Mamalade

I’m glad we shopped yesterday. Someone told me the shops were crowded today, with people stocking up – not only for the weekend, but doing a last minute panic about the Millenium.

Yesterday the shops were pretty quiet with no sign of Millenium madness – except for one crazy woman buying a spare torch and extra batteries. Ben laughed at me when I told him I’d bought an extra torch. He’s taken it up the Coast with him for the weekend. Actually, I insisted they take a torch in case the car breaks down or something.

Relle came and put the mower together. In 5 minutes! She has many talents. Miles loved it.

“Mo-mow” he said, and proceeded to chase after the dog with it.

We all went to Mum and Dad’s place for Christmas Day. (All except Ben and Agnieszka, who were still away on their honeymoon) Everyone took something for a cold salad lunch. I always make “Devils on Horseback” (bacon wrapped around prunes stuffed with chutney, secured with a toothpick and grilled.)

Relle had made personalized bonbons for each person with an appropriate little gift inside as well as a party hat, joke and party popper.

The kids received lots of gifts, yet the toddlers settled for simple pleasures. Miles kept tossing a little rubber ball through the doorway and running after it, while Matthew picked up and examined the paper streamers out of the bonbons.

5 year-old Callum entertained us by telling how he’d bought his mother a bra for Christmas. (She wore it, too, stuffed with tissues.) His sister Shea helped him choose it from Crazy Clarks.

“But how did you know what size?” we asked.

“Oh, we just got one the same size as her undies.” said Shea.

It was a good day, if somewhat noisy with all the kids together.

Ben and Agnieszka returned from their sailing trip on Tuesday. They’d had a lot of rain and some hairy experiences with rough seas, but they enjoyed it.

Ben and Agnieszka were married last Thursday.

They came up from Melbourne the weekend before and had a hectic few days getting everything organised. I’ve never before heard of anyone choosing a photographer and florist just three days before the wedding!

Relle had made a beautiful wedding cake and arranged for it to be professionally iced. The week before the wedding, the man who was going to do it rang and said “Don’t bring the cake. My brother has died. I’ll ring you at the end of the week.”!!! He did get it done in time and it was beautiful. The Champagne roses on the cake were just like the roses in Agnieszka’s bouquet.

They were married in the Brisbane Botanical Gardens. We all assembled in the beautiful rainforest area. Agnieszka’s family were there, including relatives from Poland and Holland. They’ve all been holidaying on the gold Coast. And our family of course as well as close friends. Ben’s friend Walter who is in Perth couldn’t come, so he sent a life size cutout picture of himself.

I took photos of the guests while we were waiting for Ben and Agnieszka. Some turned out quite well, but I’ve managed to cut off people’s heads in a few. Wouldn’t you think, that people would stand in the middle of the picture and pull their heads in when they see me trying to take a photo!

It had been clear and sunny right up till 5 pm. (The time of the ceremony) Ben and Agnieszka still hadn’t arrived. The photographer held them up. Then fine rain started to fall – I prefer to think of it as a shower of blessing. We grabbed a chair each and dashed into the nearby rotunda. The rain stopped, so we all went back to the rainforest. Then it rained again, so back we went to the rotunda while someone dashed up to the kiosk to see if Ben and Agnieszka had turned up there. It fined up and we went back to the rainforest. By the time Ben and Agnieszka arrived it was looking rainy again, so we all trooped up to the kiosk. Of course it had stopped raining by then.

Anyway, it was a lovely wedding ceremony in the kiosk.

Robert and Callum, my two 5 year old nephews had a great time at the wedding. They tore all around the gardens after the ceremony and after the reception they danced every dance together. They were fun to watch.

Ben and Agnieszka are spending a week sailing and diving in the Whitsundays. They’ll come back on Boxing Day and spend some time here before returning to Melbourne.

And now it’s nearly Christmas. And I’m still trying to assemble the toy lawn mower I bought for Miles. The axle WILL NOT go through the holes and the holes WILL NOT line up. This is the last time I’ll buy anything that has to be assembled.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Bubbles

“Look what I bought yesterday,” I showed Frances the tiny white plastic bottle with a dove on top. “Bubbles! Instead of confetti for the wedding.”

“I’ve been thinking of getting some, too,” said Frances. “I’ve seen them in the shops…” She started to unscrew the lid.

“Don’t open it now!” I said. “All the bubbles will fly out.”

She looked at me in amazement. “How could they? It’s just liquid. You have to blow the bubbles yourself.”

She pulled a little round gadget out of the bottle and to the delight of Miles, blew a cascade of bubbles over him.

“Just as well you told me,” I said. “I was going to open it at the wedding and pour it over Ben and Agnieszka.”

“Ooh, I can’t wait to tell the girls this one!” said Frances.

Bad dog.

Miles and Nelson (the corgi) spent the afternoon with me while Frances went to the hairdresser and did some shopping. Toddlers are so constant! Miles moves so quickly from one thing to the next, I’m flat out keeping up with him. But he is a lot of fun.

Nelson was a bad dog. A large bearded dragon lizard was doing its stick impersonation on the lawn. “Look at the lizard,” I said to Miles. I didn’t realise Nelson understood English. The stupid dog took off after the lizard, across the flower bed. There was a lot of barking and thrashing, then the lizard streaked across the backyard and took refuge under the old car that Joel is still promising to get rid of “one day”. Then it must have gone next door, because Nelson started digging furiously along the fence and piercing the air with staccato barks.

I ran and got the spray bottle. He usually quietens down when he sees it. By now the action was back in my yard and plant pots flew in all directions.

He finally lost track of the lizard and Miles used the spray bottle to squirt water on everything in the backyard (including me). It kept him occupied for ages. I bet he’d rather have a spray bottle than all the toys he’ll receive for Christmas.

Nelson will have to curtail his barking. There’s a new law – dogs are allowed to bark for only 6 minutes in every hour. Maybe we should hang a watch around his neck so he’ll know when to bark.

Frances came back with her hair very very short. “It’s too short and I don’t want to talk about it,” she said. But it’s a nice style and she needn’t worry. Even if they shaved it all off, she’d still look good.

 Plum Pudding

It’s that time of year again!

“Do you feel like cutting up the fruit this year?” asked my sister Relle.

We all groaned. “Oh, no! Plum Pudding time again!”

We don’t mind, really. In fact, it’s fun to get together and chop up the dried fruit for the traditional huge pudding that Relle makes.

Our initial respionse is part of the tradition, triggered by memories of the greasy suet we used to shave into transparent flakes – until Relle discovered that butter works just as well.

So last Monday, Relle, Mum, Frances and I spent the evening happily dicing fruit and nuts into uniform pieces. Relle is meticulous about the size. (I offered to bring a ruler.) “Just imagine you’re sculpting sultanas out of that apple.” she instructed Frances.

We all made a wish as we stirred the ingredients.

The end product is always delicious.

Christmas Shopping

Did you notice, Christmas comes earlier each year? When we were kids it was a whole year from one Christmas to the next. But now, it always comes before I am ready.

This morning I did some Christmas shopping in the nearest big shopping centre, and struggled back on the bus with arms loaded with heavy bulky parcels. With great difficulty I manoevred them through the door of the bus and clung on desperately during the bumpy ride home.

“This is the easy part,” I thought . “I still have to carry them from the bus stop to the car…. if only there could be a supermarket trolley waiting at the bus stop…”

I’m not sure now if I made that a prayer, a wish or suggestion, but I remember thinking ” If only I had enough faith to pray for a trolley, and expect it to be there.”

The bus pulled into the stop with a mighty lurch. I fought my way out through the crowd – and there, (Oh, ye of little faith) right where I got off, was an empty supermarket trolley! I thankfully dumped my load into it and pushed it easily to the car.

The next few weeks are going to be hectic, with Ben and Agnieszka’s wedding, then Christmas. So much to do and so little time.

Trash and Treasure

At last! The piles of rubbish were finally picked up this morning and there are patches of yellow grass where they have been. Clean up week was entertaining at first, but the streets soon became an eyesore. The scavengers had reduced my pile by half. Why would anyone want my old screen door? It was rusty and falling apart and Buddy had ripped the mesh into shreds. The big stereo speaker boxes had disappeared, but I saw them again yesterday on my way to church. They were on a different footpath several blocks away. Someone must have discovered why they’d been put out in the first place! I even retrieved something back off my own pile. I needed to put prices on pot plants for our Jumble Sale and realised the slats on the old venetian blinds would be just the thing to cut up and poke into the soil.

Zero growth

Now that my old screen door is not leaning against the fence anymore, I was able to get at the long grass growing behind it and pull it out. My current neighbours are very tolerant. When Betty lived next door, she used to nag me all the time about my weeds. She was an old lady – nearly 90 – and we got on well, but she had this thing about weeds. She used to get me to buy Zero (weed poison) for her when I did her shopping, then when I was out, she’d lean over the fence and spray as far as she could into my yard. I’d come home and find my ugly dead patches all over my lawn.

She also used Zero to spray all around her kitchen to keep the flies away. I was afraid she’d poison herself.

So, I would substitute the poison with water in her Zero bottles, and use the real stuff to spray where it was really needed. After a few weeks, she’d say, “When you go shopping, will you buy me some more Zero? The last lot didn’t work very well.”

Cleaning up

The rubbish is piled high along the streets. Cars cruise slowly as their occupants appraise each heap. A few pull up and eagerly pounce on some treasure, joyfully calling to their friends, “Hey look what I found!” Others come stealthily at night. By the time the big pick up trucks arrive, not much is left that is worth salvaging….

East Timor? The aftermath of a cyclone? No, it’s council cleanup week in our suburb. It happens about once a year. Residents are encouraged to bring out their junk and the Council picks it up off the footpath.

I love it! It’s a wonderful opportunity to get rid of all those things that don’t fit in the wheelie bin. And I love the camaraderie of the neighbours as each one builds up his pile of junk, while eyeing off his neighbour’s pile, and the fun of seeing which items disappear overnight.

“They could be had up for stealing,” mutters one of my neighbours. But I feel thrilled if someone thinks my junk is worth salvaging. I like to think it hasn’t just gone to waste.

Some people are easily entertained.

Man in a hurry

Uncle Charlie and Aunty Edna were at Mum’s when we got back from shopping yesterday. They live on the Sunshine Coast. Uncle Charlie had to come down for doctors appointments. He’s 89, but no one would believe it. They’ve just had their 65th wedding anniversary, so we had to see all the photos, cards and messages – there was even one from the Queen.

Uncle Charlie’s most prized message was from a woman who had known him when she was a little girl (she’s a grandmother now.) She’d written such a funny letter telling him why she had always refused a lift to school with him – because he drove too fast!

Uncle Charlie is always in a hurry. Riding up the stairs on Dad’s chair lift, he complained, “Won’t this thing go any faster?”

He wouldn’t stay for lunch – he said he’s like the swifts that fly to China with their mouths open, catching insects.

I had a vivid mental picture of him speeding along in his red car, with his head out the window and mouth open catching insects!

An old friend

When I was a teenager I worked for a while on the telephone exchange in the small country town where we lived. I enjoyed it, in spite of being in awe of the postmaster, who had a violent temper.

There was a little hatch door in the main door of the exchange, and after the Post Office was closed, anyone wishing to make a trunk call on the public phone outside would ring the bell on the door and pay the call fee through the hatch door.

Because of this, I wasn’t too keen on the late shift, because I was alone and never knew who was on the other side of the hatch door. (Looking back, I realise now that the back door presented a graver danger – we never locked it!)

Anyway, shortly after I started to work there, a woman began to visit every time I was on the late shift. She would ring the bell, and when I popped my head out, she’d ask me the time. I must have been something like a talking cuckoo clock! She would talk for a few minutes, then disappear into the night. I didn’t know who she was – she would have been about middle aged and seemed very lonely.

A year or so later, our family moved to Brisbane. After a while, I received a letter from this woman. Her name, I discovered was Marie. I wrote back. That was about …um…at least 35 years ago. She has been writing to me regularly ever since. She doesn’t wait for an answer to her letters – if I am a bit slow replying, she writes again. Through her letters, I have learned that she has had a very hard life. She doesn’t seem to go out much. Her son (who is not well) lives with her. She always says that my letters brighten their day. (That is partly what inspired me to include a newsletter on my website – I figured that other people might enjoy getting a newsy letter!)

Since we left that country town, I had seen her only once for a few minutes about 20 years ago when we were passing through. Until today.

Last Sunday night, Marie’s son phoned to tell me she had been brought down to the city for an operation on her foot. She had the operation on Monday, and today I caught the bus to the hospital to visit her.

She seemed a bit vague – probably still groggy from the operation, but she soon grasped who I was and we had a good talk. She was very tired, so I didn’t stay long. If she’s still in the hospital next week, I’ll try to visit her again.

Friendship Club Breakup

It seems early for Christmas Break Up parties. Our Friendship Club broke up this week. We had a nice relaxing morning, doing some simple Christmas craft. We made angels out of paper doilies, and boxes and lanterns out of old Christmas cards. And we cut out and glued teapot shapes with a slot in them for a teabag with the verse,

“On Christmas day at half past three,
Make yourself a cup of tea.
I’ll think of you and you think of me
As we sit next to the Christmas tree.”

An old memory

I heard one of the ladies say to her friend, “I’ll cut out yours for you when I’ve done mine.” It brought back an old childhood memory which I shared with them:

I was eight and in Grade Three at school. Our teacher handed out new exercise books and told us to write our name and the subject neatly on the cover. Cynthia, the girl who usually sat next to me was away that day, so the teacher asked me to write on her book for her. I wanted my book to look really good, so I decided to practise by doing Cynthia’s book first.

While was I was carefully writing on mine, the teacher came and stood behind me. He picked up Cynthia’s book, which I had just done, and examined it. Then he put it down with a thump (which scared the living daylights out of me) and he exclaimed to the rest of the class, “What an example of unselfishness! This girl has put her friend before herself and written on her friend’s book first!” And I just sat there and let everyone think how unselfish I was. I must have been a rotten kid.

I don’t know if I have changed much.

Two parties

Two parties in one weekend! Yesterday, we all went to my sister Jan’s place for Callum’s birthday party. He’s five. The kids had a wonderful time. They spent most of the afternoon in the big wading pool. Miles joined in the splashing. At 20 months, he thinks he’s one of the kids now. Matthew, (3 months younger) was more interested in trying to drink the pool water!

Today, I went to a surprise Birthday party for my friend Denise. Once, at Toastmasters the Round Robin Master asked us to talk about the person whom we most admired. And I said, my friend Denise – because she always laughs and jokes in spite of her life threatening health problems. She’s on oxygen all the time now, but she’s still bright and bubbly. We were all asked to take a flower that reminds us of Denise. I took a poppy, because they dance in the wind, get flattened and bounce up again – like Denise does. When everyone arrived with their flower, they made a beautiful bouquet.

Illegal action

Buddy is trying to tell me he hasn’t had enough to eat. He just stepped on the keyboard and my computer informed me that “an illegal action has been performed”. The first time I saw one of those messages I really thought I had done something wrong. And can you imagine my consternation the first time I received a “fatal error” message! I wish computers wouldn’t use such dire terminology.

I suppose I’d better feed the darn cat before he pulls the curtains down.

GNIHCAYMHO! That’s “Oh my aching back!” (Try reading it backwards.) I find Street Stalls more tiring than Jumble Sales, even though I take a folding chair and sit as much as possible. At least the results make it worthwhile. We raised quite a lot for the World Vision Street Children’s Centre in Bangladesh. (That’s our project this month.)

On the street

It’s interesting, being on the street. I like to watch the people going by. I see a lot of familiar people – some are our regular Jumble Sale customers, a lot of them are people that I see every week when I go shopping – but I don’t really know them. I recognise their faces and they often recognise mine and say hello or just smile. It gives me a sense of being part of the community.

I was glad to come home after the stall and rest. And I thought what it must be like for the Street Kids. They don’t have a home where they can go to get away from the hustle and bustle of the streets.