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[Page 112]
spending a week with us. Mother was very excited over the engagement and was already planning the wedding and her wedding outfit, it was a very happy occasion to lead us into Christmas. By now I am an expert Christmas pudding maker and that is my contribution to Christmas which was celebrated at the Reids, Merle, Ron, Stephen, Geoffrey, Margaret (she had flown up from Sydney), Alan and myself. It truely was a peaceful and happy Christmas.
So we move on to 1989 and I really can't remember if Mum made a trip to Sydney in the early part of that year. I think not.
Dorrie Young made the journey (by train of course) to Queensland in April. she and Mother would spend 10 days or so together. Alan and I were on holidays and the "two girls" were in charge of our home. They had a great time. Merle and Ron were always on hand and made sure they were well looked after, car rides to Crowes Nest and other tourist spots. Mothers 78th birthday was celebrated at the Reids. Of course Mother took Dorrie to her church at Labrador, can't you see them both, dressed up to the nines, looking gorgeous, no doubt they turned a few heads in church that day. Mum returned to Sydney with Dorrie. Merle and Ron drove them to Murwillumbah where they boarded the train and headed south to Sydney, a 17 hour journey. Dorrie has since told me how special that holiday was with Mum. That would have been in the May of 1989 that Mum went to Sydney with Dorrie. She would have stayed with Margaret and perhaps Betty too. Mum and Betty travelled from Sydney to Canberra to see Shani in "Dangerous Liaisons." I recall John saying "Mother will be horrified by the play" it just so happened she thought it was marvelous.
My failing memory tells me Mum came home via Ballina. This time Betty and Mum travelled by car from Sydney. Merle and I drove down to Ballina (Wayne Shields was with us) to meet them and have a night together. Betty and Wayne headed towards Sydney and Mum returned home to the Gold Coast. Mother was tired after that trip away. She had been on the go since April and its now June 1989.
Life in the fast lane was over for a little while.
Mum was back home in Queensland where she would love Tuesdays, because Merle would call in for lunch or afternoon tea and we three ladies would play scrabble. She loved Thursday and Fridays too because I went to work and got out of her hair for a while. Mum took charge on those days. Mondays were special because we would go shopping. Wednesdays were special too as Mum would have dinner with the Reids. Ron would drive Mum home somewhere around 9.00p.m. Saturdays were good days as some afternoons Mum. Merle and I would go out for a drive to Sanctuary Cove or Marina Mirage or have an evening at the Gold Coast Little Theatre. Sunday was for church. We had plenty of time, time for everything. Making lots of jam, shortbread, fruit cake, doing the washing and ironing, writing letters and cards. Mum wrote so many letters, playing patience. Each morning Mother ate an orange, she began eating her orange in the back yard whilst checking out the garden - scattering the seeds, little orange trees are cropping up everywhere. Beautiful.