Tress and I returned from Canberra on the 1st of Jan. We went back to work for a couple of days, and then flew out to Perth. Ryan, the eldest of Andrew (my cousin) and Jasmine, was to marry Hannah. Andrew and his family have lived in Perth for a very long time. Ryan and Hannah met in London when they were both working there. I was in awe when I found out that Hannah, who was from Brissie, had wanted the wedding to be in Perth so that Ryan’s grandparents (Jasmine’s folks) could be there for the occasion. Like Andrew said in his father of the groom speech, the bride was a gem and we’re all glad Ryan didn’t stuff it up and the beautiful couple tied the knot.

The wedding was in an Anglican church in Dalkeith (St Lawrence), which was as the crow flies from the Air B and B place we stayed in Nedlands. Andrew and his family’s home is also in Nedlands, so everyone was just a few minutes away. We were all close to the beautiful Matilda Bay off the Swan River, so Tress and I started each day with a walk along the shores of the Bay. On the second day, we discovered a bakery up the road which was very good, so on the last few days, we finished our walk by stopping there for a coffee and a bite. It was idyllic and we threw caution to the wind as far as extra kilos were concerned, as we enjoyed the offerings from the kitchen of that bakery.

Other than Andrew, Jasmine and Ryan along with Haydn and Kirstyn (Andrew and Jasmine’s other kids), we also caught up with my uncle Tom and auntie Pauline, my cousins Pai Li, Carol, and HW, SL and Chris (Pai Li’s and Carol’s husbands) as well as Emily, our niece (or sorts – she’s the eldest of Liza and Sam). Hannah’s family flew in from Brissie, Sydney, Wollongong etc., so the occasion had people from Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, UK, and all over Oz., congregating in the capital city of WA.

It was a wonderful visit for Tress and I. We also caught up with Andrew Chan and Dot his wife, along with their 2 boys, at a dinner with Carol and Chris. They were people we knew from church back in Klang (“KCMC”), and Carol is a cousin of mine. We heard the beautiful miracles that were the stories of those 2 boys, as well as the providential assurances that accompanied Andrew and Dot’s journey from Melbourne to Perth.

Other than the catch up’s Tress and I also got to visit Rottnest Island and see those beautiful quokkas, and played tourists in WA. A small part of me wondered if Kiddo, Mic and little Abby might one day make Perth their home. I think Tress and I would relocate to join them there at the drop of a hat.

We finished work for the year, on Friday 22 December. The next day, Tress and I drove up to Canberra. We were to spend little Abigail’s first Christmas there.

On Christmas Eve, we attended the service at Southside Bible Church, which Kiddo and Mic have been attending for a little while. They left Crossroads to be ready for their new lives and they have settled well at SBC, warts and all. After the service, we went to lunch with the Koh’s where we caught up with Desmond and SL, along with a few of Mic’s sibblngs.

On Christmas Day, I did the usual turkey. The Kohs turned up to join along and promptly took over the occasion. Tress and I were just outnumbered, and I was very happy to just soak up the atmosphere of a large family over a Christmas lunch.

Mic and Kiddo got us a Skylight smart photo frame. It’s one of those newfangled apparatus where it doesn’t just hold digital photos for display, but with an app, one can upload photos from afar, to be displayed on the frame that sits on a shelf anywhere in the world. Obviously, it is meant to hold and display photos of little Abigail and the frame now takes pride of place on a corner shelf in our lounge room.

A couple of days later, we – all 5 of us along with our doggies – packed our bags and drove to the coast. We had booked a property at Burrill Lake, as the crow flies from Ulladulla. It is a beautiful home, with loads of spacious areas. I particularly like the very large deck that sits atop stilts, surrounded by tall gum trees which meant the fauna was fantastic. Right through the 4-5 days we were there, we heard kookaburras cackling incessantly, to accompany the cacophony of other callings from birds, insects and other creatures. Unfortunately it rained half the time we were there, but when the sun came out, it was beautiful. We walked to the lake nearby, to the beaches a touch further out, and drove to Ulladulla, Mollymook and Milton little towns that were hugged by the beautiful NSW south coast. Little Abigail had her first beach outing at Burrill Beach, when the sun appeared on the second day to light up a glorious morning.

We also ate out a lot. The cafes and restaurants in Burrill Lake, Ulladulla, Mollymook and Milton were all very good and we indulged ourselves. The large deck at the property we stayed in, with the beautiful surroundings and fresh airy conditions, were only used the first day, when Mich got us some fish and chips soon after we arrived. I spent each morning reading there, but we didn’t make full use of it otherwise.

We returned to Canberra and went out for dinner on New Year’s Eve at a Japanese restaurant in Canberra city. Little Abigail caught a fever but did not complain too much. She’s just a lovely, tranquil and engaging little thing. Tress really took to her and all that attention was returned in spades and Little Abigail had loads of fun with her grandma.

We left Canberra on New Year’s Day, after a breakfast at a cafe near their home. We got back to Melbourne late arvo, unpacked, set up the fancy photo frame and I then took the little fellow to the oval for a bit of a run around. He was a bit subdued however, and wanted to come back to be with Tress. Later that evening, we put up feet up in the lounge room, caught up with photos etc., and felt immense gratitude for the wonderful Christmas and New Year’s that we had with Kiddo, Mic and Little Abigail.

I wonder what went through my late father’s mind on this day back in 1991. He was at the premises of the High Court of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur where I was being admitted to the Malaysian Bar. I wonder if he knew what was going through my mind and I don’t remember if I concerned myself with what was going through his mind on that day. I do now, today, all these years later.

I was a selfish young(er) man then. Much more than I am today. The selfish bit, especially, not just the youth bit. I should have thought more about what my parents’ states of minds were, much more than how much I was thinking about myself. Sure, I was broke, annoyed, in a hurry and generally just wanted to move on ahead. I did not like the immediate prospects that my parents presented me – they too, were broke and I believe, unhappy.

I was driving an early 70s Ford Escort that didn’t have air conditioning. I had bought myself a cheap suit for the occasion at the High Court. I was wearing brand new Bata shoes that cost, probably, around RM20. That was the last of my ringgit horde, having also spent a chunk on the robe and other expenses that accompanied the High Court event. I was then also too broke to attend the tea ceremony of a younger cousin’s wedding – I could not spare the “red packet” that would have been an obligatory presentation of an elder person, had I attended the ceremony. This cousin’s son will be married in January and Tress and I will be attending the wedding. I will remember what happened in late 1991, for a very long time. I would remain poor for the next year or so, for a number of reasons…

With all that, I guess I had good reasons to not be thinking about what my parents were thinking about, on 20 December 1991. Had I ignored those “reasons”, I might have found some soothing comforts that would continue to salve me today. Who knows. I wish I thought about them more.

Summer is finally here, but no one would have thought it has arrived. It was more cold than warm on Friday, and i t bucketed down on Saturday, with the skies dark and gloomy. So, the “green” week of cleaning up the gardens etc., was written off and we did odds and bits instead. Tress went to a local post office to pick up a parcel, and then we went and did some grocery shopping before going to lunch. In the arvo, I did the week’s cook, noting that Sunday would clear up the skies and we decided I’d clean up the greens then.

On Sunday, at St Alfs, the mood was a bit about Peter’s resignation. He has been the senior minister/vicar for over 24 years. He has been the vicar for as long as we have been there. It was the first day of Advent and on the stage stood a stand that had a bouquet of flowers with 4 tall candles around it, signalling it was 4 weeks before Christmas. One was lit, marking the first Sunday of Advent. We also spoke with Siew, John’s wife, who told us about events leading to John’s retirement. He had been with Scriptures Union for 12 years.

After St Alf’s and our usual lunch at Donvale, we went back, let the boys out, and then headed to Bunnings to get a small trestle table. The plan is to use it for the Weber GA for the barbie we’d be having with our dog-owner friends from the off lead dog park across from our home. We’ve been having that each year and this year, due to a number of reasons, we decided to have a barbie amongst a smaller group.

After Bunnings, we headed home and I started on the work around the house – trimmed the James Sterling, edged and mowed the lawns, cleared some weeds on the edge of our front lawns neighbouring the eastern side and generally gave the whole outside a good tidying up. Tress too got busy clearing that corner where the lemon tree sits, getting rid of thorny branches. We finished well past 6pm but it still felt very nice because the sun was well up and the day has been gorgeous. I proceeded to put some stakes to provide a truss for the young tomatoes we had put in 2-3 weeks ago, and appear to be growing well. Again, finger crossed.

Later that night, the older boy was sitting at the far end of the couch I was on, and as he got up to scratch himself, fell off the couch onto the rug. He then convulsed, went into a fit, and started to foam at his mouth. We calmed him down, put a towel under him and caressed him. After about 20 minutes, he settled down and tried to stand up on his own but his legs were obviously very weak. He went to sleep and later as we took him into the bedroom, he stood up again to walk in circles, so I took him out and waited for him to do his business – he struggled to stay on his feet and after a little while, I took him back in and he then settled down to sleep. Tress and I have been thinking if this is the beginning of his end. It’s the second time in 3-4 weeks he has had an “episode”. Our senior furry friend is still ever lovable and for now, I’m just grateful that he sleeps in his bed next to me in my home office.

On Friday night, we had had dinner with Jason and Mel. We had booked a local Thai for just the 2 of us but then Jason messaged us and we changed it to a 4 person night out. Jason and Mel had been on a long break – visiting their daughter in Hong Kong, visiting extended family in Malaysia, dropping by Singapore and having a tour in Turkey. So the catch up was very good, having not seen them for a while. They continue to hover between 2 churches, having “recently” moved away from the one that meets in a shopping centre in Doncaster towards City Life. It sounded like they are still straddling both churches. For us, we’ve been in St Alfs for over 10 years now, and even with Peter leaving next year, we’re likely to remain here. Ross did a “Kids Talk” which focused on the theme of us doing ordinary things, living ordinary lives, that allow God to tell his extraordinary story. This morning too, Tim Keller’s podcast talked about Martha and Mary. Mary did an “ordinary” thing of simply sitting at Jesus’ feet and that was the more precious action. Chugging along in our “ordinary lives” has been what I have said to myself is what we are about. Restless as I often am, maybe that (Ross’s message and Mary’s choice) is a lesson I need to nail down.

Remembering

United has had a woeful start to the season but this, at last, brought a smile to me face:

Tress and I used to look forward to our Friday night dinners at a local joint. It’s our “TGIF” time to wind down and start the weekend. Lately however, we haven’t really found a place we like so we’ve been just cooking at home a bit more. I’m not sure how much this has to do with my self imposed no-alcohol lifestyle; maybe the increasingly pricey offerings of the nicer places also has something to do with the more “stay at home” celebrations.

So last Friday night, we cooked a couple of little lobster tails that I picked up from a local Aldi store a few days earlier. Lynn, our friend from the dog park, had told us about it – she had bought 6 packets (of 2 tails each) for her family Christmas lunch. We threw in a couple of veges and cooked it all on the Weber Q. It was a nice stay-at-home TGIF.

Saturday morning, we did our usual thing of a lazy brekky at home and an extended walk for the little fellow, and then Tress had a hairdresser appointment. I ducked out to Bunnings to get ready to oil the deck. The weather forecast however, had predicted rain so while I was all geared up, I didn’t get to start on the task, which has to wait for a little bit. I did also however, pick up a new yard broom and pan set, along with a chilli plant which I introduced to the other inhabitants of our little vege patch. Fingers crossed they would all flourish.

Around midday, we took the older boy to Heather, another friend from the dog park, who is also a dog sitter and groomer, for a good scrub. Little LBJ has been very disoriented lately. He’s 15 now and his feet are starting to weaken too. This, along with his other ailments and woes. Yesterday, as we walked at the dog park, we chatted with both Heather and Lynn and Heather thought we should start to think about sending LBJ away – she thinks his (LBJ’s) quality of life has deteriorated very badly. I agree, his quality of life hasn’t been so flash, but every time I carry him, I can sense his affection and his wanting to be near us. He is very much pushing on and I don’t think I can, at this point in time, contemplate sending him off just yet.

Yesterday at St Alf’s after the usual service, there was the annual AGM. Numerous nominations for roles in the council and a committee came in so there as a voting process, and the candidates/nominees introduced themselves that included brief descriptions of their backgrounds. They all sounded so impressive. A prominent retired doctor. a very prominent lawyer, accountants, scientists, seasoned missionaries and CEOs of missions organisations – they all stack up to suggest St Alf’s is loaded with talent. My vote however, went to those I thought would be channels of God’s own work. God doesn’t need worldly talents or qualifications. He is far better than all that and it is who He is and His work that matters. I hope that works. There was also an “invest for the future” thing where we were asked to contribute to some capital/building works and beefing up of ministries over the next few years. I thought we’d do our share and the report of Bill the treasurer appears to be very positive.

After St Alf’s, Tress and I drove down towards Syndal for lunch. It had been raining the whole morning and that busy stretch of shops on Blackburn Road just before Syndal station, saw a car turn into a parking lot quite suddenly. The car behind it applied the emergency brake and we were right behind it so I too, did likewise and stopped in time. The car behind me however, did not and collided into our rear. The damage is minimal so I wasn’t too fussed, although the pain of engaging with the insurer company and their panel of repair folks beckons, which pained me.

We continue to enjoy the streams of pictures and video clips that came our way from up north. Abby continues to grow so well and each clip just warms my heart and makes me look forward to the next time we can be with them/her again. At the moment, that’s just under 4 weeks. Yesterday, I mentioned to Mike, another dog park friend of ours, that it’s only 4 weeks to Christmas. That startled me but yes, I have been counting down. Sure, I love Christmas but the countdown was more about framing time around when we’d be with our Canberran family again. It’s less than 4 weeks now… not quite an Advent like event I know, but I am very much looking forward to it all the same.

It was another weekend of greens tidying. So while Tress gave the house a good vacuuming, I wend outside and did the lawns, trimmed the camellias and tidied up the outside generally. All through that, my foot ached with a swell/inflammation that has plagued me each time I’ve had my B12 injections in recent months. Hopefully the one I had about a week and a half ago would be the last and my foot would be free from this pain.

It was also a weekend of clearing up some stuff for a hard waste collection we booked. The main thing to go was the last remaining piece of an old sofa we bought when we first moved to Melbourne. That piece has been retained solely for the doggies, as they sit and look into the parkland/oval across the road. With the new piece Tress picked up last week, that old tattered piece now sits on the nature strip, along with some other odds and ends, including a couple of very old stereo sets and speakers.

Well other than discarding old stuff, I also planted some new seedlings. We picked up some tomato (beef steaks no less) and chilli seedlings on Saturday morning from a local seller just off Blackburn Road, and planed them into the veg plot we had prepped a couple of weeks back, with compost and ridding of weeds etc. Fingers crossed the plants would flourish.

With the house freshly cleaned and some old furniture out the door, the house felt a touch fresh. It’s the end of spring now, and while it is still cool most days, we’ve had stretches of warm days to remind us summer’s just around the corner. I can’t wait for it to come, as it’d mean we’d be closer to when we can go up and see Kiddo, Abby and Mic again. Seeing them always makes me feel fresh and renewed, even when my foot is plagued with post B12 pains.