She said it was Cathy's mother Margaret's 80th birthday on Monday and the family was going to to Forest Edge restaurant down Launching Place Road for Sunday lunch to be followed by more people gathering at Celia and Cathy's house later for coffee and cake, say from about 3pm. She said they knew Margaret would like me to attend as she enjoys talking to me so I was invited to come if I could make it. I thanked her and said yes I'll be there as I also like talking to Margaret and would be delighted to be part of the birthday thing.
Margaret, who is a charming and delightful lady, owns a weekender in our street, also opposite us, but back the other way . She bought this as it was near her daughter Cathy and she loved the quiet rural feel, and comes up from Melbourne quite regularly, but less so these days than previously when she was married to her second husband, Graham, a Scotsman. For some years she and Graham spent six months in Scotland, then six in Melbourne, conveniently avoiding the winters. A keen gardener, she and I always had plenty to talk about, and we had numerous happy conversations over the years and I helped her a couple of times with the chainsaw to remove fallen tree debris, and I picked some geranium, daphne and pieris in her garden from time to time.
Graham's health deteriorated as did his driving ability; in the last year he was here there were a number of incidents with the car and near misses. When they next went to Scotland Graham would not return. Margaret did briefly to attend to some necessaries and went back to to Scotland to care for Graham who was by now seriously invalided. It was a difficult time for Margaret at her age to be skipping across the world, torn between her desire to stay in Australia and Graham's need that she stay in Scotland. Graham passed and Margaret moved home permanently.
For the last year or so I have seen little of Margaret as her house was used by a grandchild with young family who had work in the area. On Margaret's odd trips up to tend the garden I would always stop for a chat if I saw her. On one of these times she told me her daughter Libby was buying the house in the near future.
My Libby left for work Sunday morning at 6.30 - she doesn't work Sunday usually but was filling in for another nurse - and in the freshness of the morning I walked the garden picking flowers and foliage and bunched it up as neatly as I could to give to Margaret later when I went to the do. It turned out quite a hot day so I was glad I did this early. I blanched and froze quite a lot of beans I'd picked out at Marguerita's the day before and did the vegies for our Sunday roast. In the early arvo I pushed the mower round the house and when 3pm came my shirt and singlet were ringing wet with perspiration. I changed into a nice shirt and slacks and with plenty of deodorant and flowers in hand walked up the street to Celia and Cathy's feeling quite the dandy.
Margaret loved her bunch of flowers and I met other members of the family including daughter Fiona from Cairns and brother Geoffrey. There was no grog, just ginger beer, water, tea and coffee and lots of fruit platters and of course cake. Alec from Scotland dressed in kilt played the bagpipes and the kids swam in Cathy and Celia's new pool, it was a lovely family get together, and I had a good yarn with other neighbours Vicki and Mark. At about 5pm Margaret, Geoffrey, Alec, daughter Libby and I and some of the younger ones walked down the road to see the renovations to Margaret's house which to this point is a new roof and bathroom. Libby is going to build a new house up the back and the old one will be for Margaret to stay in when she visits.
This was a thoroughly good day with thoroughly good people. Afterwards I went up to Hanna's and sprayed some weeds and watered the pumpkins which are taking off now. Then a warm bath, a lovely roast chicken with a good bottle of red. Doesn't get much better.
 |
| Margaret |
 |
| Alec playing the pipes |
No comments:
Post a Comment