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.