Djeran

Djeran – April to May.  The season of adulthood is the start of the cooler weather with morning dew and cool nights. It is also the season of yellow flowers when the ants are swarming and the banksias are in full bloom, looking magnificent!

Easter service at church was well attended with extras coming to both the Good Friday and three Sunday meetings, with morning tea of hot cross buns and chocolate eggs.  It was good to see some of the newcomers coming back the following Sundays.

Monday holiday after Easter our study group had planned to meet for coffee.  Some of the ladies stopped off at my place to pick up some bread, offering me a lift as parking around these shops is often difficult, especially on holidays. Praise God we had reserved a table as it was very busy.  There were two guys sitting at the end of our reserved table who apologised saying they were just leaving.  I invited them to stay as there was more than enough room for us all.  They declined, then jokingly agreed to stay when I told them it was to be a table full of ladies.

For a few months now I’ve been meaning to use up some of the fabrics Mum left behind.  I also inherited some dress patterns which I thought I could use.  I chose one and some fabric but that’s as far as I got for another few months.  Finally I cut the pattern out and although there wasn’t enough fabric, I found some other fabric that I could use for the collar, sleeves, belt and hem to make it a tad longer.  Once cut, it sat around another few days before I got started. Then I had a challenge with the collar.  I’m not such a confident sewer anymore, so I was delighted when my friend Elaine, who’s a competent sewer, called in for a chat, reassuring me I was doing the right thing. It sat for another few days before I finally finished all the machine sewing, leaving only the hand sewing which I started on a few days later, finally finished off the day before I flew out.  I now have a lovely dress which I was hoping to take with me to Queensland but having tried it on I found that Thai silk doesn’t breath very well, consequently is very hot and not a good choice for the tropics, so it’s staying behind!

I’m very excited to tell you that I am now the proud owner of a baby minnow.  I’ve only seen one baby but I’m hoping there are more.  There’s plenty of places for them to hide under the duck weed but those who follow their parents will soon find the window where I feed them mosquito larvae and fish food.  After removing the pond weed from the lily pond I am now able to see the three fish which come to the surface for feeding.  I’ve not seen the sucking cat fish but I presume they are there, as proof of their existence is having a pond that is crystal clear. In the urn pond I removed a bulrush shoot which was growing up under the rim of the urn. Elaine and Steve were delighted to take it as they have been preparing their fish pond since returning home from the Middle East.  The great thing about bulrushes is they purify the water which is evident in the crystal clear water in the urn.  Then Peter and Michelle, who have given me lots of plants and pots, gave me some guppies which have had a stack of babies lately.  These were ideal for the fountain pond which after I cleaned it out, started breeding more mosquito larvae.  So now I have 5 different types of fish in 4 ponds!  I think that’s enough for my small yard.

Retic!  I’m at it again! I decided because I’m going away I’d better put my succulent hanging garden on retic so it will get watered when there is no rain.  This is a bit tricky as it needs very little water. The second challenge is that it’s in two parts, and on the other side of the wall to the retic pipes.  I thought I had it sorted but realised when I went to put it together there were parts missing.  I needed another corner join.  I noticed there was a retic guy setting up the garden and lawns for the new house across the road and thought it might save me a trip to Bunnings if I could buy a join from him.  Instead he gave me the part.  This was lovely but then I realised I needed two more but didn’t want to ask him so had to make a trip to Bunnings anyway.  They didn’t have the particular one I wanted, so I tried Total Eden.  I went to their new store but couldn’t find it.  After a bit of a drive around I googled it and found it had changed its name and I was right outside!  They didn’t have the particular part either so I had to make do.  When I got home I mapped it all out, what needed to go where, then left it spread out on the floor as I had run out of motivation.  After a few days I finally pushed myself to get it done, fitting most of the joiners and elbow connections on before connecting it to the main irrigation pipe.  I had a few attempts before getting it sort of ok.  There were leaks and not enough pressure as I had to put on a tap to reduce the flow so I didn’t overwater the succulents, even on a 5 minute cycle. There are still plants that miss out, which is frustrating, but at least most of them get some water now.

During the last week in Perth it seemed I either had friends visiting or needed to go out for something. I needed to get a lot done before leaving.

I removed most of the saucers from the pots so that they didn’t get waterlogged while I’m away. I put all the succulents from my kitchen window under the citrus trees and took down the rest of the shade cloth. Glenda took all the cuttings and seedlings for her community garden plant sale.

I cleaned up inside as much as I could as well, taking clothes to the African charity, finishing or removing all the things which I had scattered around the house and garden from unfinished jobs.  As I was doing things, it seemed I found other things to do, including finding some bolts to replace the missing ones on my garden trolley, trimming some branches off a few plants and tying up the rambling roses and Jasmine vine.  Inside the house I started to pack my travel bag. I didn’t want to take too much but I did need to take both winter and summer clothes. I packed and repacked several times before settling on what was needed and still I think I have too much.  I hate taking too much but I didn’t want to leave myself too short either. Everything must fit into my cabin baggage case.  I was pleased it was only just over 15kg.  Mind you I still have my pillow, small back pack and computer bag to carry.

One morning I woke up and found my phone was doing strange things.  Even after rebooting it over four times it was still jamming!  Something had to be done before I went east where I might not be able to easily find an apple store.  I was sure it was because I hadn’t updated it for at least three years!  The last time I had to find Wi-Fi and then I got locked out and had to retrieve my laptop from home to be able to log into my iCloud to verify it was me.  This time I decided to go into the Perth Apple store so made an appointment and took the bus to the train station and into town by 2:30pm.  There was quite a queue and a wait before I was even let through the door.  I was eventually seated to wait for help.  I logged into their Wi-Fi and started my updates.  It was well underway before help came.  I explained my situation and was left to continue.  I was surprised that this time I didn’t need to log in through my laptop which I had brought with me just in case.  The download went without a hitch.  While the phone was reconfiguring, I went to find a toilet.  There wasn’t one in the building and it took some time for me to find one in a mall about half a kilometre away!  Back to the store to make sure I didn’t need any further help. It had taken me nearly two hours not including my travel time to finally get it done. I was ready to go home. What a long day, but at least my phone shouldn’t play up while I’m away.

Cold weather is approaching, which means I’m hesitant to go to the beach, as I’m not one for walking back in the cold after a cold shower.  One morning as I was walking to the beach I was muttering to myself “why are you going when it’s so cold? You know how you hate the cold!” By then I was already halfway down the road so kept going.  When I arrived there was only one lady sitting on the sand reading.  She smiled at me as I came down the steps and laughed as I squealed jumping into the cold water.  As I came out she started chatting to me.  She said she was a recovering alcoholic and about to get her 30 day sobriety chip and had made it a point to come to the ocean to pray the serenity prayer.  When she explained to me that she saw the ocean as a higher power, I suggested she pray to the creator of the ocean and to His Son Jesus Christ.  She mentioned that she had recently felt led to call her grandmother in NZ who is a born again Christian and who had suggested she find a good church to go to.  She went on to say she had two Christian friends here who had invited her to church, which she was thinking of doing that weekend.  One attended North Beach Baptist Church.  I then suggested she come along within the next two weeks as I would be there.  I also told her we had the best coffee, as she had mentioned she too was a coffee snob.  All this time I was standing in my wet, cold bathers.  I was quite surprised that I didn’t feel cold at all till I had my cold shower before going home.  The Lord was providing for me as I was doing His work.

On a similar topic, I was chatting to a neighbour about works versus grace.  Coming from a Catholic background the topic came up when she said she hopes she has done enough good works.  I went on to explain that all our good works are worth nothing.  They will not gain us favour with God.  In fact in His sight the Bible tells us our good works are like filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6 “Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” (literally translated ‘menstrual rags’) Our own works to be approved by God are an insult to Him because we are rejecting the sacrificial works of His Son, Jesus Christ who shed His pure blood upon the cross for our salvation.  He redeemed us, this was the price needing to be paid for our unrighteousness.  Once we repent and turn from our own works, our independence and rebellion against God and accept His free gift of salvation we receive His Righteousness.  There is nothing more we have to do.  Then from this relationship as the sons and daughters of God we share His grace, mercy and love to those around us from the love we have received from Him.  So it is still not our works but Christ working through us.  We had a great discussion and both admitted we loved talking about the things of God.

There have been other jobs needing to be done before my departure but some had to wait till after the storm.  There were two category 3 cyclones about to cross the coast north of Perth.  Praise God the storm bypassed Perth, only bringing much needed rain.  Unfortunately Kalbarri in the north was a disaster zone with over 80% of houses destroyed or badly damaged.

On a good note, I’m delighted to say I have either the same one or another golden globe spider.  Unfortunately it’s spinning its wonderful golden web across the path under the new pergola. I’ve walked through it on several mornings as I left to go jogging.  I’m surprised at how strong the web is. I also picked my first pineapple.  It was only the size of my fist, I think that’s because it not quite the weather here for growing pineapples.

This term our church social action group had a fundraiser with a light dinner and speaker to raise money for South Sudan.  Yuot Alaak, his father and mother shared about the experiences of how he escaped the Muslim militia in Sudan and how his father lead 20,000 displaces Sudanese boys, some orphaned, on a 4 year journey from Sudan to the safety of Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. His book Father of the Lost Boys records this epic journey.  Although a tragic story, it was very insightful to hear how God had sustained and provided for them along the way.

Knowing the Covid vaccines were about to arrive in WA, I looked up the official government website to see if I was eligible.  I was instructed to contact my doctor to check as I am under the required age for the first rollout.  When I called the clinic I was asked if I had read the information on the gov’t website, in fact during the whole conversation I was asked three times and three times I answered I had, and had read that I must inquire with my doctor and this was why I was calling.  I was understandably confused and frustrated. Eventually I was told the vaccines were to arrive the following week and to ring back then.  I later heard that people with asthma were included in the first distribution, despite their age.  I called back the following week and praise the Lord, another person answered.  When she commented that I was under the age required, I explained I had asthma and was promptly added to the list.  Just after the Easter holiday I received a call to come for an appointment.  On the day, I saw a doctor who checked that my doctor had approved my need for the vaccination before administering the dose.  After that I had to wait to see the nurse, who went through the side effects and was intending to book my next appointment on the 14th July, until I told her I wouldn’t be here. She reassured me that it didn’t matter where I was, they would be able to give me my second shot of Astra Zeneca.  I had organised my week to do jobs at home on the day following the jab just in case I wasn’t feeling well. I was told it might take six hours for the side effects to take effect, so I rushed home to eat, then vacuumed my car.

The following day I felt a little heady but that was the only side effect I had and the day after I was back to normal… jogging and a swim at the beach before starting a day of chores.  What a blessing, as I’ve heard that some people have reacted quite badly.

My last Saturday out at Trigg Beach, Rob, Lindie and I handed out some tracts and had quite a few chats with people.  One lady who had told us she was a Christian looked quite down, so Lindie suggested we return to her for a chat. It was a leading from the Lord as the lady’s mother had recently passed away and her family was giving her a hard time as she was the only believer.  After praying with her, she and Lindie exchanged numbers so they could catch up again soon.

Sunday was my last jog and swim in the Indian Ocean for the season.  I’m not really a winter swimmer so I’m looking forward to having a dip in the Pacific Ocean on route to Cairns where depending on the weather there are quite a few nasties in the ocean to put me off swimming there.

Sunday after church, Sarah came around for an ice coffee and a chat.  I put her to work helping me dismantle the netting over the fig tree.  There was one last fig which I had hoped to give to her but unfortunately it was not quite ripe; I’m sure the birds will enjoy it.  She took home some of the long red chillies instead. She also helped me decant stuff I was taking with me from my kitchen pantry – nuts, seeds, coffee and the like, then helped me stuff them into my suitcase.  No point leaving them behind as I don’t know when I’ll be back.

Elaine came around a few hours later just as I was cooking my dinner and had accidentally burnt a microfibre cloth on the back element of the stove.  I was so annoyed as I had spent hours cleaning the house and now had to scrape melted plastic from the fabric off the stove.  Praise the Lord, Elaine offered to help by scraping with a blade and was able to remove half of it while she was here and I removed the other half later.  Most of the thing on my list were now ticked off.  Car cleaned inside and out, house cleaned, garden and patio cleaned, stove and fridge cleaned, benchtops and tables cleaned, furniture dusted, wooden cabinets polished, carpets vacuumed, lino floors mopped and the coffee machine cleaned. I did two lots of washing. I cleaned out my spare bedroom just in case it was needed by someone while I’m away. I could hardly recognise the place!  I haven’t seen so much floor space since I first moved in!  It’s always full of half-finished projects or projects ready to be done.  I just wish I could keep it this way.

I have dealt out little jobs to three of my neighbours and two of my church friends.  I figured if everyone had just a few jobs no one would feel overburdened and they could all share the produce of the garden.  Having people coming and going also helps the place to look lived in.  What a blessing it is to have such wonderful, reliable friends.

I end this update sitting at Perth Airport sipping on my favourite Five Senses coffee waiting for my flight.  I was up early to finish off the last of my chores and cram the final things into my bags before scoffing down my brekky while Jess, my neighbour, packed the car for me. We were taking my car as Jess’s car had been playing up.  Unfortunately we were talking too much, as I missed the freeway exit off to the airport, which meant we took all the back roads before finally arriving at Terminal 4.  Of course we were well ahead of time as we wanted to miss the traffic (which we actually didn’t on the back roads). I also go early just in case there are traffic jams or road works (there was on the back road!) I think it’s a fear Mum put into us at a very early age about airports.  We had left the house just after 7am and my flight wasn’t boarding till 10am so I knew we were safe unless something major happened.  We had also prayed that this wasn’t going to happen and of course the Lord provided a safe journey.

Hold onto your seats I’m off on a new adventure and will be delighted to share each step of the way.  Next stop Sydney airport for a 2 hrs stopover before flying to Maroochydore, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Photos:  1. Banksias    2. Yellow fungi    3.  Clean patio    4. Seal at Hamersley Pool    5. WA double Cyclone    6. My first pineapple    7. Yuot Alaak    8. Succulent flower    9. My wonderful rose display

Prayer & Praise Points: Praise the Lord for the roll out of the Covid vaccines throughout the world.  Please pray that it will help to lessen the spread and that there will be no more complication with the vaccines.  Praise Him for no ill effects with my vaccine.

Pray for Emily whom I met at the beach that she will get to know the Lord personally and that He will help her remain strong against the temptations of alcohol.

Pray with me that my trip to QLD will not be hindered by a lockdown or restricted travel as I join Jen on a road trip to catch up with Kat in Cairns.  Pray also for safe journeys as Jen and I drive north.

The Lord has answered prayer in regards to accommodation when I get to Cairns and for accommodation between stays with Jen and Kat.