One of my special enjoyment over the past couple of weeks has been to touch base with old friends from my school days in Penguin. Yep, we are going back some 56 years - and that IS a long time!
I received a call from my old friend Henk - we sat at the same desk back in Grade 6, or was it Grade 7 - to ask me if I was interested in a speaking opportunity at their Men's Fellowship in Kingston. I accepted with much gratitude and looked forward to having time with these men. The subject decided on was "A glimpse at China'. It was a wonderful morning which I very much enjoyed. There were over thirty men present - all retired and active. I met heaps of guys I have known from years before and thoroughly enjoyed the warmth of their welcome and their singing. If was an uplifting experience that did me the world of good. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I have invited myself to come on a regular basis. If my granddaughter can travel each day to Kingston, I can certainly cope with once a week.
The other suggestion that Henk made was that I join him and John & Jack, also from the Penguin days in the early fifties, for bush walking. That we organised last Monday. It was agreed to walk the Wellington Fall track, at least for a three hour return.
Even though it drizzled a bit, it was really good walking and I coped pretty well, though somewhat stiff at the end. While we did not make it to Wellington Falls, we very much enjoyed the quiet bush setting and the views along the way, like:
One of the things that also keeps me occupied is keeping the house clean. A never ending job, not helped by grubby little hands. But I am not complaining and it is always a joy to have grandchildren come to visit me. I happily clean up what little marks they left behind. Here is one of those after I just cleaned the windows. You can see the handmarks quite clearly on the left window (click on the image if you want a better look):
Joe did a good job leaving his paw marks. It was such a lovely day yesterday (19C degrees) that I enjoyed a couple of hours in the garden and what did I see........?
One of Carol's little violets that she planted before Christmas and has survived!! Hallelujah! Her violets were always rather special and I used to get into heaps of trouble, because I always mistook violets for weeds! I was not popular when they were 'raused' (pidgin for getting rid of), in error of course. So, this precious little plant will now be tenderly look after. It is yet another reminder of my dearest love.Don't know when I will do another blog. Sometime I guess, but not planned for the immediate future. Just keep checking every now and then.
