G’day! It’s Mister C and Me!

Firstly, Me and Mister C wanted to acknowledge the turmoil and ongoing conflicts between the Israeli and Palestinian countries, going on in the Middle East, most recently since last week. It is heart-breaking to see media coverage displaying the displacement of thousands of people from both conflicted areas (closer to one million people), including the loss of precious life. Our thoughts are with all families and communities directly affected by this turmoil and we hope a productive resolution may occur in the foreseeable future. According to the Global Conflict Tracker… ‘The Israeli-Palestinian conflict dates back to the end of the nineteenth century. In 1947, the United Nations adopted Resolution 181, known as the Partition Plan, which sought to divide the British Mandate of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was created, sparking the first Arab-Israeli War. The war ended in 1949 with Israel’s victory, but 750,000 Palestinians were displaced, and the territory was divided into 3 parts: the State of Israel, the West Bank (of the Jordan River), and the Gaza Strip.’ https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict

The weather in our states over the past four weeks has been concerning, with numerous hot and cold days, along with everything else in between (not unlike the other side of our globe as well). It has been one extreme to the other, with wild winds and storms, a select few sunny and tranquil days, to more flash floods and the start of some serious bushfires at present. Our thoughts also go out to all of the communities who have been affected by Mother Nature’s whirlwind weather (blame the ‘El Niño’?). Me and Mister C are crossing our fingers (and toes) that this volatile weather settles and the looming bushfire season is kinder to us all (pretty please?). According to the CSIRO… ‘El Niño and La Niña are the two primary phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). They affect wind, clouds, and ocean temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific. And while this is far from the shores of Bondi, these phases can have a huge impact on mainland Australia – from rainfall to drought to extreme events.’ https://www.csiro.au/en/news/all/articles/2023/september/el-nino-la-nina

I may have mentioned in a previous blog, that we sadly lost over thirty small to large gum trees on our property mid-last year (due to waterlogging issues). We managed to have most of the larger trees safely removed (all but three) back in July, while Husband, with some help from Widy and her boyfriend (thanks heaps L.T), have been slowly chain-sawing up some of the numerous logs (big and small) when able (and weather permitting). Mister C and Flossy have been carefully rolling smaller logs (thanks you two!) down to the back of the yard (I did try), so Husband could finally mow some of the area; heaven forbid if another nasty snake gets in and makes a comfy home for itself! It was devastating to see the bare avenue that remains on our property, after the removal of the trees was completed; it was not something we were expecting to have happened either- we love our beautiful trees! I had an idea and spoke with Husband about creating a ‘Zen’ garden in this area, who also agreed something had to go back there to fill the vast (and awful) void. I found an ornate (and sturdy) black-metal framed gazebo online and showed it to Husband (and the kids), who also liked the idea of creating an outdoor space to harbour wellbeing, mindfulness and reflection.

I was also able to order a black metal outdoor seat from the same online company (to withstand the outdoor elements), where one could sit and view the (nearly) picture-perfect grounds. With a lot of help and over many days, we managed to erect the gazebo (the instructions were pretty vague) and carefully moved the frame to the ‘Zen’ garden area (it took four people to achieve this!), and nestled it between four large tree stumps. Husband had previously helped me to secure some outdoor ornaments (birds, flowers and Chinese ornaments) and six large pots (with hardy grasses in them) on the top of each stump (thanks my rock), to help start our ‘Zen’ garden. Widy helped to dig four holes (thanks heaps) and we were able to fully secure the frame deep into the ground, with two bags of ready-mix cement and rocks (yay!). Fingers crossed no amount of strong winds and wild weather was going to remove the frame; it had its first test over the weekend, with more wild weather and thankfully it did not budge an inch (wow!). Over the next coming weeks, Husband and the kids will help remove the grass under the gazebo and we can then create a solid (thick) cement base to hold our metal seat, complete with a fun glass brick pattern, along with all of our hands prints, including our sweet doggie, ‘Rhetti’s paw prints as a feature and to make our mark (sounds fun, right?).

While I am still slow to recover from my last hand surgery in mid-September (and other ongoing injuries), it has been (quite) difficult for me to just watch on, as the family pitches in to get these tasks at hand completed. Husband knows me all too well, and the fact I can’t just sit back and do nothing is really hard for me; especially knowing before our horrid car accident (late last year), I was a vibrant, motivated and fit person, who could have tackled any task at hand, is a difficult fact to endure. My body (and head) continues to let me down, while it doesn’t let me do the things I want to do, and if I do attempt any task, pain always confronts me at most angles. My dear nan would often tell me, “Patience is a virtue and time heals all, my dear Ingy.” I often think about my dear nan and what she would say to me if she was still with us (forever remembered). I know I should remain patient and calm, but some bad days when my pain seems to be coming from all over, I just want to scream out loud to the white clouds above, “Why me?!” Husband, the girls and Mister C are of course understanding of my situation and issues, but at times being in this situation can often make you feel quite useless and hopeless (as I am sure others may feel the same way), particularly when most know how much I love gardening. I sincerely appreciate all that my family do for me and for our home and property; I just hope that after my next (lower back) surgery coming up shortly, I may one day be able to undertake a few simple tasks, once my (hopeful) recovery is well underway…

Here is another Word From Mister C, he always warms my heart…

The day after the anniversary of our car accident, I was sitting quietly on the grey recliner chair in the lounge room, thinking about the past twelve months. I felt proud of us all for getting through many tough months since the car accident. I then had a pang of sadness on just how much my life had changed, with not being able to drive or continue to work at present as a registered nurse, due to my ongoing injuries and pain. Mister C came running up the stairs from the rumpus room downstairs, and came over to give me a squeezy hug. Mister C said, “Gee, I love you, Mummy! I am so glad you are still here! I am so happy the car is gone and we are not.” I hugged Mister C back, holding back a tear or two and replied, “I love you more than words, my son. You always know when Mummy needs a hug. I’m so glad that we are all here too!”…

A Word From Mister C…

Running the shower for Mister C in the early evening, I called out for Mister C to have his shower. Mister C grumbled, “Okay, Mummy. I think I do smell and I need a wash!” Helping Mister C to wash his unruly hair, Mister C spoke through the water, “Mould can make you sick. What about the mould in the shower, Mummy? Is it the same kind of mould that came into our house after the flood? Shaking my head, I replied, “No, my son. This type of mould is not harmful. The mould downstairs was from the dirty ground water- two very different types of mould.” Mister C nodded and then looked under his armpit. “I don’t have any hair under my armpit, so why do I smell? You only get body odour when you have long armpit hair, did you know, Mummy?” Giggling, I replied, “You don’t smell, my son. When you grow older, I’m sure you will then!” Mister C smiled and then replied, “Can you get lice under your armpits, Mummy. I bet you would if your hair was as long as on your head!” Both laughed…  💪💪

Stay tuned…

Me and Mister C wish to apologise for not being able to attend our last Rotary market bookstall on Saturday. If you would like a copy of any of our books, please get in touch via our email and we can arrange delivery and discuss any details with you. We are aiming to attend the next bookstall in mid-November (fingers crossed). I am pleased to let all know, that our seventh children’s book is underway. I should receive a draft of our new book cover from our fab designer in the coming weeks. As some of our readers will know, I am booked to have a fairly major operation to my lower back (spine) in approximately two weeks at the end of October, with my Neurosurgeon in ACT. I will naturally be out of action and most likely won’t be able to do much writing afterwards for a week or two (is sad). I appreciate our avid readers’ understanding on this issue (and for reading our 170th blog this week!), and I will endeavour to update our blog and site over the following month, so please (one again) bear with me…💕💕