A Love Lost

I have not blogged for so long as the ability to somehow got wiped from my pc,I am having another try and have missed everyone so very much.
On 18th September at 2.30am Joycie passed away quietly.Our plan was for Mum to be here at home always ,but she became a little ill the week prior and we were told she was too frail and too much now for Bob and I.
We retired from work on 30th April to nurse Mum full time, it was a huge job for us both but we loved every minute of it.
Our lives have changed so much, we are lost,so used to no sleep as we were up with Mum every night several times for many months.She never complained and made the magic age of 94.
My brother and I lost both Mum and Dad when Mum went and the hole left in our lives is huge. So lucky to have been blessed to be born to her.
Her two puppies are missing her terrible but slowly adjusting.

It is a big year for Bob, Georgie and I this year.We have placed our resignations in to Australia Post for the 30th April.I am having trouble getting my head into that space as I love my job and although I am ready to enjoy some quiet time I see many people each day and love them all.I sometimes am first to hear the news of a new baby,the passing of a loved one or the loss of a baby,broken hearts,family feuds etc,same for Bob he is not only the town postie but confidant to many.
The sad day when my mail delivery car was decorated for my last Christmas as a bush postie.

Poor Georgie...first he had 5 minutes of fame last year,plastered all over the national Daily Telegraph and Sunrise Tv and the Today show chasing him and Australia Post stopped his career before it started lol,(we like it better that way anyway.)..Now he is suffering withdrawals....
Crofts are shut for January!.he is craving Crofts Pies so much Bob cooked himself a frozen one and Georgie was over quick as a flash, he also loves Crofts salad rolls especially the Beetroot,many ...times travellers pull Bob over to take a pic of them eating at Crofties, some people say they should call the RSPCA most love seeing him and think it is great, the problem is Georgie thinks he is a person so the RSPCA is not good..best call DOCS..he also loves Potato Straws and chips,yogurt ,white coffee 2 sugars(if you have it another way you are safe lol) he loves Red wine,he hates anything made with light milk or diet food.
Bless his heart,he will miss all this when we give up work,I think we are going to have to have a little plan so he can have a ride on the bike occasionally and have a weekly Crofties!

 

Our eldest grandchild Alexander has just turned 16.People say the youth of today are stuck in front of their phones,Xboxes etc but I think there is a fine balance in life and it is up to the parents to guide and help the children find that balance.
I think my daughter and son in law found that balance 2 years ago when Alexander joined the Air Cadets.
This is a wonderful thing for young girls and boys,Mums are NOT allowed to launder,iron or clean their shoes, they go out on camp once a month and learn to live rough ,he comes back exhausted but exillerated.
He has learned disiplin(he only went with his shoes not up to par once),he has learned brotherhood,responsiblility just to name a few things.
Alex has always wanted to be a pilot or in the Air Force at some level and has focused on this happening since he was 4!
He may change his mind as kids are prone to do but he will be a better young man for his experiences.
He had his Grand Parade this last weekend,another thing we have had to miss but we were with him in spirit,maybe it was a good thing we could not go( we have Mum full time and she can no longer be left alone) Bob and I would have been bawling as we are so proud of him.

Alex front

Far right

 

Well done Kate and Steve you have done a great job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the October long weekend we always do our Christmas cakes and puddings, this year was no different but Mum found the stirring quite hard almost 94 makes you think is this the past time we shall do this together  making all the more special.Bob had a stir too as no family were here this time,usually someone is home to stir the pud. They are now in the freezer,another strange thing e have had to do for many years no ,we used to hang the pudding in the Laundry for months but several years ago somehow the seasons became more humid and the cloths went mouldy so now we freeze them and if at all possible they are even more delicious.

Each day we find things that Mum can't do anymore that once was just a daily routine,but with lots of laughter and love we get through.
Her favourite thing is the shower that I now have to give her,she loves her back scrubbed and especially hair wash and set day as she is very fussy about her hair. The most laughter we have is at bedtime as I put her to bed, our neighbour recently sent me a text to say he could hear us across the road above the storm bird which has been driving him crazy for weeks.
Usually it starts from Mum telling me I am a rough house Annie as she sits on the bedside and I have to lift her legs up to get her in.She is a trooper and  even if in my mind I am wanting to hurry I am very aware of the privilege it is to look after her and I never let on,I find then a little while later I am so glad I was patient, I think otherwise I would be sad I my heart.

                              Just a few things we have had going on around  homethe garden.....

 Bob bought an old wood burning stove and is making an area on the back patio for it, we now do all our Jams,Pickles and roasts in it and bread..it is his most favourite thing.

 Roses from our garden, they were really wonderful this year,now that Mum is not so able to walk around and look at them we make sure she always has some nearby to admire and smell.

 Awful winds this week dislodged a Pee Wee nest from our large Gum tree,we rescued these babies and placed them in a hanging pot for Mum to find and she did.

 The King Parrots come daily for a bath and drink from many bird baths we have around the yard,this one loves the ladies head.

Georgie enjoying a shower of rain on Bob shoulder,he just loves it in the rain and of course Bob has many scratches on his shouldrers.

                                 The boys and I are still doing our soldiers care packages.

We have been working so hard on our passion and to date we have done more than ever before 254 and another 33 in the spare room to go and then we will get the names for our Christmas boxes.
I have 7 boys now and I call them my magnificent 7! We were blessed enough for a local company to sponsor us with a uniform to wear so we are very professional looking now.We have blue polo shirts with navy writing and red caps, these three colours represent all three Australian Forces.

Our home at times looks like a postal depot,and if we get unexpected guests we have to scarper and clear the bed off,but we would not have it any other way.
To do this and expect no reward is a wonderful lesson for these boys,however we get some amazing letters back from troops telling us how much a difference it made to them.
All the boys are great and make up for us not having any family close by,when our daughter comes home she loves to join in and help the boys she is a wonderful support for us with Mum and everything we do bless her.
Our little town is so generous to us,as soon as I am in need of goodies for the boxes I put it on the Facebook community page and all of a sudden everything  turns up that I need.

I thought you might like to see this,Bob and Georgie made the limelight a couple of months ago,it was in The Daily Telegraph...page 3 mind you and almost a page full( well the birds are always on page 3 but not usually the feathered variety).
This lead to TV stations ringing Australia Post and wanting to do a story,which lad to Bob getting into all sort of trouble for allowing himself to go into print,Bob thought the person taking the pics etc was a year 12 student having a little joke.
This then lead to the big boss from Canberra travelling up and giving him a dressing down,the remodifying of his postie bike apparently set up wrong(the pics showed this)mind you it is as it was when he started 11 years ago!
The upside is that they love the fact that Georgie goes with Bob and so that was a bonus.Thank goodness we are only a few months from finishing and retiring...the world has gone mad when you find a simple bag on the front of the bike is wrong and the crate on the back too ...who cares as long as our lovely town gets their mail!

This last pic is a classic as Georgie loves it best when Bob has a long straight and can go faster,I think it reminds him of our big bike.We are going to keep one postie bike when we finish up just so Bob and Georgie can go fro a ride occasionally because they will both miss it.