Winter 2020

Western Australia has moved into phase 4 of the recovery from Coronavirus which is a great relief for all of us in the West.  A real answer to prayer.  I continue to be saddened by the events occurring in the rest of Australia and the world, not only with the spread of the virus but also the spread of unrest over tragic events in the US, which also seems to, like the virus, be spreading.

On a happier note, we have been experiencing a very mild winter with sunny days interspersed with periods of rain.  Both of which I have enjoyed.  I think the coldest morning we have had till now was five degrees and yes I still went out jogging.  It was a lovely crisp morning but my exercise soon warmed me up.  I must admit if I wake up to the sound of rain, I delight in the opportunity to have a lie in listening to it coming down on the lid of my tin rain tank which has been full and overflowing for some time now.

Gardening has been a delight in the sunshine followed with the rain watering things in.  For some time I have been wanting to make a compost area but with little to no room remaining in my garden, I hadn’t done anything about it, till I saw a method I could use, on Gardening Australia.  The method I saw begins with a trench filled with vegetation, then manure, followed by household kitchen scraps, then covered with soil.  I knew just the spot for it. When laying my pavers some years back, I set aside an ‘L’ shaped area to plant something below a proposed bench.  It was in this area I dug out the yellow sand.  I needed to prepare the soil as I was hoping to plant ferns in this more sheltered spot.  Those I had planted under the tree had been thrashed by the winds and many of the ferns didn’t survive.  The removed sand was quickly picked up after I advertised it for free on the internet.  The hole filled quickly with the small branches, leaves and vegetation that had been piling up in one of my raised veggie beds.  I also emptied on top a large metal rubbish bin which I had used like a compost bin, which was full of worms. After spreading this concoction over the area plus a bag of coffee grinds from church, I added a thin layer of semi-reasonable sand/soil.   Over this I placed a wire mesh, covering it with black plastic so that the worms didn’t drown in the rain.  Then at one end, and slightly buried in the earth, I put a very large plastic plant pot which I am now using as my new compost / worm farm to take the excess kitchen scraps, while preparing another ditch in one of the raised garden beds for all my garden refuse.  God willing, by next spring, after the bench has been constructed, my new fern area will be ready for planting.

Earlier in the month I was taken to lunch by friends for my birthday.  When I eat out, and depending on where we go, I usually get the same thing.  As a birthday special I had a lovely steak meal followed with coffee and crème brûlée, to the envy of my fellow diners.  It was a lovely lunch at a restaurant just down the road, where we had a lovely view of the ocean.

I’m now officially of pension age, which means nothing really as I’m a self-funded retiree.  I did get a letter from the government to say they would help me with some financial advice if I needed it.  As well as a letter from my MasterCard provider who says I’m now no longer covered for any fraudulent use of my card!  What? Just because I’m a year older doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be covered!  That’s ridiculous!  Oh well, I don’t buy much on line so it looks like I’ll be buying even less!

In my last update I mentioned my new Thai friend, Tan.  She invited me around to her home for lunch. Before going, knowing Tan was a keen gardener, I asked if she grew beetle leaves.  She asked was it the “cha plou leaf”? I didn’t know the Thai name so said I wanted to grow it so I could make Miang Kham.  She immediately knew I must know quite a bit about Thailand, as this is a little savoury snack wrapped in the beetle leaf.  She was growing them and said she would pot some up for me.

We had a lovely time chatting while preparing lunch.  I met her friend Jin and together we rolled glutinous rice flour balls for a dessert.  We has a laugh over the chat Tan and I had on Facebook messenger.  At first she had thought I was a guy who was trying to chat her up  I on the other hand always check out the Facebook profile of people buying from me, as I’ve had people who have tried to scam me.  I saw Tan was listed as female but somehow while chatting, I wondered if she may be male.  I then was a bit more cautious and asked her about her family.  This is when Tan thought I was getting a bit fresh.  Eventually I said something and followed it with ‘ka’ which is what a female says.  She responded with a laugh and said only women say ‘ka’.  I said yes, I’m a woman ka.  Tan told me that stumped her.  She then thought maybe I was a ‘tomboy’ (term used by Thai’s for lesbians).  We had a good laugh discussing all this over lunch.  I asked her if this was the reason she had invited Jin and her daughter to join us.  More laughter!  It was a lovely time of getting to know more about each other.  Tan and Jin had prepared a special bland chicken soup but to their surprise I preferred the one with bitter melon and chicken feet.

After lunch we wandered around both the front and back gardens.  Tan had dug up the front garden and part of the verge, making it a productive kitchen garden full of amazing fruit and vegetables.  She had a little green house and pots full of plants.  I was impressed.

Later that week I went to lunch with Trevor and Lorna to try out the restaurant Tan had recommended, which had original Thai food, the Eat Café Duncraig.  It didn’t disappoint.  We shared pork Larb (pronounced Larp), beef Numtok with sticky rice which I had ordered the previous day, as it needs to soak overnight.  It was just the right spiciness for all of us.  I’m so glad Trevor and Lorna can handle the heat.  Before leaving, I had a chat to the cook and owner who asked why I could speak Thai so well.  I explained I had been in Thailand for three and a half years as a missionary.  Oh they said did I know Frances from the church.  What a coincidence!  Yes. I know Frances well and promised to pass on their greetings.  They had been part of Frances’s English lessons when they first arrived in Australia.

Because it was my birthday this month, I decided to visit an Asian supermarket for some special treats, including durian.  What an amazing fruit.  It was nearly $9.00 for two pieces but it was so worth it, the texture so creamy with a rich taste.  A friend from church had also given me some green guava, which together with fresh pineapple, apple, Nashi fruit and Rojak paste (which I had brought back from Malaysia), I put together a Rojak salad topped with crushed peanuts.  Yum!

Jen had posted me a special pair of gardening gloves, which would hopefully help prevent Dupuytren’s Disease, which is the thickening and tightening of the tissues of the fingers resulting in progressive bending over on one or more fingers.  Mum had this and we’re told it’s hereditary.  Thank God I haven’t had any symptoms thus far.  Kat’s birthday card took three weeks to arrive, due to the Covid delays.  She had sent me some Thai Baht for when the opportunity comes for me to resume my plans of volunteering in Thailand.

Later in June, another friend took me to our favourite Indian restaurant in South Fremantle, the Copper Chimney.  I have been wonderfully spoilt this birthday month.

Recently we had a new neighbour move in to one of the units, Danuta from Poland.  She is also interested in gardening and has been up to admire my plot.  Her place is very small, a typical unit block with narrow back garden and front yard.  It was lovely to share our gardening tips over a cup of tea.

With Covid restrictions lifting here in the west, Church has begun with small group gatherings.  The first church service had 12 people, then 26, then 43 and the last Sunday in June after the government relaxed regulations once again, we had over 70 people in our 10:30am service.  Most were still taking advantage of the online services, gathering in small Bible Study or family groups.  Services at church were still done via video recording but it was nice to gather together again. Our Monday Bible Study group has resumed, bringing back familiar faces as well as new ones.  Emma has joined our group, which is lovely.  Her first day was also my birthday, which we celebrated with a song.  I announced I was now 46 dyslexicly and Emma said “oh, then I’m not the youngest!”  I explained she was as she had missed that I had said my age back to front. We laughed.  For the past few years, I had been the youngest of our group, so it was nice to have someone younger than me join.  Due to the Covid restrictions, we had all become a little more relaxed and so decided to come half an hour later.  Life has become less rushed, less stressful for many of us.

My sleep had improved, to the state where I could easily return to sleep if I woke during the night, but then it reverted back to terrible nights.  Thanks to a post on Facebook by Lorna, I learnt of the amazing benefits of bay leaves and now have bay leaf (from my garden) and ginger tea, just before bed.  It’s early days yet but it seems to be helping, although I’ve had some very strange dreams!  One night I crashed out at my usual time around 9pm and although I woke several times, I was able to get back to sleep quickly; even when I woke at 5am, I slept again till 7am!  I was so amazed.  I haven’t slept-in like that for years.  Mind you, it was raining, so I didn’t feel I needed to get up for my jog.

Good news in regards to the FODMAP diet I have been on since before Covid, I’m slowly weaning myself off since my system clogged itself up.  I’ve been introducing some basics back into my diet, eliminating the need for lactose and gluten-free foods and introducing some of the banned fruits and veg, except for onion and garlic, which seem to have the worst effects on my gut.  Praise the Lord for answered prayer in this area.

I had been asked to look after Mum’s dog while her new owners had a weekend away.  As I’m unable to have pets at my place which is also not dog friendly, I asked Jan who previously knew Suzie and was delighted to help out.  While there I visited Suzie to help take her for a walk.  Suzie was so excited to see me she just couldn’t leave me alone.  Poor thing I think she has an abandonment complex and maybe thought her new owners were trying to get rid of her.  Jan and I took her to visit some of Mum’s neighbours who she was also delighted to see.  I was surprised that as we passed Mum’s old home she didn’t seem to be perturbed.  I’m sure she understood that Mum no longer lived there.

On a sadder note, I have decided not to continue with the business venture, as it has been taking longer than I had anticipated (over 4 years now).  It is very disappointing, as there was a lot of time, effort, finance and prayer put into it over these years and it was so close to being launched before the economy crashed.

As I finish off this update we have been having more strong winds and rain. I’m hoping this time my garden will not be so thrashed about.  Meanwhile it’s perfect knitting weather with now over 50 beanies finished!

Photos:  1. Winter blooms,   2. Preparing the soil     3. Birthday Lunch    4. Thai lunch with Tan and Jin    5. Durian     6. Rojak     7. Kat and her new companion Pepper    8. Jan and a very chubby Suzie.

Prayer & Praise Points:
Praise the Lord for His continual blessing in helping to reopen our country and get the economy back on track.  Please continue to pray for our heads of state and politicians; that they are able to work together for the good of the country and her people.

Please pray with me for Victoria and the rest of the world who are struggling the ongoing devastation of the virus and for all the health care workers, the scientists working on a vaccine and for those working on fighting this plague.

Pray also for the unrest that has enveloped our world.  For those without hope, to come to the knowledge of peace and love that can only be found in Christ.

Praise the Lord for industries that are finding intuitive ways to reinvent their businesses that might otherwise have gone under during this time.

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 all our supportive friends and prayer partners as we help each other through these difficult times.  We all need each another in different ways and it’s reassuring and encouraging to know friends are not too far away, thanks to technology and prayer.