Yes, I definitely feel, that I live on bonus time, not borrowed time, but bonus time!
I do not know of any person in my family, going back a few hundred years, wo did live for as long as I’ve lived already. I am still healthy and strong, even though I have a number of age related handicaps, like very bad vision, hearing problems, breathing problems, problems with arthritis and dizziness and overall balance problems.
Still, I am healthy, and some people seem to think I can live much longer, maybe even reaching the age of 100. I don’t care. for as long as I am allowed to die a natural death. The fact is, that for quite a few years now, I have lived on bonus time!
This reminds me about a dear friend of ours, that my husband talked about often. Lesley came to Australia as a Hungarian migrant. Irene, his bride, lived in Croatia near the Hungarian border. She followed him, and they got married in Australia and had two sons, who are doing well. The couple moved to our complex of ten villas when they were already retired. My husband Peter and I became good friends with them. Meeting Les at the letter-box, Les told Peter one day, that he was living on bonus time. Les was already in his eighties by then, and Peter was a few years younger. Three days later Les was dead. He had a stroke and could not be saved.
I am still good friends with Irene. But sadly Peter died in December of 2020 of some very severe, terminal health problems . . . .
“Apparently the survival rates of spouses on their own after the death of one a partner are sad reading. Over 66% also pass away within 6 months as well. Loneliness is the main reason.”
I often contemplate now, how I seem to face a dilemma that is not unlike that of the one that dear Gaby had to face after David became too sick to do any caring for her. Well, officially, he had been just her carer, not her partner. They had separate bedrooms of course. As a paid for carer he had to be in the house with her at nightime, in case Gaby needed him in an emergency. When David did take a few day’s leave to travel somewhere to have a break, Peter and I, as well as our young daughter Caroline, would stay with Gaby for a few days. We always had a good time with Gaby. It was like a little holiday. But then of course we were always happy, when we could travel home again.
So, there came a time, when David could not do anything for Gaby anymore. So, Gaby had to look for somebody who could replace him. She tried and tried to find somebody. She never gave up. How can a 54 year old very disabled person find a trustworthy live-in partner? Difficult, very, very difficult. This is all I can say. Now, did Gaby want to end up in institutional care? No, never! So, to be honest, isn’t it somehow a blessing that Gaby did die peacefully in her own home just a few weeks before her 55th birthday? – Originally her life expectancy had been 30 years! I think, one can say, she did do extremely well with her life.
So, to compare the last stages of Gaby’s life with my last stages. Aren’t we in a similar boat? Nobody, absolutely nobody, is inclined to share some of his life with me. There is not even one person, who would be willing to share just an evening with me! The only exception is my son Martin, who might spend about a week with me, that is he may visit for about a week maybe three times a year! Well, of course these are very beautiful special weeks for me. But how can these few weeks make me want to live forever when for the rest of the year I have the feeling to go on living is not worthwhile anymore, because, really, there is nobody living close by, who would be able to spend a few hours with me on a more or less regular basis. Yes, one can have hope, hope, hope. The fact is, with rapidly advancing years, there may come a time, when hope just is not enough anymore, and one is only too willing to welcome eternal rest! 🙂
I can’t keep up with the younger people anymore. All my family are much younger than me. A more elderly person, with not too many other attachments, might understand much better, what sort of company I do need, and hopefully could make valuable time for me. I feel, it is really only natural, if my time is running out now. I am only too willing to face up to it. I think, for the rest of my days, I’ll just concentrate more and more on reading, talking, and writing. I am determined to enjoy live as much as possible for as long as I live, but that does not mean, that I want to live much longer, or for ever and ever. When the time is up, it is up.
“Holy Mary, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”
I copied this May 2, 2012 blog with comments from 2012! The last comment shows, that this pain was caused by arthritis! I still suffer from arthritis quite a lot.
May 2, 2012
What does God want me to do?
Last Sunday at Mass I was confronted with the above question. As it happened it was a day when I was in quite a bit of physical pain. The pain didn’t start out to be really bad. I would be all right walking to church, so I thought. But far from it. After walking the distance, which took about twenty-five minutes, the pain was getting quite considerable. I arrived at the church at the last minute. But Father was still standing there shaking hands. He shook my hand too.
I happened to find a seat beside Sister Kevin. I greeted her and sat down. I told myself if I could just rest my knee and concentrate on my breathing, the pain would be bearable. I started reflecting on how God probably wanted to tell me something. Maybe God wanted me to make changes to my life as to correspond better with my aging body. What changes to my life should I make? What sort of changes did God actually want me to do?
I was very moved by the beautiful singing in the church. Both Fr Francis Tran and the Seminarian, Mr Stephen Varney, were singing Mass. Both have such beautiful voices! The church choir sang very well too. Stephen was given the homily that morning. He pointed out that for some people the Priesthood can offer a fulfilling way of life. They may think that it might be too hard to stick to being a priest. Even though for most people it is right to get married, you may think about it that it is also often not easy to stick to being husband and wife. It all depends on what God wants you to do, doesn’t it?
Monday has come and gone, so has Tuesday. Today is Wednesday and the pain is still there. I can cope with it as long as I don’t do too much! I cancelled the walks with my neighbour, Irene. I didn’t even go to the pool on Monday or to the Thai Yoga class on Tuesday. Peter could have driven me to the pool. But I declined.
When Peter suggested on Tuesday, the first of May, we could drive to Berry and then further on to Hampden Bridge, I joyfully agreed to this. We had a lovely day out. The weather was perfect for an outing. The good thing was, I didn’t have to walk much. Peter took lots of pictures. I took quite a few pictures too, some of them out of the window from the car.
This leads to Peter’s blog about our outing and another blog about his thoughts to the 1st of May:
At the moment I do not want to think about seeing the doctor or the dentist or the optometrist. Within the next couple of months I ought to see all these people. Just now I only want to rest and get better.
Peter looks over the coast south of Kiama
From there we drove on to Berry where we had some pies for lunch. We also bought some cake at the Milkwood Bakery. This is a newly opened bakery in Queen Street. They are a branch of the Berry Sourdough Cafe in Prince Alfred Street, which is famous for very good breakfasts.
These are some autumn leaves in Berry and the following picture shows a tree with autumn leaves in this particular street in Berry
This is where we turned off from Berry taking the Tourist Drive to Hampden Bridge
We saw some unusual cloud formations on the way. This was one of them.
This is part of the Kangaroo Valley Road
Further along the Tourist Road
A gate to a property along the Road
Nearly there at the BridgeThis sign tells us that there are wombats in the areaAnd this sign tells us our way back home
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
likeitizEditHello, Aunty Uta. Sad to hear you are in pain. Do you have arthritis? Or is this an old injury? I hope it’s been looked at and you are getting the right treatment for it.Reply
auntyutaEditThanks for your concern, dear Mary-Ann. It’s not an old injury. It’s probably old age, don’t you think?Reply
likeitizEditSome mild discomfort and initial stiffness that gradually alleviates with increased movement is natural in aging but not the pain you described. I would recommend that you have it examined if it recurs or persists. It may be something that’s easily treated. The last thing you want is something that will restrict your mobility. This would be very detrimental to your continued well-being.
auntyutaEditYou’re right, Mary-Ann. What you say makes a lot of sense to me. Actually Peter has to see his doctor for his annual check-up so he can keep his drivers’ license. In the past he liked to see his doctor at the Medical Centre Wednesday nights, when he was on night duty and there wasn’t a very long waiting time. We both tried to see this doctor last night. There were already ten people signed in waiting to see him. This would have meant a waiting time of more than two hours for us. After consultation with the receptionist we decided we would see the doctor early Friday morning, because on Thursday he’s not available. So I hope for the best now, that it can be easily treated.Reply
berlioz1935Edit“What does God wants you to do?”How can an atheist, like me, answer this question? Philosophers, sages and other wise people have thought about this important question for centuries. It is practical the same as asking, “What is the meaning of (my) life?”Let’s assume that your implied assumption is right and there is a God. I think he does not want you to do anything other than to be. His purpose for you falls under the inscrutable. Who knows what God wants you to do? Even bad people have a mission given to them by God. Think of Judas. Without him Jesus could have escaped capture or not? Even Jesus wasn’t sure what was happening when he asked, “Why have you forsaken me?” He of all people should have known that was his purpose.To say your cross is your hurting knee, might be a bit harsh, but it is a reminder that our bodies are subject to decay and sickness; two other aspects of God’s plans for you.And what if we assume there is no God? You have to take responsible action and be happy with what you done. Try to be sure within yourself. Every action is the basis for the next action – cause and effect. Resting in the church was the right thing to do. Seeing a doctor will be the next right thing to do.Reply
auntyutaEditThanks, Berlioz, for this comment. Of course I realise that seeing the doctor is going to be the next right thing to do. It looks I won’t be able to avoid it!Reply
berlioz1935EditHaving the outing with you was the right thing to do. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the clouds in the sky were performing in an artful way.The bakery in Berry is a French bakery and it felt like a trip to the “Provence” in the Autumn. The cake was delicious and the bread wholesome.Reply
auntyutaEditThe bit of “Provence” in Berry was indeed very welcome. I loved the whole outing. We are very blessed to live in such a beautiful area.Reply
reflectionsofaprodigalsonEditHi Uta,I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing some pain and I hope that you find some comfort soon.However, it would appear that, in spite of your pain, you still managed to find some enjoyment. Perhaps there is a lesson for us in that ie even in our most difficult moments, we can still find joy in our lives.Get better soon,CarthageReply
auntyutaEditHi Carthage,Oh yes, there’s a lot of enjoyment in life even in old age. Pain just tells me I have to change something. Maybe just slow down a bit more? Thank you very much for your good wishes. UtaReply
WordsFallFromMyEyesEditLOVED LOVED LOVED your pictures, and very much envy you! An excellent blog, & very interesting. I am sorry you appear to be n pain & I hope things even out, work out.Sincerely, Noeleen 9859 0132Reply
WordsFallFromMyEyesEditAunty Uta, I meant also to say that I think it’s great you do thai yoga & swimming. I think these things are perfect. I am genuinely sorry about your pain & I just don’t know what you can actually do, because I truly would have thought the swimming would do it. I truly hope you’re better at least today…And the pictures, sigh. Great camera!
auntyutaEditYou are right, Noeleen, thai yoga and swimming are perfect exercises for me or have been for as long as this arthritic pain didn’t overwhelm me. Yes, I found out now from the doctor that it has to do with arthritis. My knee was xrayed. So now I am on anti-imflammatory tablets. The doctor didn’t mention diet. Personally I think I ought to do some changes to my eating habits. Wish me luck with this, Noeleen! Thank you so much for thinking of me. I keep thinking about you a lot too!Reply
auntyutaEditBy the way, Noeleen, if you would like to see some more of those pictures we took last Tuesday, please go to Peter’s blog. If you go to the end of my writing (before the pictures start) you’re going to find the link. I think you’ll be interested in browsing through Peter’s blog!Reply
auntyutaEditActually Peter wrote about our excursion to Hampden Bridge in two parts. Both parts have some good photos in it.
WordsFallFromMyEyesEditI do wish you luck, Aunty Uta, all all luck! YOU CAN DO IT!!Reply
auntyutaEditReblogged this on AuntyUta and commented:I just have been reading again this old blog of mine and found it very interesting! And I love all the pictures in it! The links to Peter’s Blogs also are of great interest to me!
Time it was And what a time it was, it was A time of innocence A time of confidences
Long ago it must be I have a photograph Preserve your memories They’re all that’s left you.
These are the words of the refrain from the beautiful song “Bookends” by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. A song about two old friends sitting on a park bench – reminiscing.
If you have more time on your hand you can be listening to the full version here.
Last month, Uta and I had our 60th Wedding anniversary. It was a moment to reflect on our past together.
Just before we got married this photo was taken of us two on the balcony of my mother’s apartment in Berlin. In the meantime, this building has been torn down and a more modern one has taken its place.
In the picture, my future wife looks rather sceptical at me. Or is it whimsical? We were innocent at the time. We believed in a better world and eleven years after WW 2 we had all reasons to believe in a bright future. Out of that belief grew our confidence to start a family.
In case you are wondering about the plate on the wall, it has been painted by Anselm Feuerbach and is of his favourite model, Nanna, in a classical pose. This plate is still in the family and belongs to my son now.
From then to now it was a time of great changes in all our lives. We moved to Australia and raised a family. Of our four children, our eldest daughter passed away nearly five years ago.
2016 was an especially bad year all round. The election of Donald Trump to be the new President of the US makes for interesting times. Interesting, because he seems to be unpredictable. He loves conflict and will have a fight on his hand, among others, with the American secret services. The establishment believes the advice of the services are sacrosanct without considering that they might have their own agenda.
Terrorism is an old game but since 9/11 it has become global, as so many things have since the end of the Cold War. We shake in our shoes as our governments think of more useless schemes to stop this menace. But all those measurements make the would-be terrorists more cranky.
On a personal level, my health is precarious. At least this is what my doctors tell me. Next week I will know more. At my age, anything can crop up in my body. When I was born my life expectancy was just sixty-four years. Fifteen years later I am still here to tell my stories.
A few years ago, I talked about this with one of my neighbours. We called it bonus time and laughed about it. This was on a Friday and the very next Monday his bonus time came to a sudden end. So, you never know.
In case you wonder what happened to the couple in the first photo. We changed into an old couple day by day without noticing it. And now, sixty years later, we look like this.
We have come a long way and I’m happy that last year we were able to visit Berlin, our hometown, once more. If we are lucky, we will be able to see Berlin again in two years time. Our health allowing, of course.
I nearly forgot. For the fifth time, we became great-grandparents. So the family is growing and we hope the politicians are not mucking up the great-grandchildren’s future.
For 2017 I wish all my followers all the best. Most of all stay healthy because without good health life can be a drag.
gerard oosterman on said:A very fine piece of reflection, Peter. Life can be unpredictable, which I suppose gives it colour. Helvi and I both wish you good health and all the best for the future.Reply ↓
berlioz1935on said:Thank you, Gerard and Helvi. Life is indeed unpredictable and was ever so. When the cave man stepped out of his cave he did not know whether he will bring home a Mammoth leg or he would we dinner for a Sabretooth Tiger. Today life is decided by Twitter. The American elect will run his country and us by announcing his intentions by twitter. How unpredictable is that? My own future is in the balance and I will hear tomorrow from my doctor was is in stall for me.Reply ↓
gerard oostermanon said:Our thoughts are with you, dear Peter and Uta.
Munira on said:Absolutely loved the song….moved me to tears. A very happy 2017 to you and Aunty Uta May you never be troubled by ill health and continue being full of life for as long as you live AMEN!! Congratulations on your 60th anniversary…….and the newest addition to your family! And thank you for your good wishes. Reply ↓
berlioz1935on said:Dear Munira, a heartfelt “Thank you” from me and Aunty Uta. It is so good to hear from you. In our uncertain times, one wonders and worries too much. I suppose.We are getting older and every time the body sends out a signal we wonder what could behind this. But we are still okay.Lots of Love and best wishes from the both of us. Reply ↓
How can a single woman have an attractive single man as a close friendin a strictly platonic relationship?
Usually it might be rather unlikely that this kind of relationship remains strictly platonic if it is a rather close relationship where they communicate more or less constantly. All of a sudden, Marianne becomes aware, that, even though Jack really likes her as a friend, he is not at all interested in having an intimate relationship with her. He might sometimes say so, but his actions are more, that he likes the attention of other women.
She realises now, that she has to cut herself loose from Jack. There is no other way. She reckons, she may still have a chance of meeting someone else. Anyhow, she does like the idea to have the freedom to be able to perhaps go out on a date. It has been an awful long time since she has been dating anyone in a romantic way. She thinks back, how exciting it was, when she was dating Gunter, her husband, such a long time ago. On their first date they went to see a movie. And it was a great success!
Actually, she thinks back, that she met Gunter by going out with a girlfriend. You never know, this sort of thing, might still work. Going out with one of her woman friends might perhaps be a chance of meeting an attractive man in her age group! Maybe, there’s going to be a New Year’s Eve party at the Club that they could go to. Well, she thinks, whatever will be, will be. Marianne is determined to make the most of the last years of her life. There might not be many years left anyway. She just hopes, that she stays healthy enough for a bit longer. And for Jack she wishes good health too, and Good Luck!
Uta with daughter Caroline and grandsons Ryan and Troy (the twins!). It was a wet morning.
This was our first time at Sussex Inlet. Caroline was six and the twins were still five. The rain lasted only for one day. After this we had beautiful summer weather again. When our son Martin came to visit with his wife Elizabeth the Inlet looked gorgeous in lovely sunshine.
It was March 1985 and in July Martin and Elizabeth had their first child, a boy named Tristan. After daughter Monika’s twins, Tristan was to be our third grandchild. The following grandchildren were all girls. Monika’s three girls and Martin’s two girls. So we have eight grandchildren ; the last one of them was born in 1997. In the meantime we are also blessed with three great-grandchildren.
After having experienced Sussex Inlet for the first time in 1985 we went back there lots of times. The children and grandchildren always loved it. Only our first born child, daughter Gabriele was never able to join us at Sussex Inlet because she needed an Iron Lung to sleep in for the night.
We were happy that our youngest daughter had the company of the twins. The three of them did get on very well together. When people saw us with the three of them, they often thought they were triplets! The twins would ring their mum from a public phone near the office of the campsite. The place was still called a ‘camp’ but it had newly built units which could accommodate up to eight people each.
In March 1985 the unit we were in had only just been built. Everything looked brand new. The best thing about Sussex Inlet was that it was very secluded. We called it our little paradise.
This was our first time at Sussex Inlet. Caroline was six and the twins were still five. The rain lasted only for one day. After this we had beautiful summer weather again. When our son Martin came to visit with his wife Elizabeth the Inlet looked gorgeous in lovely sunshine.
It was March 1985 and in July Martin and Elizabeth had their first child, a boy named Tristan. After daughter Monika’s twins, Tristan was to be our third grandchild. The following grandchildren were all girls. Monika’s three girls and Martin’s two girls. So we have eight grandchildren ; the last one of them was born in 1997. In the meantime we are also blessed with three great-grandchildren.
After having experienced Sussex Inlet for the first time in 1985 we went back there lots of times. The children and grandchildren always loved it. Only our first born child, daughter Gabriele was never able to join us at Sussex Inlet because she needed an Iron Lung to sleep in for the night.
We were happy that our youngest daughter had the company of the twins. The three of them did get on very well together. When people saw us with the three of them, they often thought they were triplets! The twins would ring their mum from a public phone near the office of the campsite. The place was still called a ‘camp’ but it had newly built units which could accommodate up to eight people each.
In March 1985 the unit we were in had only just been built. Everything looked brand new. The best thing about Sussex Inlet was that it was very secluded. We called it our little paradise.
Last Weekend, that is from Friday the 21st of October to Sunday, the 23rd , I with a lot of family members, spend some time at Suseex Inlet again! Even though it was raining a lot of the time, all of us still had a very good time. I took lots of pictures. Hopefully, I’ll be able to publish some of these pictures pretty soon! 🙂
Peter and I thought that this cemetery was a very interesting place to visit. I took a lot of pictures. It is great to be able to read what it says on some of these old gravestones!
OUR STAY IN ST PETERS:
Our daughter’s wedding took place in Sydney on Saturday, the 17th of February 2018. The wedding ceremony was for 2 in the afternoon. We, that is our son Martin, Peter and I, booked into the Ibis Budget Hotel in St Peters for two nights on Friday already. The following day quite a few members of our family booked into the same hotel as well in order to attend the wedding on that Saturday.
Opposite our hotel was the old St Peters Cemetery. Peter and I went there for a walk. This old cemetery is kept in perfect condition. It was a pleasure to walk there among the old grave sites and read some of the stories about graves from the 19th century!
“St Peters Anglican Church, St Peters, 187-209 Princes Highway, St Peters, is one of the oldest churches in the suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.[1] Designed by Thomas Bird,[2] the church is sometimes referred to as “St Peters, Cooks River,” as it is located in the Anglican Parish of Cooks River, New South Wales.
The Cooks River, named by James Cook in 1770 when he sailed into Botany Bay, is crossed by the Princes Highway, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the south of the church. The suburb of St Peters, in which the church is located, was named as a result of the area’s proximity to the church.
The site contains three main buildings (St Peters Church and hall; a former rectory, built in 1906; and the present rectory, built in 1996) and a remnant graveyard.[3] The church building is…
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
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.
. . . . I 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.
. . . . One brother of my father is a widower who 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 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.
WordsFallFromMyEyes
AuntyUta 
