Monday, 20th March 2006

Cyclone Larry

Even worse than cyclone Tracy, that flattened Darwin years ago, and as severe as Katrina – that's how they are describing cyclone Larry, which swept through Innisfail this morning. My neighbour has been on tenterhooks all day, because her daughter and family live in Innisfail. We have heard that they lost their roof, and all their belongings are saturated with water, but they are all safe and unhurt.

Innisfail is way up north, a long way from where we are, in Brisbane. The air has been very still and hot here today. It has been one of the longest and hottest Summers we've had for a long time

The shop lifter

We've had extra Jumble sales this month to try and sell the summer clothes before winter starts. There haven't been as many customers lately. It's always the same at the end of summer. Everyone has enough summer clothes and they are not ready to think about winter yet.

The woman who shoplifts is still coming in. Last time, we saw her put a lovely embroidered cardigan in her bag but somehow she managed to slip out without paying for it. She's not poor. She always wears lots of expensive looking jewelery.

“I didn't think she'd do that,” said one of our helpers. “She wears a cross on a chain.”

“Yeah,” I said. “and I bet she didn't pay for it!”

We had been talking about trees on the footpath, and how the City Council will give a free tree to anyone who wants to plant one.

My friend said, “I was going to go to the Ward Office, and ask for a free tree, but you have to be in uniform.”

“That's crazy!” I said. “Why would you have to wear a uniform?”

“I mean all the trees have to be in uniform,” she explained. She had wanted a different kind of tree, but all the trees along the street have to be the same kind – so they will be uniform!

Some of our conversations get rather confusing!

Wednesday 22nd March 2006

Hobbling around

I often see old people – not always old, but most of them are- walking slowly, carefully with the aid of walking sticks or walking frames. Some are stooped and shuffling. It's a very common sight when we are out shopping. This is an area where a lot of pensioners live.

Sometimes we just don't realise how hard it is for some people to get about and we don't appreciate the pain and the struggle – unless we experience something like it ourselves. On Friday, I was sitting on the seat outside the supermarket when an elderly woman with a walking stick limped out through the big door and came over to where I was sitting. She lowered herself carefully and sat down with a thump beside me.

This time I understood. She had to thump herself down, because her knees or legs were too painful to bend any further. And I knew this, because just 5 minutes before, I'd hit to sit down the same way!

I had been like that since last Wednesday. I was hurrying out of my front door when my left foot suddenly turned over sideways and I landed with a thud on the doormat. Don't know how it happened – I think I must have stepped down on the edge of the thick mat and my foot rolled over. I hobbled around with a walking stick for a couple of days. (Luckily, there was one amongst the jumble sale stuff in my shed.) As well as a swollen bruised foot, my right knee has been very sore and the colours on my backside are a sight for sore eyes! It was a good excuse to take things easy and rest with a good book for the rest of the day.

The next day, I had to go out, so Frances drove me in her car. While she went to the bank, I waited in the car and watched people passing by. People of all shapes. Lots of people with walking sticks. I marvelled how it is possible for people to walk upright at all, 'specially when you consider some of the shapes.

The woman with the big boobs – what prevents her from falling forward? And another woman with huge dangling earrings – before she puts the second one on to balance the first, what stops her from falling over sideways?

I'm still limping a bit after a week. It's amazing how tiring it is when you can't walk properly! But I think it does you good to experience what some people have to live with.