New Year's Eve

Today is the last day of 2009 and the end of a difficult year.New Year's Day is our wedding anniversary. I will be spending it with Surrey by sorting out our bedroom and making sense of all his clothes and treasures. The children will join me for part of the day and we'll be able to share the usual bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne.

New Year's Day is also the day I will begin my new journey through a different life on my own. As part of this I am starting a new blog. Click here to find it.

The great cleanup begins

After a rainy day yesterday, lunch with Desley, Jack, Cath and Ed and the delivery of my new washing machine the two boys had a great time decorating the washing machine box for me. What a great cubby house.

Today was a fine day and Geoff and I decided it was just perfect for doing a bit of yard sorting. The two dinghies were taken up to Spencer just before Christmas which left us with a small shelter/car port to clear ready for some pallets as flooring.

We had two visitors that were most welcome... a dragon fly ...

and a blue tongue lizard which looked very healthy.

 

We ended up with the paving finished around the new ramp, and all the stones moved to the back of the now empty boat shelter.

We cleared out the boat shelter ready for the pallets.

 And we now have some recycling to be done and waste to be removed. If you have any use for metal...

 Old fuel or the jerry cans holding it...

 Or some old empty gas bottles and more old oil etc ...

then please let me know. I will be ringing various waste removalists to come very soon so please contact me asap if you can use any of these.

What a Christmas!

Wow! Although Christmas this year certainly sounded familiar in its planning - midnight service, breakfast with the grandsons, lunch at Desley's, that is where the similarity ended.

Having gone to bed after midnight my day started before 6am to be at Ellen and Rod's for present opening and breakfast by 6:30am. The present opening was stalled by time to play with the fantastic new extended track that Santa had time to set up all through the kitchen and along to the boy's room when he visited.

Once Pauline and Alan, Adrian and Geoff and Jen arrived it was time for present opening. What a grand affair and the boys even took it in turns to open their presents so that everyone could watch and enjoy the fun.

By the end of this and the full English breakfast cooked on the barbeque everyone was exhausted and had a bit of a collapse to watch a new DVD and settle for a while. I even heard that all four of Ellen's family had a nap in the afternoon.

It was then off to Desley and Jack's for Geoff, Jen and myself where we were treated to more present opening. This began as a more adult occasion ...

... but it was certainly no more subdued than the morning session with the boys. What fun we had!

No! Presents were not being thrown across the room even though it looks as though that might have happened. A delicious lunch followed with all sorts of contributions from everyone. Gram thoroughly enjoyed herself. No, she did not share in the wine even though this photo might lead you to believe she did.

Cousins relaxed together sharing the fun.

A quiet hour or so followed lunch but then it was then time for Desley's 'project' idea. We summoned Gram back from her place (even in the rain). Three generations of girls spent the afternoon scanning in old family pictures while Gram told us all about each one.

Then it was time for leftovers for dinner (yum!) and to collapse in front of TV. There were actually quite a few shows worth watching to wind up such a great day.
I then slept over at Desley and Jack's and after a slow rise we collected Gram to continue the 'project' work. It is not finished but by lunch we were ready to stop. After a quick lunch at Gram's I then came home and settled in for a very quiet evening.

It was a great Christmas day and certainly one I will remember fondly for a long time.

It's the night before Christmas

I thought the photo taken at our Christmas in July this year was a beaut one to put here. Hope you like it.

Life's been chaotic so for those to whom I have forgotten to send our Christmas Newsletter I add it here. It is a DIY card so you need to click on each image then print them back to back to fill an A4 page. The page can then be folded in four to create a card. I am sorry if I missed you in my list. The list became so large this year with all those people who were such a great support while Surrey was ill. So please forgive me and keep in touch.

Underhill mourns

Well this is the first time the new car has visited Underhill so a new view from the shed rather than the familiar view of the Hilux. It was a good drive. Evelyn came with me but we were greeted by a very dry block. It did rain all the time we were there, just light and sprinkley. The temperature at midday was 13 C after a temperature the day before in Sydney of 42 C!

We spent some time sorting out the caravan and thinking about how to arrange things in the dining/sitting area. We really need some new-old carpet about 3m x 6m or part thereof so if anyone knows of some then please let me know. Our kitchen cupboard is also falling apart so if you find a free-standing kitchen style cupboard we'd like that too.

The ground is bare and the grass is low. The rain made it even sadder. Our soil carbon count must be really low at the moment. The dog yards are well eaten by the wallabies and wombats that have made holes in the fences. At least they are well mown. One job soon will be to fix those fences. All our attempts to date have been in vain.

The dams are low but not as low as they have been.

The berry yard looks good but there is no fruit set this year. Our tiny Christmas trees will be big enough next year for me to pick one perhaps. I did pick one last year so that Surrey could enjoy one of the trees he had planted. It did look good at home.

If you are interested in coming down to Underhill I would love it. It is unsafe to actually do any work down there if I am on my own as there is no phone reception or help closeby. It is also always nice to have company for the drive. Just let me know via email and I can send you the dates so you can choose.

Tree Planting for Surrey

A tree (native, of course!) will be planted in the Royal Botanic Gardens in memory of Surrey on Friday 8 January 2010.

Family, friends and colleagues are invited to attend this.

Time: 10.30 am

Place: just NE of the big bamboo patch (Bed 141) on the upper slope of Lawn 59 (to the south-east of Government House grounds) - see http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/101766/GARDEN-BEDS-MAP.pdf if you are not sure of the location.

You are invited to come back to the Herbarium for morning tea in the Caley Seminar Room after the planting.

For catering purposes, please do tell Betty or Karen if you are coming.

The final files

After the funeral service Surrey was buried at Woronora Cemetery on the Casuarina Lawn, Plot no. 1381. As yet there is no plaque but I am assured one will be created.

Below I have included Andrew's Talk (our Minister). What an appropriate talk for us all. Thank you Andrew.

Surrey's Music and Slideshows

Lots of people have asked me for the slide shows from the funeral so at last they are ready to view here.

First there is the shorter version played during the service. The music accompanying this one is Smile (written by Charlie Chaplin and sung by Nat King Cole).

Then a longer version with added slides and different music played as people left the church. Many people missed this one. The first song here is very appropriate - Flower on the Water by John Williamson. This is followed by Down to the River to Pray. Water played a large part in Surrey's life.

The music at the beginning of the service was a selection of songs from Grahame Connor's North album.

Surrey's Funeral Service

I have included in this post the Order of Service (with corrected spelling), and eulogies by Ellen and Karen read at the service. Just click on the images and they should appear in a separate window ready to read or print. In another post I will include the slide show of photos of Surrey that was played at the end of the service as many people were not inside the church to see it.

Farewell Surrey

Thank you to all those who helped make Surrey's funeral such a moving event. At the end of the day which did not really end till about 5 pm I breathed a sigh and said to my cousin staying with me 'What a great day!' How can you say that about the day of your husband's funeral? However, it really was! He would have enjoyed it all. There were plenty of tears but also lots of laughter and people had plenty of time to catch up with those they may not have seen for many years.

The flowers on the coffin were magnificent - grasses and water lilies! Gathered the day before and even that morning by a few gallant botanical people and displayed in a beautiful wreath. Thank you Karen for managing that and thank you to all those who were part of that process, I don't even know some of you.

Andrew (our minister at St Cuthbert's) led a beautiful service. Thank you Andrew for weaving such a beautiful story, so meaningful to all present.

Ellen (on behalf of the family) and Karen (on behalf of the botanical community) both gave very moving eulogies. Geoff and Rod and Ellen compiled music and slides to remind us all of Surrey's lovely smile and 'crinkly blue eyes'.

Ellen and I produced the order of service leaflet (even misspelling Surrey's middle name Laurence after at least six edits) and Andrew organised the readings and printing of the leaflet. We have some over and will be sending them to those we know would have been there if they could. If you would particularly like one please email me.

Thank you Robyn and Ken for your readings.

White Lady Funerals ensured that the whole program flowed seamlessly.

Friends from St Cuthberts managed the morning tea wonderfully (especially when we had about 250 people to serve to). Thank you to Betty S, Ken, Robyn, Suzanne, Joy, and thank you also to Betty H and Joy C for the flowers in the church. They were beautiful.

Thank you Pauline, Rod and Ellen for sourcing all the drinks and food. Thank you also to those quiet little elves who supplied sandwiches. I don't even know who you were!

Then there was the gathering at our home of all those in the hall when clearing up began. There was more laughter, tears and chatter for some hours. We had various transport runs that left at intervals throughout the afternoon - airport, Hurstville station, Merrylands, Bondi Junction. Thanks to those who took care of all the drinks, lunch, transport, watering of flowers and garden, air conditioning ... Thank you to Leonie for being my shadow and ensuring that things happened smoothly at home both before and after the funeral.

Thank you also to all those who have supported Surrey and I throughout the year with emails, blog comments, cards, letters, flowers, donations to various charities, visits, prayers, special personal ceremonies in distant places, food parcels and company. I love you all for your kindness. Surrey, to the end, was gob-smacked by the thoughtfulness of you all as was I.

Thank you all for the large and small parts you played in celebrating Surrey's life!