A Dull Moment?

This is a continuation of the last days of April.  There was just too much happening to put into the last blog update! This April I have truly been flat out!

I’m not sure if I mentioned that my neighbour Ann has dementia; her daughter Naomi lives in Exmouth so Kath and I help by keeping an eye on Ann.  Naomi was down recently to visit and booked in an appointment for Ann for a barium meal swallow.  I’m not sure why Naomi didn’t stay down an extra day to take her to the appointment herself, but she didn’t.  Instead she asked if I could take her to Joondalup for the tests.  What could I say?  The morning came to take Ann, I had a good night’s sleep but I woke with a splitting headache and stiff neck.  I contacted Kath but she was busy so I rushed around getting things done before we left.  It was Wednesday and my washing day so I needed to get that done before we left as well as breakfast.  I had checked where to go but had unknowingly put in the wrong place in Google maps. I pulled up outside what I thought was the right diagnostic imaging centre and ran inside to see where to direct Ann.  It was on the first floor so I let her know I’d meet her there after parking the car.  I found the underground parking lot but couldn’t find a car park so decided to leave. It was then I realised I hadn’t taken a ticket and there was a boom gate barring the exit.  Praise the Lord the entrance didn’t have a boom gate so I quickly reversed and went out the entrance, praise the Lord no one was entering.

I eventually found a park on the road and paid for an hours parking.  Arriving back at the building I met Ann ascending the stairs, surely it didn’t take her that long to climb up one flight of stairs! Maybe she didn’t see the lift. I helped her up the last few steps and found out she had already inquired at the desk and was told she was the wrong place. We needed to go to the hospital. I think she must have forgotten where she was going so had come back a second time to ask. This is when I saw her climbing back up the stairs. I’m glad she had otherwise I may have missed her and she doesn’t have a mobile phone!  We walked across to the hospital and found the right place to go.  After confirming her appointment, and arranging for the receptionist to call me when she was ready to leave, I left her to collect the car.  Actually I sat in the car needing a break as my head had started to really pound! I called Kath to fill her in and she suggested I park at the half hour free parking near the hospital it was from here I waited for the call from the receptionist.  It also gave me an opportunity to relax.  It was about three quarters of an hour after dropping Ann off that I received the call.  What a morning!  En route home I stopped off to buy a Banh mi roll in Balcatta which Kathy had told me about earlier. I needed a treat.

The next day I woke up early to the sound of singing and realised it was the ANZAC day band on the nearby Charles Riley Memorial Reserve.  Having not slept well I dosed off and on before getting up after 7am.  Later that morning my friend Janice, from Newman messaged me to say she was on her way but had to pull over to let an over sided vehicle pass and should be down mid-afternoon.  Praise the Lord she messaged me as I had totally forgotten to put a reminder in my diary!  Still plenty of time to get things done around the house like clean all the clothes, half packed suitcase and sewing to be done off her bed before vacuuming and dusting the room!  Might as well do the rest of the house while I’m about it.  I’m not really into house cleaning.  Anyone want to come and do it for me?

I got a few things done before she arrived then had a lovely catch up over a tea and quiche she brought on her way down.  She made a list of things she wanted to get done while in Perth.  Forgetting it was ANZAC day we headed out to find all the shops bar Bunnings, closed! Oh well we did get a load of things at Bunnings before spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing at home.  Oh yes, Janice liked my headband earphones, so I gifted them to her.  Thank you Lord for finding a good home for them.

The following day I was up early for my jog and Janice took off to take her ute to be serviced then some shopping.  While she was out I worked on things around the house and garden, making time for our lunch we had planned at Jarrah restaurant at Hillary’s.  Sofia had previously worked here and on my request had asked her friend Shadbaz to look after us.  He did, offering us complimentary tapas of calamari and chips while waiting for our main course.  It was a lovely treat for both of us before we returned to the necessary shopping. A return trip to Bunnings to pick up more plants and a few things Janice needed. That evening she packed her ute with cuttings and plants from my place as well as her shopping, plants and items all loaded into her ute for her return trip home.

Saturday Janice was up early and gone before I was up.  I too had another busy day which started with a jog and swim at the beach.  As I was walking past the café on the foreshore I heard someone call my name.  It was a Christian who I knew from the beach.  Then a table full of beach friends all calling out and waving.  I felt so loved.  I later stopped en route home to have a longer chat.  It made me think how similar I am to Mum who used to know so many people from her dog walks and beach swims. I’m still enjoying my ocean swims although the water is getting colder, it’s still so lovely and refreshing.

By 8:30am I was out the door and driving to the upholstery place to see the leather I had ordered for Mum’s old cane lounge chairs.  I’d been meaning to get them reupholstered since inheriting them. I had previously put all the things I’d needed in the car so I’d be prepared.  I wanted to show Nathan the scatter pillow I wanted made from the fabric I had also inherited from Mum. As I pulled out the swatches I couldn’t find the one I had chosen for the lounge cushions. I looked for it everywhere but it didn’t seem to be there so I drove home to find it but it wasn’t there either.  I called Nathan and asked if he could shake the floral fabric to see if I’d tucked it inside.  Sure enough it fell out.  What a relief. I drove all the way back because I had forgotten to leave the upholstery fabric I had bought from Spotlight.  I thought the bolster pillows could be covered with this fabric.  I had bought the Spotlight fabric as it was very similar in colour to the leather.  It helped me decide which fabric swatch to choose to match the leather and my carpet.  We then decided that he would collect the chairs while I was away and return them completed before I came home.  What a lovely surprise that will be.  Kath my neighbour was willing to help unlock the house for him.

The rest of the day I continued on being busy; I stripped the guestroom bed and did a load of washing which was dry by the end of the day and back on the bed.  I also zoomed around with my friend Glenda’s hedger.  I tidied up the verge tree, the grevillea down the driveway and the tea tree near the carport. I then trimmed and tied back the lime, orange and mandarin trees making sure I didn’t cut off any branches with fruit. It seems the Vitamin B3 tablets have really boosted my energy.  I feel so much more energised since starting on them.

The last Sunday of April I had forgotten I was helping out at the community garden and was also helping out after the service on the church barista. It was brought to my attention that my alarm was going off at 12:30pm.  Oops! My reminder! I raced home asked Kath to help me load the old screen doors into the back of my car and all the council plants and the very large dragon fruit plant which I had cut the long branches off for Janice to take to Newman.  When I got to site, it looked like someone had vandalised our reticulation cutting a large piece out of one of the poly pipes.  Water had flooded all over the tennis courts yet no one had informed us. We have no idea when it was done or by whom.  It was very strange!  Praise the Lord one of our committee members knew a neighbour who could fix it.  Within two days the tennis club had called us about another burst pipe.  This time it was actually their old reticulation pipes not ours.  Later we found out it wasn’t our reticulation but the old system from the tennis club.  Someone may have seen a burst pipe and cut a piece out to fix it then forgotten about it.  After two more incidents, the tennis court manager turned the old system off.

Meanwhile back at the garden Meredith gave me a hand to take the doors out of the car.  We then wandered around deciding where to put all the plants.  We decided they were not to go in the ground due to the damaged reticulation pipes.  We wanted to make sure everything was working properly first.  Meredith and I later dropped the plants at her home, before I dropped her back at the garden to help Alan finish cleaning up the flooded area.  I then went home and with the borrowed hedger finished off by cleaning up the plants overhanding the driveway from Ann’s place.  She came out to help put the cuttings in the bin which was full by the time we had completed the job.

Before April came to a close, Monday I was at it again.  John who had helped me with the paving came around to collect an apple cutting I took from a young tree with a broken branch in the community garden.  Then I had a tradie come to put in new blinds. I had forgotten what I’d ordered and he kept saying it’s on the order form.  Oh well I said you had better put it in.  I didn’t think I had ordered a blind with a chain as I really don’t like them. Later I remembered why I had decided on the sheer blind in the master bedroom being on a chain.  It would remain down most of the time unlike the block out blind for the same room which would be raised and lowered frequently and therefore made more sense to be on a remote control.  The funny thing was the following day I was wondering why I couldn’t raise the sheer blind with the remote control!  It took a while before it sunk in. I finally remembered the sheer blind didn’t have one, only the block out which was why it kept going up and down as I used the remote control. How funny. Anyway now that I had blinds I also wanted to somehow stop them from clanking when the windows are open.  My neighbour told me about her system but it only worked when the blinds were at a certain height.  After a bit of a think I remembered I had some rubbery window and door weather seal which might work.  It was a long thin strip of rubber with a sticky backing.  It was difficult to stick on and kept peeling off as the stickiness had worn off.  Eventually I put glue on the back and held it on with bulldog clips. I was pleasantly surprised how well it worked. Some of the windows I’ve kept the curtains up as I really quite like the look plus they serve a different purpose to the blinds and can be pulled halfway across my open windows or waft around in the gentle breeze.

After the blinds man left, my friend Glenda arrived to collect her hedger. I then rushed about getting more things done around the house.  I had taken all the curtains down and washed them before putting some back up and packing the others away.  Then it was time to visit my doctor for the latest test results.  I loaded the car with another of the dragon fruit plants Sofia left.  I had promised one to my doctor.  She was very surprised when I told her it was in the car.  Then en route home I called into Karrinyup praying I’d get a parking near the post office which is usually very busy.  The Lord was gracious providing one where needed.  I then ordered some Indonesian rupiah to be picked up the first of May.  I was glad to get home for a late lunch and relax. But I was back out in the garden cleaning up as there was rain predicted for Tuesday!  Hallelujah!  It’s been a long time coming. Such a long dry summer this year.

Tuesday I woke at 3:30am and decided I’d get up and wait for enough light to go jogging which was just after 6am.  I checked the BOM for the storm which was coming and saw I would be able to go and get back in time.  No time for the beach though and I drove to church instead of walking just in case it rained on my way home.  It didn’t. After our usual coffee for the school teachers. I needed to be home for the plumber.  He came to service my hot water system which he said should be done every five years.  I think mine was new seven years ago and never been serviced!  He changed three valves and then checked a rod that’s inside the heater.  I couldn’t believe how corroded it was!  There was hardly anything left of it! He also fixed the overflow pipe so that it no longer dripped onto the pavers but into the drain.  Praise the Lord.

For the previous two days I had been trying to connect my irrigation system to my phone so I can check on it while I’m away.  Ann graciously allowed me to use her Wi-Fi and after many attempts, turning the control box off and back on, I finally got it connected to my mobile via Bluetooth.  It wasn’t that hard to get it programmed till I came to one step where it was nearly complete.  It just wouldn’t go any further and I couldn’t reconnect the Bluetooth.  I tried phoning the company who made the control box but they couldn’t help and gave me a number in Perth to call.  The guy was quite helpful as he’s had the same model but we still couldn’t solve the problem.  When my plumber was here I asked him if he could have a look.  He wasn’t sure either so googled it.  We followed the instructions but still no success.  He then looked at the app on my phone and chose the second option where I had stalled in the final stage.  Hay presto it continued and I was able to complete the process.  I was so relieved.  Now I won’t need to ask my neighbour to keep coming over and checking my reticulation while I’m away.  I was very impressed with the app which brings up the weather forecast as well as the run cycles.  Lord I am so grateful you brought someone who could help me sort this challenging situation out.  Thank you.  I had a few more glitches to iron out but was so pleased they occurred before I went away.

Then before I knew it April was over!  Did anyone notice that the past newsletters were all numbered incorrectly?  That’s how busy I’ve been!

Photos:  1. Daisy’s seem to be the only thing in flower in my garden at the moment.    2. Janice and me dining out    3. My little helpers     4. Coastal Community Garden busy bee     5. This passionfruit may be ripe before I leave.

Prayer & Praise Points:

Praise the Lord for all the things I’ve been able to get done and for the things I’m still hoping to do before I go away.  Please pray all will fall into place and that my departure will be without incident.

Please continue to pray for Ross Winchester who is believing for the Lord’s intervention and total healing while he goes through chemo.

Praise the Lord for both my Indonesian and Vietnamese visas. I’m now one step close to my departure.

Continue to pray with me for world peace both in the Middle East, Ukraine and Russia.  Pray for all those caught up in the suffering that both these wars have caused.  Pray that God’s peace may be known by all people especially for those who live in 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.