Visitors

October started with a bang!  The home dedication/warming was a great success although many were unable to come due to illness and other commitments including the football grand finale (the god’s of sport were more of a lure).  One of my friends suggested I have a second house warming after all the renovations were complete.  I thought this was a great idea but didn’t realise how long it was going to take for the kitchen and bathroom to be completed!  They’re still not done!

Glenn, my builder was away for two weeks which in a way was a good thing as the first week of October was full of visitors.

Sunday 2^nd October Kath arrived from her stay with Jen in Broome where she and Jen went on a Bush Tucker walk about tour together.  Kath was waiting for the company she had been employed by, to contact her re starting back at work.  She had been laid off due to the mining sector slowing down but had been contacted recently re more work.  At first it was on another ship but then after another delay she was back on her old ship to the delight of the crew.  I think she caters to all their dietary needs and spoils them too much.

Mum and I picked Kath up from the airport and took her into town where she had booked dinner at a renowned Thai restaurant.  Unbeknown to Kath we were taking her out to celebrate her birthday which is on the 28^th of October.  She would be at sea during this time so we thought we would spoil her before she went. It was a lovely evening, with lovely food although the price was more than we usually paid (especially divided between the two of us) but overall it was very enjoyable.

Monday, I was without a vehicle as Kath had repossessed her car.  It didn’t worry me to much as I had lots to do around the house and I could take public transport to mums which I did in the afternoon.  I cooked an early dinner before the both of us, once again, headed to the airport.  This time to pickup my second cousin who was visiting from the UK.  His first visit to Australia was with his parents when he was seven.  He says, of all the places he has visit in Europe, America and Australia, Perth is his favourite city and City Beach his favourite beach which just happened to be where he was going to stay with my sister Trish and husband Trevor.

It took us awhile to collect Nat as he was coming in on an international flight which meant customs and immigration queues.  Three flights had come in at the same time slowing down the procedure even more.  As we usually do a running pick up and because we had been around once and been waved on twice I drove out and found somewhere to wait were we could park.  It was over half an hour later that we did our final drive by and found Nat.  Thank God for internet and online chat as Nat only had an international number which would have made calls expensive.

It had been arranged that Nat would stay at my older sister, Trisha and Trevor’s home as Kath and, soon to arrive, Jen were at Mum’s.  Trisha showed Nat around some of the sights on Tuesday then on Wed morning I picked him up for a look around the CBD and a drive along the Swan River with a coffee at Kings Park before coming back to Mum’s.  Later we all went in Jen’s hire car out to dinner to celebrate her birthday which is in November.  Unfortunately Trish was unable to join us as this was one of those very rare occasions where all the sisters were in town at the same time.  I think the last time that occurred was at Mum’s 80^th birthday nine years ago!   Thursday, Kath flew out in the wee hours of the morning, which meant I had her car back.  Jen was busy most days with work but on Friday morning the three of us went to the dog beach in the north where Jen and I went for a brisk walk and mum sat enjoying a rest.  I was very surprised at the mountains of seaweed that had washed up along the shoreline.  We were back for lunch at Mum’s with Trish who brought Nat back as he was staying at my place so that I could drop him off at the airport at 2:30am.

Twice during Nat’s stay we walked along the beach from my place to Mettem’s pool.  We were having some amazing hot weather, the sea was sparkling and more than inviting.  I was unable to resist the temptation and although I knew the water would be freezing, I took the plunge!  I was right!  My feet nearly turned to ice!  Two days later I was back in again and then again when Mum and I went back to the dog beach after all our guests had departed.  I thought it might be a good idea to try to keep going once the weather warms up again.  We’ll see what happens!  Kathy and Mum are the iceberg swimmers, Jen and I like the warmer waters.

You guessed it since our guests have left the rain and winds are back and the temperatures have once again plummeted to below 20 degrees.  Swimming was out till another 30 plus degrees day!

During these busy time of guests coming and going and a limited number of vehicles I had contacted my neighbour, Ann, who was away traveling Europe and the UK.  I had previously asked Mum’s friend, Jane B if I was able to borrow her car while she was away but she had already offered it to someone else.  I had emailed Ann at the last moment, not knowing if she would be checking her emails.  Praise the Lord, she answered and very kindly offered her car which I gratefully accepted as I’d needed it for the Wednesday when I took Nat around.

Saturday, all our guests had departed.  Mum called wondering where everyone was!  She had remembered a house full of family and now it was quiet and deserted and she felt lost and lonely.  I filled her in on all the movements over the past days and where everyone had gone.  It must be so disorientating not remembering things from day to day.

It was during this time my dear friend Fay Walkling was also visiting from Thailand.  We had arranged to meet up during the busy week of sisters and Nat being in town but she had come down with a terrible bout of the flu.  It’s amazing how the Lord times things.  Finally recovering Fay called and arranged for me to meet her for a coffee on Monday the 10^th.  It was lovely catching up with her having not seen her since June last year, over sixteen months ago.

This certainly has been a time of visitors!  I was rather pleased there hadn’t been work to be done around the unit during this time.  Mind you it didn’t stop me for arranging and rearranging things.  I moved the large chest of drawers into the small bedroom to store some of my everyday clothes.  It was a bit of a struggle doing it alone but I did it eventually.  Most of the cupboards are now being used.  I still have my tools and gardening things in the cupboard beneath the breakfast bench as I haven’t as yet put up the shed.  I’m waiting to find out more about a water tank and where I might put that in relation to the shed.

On the Wednesday after all the guests had left, I had someone around to give me a quote for a small water tank.  It was interesting the suggestions given.  Nezka was there as she also wanted some ideas about water tanks.  I ended up changing the shape and size of the tank, during which time the shed was moved around several times on the plan.

There were several challenges that arose with the discussions on where the tank would go including where would the runoff go?  I hadn’t thought about runoff!  Hoping to put my old laundry trough, which I recently painted, on the wall beside the tank.  It was discussed how I could attach the trough to the existing waste pipes and therefore the runoff into the trough pipes.  I had already tried to fit the trough to the wall and realised the pavers beneath were not even so I’d have to dig up the pavers and replace them with a cement slab.  I could then call the plumber to see if he could connect the pipes.  More preparation work to be done but it’s good to be prepared.

I have also been having trouble with heavy rain coming in the lounge window which faces west.  I decided a solution for this and the severe summer heat would be to install a security blind.  I had three quotes the last one from Half Price Shutters, which were in fact half price for exactly the same shutters.

Now with more time on my hands and cooler weather I decided I would start on the garden area along the side of the house facing both west and north.  I had propagated lavender and been given pink lavender for a house warming by Nezka and family and had bought a white lavender.  These I wanted to eventually form a hedge outside the lounge window.  Before this could be done I had to dig up the old reticulation which ran along both the walls.  I had to replace the old sprinklers and change some of the hoses.  I also wanted to dig out the sand and replace it with a mixture of soil solver, which is a clay mix, and cow manure.  Along the coast we don’t have soil just sand which is water resistant and terrible for growing anything other than local indigenous plants.  Although lavender can withstand dry sandy soil and the hot westerly sun I wanted to help it along too.  Beside the north facing wall between the house and the path I want to plant the rose cuttings I have propagated from Mum’s scented roses.

It was fine doing the lavender bed but after digging up and relaying the reticulation hose I had to leave the north facing bed half dug till I bought a trailer load of mushroom mulch.  This was a week in the making.  In the meantime.  I drilled holes in the bottom of one of Mum’s terracotta pots into which I’m hoping to put one of Mum’s beautiful scented climbing roses.  I’ve put this large pot over some bare electrical wires which I nearly dug into when doing the retic.

The other things I have to contend with in my northern garden border is the underground electrical cables for all the units and the telecommunications box!  I didn’t even know the box was there till I removed the topsoil and leaves.  There was nothing much I could do about a box in the garden bed so instead, on top of it I have put another large terracotta pot with strawberry plants.

While waiting for the mushroom mulch I have also been working on extending the pavers.  I have been thinking and planning what to do and where to plant the blueberry that Nezka and Michael give me.  Because my place can be quite windy, I’d like to put up a low screen or trellis at one end of the vegie garden and behind this the blueberry.  This meant I needed to extend the pavers along the end of the vegie garden.  I’ve also been working on a few ideas for a shaded area where I could have a bench to relax on and over which I could grow a grape vine so that I have shade in the summer and sun in the winter.  It would also be the only area I could potentially grow ferns.  Lots of ideas and thoughts and plenty of time to plan and plant.  I’m not doing anything with the vegie garden this year as at the moment it is scattered with bulbs which I want to eventually dig up and replant behind the roses.

Now I’m just waiting on Glenn to come and finish his jobs.

Photos:   1. Poppy in my garden   2. Nat and Kath at Mettems Pool    3. Mum, Jen, Kath and me out for dinner    4. Lunch at Mum’s before Jen left     5. Panorama view from unit looking west and north over my garden   6. West facing garden border for lavender   7. North facing garden border for roses   8. Pavers to be extended here   9. Where water tank will go   10. Kath and I at Metems

Prayer & Praise Points:
Praise the Lord for His abundant provision, blessings during all the visitors stay.

Please pray that Fay Walkling will find the prayer support she needs to return to Thailand.  Pray also for Thailand as they grieve the loss of their king.  Pray that piece will prevail.

Praise Him for all the little things that have taken place and are continuing to take place in my little home.

Praise the Lord for family and friends.  For mum’s continual good health and for His wisdom in supporting her.  Please pray that she will be happy to join the Friday painting group at church and that she will be able to make friends there with who she can relate to.

Thank you for your continual prayers for Mum especially with accepting some of the things that come with age especially with the loss of memory.  She is finding this very challenging and is often feeling down because of it.

Please also continue to pray she stays safe on the road.