I had a wonderful busy and quite exhausting weekend. But maybe I overdid it a little bit, because yesterday, on Monday, I felt pretty crook and even vomited a bit. I slept most of the day, woke up only here and there to have something to eat. I slept right through the night, had a shower and feel very okay this morning. I’ll have some nice porridge soon. Then I’ll finish my laundry, and after that I’ll go for a walk. I am really looking forward to do some walking again!
Category: Life in Australia
trees in backyard
Bloody Fence!!
This is most upsetting! Did they tell me, they’d have to access our (my) property again? No, they did not! Why could they not talk to me about it? I don’t get it what they were thinking.
Well, what I am thinking is, that I am just too emotional. If Peter were here, he would say, it is no big deal, there is no need for me to upset myself so much.
Could they have arranged for access from the back? Of course they could have! I wonder when the rest of all the cooperate back fences is being done, whether then miraculously it is going to be possible to access council property to dispose of the old wooden fence and store all the material for the new fences!
The workers who just started their work here are very friendly and promised they would not leave any rubbish behind on our (my) property. I hope they’ll be able to stick to their promise!
The bloke who did put up our back fence some 17 months ago as an insurance job after storm damage to our back fence, did a job that was just rediculous. The workers, that are here today, laughed their heads off, when they looked at it. So why did it take 17 months to try rectify this shoddy work? Well, ask the Strata managers! That this extremely crooked part of the fence had so far not been fallen down in the wind, that is absolutely astounding!
Rainy Days
On the 28th of January the following was in one of my replies:
Right now, here too it’s raining a lot: Temperature is still around 20C though. Yesterday, before the rain started, Monika came along with all of her four grandchildren (my great-grandchildren!) and we went for a walk with them to the playground at the back near the grassy soccer fields and near all the beautiful trees. The kids were full of beans. It was cloudy and not very hot.
I think last Tuesday, we had about 40C. This would not have been a good day to take the kids on such a walk.
Strangely enough, yesterday, we were the only people roaming about, walking along the footpath, then across all these grassy areas, and having fun at the playground. Very strange indeed. We had the whole place to ourselves! So, isn’t that lucky, that we had such a good time before the rain started?
From next week Lucas, 8, and Alexander, 6, are going to be back at school again.
Lucas and Alexander are the cousins of Carter, 4, and Evie (16 months). The two little ones just love to be with their ‘big’ cousins, and the older cousins love to look after the little ones!
It reminds me of my early childhood when I was so very fond of my older cousins.
Evie is already a good walker and also tries to talk a lot!
You can find my reply here: https://oosterman.wordpress.com/2021/01/28/the-mattock/
I also said:
My son, Martin, shares his dog, Millie, with his neighbour on a permanent basis. By the way, I am in luck, Martin is planning to visit me! He wants to leave Benalla on Sunday. I hope he can stay for at least a week, and I hope, that the borders wont close again. Martin is probably bringing Millie along again. I am looking forward to that!
Martin did actually come to visit! He arrived here in Dapto last Sunday, the 31st of January. Today he and Millie left early in the morning to go back to their home in Benalla. However, I am in luck again: Martin is going to be back here in about four weeks, with Millie of course! So this is then in March and they might stay for a bit over a week. And then I’ll go with them for a visit to Benalla. I am very much looking forward to that! The reason why Martin is coming here again, is, that we are invited to a wedding on Saturday, the 13th of March, that is, one of my granddaughters is getting married! Peter wanted to go to that wedding too. But alas, he could not stay alive for that long anymore. Rest in peace, dear husband. We’ll be thinking of you!
Reflection
Right now, at 4 am, I feel like I want to do a bit of reflecting. I must say, that yesterday, throughout the day, I became somewhat anxious. Then everything changed just by making time for a game of Scrabble with Martin. This game was something we could both enjoy a lot.
It is great to have my son Martin here for a few days. I better refrain from thinking that I may be running out of time. Why not just enjoy every moment the way it is? And enjoying having Millie, Martin’s cute dog, around!
I feel, waking up early this morning was a blessing. It helped me to reflect on my present situation. Indeed, it seems to help me to get rid of diverse anxieties. I can only say: How good is it to be still alive! So, I am looking forward to today being able to spending again some more precious time with Martin.
Title: Gurrupudu the Diver Bird
Artist: Bob Bilinyara
Title: Gurrupudu the Diver Bird
Artist: Bob Bilinyara
Date: 20th Century
Materials: Mineral pigments on eucalyptus bark
Dimensions: 26 cm width x 59 cm length x 28 cm width x 64 cm length
Location: Madison Art Collection
Accession Number 83.4.2
Visual Analysis
Artist Bob Bilinyara’s (1915-1959) eucalyptus bark painting Gurrupurru the Diver Bird (c.1930-1956), depicts a diver bird and six catfish in the Ramingining-Glyde River region at the permanent waterholes of the Gatji lagoon in Central Arnhem Land (1). The diver duck is both the central figure and the largest, it dominates the composition and the six smaller catfish that surround it. The background of the work is filled with a red ochre, or mineral pigment, that has faded over the years, while white lines filled in with black ocher create a border around the centralized subject matter. This bark painting is believed to depict the story of the ancestral diver bird. The ancestral diver bird is related to the creation of the Yathalamarra and Gatji waterholes around Arnhem Land . . . .
Please, go to the website. There is a lot more interesting information!
Changing Glasses around according to Need!
And how to handle a Mobile:
Not so long ago I was given a second hand mobile phone. Peter and my children wanted me to have this so I could be contacted any time. Password? Can’t remember.
Smartphone? I did not want one. Peter knew how to handle a smartphone. His smartphone lies now unused hidden away somewhere. I would not know how to use it! Even with my simple mobile phone I have sometimes trouble when I accidentally touch a wrong button. How should I know what all these buttons are for! The phone is for me just a commodity to receive important phone calls and maybe use for making an important phone call to a close family member.
I cannot walk around with glasses. They make me feel dizzy!
When I want to read or write something, or look at numbers, I need to wear my very strong glasses. At the computer I have different glasses that are not quite so strong. For watching TV I have even less strong glasses that are also sufficient for doing the dishes. And then for outside I have sunglasses that are made so I can look well into the distance. All four glasses have different coloured frames and cases to keep them in, and this helps me to distinguish them. 🙂
Bythe way since the year 2000 I am totally blind in my left eye because of enlarged macular hole!
I wrote this on the First Wednesday of the Month of June 2018:
https://auntyuta.com/2018/06/06/first-wednesday-of-the-month-of-june-2018/
Hurrah! My new glasses are here!
This is printed on one of the cleaning cloths.
The green rimmed glasses are for using at the computer, the red rimmed ones are for watching TV, and the dark glasses are anti glare sun glasses and good for wearing in the car. I also have some very strong black framed glasses for reading and writing and looking at pricetags in the shops.
Here is what you can find in Google about The Fred Hollows Foundation:
Uta’s Diary
Yesterday I looked at a lot of Peter’s books and also at some of my books. I wanted to make a decision, which books I definitly wanted to keep, just to keep, and then which books I also wanted to read. I came up with a plan! So, my plan is to aim at reading two books every week, meaning over the year I should be able to read about 100 books!
Hopefully I’ll be able to read about 100 books every year that I am still alive!
Recently I already read ‘HOLY SMOKE’: https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-7868-6349-5
I do like stories where there is a lot of dialogue to read, especially when it comes to a more meaningful dialogue. There is quite a bit of it in ‘HOLY SMOKE’. The book I just started today, seems also to be full of very meaningful dialogue. It is a historical novel. I am very much looking forward to reading it. It is written in German by Renate Feyl and called ‘Aussicht auf bleibende Helle’.
Here in German what it says about this book:
“Königin Sophie Charlotte und Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz – eine Liebe im GeisteDer letzte Universalgelehrte und die schöngeistige Königin: Mit diesem Buch kehrt Renate Feyl auf das Terrain zurück, auf dem sie mit überaus erfolgreichen Büchern geglänzt hat: die historische Romanbiographie. Sie erzählt die Geschichte einer Beziehung, die aus dem lebendigen Austausch der Gedanken Funken der Leidenschaft schlägt – und die Leibniz die fünf glücklichsten Jahre seines Lebens beschert.Sophie Charlotte, geboren 1668 auf Schloss Iburg im Fürstenbistum Osnabrück, begegnet Leibniz am elterlichen Hofe in Hannover, wo er in kurfürstlichen Diensten steht. Mit sechzehn Jahren heiratet sie Friedrich III., den Sohn des Großen Kurfürsten, und geht mit ihm nach Berlin. Hier besucht sie Jahre später der weithin berühmte Mathematiker und Philosoph, um sie für den Plan zu gewinnen, eine Akademie der Wissenschaften zu gründen. Während ihr Gatte mit großem diplomatischem Geschick das Ziel seiner Krönung zum König in Preußen erreicht, fördert sie die schönen Künste und Wissenschaften. Im Laufe der zahlreichen anregenden und geistreichen Gespräche entwickelt sich eine enge Beziehung, und Leibniz wird zum Gefährten ihrer Gedanken. Sophie Charlotte animiert den universellen und genialen Gelehrten zu einer systematischen Ausarbeitung seiner Ideen, die letztendlich in die berühmte Theodizee mündeten.Renate Feyl erzählt mit großem Gespür für die Sprache des Barock und die leisen Zwischentöne vom Zauber einer »mariage mystique« – einer geistigen Liebe voller Esprit und Dezenz. Und es gelingt ihr, die Atmosphäre des Berlin im Aufbruch, die Zwänge des höfischen Protokolls und die Freiheit des intellektuellen Austauschs in eindrucksvollen Bildern einzufangen – und zugleich das Porträt einer faszinierenden jungen Frau zu zeichnen, die eine eigenständige Rolle sucht und das geistige Klima am Hofe prägt.”
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Renate Feyl (born 30 July 1944) is a Prague-born writer living in Germany.[1]
Born in Prague (at that time Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia), she grew up in Jena and went on to study philosophy at Humboldt University. Since 1970, Feyl has lived in Berlin working as a freelance writer.
Selected works[1][3][edit]
- Bau mir eine Brücke, novel (1972)
- Der lautlose Aufbruch, essays (1981)
- Idylle mit Professor, novel (1986)
- Sein ist das Weib, Denken der Mann, essay (1991)
- Ausharren im Paradies, novel (1992)
- Die profanen Stunden des Glücks (1996)
- Das sanfte Joch der Vortrefflichkeit (1999)
- Aussicht auf bleibende Helle (2006)
Writing About Writing
Writers Vs Bloggers: What’s The Difference?
My blogger friend, Catterel, wrote to me the following:
“Writing helps sort out thoughts, ideas, feelings – and helps me stay sane and on top of things. Thank you for rebloggingui this,, dear Uta. I hope you are finding your way in this new year. Blessings.”
This I replied:
I like, what you write, dear Cat. You say, you hope for me to find my way in this New Year.
Yes, a lot of it is new for me in this New Year. Meaning, I have to sort out my feelings about a lot of things. What I wish most for myself is, not to get upset about anything. Make changes where they can be achieved, but to be happy, when the changes take time. Not being upset about it that maybe I do not have much time left, but to be happy about every day that is still given to me. And even if I can achieve only very little each day, to be content with just that little bit that I can still achieve. Even if sometimes I think I waste too much time, I want to try to be gentle with myself by telling myself that I really do each day as much as is possible for me to do.
These days I spend most hours of the day totally on my own, while a lot of the time doing the every day things that need to be done. This includes a bit of walking with my rollator, hopefully catching some sunshine and being able to enjoy beautiful fresh air! Also, while walking, becoming aware of my feelings and maybe of some distant memories. I might be feeling how important it is to be able to talk to people, yes wishing to have a conversation with someone, thinking about what I would like to talk about, or what some other person would like to talk about to me. As far as writing is concerned, this is often to me just like talking. I reckon, when you talk to somebody, you usually get some kind of response. Can I imagine some kind of response, oh yes, I can imagine a response about certain subjects that I would really like to talk about. How good writing is to somehow sort out our feelings and thinking!
Uta’s Diary, January 2021
How does Covid19 affect us?
Well, it is the beginning of 2021. We migrated from Germany to Australia in 1959. So we have been in Australia well over 60 years. We had two children under two when we migrated. And then we had another two children born in Australia. Australia definitely is our new home country wheras Germany is our ‘old’ home country!
When my father died of cancer in Germany in 1966, no way could I have contemplated rushing over to Germany to his bedsite. Airtravel to Germany would have been much too expensive for me. The first time we could afford to travel by air to Germany for a visit was in1977. After that Airtravel became more and more affordable. We were able to travel lots of times to Germany for visits. We even travelled to other European countries to England and to America.
Now, with the virus none essential airtravel is becoming outright unaffordable for the average citizen. Even travel between the different states in Australia is becoming more and more difficult. With all the travel restrictions in place because of the virus, our son, who lives in Victoria, nearly did not make it to New South Wales to be with his dying father!
For the past forty years or so we had become used that travel overseas as well as within Australia had become possible any time. Now, since this virus has to be watched, all of a sudden all this travelling has been put on hold. How do we cope with it? I must say, so far we do not seem to cope with it all that well. All these restrictions because of the virus go on people’s nerves. Wearing a mask to avoid infection? What a bother! No, to have to wear a mask when you are among people, really is not very pleasant. Germans would say: ‘Mach eine gute Miene zum bösen Spiel!’ That means you can pretend to be cheerful even if this thing is not to your liking!
And what about ‘Social Distancing’? How difficult is that for people? In lots of places, some signs on the floor indicate how far to keep away from the person in front of you. When it comes to sitting down, you usually are expected to leave the chair on both sides of you empty, and some signs indicate where people cannot sit. The exception is of course, when people are from the same family and live together, meaning people that do live together do not have to sit separate. But often extended families have the urge to sit close together too!
When they have that urge to congregate in clusters in order to be able to talk to each other, what does that indicate? Can we not talk to each other when there is a bit of room left between us? Apparently the urge is to be as close as possible to the person we want to talk to. This is the normal way to have a converstion, is it not? Well, not anynore! The virus teaches us something different. And we better learn quickly to cope with all these changes for the virus is going to be with us for quite a bit longer. Even all the vaccinations will not wipe out the danger of infection 100%!
Uta’s Diary
The above pictures I took a bit over a month ago! Today I took some pictures outside because it was such great sunny weather. A lot in the backyard looked beautiful to me. It was a really good Sunday again. I spent many hours outside including an early morning walk and starting to read a book I had been wanting to read ages ago and never actually started reading it. Today I managed to read already 100 pages in three sessions. All the reading I did sitting outside in different places. It is so good to spend time outside. What could be better?
With the downloading of the new pictures I don’t feel quite up to it yet. I wanted to show Martin how much everything has been growing since he planted it. It really is very luscious growth this year after all that rain. But yes, it was very pleasant to have today a day without any rain and also hardly any wind!
Instead of today’s pictures I inserted now a few pictures from last month when Peter was still alive, but deteriorating a lot in that he was not able to eat properly any more, not even cake! We moved the card table close to his bed with Caroline’s sumptuous birthday cakeon it, so that he would feel included in the birthday celebrations. Alas, he managed to eat only a tiny, tiny bit.
AuntyUta 