New Century 2020

Busy start to the new year; some of the activities which occupied me this first month of 2020 were completing the upgrade, downloads and copying files to my new tablet; washing my curtains, bathroom fan; trying to minimalize my belongings by sorting through everything in the house and sheds; finally going through the rest of Mum’s belongings; packing things away in boxes; giving away and selling stuff.  I sent a message to the Bible College near here to advertise my room for rent; designed a new reticulation system to make looking after the garden easier and I am working on ideas for a few finishing touches, including some steps to my raised garden area.

I thought of organising a trip to Sydney to see my accountant, dentist, optometrist and physio as well as the eye clinic to check out a problem with my right eye and of course spend time with Grace my business partner and my friend Vi-Lay.  But after an eye check here where I was told the wear-and-tear in my right eye was common when growing older, I decided not to go, as I already had a heap of things to complete before my trip to Thailand, including updating my vaccinations.

One of the jobs needing to be done was the ceiling of the carport shared with my neighbour, where the paint has been peeling.  We have had several painters give us a quote, one saying it can’t be fixed due to the powdery base.  In the end a painter who was working on one of the units offered to water blast it off.  I was shocked at the price quoted but thought it needed to be done, so we went ahead.  The unit manager is saying that possibly in about 4 years all the units might get it done properly.  In the meantime, I’m praying the rest of the paint doesn’t flake off.

We have also had a makeover on our letterboxes.  I wasn’t really in favour as the old ones, although unable to be locked, were built from brick, which didn’t need ongoing maintenance.  The new ones will probably look tatty in a few years and need to be painted!  The less maintenance the better, is my thinking.

Due to the lack of rain and my empty water tank, I thought about having a water filter fitted to the house.  I had actually bought one but that night I was very uneasy about the purchase (I now know what ‘buyers regret’ feels like).  I was so concerned about the ongoing cost of the filters, which I’m told should be changed every year, that I couldn’t sleep.  Praise God I was able to take it back the next day.  I’ve been using a water filter jug but could still taste the brackish Perth water.  To me it smells and therefore tastes like cockroaches!  So off-putting it makes me gag!

After putting the word out for a house mate, I was chatting to Ida while working in the church coffee lounge.  She said her daughter Aimee was planning to move out of home.  I mentioned it could be a good match as when I came home for a break she could move back with her parents so I could have time alone.  They came around one morning and after seeking the Lord, Aimee decided she would like to move.  I was delighted! It is truly an answer to prayer.  Since then lots of friends from church have told me how blessed I am as she is a lovely young woman and very tidy.  Ida also says her son has been a gardener so between them I’m confident my lovely little garden and home will be in good hands.

In the meantime, I have had a gardener, Andrew, come and put in retic so that Aimee will not have the mammoth job of watering my garden.  Before he came, I had my plumber set up a water valve which came off the main water supply.  I had a couple of weeks corresponding with Andrew, organising the areas which needed watering.  This was put onto a colour-coordinated plan for 5 areas.  The areas were divided into either function or zoning.  I had my tropical and citrus area (1) in a narrow strip on the east side of the house, a native vegetation area (2), ferns under the shade of the trees (3), vegetable and lower level (4) and fruit trees and driveway garden areas (5).

The first day he stayed for 10 hrs putting in the basics.  My plumber had set up a valve from which a 5 station solenoid system was set up.  The second day he was back for 6 hrs re-laying the pavers which had to be pulled up for the valve and the pipes and the eastern garden area which needed all new pipe work. He also started on the lower (5) area.  Then we had the long Australia Day Weekend, which gave me time to relook at the plan and make a few changes to where the new piping will go and what kind of sprinklers to put in.  I wasn’t happy with the two sprinklers Andrew had put at the front as the winds here were shocking and would just blow the water off the garden onto the path.  I sent my updated drawing to Andrew and explained my concerns.

On the second day of Andrew’s work, I went off to Bunnings to buy a few things while he continued to work.  I had to keep an eye on my odometer as I am only covered for 8000 km per year with my Australian Seniors Car Insurance.  I only had 40km before this expired so needed to keep under this until 25^th January. Praise the Lord I just scraped in through using public transport for other shopping.  The frustrating thing was because of the long weekend the direct debit didn’t come out till 27^th January.  Would this have meant I wasn’t covered if I had gone over on the 26^th?

During the time Andrew was working on the retic, I contacted Greg who lives further down Sorrento St.  I’d met him while jogging, he also walks his dog past my place as he heads to and from the beach.  I’ve known him for years.  He thought I was a Christian minister as he often saw me walking to and from church.  One day while I was in my garden I called out to him from amongst the bushes.  Since then he has called me Moses.  I call him the prodigal son, hoping it will be prophetic.  Anyway I digress.  I know he is friends with his neighbour who has collected a variety of stones, rocks and bricks at his property.  For years I have been coveting his limestone blocks to use in my garden.  I asked Greg if he would ask his neighbour if he wanted them and if not, that I was interested in them.  Unfortunately when they come around to see me I was out.  Then one Sunday while I was putting the rubbish bins out I saw a guy and his dog coming back from the beach.  I asked if he could remember which bins needed to go out – the green waste or the recycling bins.  He called out to another of Greg’s neighbours who was also walking his dog.  The first guy then told me he had been around with Greg re the limestone blocks.  Oh, I said, you must be Liam.  After introductions, I showed him where I wanted to put the blocks and asked how much he wanted for them.  Nothing, he said, as they were given to him by clients who wanted them removed, he had no use for them and was glad to get rid of them.   Thank you Jesus!  What a wonderful outcome for us both.  Liam said he would speak to Greg about a time they were both free to help.

In the meantime, Andrew returned after his Australia Day break to finish off the retic, not exactly the way I had planned. Recently one of my neighbours had backed up our shared driveway running off the edge into my garden.  Prior to this another neighbour, drove off the top edge and had to be towed out!  Because of this I was concerned about putting the sprinklers along the side of the driveway.  Unfortunately I didn’t persist with my concerns and the day after the sprinklers were put in another neighbour, trying to avoid a van parked in the driveway ran over one of my sprinklers!  Grrrrrr I should have stuck with my original plan!

After this I raced off to Bunnings to see if they had any little flags to help people be aware of the sprinklers.  They didn’t, but I did find them and another sprinkler head I’d been looking for in a reticulation store, Total Eden.  I also sent an email to all the residents so that everyone will hopefully more careful not to leave the driveway.  The other alternative is to move the pipe in about 50cm, re-do all the sprinkler heads so that they cover 360 instead of only 180 degrees.

I’m still working on a few alterations throughout the garden but generally I’m very happy with the outcome.  I will now be a lot more confident, leaving the garden care with my new housemate.

While cleaning out Aimee’s room, which I use as my walk-in-wardrobe, I realised I had far too many clothes, which would not fit into the small wardrobe in my little room.  After visiting one of my neighbour’s homes, I came to the decision of building another built-in-wardrobe in my room.  This would solve the problem and give me much more space to store things, instead of having to put them in boxes in the shed.  I just pray my builder will have the time to do it.  I have a long list of things needing to be done, including putting a lock on my bedroom door, hanging some of Mum’s paintings, a few general handyman jobs and put up a pagoda for my grape and wisteria vine.  Andrew had mentioned that the wires I had strung up would not take the weight of either of the vines.

I had been thinking of redoing the cushions on Mum’s cane lounge too.  I looked into having the lot redone but after finding out the cost, I went online to see if I could instead find a cheaper alternative.  I knew I could buy foam and then thought I could get some cheap covers from Ikea or Spotlight.  I visited both these stores but neither had what I was looking for and I was too lazy to make my own.  In the end, while making some inquiries at Clark Rubber, the attendant suggested I buy caravan mattresses which were already covered.  They were just a bit longer and wider than what I needed but worked well and can also be used as a spare mattress if Aimee has friends to stay.

In January I also caught up with friends for a coffee, who I hadn’t seen for months. It seems I’m a bit of a recluse, and I must admit I enjoy my own company.  However, this was not the findings in a survey I had completed with the Healthy Brain organisation who asked for subjects for their dementia studies. Under their heading: Extroversion – it mentioned that I am energised by socialising with people and enjoy being surrounded by activity.  Although this may be the case, it is more of a rarity than the norm and generally depends on the activity.  I volunteer where I can be useful.  I’m not really a social person unless it’s one-on-one or a very small group.  It was also said of me: ‘I have trouble spending long periods alone’, I’m not quite sure where that came from!  I enjoy my own company and spend many days alone and often avoid people to be alone. I enjoy things that can be done alone: jogging, gardening, watching TV, reading.  I would say I’m more of a loaner then a socialite.  I find being with people especially crowds, very draining and often leave gatherings early just to be on my own.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my friend’s one-on-one, which makes me just like my mother.  She loved her girls, visiting but would rather have one at a time.  This way we can make the most of each individual.

I’ve met some new beach-goers too.  If the weather is good (no wind) I will often go to the beach after my jog, around 6am, for a quick dip, walking back along the beach.  It’s a lovely way to start the day.  The days are getting shorter, which means I’m having to wait for the sun to cast its illuminating beams across the horizon before I can venture out.  The days are getting colder too, which is lovely for jogging but not so inviting when it comes to plunging into the chilly waves.  The tide is quite a way out when I get down there, which means it is quite shallow and only a thin channel for those wanting to do laps.  I swim at Hamersley Pool, which doesn’t have as many rocks on the shore as at Mettam’s Pool, where Mum use to swim, plus it is closer to my place.  It has a stretch of sand on one side of a rocky reef pool where I once saw a seal checking me out as I checked him out.  I like this pool as it’s never crowded when I go down, it has change rooms with toilets and showers and because of the reef, is rarely too rough for a quick dip.  It is also well below the road, which means it is often sheltered from the easterly winds.

For some time now the unit manager has been suggesting we get sensor lights for all the units, using the corporate body finances.  I already had one put in in 2016 so didn’t want it changed but she insisted that it would be all uniform so I agreed, as long as I could have it so that I could turn it off.  The day eventually came and there was another discussion where she tried to get me to change my mind.  Fortunately the lady electrician knew what I wanted and was able to set it up as requested, except for the two-way switch, which meant I couldn’t turn it on from inside the house.  I didn’t see the point of having the sensor so that the light could be switched so that it stayed on.  I thought if you were outside needing it on all the time you just had to move before the 3 minute time switched it off.  I’d rather have the option of turning it off permanently, so it didn’t come off and on all night.  I’m glad I stuck to my guns, as many of the other units had that exact problem throughout the night, disturbing their sleep.

What a busy start of the year it has been.  It will be interesting to see how February turns out.  I’m hoping I get some good news in regarding my visa application, which is at the moment in the hands of the NGO in Phuket.

In closing this blog update, I would now like to share with you an article I read about our Australia Day celebrations. Australians have been divided about celebrating on the 26^th January for one reason or another, as this article explains.  Not many people know the true reason for the current date being what it is.  Here is a portion of what was written: “Captain Cook did not arrive in Australia on the 26th of January but the 28th of April 1770. The First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay on the 18th of January. The 26th was chosen as Australia Day for a different reason; however, Captain Cook’s landing was included in Australia Day celebrations as a reminder of a significant historical event.

Since the extravagant bicentenary celebrations of 1988, when Sydney-siders decided Captain Cook’s landing should become the focus of the Australia Day commemoration, the original importance of this date for all Australians has begun to fade. Now, a generation later, it’s all but lost.

In recent years, the media has helped fan the flames of discontent among the Aboriginal community. Many are now so offended by what they see as a celebration of the beginning of the darkest days of Aboriginal history, they want the date changed.

The reality is, the Aboriginal people in this country suffered terribly under the hands of British colonialism. This is as much Australia’s history as the landing of the first fleet, and both should be remembered, equally. Both should be taught, side by side, in our schools.

Australians of today abhor what was done under British governance to the Aboriginal people. We abhor what was done under British governance to the Irish and many other cultures around the world. So, after the horrors of WWII we decided to fix it. We became our own people.

On the 26th of January 1949, the Australian nationality came into existence when the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 was enacted. That was the day we were first called Australians and allowed to travel with Passports as Australians.

Under the Nationality Act 1920, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders born after January 1, 1921 gained the status of British subjects. In 1949, therefore, they automatically became Australian citizens under the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948.

Before that special date, all people living in Australia, including Aboriginal people born after 1921, were called ‘British Subjects’ and forced to travel on British Passports and fight in British wars.

We all became Australians on the same day!  This is why we celebrate Australia Day on the 26th of January!

This was the day Australians became free to make our own decisions about which wars we would fight and how our citizens would be treated. It was the day Aboriginal people were declared Australians.

Until this date, Aboriginal people were not protected by law. For the first time since Cook’s landing, this new Act gave Aboriginal Australians by inference and precedent the full protection of Australian law.

Because of this Act, the government became free to help Aboriginal nations, and since that day much has been done to assist Aboriginal Australians, including saying ‘sorry’ for the previous atrocities done before this law came into being.  This was a great day for all Australians!

This is why the 26th of January is the day new Australians receive their citizenship. It is a day which celebrates the implementation of the Nationality and Citizenship Act of 1948 – the Act which gave freedom and protection to the first Australians and gives all Australians, old and new, the right to live under the protection of Australian Law, united as one nation.

What was achieved that day is something for which all Australians can be proud!

We need to remember both the good and the bad in our history, but the emphasis must be the freedom and unity all Australians now have, because of what was done on the 26th of January 1949, to allow all of us to live without fear in a land of peace.

Isn’t it time all Australians were taught the real reason we celebrate Australia Day?”

Photos:  1. One of Mum’s pots with a face    2. Tropical garden    4. Mum’s retic leftovers   5. On top of the wall going to ferns   6. New cushions    7. Hamersley Pool    8. My front garden with roses

Prayer & Praise Points:
Praise the Lord for His guidance and provision and abundant blessings this January.  And for good health, protection, strength, leading and wisdom as I look to Him throughout this coming year.

Please continue to pray for Kat as she recovers from surgery. She is now in Cairns settling into her new home.  Pray that she will know the Lord’s peace as she faces the challenges ahead.  Kat is not making her condition known, so those who know her please keep this confidential.

Thank you all for your prayers while I was in Geelong with family and for our first Christmas without Mum.

Please continue to pray for the salvation of my three sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat and their families.  Pray especially for reconciliation and forgiveness between Tricia and the rest of us.  Praise the Lord for the communication that continues between Kat and Trish.

Please continue to pray for the Lord’s leading, guidance and provision as I seek Him in preparations for my return to Phuket this April.   Especially in the area of accommodation and a one year visa

Praise the Lord for providing Aimee to look after my house and garden while I’m away.

Please continue to pray for the success of the business, Senior’s Benefits and Rewards.  We are about to launch after a trial period.  If you know any seniors who might be interested in becoming a member please direct them to our website to sign up to either the free or paid membership.

Thank you to all my supportive friends and prayer partners; this journey would certainly be a lonely one without you.  It’s also reassuring and encouraging to know you are standing with me in prayer.