Tress and I got into Klang, our hometown, late on Saturday night.

Guess what we’ve been doing…

Nicole my niece, and her beau Jon, have been busy. Childhood sweethearts, they’re getting married. We caught up with them for dinner last Friday. They will be formally registering their marriage later this year and late next year, they will have the customary church wedding in Penang.

In late 2019, Tress and I went to Penang. We spent some time with Sim, my late sister and Nicole’s mum, and her husband, Daniel. Daniel had a small business in downtown Penang. We visited him in his shop and we walked around, taking in the history of beautiful Penang. Sim came along with us for part of that walk. We walked past the historic and beautiful E&O Hotel, and Sim made a remark about us staying there next time we visited. We joked about me celebrating my next big bash there. We said maybe that will be my 60th.

A few weeks ago, Nicole very sweetly asked if I was ok if She and Jon teed up a date for her church wedding in Penang, that would coincide with my birthday. I said I couldn’t be happier to share her joy on my birthday. On Friday night, as we ate and chatted, she said they had in mind, a dinner reception following the church wedding in Penang, and had pencilled in the E&O Hotel. A chill ran up my spine when I heard that and recalled our conversation with Sim back in 2019. Perhaps I will, indeed, celebrate my 60th there in the beautiful E&O Hotel, but for quite the most serendipitous way. It would be Nicole and Jon’s wedding. Maybe that was what Sim planned, from where she might be right now. It was such a special moment when I made that connection as the chill ran up my spine last Friday night. I am so very grateful.

Earlier that arvo, I had made a dash to the Fort Knox storage facilities to finalise the arrangements for us to hire a space. I had taken a few small items there to start the process. On Saturday morning, after our usual walk with the little fellow, Tress and I started getting busy with more packing, clearing etc. Providentially, as we walked the little fellow past the home of Chris our neighbour, he said we should feel free to use the skip that is in his carport. They were moving out and had hired that skip a week or so ago. We gratefully accepted his offer and for the rest of the morning, we cleared out stuff to have them lined up for a council hard rubbish collection, dumped in the skip, or carted away to the Fort Knox storage. We kept busy but at the same time, mosied our way to the auction a couple of houses away. The ex-neighbour got a healthy price, and we resumed our tasks. Late that arvo, as I was clearing out boxes from the loft in the shed, I was startled by a furry sight that greeted me when I pulled out a large box that housed our then brand new microwave oven. I saw some furry creatures in there. Initially I thought they were dead possums so after I recovered from my fright, I asked Tress to get me a sturdy rubbish liner, thinking I was going to bundle up the dead creatures. When I went back to the shed and retrieved the box however, I saw the very much alive and even adorable family of possums. I wondered for a little while what I was going to do with them, before I eventually got the box out and placed them in the middle of the parklands across our home, right next to a large gum tree. It was almost dusk and I felt sorry for disturbing their slumber, but it wouldn’t be long before night falls and those nocturnal creatures should climb up that gum tree and hopefully, scurry away.

While we were working, Tress received a message from H our carer for our little guy. She said it was her 50th. So we thought we could tee up a dinner with a few other regulars at the dog park, which we did. We had dinner with H, Lynne and Jeremy at Enrik’s in Blackburn that night, and we shouted H. She has been caring for our little fellow (and LBJ before), whenever we went away, and we wanted to show how much she has come to mean to us and our furry friends.

On Sunday, we went to St Alf’s, then to Donvale for lunch, before heading out to the G for Hawks’ last home game. It was going to be our last home game indefinitely, given our present plans. We beat the Tigers relatively easily and when we sang the team song, a mixed sense of happiness and sadness came over me. Yes, we’d likely be playing finals again but we are also likely to not be at these games again. Hawks’ win, coupled with United’s opening game win over Fulham the day before, paved the way to a really good weekend. We were knackered on each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. It had been a busy, tiring, but eventful, happy and hopeful weekend. Yes, I am ever so grateful.

Last Thursday, the couple that normally hosts the “Growth Group” of St Alf’s sent a message to say the bloke was sick so they could not host for that night. They asked if anyone else could. We have been the usual back-up hosts so we said we were happy to do that. On Thursday however, we were to meet with a real estate agent to discuss putting our home on the market. So, it was a busy Thursday and at that meeting that night, we told them our plans to relocate. We did so right at the end of the meeting, so as not to interrupt the usual stuff that we discussed. It surprised everyone. I guess we too, remain a bit befuddled by it all.

On Friday, we signed some papers to proceed with one of the agents we met. The process to put our home on the market is now underway. Later today, we’d meet with a “stylist” who’ll advise us of the works needed to present our home better. Later on Friday night, we caught up with Jason and Mel at a pub restaurant at Wheelers Hill (the one bearing the name of a well known brewer), and we told them of our plans. They too were surprised but said it was not unexpected. We remain a bit befuddled by it all.

On Saturday morning, we had the AFES group meet at our home. We were going to tell them too but it didn’t feel right so we kept mum, and after the meeting, we headed off to Brandon Park for lunch and then hurried home for some work around the house. We did some tidying up – I dealt with the outside and Tress dealt with the inside – and I also started going through the very old stuff in our shed, to sort things out for an eventual clear-out. We only finished when light was dimming – as beautiful as the day had been, it is still winter and it got dark by 6pm. We washed up, I made some veg for us to have a bite, and then finally put our feet up for a rest. Our bodies and minds felt battered but befuddled though I may remain, I found myself looking forward to being nearer Kiddo, Mic, Abby and their latest addition.

After St Alf’s on Sunday, we had lunch with U Seng/A Anne and A Marloney/A Hooi, at our usual place at Donvale. They were both a little special as I stayed at U Seng/A Anne’s home here in Blackburn when we first arrived back in 2004, before finding our own rental home a few weeks later, in Mount Waverley. We told them our plans and they were surprised but thought it sensible. I have become less befuddled.

We then went home, and we both went to Groomer’s before I went home and cleaned some windows and fly screens. They look less swamped by cobwebs and spider mansions now. We finished late, I did the week’s cook quickly and we finally put our up feet just after 7pm. My limbs were sore and tired when we saw Kiddo’s videos of little Abby. She had taken her first stuttering steps and looked utterly happy doing so. I think I became far less befuddled.

The weeks ahead will be long and tiring. I trust the outcome, that light at the end of this “tunnel”, will provide such luminescence, I will wonder why I was befuddled. Hope, as Stephen King once said, is a dangerous thing but it is also a good thing. 

It was a busy few days for us. On Friday, a frenzy of activities surrounding the decision to purchase a home in the capital, ended up with us signing the papers, all ready to start the process. Later that night, hearts still slightly palpitating, Tress and I sat down at our favourite local Thai restaurant. We talked about the numerous things we had to do, but we were both thrilled to be on this journey.

On Saturday, after walking the little fellow, I headed to the Steer AGM. It has been wonderful to be part of this organisation which has been a channel of financial support for numerous missions organisations. After the AGM and some lunch, I headed back just before 2pm, went with Tress to get a coffee at the Chase, and then went back home to cook. We had planned to do a veg dish for the dinner at Jason and Mel’s later that night. The roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower dish looked not too shabby and was a good countervailing fare to the meaty stuff served up for their “Christmas in July” soiree. Gerry and his family and Lai Fun and his son were also there and it was a really nice evening of eating and catching up. Jason and Mel too are busy preparing themselves to head to Hong Kong, and be with Sammi their daughter and Brandon her husband, who are expecting their first born, Jason and Mel’s first grandchild.

We came back from the dinner pretty late, caught more Olympics on tele, and went to bed late. So, we were late for St Alf’s the next day. Emma Payne spoke about preps for heading out to Nantes in France to work under CMS early next year, and David Williams preached on Acts.

We then headed to Donvale for our usual lunch spot and then went home, took a walk with the little fellow and then I did our usual Sunday cook for the week’s lunches. It had been a busy weekend but our thoughts were just on our mental checklists of the numerous things to do as we look ahead to this new journey we had just dipped our toes into. We are ever so grateful to be heading in that direction, to be closer to Kiddo and her growing family. Daunting and exciting at the same time.