New Year's Eve 2009

Its New Year's Eve and I am waiting to go out at 8.45pm to a party. Its a long time since we went out at this time of night. Hope we can stay awake until the end. Peter and Dillis from our Monday night euchre group rang us the other day and asked us to their place where they are having a gathering.


Well only a few hours until the end of this year. I can't believe it is 11 months since I retired. I have accomplished a few things I wanted to do......... volunteer work, going to New Zealand, some tidying up, finishing a long outstanding jigsaw puzzle and throwing a lot of things out. The getting rid of things will continue the beginning of next year. When I was a child the days seemed to be never ending or maybe it was because I never thought about time then.

It was lovely having Melissa for Christmas even though it was only for a short time. Melissa also discovered the M2 bus and was very happy with the service. Hope you enjoyed your stay Missy as much as I enjoyed you here.

I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope you have health and very exciting things happen to you in 2010.

Until next year...........................

On the buses

I have been blog less for some time now so I thought I would make an effort.

Last Saturday I decided to take the M2 bus into the city as I was meeting Kerry-Ann at the Opera House to see the ballet. When I got on the bus it was standing room only and this lady, whose little boy about 10 years of age was sitting next to her, said she would put her son on her lap and I could sit down. She said she didn't want her son to stand up as he was performing today and might get tired out. I asked where he was performing and she said at the Opera house in the ballet The Sleeping Beauty. What a coincidence I said, I am going to see that Ballet. Apparently he has been dancing for about 2 years and was chosen to work with the Australian Ballet. He was only of the rats in this particularly ballet and his mother told me what to look out for as he was dressed in five layers of costume and I wouldn't recognise him. We continued talking all the way into the city and I found out that she owns 2 of the Harvey World Travel agency, one at Blacktown and one at Seven Hills. I told her we go to the one at Winston Hills and she new all the people there. Also her other son has just started at Oakhill College so we had much to talk about.

This is the second interesting person I have met on my bus travels. The other one was a young girl backpacker. It started by her asking at the bus stop at QVB if this is where you get the hills bus and we happened to sit near her on the bus. I said she looked tired had she been doing a lot of travelling. It turned out she was from Germany and was staying in Canberra at a friend's house for 2 weeks who she met back home and the friend had returned the invitation to stay with them in Canberra. The last week she had been sightseeing around Sydney and in another week was heading off to New Zealand on a year long working holiday there. She showed me her diary and all the pictures and people she had met and as we left the bus she was writing in it and I couldn't help wondering if she was writing about us. We found out also that she was a house painter so Tony was able to discuss some aspects of painting with her.

Winston Hills Mall now has boom gates. This is to stop business people parking all day in there and catching the M2 bus to work. It is also to make sure that there is traffic congestion all around and that it takes some time to now enter the carpark and exit. I was in the line the other day waiting to collect a ticket to open the gate. As you do when you are waiting in a long line you daydream. Well not thinking I just followed the previous car in and the boom gate came down on me. Luckily when it touched it went up again. I was so embarrassed that I just drove in and I didn't have a ticket to get out again. I was in luck again because for the first 3 hours the out gates stay up. CCTV surveillance system probably has my number plate and think what a silly woman.

Not long now for Christmas. Sydney is looking forward to Melissa arriving and have even put up a Christmas Tree in Martin Place for her.

I will be going to RE Tebbut Lodge's residents Christmas Party on Friday lunchtime.

When I was at North Rocks today I ran into one of the residents, Ada, who had come on the bus with some other residents and my boss, Shirlee. Ada said that she had just brought me a Christmas present and proceeded to take out of packet of TimTams. I said are these to share with the other staff but she said they are all for you.

Discovering the M2 bus

It was over 40 degrees on Sunday and we decided to take the bus down the M2 to the City to attend the Wesley Mission Volunteer's dinner instead of driving in. This was our first time on the bus although some years back I used to catch the M2 bus to Epping sometimes when I worked there. This was Tony's first trip and he was kind of excited. Being so hot, we drove to the bus store but of course it is within walking distance. As we are now "seniors" the fare is only $2.50 and we were a bit nervous as we had not purchased one of these tickets on the bus before and were unsure of what to do and how they worked. Tony pushed me in first to ask for the tickets and then we took a seat at the back of the bus. It was one of those new buses where there are different floor levels but you have to be careful that you don't pick the seats that sit over the wheels. The trip took about 40 mins and we disembarked at the back of the QVB. We had borrowed a timetable from Rolf and Christa who catch the buses all the time and were able to see when the return buses left which was about every half hour and this would be in front of the QVB. There are 3 buses you can get 610 (which does not go through the Lane Cove tunnel by via Lane Cove) 610X (which does go through the Lane Cove tunnel) and the 619 (which goes via Macquarie Uni). So all in all it doesn't take much time this way to get into the City and we have decided to take this mode of transport in future. In fact I went in by bus this morning to go to the Conference Centre at Darling Harbour where Felise's Variety Christmas Party was held. After getting off at QVB it was only a short walk down the street and across the Pyrmont Bridge and you were there.

Some good news at last

Tony had a CT Scan and a bone scan during the last week and we went to see the Specialist this afternoon to find out how far the cancer had gone. Luckily it is contained in the prostate and Tony will be having a radical prostatectomy operation (ie is removal of the prostate) on the 11th January. So that is a relief and Tony will now be able to enjoy Christmas.

On Wednesday we were setting off to have lunch with some friends at The Entrance. We were just about to go onto the M2 when the car began acting up. We called the NRMA and they told us to take it to an auto electrician which we did. The auto electrician checked it out and said it was the automatic transmission and we would have to take it to an automatic transmission place as it was a specialised trade. We picked the car up today and it cost a total of $2200 to fix. Any other time Tony would be pulling his hair out over this but after what he has been through lately this was just another thing that had to be done.

Michael had a father's retreat last weekend so Kerry-Ann and the children came over on Saturday and stayed the night. Then on Sunday we looked after Felise and Jake while Kerry went to work. We took them to the park but it was rather hot so we didn't stay that long. We then went to McDonalds for lunch and after brought them one of those soft service ice creams each. You can just image how much mess they got into. I had to wash Felise's clothes out when we got home.

I won't be going to Tebbut Lodge this week as Felise's Christmas party is on at Darling Harbour and when I told Shirlee she was disappointed as she is beginning to rely on me now. The residents certainly enjoy their Trivia with me and have a good laugh. Even the gardening group has started to expand. Shirlee has been showing me some new programs she has in mind for me to do with the residents. I even got an invite to the residents Christmas dinner on the 6th Dec.

Also Tony and I are going to a volunteer's thankyou dinner at Wesley Mission on Sunday.

I'm having problems with Farmville again!!!!!! I am about to lose a whole crop of Sunflowers as I am unable to access my farm. Help..........

Shame to spoil a beautiful day.

Raymond Terrace - 31st October

It was such a beautiful day today you wouldn't want anything to spoil it. However that was not the case. The pest man came this morning to get rid of all those nasties that lurk in our back yard. After he finished Tony had an appointment with the specialist as he had a biopsy last week on his prostrate and we were going to get the results. It turns out Tony has prostrate cancer. The doctor said it seems to be contained in the prostrate but he made an appointment for Tony to go for a CT Scan tomorrow and a bone scan next week to make sure. If it is contained then he will have surgery to remove the prostrate altogether and that should be the end of it. Except of course for his recovery which will take up to at least six week or more.

Any other result we will deal with if it happens. It was all a bit of a shock as we were expecting it to be the same result as he had previously when his PSA reading was high.

Carol's husband Malcolm ( this is the couple who live at the back of us and I used to work with Carol) had his prostrate removed a couple of months ago and this has been helpful for Tony as he knows what to expect and is able to talk to Malcolm.

I have been a bit slack lately with my blogging but have had a lot on the calendar and looking after 2 farms and a cafe doesn't give you much time.

Back to the real world.......... Re the volunteer job at the fertility clinic I applied for. Out of the blue I got an email from them inviting me to a morning tea to meet the Manager etc and to explain what was involved. It said they were still sorting through the applications. So I will go along and see what it is all about. At least I will get a cup of tea and its only in Parramatta.

We are going for dinner with our New Zealand coach friends, Peter and Gina at the Ibis hotel

at Thornleigh tomorrow night. Then back to their place for coffee. They are still trying to be

matchmaker between Edwina and their son.

News on Tebbut next blog.

Back to winter again

It has been rather cold the last couple of days. Its also been raining but I don't mind that as we really need it. Its the cold I don't like going back to when it should be warming up.

Anyway not a lot to report from last week and the weekend.

Since I wrote the first few lines the weather has warmed up. Yesterday, it was overcast and there were a few spits of rain but I dragged the gardening club from Tebbutt outside to put mulch on the plants. We will be planting some dahlia's next week according to our Baptist minister that comes every so often with his plants and tools to administer his gardening acknowledge and put us on the right track. So we prepared the soil for these also.

After lunch I was at the microphone again asking a variety of trivia questions. One of the resident even told me when I arrived in the morning that he wouldn't be at trivia as he had to go

to hospital to have some tests done and that he was very disappointed.

When I get that microphone in my hands I change into a different person. It makes me feel as if I have all this power. Anyway, I made them listen to a poem I wanted to read and they all stayed. Maybe it was because it was too much of an effort for them to get out of their lounge chairs.

After trivia one of the older gentleman on a walking frame came up to me and said "I know where you are going now, home" I said "yes, that is right". He said "would you mind doing me a favour and buying me from the shops around the corner 4 packets of Continental Chicken Noodle Soup (4 in a packet) "and gave me $20. I said, "ok" but thought this is a bit of an nuisance as I had to get the car, drive down to the shops and come back again.

I hadn't been to these shops before but managed to stubble across them from the directions I had been given. There was a little supermarket, a hamburger/milkbar shop and some other shop. The supermarket did have packets of soup but there were no Chicken Noodle so I thought I would go to a convenience shop at Terry Rd I used to call into on my way home from Eastwood some years ago if it was still there . I found the shop but that too didn't have any Chicken Noodle. By this time I was getting rather fed up and just wanted to drive on home but I had this chap's $20 note and had promised him I would do it. I was now on a mission and was determined to get that soup so I headed towards Carlingford Court and Woolworths. Of course, when I entered the complex I got stuck in a line of traffic. I finally found a car space and rushed in a purchased the soup and headed back to Dundas. When I arrived I handed the bag and change to Vicki who said I was not to do that again as the residents were not allowed to ask me to do favours for them (I don't think she had noticed it had taken me an hour). That's ok with me but I suppose Les got a talking too.

Last night's show, Nightcafe, at the Riverside Theatre was a bit of a disaster too. It was billed as "Exhilarating dance and live gypsy music, whipped into a frenzy. It will have you jumping out of your seat wanting more. Nightcafe is an alcohol fuelled chaos where the audience will be ducking the flying furniture."

We were trapped on a stage and couldn't just sneak out. They were tossing wine bottles, glasses (all plastic of course) and chairs around and dancing with them for about an hour. Then they were getting the audience to get up and dance to music that was not very suitable. When there was a bit of a lull a couple of people got up and we followed them out and a number of people followed us. The best part of the evening was you could take food and drinks in and we had purchased a package of strawberries, cheese, dried apricot and biscuits to eat.

Melissa has booked her trip and will be spending Christmas with us. It will be nice to have all my fledglings together. She arrives in Sydney at 8.45am on Monday 14th December and will be departing at 7.50pm on Sunday 27th December. Have I got that right Melissa.

Great news Melissa.

Not much to say

Not much to report on the last week or so.....same o same o. We forgot little Michael's birthday last Sunday. We had noted it on the calendar so we wouldn't forget and then forgot to look at the calendar. Rang him last night and he seemed to have had a great birthday with 5 friends staying overnight. He got a bit of money for gifts and is saving up to buy some sought of bike..... he did say what it was but I have never heard of it.

Had a rather tiring day yesterday at Tebbutt as the weather was rather hot. I made everyone wear a hat and had to make sure they had sun lotion on for our garden club. We mostly did watering and put some mulch on the plants. I have to watch them when they have the hose gun as they turn around not thinking and wet everyone. One of the fish in the tank was sick so had to empty some water out and put in some medicine and fresh water and now the water is green. Hopefully this will fix him up.

Nellie was at exercises and was even moving her feet when she didn't think I was looking.
I think I am like a regular to them all now and expect me to turn up on Tuesdays.
Some of them certainly enjoy their trivia and this week I used the microphone so I didn't have to shout. I just found it hard to hear their answers as I am a bit deaf myself at the moment.
I got a bit carried away with the microphone and read to them about the life of Kingsford Smith. I told them all to listen carefully as I was going to ask them questions next week on him.

I went to the movies with Judy today and saw a good film called " Mao's Last Dancer" It is based on a best selling autobiography of Li Cunxin, a chinese ballet dancer who was invited to dance in the US and stayed. He married an Australian ballet dancer and now lives in Melbourne.


I mentioned previously that Tony was invited back to work on a casual basis. Well he has declined their offer and is sticking to doing little jobs for himself now an then.