Wednesday, April 9th ....

Well, we've found a house. We ended up with a short-list of three and decided to opt for the one that is owned by a Rotarian friend. He bought it recently as a potential retirement home but is not ready to leave the farm yet. It's a house with a history.

It was owned by John Gay's stepmother. John Gay is Deloraine's favourite son. One-time Chairman of Gunns Limited, his attempts to foist a Pulp Mill on the Tamar Valley led to the bankruptcy and closure of the company. But not before John sold $35 million worth of shares. Charged with insider trading, he was found guilty and received a slap on the wrist.

It's a great house and there is always the hope that we will find a stash of John's fortune hidden away from the taxman, and forgotten.

It's another bleak day in Deloraine. Marilyn continues her knitting of little jumpers for penguins. Apparently, they're needed when Fairy Penguins are rescued from oil slicks. They stop the penguin from trying to preen their feathers and ingesting the oil.

Sunday, April 6th ....

We spent yesterday at the caravan. Marilyn kept herself busy, as she does when things are worrying her and I spent the day on the riverbank, reading. We handle stress in different ways and we are certainly stressed at the moment, worrying about Jamie and trying to establish a sound base for our future life.

I'm pleased to say that Jamie seems confident that he'll be out of hospital in a day or two. Apparently, he's had his final blood transfusion and now needs to allow time for recuperating. His house in Dilston is still occupied by Madeleine and her boyfriend so he and Nera will live with us for a few months at least. Thinking ahead, we've decided that a very large house is not the answer in the long run. What need will we have of four bedrooms and two living rooms when Jamie and Nera move on? So, we're concentrating at the moment on reasonably large 3-bedroom houses which won't demand too much looking after when we become empty-nesters once again.

We have two already in mind, one in Launceston and one in Deloraine, but have three more to see on Tuesday.

I've attached a photo of the riverbank near our caravan with the remains of tractor treads in the mud, like dinosaur bones. I hope I've written enough now to get up to date, and to get my critics off my back!!

Sunday, April 6th ....

I watched Q&A the other night for the first time in ages and it was a relief to see that it was 'politician-free'. I was enchanted by the Egyptian political commentator, Mona Eltihawy, who spoke with passion and is clearly a voice of her generation, trying to break through the entrenched views of the status quo.

I was intrigued by Tim Wilson, the so-called Freedom Commissioner. An advocate for competition in business and a staunch speaker against government largesse, he nevertheless accepted a position which was never advertised on a salary of $325000 p.a. It's funny how our beliefs go out the window when enough money is involved.

What intrigued me is that he described himself as a 'classic liberal', and most of what he said supported that. When the Liberal Party was founded in the 1940’s, Robert Menzies said:

...what we must look for, and it is a matter of desperate importance to our society, is a true revival of liberal thought which will work for social justice and security, for national power and national progress, and for the full development of the individual citizen, though not through the dull and deadening process of socialism.

The name Liberal was chosen deliberately for its associations with progressive nineteenth century free enterprise and social equality

There was certainly a need for that element in Australian politics as the Liberal Party was in Government for the next 22 years. The way that Tim Wilson spoke on Q&A, he comes from that tradition - a believer in free enterprise and competition, but a fighter for social justice. I suspect he called himself a classic liberal to dissociate himself from the conservative excesses of the Tony Abbots and the George Brandises.

Sadly, today's Liberal Party is a shadow of the original party. Social Justice has gone out the window, elitism and preference for big business are the priorities. To be fair, the party should change its name; it's a true Conservative Party

Sunday, April 6th ....

I use this blog as an aide memoire to remind me of things we have done so I should record some of what occurred between the cruise and coming back to Tasmania. I took the chance to see Uncle Archie who is looking well but is clearly more disabled ever day. He says he is wondering what life is all about when he can't take part in what he enjoys. If he were an Eskimo, we would put him out on the ice for the polar bears but both ice and bears are in short supply in Wollongong, so he just has to sit in God's Waiting Room until his turn comes. It's a bugger!

We had some great days out. We took the train to Kiama on our own one day and really enjoyed just wandering around this beautiful village. We were there again the following week meeting up with Jim and Di. It's always great to see them and hear about the interesting way they live their lives.

After much speculation about the weather, we had a day out with Sandy and Jenny, taking the train to Sydney and a ferry to Abbotsford for lunch at the Sydney Rowing Club. This is a proudly historic club whose early members included Alfred Deakin and AB Paterson. Now, of course, to stay open, they rely on day trippers buying lunch.

On the Saturday that I was catching the night train to Melbourne, Marilyn came with me to Sydney and we took a ferry ride to Watsons Bay to fill in time. It's a great place with terrific places to eat including the famous Doyle's Restaurant. Somehow, we missed a ferry and the next one was late so we were sweating on getting back to Central Station in time for Marilyn to catch her train back to Bulli, but we made it with 5 minutes to spare.

The XPT to Melbourne was great. It's not a patch on the European or Japanese trains but I had booked in First Class so I avoided the Ferals and Bogans who were clustered back in Economy. There were only a handful of passengers in our carriage but the computer had designated another person to sit beside me. How ridiculous, with dozens of empty seats, they opted for that. Of course I moved but the guard was careful to note where I was sitting, no doubt to help in identifying my body if there was a train disaster.

I was only an hour into the journey when Marilyn rang to say that Jamie wouldn't be on the plane, so wouldn't be waiting for me at Melbourne airport. The best laid plans .....

Sunday, April 6th ....

We're still in the throes of house-hunting, with a few more to see in the coming weeks. The system of renting a house has certainly changed since the last time we were looking. Then, it was a simple matter of saying, "I'll take it," signing a lease and paying the rent when you remembered. Now you have to apply for the residence and wait until the agent lets you know if you are suitable.

The application forms are intrusive, too. One we looked at asked for the names and ages of any children. Does this mean that Toby and Camilla are accepted but Tiana and Thiessen are rejected? Surely there's something in the Anti-Discrimination Act to nobble this.

We woke this morning to find a video on our phones of Jamie singing 'Take a Look at Me Now.' This illness has certainly been a life-changing experience for him.

Friday, 4th April ....

I've been very slack over the past fortnight. We're back in Tassie but are not yet settled back into routine. The serious news is that Jamie is still in the Philippines, in hospital. He didn't make It to the flight home but instead ended up in Intensive Care.

He had not been well for most of his visit and had already missed a flight home on February 22nd. We hoped he would, at least, get on a plane so we could deal with his issues here. We don't know when he'll get here but we know he's getting the best of care where he is. Luckily, we have very good Filipino friends who are looking after his welfare and his fiancée, Nera, is a tower of strength.

Marilyn and I have been trying to concentrate on finding a place to live. We've seen a few places in Launceston and will see another this afternoon. There are also some in Deloraine to be viewed on Tuesday. We're appalled at what some landlords will put on the market. One 4-bedroom place was really grubby and we wouldn't be game to cook on the filthy stove. Yet it was priced at the high end. On the other hand, for $15 per week more, we could have a mansion on Nob Hill where the original settlers built their big houses. The only problem is that there will be lots of applications.

When we were there, a couple arrived with their two kids and proceeded to organise a game of Hide and Seek. Mum was trying to push the kids into the linen cupboard while Dad counted to 20. I think their chances of getting the place are Nil. It's a great house and I hope it comes our way.