Ryan and Troy in 1981

I finally found this picture of the twins I had been looking for. The twins are of course the two sons of our daughter Monika. And I found another lovely picture of the boys. At least I think it is lovely! I believe it is also taken in 1981

 auntyuta  Diary, Life in Australia, Old Age  February 3, 2021 1 Minute

Right now, at 4 am, I feel like I want to do a bit of reflecting. I must say, that yesterday, throughout the day, I became somewhat anxious. Then everything changed just by making time for a game of Scrabble with Martin. This game was something we could both enjoy a lot.

It is great to have my son Martin here for a few days. I better refrain from thinking that I may be running out of time. Why not just enjoy every moment the way it is? And enjoying having Millie, Martin’s cute dog, around!

I feel, waking up early this morning was a blessing. It helped me to reflect on my present situation. Indeed, it seems to help me to get rid of diverse anxieties. I can only say: How good is it…

Each year I try and make the best of the Christmas festivities with fine foods which often include Dutch Herrings, my beloved butter milk and if available German liverwurst. To my delight, and well beyond my wildest dreams, just before Christmas, Aldi had the German liverwurst up for sale. I could not believe how fortuitous my life of late has become. Without lingering I bought the Liverwurst together with butter milk and a packet of Brussel Sprouts. I like to sauté the Sprouts in butter milk before blanching them to eat semi raw. This dish I often serve up on Boxing Day to an unsuspecting guest as a special treat after usually a big dinner or lunch on the previous Christmas day where most of us overeat and overjoy. (The pavlova did not disappoint nor the chicken curry beforehand. Remnants are now in the fridge.)

Sadly, when it came to…

The night-nurse
If getting up is hard, going to bed isn’t much easier. There’s always that last sip of wine to finish, or more likely, the dishes are waiting! It’s so depressing getting up early facing a sink-full of cold dirty used dish-water with odds and ends of onions or cabbage floating around and spoons and forks barely visible at the bottom.

We have given up on the dishwasher. Bending down loading and picking up dishes is more work than just washing it all by hand. Apart from the work, the machine has to go through a noisy cycle with washing, rinsing and then drying, it’s another one of those electric things which hasn’t really put more time in my pocket. Of course, at our age, time is not so much of the essence anymore. When families were large with lots of kids, that’s when a dishwasher could be handy…

Will someone please teach Simba the benefits of deferred gratification! I’ve got a blog to write.

Instead, we have deferred writing.

Worship. What is God worth to us? One way is shown in the words we sing and say to praise God. Prayers of thanksgving and proclaiming to each other and the world, “God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good,” are also worship. Which is all very well. Worship is the “chief end of Man” as the old saying goes. When we arrive in heaven it should be our lot to “enjoy God for ever”.

But if I want to show what someone or something is worth, I do not just say so. I treat them and their property with respect. I act with kindness towards their family and take seriously what they take seriously. That is the true aroma of worship.

Frankincense is used…

http://german.about.com/library/weekly/aa113098.htm

German and Austrian Christmas customs have spread throughout the world wherever Christmas (Weihnachten) is celebrated. From the Christmas tree (Tannenbaum) to “Silent Night” (“Stille Nacht“) and on to the Advent calendar (Adventskalender), people around the globe have adopted many traditions that began in the German-speaking world.

The Christmas songs, that I remember from my childhood, have a special meaning for me. Some songs were very joyful, others more reflective, that is ‘besinnlich’. Besinnlich meant we became deeply and seriously thoughtful while singing these songs . This kind of singing appealed to me. Advent was the only time of the year when my family would sing some songs together. And it went on for four Sunday afternoons in a row. After the fourth Sunday of Advent some serious preparations for Christmas Eve started. We children were not included in these preparations. As…

John Mearsheimer: The West is playing Russian roulette

Nov 30, 2022 #JohnMearsheimer#UnHerd#UkraineWarFreddie Sayers meets political scientist John Mearsheimer, the world-famous proponent of realism in international relations. Recorded in London on Monday 28th November 2022

00:00 – 00:47 – Introduction 00:47 – 05:28 – John Mearsheimer’s view of how the West forced Russia into its current position. 05:28 – 09:37 – What is the difference between a realist and a realistic view of the war? 09:37 – 14:27 – At what point would the West resist Russian aggression? 14:27 – 21:41 – What is the most likely outcome of the Ukraine War? 21:41 – 28:07 – What would happen if Putin used nuclear weapons? 28:07 – 33:47 – How has the UK responded to the crisis? 33:47 – 38:51 – How does the Monroe Doctrine apply to the U.S? 38:51 – 46:02 – Russia’s invasion in February 46:02

Only one more week to Christmas!

Two more weeks to the year’s end!

• 

• 

• 

So very soon a New Year, namely 2019, is going to begin.

I still have a lot of memories how last year ended.

https://auntyuta.com/2017/12/07/utas-december-diary-2017/

The above post from December 2017 brings back memories what our place looked like one year ago. I find it is interesting to compare last year’s pictures with this year’s December pictures! 

https://auntyuta.com/2018/01/21/what-we- did-on-the-day- of- the epiphanie

On Saturday, the 23rd of December 2017, we went with son Martin to Berry for morning coffee, then to Kiama for an early fish and chips lunch, and later to Shellharbour for ice-cream. After we have had our delicious ice-cream, Martin drove us to the Beach Farm with is now a beautiful public area  close by the sea.

Our Christmas Season started with Sunday, the 24th of December, when the family gathered at our place for…

It is a beautiful morning today: There is a little bit of sun, and only a slight breathe. That means I could go for a wonderful slow, reflective walk in Lakelands Park. 🙂

Yesterday, I mentioned in my diary something about my independence. So, this is right, I do feel fiercely independent. And this is good so. 🙂

This morning, I talked in Lakelands Park to lovely 80-year-old Iris. As always, she had her 15-year-old beautiful little dog on the leash. Her husband died eight years ago. Peter died two years ago when he was 85. He did a lot of running through the park, when he was still well. Early in the morning, he often saw Iris in the park with her little dog! He often told me, how much he enjoyed seeing them! 🙂

When I told Iris, that I am 88, she said, she wants to be…