Monday, January 1

At the end of each month, I type out a list of activities we will be involved in during the next 30 days.  It's then stuck on the fridge as a quick guide to what we should be doing: meetings, doctors appointments, visitors, and so on.  We're usually quite busy so the list is often quite long.  The January list was pentad yesterday but, with the best will in the world, I can't make it any longer than five lines. There are no meetings, no appointments, no-one coming to visit.  The only significant thing is our wedding anniversary and I stretched that over two lines.  I suppose it's a good thing to have a quiet month, but I hope it's not the beginning of a trend.

I was watching a Youtube video this morning where one of my regulars was visiting Alicante in Spain. He was surprised to find that there are, I think, 23 Moreton Bay Figs in Alicante.  Scott lived in Sydney for many years so is familiar with the trees.  They're old so must have been planted many years ago and their exotic appearance looks out of place.  The town makes a feature of them and kids, of course, love to play among the huge buttress roots.  There was no mention of his they got there but Scott, the presenter, made a cryptic remark that they might have come via Argentina.  Why, I don't know.

Wednesday, December 27

 It's not the end of the month yet but at least I can celebrate the end of the Christmas season.  It's great fin, of course, but it's tiring: having to be a bit more careful of the clothes you put on in the morning, having to be cheerful in case people turn up unexpectedly, wondering whether it's still required to put out a Christmas gift for the garbage man or the postie.  I realised on Christmas morning that a couple of my prescriptions had expired.  The surgery was closed, of course, so I made a mental note to ring them this morning to have the renewals sent through to the pharmacy.  My phone wouldn't work.  Of course, I re-charge to annually and it expires on Boxing Day.  Every year I forget.

I have an app on the phone so it's no problem to renew it but the cost has gone up a bit.  I think I remember getting a cheap deal last year.  Still, it's cheaper than a monthly plan with Telstra.

Jamie and Nera came and had lunch with us yesterday and that was a good way to wrap up the Christmas season.  The next celebration is our anniversary on January 8th.  We hadn't planned to 'do' anything but the friends we had lunch with on Christmas Day announced that they would be celebrating their 50th on January 6th, so we've arranged to have a meal with them on that day at Stillwater, one of the posh restaurants in Launceston.  It will be our 58th anniversary so we have a couple of extra years on them.

Monday, December 25

We were invited to Jamie and Nera's last night for their Christmas Party which involves the local filipino community.  As usual, it followed the filipino tradition of Noche Buena which means an early start and the main feast to be enjoyed at midnight.  There is always a whole roast pig and whatever other delicacies the family can afford.  Nera had invited people to arrive from 3 o'clock but Marilyn and I dropped in about 4.30.

The feast was well under way and we joined the line to get our share.  Apart from the pig which had been severely hacked about by the time we arrived, there were huge prawns, crayfish, different salads and so on.  Nera had made a  beef brisket which I decided was my favourite.  Of course, there might have been forty people there so lots of food was needed.  

Luckily they have quite a big house and lots of places to sit, but some us had to spill out into the gazebo in the back yard to get a break from the constant noise.  Filipino parties are not normally quiet affairs.

Jamie had organised some games.  One was a lucky dip where you had to choose a prize from a left-hand container or one from the right, while blindfolded.  The prizes were Mars bars wrapped around with a banknote!  Marilyn and I got $30 between us.  One lucky person, I hear, won $50. Another game involved calling out a number between 0 and 100 and about 40 of them won prizes.  I cheated a little and won a box of Ferrero Roche but that was just a minor prize.  Apparently it's an honour to have your house chosen to be the venue for the party but it's certainly an expensive honour.

Today, we're going out for lunch with friends from Deloraine. They came to us last year when Marilyn served fairly traditional Christmas fare but Steen is Danish so has told us he is cooking salmon steaks.  Sounds good to me!

Sunday, December 24

Marilyn and I have just finished watching an outstanding show called The Long Shadow.  It's a UK production and is about the search for the fellow they dubbed The Yorkshire Ripper.  This fellow killed 13 women over a 5-year period and the enormous police investigation into the case took four years to find the culprit.  There were seven episodes in the program and we watched it over two nights.  Riveting!

I did my usual watering this morning and realised there was another outstanding job which was demanding attention: cleaning the bird bath!  I love my bird bath and make sure there is always fresh water in it but I hadn't realised how much work there would be in keeping it clean.  Are birds so dirty that they leave a residue behind?  I need a scrubbing brush and hot water to do the job properly.

As I rinsed off the last bit of grime this morning, I heard a noise, and looked up to see a Virgin A320 coming in for its landing at Launceston Airport.  And the penny dropped.  What I am cleaning off my birdbath is the burnt residue from the fuel of the regular planes which use the flight path directly over our heads.  It's no wonder the birds have to use the bath.

Saturday, December 23

It's been a bit of a wasted day today. We're in that waiting period when Christmas is still a couple of days away but everything has been done to prepare for it.  I wandered out to check the mailbox, even though it's Saturday, wondering whether Australia Post might surprise us with a late delivery, but no luck.  I received a parcel last Saturday and hoped lightning might strike twice, but no luck.

Marilyn had ordered some Christmas groceries from our local supermarket, and we spent half an hour or so picking those up.  I eyed off the prawns and mince pies but they've been stashed away safely out of my reach.  

I've read a few pages of my book and downloaded a couple of old Christmas Specials from The Two Ronnies and Dr Who, but Marilyn's not a great fan of watching TV when it's daylight so they'll have to wait for another time.

Luckily, the weather is great so we take the chance to sit outside.  When it's warm, it's better to sit out the back in the morning and the front in the afternoon, so we have a table and chairs in both spots. Marilyn is collecting chips and other goodies as I'm typing this so I think a move to the front seats is imminent.

Friday, December 22

Marilyn had to see the doctor yesterday but she had a bit of a sniffle and Covid is still a threat.  She did a RAT test which was clear but the nurse said, 'Come to the back door and the doctor will come out to see you in the car'.  Brilliant.  While we were there, we both had our covid booster shots; that's six each, we've had, I think.

We spent yesterday binge-watching Strictly Come Dancing, the UK TV show.  We had saved it up to watch when Anne was here but she wasn't interested so we had several hours to get through.  The Poms certainly know how to put on a show.  We've also watched the US version, Dancing with the Stars, which is second-rate, and there used to be an Australian version which was just embarrassing.  The UK show is slick, professional and highly-entertaining.  

Now that it's finished, it's my turn to chose the next show and I'll probably look for a murder mystery.

Wednesday, December 20

It's nice to have the house back to normal.  Anne went home yesterday and, although, it was nice to have a visitor, it's great to pick up our old routines again.  I like to watch podcasts in the morning before Marilyn gets up but Anne was an early-riser and I didn't want to inflict my esoteric taste on her.  One of our 'family sayings' is. I'm going to live in a cave and become a helmet.  It's a quote from a 1959 TV show called The Loves of Dobie Gillis.  Dobie was a typical US teenager of the time but his off-sider was a beatnik-type called Maynard G. Krebs who often said outlandish things like the one about being a helmet.  Shows our age, doesn't it?

While we were urging Anne to finish her packing so we could head for the airport, there was knock at the door.  Surprisingly, it was a friend we haven't seen for, maybe 20 years.  She worked with us at the Friends School boarding house in the late 1970s but Marilyn thinks we last met her at Salamanca Place in Hobart more recently.  She lives in Hobart but was in the north visiting a friend.  Obviously, we had to chat and run but, now that we've made contact again, we'll make a point of seeing her next time we're down south.

Tuesday, December 19

It's rained overnight but the sun is shining now so we expect a nice day. I'm always happy when we have an overnight shower because that means I don't have to do my morning chore of watering.  We have Archie with us at the moment as Jamie has flown off on the early flight to Melbourne.  A committee he is on is visiting a health facility in Victoria to get some ideas for one proposed for Launceston.  Nera, of course, is working so we're the back-up as carers for Archie.

One of Nera's nephews has applied to study in Australia.  He has finished his schooling in the Philippines and has enrolled to study Nursing in Launceston.  His ultimate ambition is to be a doctor and he is very bright, so they all expect great things.  Jamie and Nera already have a lodger: a young Filipina woman, sister of a friend, so they've had to set up another bedroom for Brendan.  They're both very social so will enjoy having a full house.

Anne flies home this afternoon and I think she's looking forward to being back in her own place.  While she has been away, her family has made arrangements with her retirement village management to provide her with more care: evening meals, better support services and so on, so the hope is that she will live independently for longer.  There's no fun in being older and having to live on your own.

Monday, December 18

I thought I would try to get the blog back on track: it's difficult to keep it up when we have a visitor and Marilyn's sister, Anne, has been here for about three weeks. However, she is going home tomorrow and I'll have time again in the morning to focus on dribbling down my thoughts.

I was delighted on Saturday when a parcel arrived that I had been waiting for,  Extended delivery times is a great initiative.  The parcel was from Temu, my new best friend.  I have to confess I've gone a bit overboard since I discovered this wonderful site: the range of stuff they have is extraordinary and the prices a joke.  This time I had ordered a new cushion for my desk char: 40cm square, 8cm thick, covered in an off-white fabric, $20.90, free postage.  The alternative was to drive  in to Spotlight, pay for parking, fight with the Christmas crowds, and pay too much.

However, when I opened the parcel, it was not what I expected.  There was a hammock, some kids' clothes, gardening stuff, hand towels, and so on.  I checked the label on the outside and it was certainly mine so there had obviously been some mistake by one off the minions in the huge warehouse in rural China.  And, somewhere, some family was excitedly unwrapping an off-white cushion and scratching their heads.

I checked the Temu website, found the form to report a 'Wrong Parcel' and one to claim back my money.  Within 10 minutes, I had my credit and, apparently, I can keep the treasures I received by mistake.  Jamie and Nera called in, raked through the stuff and were delighted to take some off our hands.  The rest will end up in the charity bin over the road.

Thursday, December 7

Summer has certainly come to Tasmania this week; we've taken to sleeping with the back door open so that we can get a breath of air.  The only saving grace is that we know it won't last.

I had an email last night from a friend in Western Australia.  We've known each other since we were both students at Sydney University in the 1960's. but we don't keep in regular contact.  His first teaching job was in Goulburn and he met a girl there and they married in 1974.  Marilyn was the Matron-of-Honour and I drove the wedding car.  There is a notorious photograph taken on the day which shows Jamie, 5 years old, dressed in flared trousers and floral shirt.  I also have a very-1970's suit and Jamie says I look like a pimp.

Anyway Mungo and Jan have been married 49 years today.  The last time we saw them was years ago when we were on a cruise which ended up in Perth after sailing around the Northern part of Australia, probably about 2005 or 6.  It's hard to keep up a friendship when you're on opposite sides of a continent.

Tuesday, December 6

Jamie was telling us about something they watched on Netflix: a show called The Professor and the Madman, and it sounded quite interesting but we seem to be out of the habit of watching TV so I was pleased to hear that the show was based on a book of the same name by Simon Winchester.  I've read his stuff before. He's the bloke who believes that Chinese sailors sailed around the world centuries before Europeans 'discovered' places like Australia and South America.

His book is also called The Professor and the Madman and is about the compilation of the first edition f The Oxford English Dictionary.  Yes, I know that it sounds boring and the only copy I could find was in PDF format so difficult to manage on a small tablet but I read it from cover to cover and found it fascinating.  We might even try to watch the Netflix version as well