Tuesday
Dear Elsie
Today was the day that I heard a whole lot of newsy things. I got to take Julian to the airport and on the way home dropped the car at the Sun Valley house so it could be under cover while he is away. Mike had been following me on google maps and we had planned to meet about a kilometer away so I could get a little walk in, but as I walked, I saw Dawn in the garden. Dawn was our neighbour when we lived there and I hadn’t seen her for ages. I went to greet her and found her to be looking very pale and hobbling with an protective boot on her right leg. I asked her what happened and she said she had had some health issues (2 seizures) and one morning in July her family found her unconscious on the floor with a severe ankle break. There was also blood so something had happened & she had no recollection of what. She spent 2 weeks in hospital and is now on the mend. She looked very pale. I asked her how Theo was. Theo is her husband. She told me Theo had passed away in March after a cancer diagnosis. I was so shocked. He was always so busy and looked healthy. He was 73. We have very happy memories of Theo and Dawn. They have always been in that house and while we seldom socialised, whenever there was need for help building, or if either Mike or Theo needed a tool of some description, solutions were found and long conversations were had. In fact, it was Theo who came over in 1989 and helped Mike pound down the kitchen wall so it was open plan to the lounge! Life is fragile and each day is to be embraced. Mike drove up at about that time and we went home for me to work.
Then, this afternoon, I decided to get the cats’ tick problem sorted. They have both had ticks on them and with abundant bush and it being spring, this is the time for ticks and fleas. Ticks can harm them, but the muti required freaks me out too. We went to the vet and got their best option which will last 3 months. The cats were duly treated and are now not very happy with me – they are slinking around eying me suspiciously. I’m needing to give them snacks.
As we were leaving for the shops, we noticed a lot of cars on the street and found a group of people gathered and there holding court, was none other than the building inspector Quinten. His audience was comprised of our builder (Werner), Mandy (the owner of one of the plots behind us) and the residents of two doors down who instigated no less than 12 objections to Mandy’s building plans. This intervention was underway as we drove off down the road. On our return, they were still busy, so Mike joined in while I went back to work. The long and the short of it is Mandy’s plans are on hold while there is a dispute regarding her need for parking on our street. Her plot, like all the others behind us, has no road access and she will need to park on our street. The Council has to deliberate the options and decide on a plan going forward. Meantime, she has a plot. She has plans. She is paying rates and she is getting nothing for them. We will wait with interest to see what happens.
Talking of building, yesterday, a large truck with a bright green container reversed down the street and delivered the container at the end of the road. I messaged the last house in the road and he confirmed they are planning to complete their build.
The whales were in the bay again today and there were some super sightings. Dhiresh posted this photo to our Whatsapp group.
Final news relates to the shouts coming from the lounge as Mike and David voice their desperate need for the SA cricket team to win a game against Australia. Each of the 4 wickets that has fallen has been loudly applauded with the hope of more to come. Each near miss is followed by groans. Dropped catches are followed by roars of horror and misery.
And amidst all of this I worked close to 7 hours.
A newsworthy day to be sure!
Psalm 147:8
He covers the sky with clouds; He supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.
It’s not about now – we are only passing through.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Gran xx 🙂