Christmas 2020

I hope everyone had a peaceful Christmas and a joyous New Year celebration.  My tradition is to go to bed at the same time as usual and then celebrate around 6am when somewhere in the world is welcoming in the new year. This year I celebrated with a swim at the beach as Jerusalem celebrated midnight.

As Christmas drew near I was certainly kept busy with festive events. My third Christmas party was put on by Bob for our units. I had decided to make some French onion soup into a dip with fresh celery and carrots.  Then I saw a recipe to use up last year’s marmalade.  I asked my neighbour Kath, if she had a loaf tin as I couldn’t locate mine.  She said she hadn’t slept much due to a work party and a needy friend, who had stayed the night, stressing about her phone which she thought she had lost.  Kath had forgotten our party was today and didn’t know what she was taking so I suggested she buy the veg for the dip and I make both the dip and the cake so she could rest before joining the party.

I had all the ingredients for the cake, dusted off my old Kenwood Chef to beat the butter and sugar.  I’d only just begun when blue smoke and a crackly noise came from my Kenwood!  OH NO!  Maybe I should have had it serviced, since I bought it second hand over 20 yrs ago. Too late now.  Kath was sleeping so I asked my next door neighbour Ann if I could borrow her hand held beaters. She later came over with her Kenwood Chef, saying I could have it as she never used it anymore.  WOW!  Thank you Jesus for Ann’s generosity.  Of course she can use it any time she needs.  What a blessing!  It was the same model as mine, all it needed was a dusting and although it only worked on top speed, it was working.  I later that week I took mine in for repairs and was told it was a great machine although nearly 40 years old.

Slavo came back with the modified kitchen trolley bench.  He had done another wonderful job, although there were some unforeseen hiccups. Firstly I hadn’t realised the new set of wheels only had two that swivelled instead of the original four. This isn’t such a problem, although it does make manoeuvring the trolley across the kitchen rather difficult. The collapsible hinges didn’t work well for the bench extension as it didn’t sit flush with either the trolley or the existing bench top but instead drooped down.  We removed them until I could decide what I’d do next.  Maybe standard shelf brackets or none at all and just put the handle on that came with the trolley.  I enjoy a challenge to solve problems; something to keep me thinking when I wake in the middle of the night and can’t sleep.  LOL

Michael from church, who helped me bring the bench trolley home, came to the rescue again when he was visiting Bunnings, bringing three six meter steel rods home on his roof rack.  I needed them to make a frame over the fig tree.  These in turn will hold a net preventing the birds from eating the figs.  When I inquired about how I might bring them home, my car being too small, I was told Bunnings could put them on their truck, which would cost me $90! Each rod only cost $5.84!  I also bought some poly pipe, which Bunnings cut into 6 even pieces for me. These I hammered in around the fig tree, then pushed the ends of the rods into them, holding them steady.  I wired them together at the top before preparing the bird netting.  First I bought a 4×4 meter netting, sewing around the top with fishing wire and drawing it together. Unfortunately this was too small, but can be used later on the pear tree.  The next size up was 4×10 meters!  I sewed the 10 meter length which again I drew together to make the top of the net like a dome, which I then pulled over the six poles, holding it down with bricks. That should keep those sneaky little feathered friends out.  Kath later came to help me put up the net.  I wanted someone present in case I fell off the ladder!  There are just some things you shouldn’t do alone – climbing ladders is one of them.

I’ve been busy as usual in the garden too.  I gave my new lawn its first trim with a pair of scissors. Then six days later it needed its second trim, and its third, three days after that!  This grass is going to keep me busy! I planted a row of ferns under the garden bench, which I’m hoping will spill over the edge, giving it a lovely lush green look. The wisteria vine has gone berserk, as has the grapevine under the pergola. The wisteria I’m told, should lay on top of the struts, so I’ve trained the grapevine to hang on with its tendrils underneath.  This also means I can harvest the grapes as they hang down.  The grape vine automatically aims for the sun and under a black sun shade and being wiped around by the wind the tip is often burnt.  To prevent this I tie the vine first to the wired on the pergola then with a stocking with a stone in the bottom I way it down so that it hangs down till it attaches itself by its tendrils to the wire.  Both these vines as well as the jasmine need training in the right direction and tying up nearly every second day!

Quite some time back my neighbour Jess, gave me a lovely garden urn.  I’ve been keeping it for just the right plant and this month I have decided what it is.  A water lily.  Originally I wanted a lotus, but the hot winds here would destroy them as they stand high out of the water.  Before my purchase, I prepared the urn with two coats of pond sealer to waterproof it.  It then needed seven days to cure. In the meantime, I searched for lilies online to see which one I liked out of the masses that are available, narrowing it down to my favourite 16 flowers. Oh it’s so difficult to choose, they are so beautiful! Kath my neighbour and I planned to go shopping for water plants the following Monday.

The morning of Saturday 19^th of December I was catching up on world news on the telly, when out the window I saw a large flying red umbrella! It was Kath’s. She had a red umbrella in her front garden to shade her plants on hot days.  There must have been a sudden gust of wind as when I raced out the door there was not a breath of wind and yet the umbrella had sailed right over the roof landing in her back yard on the clothesline. We both laughed, as it could have kept flying over the back fence and down the road!

Sunday morning I had jogged about half a kilometre when suddenly for no apparent reason my right knee sent out a sharp pain. I tried several times to jog again but each time my knee was in pain.  It was quite strange as it didn’t hurt when I was walking.  It didn’t stop me from exercising either.  I thought a cold swim would help and then applied a tight bandage to give it support. Looks like I’ll have to give it a rest for a few days.  That afternoon was our North Beach Community Christmas Carols. There was a team of volunteers from the church to make sure it all went to plan, from 5 to 7pm, with children’s activities, including pony rides, skirmishes and lots of craft tables.  There were sausage sizzlers, tacos, popcorn and soft drinks for $2.00.  It was all go. I arrived around 4:40pm to help with a few running around chores, including ducking down to the shops to buy more bowls for the tacos, then leaving just as the carols started at 7:30pm.  Due to Covid, we had to have visitors counted at both the entrances and exits.  People needed to either sign in or use the Covid safe WA tracing app.

Monday was a scorcher of a day as Kath and I drove to The Lily Farm, about half an hour east of us.  After walking up and down the ponds of beautiful lilies, I bought some pond gravel and a Hollandia “Darwin” lily which I’m told is quite tough. Kath bought an Australian bulrush. En route home we stopped for a coffee at the Yahava Koffee Works in West Swan. I was shocked when I enquired about iced coffee, to find they used syrup and powdered coffee in their frappe, not a shot of fresh expresso!  What a disappointment!

Before driving home we stopped off at Don’s, a church friends, place to pick up a water fern he had promised Kath.  It looked wonderful in her little pond with the bulrush and a water plant I’d given her.  I put my water lily into a large bucket because the urn wasn’t quite ready.

Tuesday and only two more nights before Christmas it was stinking hot!  I stayed in most of the day with everything closed up to keep the hot furnace winds out.  My friend Jan from Karrinyup Road, asked if I wanted Mum’s pots, birdbath and some plants. Kath drove her car as she wanted the larger plants. There were two large pots that neither of us wanted, so I contacted Dan who had asked me to call him when I had more free plants. He had taken my excess lawn and was growing them in eski lids. (He must have taken his inspiration from me. LOL) He had since picked up a free dog!  We got chatting and I’ve come to know quite a bit about him.  His father was a high ranking police officer until he became terminally ill. Dan then became his carer until his father passed away fifteen years ago.  He recently found out that his mother had taken his inheritance, which he is very bitter about and wants to take her to court but he has no finances.  I told him I believe in miracles and promised I’d pray for him to get what was rightfully his. He also told me he is a fabricator (someone who cuts, joins and shapes metal – I had to look it up).  He has done some quite famous artists work while he was employed by a company, but has recently branched out on his own and asked if I knew if any of my rich friends wanted marble tables. I told him I wanted a box on wheels for my grass seat. He said he would like to make me one of marble or garnet.  His first attempt he made a jarrah top to it but it was a bit scruffy.  When I told him I’d prefer metal he said that I was a typical rich person who changed my mind.  I laughed and said I was far from being a rich person. I turned the tables on him by saying he was the rich person, well was going to be once he received his inheritance.

He came around on Christmas Eve to show me another idea he had for holding the garnet slabs together with 20x20mm square stainless steel rods around the top and bottom.  He would then drill drainage holes in the bottom slab and attach the wheels, which were off the kitchen trolley.  During this visit I slipped a bag of Christmas goodies into the boot of his car. He pretended he didn’t see me do it, so as not to embarrass me, I’m sure.  When he left, I sent him an SMS saying I’d left a Christmas surprise in his boot. His reply was “Thought I saw you do the slip…. Thank you.”

Before going to bed that night I checked my phone for messages and saw there was one from a family from church inviting me to join them for Christmas lunch.  I had previously discussed with friends that I didn’t really want to be an outsider at someone else’s Christmas lunch but on the spur of the moment agreed to join them.  I’m so glad I did as I had such a lovely time and felt very much at home with people who shared a similar sense of humour.  Church at 9:30am was packed with familiar as well as new faces, some of whom returned for Sunday morning church.  My sister Jen had surprisingly attended church in Brisbane with her friend Dave and his Mum.  Kat had called for a chat earlier in the morning and Jen after lunch.  Trish had even sent me a Christmas greetings text, which was lovely and Kate and Richard in the UK called for a Facebook messenger chat.  I sent text messages to the rest of the Wenham clan and received messages back. It’s such a lovely time of the year to catch up with everyone.

Saturday, Boxing Day, I stayed home in the morning after my usual jog and swim.  It’s so lovely down the beach at that time of the day when the sun is still not high enough to reach the beach, which is about ten meters below the road.  Hardly anyone is around that early and on occasions I’m the only one in the water, depending on what time it is.

In the cool of the morning, I moved the urn to its new position, removing all the previous plants and levelling the area, where I placed a paving stone to rest the urn on. Excitedly I filled it with water, removing the lily from its basket and lowering it into the urn. It looked great. My excitement didn’t last long, as when I went back to check it a few hours later, I noticed the water level had dropped dramatically.  I then noticed that the hair crack, which already existed in the urn, was seeping water.  WHAT?  I had just waterproofed it!  I was not at all happy.  I transferred the lily back into the bucket, siphoned the water out into other buckets to drain the urn, before deciding what to do next.  In the meantime …. that afternoon I joined Richard and his son Josh to see if we could find people who would like to hear the gospel story.  While we were there, we were about to sit on one of the benches overlooking the sea, when we all stopped suddenly.  There was a meter long brown snake, possibly a dugite!  It slithered off the cement where it had been sunning itself, into the long grass, then out again further up the path before crossing the bike and walk track off into the adjacent scrub. It’s not uncommon to see snakes on the beach reserves.

Sunday morning I was up early again, but didn’t go down to the beach as it was blowing a gale.  Instead I decided to go to the 8:30am service, which was great as I caught up with all the earlier attendees.  En route home I took a peek into the skip bin near home and was surprised to see a large container which looked like a lid to swimming pool pump.  Hauling it home, I put water in it to see if it would leak.  It didn’t!  Hallelujah! It was the perfect size for my lily. That evening I dug a hole beside the urn and once again transferred the lily.  God willing, this time it will work. It didn’t matter now if the urn couldn’t be fixed although I did have another plan for it.

Monday morning I was eager to see the lily.  The leaves had all straightened out and it looked beautiful. I was so happy. I called the waterproof company and asked why the waterproofing wasn’t working as it should.  I was told maybe the coats were not thick enough and to dry it out and apply a few more coats to the area where the crack is.  This, God willing, should work, and I have decided I too want some Aussie bulrushes, which should look great growing out of the top of the urn.  I also bought some Australian Pygmy Perch and another water plant for a small side pot, making a small water area in my front garden.  I added small rocks to the lily pond for the perch to shelter under at the bottom of the pond, as they had the umbrella leaves of the lily to hide under on the surface.  A few days later, the lily bud raised its head above the water and the day after, the flower opened to a magnificent bloom. What a blessing and such a lovely way to end the old year.

Photos:  1. Hollandia “Darwin” lily    2. Netted fig tree    3. Cutting my lawn bench    4. My version of Christmas stockings    5. Christmas Carols    6. Nativity scene at Karrinyup shops    7. The snake    8. My first attempt on a lily pond in the urn

Prayer & Praise Points:
Praise the Lord for His plentiful, abounding blessings, provisions and grace this past year.  Pray with me that 2021 will be a better year for everyone.

Pray that those who don’t yet know the Lord Jesus will have their eyes opened to His love, peace and saving grace.

I praise God for the Covid vaccines.  Please pray that they will be successful in bringing the virus under control.

Thank you to all my blog friends and followers. I pray this year will be one of praise for the great things the Lord is about to do in our lives.  Live in hope and thanksgiving for His Grace and love towards us all.  Happy New Year have a great 2021.