A week ago, I contemplated what would happen during the week of my birthday. (See below!)
Well, my birthday has come and gone on Wednesday, the 21st. Five ladies from the neighbourhood were joining me in some celebrations. But it was a cool, cloudy day. This is why we stayed inside for a bit of lunch. Then later in the afternoon we shared one bottle of Bubbly. There was also some birthday cake, that Joan, one of my neighbours, had been baking. We all had a very good time! 🙂
The following Thursday and Friday it rained a lot. I also suffered from an infection on my chest, and my voice did sound very weak. By Saturday I felt alright again. But my Friday outing to the Club I had to cancel. I’ll catch up with the celebrations at the Club the following Friday! 🙂
Now, yesterday on Sunday the 25th, I had a very good celebrations with my family. Luckily it was a beautiful, sunny day. Just perfect! 🙂
Today, Monday, it is cold and cloudy again. Feels, like we’re back to winter!
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…
John Henry OlsenAOOBE (born 21 January 1928) is an Australian artist and winner of the 2005 Archibald Prize.[1] Olsen’s primary subject of work is landscape.
John Olsen lives near Bowral, New South Wales. In 1962, he married fellow artist Valerie Strong.[citation needed][29] Daughter Jane Olsen (with first wife Mary Flower), died in 2009.[30] John Olsen was married to his third wife, artist Noela Hjorth until 1986 and married his fourth wife, Katharine Howard, in 1989. Katharine Howard died in 2016.[31][citation needed]Son of the Brush is a 2020 memoir by Tim Olsen about his life as the son of artist John Olsen.
Daughter Louise Olsen is a co-founder of cult Australian fashion jewellery label Dinosaur Designs[3
Peter took this picture on the 21st December 2012, our Wedding Anniversary. The Corbett Gardens are in Bowral. This day in 2012 was the last time we went to see the Gardens. Over the years we did go a few times to have a look at the tulips there in spring time during the tulip festival. This year we missed out again on seeing the tulips there.
Two years ago in December we quite liked to walk through Corbett Gardens on a summer day. There were no tulips there, but the gardens looked lovely none the less.
On the way to the Gardens we had stopped at the Bradman Museum.
Auntie, Sister. Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Mother and Wife of German Descent I’ve lived in Australia since 1959 together with my husband Peter. We have four children, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. I started blogging because I wanted to publish some of my childhood memories. I am blogging now also some of my other memories. I like to publish some photos too as well as a little bit of a diary from the present time. Occasionally I publish a story with a bit of fiction in it. Pete sadly died on 12/12/2020. He was publishing some of his stories under berlioz1935.wordpress.com View all posts by auntyuta
The EmuEditBeautiful to see a Rotunda set amongst the peaceful gardens Dont see too many more these days, the days of bands playing on a lovely Sunday, whilst attracting the crowds to the Rotunda are gone I fear. IanReply
auntyutaEdithttp://www.visitnsw.com/events/tulip-time“Music in the Gardens with Rachael Leahcar” I found a bit about the festival program in the above website, Ian. I am not sure whether the band did play in the Rotunda. Weather permitting there are always a lot of people in the Corbett Gardens for the Tulip Festival. The tulips last only for a few weeks. Sadly we missed out again on seeing them this year.Reply
auntyutaEditBowral’s seeing yellow as Tulip Time festival celebrates 54th birthday with 100,000 blooms DAVID FITZSIMONS BEST WEEKEND EDITOR AT LARGE THE DAILY TELEGRAPH SEPTEMBER 12, 2014One thousand tulips will be blooming in Bowral, Moss Vale and Mittagong for the 54th Tulip Time festival. ADA Corbett’s little country garden has come a long way in 100 years. When the Bowral resident and garden lover pushed the council for an empty corner block in the town to be turned into a public park, no one realised just how big the project would become.The park, now known as Corbett Gardens, is celebrating its centenary in style as the centrepiece of Tulip Time 2014, one of the biggest festivals in NSW, which begins today.Organisers say more than 65,000 people will visit the Southern Highlands over the next two weeks, and 35,000 will visit Corbett Gardens to admire tens of thousands of tulips and enjoy a host of community events.Tulip Time is not quite the size of Canberra’s Floriade, which also opens today, but it outdraws just about every other event in the state.“It’s the biggest event in southern NSW. There is no other event like it,” says Destination Southern Highlands group manager Steve Rosa.The festival began with just 500 tulips in 1961. This year, its 54th, it opens with this weekend’s Food Wine Festival. On Tuesday, the tulip gardens officially open, fun family events, including a street parade and billycart derby, are on next weekend, and the festival finishes with a concert and Dogs Day Out at the end of the month.Tours of 12 private gardens in the district are also available, as well as art, entertainment, dinners, cycling and a steam train ride — but tulips are the priority.Organisers have been sweating for months on the right weather for the bulbs to bloom in time.“The council garden team purchases 100,000 tulips — 65,000 are planted in Corbett Gardens in Bowral and the rest are planted in Moss Vale and Mittagong,” Rosa says.“They buy them back in October (from Tasmania and Victoria) and ship them in mid-March. In April, around Anzac Day, they have to be in the ground. Then it’s up to the gods.”Hot weather and warm winds have affected plantations in the past and the festival has been brought forward a week to avoid the flowers dying before the festival ends, but this year things are looking good.“We’ve had a lot of frosts and cold weather and that helps their growth,” Rosa says.“ We’ve also had a lot of rain, which is good.”This year’s theme is yellow so expect to see a swathe of sunny colour across all the gardens as well as in Southern Highlands shopfronts and streetscapes.You’ll even see a yellow Wiggle. The original Yellow Wiggle Greg Page will be hosting a school holidays fun day in the Gardens on September 23.More than 65,000 people are expected to visit the Southern Highlands during Tulip Time. The Food Wine festival has been moved to Corbett Gardens this year after two years at the local racecourse.“It’s a showcase of the best food and wine from the Southern Highlands,” says Rosa. “There are 66 vineyards with 17 cellar doors.”About 45 stalls from wineries and producers will be on show while top local restaurants including Biota will have cooking workshops.For the officially opening of the tulip gardens on Tuesday, a feature will be a raised garden bed in the shape of a birthday cake — celebrating the gardens’ centenary.There will be 25 horticulturally themed stalls open each day of the festival, and experts will give gardening talks twice a day.One of the beauties of this festival is that it encompasses the whole community. The street parade next Saturday will feature 40 floats, with marching bands and more, and the billycart derby to follow has attracted widespread interest.Rosa says the prospect of hurtling down the Bong Bong St hill centimetres from the ground in a homemade wooden box on wheels has excited a lot of people.A local hardware store has even been running billycart-making workshops for locals keen to race.The police will join in the fun, using a radar gun to clock just how fast the billycarts go.Rachael Leahcar, a 2012 finalist in TV talent show The Voice, will head the line-up for the September 27 concert in Corbett Gardens.The following day, the gardens’ gates will be thrown open to dogs and their owners for a day of doggie activities supporting Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.“It’s a first” says Rosa. “We’ve never let dogs into the park before.”Rachel Leahcar heads the line-up for a concert in Corbett Gardens on September 24.http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/travel/australia/bowrals-seeing-yellow-as-tulip-time-festival-celebrates-54th-birthday-with-100000-blooms/story-fnjjv02i-1227056282613Reply
gerard oostermanEditAt the cricket ground you were almost at our place about 300metres away from our town house. You could have popped in!. Maybe next time?Reply
berlioz1935EditWe will let you know. Perhaps a cup of coffee at the museum cafe?Reply
Three Well BeingsEditThe tulip festival sounds like it would be worth another visit. My husband would like to one day visit our Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. I like the photo of you standing with the Cricket player. It must have been a very enjoyable day. Reply
auntyutaEditOh yes, Debra, it was our Wedding Day Anniversary! Reply
We are in the midst of HOLY WEEK 2021. So tomorrow is GOOD FRIDAY, a holiday. Sitting in front of my house in the early morning sun – this is what I am looking forward to for tomorrow.
I am not looking forward to asking someone for a lift to the MEDICAL CENTRE. Do I really need a change of the dressing on my lower leg? We’ll see.
Sitting in the sun. This is all I am longing for . . . .
Last Sunday I returned from my two weeks holiday at my son’s place in Victoria. With the help of one daughter and one granddaughter I was able to go to the MEDICAL CENTRE on Monday and on Wednesday. I was able to use the ROLLATOR, which was really a great help. Right now, I do not feel confident to walk with my walking stick!
And anyway, I get some more visitors on EASTER SUNDAY. This is in only two more days!
I wonder whether I can adjust to be living totally on my own. My brother reckons, I sound alert on the phone, Then what about my mobility? Has it become better or worse? I would say unfortunately at present it is a lot of the time quite bad. But maybe this has to do with this terrible infection I had in my leg. And this infection may also have to do with my constant tiredness.
Yes, always feeling tired. However when my brother rang from Berlin, my tiredness soon became less and less. After a while it felt good talking to him and his wife.
I like living in my own home. Every Thursday I get two hours home help. There are a lot of plans, that I should get some more help in. Strangely, this makes me feel even more dependent!
Is this kind of dependency really better than living in an AGE CARE HOME? Living in such a home, how would that make me feel?
Maybe I should look into some kind of HOSTEL type accommodation? What a HOSTEL is like, I described in a blog I wrote many years ago.
I had a friend, who lived in a HOSTEL for many years. She died before she needed to be transferred to a NURSING HOME. I think, she was very lucky in this regard. She was 93 when she died.
Well, this was 17 years ago. Maybe what used to be called HOSTEL is now being called AGE CARE HOME. Why then do I have such a horror of ending up in an AGE CARE HOME?
It was acknowledged some time ago. that the house I live in needs a lot of changes and renovations, especially the outside area. I think it would be increasingly difficult for me to look after it even with some extra home help.
Why can’t I just organise everything myself? The two weeks away from home were good for me. I discussed with my son and his friendly neighbour that it would be good for me to join a SENIOR’S CITIZENS CLUB that organises outings and trips to holiday destinations. But since we are not out of the woods yet with COVID 19 maybe this is not such a good idea. Should I just stay as much as possible totally on my own?
What can I still do? I can still shower and dress myself, even if it takes a long time. I can still go for slow walks with my rollator. I have often trouble with my eyesight. However, I can still do some things on the computer and I enjoy some TV programs and listening to music. When I can get hold of a shopping trolley, I can still do my own shopping. I love cooking (mainly vegetarian meals), I have a good appetite and I do not mind doing the dishes. I definitely can do the dishes. I can do my personal washing. The home help on Thursdays hangs out the bigger washing for me and does a lot of the cleaning and sometimes drives me to the shops.
Recently some friends gave me a lift to go to Mass. But I have not contacted them yet since my return from Victoria. A while ago I took up joining my friends again for our Friday afternoon games: Scrabble and Rummy Cub. Well, of course for the last two weeks I was away, and this week on GGOD FRIDAY there won’t be any games.
For the next few days I’ll be sitting as much as possible outside to enjoy some sun, and maybe I can do a bit of walking too with my rollator. If I get sick of being by myself for every meal, I can walk with my rollator across the road to the bowling Club for some lunch. I do like their prawn cutlets!
Auntie, Sister. Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Mother and Wife of German Descent I’ve lived in Australia since 1959 together with my husband Peter. We have four children, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. I started blogging because I wanted to publish some of my childhood memories. I am blogging now also some of my other memories. I like to publish some photos too as well as a little bit of a diary from the present time. Occasionally I publish a story with a bit of fiction in it. Peter, my husband, did publish some of his stories under berlioz1935.wordpress.com View all posts by auntyuta
catterelEditDear Uta, you are making a huge adjustment in your lufe, and at a time of the year when we all tend to feel a bit pessimistic. You seem to be coping very well under the citcumstances, and as you go through the various stages of grief. What is important in life is to have someone to love and a reason for living – a sense of purpose. From my personal observation of residents in Old People’s Homes, when these were missing the people gave up and died. You have a loving family and friends even if you can’t visit. But I think you are very capable on the computer and can skype or facetime or zoom with your loved ones. You also seem to me to be an optimistic and cheerful person at heart. So much of your life centred on Peter in the last years and it must be very difficult to fill the void left by his passing, but if see this as a challenge I am sure you will eventually find a really worthwhile cause to devote your energies to. And do let others pamper and spoil you when they want to – it helps them to feel good, too. A big hug to you my friend.Reply
auntyutaEditThanks for your big hug, dear Cat. You are right, probably I am a cheerful and optimistic person at heart. There are lots of things I can still enjoy. I just cannot cope with all the dreary stuff. I need someone, who can sort all this out for me. All my children tried to do their best for me. But it is too much for them too. Owning a house that has been not exactly well looked after for a number of years, involves so much work that I am not suited for. Renting a well looked after and maybe somewhat smaller place might perhaps be better for me if there is nobody who can actually live with me in my house. I am the sole owner of the house now, but it is only a headache for me. On the other hand I do love the surroundings of the house, close to nature!I feel a bit like I live in wartime again, wartime when actually most things are put on hold. But somehow it does not make sense to me, since there are a lot of people being newly unemployed because of the virus and some businesses being made redundant, but when it comes to reliable trades people, you can count yourself very lucky indeed to find good, reliable people that work for a reasonable price. Where on earth do I find reliable people like that who do not overcharge? I have no idea. I do need help with that, but so far nobody has come up with any real help. I hate myself for not being able to do a bit more, and then it is hinted, I could perhaps do more if only I put my mind to it.At 86 I feel I am definitely quite close to the end of my life. So really, do I now have to learn to cope with all this stuff that I never in my whole life needed to do before? This computerised world is not my world. A rich person would just employ somebody for doing all these administrative jobs. Maybe I should be such a rich person – Ha, ha!!Thanks again for your lovely hug, dear Cat, and for your very thoughtful and compassionate comment! Wishing you a very HAPPY EASTER with all your loved ones!Reply
doesitevenmatter3EditBeautiful photo of the sun shining down in your yard…and in your life! Keep taking it one day at a time…you are adjusting to your “new” life and will adjust some more as time goes by. Keep your sunny attitude and find the joys in each day. Happy Easter to you and your family!!! (((HUGS))) Reply
auntyutaEditHappy Easter to you and your family too, dear Carolyn. By the way, the seat in the picture is at the front of my house, which is really common property. But it has the morning sun, and I like to sit there. Sometimes neighbours approach me there and talk to me. HUGS, Uta Reply
doesitevenmatter3EditIt’s nice to have a spot to commune with the sun. Even my little Cooper likes to go outside and lay in the morning sun.
gerard oostermanEditYou are doing very well, Uta. You had a lifetime with Peter and it takes a brave person to not feel deserted and alone now that he is gone. Grieving takes time and holidays and week-ends are especially hard at times. You just wrote another very good article, straight from the heart. You have a large extended family who love you and care about you. The familiar noises that used to be in your house when you were with Peter are now missing and that silence iisn’t easy to get used to. What was once is now gone and I know too, it is so achingly permanent. When Helvi passed away I applied to social services for a grief counselor and that helped me a lot. Someone to talk to. You are lucky to have that sunny spot in your garden. I would sit there a lot and enjoy the warmth. People care about you, Uta.Reply
auntyutaEditGerard, I just read you comment again. You say that it helped you to have someone to talk to. This makes a lot of sense to me. It seems to me too that it is very important to have someone to talk to. It makes me think that maybe having Summah to talk to now, makes a lot of difference to me, for I see Summah twice a week, She stays only for one hour each time, and for most of that hour she does some work in the home or in the garden. But somehow she always manages to spare a bit of time for a little chat. And these chats are not just about my life but about her life too. This makes me feel like she is interested in me as a friend.Reply
auntyutaEditYes, Gerard, I know I am lucky to have an enlarged extended family who love me and care about me. However, I think you’re right in pointing out that grief counselling can be a good thing. In the morning I have sunny spots in the common area in front of the house. Later in the day the sun is at the back of my house in my private backyard! I like to make use of the outdoors! Thanks very much indeed for your insightful comment, Gerard. With all what you’ve been through you have so much insight. So, thanks very much! I wish you all the Best. Have a great Easter! Hugs, Uta Reply
J TaratutaEditOne day at a time, my dear. Hope you have a great Easter!Reply
I have lots and lots of friends in the park. There are probably hundreds around close to my humble abode. I keep thinking I should really count all these friends and remember everyone’s pecularities. But so far I haven’t attempted yet to count them all. There is a cluster of them right between a few soccer fields. These are my special friends, and I know them pretty well. But I don’t really know exactly how many there are. I assume there would be at least one dozen, maybe more in that cluster.
What would I say to them, if I could talk to them? I might perhaps say the following: I love it, that you are there. I thank you for letting me hug you. I wish you a very, very long life. I love you so much!
Corinna, my niece, is the daughter of Klaudia and my brother Peter Uwe. She is the one who introduced me to WordPress. And this is how I came up with the blog name Aunty Uta.
Corinna has a son named Carlos Emilio. It was his birthday the other day and I forgot it. I am really becoming very forgetful! Corinna’s partner and the father of Carlos is Walter. Carlos has an older half-brother who lives with his mother but comes regularly for visits. The two brothers get on very well together.
So this is a bit more history. For an outsider all these names and connections may be rather confusing. I too seem to get to that stage now, where it is somewhat difficult to keep up with all the names. This is why it is good for me to write everything down. This way everything may stick a bit better in my memory. Also some of my descendants could in future perhaps be interested in all this, that is, if, what I write down is going to be preserved somehow for posterity!!
Maybe I am going to publish my posts about marriages and divorces and separations and partnerships in my “pages” one day to keep them all together. That way someone who is interested in my family can look it up all at once. I find it interesting to contemplate about different living arrangements that people have. Looking at my extended family there are various examples of different ways of living together. What about single persons? Well, there are not many in my family that I can think of. But there are some. I can also think of one single parent with one child. Most divorced people in my family seem to have ended in some kind of new relationship, either a new marriage or just a partnership.
I think I did not mention one brother of my father who as a widower married a widow. Other widowed relatives stayed on their own after their spouse passed away. And so it goes. All my relatives, who were older than I, seem to have passed away now. I cannot think of any that are still alive. That means I am well and truly the oldest in my family!!
In Peter’s family I can think of several people older than him who are still alive: For instance his two sisters, also cousins Margot and Renate. I had three older cousins on my father’s side: All are dead. However there are a number of younger cousins that are still alive. I really would like to see all of them one more time.
On my mother’s side there were only three cousins all together, all older than I. Come to think of it, one of the cousins, Wolfgang, the son of my mother’s brother, may still be alive. He is eight years my senior. So I am probably not the oldest after all!!
Wolfgang’s twin sister, Renate, died in October 2012. At the time we happened to be in Berlin for a visit. Renate died in Munich. We travelled from Berlin to Munich for Renate’s funeral. Soon after I wrote a blog about this.
Auntie, Sister. Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Mother and Wife of German Descent I’ve lived in Australia since 1959 together with my husband Peter. We have four children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. I started blogging because I wanted to publish some of my childhood memories. I am blogging now also some of my other memories. I like to publish some photos too as well as a little bit of a diary from the present time. Occasionally I publish a story with a bit of fiction in it. Peter, my husband, is publishing some of his stories under berlioz1935.wordpress.com View all posts by auntyuta
berlioz1935EditOh, dear! We are all getting older and soon there won’t be anybody in front of us any more. Our grandparents are long gone but we still carry the stories they told us in us. That is a family history of between 140 and 150 years. At least I was listening when they told stories. My grandchildren are not interested in what I have to tell. How do they feel of what happened eighty years ago. Perhaps I should ask them next time I see them. I might be surprised.Reply
auntyutaEditYes, do not give up, Berlioz. Do tell them stories! Reply
giselzitroneEditWünsche dir liebe Ute einen wunderschönen Mittwoch hoffe es geht dir gut liebe Grüße von mir GislindeReply
auntyutaEditDanke, liebe Gislinde. Ja, es geht mir gut. Ich hoffe, dass du eine gute Woche hast. Liebbe Grüsse von mir, Uta Reply
Holistic WayfarerEditThat’s great writing all this helps your own remembering and yes, will certainly be precious info for those below you. =)Reply
auntyutaEditThanks very much for this comment, dear Diana. It means a lot to me. Reply
aussieian2011EditYou are to be commended Uta for keeping these records for future generations. That is one positive aspect of technology in regards to the computer. My storys are mainly word of mouth, as most of my life was military, and that can become a boring subject after a while, even though there are quite a few interesting aspects of that life. Wishing you both great happiness, and may you both live long enough for Tony Abbott to send you back to work, hehe. Regards IanReply
auntyutaEditOh, yes, Ian, I am sure someone is going to employ us before long, If only we try hard enough! It is possible for us to work, I am sure a kind employer wont mind that we are getting slower and slower. I’d say it is a good idea to have 80 and 90 year olds in the workforce. No need to employ all the young people. What for employ young people if there are still enough oldies around?! No doubt there would be some interesting aspects of your life, Ian, that you could tell about. Some things you probably already tell your grandchildren, but maybe a lot more you could write down for future reference. You may have time to do all this if Tony Abbot refrains from sending you back to work! Hehe Cheerio UtaReply
berlioz1935EditI wonder what job he has in mind for us, planting trees, perhaps?Reply
auntyutaEditPeter, I think whatever we do, it can only be volunteer work and looking after ourselves as much as possible without government intervention. This is a way to save government money, isn’t it?
How much have I changed? This is a real big question!
I mean, how much have I changed since living by myself. I would say, I am probably behaving very differently from way back when my dear Peter, my marriage partner, was still around. Peter always said, I am his other half, without me he is only one half. So, this applied to me too, I was one half and Peter was the other half. When Peter was gone, I had to learn to make up for Peter’s half. I am probably still in a learning process, but gradually I feel more confident to get along without Peter. I can do things now, that Peter maybe would not have approved of while he was still alive and kicking. I would say two years ago he wasn’t really fully alive anymore. But he still liked me to be very close to him. I loved the closeness, that we had. It was not a shock to me, when he actually passed away on the 12th of December 2020. I knew, that he probably would not be around anymore for Christmas. The last few weeks, when he had palliative care, passed quickly, which I thought was good for him, for how could he survive any longer with cancer of the bone in his back! I had known for some time, that he would not make it to Christmas. Did I have any idea, what would happen to me after he was gone? I soon realized, that I was not well prepared at all to be living by myself. But I have a feeling, that this has changed now.
The following is from January 16, 2021 from my blog site:
At the beginning of this post I mention my blogger friend Catterel:
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!
Yes, keeping contact with people is important and blogging is one way of doing this. I too spend most of the time on my own but recently found a good woman friend through the internet, There are days that the only contact is by text messages. Whatever you achieve daily is good and it doesn’t have to be a lot. A large extended family is what I miss but make up for it by my blogging friends and contact with a group of people who like talking and sipping coffee not far from here. Best wishes, GerardReply
Thanks for commenting, Gerard. I rely on email or WordPress comments for I don’t do text messages. Recently I did do quite a bit of gardening, well, what is a lot for me, but I did a bit on most days. So I feel I acomplished something. Today I sorted out some books. This took quite a while, but I had several breaks. There are many, many books of Peter’s that trigger so many memories! There are about 100 books I would really like to read. Maybe a couple of hours of reading is getting me there. And who knows, once I start reading, I might often be tempted to read for more than a couple of hours. I read ‘Holy Smoke’ recently, and it took me only a couple of days. https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-7868-6349-5 Cheers, Uta
Anti Viral Treatment may be possible now when infected with Covid!
From last Friday to yesterday, 10th of July, 2022, Caroline and Matthew were visiting me! 🙂
Yesterday, Sunday, we also saw Monika and Mark, as well as Monika’s son Ryan, Ryan’s wife Ebony, and their sons Lucas and Alexander!
So, Lucas and Alexander are two of my great-grandsons. 🙂
Lucas was born on the 18th of July, 2012, that is just three days after Gabriele (Gaby) had passed away.
Next Sunday the family is going to meet for lunch at the German Club. And in one week, on Monday, Lucas is going to be ten! 🙂
As I mentioned probably already in another post, I am going to turn 88 on the 21st of September this year! 🙂
And Great-Grandson Alexander is going to be 8 on the 27th of September! 🙂
Yesterday all of us had lunch at the close-by Bowling Club. After lunch everyone came to my place where Caroline and Matthew provided afternoon coffee and cake. When the rain had stopped for a while Ryan and a few others went outside to beautify my backyard. They did a very good job at that! 🙂
Matthew stayed inside and played with Lucas and Alexander. He is very good with the kids! 🙂
Caroline did the dishes with a little bit of help from me. Mark was a bit crook because of some very bad Osteo Arthritis. For my birthday this year the family wants to meet at our special Sussex Inlet Holiday place again the same as in 2014 when I turned 80! 🙂
On Friday night, soon after our arrival, we already did have a barbecue with all the family. On Sunday Matthew and Caroline cooked lunch for us. Sunday was a rainy day. This is why it would not have been such a good idea to carry all the supplies for lunch to the barbecue area. It was decided to have lunch on our verandah. Our family had rented four units. They were all next to each other. From every unit a table was carried to our verandah. And everyone carried their own plate, drinks and cutlery from their unit to the tables on our verandah. We had been sixteen people. But Mark had to leave early. Soon after it turned out that four of the young people could not stay for lunch either. In the end we were ‘only’ eleven people, including two year old Lucas’.
Beautiful Lasagne
Red cabbage, potato salad and red wine which we did drink our of cups!
My lunch plate. I had rocket salad, potato salad, red cabbage and a real lot of lasagne sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
On Saturday Lucas met up with a wallaby.
On Sunday he did get to see some kangaroos.
Watching the kangaroos
With this bit of rain the grass that the kangaroos can eat for sure is to grow a bit more.
A friendly visitor
Saturday night was card game night in one of the units. Expecting Ebony and Lucas needed a rest and went to bed early. Eight people were playing cards, always four at a time. The rest were just watching.
After the card games we asked everyone over to our unit for some drinks of sparkling wine. We had a few bottles of this and Caroline poured the sparkling wine into these blue wine glasses. We were able to use the glasses from all the different units. I mentioned that I was looking forward to my approaching birthday. I actually sang a song about my approaching birthday which may have impressed a few people!! Ha,ha. Anyhow, I was in a cheerful mood.
Here is the song (the German version);
Ich freue mich, dass ich geboren bin und hab Geburtstag bald. Man hat mich lieb und schenkt mir viel, zum Essen, Trinken und zum Spiel. Ich freue mich, dass ich geboren bin und hab Geburtstag bald.
The following day, Sunday, after lunch all the units had to be cleaned before we could leave. Some people were still cleaning while others were waiting outside. Here I am with the group of people who were waiting.
Ryan had come with a van and could take in it all of our stuff that did not fit into our car.
We drove back along this road. 40 means 40 kilometres.
cardamone
Lovely! Happy birthday! Th epics of the animals are great too. Being from the States, I love pics of kangaroos, and that lovely bird.
Yes, thank you Elizabeth. My 80th birthday is coming up in one month. In the meantime we might have another addition to the family. Ebony is very close to giving birth. Three of our granddaughters now have to cope with the death of their paternal grandmother. She died in hospital at the beginning of this week. We are all going to her funeral. So long, Uta
Indeed we had a great time, even though the weather wanted to spoil it. But is winter and often in August we are getting those onshore winds that bring rain. It was good to connect again with mother nature. It could have been the last time we experienced this beautiful part of the country.
The Library’s Oral History and Folklore Collection dates back to the 1950’s and includes a rich and diverse collection of interviews and recordings with Australians from all walks of life.
Portrait of Smoky and Dot Dawson
Smoky Dawson interviewed by Rob Willis for the Rob Willis folklore collection.
Our Oral History and Folklore collection records the voices that describe our cultural, intellectual and social life. The collection consists of over 55,000 hours of recordings, the earlier ones dating back to the 1950s when the tape recorder became available. More than 1000 hours of interviews, music and accents are added to the collection each year. Increasingly the collection is available online or may be requested from the catalogue. You can listen to:
Folklore recordings – popular culture, traditional songs, dances, music, stories and more
Interviews with distinguished Australians – scientists, writers, artists, politicians and sports people
Interviews with people who have lived through significant social trends and conditions – unemployment, the impact of child removals from families, the Depression, and migration to Australia
Environmental sound – the historical sound of the built and natural environment.
Some interviews have transcripts or summaries and our online audio delivery system helps you search the content of our collection, which can be searched through Trove.
Highlights
Interviews by Hazel de Berg – 1,290 recordings of interviews and readings dating from the 1950s of prominent Australian poets, artists, writers, composers, actors, academics, publishers, librarians, scientists, anthropologists, public servants and politicians.
Folk music by John Meredith – over 500 recordings between 1953 and 1994 of traditional Australian folk music, songs, recitations, bush dance music, yarns and reminiscences. John Meredith was a foundation member of the Bushwhackers and helped form the Bush Music Club and the Australian Folklore Society.
Bringing Them Home oral history project – These include over 300 interviews collected between1998 and 2002 of Indigenous people and others, such as missionaries, police and administrators, involved in or affected by the process of child removals. Listen online to a selection of interviews.
Australian Paralympic stories– interviews with key people responsible for the growth and success of Paralympic sport in Australia. Listen online to Australian Paralympic stories.
AuntyUta 
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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!
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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!
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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
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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!