What a glorious start to October with warm sunny days and little to no wind. Perth is well known for being the third windiest city in the world but that eases during spring and especially autumn which are my two favourite seasons in Perth.
Having had so much trouble and frustration over the years with my phone data reception I had looked in to several alternatives to boost my reception. Recently I spoke to Vi-Lay in Sydney who has NBN 5G and she suggested I tried that as it was not as expensive as cable and could be cancelled when I went away. She was right and there was a special deal on with $20 off for the next six months. I signed up, paid over the phone and waited for the modem to be delivered. On 24 September it was supposed to arrive, I waited all day but nothing came. I thought maybe I had missed it as I was out in the garden but the doorbell was working so I’d have heard if someone was looking for me. The next day I was going out but rang the company who was delivering it and was told they would put it on the truck that day but couldn’t guarantee at time of delivery. As Kathy and I drove off to visit Ann at the retirement village I saw a delivery truck and mentioned to Kathy that that was probably the one carrying my modem. Sure enough when I arrived home later that morning they had left a note saying where to pick up my package. Unfortunately I hadn’t read at what time I could collect it, but the Lord was guiding my steps as it had just been delivered to the post office when I collected it at 3:15pm. Praise the Lord! I then decided I wasn’t going to connect the modem (as this was the date it would start charging me) but instead wait to the first of the next month so that the payment plan would line up with my planned departure next year in June.
It took me a bit to find the best spot in the house, behind the front door like when using my phone, but even still it was only 4G not 5G so the upload and download speeds were still very slow and sometimes my phone would show the WiFi was not connected. When it was connected, it was still much better than using my phone data. The WiFi was 37 Mbps download and 6 Mbps for upload. Previously using my phone data it was 1.6 upload and 1.03 download. Although I’m still using my neighbour, Greg’s, internet when I’m struggling to get mine I will keep using mine hoping it will improve. After connecting my modem, I learnt how to go online and change the name and password to something I can remember instead of all their 15 character, jumbled letters, numbers and symbols. Then after nearly a week with problems of dropping out or being unable to find the network, I phoned the company for help. Hmmm it made matters worse as I was asked to reboot and try logging in again with all the old passwords (the gobbly-goop ones). I wasn’t even able to reconnect for quite a while! So they escalated my case for someone to help further and left me in the dark. Praise the Lord I was still able to connect to Greg’s WiFi.
Then by mid-October, I had had enough of the dropping out and poor reception so I called back to ask if there was anything that could be done. After their technicians looked into it twice they said no, I was in a black spot and I should return my 5G modem and order a 4G modem, which I did. I wasn’t really sure if I’d be able to receive good reception on 4G either but thought I’d give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised when I finally switched on the new 4G modem, it actually received quite a good signal and didn’t drop out as often although it was a bit slow at times I’m happy with the result especially as it’s cheaper too. Thank you Lord. Its been such a struggle till now.
Another challenge I was facing was whether or not to upgrade my Windows 10 to Windows 11. I watched a few online reviews and information and decided to stick to Windows 10 and a good antivirus as Windows 10 no longer has support or updates for online protection. I have never liked updates on any device as there are too many changes which I have always found challenging. I don’t like changing the look or feel of things in these areas, it scrambles my mind and is far too frustrating so I’d rather go without the stress. Yes, I can learn new things but if something is working just fine the way it is (as far as I’m concerned) then why change it. I don’t play games on my computer so I don’t need some fancy graphics or speed. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Then an email from my mobile phone provider to say that the new plan I am on is no longer available to new customers and as long as I don’t change the plan I can continue to renew this plan for the price I was offered. Wow! How gracious is the Lord for helping me lower my mobile cost per month just before this plan was ceased plus provide me with the 600GB rollover. How blessed am I.
I’m back helping with the community garden both indoors working on new webpages, the newsletters, as well as lending a hand in the garden. There have been more regulations and red tape we are needing to abide by, especially where not to plant things or put in permanent structures. Even asking us to dig things out which have been put in these restricted areas. This has been very frustrating. There has been a bit of a fight to keep one of our mulberry trees, firstly we were told they were planted too close together and secondly one was too close to the tennis courts as it will overhang their fence leaving stains on the courts. I asked if they had heard about planting trees close together to limit their growth, keeping them small and if they were familiar with the concept of trimming or pruning to keep trees to an appropriate or approved height! Really! And I thought we were dealing with someone who had studied permaculture?
My neighbour Kathy has been tidying up her garden, repotting, pulling out plants and rearranging others. She removed a lovely green kangaroo paw I’d given her, cutting it in half so that I could have some back as I had only realised once it flowered I had given her the only green kangaroo paw I had. I then had to find a spot for it in my garden so pulled out some of my variegated creeping ivy leafed geraniums to make room. I also dug up the knobbly rush which I had planted near one of my ponds which was now taking over and shading the pond too much preventing the water lily from flowering. Spring is a wonderful time of the year to get into the garden to do a bit of spring cleaning.
During the first week of September my friend Grace from Sydney came for a week’s visit. As it was her first time to Perth she had a list of things she wanted to do. The weather was a little unpredictable with overcast and some rainy days which we needed to plan around. With her arriving on Saturday afternoon we had plenty of time to organise our plan. As it was the school holidays I had already booked ahead for the ferry to Rottnest Island on the Thursday, which was dry but overcast making it an ideal walking day. Sunday after church I took her to my favourite satay place where we also ordered some Singapore noodles before heading to Reabold Hill (named after the then Mayor of Perth and the Town Clerk) with its 180 degree views of Perth and the ocean.
Monday was a beautiful warm, sunny day which we had planned to visit King’s Park. We started off in a group with a free tour guide but it became very lengthy and we wanted to see more of the park so set off on our own to cover more in the same amount of time before driving through the park and along some of Swan River heading towards Fremantle. We had planned to have lunch at my favourite South Indian Restaurant, Copper Chimney, but it was closed so instead I drove around Freo for a quick look before heading north, driving along the coast through Swanbourne, City Beach and Scarborough, stopping at the Trigg Island café for lunch. After returning home for a quick stop we drove north to Hillary’s boat harbour for an ice cream and to see where we needed to go for the ferry to Rotto. We were pleased to be able to pick up our ferry tickets and a pass for the Hop on Hop off island bus.
Tuesday we had a relaxing morning before heading to Yum Cha, in Morley; Kath my neighbour joined us too. Unfortunately I hadn’t checked and the two we usually went to were temporarily closed. One had been gutted in a recent fire. We stopped at the Covenant Village shopping centre where we knew there were lots of Asian food stalls and happened across another Yum Cha restaurant which was just as good as those we usually frequented. I asked if they had Durian Mochi and was told only on the weekends but they would ask the chef if they could make us some. Praise the Lord they did as all three of us love our Durian Mochi. That afternoon Grace and I took a walk through the bush to walk off our lunch.
Wednesday Grace wanted to get her hair cut so I took her to where I go which is $20 per cut. I was going to get my hair cut too but as the weather has been so cold I decided to put it off till it was warmer. We also stopped at this shopping centre for lunch before returning home via Bunnings so I could pick up a few things for the garden.
Thursday we were up early having prepared everything the day before including lunch and snacks. We arrived with plenty of time, lining up with everyone else for the ferry. It was than Grace realised she had dropped my spare snorkel and raced back to look for it. Unfortunately it was never found nor handed in. I told her not to worry as it was one I had cleaned having found full of sand at the beach. On the way over to the island I chatted to a guy who does the abseiling school on the island. He gets terribly seasick on the ferry crossing. I had taken tablets an hour before and had only had water before my morning jog so had an empty stomach which I think helped.
On arrival we stopped at a shady seat for me to eat my breakfast before finding the bus and waiting for it to depart. The buses go every 20mins and only in one direction around the island. There are 19 stops at various tourist attractions which the bus driver/tour guide explained to us as we drove around; most of the stops were beaches. We first disembarked at the Wadjemup Lighthouse which wasn’t open but gave us a lovely view point over Salmon Bay. From here we took a walking trail heading towards bus stop number 10, or so we thought! We arrived at Digby Drive but no stop in sight so we kept walking hoping to find it till we saw a bus approaching. I waved it down hoping it would stop which it did announcing to the passengers this was stop number ten and a half. Everyone laughed.
We got off at the next bus stop, number 11 which was the furthest point west on the island. Here we walked to Fish Hook Bay to see the Osprey nest, then to Eagle Bay where the New Zealand seals were and where we also saw dolphins hunting. From here we kept walking along the coast, following the trail, or so we thought, towards number 12 bus stop. We asked some bike riders who had come along the main road if they had seen a bus stop but they hadn’t. Then we saw a bus heading along the main road so knew we were heading in the right direction. Praise the Lord we didn’t have to wait long as the bus we had seen soon returned from the loop to bus stop number 11. Well, you wouldn’t believe it, it was the same bus driver! He laughed and said oh dear not you two again! I asked him which half number was it this time. We stayed on the bus this time till Stark Bay. There were quite a few stairs down to the beach which I couldn’t be bothered going down but instead sat under the trees and waited for Grace who went off to explore. We weren’t going to walk between bus stops again so sat and waited for the next bus to take us back to Thomson Bay, the town centre and the jetty. Here we saw for the first time the infamous quokkas. They were motley individuals and not at all afraid of the tourists who were wandering through them trying to take selfies. We found a quiet table away from the crowds to eat lunch then wandered around a bit more before waiting to board the ferry. It had been a lovely day but I wouldn’t rush back. The beaches were beautiful and pristine, we hadn’t snorkelled or swum but I wasn’t disappointed as I can do that in the beaches near me.
On Friday Grace took public transport into the CBD to explore Perth City while I stayed at home catching up with a few things. Then on Saturday she flew back to Sydney after a very full week in Perth. Saturday afternoon I helped out with coffees at church for a couple who are heading overseas where, as GP’s, they will help out in a rural hospital.
The following week was the start of term 4 and back to my usual routine. I was also able to make a few suggestions at the community garden where we have started to plan for stage 2, our amphitheatre, which will be used for educational speakers or rented out for school and other functions. We marked out the area which was then sprayed for the weeds so we could then lay cardboard over them to help kill them off before mulch was laid. Four of us worked on a design, where the paved platform would go and how we would set up the semicircle of benches with a path down the centre. I then came up with an idea of having a pergola over the paved area to grow a grapevine over for summer shade. On our busy-bee day we moved two very large and heavy logs down a slope to hold back the sand plus manoeuvred three heavy rocks into place to support the logs as well as the sand. An old metal garden bed was repurposed and more herbs planted. At home I’ve also been working on a new brochure which was fun. I do enjoy using the artistic skills the Lord has blessed me with. We have also been looking for a paving worker to extend a path and build the paved platform. One Friday when walking to church I saw a team of pavers laying a driveway. I stopped to ask if they would be interested in more work and acquired their business card which I handed over to Mim who comes to ShareIn, Friday mornings at church. I also passed out many flyers for the National Community Garden open day which is on Sunday 2 November which is unfortunately a Sunday morning for our garden. I then dropped off a larger flyer at the primary school opposite to let them know of the event too. I do hope we get a good turn out and, God willing, new members. Unfortunately the paving worker didn’t turn up on two occasions so we are still looking for someone to do the work. It seems these days tradesman are so in demand that they don’t even bother calling to say they cannot come! Where are the common courtesies? The National Community Garden Open Day, I was told, went well with quite a few newcomers and a full attendance to the talk on controlling weeds.
There were of course more things to be done around my garden this month too, including cutting back and hedging lavender, the Teatree and the bottle brush, which is producing a fresh flush of flowers attracting the bees. Every year at this time my neighbour Kath becomes concerned about bee stings. Last year I cut the trees right back but as the branches are weighed down with the new blooms they do overhang the bin area. So engaging her assistance I climbed on top of the bins to thread the rope through the branches then climbed into the acacia tree to fasten the rope to its branches while she pushed back the bottlebrush canopy with a broom. It’s quite a feat of agility, strength and determination. After tying it back I deadheaded as much as I could reach from the ground.
My citrus, lime, mandarin and orange fill the air with the heavy scent of citrus blossom. This year is the first they have been so heavily laden with flowers. I do pray they will now set fruit, although as I’m planning to go away again next winter I’ll probably miss the harvest anyway. The nashi pear tree has a lot more fruit on this year too and many of the grafted figs cuttings have sprouted, some with young figs. I can see I haven’t pruned it well and will need to do a harder cut next year to keep it squat for easy picking.
I’ve also been keeping up with my flute playing most days and language studies sustaining my streak days. I do find Duolingo very frustrating and have tried to opt out of the leader board challenges and the timed challenges. I’m very competitive and like to be in the top three on the leader board but if I can’t see it I wouldn’t be tempted to try and keep ahead. I’ve won several times but I feel the competition takes the pleasure out of learning.
The last week of October I was struck down with a cold. It actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be as I kept myself dosed up with anti-cold and flu medication including all the herbal solutions I know. I took Phenergan to dry up the dripping nose at night which I believe helps prevent sore throat and coughs as the infection is kept out of the airways. I also kept up the jogging when I had the energy as this too I’m told helps boost the immune system. Still it was a change to be able to have a few lie-ins.
Photos: 1. Kangaroo Paws in my garden 2. Kings Park flowers 3. Guided tours Kings Park 4. Grace, me and Kath at Yum Cha 5. Quaka Rottnest Island 6. Me climbing to pull back Bottlebrush
Prayer & Praise Points:
Praise the Lord for our lovely spring weather; at last it’s beginning to get warmer.
Please continue to keep Gayle in your prayers for renewed strength, wisdom for the church and for good health.
Pray also for her son Joshua who is still waiting for Indonesian citizenship.
Please pray for my sister Kat, who is moving from Cairns to start a new life on her own, south of Brisbane. She has been offered accommodation but is looking to buy her own place once settled.
Continue to pray for world peace and countries dealing with major disasters, wars and the unbelievable hardships they cause. Pray for all those caught up in the suffering these events have caused. Pray that God’s peace may be known by all people especially for those who live with despair, that they will find hope in Christ Jesus.
Please keep my sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat, in your prayers. Pray that they will come to know the love of Jesus.