Christmas Lights Canal Cruise

Had a fabulous time with our daughter Hayley, Ben and our grandson Beau on Thursday night cruising the Christmas Lights on the Mandurah Canals.  It was extra special because Sarah was with us as well as Ben's parents.  Sarah flew in from Sydney as a surprise.  The whole family has been thrown into a bit of state since my being diagnosed with breast cancer last week.  Sarah was tortured being so far away and not being able to be here for me, so a beautiful couple at their Church, paid for her to fly home.  Her mum-in-law and a wonderful friend, flew to Sydney to help look after their three active children.  How blessed am I.  The Christmas Cruise was brought forward as I was due to see the Surgeon the next day, and find out what surgery I could expect to have and how quickly.

We had a great night, but, I couldn't help thinking about the previous year.  We always pull up at the pier to get fish and chips, which we did last Christmas on our cruise.  I am an absolute tea-totaller and as it was a hot day, I had raided my husbands fridge and grabbed what I thought was two small bottles of lemon, lime and bitters, not a problem.  We just sat down at the outside tables to eat the delicious smelling fish and chips and I pulled out a drink and took a big swig.  My throat started to burn, my eyes watered up and the first thought that flashed through my mind, was that the lime was off.  The second thought registered that it wasn't cool drink at all but alcoholic.  My husband by this time had realised what was happening and in between hysterical laughter, managed to splutter out a "where did you get those bottles from".  "Out of your bar fridge of course".  He continued to laugh some more, but finally cleared up the mystery.  Apparently the source of my burnt throat was due to the drink not being regular fizzy but in fact Grappa, that a mate of his at darts makes himself, and is probably about 100% proof.  Needless to say, I stayed out of the bar fridge, this time round.

The Mouse Hunt

It's that time of the year, when spurred on by the need of Ms Mouse to have a home, Mr Mouse keen to please the love of his life sets out to find her one.  Sadly, they chose our house, and although we are in a 4 x 2 with just the Moth (Man of the House) and myself residing here, we weren't taking tenants.  They would have been ok if they had flown under the radar, but before they had unpacked their belongings, Ms Mouse decided to come and watch TV with us the other night and sadly that would be the last programme she would see.  I screamed and ran to call our daughter Hayley who having lived by the beach for a couple of years is armed with loads of mouse traps.  These furry little intruders are invading as more and more as land gets cleared to make way for new estates.

If your a catch and release person you may not wish to continue reading.  I gave the Moth a cup of coffee in bed and informed him that our happy home maker had been snapped and that we would have to dispose of it, and that by we I meant him (funny that we assume that men are automatically born able to take care of mice, spiders, fuses and fix leaking taps.  We caught her mate the next night and we hope we are now mouse free.

All this does leave you kind of jumpy though,   I was vacuuming this morning and went to suck up a tail thing that had been poking out of the lounge for two days, it moved under the couch when the vacuum head touched it, I screamed, the Moth came running.  Dashing to rescue his damsel in distress, he lifted the lounge and grandson Beau scooped up the object of my terror - a blue plastic mouse phone with a black tail.  In hind sight I should have known a mouse would not have stayed in the same position for two days.

Life is what happens while you wait for something better to come along

LIFE HAPPENS WHILE YOU WAIT FOR SOMETHING BETTER

WILLIAM WALLACE IS QUOTED WITH THE SAYING “every man dies, not every man really lives”    I ALWAYS PRIDED MYSELF ON MY TENANCITY.  IT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS I LIKED BEST ABOUT MYSELF, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED IN MY LIFE I ALWAYS MADE THE BEST OF IT, DIDN’T LET IT SQUASH ME DOWN.  IF I GOT PUT IN A CORNER AS A CHILD I WOULD FIND SOMETHING TO DO, TRACE THE WALLPAPER WITH MY FINGER, DAY DREAM THAT MY MOTHER WAS RUN OVER BY A BUS, NEVER GOT BORED.  NOW AT NEARLY SIXTY I AM READY TO SAY WHEN, BUT, NO ONE IS LISTENING.  MY DAUGHTER AND SON IN LAW MOVED IN SO THAT THEY CAN BUILD THEIR NEW HOUSE.  I REMEMBER DISTINCTLY SAYING NO, YET BEFORE I KNEW IT, WE WERE TURNING OUR DOUBLE GARAGE COME GAMES ROOM AT THE BACK OF THE HOUSE INTO A GRANNY FLAT, WITH ONE BIG BEDROOM.  THEY HAD TWO SMALL CHILDREN AT THE TIME, A THREE YEAR OLD AND A ONE YEAR OLD, AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FOR ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS.  HERE IT IS FIFTEEN MONTHS PLUS ANOTHER SON LATER, AND THE PAD FOR THE HOUSE IS MEANT TO BE LAYED ANY DAY NOW.

GOD PROMISES NOT TO GIVE US MORE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO BEAR, SO I MUST BE ABLE TO BEAR LOTS.  IT’S A BIT LIKE THE OPENING OF A TALE OF TWO CITIES, “IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES”, BECAUSE LIFE IS LIKE THAT.  THERE ARE ALWAYS SOME GOOD AND SOME BAD POINTS TO EVERYTHING WE DO.  WHILE IT HAS BEEN A REAL JOY TO HAVE GRANDCHILDREN LIVING WITH US, SEEING THEM EVERYDAY, THEIR CHEERY LITTLE HELLOS SHATTERING THE MORNING SILENCE AS THEY THUNDER INTO THE KITCHEN, THERE ARE REGULAR BOUTS OF DESPAIR THAT CAN OVERWHELM YOU AND THE ACCOMPANYING PANIC, THAT YOU AT NEARLY RETIREMENT AGE, NEVER HAVE A PEACEFUL MOMENT, OR VERY FEW IN ANY CASE, AND THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE YOUR LIFE FOR EVER. 

EVENTUALLY YOU HAVE A TALK TO YOURSELF, THE STUFF YOU PREACH TO OTHER PEOPLE SURFACES: THIS IS JUST A SEASON, THIS TWO WILL PASS, GOD WILL DEVELOP CHARACTER IN YOU THROUGH THIS, I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.  I FINALLY DO GET UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND SPEND A FEW MINUTES JUST SITTING WHILE I POUR OUT ALL MY TALES OF WOE TO GOD AND BEFORE I KNOW IT I FEEL PEACEFUL AND READY TO ATTACK THE NEXT DAY, WITH A NEW SENSE OF SURVIVAL AND A BETTER ATTITUDE.

I AM NOT TRYING TO BLAME MY ENGLISH ANCESTRY (YOU KNOW WHINGEING POM) BUT I DO SEE A PATTERN OF COMPLAINING AS I READ BACK OVER MY JOURNALS AND SCRIBBLES FROM EARLIER YEARS, SO I CANT REALLY BLAME OLD AGE OR SHOULD I SAY MIDDLE OLD AGE ON MY TIREDNESS, IT MAY JUST BE THAT I AM EXTREMELY LAZY OR JUST TRY TO DO TOO MUCH AND ALWAYS HAVE.  I REMEMBER FEELING TIRED IN MY TWENTIES, THIRTIES, FORTIES AND FIFTYS SO WHEN I AM REALLY OLD I WILL STILL JUST THINK I AM TIRED FROM DOING TOO MUCH AND KEEL OVER DEAD … ANYWAY, I HAVE HAD AN EPIPHONY…..LIFE SEEMS TO BE BUSY FOR EVERYONE AND IT ISNT LIKELY TO CHANGE ANYTIME SOON, SO WE JUST NEED TO ENJOY EACH DAY AND MAKE THE MOST OF THOSE LITTLE SNIPPETS OF FUN IN AMONGST THE RUSHING, BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS THIS MOMENT IS YOUR LIFE, AND IT ISNT A REHEARSAL, THIS IS IT, SO DON’T WASTE A MOMENT.