GOODBYE OLIVIA

 Every Friday evening is Happy Hour at the Community Centre in our village. Residents take a plate of nibblies and buy drinks from the bar and spend the evening socialising. Last Friday was a special evening because we were saying goodbye to one of our staff members. Olivia was our accountant and she is also the daughter of Chiou See who built the village but sold it a few years ago. It was an emotional evening for Olivia.  In her speech she mentioned how she had lived in a caravan on the village site when she was a child with her mother and two siblings. So the village was like a second home for her. Now she is ready to move on in her life to new adventures.

Over a hundred residents came to Happy Hour to say goodbye to Olivia.

One of our residents, Adrian, is a poet and he wrote the lyrics to a farewell song sung by the village singers.

Olivia's mother, Chiou See came to the farewell party.

It was an emotional timeFoe Olivia and her mother, Chiou See.

As usual at Happy Hour there is a raffle to raise money for the Workshop. Lucky me won one of the prizes.

A SCOOT IN THE FOREST

 Sonya came to visit us on Sunday. She loves to take the dog for a walk in the forest. She talked her dad into taking the scooter into the forest. It was a bit tricky getting through the special gate for prams and scooters but not for motor bikes. But after the gravel path there were lots of concrete pathways for the scooter. So Sonya, the dog, Chief, the old man and the old woman entered the forest. The picnic park was full of visitors and the smell of barbecued sausages and steak made my mouth water. 

This is the path from the village into the forest.

It is a gravel path but suitable for scooters. It was instigated by one of our residents, Rex, who was confined to a scooter. He badgered the local MP to make a mobility scooter access to the forest. Unfortunately, Rex is no longer with us but we remember him when on his path.

The path goes into the picnic area, which gets busy on weekends.

Bill and daughter, Sonya with Chief the dog.

I saw this scrub turkey walking along a fence this morning on my walk.

MORNING WALK

The rain has stopped so we can get back to morning walks. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I walk with my long time walking buddies Helen, Maureen and Joan. Maureen and Joan felt like they needed a break on Tuesday and Thursday. However, Helen and I wanted to do every morning Mon-Fri. We have met two other girls, Lee and Dianne, who walk everyday so we asked if Helen and I could join them on Tuesday and Thursday.  Lee and Dianne walk in the forest. So yesterday we walked in the forest. It is still dark when I get up at 6:00am but it is light when we start to walk.

6:30 Daisy Hill Forest

Helen sets a good pace and knocks down the spider webs for us. She is the tallest one of us.

The sun is struggling to wake up.

On the way back its much lighter.

It is depressing though because even with all this walking I'm putting on weight 

probably because I eat too much.

I cooked sausages and mash, Bill's favourite meal.

Another favourite is spaghetti and meatballs.

BIRTHDAY GIRL

In June another birthday clicks over, I have had 84 of them now. I play cards every Tuesday evening  at Dot and Peter's home. Dot always has a cake for us when it is our birthday.

My daughter, Carol-Ann sent me flowers from Melbourne. She usually flies to Brisbane to celebrate with us but she is too busy at work at the moment. 

I get up early to walk with my friends in the forest.

This morning I walked with Helen, Dianne and Lee. 

Tomorrow I will be celebrating with Sonya and family.

THE STATE OF ORIGIN FOOTBALL

 The State of Origin is an annual rugby league series played between teams representing the Australian states of Queensland  (the Maroons) and New South Wales (the Blues). It is called "State of Origin" because players represent the state where they first played senior rugby league rather than who they play for now. The series consists of three matches each year in June, July and August. The team that wins two of the matches is declared the winner. Last Wednesday was the second match in this year's competition and it was our Resident's Dinner Night. We were asked to wear the colour of the team we supported. Bill and I don't bother watching Rugby League because we prefer to watch Football (Soccer). However, being Queenslanders we did wear Maroon although Bill had on a red coat with a maroon checked shirt. I wore Maroon cords and a maroon jumper. The dinner finished at 8:00pm so everyone could go home and watch the match. They could have watched on the big screen in the community centre but a vote was taken and everyone wanted to watch at home. New South Wales had won the first match so every Queenslander was hoping Queensland would win the second.

When we arrive at the centre we pick a number out of a container to tell us which table to sit at. There are two containers, one for couples and one for single people. There are mostly two couples and two singles at each table. Each time we usually sit with different people so we can get to know everyone in the village.

L to R: Mandy and Andrew, Ian and Clover, Joan and Faith.  (Faith is one of our oldest residents in her nineties and still alert but has sciatica)

This was my table. Bill is in the red jacket listening to Noela, her husband, Robin is talking to Rhonda and Anne (hiding behind Rhonda.) 

Our usual chef was away. He is a chef on a yacht as well and sometimes dinners clash. So we had a catering company cooking a roast dinner for us but the Rochdale High School catering students still helped decorate the tables, serve the meals, clean up and wash the dishes. They are great kids doing a good job.Thanking the students.

The Maroons won. Hooray! Now they are one each. The decider will be played next month. (Photo from the web). P.S. It is the shortest day of the year today. Yay! heading towards spring and summer.

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY

 I have never known it to rain so much in May and June. They are usually the cold, dry months but now they are the wet, warm months. My regular morning walks with friends are becoming now and then walks due to the rain. We don't like to walk in the rain as it becomes slippery underfoot. We can't afford to fall at our age. Every morning I get up and look out the window to see if it is wet and rainy. More often than not this is what I see.

When the rain eases I walk down our street, my neighbour has a nice garden.

The poinciana catching the rain.

The rain encourages fungi.

When the rain eases we sneak out for a walk. We don't have many autumn trees in Brisbane, which is in the sub tropics, but we have one in our street.

Every Tuesday evening six of us play cards at Dot and Peter's home. After cards we have supper but when one of us has a birthday Dot provides a mini birthday cake. Last week it was Anne's birthday. She was 88 and still as fit and bright as ever. She is my role model. The other lady is Louise, my next door neighbour.

A CELEBRATION AT THE GLASSHOUSE MOUNTAINS

The Glasshouse Mountains are an hour and half drive north of Brisbane. They were named by Captain James Cook back in 1770 when he discovered the east coast of Australia. As he sailed north he saw the mountains reflecting sun on the water falling down the mountainsides looking like glass so he named them the Glasshouse Mountains. They are actually volcanic cores left behind as the volcanoes weathered away over millions of years. 

The Glasshouse Mountains

There is a village nearby which is also called Glasshouse Mountains and that is where my friend's, Ben and Lyn daughter Yolande lives. Yolande organised a party for her parents' Golden Anniversary (50 years). So we drove there last weekend and attended their party. (And ate too much food). There were many relatives and friends there. 

Bill and his friend, Ben migrated from Switzerland together back in 1967. They came here to learn English, stay here for the required two years and then return home to Switzerland. Somehow that didn't happen. They fell in love with Australia and Australians. They both married and stayed forever. We have stayed friends since then. 

Friends since the seventies.

50 years married. Cutting the Black Forest Cake a favourite of the Europeans.

Ben and Lyn had three children, Natalie, (in green top), Yolande (in pink top) and Jason (behind Lyn with no cap) The rest are grandchildren and great grandchild. Lyn is holding a book of their lives together and a voucher for a holiday given to them from their children. It was fun meeting all the other friends and relatives. After eating too much party food we made our way home. I slept well that night.