents sat Liam down and said. “Now that you are 12, there is something important that we have to tell you.  Before you were born we had another child, your brother, William.  Sadly, he died.  All our hopes and dreams rested on that little boy and, when he was gone, we decided to have another child as soon as possible.”

That night, Liam thought about this for a long time.  From what his parents had said, he was only a replacement for the one who came before.  Even his name was just a shorter form of William: a bit like William, but not as good. Everything I have, he realised, was William’s first.  William is so important, Liam thought, that, even now he is dead, he still has a bedroom in the house and a special locked shed in the yard.

It was William, Liam understood, who was supposed to train as an accountant and take over the family business.  Well, I’m not going to be just a substitute for William, he decided.  I’m not going to spend my life stuck in an office.  I’m going to follow my own dream.

I’m going to be … a Lumberjack!


Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Thursday, July 17

 The lift chair I had ordered on-line arrived yesterday (at last).  I thought it had been lying in a warehouse in Devonport, an hour's drive away but, in fact, it had already been transported to a depot near Launceston, just 15 minutes away.  However, all that is history and it is now set up in our loungeroom.

It came in a cubical-shaped box; when I opened it, the back of the chair was separate, and lying across the base section.  I thought I would have to carefully screw the two sections together but, in fact, the back simply slid onto two flanges attached to the base.  Is 'flange' the right word?

Having said that, I really had no part in it.  Jamie was summoned by Marilyn and he arrived, took charge and gave me insignificant jobs from time to time. He finished the day by taking asway all the rubbish.

I was worried that the loungeroom might look cluttered with an extra chair in it but, with some re-arrangement, it is now much more efficient than it was before.  A very good result all round.

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Wednesday, July 16

 The Coles man is expected this morning so I'm taking the chance to write the blog while keeping an eye out for him.  Paul from next door has just passed our front window on his morning walk but, otherwise, nothing much is happening.  It's a beautiful day although the air is cold and we'll need to stay indoors for a bit longer before venturing out.  

I forgot to order icecreams so, when Jamie brings my car back I'll have to make a trip to the local IGA to see what I can find.  The IGA is a great shop but the prices are a bit higher than Coles so we buy all our basic stuff from the bigger shop and only get what we need daily from the local.

I've been listening to a podcast about a murder twenty years ago.  It's on the ABC podcast called Trace and there are a number of other mysteries in the series.  I tell myself that I need to listen more regularly but putting on headphones is a bit antisocial, so I reserve my listening to when I'm on my daily walk.  But that's very frustrating: my walks are short, it takes time to set things up and I usually forget what I've heard on one day before I try to pick up the threads the next.  Life wasn't meant to be easy.

Monday, July 14, 2025

Tuesday, July 15

 I sat down earlier to write this blog but Jamie drove in so I set it aside.  He has our car at the moment because Brendan, Nera's nephew, who is staying with them, has borrowed Jamie's Jeep to get to and from work. Until now, Jamie has been dropping him off and picking him up again, but he's getting so much work, Jamie decided it was better to make him independent even if it meant giving up his car for a day or two.

I've had my walk and Marilyn has now set off with Archie for her stint. We try to walk a couple of times each day but it's not always easy.  Still, the weather is beautiful and it's always a pleasure.  Somebody has just arrived with our evening meals from Toosey. I'm having rissoles and Marilyn is having roast lamb.  She can't remember ordering it but hey ho, she'll certainly enjoy it.  It's been a real success getting these meals and we'll extend it to five days a week from now on.


Sunday, July 13, 2025

Monday, July 14

 We had terribly sad news last night that our sister-in-law, Janet had passed away in Wollongong.  She had been ill for some years so it was no real surprise to us but, nevertheless, it was tragic.  Janet was the youngest of us and we've known her since she was about 12 years old.  We always made fun of the fact that she came from Dapto which, in Wollongong, was seen as something less than desirable.  Sandy and Janet had been married for almost 59 years.

I can't help thinking of my mother's death all those years ago and, especially the poem I read at her funeral.

Death is nothing at all
I have only slipped away into the next room
I am I and you are you
Whatever we were to each other
That we are still
Call me by my old familiar name
Speak to me in the easy way you always used
Put no difference into your tone
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow
Laugh as we always laughed
At the little jokes we always enjoyed together
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was
Let it be spoken without effort
Without the ghost of a shadow in it
Life means all that it ever meant
It is the same as it ever was
There is absolute unbroken continuity
What is death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind
Because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you for an interval
Somewhere very near
Just around the corner
All is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost
One brief moment and all will be as it was before
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!


Saturday, July 12, 2025

Sunday, July 13

 I've had a bit of a cold over the last few days and Marilyn decided I needed to do a Covid test.  I wasn't keen but couldn't think of a good reason to resist, so we dug out the last test kit.  Just as I was getting organised, Jamie appeared and insisted on getting involved.

I'm not keen on having an audience when I'm carrying out personal matters, watching what I do, giving me advice, commenting on my clumsiness and, in general, raising my blood pressure.  However, I managed to complete the exercise without losing my cool and was relieved when the result was negative.

Wrap up warm and keep out of drafts is how I plan to spend the next twenty-four hours in the hope that my head will be clearer.