Category: Diary

Sunday, 12th of August 2018

The soft boiled eggs that Peter cooked for breakfast were perfect. I ate my warmed up crispy bread-roll with the egg, I also had some fresh strawberries with strawberry jam on one half of the bread-roll. And I took all my vitamins. We both also had a great cup of coffee for our breakfast.

At nine o’clock we started watching the Insiders’ program on ABC TV. The politics that were discussed upset me a great deal. I mean I should be used to this sort of political talk  by now where everything gets blamed on labor. But somehow it got to me today more than usual. I just could not keep my cool. Maybe I should stop watching these interviews where no question gets answered properly and were outrages lies are repeated ad  nauseam. Soon Peter handed me a bit of brandy to calm my upset stomach. This bit of brandy that I sipped very slowly, actually made me feel a whole lot better.

Later on for  brunch we had baked camenbert cheese with some bread and a glass of red wine. We also had a bit of vanilla ice-cream with apple sauce. Luckily my stomach had settled sufficiently, and I could enjoy this excellent meal. I enjoyed it very much indeed!

I could not insert a picture in this post, but I try now to insert some pictures here:

https://auntielive.wordpress.com/

 

Filling out an Application Form to apply for a Cataract Operation

In that application form I was asked when was the last time I had an operation. I could remember that I had a Carpel Tunnel Relief operation and that it was probably in November some years ago. But I could not remember which year it was. I remembered though that the day after the operation we had had a break-in and that I had written something about it in one of my blogs. So I searched for the blog and voila, I found it here:

https://auntyuta.com/2013/11/25/after-the-op/

Thursday, 21st November 2013, was the day after my operation. We were out for ninety minutes. When we arrived back home we soon noticed that our place had been burgled. . . . . .

In my blog from the 25th of November 2013 I did not write about a lot of details regarding the burglary. However, I found in the some of the comment sections a bit more about what had happened, and  I copy it  here:

  2. It happened to us before, Gerard. The last burglary we had was in 1994. We had become rather confident that we couldn’t possibly have another burglary. So after nineteen years it happened again. What a shock to come home after a quick lunch and find the place burgled. It was lucky that Caroline and Matthew were with us at the time. We had had lunch at a beautiful place in Wollongong.. Matthew had driven us home from Wollongong as fast as possible for I was in need of some rest after the operation the previous evening. Caroline was the first to enter the house. Everything looked all right at first. Only gradually did we find out that there must have been some intruders in the house. Then Caroline looked around a bit more and discovered the broken in bathroom-window!

    During the following hours Caroline handled a lot of phone-calls for us, namely to the police and the insurance who all asked for a lot of details. In the meantime Matthew had gone with one of our neighbours to the back of our house looking in the parkland reserve whether they could still see any culprits around. On a bench they found a screw-driver, and then they noticed close by in the bush some of the contents of my handbag. They retrieved my wallet with all my cards in it! But of course all the cash had gone.

    Gee, was I glad when they handed me all the personal things out of my handbag! 🙂
    It was such a relief that I didn’t have to renew all my cards! 🙂

    Reply

  3. What a lousy act to have happened Auntyuta, at least you got some personal stuff back, but it still makes you feel sick to think someone has violated your home.
    You look in great shape even with that arm wrapped up Auntyuta.
    Cheers
    Emu

    Reply

    1. Yes, dear Emu, that I got my personal stuff back was a real blessing. The surprising thing was the intruders left no mess behind. They just took a few things and escaped the way they had come in, namely through the bathroom window. Luckily they did not bother to take our laptops along. The cash that Peter left behind in a drawer in the living-room had gone. But we did not notice immediately. It was not apparent, that the drawer had been opened. I had a fairly new handbag (goat-leather). I did not get this back, only my purse/wallet (minus all my cash) and the personal papers and cards out of my hand {shoulder} -bag, well, luckily all this stuff was found in some bushes in the park behind our property.
      We haven’t heard from our insurance yet what they are going to do.
      But our daughter saw to it that we handed in all our claims.
      Cheers, Auntyuta

      . . . . .

      When I found the above blog I was astounded to find nearly five years had elapsed since all this happened. I remember Caroline and Matthew had been staying with us overnight. After lunch in Wollongong they had planned on going back to their place in Sydney. Their things were already packed and waiting near the entrance door. Some things of Caroline and Matthew had been taken out of their bags. Caroline noticed some moisture in her bag. She asked herself, whatever could that mean? Later on we had the idea to get our bottle of vodka out of the freezer. It was not there any more! Gone. So maybe the moisture in Caroline’s bag had come from the bottle of vodka that the burglars had taken out of the freezer. We all agreed that this was the only explanation.

      In due time the police and someone from the insurance came around. They looked at the broken in window, and we mentioned the screwdriver that was found on the park bench. The police woman explained that the screwdriver could not be counted as evidence even though my discarded purse was found nearby. Anyway, the police were very friendly. Also, the insurance were very good in handling everything. They assessed the value of all the stolen goods and gave us reimbursement in the form of money.

      Postscript: My eyesight is not very good at the moment. I’ll send off my application form to Shellharbour Hospital tomorrow. This means they may put me on a waiting list, and in about 12 months I’ll get my operation on my right eye. My left eye is totally blind from a macular hole that was so bad 18 years ago that the operation at a hospital  in Sydney was without success. Ever since I am somewhat scared that something might happen to my good eye too. But if the cataract in my good eye gets worse and worse, that does not help, does it? So I better apply for an operation. . . . .

“Our Souls at Night”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Souls_at_Night_(film)

We watched this movie yesterday. Peter and I, we both thought it was a good one.  I read the plot in Wikipedia and it says beautifully in a condensed way everything about the theme of the movie.  I copy here the plot the way I found it in Wikipedia:

“Louis Waters is a widower. One evening he is visited by Addie, a widow who lives next door. She invites him to sometimes sleep over – platonically – talking in bed to combat loneliness. They try it out, and like it. The community finds out, but assume it’s a sexual relationship. After Louis’ coffee shop friends make a joke, Louis walks out mad. Addie’s friend Ruth asks her a few questions. To stop the gossip, the two have Sunday lunch together at a restaurant.

Addie’s son Gene dumps his seven year old child Jamie with her. Louis helps her care for him, sets up his train set and gets Jamie a dog. The boy even sleeps with the elderly couple in a real family setting. After Gene learns of the relationship, he takes Jamie back even though his wife has left him. Louis and Addie go on a trip and get around to having sex.

Addie falls down and ends up in the hospital. Her son wants her to move in with him and Jamie. She decides that family must come first and the couple spend their last night together. Both she and Louis are back to sleeping alone. So Louis sends her the train set and a cell-phone. After getting into bed, she calls him and they start talking as old friends. And the movie ends.”

Cast

. . . . .

“The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2017.[6] It was released on September 29, 2017 on Netflix streaming. ”

Personally I do like movies that deal with relationships among people, be it romantic relationships or family relationships or important friendships. There is some of all of this in this slow moving movie.

I guess there are all sorts of ways to combat loneliness in old age. It seems to me we are bound to feel lonely without some significant personal contacts. 

 

Diary

How can I go back to my website the way it has been for seven years? Maybe it was stupid of me to create a second website just so that I could publish a few photos again. My premium site, which is my original site, had reached its limit as far as publishing pictures was concerned, and without reverting to a business site and paying more, I would not be allowed to publish any more photos for another year. To create a second site, where I could publish photos, was a rather easy thing to do. However now both sites ended up with some new setting which I dislike very much. Changing the settings is just too complicated for me,  since I am not computer savvy enough to accomplish anything like this. I tried, and tired, and tried to find my way through it. It just is something I do not understand, not at all.  Peter cannot help me with it either. So maybe when my daughter Monika comes to see us she may have an idea how to go about creating some acceptable settings for both my websites.

Last Sunday of June 2018

We are in the midst of winter. We find the days and nights very cold at this time of the year. Apart from the winter cold we had a lot of changes in the weather during the past few weeks: A lot of rain, followed by a lot of wind, then off and on more rain. Hardly any sun, or when there was a bit of sun there was also a lot of wind. For quite a few days I had been suffering from a bad cold.

Today, on this last Sunday of the month, we finally have a lot of sun with not much wind. In the shade it is only 17C. However, it means, this is a beautiful winter day and a wonderful day to go out into the sun a bit. I suggested we drive to Kiama for an early fish and chips lunch at the harbour. Peter too likes the perch that is being sold at the fish and chips shop at Kiama Harbour. From experience we know it is good to arrive there early before the big midday rush. We managed to arrive in Kiama at 11,20 and did not have to wait long to be served our fish and chips.

On the way back home we stopped in Dapto at the Pie Shop and  got an apple pie to eat at home later this afternoon. And when we arrived home just now we indulged in some desert: Vanilla ice-cream with loganberries and some whipped cream. Delicious!

 

17th of June 2018

https://www.visitberlin.de/en/memorial-17-june-1953-uprising

Tante Mietze was born on the 17th of June 1873. On the day of the Uprising in East Berlin she turned 80. She was an aunt of Peter’s mother. Peter’s mum was a working mother. So it was great to have Tante Mietze around at all times. Peter  and his sisters remember Tante Mietze fondly. She lived with them and cared for the family all the time. Peter remembers that his father had not liked Tante Mietze living with them. He would have preferred his wife staying at home and giving up her job.

Every year on the 17th of June Peter remembers Tante Mietze, setting up a picture of her with some flowers and a candle. This year he also baked a cake in memory of her. He reckons it is the sort of cake Tante Mietze often did bake for the family.

This year the 17th of June was a Sunday and some of our family came to visit. Some family is soon going on an overseas trip, and some others are about to go on a cruise. Peter and I would have loved to join them on the cruise. However we did not want to book it because Peter off and on still needed some treatment at the hospital.

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Pictures from today

Today Monika came to see us with little Carter. Since Monika wanted to take Carter to a playground, I suggested the new playground near the lake. It was a beautiful, sunny winter afternoon. Luckily there was not much of a breeze. The air was rather cool, but it did not feel too cold. It was after school closing time and lots of children were enjoying the park. I think little Carter also enjoyed the outing very much.

I took lots of pictures, but I seem to have lost some. Maybe I can try and find the lost ones some other day. Here now are some of the pictures from today:

 

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This bird came close to me while I was sitting here:

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Monika says her little grandson loves to be surrounded by garden beds.

 

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The playground where we were is at the Koonawarra Bay Reserve:

https://toiletmap.gov.au/Toilet/8626

Diary

 

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A few days ago I could see some bits of a rainbow. I tried to take some pictures. But all the colours were gone before I managed to catch them with my camera.

This month we already had quite a bit of rain. I always love to go for walks in the ‘bush’ after it has been raining. Walking among trees and breathing in this beautiful fresh air is just wonderful. I recently took a few photos when the rain stopped for a while. We are very much in the midst of winter now here on the East coast of Australia: Even during the day it does not get very warm at all. In our Yoga class Peter and I were given a few tips how to warm the body on a cold morning. It is really not necessary to keep the heaters on all the time. One can warm the body just by moving a certain way. These Yoga movements are very relaxing. It is like a meditation. All it needs is to take the time to concentrate on my own body, on my breathing and how the different parts of my body move or keep still.

As far as taking pictures is concerned, I find when I take a picture of something I teach myself to look properly at the subject. I like to look at some details in nature. Often I am amazed how the camera sees more than I ever do.

Here now are some of my recent pictures:

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