Dawn, Sunrise and Twilight

Earlier this year DH was the highest bidder at a fund raising fun auction. He won a weekend away at a wonderful place on Sydney's eastern coast called Collaroy. The booking was made and we looked forward for months to our 'weekend away' however little did we know that it would be cut short by my flying out to Auckland on the Sunday afternoon.

However it worked out well and we had a beautifully relaxing time.  Our 1st story room had a balcony which overlooked the ocean - an amazing spot to view the dawn, sunrise and twilight.  We were blessed!



Dawn



Sunrise



Twilight



WIP and Halloween

Have been battling some king of flu bug for the past week and feeling rather under the weather. Sore throat, aches and pains etc etc. Went to the doctor Friday just to get it checked out - came home with a script for an antibiotic in case it turned into some kind of bacterial infection. Feeling still poorly, and it being such a beautiful day in Sydney town yesterday I sat outdoors and took my current cross stitch piece.  I had taken it with me to NZ hoping while mum was in hospital I'd have 'plenty' of time to get some done - little did I know I'd be well occupied with other activities!

Anyway, had taken another photo of the piece prior to continuing with it yesterday so I've included it here to show where I'm up to.

Today has dawned warmer than normal but we are heading for rain by midday and this will continue for the rest of the week.  Whoever the long range forecaster was who told us a couple of months ago that we'd have rain right until Christmas is proving to be correct.  Normally at this time of the year we have quite dry weather but not at present.

October 31 today - doubt if we'll be having any little trick or treating visitors tonight.  There has been a certain reluctance on the part of Ozzie's to get too involved in this kind of activity however there is certainly a huge amount of stuff in the shops egging people on to buy, decorate, and go all out for Halloween this year. 

The two littlest grandies had a school Halloween disco and bbq last Friday night.  Apparently it was a good night for the kids but all eldest E7 got from it was a good head cold!  Boo-ey!

For all of you who do celebrate Halloween - have an exciting one!

Blessings!



Baby butcher bird appears

In the past I've kind of dreaded late September, into October as the butcher birds who've nested in the big tree at the front of our place have 'terrorised' me by swooping very close to my head whenever I've taken a wander outside the door.  Being away out from home for the last 6 weeks has meant I've missed that dreaded swooping business that seems to last for ages - at least until the babies 'fly the coop'!

Yesterday I was repotting some hanging baskets just outside the front door of our house and heard a twittering, tweeting commotion quite close.  Our neighbour's garage backs on to our boundary line and has a flat roof - Mama (or Papa) butcher bird had brought baby on to the flat surface and they were perched right on the edge, baby getting his fill of tidbit.  Parent flew off again for a refill and baby remained sitting very close to the edge.   I popped indoors to get my camera and shot one of it but there was a twig in the way.  I continued with my repotting expecting parent to be back soon but when I looked up again, baby had flown - right on to a branch of a gum tree which grows quite close.  I think it might be time for baby to be out of the nest and on it's own as it flew off quite soon after that. I was surprised to see it flying very proficiently. 

I love this time of the year - so many lovely birds in our back yard including the family of Noisy Miners who come daily now for their feed of bread.  Since I've been away though, my two favourite little green parrots have disappeared so I'll be keeping watch for them in case they arrive back. They could be nesting and staying close to 'home'.  A couple of rainbow lorikeets must have stuck around as they appear each morning quite early waiting for their handout.

No doubt the amount of rain that Sydney has had over these past few months has meant that lots of flowering natives have an abundance of blooms at present and the local birds just love it.  In that respect, I'm pleased they are not needing to call in to my back door for a top up.  It is much nicer that they are feeding as nature intended.

Blessings!

Where do I start?

Where do I start?  So much to tell and for you to catch up on.

Up early on 13th of September after arriving in Auckland the night before. Mum had to be at the hospital by 7am for admission and surgery. For four days or so she doesn't remember anything much at all but she did have massive surgery for a 91 year old.  The surgeon felt sure the tumour had been contained and that all was removed.

Recovery was slow and the first few days for her, a blur. For me just getting back and forth to the hospital was about all I could cope with, as well as answering the huge number of phone calls from family and friends.

Out of the blue a phone call revealed there was a vacant 'pensioner' unit available which we had the opportunity to move Mum to.  My brother had come down with a dreadful bout of the flu and wasn't able to visit so after phone consultations and discussions, it was decided to 'take the bull by the horns' and accept the move for her.  I was given 5 days to do what I would ordinarily have said was impossible.  It's amazing what one person can do when called upon - added strength and stamina is given and boy did I need all of it over that time.  As soon as the keys to the new place were in my hands it was 'all on.'  I began packing from cupboards and drawers, sorting and 'chucking out' as I went. Over 20 years worth of gathering and stashing had to be gone through.  Organised a local Salvation Army shop to pick up what furniture was not going to fit and shopped for some new which would.  There were times when I wondered if I would get through but God was gracious and I felt his presence throughout. 

The move was finally completed with a furniture removalist coming and taking all that was too heavy for me and a final clean up and 'skip' bin delivered to take away all the rubbish and the move was done.  It was all finished in time for Mum's discharge from hospital and although it was so sad she wasn't able to go back to her old place, (she couldn't have managed the 16 internal stairs), she was grateful that she didn't have to physically do the moving herself.

A visit to the oncologist a few days after her discharge helped her decide not to go ahead with any further treatment and the family felt good about that.  Already the surgery and rehabilitation had taken a toll on her and her short term memory was not good.

Three more weeks I stayed with her, helping her find things where I'd put them and familiarising herself in her new abode.  The last week I stayed with rellies at night and went back during the day. This gave Mum a chance to be by herself and realise she was able to do things OK by herself. During this time she and her memory have improved and although physically a lot slower, I am hoping in time she will be able to once again enjoy the activities she has always been involved in.

Of course she was sad to see me return home but I was ready to leave and return to my family. My poor DH had 6 weeks by himself, still working full time made it difficult for him to prepare and cook meals but he did it and was pleased that I was able to go and spend the time with Mum. God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform - I've proved that so many times in the past few weeks and it has helped confirm my faith over and over again.

Thank you Lord for your mercies!

I'm Back

I simply cannot believe I've been away 6 weeks. Anyway I'm back home and although making this short, intend to get back here real soon.

Blessings Friends!