Tuesday 30th August 2011

Another busy week has flown by dictated by the urgency to get the golf gardens up to scratch before the garden competition is judged next month.   My virus infection is still hanging on but I am gradually getting better.

Thursday 25th August 2011 the majority of the day was spent at the golf club as I wanted to prune all of the Crepe Myrtle trees on the course.  I managed to get half of them done as well as another few jobs in need over at the club - so it was a full day that tired me out.

Friday 26th August 2011 I was back at the club in the morning to finish off the rest of the Crepe Myrtles before rushing home to shower & meet Lorraine & Heather for our monthly luncheon at Alexander's in Gosford.  Heather forgot to come so Lorraine & I had a good chat and catch up over lunch & then I had some retail therapy on the way home.

Saturday 27th August 2011 Anne, Joel & Emily called over for a visit so Peter could have some quality time with them before we went to Joel's swimming lessons at Pickett's Valley.  I had my first ride in Rod & Anne's new family size car which they badly needed for their growing family.  It is a lovely comfortable car & Joel loves his high seat in the back.  I went out with Anne to see Joel swim & to mind Emily as Anne needed to get in the pool with Joel for his lessons.  Joel is doing very well with his swimming and should be like a little fish very soon as he loves the water.  Emily slept through the whole session so that was a very easy babysit for me.  After lessons we took Joel to McDonalds for lunch which was not a good idea as he was very tired & threw a tantrum when we had to leave the play centre at McDonalds.  By the time we stopped off for Anne to do a bit of shopping on the way home both Joel & Emily were crying so it was time to call it a day and get them home to bed.  By then I needed my nanny nap too.

Sunday 28th August 2011 we had a big day at golf.  It was the 2nd of the Team Series Events & we needed to do well to stay in contention.  We were over at the club at 10 0'clock & got home at 9 o'clock that night so it was a big day.  Our golf was not that wonderful but our other two team members did well and we are eight points behind the pace - so I need to do my bit for the final series next month.  Our playing partners on the day were Wendy Stapleton and John Homer who were very good company & we had a nice warm day for golf which was good.  We stayed for dinner with a group of our golf friends which finished off a good day. 

Monday 29th August 2011 we were over at F-Troop at 7.00am for a big day of gardening and cleaning up. I was able to stay until morning tea at 10.30 am & then came home so that I could look after Joel while Anne took Emily to the Doctors for her check up.  Emily got a good report and had put on some weight which was good news.  Ken & Marg and Neil & Di called around for a belated birthday celebration for Di and I because we share the same birthday and also to celebrate Neil & Di's 11th anniversary of togetherness.

Shane called around with our quote for the house security system which we are having installed so we all had a good catch up.  We took a very tired Joel home about 5 o'clock - he had worn himself out playing & did not get to have his customary afternoon sleep.  Anne had his dinner ready, then it was bath & bed for him.  I got to have a good cuddle of Emily while Anne was putting Joel to bed.  Emily is just starting to smile and engage so we are looking forward to watching her progress to the toddler stage.

Tuesday 30th August 2011 we were back to the club again to pick up the trailer as we had been donated a few trailer loads of garden mulch that needed to be collected.  We ended up shifting three trailer loads and spread it out on the gardens which took most of the morning.  By the time we did a few more smaller jobs it was time to come home for a late lunch.  Later in the afternoon we went to Bunnings to get some more bits & pieces that we needed for the club gardens and I picked up some petunias to plant in the front gardens at home. 

The weather this week has not been too bad and we have had a couple of lovely springlike days.  The course is drying out after the big wet which makes it a more pleasant place to be around.   

Wednesday 24th August 2011

It has been a very ordinary week with bad weather and me running on two cylinders instead of four.  My virus is still persisting but gradually getting better to a point that I now sound like I have got a smoker's cough.  My strength is improving but oh so slowly.  We have had rain or heavy showers just about every day - today being the best sunshine day for a while.

Thursday 18th August 2011 we had rain overnight.  As I was not playing in the Golf Championships I decided to spend the morning weeding the back gardens while the rain had made the ground nice and soft to weed.  At lunch time I went over to the club to cover the Presentation of the Club Championships as today was the final round.  The girls played in very difficult circumstances with the course being very wet.  I think they all deserved a star for playing in the Championships this year as the weather was very unkind.

Friday 19th August 2011 I had a "me" morning having my nails done and a bit of retail therapy in Gosford.
Showers came and went all day so there was little that could be done outside.

Saturday 20th August 2011 I was up early to catch up with the washing and ironing & washed the kitchen floor before going over to the Golf Club to clean up the area for a garden wedding that afternoon. We had heavy rain overnight & showers threatened all day.  Fortunately for the wedding the sun came out 15 minutes before the bride was due to arrive and started raining heavily again after the wedding was over and the guests were safely inside the club house.    We were having an overnight babysit of Joel as Rod & Anne had a 40th birthday party at Newcastle to attend.  Joel arrived a bit after 4 o'clock.  Joel was very good the whole time he was here and went to bed right on cue and was soundly asleep until midnight when he suffered a high temperature  vomiting turn.  He was very restless for the rest of the night but very well behaved considering he was feeling unwell and was happy to settle for cuddles when he could not sleep.

Sunday 21st August 2011 Joel was much better & kept his breakfast down.  We went for a walk to the trains which he always loves and by the time Rod & Anne picked him up he was his old self again.    We were to have been playing golf but the weather was still threatening with more rain falling overnight.  Our golf partners for the day - Jan & Neville were not keen to play as the course was really wet.  I am not a wet weather golfer at the best of times so I was happy to give it a miss.  We went over to the club to have dinner that night and to cover Presentation for the winners of those few that did play. 

Monday 22nd August 2011 we were at F-Troop at 7.00 am to get as much work done as we could.  It was difficult to do work out on the course as it was too wet to take out heavy vehicles.  We managed to get a lot of weeding done and got the new water feature running.  Peter & Shane had a Security firm come and assess our needs for a security alarm system at our home as the break ins are just getting an every day occurrence on the coast.  I guess it is going to be a case of spend money to save money & loss of personal property.

Tuesday 23rd August 2011 we had even more rain overnight which was enough to have all the lady golfers cancel out.  There were a few light showers during the day but not enough to stop me from doing some more garden work at the club.  Peter had gone to Newcastle to two days of golf so I was home alone again. Every time Peter has been away we have had a drama of some sort (some worse than others).  This time it was an electricity interruption right on tea time.  All the electricity was down except for the lights in the front rooms of our house which I thought was odd.  I had just found the torch when Peter rang my mobile to find out why I was not answering the house phone.  It turned out that it was a mains electricity fault & that parts of the rest of the street were out as well which was a relief as I thought it was only our house.  Anne called around to check on the house & I had a look at their new family vehicle they had just purchased so they could fit in their expanding family.  The electricity came back on at 8.15pm & all was well after that.

Wednesday 24th August 2011 (today) I went over to the club early to check on the new water feature that has not been working properly and spent the morning in the gardens doing some more weeding & trimming.  It was a lovely fine day and I enjoyed being out in the sunshine.   It was nice to finally be able to get some washing dry.

The forecast for the next few days in blue sky and sunshine so I am looking forward to that.  The virus seems to have worked it's way through my system so I hope my energy levels lift with the good weather.

Wednesday 17th August 2011

Another "Not Happy Jan" week - not all of it was bad thank heavens.  The Viral Infection has lingered as predicted so I have been working at half pace all week and resting when I can.

Thursday 11th August 2011 I went out to Tuggerah Shopping Centre with Anne, Joel & Emily to have some family time together.  Anne needed to do some shopping & pick up some medication for Emily.  We have found out that Emily is Lactose intolerant which explains why she has stayed so small. We will expect her to thrive better now that she has a prescription formula to help her on her way.  We took Joel to the play centre at Tuggerah where he had a wonderful time playing in the playground with all the other kids.  Like all little boys he did not know when to stop & got himself very overtired which brought on a tantrum when we needed to leave.  I must have been tired when I got home as I napped until 3 o'clock - missing the girl's golf presentation that I should have been at.

Friday 12th August 2011 We did some household shopping, picked up a few things from Bunnings and I weeded the front gardens - getting them ready for spring.  All the rain we have been having has bought up the weeds in their thousands.

Saturday 13th August 2011 I went into Gosford to mail a letter & pick up some medications & then finished off the front and side gardens that I had started yesterday.

Sunday 14th August 2011 we had cancelled golf as I was not feeling up to playing - and just as well as it rained heavily during the day.  Sunday evening we went to the Golf Club for dinner with Col & Lauren and Mark & Anne & had a nice evening.

Monday 15th August 2011 we were at F-Troop at 7.00 am & worked hard there until arriving home about 2 o'clock to find that our house had been broken into  (again!).  My Lap Top computer went and other bits and pieces - nothing precious fortunately.  The back door had been kicked in this time but no finger prints were left so there is little chance to catch the culprit (s).

Tuesday 16th August 2011 (my birthday) we spent the morning waiting on the police to come and finger print the house.  Brian Gregory called around with some plants that he was donating to the golf club gardens. I went over to the girls presentation about 1 o'clock to take photos & highlights of the winners.  This was the 3rd Round of the Championships.  I had a drink for my birthday with the girls before the family turned up about 3.30 .  I had a lovely afternoon with Anne, Rod, Joel, Emily, Shane, Sam, Sally,  Ken & Margaret & a couple of their chorus friends, and Mark and Anne.  Joel helped me to open my presents & blow out the birthday candles on the cake.  Anne took the children home & the rest of us went out to Aree's Thai Restaurant for dinner.  

Wednesday 17th August 2011 (today) I was over at the club early to paint the water container of the water feature with waterproof paint.  Then I planted out the new plants that were donated for the gardens.   I worked in the gardens until lunch time when the weather closed in and we had yet more rain.  The wet weather has been very frustrating for the golfers as it makes the going hard out on a very wet course. I am not unhappy that I decided not to play while I have been feeling unwell as I am not a wet weather golfer at the best of times. 

I hope next week will bring happier news and some sunshine.   

Wednesday 10th August 2011

There is not a whole lot to be said for this last week as the sore throat I was complaining about in my last posting did develop into a nasty viral infection which laid me low for the week and is still ongoing.  The Doctor told me that the virus has to go through all it's stages before it clears up completely and he gave he a month of prescription medication which was not encouraging. 

Thursday 4th August 2011 I could feel the infection coming on but was not all that bad.  We had a visit from my cousin David and his lovely wife Kay who stayed for morning tea and a chat.  It was good to see them and catch up with their news.  In the afternoon we went to Bunnings to get some bits and pieces and I checked out some plants for the golf club gardens.  By late afternoon I was feeling very low so I went to bed early as we had a busy day planned for Friday.

Friday 5th August 2011 we met our golfing friends, Bert, Annie, Col & Lauren at the Golf Club at 9.30 am & travelled together in Bert's 4WD to Sydney where we met up with Ron & Lyn so that the group of eight of us could complete our paperwork and visa applications for our upcoming China Golf Tour.  While we were in the city we went to a lovely Italian Restaurant for lunch before travelling home.  The trip home was badly timed as we got caught in the Friday afternoon gridlock from the city and it took us two hours to get to Gosford. Peter & Ron were on Raffle duty at the Golf Club so we went straight to the Club from the City.  It was a long day, especially for me as by then I was turning into a cactus and had completely lost my voice. The virus had really hit home.  I did manage to win a leg of lamb in the meat raffle which was a positive.

Saturday 6th August 2011 I  decided that I needed to get some medication.  I needed to go to Bunnings to purchase the plants that I wanted for the Golf Club and then headed for the nearest Medical Centre.  It is amazing how many times these illness' hit at a weekend when the GP's are closed.  After waiting in queue for two hours I managed to see a Doctor who prescribed a month's medications and said that I had a Viral infection that would take some time to work through - "Not Happy Jan"  After picking up my medications I headed for my sick bed.

Sunday 7th August 2011 I was in sick bay all day.  I was supposed to be playing golf so a golfing friend of mine, Helen filled in for me which meant that Peter and our playing partners Clyde & Lyn did not miss out on a chance for a trophy. 

Monday 8th August 2011 I finally got my voice back & was thoroughly fed up with myself by then.  It was F-Troop Day but I was not well enough to participate.  It was a nice sunny day with a cool breeze.  At morning tea time I wandered over to the club to join the F-Troopers- enjoying the walk in the sunshine after being couped up.  After morning tea I was ready for my sick bay again.

Tuesday 9th August 2011 was the first day of the Club Championships.  I had to pull out as I was not well enough to play.  Instead I decided it would be wise to persevere with the sick bay to hasten recovery if possible.

Wednesday 10th August 2011 (today) I was fed up with sick bay but avoided going outside even though it was a sunny day, there was also a chilly breeze.  I confronted one of my dreaded jobs of sorting out my wardrobe because I am such a hoarder.  I must be feeling a bit better to have taken on this task so I will take that as a positive. 

Tomorrow I was supposed to be playing in the Championships - but I am out of that now & still do not feel up to playing golf even in the daily event.  I am planning on a few hours at Erina shopping with Anne & the babies so I hope I am in even better shape tomorrow and continue to improve.

Wednesday 3rd August 2011

I had a huge week of activity with something happening every day.  The wet weather has fined up at last and we have had some really nice warm sunny days.

Tuesday 26th July 2011 I opted not to play golf as the course conditions were not good.  I decided to play Thursday instead when the course would be drier - or so I thought.  I was a fine sunny day so we had the day at the 13th garden at the golf course.  Peter painted the furniture & installed some garden features while I did the trimming and weeding. 

Wednesday 27th July 2011 I was back at the garden at the 13th to finish off what I did not get finished the day before and started to do some removal of "fireweed" which is a noxious weed that is spreading over the course.  That afternoon and night we got more heavy rain which was not good for the course.

Thursday 28th July 2011 I played golf.  Rather than being drier than Tuesday it ended up in worse condition.  Having committed myself I decided to go ahead and play.  My playing partners were Lesley Gregory and Beulah Cant.  The going was hard & the scores not very good.  Lesley won the day which was a good highlight for us. 

Friday 29th July 2011 I spent the morning removing fireweed from the course and then went to lunch with my old work friends Heather & Lorraine.  We had lunch at Alexander's in Gosford which was lovely and it was good to catch up with them.

Saturday 30th July 2011 I was at the Golf Club at 9 o'clock to take delivery of some hedge plants and then planted them out. We did the household shopping, went to Bunnings to buy some planting needs that I wanted, then to the Big Flower at Ourimbah to pick up a Water Feature for the golf club, to Erina to get Peter some work trousers, then to Anne's to see the kids. After that we had to be home at 5.00pm to meet up with Martin to take care of some F-Troop business. 

Sunday 31st July 2011 we had an early start to golf as it was the first round of the Mixed Team Series. Shane called in to see us on his way to bowls.  We were at golf at 10 0'clock and were lucky enough to have a nice sunny day.  Our Mixed Team members were Mark Stimpson & Michelle McGrath.  The Series in held over three events & the prizes are worth winning.  Our opposing team members that we played today were Col & Kay Adams.  The course was still very wet and the going was hard.  My golf was not good but luckily Peter & Mark played well and our team score is only 6 points behind the leaders so we have a good chance of catching up if we score well in series 2 to be held at the end of August.   After golf there was a dinner to celebrate our Ladies A grade Team winning the District Pennants for the first time in 20 years. 

Monday 1st August 2011 we were at F-Troop at 7 o'clock and worked there until after 1 o'clock.  We did a lot of work including pulling out more fireweed and removing large shrubs and climbers from the gardens. Monday afternoon Shane & Sam called in to say hello on their way home from work.

Tuesday 2nd August 2011 I played golf in the L'Oreal Day and unfortunately did not play well at all - so no prizes for Jan.  The course was still heavy.  My playing partners were Kath Payn and Pam Cowin & we had some good laughs and some good highlights.  Pity about the golf scores.  

Wednesday 3rd August 2011 (today) I went to Sydney to see "Hairspray" with Lorraine Bignall, Yvonne Wilson & Rosalie Dyer.  We had lunch at Sun City before going to the Lyric Theatre to see "Hairspray".  While we were having lunch we spotted "Molly" Meldrum sitting in the opposite lounge so he came over to say hello & agreed to a photo shoot which was very nice of him.  We thoroughly enjoyed "Hairspray" and found it very entertaining.  Our day ran like clockwork right down to train times so we had a great day. 

It has been great to have some really nice weather this week and I hope it continues.  Since returning from Sydney I can feel a sore throat & head cold coming on.  I have dosed myself up & hope that I am not in for a heavy cold or flu.