Eddie............. RIP

Sadly a young man we know was killed in an aircraft accident on Monday. He was a lot of fun to be around as he had a great sense of humour and often initiated a scene that would have an interesting effect on people, especially strangers who would often be the victim of his pranks. A lady customer in McDonalds was about to get very aggressive with Nathan when Eddie started his yes masser', don't hit me masser' joke with Nathan. She was quite embarassed when she realised they were fooling around and Eddie was the instigator.
Nathan and I had a memorable joke on him in my house where as the tale grew taller his eyes grew wider so that only the whites of his eyes could be seen in the darkness of the room. On the way back to Sydney with Nathan (who had stretched the joke even further) he finally realised I had been pulling his leg and he was very determined to pay me back if I visited Kenya. I visited him several times in Sydney before he returned and he made me promise to look him up if ever I came there. I had the pleasure of meeting him in Nairobi some time later and we laughed the whole time. He never did pay me back for the prank. I had the pleasure of meeting Mandy at their home before the girls were born and we were supposed to meet again if I had the opportunity and he was home, but unfortunately he had to fly to Mogadishu and I had other commitments that prevented me from seeing him again. He was so proud of his job and his wife. He was so excited about showing me around his unit and how he had settled down. He was also so proud of his girls when they arrived, I can't even imagine how devastated Mandy is at this time. My prayers are for his family at this time and that they will find comfort in the Lord.

About time

My adopted niece Leakhena has finally set a date for her wedding. It is on the 9th of April 2010. I have been invited, so that means a trip to Cambodia next year. I am looking forward to catching up with her and her family as I have not seen them for some time. It will be good to meet her fiance Matt! The only risk is Leks mum trying to marry me off to someone! :)

What a country we live in!

I have just spoken to Mel who is in Queensland. They are inland travelling to various places in Central Queensland on holiday. Where she was ringing from it was very hot and dusty, while here it is blowing like mad, overcast and occasionally raining. When I look to the south towards the Snowy Mountains it is heavily overcast and looks and feels like it is snowing! I know where I would rather be!

She was telling me that the one horse town where we had our acreage, is now a bustling small town with 600 people, in stark contrast to when we were living there. It seems that the area is developing around there due to a number of reasons, but somehow I don't think I would want to go back.

I want to retire nearer the coast when the time comes. I don't think I could live inland again with the heat and the dust. Definitely got to live near the water again!
I am even finding it hard to live in Canberra in some ways as my desire is to be closer to the family. Canberra has been good to me. A lot of people dislike it but I can't complain. I have made a lot of different friends here and it has been very convenient for me to travel to different places. However it is still a largely transient town and people come and go and accordingly so does ones friends.

It will be really good when I am finally nearer to Mel and the family as well as the other friends I have up there.

It's a long way away

As I write this Anne should be somewhere in the air over America. I still am amazed at how we are able to travel to the other side of the world in such a short time! It takes me a full day with a night stopover to drive 1100 kilometres to Queensland!

I am sure the grandchildren will have a great time with Anne as she is passionate about her grandchildren. I am sure she will spoil them at every chance! I am glad for her that she is able to go as it is very important for her to be able to see them. Hopefully next year I will have the opportunity to go there. Would have gone this year but unfortunately I have used up all my Recreational leave for this year sorting out some stuff with Mums estate etc. Hurry on retirement!!!!!!!!!

Leakhena

It was with great delight I just found out that a very precious young lady is engaged to be married. Her family is very dear to me and I had the privelege of having her stay with me for some time while she completed some of her early studies. Leakhena went to England when her father was posted there for his work and she completed a degree. She then found employment there where she eventually met the young man she is to marry.

I had a great time with her here as she was very much like a daughter to me. I have known the family for many years and felt very honored when her father Naren asked if she could stay with me rather than other people who they knew here. I enjoyed the time she was in my home as it was very much like having my own daughter here. She would come home from class and have to chat about her day, no matter how late it was. We would discuss her worries and be excited about her successes together. I took great delight in teasing her and she would often try to tease me back without success. She eventually realised age and cunning beats youthful inexperience every time. We had a lot of fun here and when she eventually joined her family back in Cambodia at the end of her studies, it left a very empty space in the house and my heart as she had become very much 'family' to me.

I wish her great happiness for the future and may God bless her marriage.

Fathers Day

One thing about Fathers Day is the joy of knowing your children are doing well! Living so far away from them is difficult, but today we are able to communicate so much easier than years ago, which means we are never really out of touch. I take great joy in reading the blogs my daughter and son write and also my daughter in law's funny comments on hers.

It was nice to read that both Melanie and Nathan think highly of me. I know my own Dad took delight in receiving a call from my brothers or myself on special days and wish that I had been able to tell him more often about how I appreciated his hard work to provide for us.

Sometimes being a parent we wonder whether we have been good enough as no one is more aware of our failings than we are ourself, yet if we have tried to love our children to the best of our ability it comes back to us later with their love to us. Just the simple statement that I am their hero is such a wonderful thing to me. It means so much!


I think that having had the privelege of being a father and now a grandfather has been a wonderful journey. I am truly blessed by the children I have and love them both dearly. I have been blessed also by the partners they have chosen in life who have given me seven wonderful grandchildren. I look forward to my retirement so I will be able to spend more time with them all as I am able to!

Uh huh

Here I am sitting in my office on a Saturday morning writing a blog out of boredom. I have to wait on a consignment that was supposed to be here by 8:30 and it still hasn't arrived. I will take Shakia for a walk and enjoy the time and get paid for it! I want to be at home getting my own work done as my back fence has been replaced and I want to re-do the backyard and get it tidy. At least the weather is warming up so I can get things done. I have to get my boat ready for summer sailing as well, so I guess I will be busy over the next few months. ......

Peanut nut

I have discovered that I have an addiction to peanut butter, Super Crunchy, from ALDI. Can't leave it alone! 3 jars in the last fortnight. Will end up like the three hundred pound man they had to use a crane to rescue him from his apartment! Of course we won't mention the litre of ice cream in three nights or the block of roast almond chocolate in two either. I will have to go on a diet this spring, I already jiggle in the middle when I run. Asked the doctor for a referral to a plastic surgeon when I saw him for my checkup. He looked at me puzzled and said what on earth for? I told him I needed a breast reduction, some liposuction and a tummy tuck as I was getting too fat. Damn!!! I just had to go and have another spoonful after talking about it all! Guess I'll describe myself as cuddly instead of athletic or slim!

It is cold outside and overcast so I thought it would be a good time to post a blog. I am working out how you do this stuff as I am not too fond of facebook although it has its usefulness. I have been looking at the blogs my daughter and daughter in law post and love their creativity. It is most enjoyable to read what is happening with the grandchildren in a way that I never could have even ten years ago! I can't wait to retire so I will be able to travel any time I want to go and visit with them. It will be hard to leave this house as I have become quite comfortable here. It is nice to be able to sit in my office and look out the window at the trees and with the hills in the distance. It is amazing how the houses are hidden by the trees and it is hard to realise that I am living in a quite populated suburb of the city. Still there is a time for everything and my time here is coming to a close. As much as I like this place I need to be closer to all my family. Well Shakia needs to go for a walk and so do I! So until...............

The Ledj