Uta’s Diary – First Days of October 2015

Officially it is spring in Australia. However, it does feel more like summer already. So far this month we had temperatures close to 30C, and during the last few days it was well above 30C. We also had our Labour Day Weekend, meaning that yesterday, Monday, was a public holiday. Last Saturday, the 3rd of October, our clock was put one hour ahead, for we are in daylight saving- (summer-) time right now. This morning when we woke up at 5 o’clock, it was really only 4 o’clock! Peter had planned to do a bit of running early this morning before the sun was getting too hot.

We had an early breakfast. By 8 o’clock we were ready to leave. Peter had set his mind to do another walk/run on the Croom Oval. We also were there last Wednesday. A week ago I posted some pictures from our visit to Wollongong as well as from the Croom Sporting Complex:

End of September 2015

Peter was the only runner on the oval early this morning.
However, the maintenance crew for the oval happened to be there as well. This gave me a chance to take some photos of the crew at work. Of course I used Peter’s camera again. I am getting quite used to this camera by now. Peter was running on the grass in his toe-shoes. I also put my toe-shoes on and enjoyed walking in them on the grass while I was taking pictures.

This part of the inside lane is freshly marked here.

In the distance the equipment for marking the lanes.

This big monster was able to cut the grass on the oval immensely qickly!

A bit of fresh paint makes the numbers stick out.

The temperature in our area reached 35C today. One of the workers said to Peter while he was running: “It makes me dizzy, Mate, watching you!”

Yesterday, Monday, Peter actually came with me to Dapto Solar Heated Pool. It was a lovely wind-still, warm morning.: So, even for Peter warm enough to take a dip into the pool! In the afternoon we decided to go for a drive to Bulli Beach. Since it was a Public Holiday and the temperature soaring, the beach was crowded. Everyone had a good time enjoying this hot day at the beach. We went to the Beach Cafe for some ice-cream.

When we drove home in a southerly direction, the traffic on our side of the road went very smoothly. Not so on the other side of the road going north towards Sydney. Heaps and heaps of holiday-makers were already on the way home to Sydney. The traffic towards Sydney seemed to go very slowly bumper to bumper.

End of September 2015 continued

There is still some cake left from little Alexander's Birthday. — There is still some cake left from little Alexander’s Birthday.

On Monday, the 28th, one week after my birthday, I had our monthly women's meeting at my place. — On Monday, the 28th, one week after my birthday, I had our monthly women’s meeting at my place.

The women always bring a plate along. Naturally, never everything gets eaten. Peter took this picture of us after we had already more or less finished with our afternoon snacks. We women love to meet on the last Monday of each month. Two women moved away, but still live not too far away, six of us still live in the complex, as well as some other women who go to work and meet with the neighbours only once a year for our general body cooperative meeting. Last year we also had a lovely Christmas party with all the neighbours here in our complex. We are mostly women in this complex. Only three men, all of them married, live here.

Tomorrow, Thursday, I am going to be at my gentle Exercise Class from about 12,15 pm to 1,30 pm. On Friday our Rummy Cub game and Scrabble is going to be at Irene’s place from 2 pm onwards. One week after another goes very quickly. On Saturday, the 31st of October, our grandson Ryan and Ebony are getting married in Wollongong. We are all invited. And of course, their two little ones, Lucas and Alexander, are going to be there. I am so much looking forward to it!

End of September 2015

Yesterday, we drove to Wollongong. Peter decided to go to the Hearing Clinic there to get another check-up. The Wollongong Mall had undergone some extensive renovations some time ago. I never had had a chance yet to see what the mall looks like now. Well, yesterday I saw it and took the following pictures.

This is where the Eye Clinic is. — This is where the Hearing Clinic is.

This morning we made it to the Croombs Sporting Complex, where I did a bit of walking, and Peter did thirteen rounds of walking and running on the oval in his toe-shoes. There are actually seven different sporting facilities. It is a beautiful area. We were glad that we went there today. We had not been there for a while. It felt terrific to enjoy the outdoors on a beautiful balmy morning like today.

There are school holidays on right now. Some girls did a bit of training at the other end of this picture.

Peter did make 13 x 400 metres on the grass in his toe-shoes.

This guy sometimes talked a bit to Peter. He did some stretching in between his runs.

Here, Peter has a break for a bit of water.

I was glad Peter had given me his camera for taking pictures.

Alexander is one Year old today

Uta’s Diary, Saturday, 26th September 2015

I received some more flowers today. We had a great lunch with the family. Later on in the afternoon our neighbour took some pictures of our whole family group.

For our lunch we had meat-rolls, read cabbage, kale, boiled potatoes, sweet potatoes and some beer. Sorry, there is no picture of it. I would have loved to take a picture of my plate. It looked so colourful!

Uta’s Diary, 22nd September 2015

Yesterday Peter invited me for lunch for my birthday. We went to Shellharbour Village, for I thought it would be nice to find a place where we could be eating outside. Shellharbour Village was just right for finding a place like that. Near where we parked we noticed this place called Country Kitchen Cafe. Straight away I said, I would like to go there.

This is a street in Shellharbour Village. We could see it from the cafe where we were sitting outside.

We soon found some seats outside in the sun and looked at the menu. I liked the way they served my tea. Also the food which I ordered looked very appetising. I was very happy with everything. Peter ordered apple juice instead of tea and chicken filet on Turkish bread.

Peter watched some seagulls from where we were sitting. Here is one of the pictures he took:

Coffee and cake we had at home. We had a good day and now I am looking forward to see my family next Saturday.

These are my birthday flowers. A neighbour gave me a Fly-Bird Garden-Rock with **Hope** written on it.

21st of September 2015

Last year I turned eighty. What a special birthday it was! Another year is gone. I consider myself to be at an ‘advanced’ age. Still, sometimes I seem to forget about this a little bit. But more about this later. First of all I would like to insert a few pictures that we took yesterday, on Sunday the 20th September. Three of our friends joined us for lunch at the Treasure Court Restaurant of the Dapto Leagues Club:

http://www.daptoleagues.com.au/treasure-court/

I had small prawns in curry sauce and boiled rice. Peter had chicken and fried rice. Klaus is waiting for his Schnitzel..

I had a voucher for a complimentary birthday cake. Everybody liked it!

After we had our beautiful ice-cream desert we went to the League Club's lounge room for some coffee. — After we had our beautiful ice-cream cake we went to the League Club’s lounge room for some coffee.

We noticed this great ceiling in the room where we were sitting.

All in all our lunch lasted for well over three hours. We were sitting and talking over afternoon coffee for quite some time. It was very stimulating, this talk with friends our age. We had so much to talk about! When we left the club, we showed our friends our new second hand car. They were very impressed because it looks like new. I now hope it is going to drive like new for a few years, for this ‘new’ car is already eleven years old!

This is a picture from Tuesday, the 8th Sept, 2015, when we first saw the car at a dealer in Warrawong.

It did not take us long to make up our mind to buy this car. Two days later (Thursday the 10th) we could already pick it up. In the meantime we already took it to the highlands for a drive. Peter had no problem to drive with it up and down MacQuarie Pass. It has a 2 litre engine compared with our old, 15 year old, car that has only a 1,3 litre engine!

Yesterday we told every one, we would go today to a funeral at Rookwood Cemetery. The funeral is to be in the Catholic section of the cemetery. Susan, Mila’s daughter, rang us the other day that her mother had died. I think she was 89 and had been rather sick for quite some time in a nursing home. We remember Mila well. She used to be our neighbour quite a few years ago. After she moved in with her daughter in Sydney, she sometimes came with a pensioners’ group for visits to the Dapto Leagues Club, where we could meet up with her.

Here we are with Mila in the Dapto Leagues Club.

Initially I really thought we would be able to make it to today’s funeral. Alas, Peter and I had a very short night. We both woke up much too early and just could not go back to sleep. We had been thinking of going to Merrylands as well as to Lidcombe to the cemetery. The funeral is to be at 2 pm. Peter pointed out that we could not go back to Susan’s place after the funeral for this would mean we would be getting home far too late.

Anyhow, we decided now, all in all it would be too much of a hassle for us. There are reason, why we should be going to Merrylands one day. But I think we have to do it on a day when we have nothing else planned. I reckon for younger people it is easier to plan to do several things in one day. We are just a bit too old for all this. I feel better when we can do everything at a leisurely pace and don’t have to stress ourselves out too much.

Anyhow, we decided to stay in our local area today to have a quiet, relaxing day – – –

Bowral Tulip Festival 1982 and 1983

We have some pictures to prove that we were at Bowral in 1982 and also in 1983. In 1982 we were in Bowral with our friends and their daughter Ellen who was a good companion for our daughter Caroline who was four at the time. I remember that in 1982 we were not only at Corbett Gardens in Bowral, but we had also tickets to visit a number of private display garden. We enjoyed very much looking at all the gardens.

Caroline and Ellen with Dutch Girls at the Bowral Tulip Festival in 1982

Bowral 1982: Ellen with her parents and Caroline with us, her parents. — Bowral 1982:
Caroline with us, her parents, also Ellen with her parents

For the following pictures it says in our album “Bowral Oct.83” During that visit Caroline was not quite five yet. The Tulip Festival was on again in the Corbett Gardens, the same as every year. Since Caroline is to be seen in the picture with some Dutch girls from the Festival, I think that the Tulip Festival must still have been on, even though it was already October.

Uta’s Update, 17th September 2015

In October 2011 Peter and I had a look at Port Kembla Beach Swimming Pool. The beach is right next to the pool. It was a bit cool, however there was no wind. We had a great walk along the beach. There were hardly any people, even though the school vacation was still on. The pool cafe was open. We sat outside under the umbrella with some good fruit juice.

On the way home we stopped at a Lagoon Reserve and watched some pelicans. For lunch we had grilled fish with salad and chips as well as tea. Delicious meal in a hidden away cafe in a close by shopping centre. The shopping centre was full of people including lots of children. I wonder, why some of those people weren’t on the beach on a beautiful springday like this?

I must say, the Port Kembla pool water still seemed a bit cold. I prefer our solar heated pool in Dapto where the temperature is never less then 24 Degrees Celsius. Still, at the beach I went with my feet a little bit into the water. This was very enjoyable!

By the end of September 2011 we went up the escarpment along Macquarie Pass and then all the way to Bowral, a lovely township in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia. There are some lovely gardens in Bowral, and most of the tulips there were still in full bloom. Peter took the chance to take lots of pictures on both our outings. We had a lovely time!

Uta’s September2015 Diary

Wednesday, 16th of September 2015

Today we had a look at the flowers in the Leighton Gardens of Moss Vale. We also had a nice visit with our friends in Bowral. Peter took all the pictures for I still have not replaced my lovely digital camera. I miss it so much! On the way home we stopped at the Robertson Pie Shop where we had pies for lunch which taste as good as ever. For afternoon coffee we took some fruit pies home that were filled with beautiful fresh cream. Very yummy indeed!

We were lucky to see some tulips at Moss Vale. We did not mind so much that we did not see the tulips in the Corbett Gardens of Bowral where an immense crowd had gathered for the opening of the tulip festival.