Friday 23rd May 2008

Another full-on week with one thing and another.

Monday was spent mainly at the golf club - gardening in the morning. One of the members donated about 60 hydranga cuttings that had to be set and watered & I had to transfer some of the shade plants into the new garden. That took most of the morning. After that we did some voluntary administration work for the golf office that took the rest of the morning till lunchtime.

In the afternoon it was an appointment with our financial advisor to get some paperwork sorted out & then back to the golf club to finish off the administration job until 5 o'clock. That evening we attended the Narara/Wyoming Junior Cricket presentation night where we present the "Martin Family" trophy for the most improved under 16 year old. This trophy is presented in Greg's memory so it is a special event for us. We calculated out that Greg would have started playing cricket as an 8 year old - so we have been attending junior cricket presentation days for about 30 or more years & we do not remember ever having to miss one.

Tuesday I played golf in the stroke medal round for this month. My playing partners were Annette Dunk and Pricilla Webster & we had a very enjoyable day. Annette won Division one which was a good highlight for us. The weather was a little cool to start with but warmed up to a perfect day for golf.

Wednesday was a bit of a miserable day with some heavy downpours in the early afternoon.

In the morning I went shopping and picked up some more "king" size sheets from the Sheridan factory outlet shop in Gosford - much cheaper that the retail shops. In the afternoon I had an appointment with the Palmdale Office to finalise Mum's plaque & placement.

Mum & Dad will rest together in the native garden at Palmdale, Ourimbah.

On my way home I got caught in a torrential downpour as it always seems to do at Ourimbah.

The rain was so heavy I could hardly see the road. I was intending to do some watering at the Golf Club gardens before going to Palmdale but did not have the time so I was not unhappy to have the rain as it will save me the trouble of hand watering.

Late afternoon I spent filling out Centrelink forms and we all know what a task that is. Thankheavens I was able to find all the paperwork that they require. I got a phone call to say that our bedroom furniture had arrived ( much earlier than scheduled). A quick phone call to Rod & Shane to help with the pick up & delivery chores which we organised for Thursday afternoon.

Thursday morning was spent at Centrelink getting our paperwork accepted. What a lucky break - there were not many there at first with a huge crowd arriving as we had finished.

Can't help good luck!

Rod arrived around 2.30 pm & we went to Shane's to pick up the trailer & Shane when he finished work. With Rod's truck & the trailer and the two of them to do the lifting it was an easy matter (at least for me) to collect the furniture - deliver and instal at our place; pick up the old discarded furniture & take it to another happy home. There are great advantages in having the two boys so close by and this is one of them.

Now the place is starting to take shape again with all the excess furniture out of the way. I still have a lot of finessing to do to get the jobs finished but at least the heavy work is done. I have to do some more painting & upgrading. I have had a magazine holder (a gift to me for my 16th birthday). It has been treasured and has sat beside my bed ( some 49 years now). I have decided to give it a much needed paint lift but strangely enough by pure coincidence the original colour is just perfect for the new decor so it is just a matter of a freshen up. Kay & Lyn would be horrified that I should keep something for so long - but my hoarding skills have held firm.

Friday was a reasonable quite day - just tidying up the week's mess. I bought a computer mat for my computer chair to save the polished floor (now that I can see it) & spent some time browsing in one of my favourite places (Officeworks) this afternoon. I invariably find something that I "need" like a sticky tape dispenser that works & some "In" boxes for my mail & filing.

Images attached: The new made to order furniture getting installed (Tasmanian Oak with maple stain); Shane & Rod doing the furniture removal work; the golf club gardens that I worked on Monday; the 49 year old magazine rack prior to my upgrade of it (on next week's list); with my playing partners on Tuesday - Pricilla Webster & Annette Dunk.