Retiree Diary

 When we moved here, we noted that there were very few garden beds - after gardening had been Peter's main activity when we were in Northam. That's OK, he said, I'll just go fishing instead, now that we are near the ocean. Somehow the fishing didn't really happen, and so the plants multiplied - in a variety of pots and raised garden beds.With the constantly changing garden landscape - plants that were successful and others that didn't do so well - plants needed to be moved, and so the plant trolleys were born. The pots were getting bigger and bigger, holding fruit trees and the like. He made wheeled stands for the pots, painting them green to protect them from the weather, and now the plants are moved according to the weather - heat, winds, rain or hail, and so on. During storms they all gather in the patio. And the tennis racquet? Those pesky Cabbage Whites keep laying their eggs on our veggies with the green worms chomping away at everything. He gave himself a bit...

So not a lot has actually changed since the Coronavirus restrictions were imposed. There were a couple of weeks when shopping was a little bit crazy - we actually went to one of those early morning "Pensioners Only" shopping sessions, and it was packed , much worse than 'normal'. The toilet paper crisis didn't touch us because we always have hoarded a little bit. (We don't like scented TP, and so we buy up big whenever we find a supply of unscented.) Sundays used to be a big deal, with church and all, and Wednesdays, too, with the Bible Study held at our house. Now those days have disappeared, and for a while every day was exactly the same as the last. Some weeks there are several days that just repeat. Like first and second Thursday. We generally treat ourselves to a Breakfast out on Saturdays (well, it helps to mark the day as a Saturday), but then we sometimes find there are several Saturdays in one week.

Most people would recognise a church building when they see one - there is usually some kind of symbol to indicate the building's special purpose. I think that most people would say that the church is simply a building. Our home has a cross - the protestant Christian symbol - because it makes a statement to everyone in our neighbourhood. It's a small kind of "witness" to those around. It just happens that we also have been using our home as a kind of church, as we have a Bible Study group from our church that meets here during the week (though not now, with the virus n all.) A pulpit sits in the corner of our living room, along with a box of song books. And we clearly have far too many chairs. Not everyone has room for a church in their living room, but we have a huge open plan living room (and only 2 of us living in it). Still, this is our home - not a church. And not The Church. The Church is the people who love God and (therefore) meet t...

It's hard to know which day is which these days. Someone said, "The week now only has 3 days - Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow". Our weekly routine has always been marked by church on Sunday, Bible Study on Wednesday,  ... and Maccas on Saturday. Well that came to an abrupt end. I woke up this morning feeling a bit sad - would this be our first unmarked Saturday, how will it even feel like a Saturday? But then I realised that I need to go to the chemist . Yes, I know, they will deliver for free, but I NEED to go somewhere further than the letterbox. And the golden arches are right next to the chemist. So, there. Takeaway breakfast, including the soy cappuccino with caramel syrup that is my weekly treat (and I can't make at home). So - Yay! It IS Saturday one more time.

Some days it's hard to know what to feel about this Virus that seems to be stalking all of us. I sense that a lot of us are scared - of the sickness, of dying, and of the next few moths and years with all sorts of financial problems. And worried for our loved ones. It's a time for re-evaluating our lives, and thinking about what happens after death. Yep, I have even updated my Will. So, I have found this Psalm a great comfort. Of course, it is dependent on "dwelling in the shelter of the Most High". Otherwise there is a great deal to be afraid of. Psalm 91 1  Whoever dwells in the shelter  of the Most High      will rest in the shadow  of the Almighty. [ a ] 2  I will say of the  Lord , “He is my refuge  and my fortress,      my God, in whom I trust.” 3  Surely he will save you      from the fowler’s snare      and from the deadly pestilence. 4  He...

This week, in the midst of the the craziness and stress over the Coronavirus, our power went out. Twice. If we were still living in Northam, that would be no surprise. But here in Butler you don't expect it. The Western Power people explained that it was an "Unplanned Outage", and there were suggestions that the system was overloaded - what with all the extra freezers running keeping the hoarders stockpiles fresh, as well as the air conditioners running in this hot weather with everyone staying at home. The first outage was after dark. We were in our swimming pool for our evening splash, with the underwater light glowing blue and red, and suddenly ... total darkness. But not silence. The local Corellas started up such a ruckus. Apparently they didn't like the sudden change. Two nights later we had our second outage, but just before dark. Again the birds were very upset as it got dark - pitch black - and we heard them fly off in a massive, squawking flock. ...

The big birds, like the Corellas, can be so much fun to watch. They sound like they are talking to us, making a contented "choo!" sound as they eat, and squawking almost rudely when they are upset by something. And then there are the slightly fluffy young ones that make little squeaky noises as they seem to be waiting for someone to vomit some food for them. Or the young ones sit there in a row making a continuous almost buzzing sound - no evidence of pausing for breath. This one sat on the edge of the roof, looking down at us. There is something comical about the way they tilt their head to look at you with one eye, and then turn to look at you with the other.

Have you ever wondered exactly who you are, in essence? The you that was the child, or the teenager - was that the real you? Or the loving parent? Or ... where does you true character reside? Were you more 'you' before than you are now?? Is this me? (Or has 'me' already come and gone ... or am I not fully 'me' yet?) I remember reading a thing that said that we become more of what we really are as we age. So a person who is really mean, will become increasingly so, and a kind person will get kinder if that is their essential character. I know that I have a tendency to be critical of others. I'm working on that, I don't want to be more and more of that. I make a determined effort to be kinder. I want to be more and more of that.

"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap  their  hands." (Isaiah 55:12) What does that look and sound like - the mountains and hills singing, and the trees clapping? It sounds lovely and joyful.

So we have been studying the story of Elijah in our weekly Bible study.  This is such an amazing historical tale. Can you imagine being there, watching the priests of Baal shouting and dancing and cutting themselves all day long, hoping against hope that their "god" would answer and send down fire. It was a bit of a damp squib. And then Elijah - the hairy, unkempt (smelly?) man gets up at the very end of the day, and tells them to pour 12 jugs of water over his sacrifice and altar before he even starts. And as soon as he calls out to God - without even specifically asking for Jehovah God to send fire - the fire comes down and burns up the sacrifice, the stones, the dust and the water. And, for a while, the people believed in the real God again.

So a week after "they" (who claim to know about the weather) forecast / promised / warned us about a storm ... it finally came. It started with a hint of darkness in the sky. We barely had time to drag the washing in, and move cushions etc from outside. The rain came in sideways, with a strong wind blasting behind it. Both of our little patios were flooded. The artificial turf was quickly underwater, with a sprinkling of small hail floating on it. The gutters were overflowing, and water was pouring in through the seals around one of the living room windows. It only lasted a few minutes. A local friend with a rain gauge said he had 40 mm in 20 mins. In those few minutes, the swimming pool filled up completely with rainwater, along with all sorts of debris that washed off the patio etc. Elsewhere in Perth there were trees downed, and other destruction, and a lot of people were without electricity. And then it passed, and all was quiet (and wet). We call it ...

Years ago, when we lived in Rockingham, we had a wonderful fig tree. For several months every year we had an over-abundance of figs - and never any problems with fruit fly. Coming back from our travels, after years overseas, we thought we would plant one in our garden in Northam. After 3 1/2 years, despite endless loving care, it was the same sad little tree as when it started. OK, no, it didn't die ... but it didn't grow either. Our Butler garden isn't overflowing with spare garden space, so that we have pots and raised garden beds all over the place. So our new little fig tree will be in a pot. But in order to make sure it is possible to find it the best spot in the garden, Hubby has built it a little trolley so we can easily move it about.

It might be time to get the bunker ready (if only we had one). The Virus has basically gotten away, it's heading off in all directions, and no one seems to be able to stop it. No one around here is particularly worried, because it seems unlikely to spread to these parts. But that's probably what they thought in Northern Italy, where several towns are now in lock-down. Before anything like that happens here, it might be good to at least stock up on a few sensible things. The pantry looks nice and full already - but not with stuff we could eat if we are hungry! And while fresh food is nice, it might be good to have a freezer well-stocked with healthy choices. Once panic buying starts, there are less choices.

It's soooo muggy! Not like Perth at all. We get used to our clear blue skies and fresh air. But the last week or so it has been really humid. All of our old-person joints are promising rain by hurting. The weather people keep on telling us it's going to rain. We have even had some clattering of loud drops on the patio roof overnight. But some real rain would be nice.

Eldest grandson is having his 17th birthday, and so we are treated to a visit from most of the tribe from one part of the family, the whole blended, mixed, added to group. Clearly very interesting people, all of them. And a lovely time was had by all.

I love puzzles, and play lots of puzzle type games on my iPad. I don't play for points - or "coins" - or whatever they want to offer. I especially dislike those games where each time you play you have to try to beat a previous score, and the game sessions just get longer and longer. I like the games where the idea is to complete the puzzle - and there may be points, especially if it is done quickly and correctly. So then I decided to do a really BIG puzzle - I'm learning Chinese. (I'm using the nice little app " Duolingo ".) I'm doing it because: It's fun, like a really big puzzle with shapes and sounds to learn. I'm at an age when I need to look after my cognitive function. I'll be ready when our Chinese overlords arrive.

From the book of Ecclesiastes (chapter 1 verse 2 - in the Bible) " Meaningless! Meaningless!”      says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless!      Everything is meaningless. " Life can feel like it has no meaning, although it is a new sensation for me. I have grown up with purpose in everything I do. And all of my jobs have had higher purpose, beyond earning money and simply surviving. But now, I simply have to decide what I want to do, and do it. Today, and tomorrow, and the next day ... not just on "holidays". So ... some "me" time, and lots of "us" time with my man. All good and very meaningful too. One day at a time. 

One of the wonderful things about being a pensioner, is that you get discounts on all sorts of things. Going to the dentist for a treat! Yay! (You can get 50% or 75% off for people on concession cards.) So we had to make a visit to the Dental Clinic this morning, queuing at the door at 8.15 am with a whole lot of other pensioners. The other GOOD thing about it was that it wasn't me this time, it was Himself . Painless, on my part.

Fans of the old Jerry Seinfeld show might remember this is a quote from there. Tuesday doesn't have a feel. It is kind of bland - but that's ok. The days mostly no longer have meaning anyway. It's no longer "oh, no! This is the day when I teach ___ class!" Or "This is the day when I'm on yard duty!" and stuff like that. I have often wondered what it is like to be a person whose whole life is about staying alive - working just to survive for one more day, or week. Having no grand purpose beyond that. Well, today has no grand purpose. Just day-by-day stuff. Hubby is taking apart pallets - not as easy as it looks. He makes them into coffee tables,  and other nifty stuff. Now that's a Grand Purpose!

I look forward to Mondays (and, no, it hasn't always been this way!) The weekend is over, everyone's kiddies are back at school (and I don't have to teach them) and everything is back to normal. We have a routine ... we usually go shopping on a Monday. Now that we have explored all of the local shops, we usually start by going to Aldi. We saw our first Aldi store at Lechaschau (in Austria) when we were on a bus trip back in about 2009 - and we found it very weird. When we first tried going to Aldi here in Butler we thought it was next to useless, offering mostly snack foods. But now we are used to it, and we get most of our regular stuff there, as well as rummaging for specials. Then we go to Woolies for anything they don't have at Aldi. We like parking at Woolies because there is a small shady section close to the door especially for oldies. We glare at the young people who park in our area! Oh, and there is one other reason why I like shopping at Woolies! ...