VOLUNTEERS LUNCH

 Every year our Managing Director Chiou See organises and cooks for the local volunteers like Meals on Wheels etc. This year she did it for the resident volunteers who keep the village ticking over with activities. We were invited because Bill makes videos of events and posts them on YouTube and then on the village FaceBook Page. I collect photos to make posters for each month's activities to pin onto the Storyboard in the Community Centre. All the office staff and Chiou See's family did the cooking, serving and cleaning up. It was a lovely meal and we had the Queensland Police Pipe and Drums to entertain us.

You may be wondering what could all these residents do to help in the village. I will list some but I can't remember all of them. They organise activities like the Workshop where the keen participants make and fix things for residents as well as have a car check and knife sharpening days. They man the BBQ for other events. There is a group which man the Bar for events. The Dinner Committee put on our dinners, the social committee organise trips and events. Some organise Friday night Happy Hour. Others organise Pizza Night and Movie Night. We have a singing group, cards, games, darts, pool, craft and chat, line dancing and the Circle of Men. We have people who distribute the morning papers and others who act as balloon fairies in the dead of night tying balloons onto the fence of those celebrating birthdays. Eddie catches and removes snakes that visit now and then. Some help in the garden and the list goes on.

We are having state elections soon and we had a budding member of parliament gave us a talk. See Bill doing his videography.

We had the local council member attend and take photos for her FB page about what is happening in her division. See my posters in the background.

The band had us participating in their songs. It was a fun lunch.

GETTING BACK TO WALKING

 Walking is good for healing back surgery so everyday I try to go a bit further. One bright sunny winter's day we went to Underwood Park for a walk around the lagoon.  We have had a lot of rain so the pond is a muddy colour.

There is a boardwalk which meanders through the Melaleuca trees which like growing in wetlands.

The trees make interesting patterns and reflections.

Walking slowly but it doesn't hurt while walking only when sitting and lying down but the sciatica has gone!

The ducks were very active splashing and flapping everywhere. The iPhone  camera is not the best for wildlife in the distance but they are a lot lighter to carry than my Canon Camera.

BLACK AND WHITE DINNER

 I haven't posted for a while. My recovery didn't go as well as expected and I have been laid up with unexpected pain. However, it is improving now. For the first two weeks things were as expected and I started participating in activities again. We even got to the monthly dinner, which had a 'Black and White" theme. We had to dress in black and white and the meal had a black and white component. Our guest speaker was funny and interesting. He was a local poet, Rupert McCall, who we had listened to on the radio some years ago.

My neighbours and friends including my cleaner gave me flowers after my operation to cheer me.

At dinner, most residents wore black and white. Ann our dinner coordinator outlines the night's proceedings.

Ann and poet Rupert McCall

Once again we thank the chefs and the Rochedale High School catering students for making our meal enjoyable.

Then Rupert entertained us with stories and poems from his career. 

 The sciatica in my right leg had gone but now pain started in my left leg and back. I had to have another MRI and I return to the surgeon on 6 June. In the meantime the pain has started to ease. Thank goodness, I'm starting to feel human again.