Monday 10 July
Ida's birthday! She turned 87. I haven't seen her since Boxing Day before last. She is in an aged care facility in Sale. She didn't know who I was. She has Alzheimer's. I first met her in 1995, in the local suppermarket when we started a conversation about footy. We became great friends, I called on her twice a week for years and we'd have coffee and a chat. She loved her garden and reading and sport, especially the Hawks, but also the tennis and swimming on TV. Me and the boys mowed her grass for years and I cut back her garden. Her daughter-in-law emails me now again and I'm good friends with her neice Glenda in Melbourne who keeps in touch. Her father George, Ida's brother, became a friend also. He tuns 90 this year and his family has asked me to write something for a book they are making for him for his birthday (people who have known George have been asked to write something about when they met him - a good idea!) Ida deteriorated quickly in the last stages, it was a difficult thing to see happen.
Happy birthday Ida.
The wind blew a gale all day and it was very cold.
Tues. 11 July
Gough Whitlam's 90th birthday! Who (of those old enough) could forget old Thunderface say on the steps of parliament house just after being 'sacked' as PM, "God well may save the Queen, because nothing will save the Governor General."
Happy birthday Gough. I didn't know it then but you were a great man. It was a date in Aust. history on which I think most people would remember where they were when they heard the news, it was so big at the time. I was in the Riverina NSW working an apiary on Paterson's Curse when I stopped to get a drink and turned on the truck radio. I jumped for joy.
I ask my friends to email me and tell me what they were doing when Gough was sacked.
My father Lyle came home from hospital this evening. They could not help him. He is not expected to live long. It is a difficult time for us, especially Elvie and Meredith who are nursing him.
Wednesday 12 July
The third very busy day in a row for me. Somehow Lyle's condition seems to have steeled my resolve and I found another gear. It was freezing cold and there were times my fingers felt like dropping off. As Lib went to work I asked her was there anything I could do to help her today. She said if I had time I could make a spaghetti sauce, which I did when I came in for lunch. I was flat out all day. Daphne is flowering and the customers are crying out for it. I'm picking a lot of laurel and camellia. While I was picking camellia at Keith's he told me a good joke but I don't have time to write it up. He is a funny man, he says the money I pay him for his camellia foliage is Viagra money.
Thursday 13 July
I've had a bit of time to regroup today, hence the blog entry. I was very happy to get an email from Punjab this morning, responding to my blog entry for him around the time of the winter solstice. It's very cold again, I just checked the thermometer, it's 10C. I'm about to have a bowl of Baxter's potato and leek soup for lunch ,yum, and some dark rye toast. I'll set the fire then go to Hueit's (he's away till mid August) to pick a few things and collect the eggs, then pick more laurel for 'Foxy' at Stiebolt's hedge on the Patch road then pick up Gordon at Belgrave at 5.30pm. It'll be nice to get home and watch the footy selections on satellite TV sitting by the fire with a few glasses of red.
