Wednesday after a busy morning in the garden I met Emma at Ikea to look for a kitchen bench on wheels that I could also use as an extension to my kitchen island bench. I had been eyeing off one I liked in Bunnings since seeing Jen’s in Eumundi when I was there in 2018. She had a large one, I was looking at the smaller size. We wandered around Ikea looking for inspiration. Emma found the things she was looking for but we decided if I was to buy what I wanted there would still need to be lots of alterations and it would cost a fortune and of course I’d have to put it together! Before leaving we stopped for a snack then went our separate ways. Before leaving home I had rung both Bunning Innaloo and Balcatta to see if one of them had the toolbox on wheels which I’d been looking for. Balcatta had them, so I put one on order. When I got there I realised it wouldn’t fit in my car. After paying for it I asked them to keep it to one side and I’d be back. I prayed that I’d find someone at church who could help and thought of Michael who lives beside the church. When I asked at church if he was around I was told he had just gone home. I called in there and found he had just gone shopping. As I explained my need of a large vehicle Ashlynne asked which Bunnings as Michael was at Balcatta Bunnings. I know I shouldn’t be surprised at how the Lord provides but it always amazes me. I rang through to Bunnings to let them know Michael was there and would pick up my purchase. I waited at home till they both arrived to help me take it inside. The trolley had to be unpacked before it could fit in their vehicle as their car was packed ready to leave in the morning for their holiday down south. If I had waited a day I would have missed out. The trolley was very heavy to move, which I later found out was because of the big heavy industrial wheels that were in the bottom draw. Had we known they could be removed, it would have made it so much lighter!
Thursday, I took a half hour trip south to pick up some turf. Before heading south, I called in first to the Wrought Iron Factory in Osborne Park to ask if they could help me with my challenging project in lowering the new bench to match my original kitchen bench. I left my drawings with measurements with them to see if they could help. Next stop fuel, then the turf farm. I had been looking around for a soft variety of lawn to make into a seat, which I had seen on Gardening Australia: they had an old tin rubbish bin with the turf growing out of the top. I thought it was a novel idea and wanted to try it but in more of a trough shaped container. I was surprised when the guy didn’t want any payment for the turf. From there I went further south to the Australian Native Nursery where I’d been before. I picked up two more Tea Trees, as some of mine were not looking very healthy. Probably root bound like the previous ones I had bought elsewhere. I also saw a lovely ground cover, Myoporum Parvifolium, which grows in shade and has a lovely pink flower. From there I headed back to Osborne Park and down to Chemist Warehouse in Innaloo for some vitamins. With Bunnings next door, I stopped to see if I could find a metal plate that might be used to attach the bench wheels. Then I went to Karrinyup shopping centre to look for my sisters’ Christmas presents and finally home, ready for my second meal for the day. (I’m not sure what to call it as it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner. Any suggestions? Lundin? Maybe this could get confused with London ha-ha).
Friday after waking early and going for a jog just as it was getting light, I shoved a load of washing on, then climbed back into bed at 6am. An hour later I was still awake. With a list of things needing to be done, I got up. The lawn I had collected the previous day needed to be planted. My plan was to dig up all the bluebell bulbs from a polystyrene box so that I could put some of the turf into that until I found something more suitable. It looked great. I was going to keep the rest of the roll, but after going to the shop at the Stirling Tip and not finding anything, I decided to offer it to a guy who came to pick up some ground cover geranium cuttings. He later sent me some photos of all the free plants he had planted over the past two months. I was quite impressed.
Saturday I woke with another list of things needing to be done. I wanted to plant the things I had bought from the Australian Native Nursery, repot a large fern, breaking it into two, transplant the seedlings which had sprouted into larger pots, make a heap of phone calls regarding metal posts for the shade sail and find someone who could help me with my kitchen bench challenge. Plus have a chat to my friend Elaine who was in two week isolation with her husband having just returned from Bahrain. My aim was to get all this done before attending the first of this year’s Christmas parties at 4pm.
I’m please to say most of my list was ticked off. Elaine also suggested I call someone from church who might be able to help with the kitchen bench. Unfortunately, after presenting all the facts, I was back to square one! I’m not defeated though, I have a few more ideas to think through. I know the Lord will help me find a solution, I just have to be patient.
This was the first year folks in our unit block were invited to the exclusive Sorrento Street Christmas party. I’m told it’s usually only those east of Odo Street, but because we are such lovely people in our units we were included this year. I think it’s now east of George Street. I was amazed at how many turned up. I was only one of three who had dressed Christmassy. I had on my favourite green dress, red cardigan (the weather had turned cold again), red shoulder bag, red shoes and I even had a green drink – a dash of Crème de Menthe, with lemon-lime-and-bitters cordial and my delicious rain water. It sounds rather strange but it was quite nice and definitely not very alcoholic. Well I don’t think so.
Everyone brought their own drinks, a plate of goodies and a $10 donation for the meat. There was a leg of lamb on a spit and the breast of a whole lamb plus some beef ribs cooking away on an Argentinian BBQ. I knew many of my neighbours, whom I’d either seen while out jogging or met as they walked their dogs, or chatted to as they passed my place going to the beach or the shops. I met lots of new families too. It’s a wonderful way to get to know people in the street. We all mingled and nibbled while waiting for the meat to cook I had a long chat to the wife of the Argentinian BBQ cook; their son has dyslexia. I shared the difficulties I had at school from being dyslectic, but also how this had made me learn to think outside the square and that there are many great business people who are dyslexic. I also met a young mum with a five week old baby and she was interested in my having been a mothercraft nurse.
Nel from my Bible Study group brought the unsold bread she had picked up from the bakery. She provided us with donuts, muffins and bread rolls and in return I would give her whatever I collected on the Sunday evening. It was a great evening, but after three hours of standing, my back was complaining. The meat was only just being cut up, so I took a rib and bid farewell.
Monday was the start of another very busy week and a new list of things to be done. More plants to be re-potted, Christmas gifts and cards to be posted to family both here and abroad, reticulation on the veggie patch to be checked and sprinklers checked & replaced where necessary and new drip lines added, water-proofing the urn for a lotus plant I want to put in the front garden, plus getting the garden bench put in. Monday was also the second Christmas party, this time for our Bible Study group. It was held at church with my barista friend Sarah serving coffee, before joining us for snacks. We brought our own cutlery, cups and tongs so as to help prevent contamination and in keeping with the Covid rules. There was a mountain of food. One of the Malaysian ladies made curry puffs, two without onion for me on the FODMAP diet. Actually when I go out I usually don’t bother sticking to the rules as it makes it too difficult, especially when I’m invited to people’s homes. We shared Christmas prayers, poems of encouragement and friendship and sang some Christ-centred Gospel songs to celebrate the occasion.
Wednesday the ninth of December I was delighted when Slavo came to install the garden wall bench. He had constructed as much of it as he could at home, staining it the same colour as the pergolas to blend in. The only thing that wasn’t correct was the width. I had asked that the seat overhang the garden slightly, so that my feet didn’t dangle in the plants below. Unfortunately we had forgotten the brick edging. When we went to put the legs under the bench, we had to remove two bricks and put the fourth leg on top of a corner brick. It looks a bit strange, but unless it was pointed out, it isn’t noticeable. Without these legs, the bench wouldn’t have been so sturdy. The adjustable back-rest works so well, I’m glad I insisted on having it included. I have some old sunlounge cushions which work well until I make new ones. Another project!
While Slavo was here I asked him to take a look at my mobile toolbox, which I’m converting into a mobile kitchen bench. I had finally nutted things out as to how to attach the new smaller wheels: instead of using a 5mm metal plate and a 5mm wooden board with holes for the nuts to sit in, to make it flush with the base of the trolley, we could use a 10mm wooden board with countersunk holes for the nuts. Slavo said this should be strong enough to attach to the trolley using the original bolts which had to be used as the fittings in the aluminium base were already there. I then showed him the folding brackets, which just happened to arrive while he was here. These were to attach to a piece of countertop which I had kept from the original benchtop since 2016 (yes, it is sometimes worth hoarding things). This will be attached to the side where the handrail was supposed to go. I think it was a handle to pull the trolley around. Firstly, it was on the wrong side (where the extension was to go) and secondly I could use the pre-fitted bolt holes for the brackets. The last challenge I had was that the brackets were too long, by 5mm, and only one hole on the brackets lined up with the holes on the trolley. Oh well, you can’t have everything go to plan. Slavo took the trolley and all the pieces with him in his van, to work on it before returning it completed.
In the meantime, I cemented in some new edging bricks, bought and planted a few more ferns, hoping they will like their new home under the garden bench.
That week, although I didn’t sleep very well, I was up before dawn, while it was still cool. The weather had changed and was more like summer with hot muggy mornings and scorching hot days. I waited for enough light before going jogging, home to exercise, then I headed for Hamilton Beach for a quick splash. The water was glorious. I am so blessed to be able to walk to such a lovely beach with clean, cool, or should I say cold water from the Antarctic currents. Such a refreshing way to start the day.
I have been doing a letterbox drop of our church flyers to advertise our Christmas Carols on 20th of December. On Saturday some of the team that shares the Gospel and I went to Trigg Beach and handed them out there. I met a lady who said she also went to the same church as me and was the mother of Frank. I didn’t recognise her, nor did seeing her son Frank ring a bell, until I spoke to Rob, who reminded me that we had been praying for Frank, who had been in Sydney recovering from a bone marrow transplant. I later went back and introduced myself properly and met the whole family, who were then coming back from the beach. It was lovely seeing Frank looking so well, having prayed for him for such a long time.
En route home I stopped off at the North Beach shops to stock up on a few things, and when I went to pay, I realised I didn’t have my phone. I know I had it down at the beach as I had used it to give a partial Gospel presentation. Praise God, I was able to pay with my card instead of the phone and thankfully I had enough on the debit card to cover my expenses too. Back at the car, I hunted for the phone, finding it in a little red bag that I use to carry my tracts and Gideon’s Bibles. It’s a terrible feeling misplacing your phone.
A few years back Nezka (my nephew, Michael’s wife) gave me a string of little solar powered lights. I wrapped them around the outer beam of the pergola outside my back door. They looked magical. But within days I noticed they were only on for about an hour. My neighbour, Kath, who had given me six of her old solar driveway lights after buying new ones for herself, suggested checking and changing the rechargeable batteries. I had never thought of solar having batteries, but of course they do, that’s what the solar is charging all day. Some of the old lights Kath had given me weren’t working well so I had thrown them out, keeping only three which were still working. We both felt rather silly after I changed the batteries and those too worked, we could have saved the others too! Oh well, we will know for next time. Kath had also replaced all the ones she had given me along my driveway with eight new ones, so now my garden is dotted with lights, both on ground level and above our heads.
Our bobtail family, those I’ve seen, are doing very well on all the handouts they have been receiving. Bob, who lives in the end unit, has been feeding them bananas. On one occasion when one of them, who I suspect is the mum, was strolling through my back patio area, I brought her some cut grapes. She literally charged me, snapping it out of my fingers. I was so surprised at her boldness, she had never done that before! I am concerned with how friendly they have become, as, on several occasions, I have seen them near my front door, just near the car wheel. I’m frightened there will one day be an accident. I have seen several over the years squashed on the roads around here. I would be devastated if I was the one who brought any of them harm. One day I found one of the baby bobtails in my back garden. I had thought with the gate closed they couldn’t get in. I was wrong! Mind you, he did look like he was struggling to get back under the fence, since putting on so much extra weight. I thoughtfully left the gate open for him to leave, jamming it open for safety measures.
Photos: 1. Second flowering of my wisteria 2. Succulent wall with new patch of turf 3. Kath at our street party 4. Dressed Christmassy 5. Argentinian BBQ ribs 6. Christmas breakup party for Bible Study group 7. The new garden bench raised 8. My only paw paws which fell off green but were still delicious 9. Lowered bench
Prayer & Praise Points:
Praise the Lord for His plentiful, abounding blessings and provisions this month and for the warmer weather.
Praise the Lord for Emma’s speedy recovery with her platelets count, surprising the medical team. Thank you for your prayers; please continue to pray that she will now be in remission from the leukaemia.
Pray that those who don’t yet know the Lord Jesus will have their eyes opened to His love, peace and saving grace.
I praise God for advance of the Covid vaccine. Please pray that it will be successful in bringing the virus under control.
Praise the Lord for all our supportive friends and prayer partners. It’s such a wonderful thing to know we are there to help and encourage each other. We all need each another in different ways and it’s reassuring and encouraging to know friends are not too far away, thanks to technology and prayer