Splurge, It’s Christmas

The first week of December my TV died.  I tried everything including recalculating the channels and turning it off for a while but nothing helped.  I had visual but the sound was just static noise.  It was time to get a new TV.  This one had been given to me by Mum’s neighbour when they moved south.  At the time I didn’t have or really need a TV. I’d gotten used to not having one since moving from Sydney in 2014 but took this one when offered it as Mum and I could watch movies when she visited.  Then when she moved into residential care I was already hooked on certain programs so kept it.  I inherited Mum’s digital recording box and used this to record all the programmes I enjoyed so that I could watch them when I had time and because I could zoom through the advertising, which I really dislike.  When the TV wasn’t working I didn’t disconnect it from the recording device and noticed there were still programmes being recorded and presumed they would be ok as the speakers were external and the recording was directly from the channels. This ended up being true. I hadn’t missed any of my programs.

That Monday morning was our Bible Study group break up, Christmas and end of year morning tea.  I mentioned how I had just missed the Black Friday sales.  No, they reassured me this Monday was the last day.  I was delighted and rushed off to splurge on a new TV that very afternoon so that I didn’t miss the sales and to see what was on offer.  I had done a bit of due diligence, measuring the space where it was to go but knew nothing about any of the other specifications so was very glad when the salesman, Ryan, helped me out.  The technology was far more advanced that the TV I’d had and of course unlike the old TV all these were smart TV, not that I wanted all the bells and whistles. I don’t have subscription TV as it would be a waste of time when I have a heap of programmes that I still haven’t watched on the recording box and in the past I was not connected to WiFi and I wasn’t even on WiFi so really, no point.  Ryan asked if I’d like to pay for someone to set it up when I got home.  I declined saying I thought I could do it myself.  Well I could except I couldn’t find where the HDMI ports were displayed on the smart screen.  I needed to buy adaptor cables for both the DVD and recording box and had set it up not realising they also needed to be plugged into power!  My neighbour Greg came over to help move the heavy old TV outside and unpack the new TV.  The cabinet I had been using which contained the DVD and digital-set-top box for recording was not long enough to hold the new TV even when I added some planks from an old bookshelf to lengthen it.  It was 3cm too short!  Greg suggested I put the TV on the wall.  I then decided I might as well get someone to set it up at the same time so called back to store where I bought the TV and thankfully spoke to Ryan again who knew my situation.  He arranged for tradies to come out the following day to finish setting it up and attach it to the wall.  He then placed an order for the wall bracket through click and collect which I was able to pay for online and pick up from the Karrinyup store that afternoon.  I’m so glad I spent the extra to get it done properly.  With screen icons for each HMLI port connecting me to my other devices plus connecting the TV to my WiFi, I can now go online to watch programs too.  I later worked out how to play music from my phone iTunes via Bluetooth.  God is so good.  I hadn’t realised that connecting to WiFi earlier this year would lead to also getting a smart TV!  The Lord has tied it all together.  I’m delighted that He is in control of even the smallest things.

Not only did I splurge on a new TV, prior to this purchase I had splurged out during the Black Friday sales on a new expresso coffee gadget for traveling which surprisingly arrived on a Sunday!  This is to replace the old one which I’m going to give away.  The new one is a double shot and although a little more bulky and a bit more complicated to pack it up it does comes apart better for cleaning although the pump action is a lot harder to work possibly due to it being larger and the grounds needing to be finer.

When I first unpacked it there was a ring; I wasn’t sure what purpose it had until I read the instruction when I was trying it out on my first coffee.  Reading through the instructions very carefully I realised it went on top of the basket so that the grinds don’t over flow while you’re preparing it.  Unfortunately the coffee grinds I had weren’t fine enough so I didn’t get the full experience with a creamer.  This got me thinking about buying a mini coffee grinder which would make it so much easier when traveling as I can usually buy coffee beans in most countries, especially in South East Asia.  So I went on line to hunt one out and found that Wacaco also had them.  This brand is made from excellent material and is a very long lasting product so I knew I’d get quality.  While I was about it I also bought a rechargeable travel milk frother, a head lamp for myself and my sister Jen who I know will make good use of it on her travels, plus an alternative milk maker so I can make fresh soy, almond and oat milk for those fussy drinkers who come around for a coffee – well why not splurge and spoil myself a little more, it is Christmas after all.  Who said I didn’t like buying things online?

I can see the Lord’s hand in this and I feel very spoilt by His love.  People often say that the Lord only provides for your needs but I say as He is my husband (Isaiah 54:5) He also loves to pamper and spoil me above and beyond what I can ever dream or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).  What wonderful Christmas presents, yet none can compare with the amazing gift we have received through accepting what Christ has done for us, through whose blood we are redeemed and adopted into His eternal family.  This is the ultimate Christmas Gift.

A friend at church had asked if her friend from over east could borrow my car while she was here as she wanted to be able to catch up with friends and visit her father.  I hardly use my car as I can walk or take public transport to most places, so I agreed.  Then of course I needed it.

One week before Christmas while doing my washing, I heard the machine filling up and suddenly stop.  I went to check out why the water had stopped and after trying other cycles the cold water still wasn’t running although the hot was and the spin cycle was working.  Praise the Lord the clothes had already been through the wash cycle, so I spun out what was left in the bowl before hanging it on the line.  It was an old machine which I had bought off a friend just after I moved here in 2016 and the lid had come off its hinge so it was time for a replacement.  Because I had squeezed it into my bathroom when I renovated the house, knocking down the laundry to make a larger kitchen area, there was only a very small space between the vanity and the door.  This meant I had to be careful to choose a small machine which would fit into the space.  I looked online; there were mostly front loaders, which as I get older I would not appreciate having to bend down to remove the clothes.  I have always preferred top loaders as I can easily add things during the wash or spin cycle.  There are not many on the market these days especially small ones.  I found a few and did my due diligence to see which might suit my needs.  I then went onto marketplace and found a few second hand machines which looked in good condition.  I contacted three sellers to ask which suburb they were in.  I was delighted to see one was only 5 mins away.  My neighbour Kathy was willing to help me pick it up in her 4 wheel drive, we also borrowed another neighbour’s trolley.  I could really see the Lord’s hand in this too as Kathy had the identical machine which enabled me to be able to measure it up to make sure it would fit.  It was quite a bit higher and a bit longer in depth and wider so only just nudged into the space.  Once in I realised how dirty it was inside.  There were what looked like cockroach droppings around the inner rim.  I put it on a tub cleaning cycle but forgot to check the lint catcher till after the cycle ended.  I was horrified!  It was disgusting! Coated with years of collected lint it was so caked on I couldn’t remove the bag to clean it!  For someone who cleans the lint catcher after ever wash I was disappointed that the sellers had not cleaned it before selling the machine.  It looked clean on the outside!  I was unable to remove the lint from the bag so went online to see where I could buy a replacement.  I’m disappointed with some shops where you can only buy online not in the store!  Praise the Lord I found a shop in Morley not far from me who had them in stock.  Perfect timing as the following day my friend Glenda was coming over for a coffee and kindly drove me to pick it up.  How blessed am I!  Then, with a challenge I couldn’t resist and wanting to see if I could revive the old filter, I painstakingly scraped, rubbed and soaked the old one till it was almost as clean as the new one.  It’s good to have a spare.

The first time I tried the machine out I noticed that the clothes were hot even after choosing a cold wash!  I thought maybe the spin cycle was warm.  The next week I chose a different cycle which I knew would only be cold.  The machine was making funny noises and sounding as though it was not filling with water.  I turned it off till I had returned from my early morning swim, I had more time then to take a closer look.  I thought it may have been the filter in the hose on the cold tap.  Hmmm I thought, maybe the old machine was still working but the filter had blocked the flow. It was a bit of a struggle to remove the cold hose from the tap under the basin in the bathroom where it was attached.  There wasn’t much room for my hands to turn the attachment, plus I don’t have strong wrists, so I used an adjustable wrench.  After a few tries it came loose.  I took the tiny filter basket off the hose and reattached the hose without it.  The machine still wasn’t filling!  I took the hose off at the machine end and turned the cold tap back on.  Still no water.  Hmmm maybe I’d put the hoses on the wrong taps?  As it was difficult in the cabinet to change the hoses over, I did it at the machine end, first checking that the hot water hose was working by turning the cold tap on.  Sure enough I had put the wrong hoses on the wrong pipes.  Praise God it was an easy fix to swap them around. I was pleased I hadn’t thrown out my old machine while it was still working.  Another blessing with this new machine is that it really does spin dry my clothes which means they dry on the clothesline a lot quicker.  Hallelujah.

Christmas of course brings with it all the end of year parties.  Lots of eating and social events.  One of these was also Ann’s 90^th birthday.  Having been our neighbour for so long, Kath, Bob and I were invited to join Naomi, Ann’s daughter, at the Seniors Autumn Centre Christmas lunch / come birthday. It was lovely to catch up with Naomi and Ann.  Yet we were all very disappointed with the quality of the meal, it was soggy and tasteless.  I spoke to the caterers who were from the council, they suggested I send an email with my concerns.  They said they had be serving the same meal for over ten years!  I was very surprised that no one else had complained.  I was very polite in my communications, suggesting they provided quality above quantity as I had seen nearly every plate was piled high with leftover food!  Although most seniors don’t eat much they do like flavoursome food.  I suggested instead of pressed ham and turkey which was bland and watery, they serve ham and turkey off the bone, like most of us are accustomed to eating for Christmas lunch. I received a thank you for my suggestions, which I hope will change the menu for next year.  I don’t think any of my neighbours or I will be going again.

I’ve been busy again in the garden, this time with my neighbour’s reciprocating saw.  Once again I had to clamber onto my pergola then into the tree, hooking the saw on a sawn off branch so I could climb a bit higher.  Kathy watched from below and pulled the sawn off branches through the pergola.  I also cut back my bottle brush since it had finished flowering and I wanted to hedge it so that the wedding bush had more room to grow. The green garden waste bins were choker block full, as was one red bin we have for household scraps.  Then another week I used her saw again to chop off some dead and not so dead branches which were scraping against the fence making a terrible screeching sound every time the wind blew. It not only eliminated the irritating noise but also prevented further damage to the fence and let more light through the canopy, which I’m hoping will improve the growth of the pomegranate and another Australian native wedding bush which is growing under it.  I have also been netting my grapes, pears and figs and killing off as many rats who dare to eat the poison.

During this time I also bought something to help eradicate the strangle weed in my fish ponds.  I’m not good with maths needed to calculate the proportions for each pond so asked Arelio, my neighbour who is an engineer to help with the quantities.  He was great.  I had measured out the width, length and depth of two of the ponds which needed treating and was asked something about a square.  He had just finished one measurement talking about volume and metrical equations so I thought he was asking the square root of the pond.  I looked at him puzzled.  How would I know!  He realised I was confused and asked what shape was the pond.  Oh!  Yes, it was kidney shaped.  I made up the poison for each pond, praying the fish wouldn’t be effected.  Each morning I looked for fish floating on the surface, praise the Lord there were none. I will repeat this treatment once a week for a month then will continue once a month till the weed is eliminated or until I go away.  I’m praying it will work!

Just before Christmas I had a few nights of terrible sleep when I missed out on my morning runs and swims and felt lethargic all day.  I took some tablets to get me back on track over Christmas but the heat was so intense that after my morning exercise and swim I mostly stayed indoors. Christmas Eve, though I wanted to go to Innaloo to get some shopping done.  I had taken the bus previously to Karrinyup by bus to stock up on dried goods from the bulk food store.  This time I had to catch two buses one to the Stirling Station and another to Innaloo.  There wasn’t a long wait between the two but on my way home I decided to walk to the station from the shops as it seemed the next bus was going to be over 20mins.  Hmmmm maybe not the right thing to do on a very hot day.  Praise the Lord while I was walking I saw a bus coming, I wasn’t far from the next stop so ran, only just reaching it in time. What a blessing!  I’m not sure why my transport app said there were no buses coming!  I actually got home a lot quicker as I was able to catch an earlier bus back to North Beach.  Not having a car I’ve had to think about where I can and can’t go by public transport.  I’m grateful that I have a bus within walking distance from my home and being a senior I have free public transport on public holidays and off peak hours.

Christmas Day was very quiet for me; after a lovely Christmas service in the morning it was a quiet relaxing afternoon.  Kath shared her Christmas leftovers with me the following day which was lovely of her. Glenda gave me a lovely gift which made me laugh.  A plaque saying “Yes I really do need all these plants”.  It takes one to know one!  It was lovely receiving Christmas greetings from all over the world through WhatsApp, Facebook and emails.

All my deliveries finally arrived before the end of the year.  My new TV and washing machine are working well, I’m looking forward to making alternative milk in my new machine and “All is well on the western front”, as my Mother used to say.

 

Photos:  1. Melaluca huegellii or Chenille Honey Myrtle in my neighbour’s garden    2. Christmas cheer, looking through Kath’s front door wreath    3. I’m needing a hair cut again!    4. Glenda’s gift    5. My prayer for you this 2026

Prayer & Praise Points:

Praise the Lord for His greatest gift, His Son whose birth we have just celebrated.  I do pray you had a wonderful, peaceful Christmas reflecting on the Lord’s great love for us.

Please pray for Yvonne as she gets ready to return to continue her ministry to the indigenous people through the clinic and outreach clinics she is involved in.

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 has sold her house in Cairns and is looking for property around the Ocean Shores area, northern NSW.

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.