“The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before.”
This diary post I published on the 11th of November 2021. Seems like a long time ago!
So, I am 88 now, and maybe I’ve chaged quite a bit during the last thirteen or fourteen months or so! 🙂
Before I left the house this morning I had made a Tele appointment at the Dapto Medical Centre to talk to my GP about the result of my recent 24 hour blood pressure monitoring. I did get an appointment for tomorrow at 3 o’clock. I wonder, when my doctor wants to see me again now to do some more checking of my blood pressure! For a while it was often up to 200. But with some medication it has come down a lot now.
Exactly one week ago, Gerard did pay me a surprise visit coming down Maquarie Pass. He did bring sweet little Bentley along. Bentley is an especially beautiful dog and very calm! We took Bentley for a walk along the track in Lakelands Park before Gerard had to head home again to the Highlands. 🙂
Last Thursday Monika and Natasha did bring two of my great-grandkids along. It was wonderful that I could see them again after the long lockdown. We had a lovely vegetarian Thai take away lunch at my place. We had just finished our lunch, when the two electricians arrived who installed some new ceiling fans in my living room! 🙂
Aaron, the carpenter/builder and his apprentice Aidon did a lot of good work for me during the week. Next week they are coming back to put up a cover over my outside deck. This will be good to have when we want to have a party on the deck and it does rain! 🙂
Fridays I can join my friends again for the games afternoons. During Peter’s sickness I often did not join them for the games, and during the lockdown I did not join them at all for I did not want to enter any one’s house! It is really good, that I was able to see my friends again in their houses, and they can come to my house too.
We have been playing the same sort of games for over ten years! We always play one game of Scrabble and 7 games of Rummy Cub. In between we have some refreshments! 🙂
Following a copy of one of my blogs from 2014 with pictures from one of our games afternoons!
We play Rummy with these tiles.We are about to have a coffee break.
We like to have a game of Scrabble.
Here I repeat what I wrote already this morning in another post:
“Next Friday is going to be the 19th of December. On that day we are going to have a Body Corporate meeting in Wollongong. The following day, on the 20th, we are going to have a Christmas Party for the residents and some previous residents. And for Sunday, the 21st, Peter and I are being invited to a Christmas Luncheon in Sydney.
Christmas Eve we are going to have the family at our place as is traditional for us. Early the following morning on Christmas Day Caroline, Matthew, Peter and I are going to travel to Melbourne in a rented car.
Ah, and I forgot, this coming Sunday, which is the third Sunday of Advent, we are also going to be in Sydney to belatedly celebrate Caroline’s birthday. Last Sunday we went to see Monika for her birthday.”
Does this sound busy? Peter seems to think so. Both Peter and I have a few health issues at the moment. We just hope all will be well pretty soon despite our rather “busy” life.
catterelEditHow lovely for you both that Gerard was able to visit you, so you could meet Bentley. Fun!Reply
doesitevenmatter3EditYAY for all this good stuff! Especially spending time with Gerard and Bentley! (((HUGS)))
I just had a beautiful morning walk in Lakelands Park at the back of my house. There were hardly any clouds. I enjoyed walking on the track next to the very overgrown bush along Books Creek. Everything looks and smells so nice in the sunshine after we had quite a bit of rain over the past few days with some breaks in between the rain but hardly any sun.
In some areas close by there were often some thunderstorms during the afternoons. Maybe Dapto is going to get a bit of thunderstorm too this afternoon! Today I stayed in the park for one whole hour. During this hour, about a dozen people passed me with one or two dogs and talked to me for a bit. Also a couple of people with kids in strollers passed me! They all seemed to enjoy the sunshine very much. 🙂
The note was placed amid a colorful wreath for the late monarch that Buckingham Palace said contained, at Charles’s request, rosemary, English Oak and myrtle, which had been cut from a plant grown from myrtle used in Elizabeth’s wedding bouquet.
There were also gold, pink, burgundy and white flowers cut from the gardens of royal residences.
“
” . . . myrtle, which had been cut from a plant grown from myrtle used in Elizabeth’s wedding bouquet.” – How wonderful is that!:
The wreath contains myrtle, the ancient symbol of a happy marriage, cut from a plant that was grown from a sprig of myrtle in the Queen’s wedding bouquet in 1947.
This Reblog I wrote a bit over a week ago. Today is the 1st of September. Here in Australia this counts as the first day of spring! Apart from my own birthday, four other family birthdays are coming up. Our family meeting in Sussex Inlet is going to be in October instead of in September. And then it won’t be long, and there are going to be a few more birthdays and Christmas celebrations! 🙂
I just did read this post one more time. So, I said, “I am happy just using most of this time for myself”. Actually, I also like to use some of the time staying in contact with people. Hopefully, that always leaves me plenty of time for these ‘selfish’ pursuits!
I just sent a Birthdaycard off to Berlin, Gernany. Astrid, my sister-in-law, turns 66 on the first of September! My brother, Peter-Uwe, turns 81 on the 28th of October. He is very happy, that his second wife is more than 15 years younger than he is. I have a very happy relationship with Astrid. I have frequent very good conversations with both Peter-Uwe and Astrid!
They do travel a lot. Maybe one day they’ll come for another visit to Australia. That would be great!
I saw both of them a lot when I was in Berlin in May this year.
Maybe, if I don’t deteriorate too much, I can travel to Berlin again one day! I could perhaps offer to pay the airfare for granddaughtger Natasha to accompany me!
I love reading your posts, Uta. How far we have both travelled since we discovered each other in the blogosphere. I too am enjoying these years of my life. Time to do what I want to do. Today has been a ME day. I have been sitting reading and talking to friends on the phone and on the internet. I did a little laundry because the rain stopped and the sun came out.
I have always said I have led a blessed life. Having been loved by two men, a great childhood with loving parents and two sisters, two children and four grandsons who love me. I will leave this life with happy memories, but not I hope, not for a few more years.
Blessings UTA
It is great, that you feel the same as I do, that this stage of our lives is actually quite enjoyable!
Yes, it can still be quite enjoyable, and so I am grateful for this special bonus time.
However, I feel it is extremely difficult for me, to get used to the idea, that maybe never ever again is there going to be a very close friend of mine wanting to be my companion for some shared experiences!
I tell myself, since nobody’s life is going to change significantly, when I die, why not be happy when finally I can depart this world? – – – –
Of course, this can all change, if against all odds, it turns out, that there is someone of the opposite sex willing to share a bit of time with me.
This Reblog I wrote a bit over a week ago. Today is the 1st of September. Here in Australia this counts as the first day of spring! Apart from my own birthday, four other family birthdays are coming up. Our family meeting in Sussex Inlet is going to be in October instead of in September. And then it won’t be long, and there are going to be a few Christmas celebrations!
Blessings: I am given another day, and I live on my own! 🙂
I don’t know about tomorrow, but today I am going to love my life. I am going to enjoy doing all the things, that I can still do. I am not afraid of tomorrow either. If I have to go, I am ready to go any time! I don’t have to say ‘good bye’ to anybody, before I pass away. Not really. Everybody close to me is well aware, that it is possible for me to die very suddenly. I am sure, everybody can go on living quite well without me. It is only natural, that you do not hang onto an 88-year-old person.
In case I am given a few more days or weeks or months or even years, I should treat this extra time as something very special. Oh yes…
doesitevenmatter3 EditYAY for all this good stuff! Especially spending time with Gerard and Bentley!
AuntyUta 
I just did read this post one more time. So, I said, “I am happy just using most of this time for myself”. Actually, I also like to use some of the time staying in contact with people. Hopefully, that always leaves me plenty of time for these ‘selfish’ pursuits!
Liked by you
I just sent a Birthdaycard off to Berlin, Gernany. Astrid, my sister-in-law, turns 66 on the first of September! My brother, Peter-Uwe, turns 81 on the 28th of October. He is very happy, that his second wife is more than 15 years younger than he is. I have a very happy relationship with Astrid. I have frequent very good conversations with both Peter-Uwe and Astrid!
They do travel a lot. Maybe one day they’ll come for another visit to Australia. That would be great!
I saw both of them a lot when I was in Berlin in May this year.
Maybe, if I don’t deteriorate too much, I can travel to Berlin again one day! I could perhaps offer to pay the airfare for granddaughtger Natasha to accompany me!
Liked by you
I love reading your posts, Uta. How far we have both travelled since we discovered each other in the blogosphere. I too am enjoying these years of my life. Time to do what I want to do. Today has been a ME day. I have been sitting reading and talking to friends on the phone and on the internet. I did a little laundry because the rain stopped and the sun came out.
I have always said I have led a blessed life. Having been loved by two men, a great childhood with loving parents and two sisters, two children and four grandsons who love me. I will leave this life with happy memories, but not I hope, not for a few more years.
Blessings UTA
Liked by you
Thank you, Judith!
It is great, that you feel the same as I do, that this stage of our lives is actually quite enjoyable!
Yes, it can still be quite enjoyable, and so I am grateful for this special bonus time.
However, I feel it is extremely difficult for me, to get used to the idea, that maybe never ever again is there going to be a very close friend of mine wanting to be my companion for some shared experiences!
I tell myself, since nobody’s life is going to change significantly, when I die, why not be happy when finally I can depart this world? – – – –
Of course, this can all change, if against all odds, it turns out, that there is someone of the opposite sex willing to share a bit of time with me.
HUGS, Uta
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Reblogged this on AuntyUta and commented:
This Reblog I wrote a bit over a week ago. Today is the 1st of September. Here in Australia this counts as the first day of spring! Apart from my own birthday, four other family birthdays are coming up. Our family meeting in Sussex Inlet is going to be in October instead of in September. And then it won’t be long, and there are going to be a few Christmas celebrations!