Firstly Happy New Year for 2020!
On the lead up for my visit to Geelong this December, I had heard of a lady who might like to rent my master bedroom and look after the garden when I stay in Phuket. She sounded perfect, a professional gardener in her sixties who was studying and looking for accommodation closer to the city. I thought she might like to come for a week while I was in Geelong for a trial. Unfortunately, it was too good to be true as they say, and fell through at the last minute. So if you hear of anyone who might like to be a ‘housemate’ while I’m living in Phuket, I’m still looking.
When I was in Cebu, Philippines, I asked my GP friend Mindy what she thought might be causing what I thought was sciatic nerve pain. She said it looked more like Piriformis Syndrome. So back in Perth I asked my doctor, who said it was probably tendinitis and suggested I get an ultrasound and see a Physio. When I rang to book the physio, he suggested that I come before the ultrasound so we could get started on some exercises before the flight to Melbourne. It’s the sitting for extended lengths of time which seems to trigger the worse cramping. After a bit of manipulation plus acupuncture I was sent home to do some stretch exercises three times a day before returning for a session the day before I flew out. Even though it’s not such a long flight, I think it actually helped.
Before we get too far ahead of myself, I will back track to the day before I flew out, a busy day of appointments starting with an ultrasound. The GPS took me on a back route which I thought I might take on route home. There was a trainee learning the ropes so lots of explanations while they ran the scan over me, which was quite interesting. While the technicians went off to see the specialist, I just about fell asleep on the table. That’s the downfall of waking so early! Driving home as I mentioned I thought I would try to remember the back route. I remember it was quite a major road that ran straight west to the beach. I thought I was on the right road but suddenly I see a ‘No Through Road’ sign. I was so thrown out and confused I missed seeing the ‘Give Way’ sign and halfway across the intersection on my left was a car! As I said I thought I was on a semi major road so had right of way and had only slowed down when I realised there was a dead end! Too late! The car, a new model Mercedes clipped my rear bumper. I immediately pulled off the road, shaken. We were both shaken but not hurt, Praise the Lord! Understandably she was very upset, it was her husband’s car! I of course took full responsibility, exchanging details before leaving the scene. After contacting my insurance, I took the car to a designated panel beater for assessment and booked it in for the time I was away. Praise the Lord friends from church took the car in for me and my neighbour picked it up 4 days later so that she could use it before picking me up at the airport.
I had only just paid to have a few dents and scratches repaired while I was in Asia and now for the same price I paid the insurance excess to basically get the same area re-done! Oh well, such is life as I say.
Please drive carefully during this holiday season because there are idiots like me on the road! Mind you this is the first accident I can remember ever being in, so that’s not a bad record for my 47 years of driving.
After running around sorting the car, I had two more medical appointments, one with the physio with a bit of acupuncture to help me with the flight the following day and one with the doctor to let me know the results of the ultrasound. By that evening I was emotionally exhausted.
Has anyone heard of a FODMAP diet? It’s not one to lose weight, it’s one to reduce digestive problems. I have been suffering terrible flatulence which Kimchi (homemade of course) helped as did the Kefir but something was still causing terrible gas. While travelling, I tried De-Gas, which seemed to help for a while but then my doctor suggested I try the FODMAP diet. I knew all about it as my sister Jen has been on it for years and swears by it. The diet eliminates fermented foods, sugary and dried fruits, some vegetables, brassicas (cabbage etc) as well as the onions family including garlic. I cut out some of these foods one night as well as bread and saw a huge improvement but then I wanted to use up my onions and I had just made two large jars of Kimchi (cabbage). Hhhmmm I was ok. Maybe it was once again the usual gluten! Sure enough the next day I had a heap of pastries at our end of year Bible Study group breakup. Almost immediately there was trouble in the gut!
Geelong was a lovely time to catch up with family. While Perth sweltered in 40+ degrees heat I shivered in low temps of 9 degrees to the mid 20’s with only one day of 34 degrees.
Arriving in Melbourne, Tullamarine Airport I bought myself a MyKi public transport card then took the Sky Bus to Geelong where I disembarked at the train station for a local bus to Torque, alighting not far from where I was staying. The first few nights I stayed with the parents of Mindy, whom I stayed with in Cebu, Philippines. It was lovely having a quiet place to sleep. Jen’s place at Ocean Grove was full of guests till the morning after the party, when many left to return to Melb for work the next day.
My first day in Victoria, I took the bus into Geelong. I should have remembered there was 3 hours’ time difference! When I’m only traveling for a short time I usually try to stay on my Perth timetable. This worked very well during my stay in Geelong, except for this first day. I woke at 7am EST (4am Perth time which was a normal wake up time for me). I took my breakfast with me (too early to eat before I left the house) and caught the bus into Geelong. I then walked towards my investment property, stopping along the main street to shelter from the wind while I waited for the real estate agent who was meeting me at the house at 10am. I had booked a house inspection to see the work done after the departure of the last tenants. On inspection I noted a few things that had been missed, which could have been done when the painter was there last.
I then had a long walk into Geelong, stopping in a park for my packed breaky. I was meeting Jen and Dave at the Geelong Botanical Gardens coffee shop. I headed there with google maps which took me the long way around 8km! I was pleased to finally find sit down with my coffee. I had quite a wait as Jen and Dave were having a sleep in. While waiting, I had a long chat to a local who was out walking his three legged dog.
Jen had kindly been offered a friend’s spare car, which came in very hand not only to show Dave around, which we did for the rest of the day, up and down the surf coast, into the surf museum etc, but also for me as I borrowed it to get back to Torque to sleep, then back to Ocean Grove the next day to catch up with family. I was glad I’d kept to Perth time as I slept in to 7am (EST) most mornings, which was before the others woke, so I went off for my jog. I then stayed up, joining in with all the chatter till after 10pm, which is unheard of when I’m in Perth.
All in all it was a lovely time seeing Jen’s family and Kat again. My niece, Kate and her partner Richard were visiting from the UK. I hadn’t seen them since Mum’s 90th birthday in 2017 and who knows when I’ll see them again. Jen’s son Matt came down from Melbourne for a few days, I’d seen him last at Mum’s party too. At Jen’s 60th party Kat had some of her close 
friends, Jen had family and close friends, including her ex-husband and an ex-partner. Although I had family around me and knew some of both Jen and Kat’s friends, I felt like the odd one out. I actually felt quite alone. This was made worse, knowing I might not be seeing them for a while, unless they come to Phuket or me to Queensland. I’m such a family-oriented person. I think it’s because, being the only single person in the family, family means a lot to me and to be so far away from the only two sisters that I can actually talk to is upsetting. I’m feeling very isolated,especially as my family in Perth seem to have withdrawn. Oh well, as they say, ‘That’s life’.
The Wednesday before flying back to Perth, Jen and Dave dropped Kate, Richard and I off at the You Yangs, a series of granite ridges that rise to 319m (Flinders Peak) above the Werribee Plain. Jen and Dave went off to pick up their camper for the drive back to QLD and the three of us went for a trek. Firstly up to the top which was supposed to take 1 ½ hrs and took us 20 mins then Richard wanted to clamber through the bush to another track that circumnavigated the ridge. Kate was concerned about snakes. Praise God we never saw any as we scrambled over the rocks and through the bush on what was at times a near vertical drop. Once back at the parking area, the young ones stopped for a snack while I scouted for a vehicle leaving to hitch a ride back to the town for a coffee. The Lord was very gracious providing us seats with a family who were from the town. The driver did try to scare us by saying he had a shovel and some lime for the job. The coffee was what I needed to quell my headache.
Jen and Dave picked us up on their return, not happy with a van that didn’t have hot water for showers and a faulty fridge. The next morning I was dropped off in Melbourne as they picked up a friend from the UK who was travelling with them. I met Kat for a chat and a coffee before taking the bus to the airport for my flight home.
My neighbour, Jess, picked me up, dropped my things at the house, took me shopping for a few essentials needed for breakfast, then out to look at the Christmas lights.
The weather was still very hot on my return, so much of the day I was doing indoor things, like going through all my possessions to scale down to make room for a boarder. In the cool of the evenings leading up to the Christmas weekend I walked the streets, distributing the church flyers announcing the Carols by Candlelight on the 22 December.
Its lovely waking early, especially during the heat wave. I usually wake between 3am and 5am most mornings unless I have a sleepless night, which praise the Lord, is not so frequent these days. It is usually light by 4:30 so I’m off jogging by 5am then down the beach by 6am for a dip before coming home. One morning I was back in bed by 6:30am and slept another 3 hours! It seems to be becoming a routine to have a very early morning ‘nanna nap’. It certainly helps me last through the day and doesn’t seem to interfere with getting to sleep at night, which is a blessing. I’m not sure how this is going to work when I’m in Phuket!
The children’s event for the Christmas Carols started at 5:30pm, I arrived at 6pm to help give out programs. Even at this time there were many families camped on the school oval. There were lots of activities and food stalls provided both by private operators as well as the church. It was a well attended evening enjoyed by many in the community. After helping clean the coffee machine I decided to head home so as not to have a late night.
Christmas day, I caught up with my friend Karen as she was avoiding family and I had not been invited by anyone in my family. I was up early, jogged, swam at the beach, watered my garden and washed my clothes, all before the 9:30 am service at church. It was packed as there was only one service and lots of visitors. I prepared dessert, then wandered off to Karen’s for a progressive Christmas lunch ending at my place for dessert.
I then had a relaxing afternoon chatting to Jen and Kat in QLD and sending Christmas messages to friends and my eldest sister’s family. I had no expectations so was pleasantly surprised to receive SMS messages back from them all. I then took the opportunity to let my eldest sister know of my plans to return to Thailand and suggested catching up before I leave. I’m still waiting for a reply.
Before the Boxing Day sales, I did a bit of research for a new laptop. On the Monday (24th Dec) I visited a store to check out what I thought would be my choice, returning on Boxing Day to make my purchase. In the meantime I had a change of mind. I have a Surface Pro (2013) and love how compact and light it is for traveling. In fact it fits into my small backpack. 
At the store, I checked out the latest Surface Pro 7 and bought it. I had lots of questions as I really wanted the same size as the one I already have, with more memory for all my files and photos. I thought I bought the same size, but when I got home I realised it was an inch bigger. This wasn’t a problem, except I had hoped that I could use the same keyboard, saving me the extra expense. Going on line again I found out there are only two choices. One an inch bigger and one an inch smaller! ggrrrrrr! Oh well I really did need to replace the keyboard too, as some of the keys were getting a little faulty. “All things work together for good”. And what’s more, I was wanting to pass my old Surface tablet on to my sponsor child (now a young man), who is now at university studying journalism.
The next day, I had another challenge when trying to set up my new tablet. I didn’t have Wi-Fi! And the tablet couldn’t find the hotspot through the USB connection on my iPhone! Praise God one of my neighbours gave me permission to use her Wi-Fi but even then I had a challenge logging into my Microsoft account and fixing the connection to my hotspot. During this time the unit manager was also giving me a hard time, asking me to lock my letterbox. We were having new letterboxes put in, as mail had been stolen from the old ones which didn’t lock. I have a PO Box at the post office and prefer to be able to access the one at home to clear out the advertising rubbish. Anyway, long story short, I couldn’t finish setting up my new tablet, so later called Microsoft.
Updating had fixed the connection between the iPhone, that is until I downloaded other programs, then I lost it again, but fortunately this time I could connect with my phone hotspot Wi-Fi! Go figure! After a couple of hours on the phone with Microsoft, there were still problems that needed ironing out, so we called it a day while the lass found out the solution and promised to call me back on Sunday. A session was booked for 1pm. I rushed back after church, backed up my computer and waited, and waited and waited! 1pm came and went and by 4:30pm I decided to send an email with a list of other things needed to be done. I hadn’t wasted this as I downloaded all the extra programs I regularly use on my old tablet. This was when I lost the USB hotspot connection for a second time.
To cut a long story shorter….. sorry I do go on, don’t I! … I called Microsoft several times between my purchase and the new year and after speaking with a total of 6 people, I finally had my new tablet set up the way I wanted (well nearly) by the 2nd January. The technician was able to download the old product key from 2013 Office professional so I didn’t have to spend another $640 for a new program. Sometimes being a hoarder has its benefits 😉
New Year’s eve, Karen called to say would I like to join her for a walk along the beach, dinner either there or at her place and dessert at mine again. I warmed to the idea, as I wasn’t doing anything to see in the new year, except sleep. I suggested we get fish and chips at a place near us then take a bus to Hillarys for an ice cream. At 4:30pm we walked to the beach, then along the shore (which I didn’t really want to do in sandals), up to the shop where Karen had a bit of a discussion on whether the fish was fresh and what to have. She then wanted to sit on the sand sheltered by some rocks to eat (wasn’t my choice as it was quite windy). Back to the road after our meal, where I suggested we take the next bus which was coming in 5 mins. My back was starting to ache. She wanted to walk, so we parted ways. I returned home and vegged out in front of telly, finishing off my home grown blue berries and ice cream. That was the close of 2019 and another decade!
Happy New Year! I pray that 2020 will be full of opportunities to grow in Christ and to glorify His interaction in our lives. May His Joy, Peace and Prosperity enrich our lives. 3 John 1:2 “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (NKJV)
Photos: 1. Upper garden 2. Tropical garden 3. Geelong temp 4. Ballard’s Botanical Gardens 5. Windy coast 6. Kate, Jen, Kat and myself 7. Kate & myself 8. You-Yangs 9. Richard and Kate 10. Dave and Jen not impressed with camper 11. Coffee with Kat 12. Carols 13. Christmas Day
Prayer & Praise Points:
Praise the Lord for His guidance and provision through 2019. And for health, protection, strength, leading and wisdom throughout this coming year.
Please continue to pray for Kat as she goes into surgery in Melbourne. Pray for success of the operation and for speedy recovery. Pray that she will know the Lord’s peace as she faces the challenges ahead. Kat is not making her condition known, so those who know her, please keep this confidential.
Thank you all for your prayers while I was in Geelong with family and for our first Christmas without Mum.
Please continue to pray for the salvation of my three sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat and their families. Pray especially for reconciliation and forgiveness between Tricia and the rest of us. Praise the Lord for the communication that continues between Kat and Trish.
Please continue to pray for the Lord’s leading, guidance and provision as I seek Him in preparations for my return to Phuket in April 2020. Especially in the area of accommodation there and someone to look after my house and garden here in Perth.
Please continue to pray for the success of the business, Senior’s Benefits and Rewards. We are about to launch after a trial period. If you know any seniors who might be interested in becoming a member, please direct them to our website to sign up to either the free or paid membership. https://seniorsbenefitsrewards.com.au/
Thank you to all my supportive friends and prayer partners; this journey would certainly be a lonely one without you. It’s also reassuring and encouraging to know you are standing with me in prayer.