Hi Everyone
Last Sat we found a good round the world airfare
and had til Tuesday to make decisions and the booking. Really focuses the mind
does a deadline! Believe it or not, it is done.
We leave Adelaide Sat 13 Aug for Brisbane for our
annual week with the kids. We leave Bris for Singapore, London then Edinburgh on
Aug 22. Will see the Tattoo. We will see what we want in Scotland, England and
Paris before flying from Paris London LA to SLC late Sept. Then on Oct 5 we
leave SLC for Brisbane via Dallas arrive Oct 7. We leave Brisbane for Adelaide
Oct 13 and go back to work the next week.
this uses up all our long service leave and
annual leave but 7 days for me until July 1 2012. and the saving
account
The travel agent Jim walked into was a fellow he
worked with at Southlink so that was nice. He offered helpful
suggestions.
Harmony's baptism is yet to be finalised. I
just couldn't imagine getting back on the 16th Sunday and going to work on the
Monday, not after another birthday!!!
My friends from school days in Calif were
concerned about us with the news of the Qld floods and emailed. This lead to
email sharing and now we have all caught up with all of us from the old
Gang. Except one who we learned died 2.5 years ago - this so sobering.
Barbara gave me the jewellery box that I still use. Her mother taught me how to
sew first, Andy Fischer's mother taught me the finer tricks. She and I rode on
the back of Vespas to Santa Cruz one day. We were pals for a few
summers.
anyway it has been such a thrill to open emails
and read about one or the other and see photos. Carole and Martha I have known
since grade 1 - we were Brownies together. They even caught up with
Carole's neighbour Gary who also was in grade 1 and got every maths question
correct just about every day. He is the only one still living in Saratoga.
They are talking about a sleep over then Lynn
suggested all coming to Australia! Well I've started tidying up at the prospect,
as you can imagine. Carole suggests it isn't likely seeing as how they are
having strife organising a lunch date! If Oprah did it..... So it's been a
wonderful gift to reconnect with people who knew me in my other life as a
selfish kid and still will speak to me! they are all so good looking to my
eyes! Some I have spoken to at least annually to keep in touch and
those 3 live in the same phone book area and needed me to connect them!
Funny eh?
Well, I'd appreciate any group photos you have of
your clan to share ( and to refresh my photo gallery. I am about 2 kids short of
the full quota, soon 3 )
Yesterday Jim and I went to Fays and the move is
officially started. We did about 2/3 of the shed and have piles for dump, garage
sale and recycling. It would be the easiest of the whole household as it
was mostly Bill's electronics stuff and real junk - 3 broken vacuums.
James Hunt has parked a covered trailer there with the contents in the shed. The
chances of him actually coming and dealing with this are slim. Next step
is getting boxes to Fay so she can fill them for disposal or moving. As Easter
gives us a 5 day run (time out for Easter Sunday of course) it seems a good
target to aim for the finish. I suggested soon we move the furniture
she wants here and start setting this up the way she wants it. We measured
items. It will be a big job but, take heart - no tiling needed. :-)
She intends to sell the house. Now we need some
advice here - what state should it be in for this? She is adverse to
spending any money to fix it up, feels she can't afford it. Getting that
carpet out seems vital, probably total paint throughout (except for the bathroom
that has just been done) and a good clean. The wooden windows are awful
inside and out. We are replacing the blinds in the kitchen now. All this
painting etc would be hired - not an Ellis service project. We have a new baby
and the existing ones to support.
What is a likely price for it in Elizabeth
Grove? How should she go about the sale? There are people who buy
houses - try one? She needs a lot of guidance as she has had no experience
in making any decisions near this magnitude in her 78 years.
Another consideration is the house on Beatty Street
behind us is still for sale as of today. $285000 start price. Really is a very
basic 3 bdm house with a huge back yard. How would having an investment property
vs own property affect her pension etc? How will the proceeds of Argent St
affect her pension? I told her that even if she is entitled to just $1
pension, she keeps her concessions and the income would be equal.
Also, what are the plans for the Feb 1st Birthday
Celebrations? Angela will still be in hospital assumed.
Also Jim and I are considering taking the WEA
classes one on travel in England and another on - you guessed it, travel in
France. On 27 Feb and 27 Mar.
Oh the directory was delivered Friday - I did
10453 steps that day on a sore ankle too. Anything to get out from behind that
desk!!!! Oh Peter and Sue Candy came into the library and re-joined on
Thursday and it so wonderful to see them again. Peter says he is just starting
to read again - he was an avid science fiction fan. the cancer treatment was a
knockabout. (More from the past, guess I have more past than you all!
)
Going to weigh in at WW tomorrow night. I gained
5 kilos while away and Jim lost 2!! He moved more and drank more water, I ate
more and moved less than usual. He has continued to stay off the flavoured
milk and stopped sugar in his Caro. Found trying a choc milk last week too
sweet!! It's amazing how you get used to too much by having too
much! He measured himself on Sat and is intent on losing some of the
girth. Fay lost 2 kg - probably as much to do with salt reduction as anything.
She is attending a nutrition course for her diet controlled diabetes and is
doing well. Feels better for drinking water she says. We took up rain water as
her tank has a hole in it plugged with a stick by the neighbour! ingenious.
Well that's all from me for a while. Oh must
share: tonight we tried putting a shower curtain under Max's high chair and it
caught all his deposits. I just took it outside, clipped it to the clothes line
and hosed it off. When it was dry, brought it in and it awaits the next session!
So easy! Yesterday I was on my hands and knees mopping the floor as I
really wanted to get into the corners and edges which the mop doesn't and there
were some spots that needed persuading. Chickens will pick up the food tomorrow.
Still only getting 1 egg a day. Will separate them tomorrow and see what
appears in the nest box. The dominant chook sleeps in it and the other on the
perch. I figure the submissive one got her egg bearing scared out of her at the
beginning. They didn't know one another and were not friendly. Hathor and
Isis.
It's late. Oh also had a phone-around to the USA
in case we were going to make it to Calif, As my bro is 82 it seemed prudent,
but it didn't work out and it's always me travelling hundreds more miles to see
them and they didn't seem all that excited. Andrea working in the wedding
business, in Las Vegas has Australian brides too. She is well. Leslie not
contactable but Aaron visited Jim and Barb earlier this week (for money) and
said she is an emotional mess, crying a lot, on medication - very unhappy and
unproductive. Bob is weary from his hard labor and just can't motivate
himself enough to see the girls as much as he'd like. Girls been sick with
winter colds and chest problems with Katie. I read a email battle between
Lindsay and Liz. whoootie!! But he just adores them and loves that he can
see them.
Really going now. that's all the news that's fit
to print.
Love you all so much.
M
Mary and Jim Williams
