Notice I didn't say "lonely life". Walking a a friendly dog has got me many friends.
Since Helen went home I have been busy sorting out things around the house. As I said before Helen had saved me the problem of going through Margaret's things but there are still lots of things which haven't been used in years and should be moved out. This includes my old business clothes including a couple of suits and several pairs of trousers which I'll never fit into again. I am being quite ruthless in throwing things away and intend to be able to fit all my clothes into one small wardrobe and couple of drawers. Up here in Queensland I live in short casual shirt and sandals for eight months of the year. For the other four I substitute the shorts with casual trousers, the sandals for walking shoes and add a light jumper. I have a rain-jacket for wet weather.
I will keep one suit , some good shoes and a couple of good shirts and ties etc. for formal occasions.
I have also got bed linen collected over 50 years and about 6 thick wool blankets. Most of this will go. I shall retain four dunas and a couple of covers each and sheets, pillows and pillow cases for the four beds in the house.
There is literally a mountain of bath towels, beach towels, tea towels and bathmats to be culled. I shall keep the best, about15 bath towels, four beach towels (for Louis) about a dozen tea towels and hand towels. The rest are stuffed in four bulging garbage bags to go as rags for charity.
I finished of last week by saying that I wash going shopping using my bicycle for transport but it started raining and hasn't really stopped since. We had the wettest November for many years and when summer started on December 1 it really started raining. This has affected my holiday plans as I expected to be charging North on the tilt train at this moment but the tracks have been flooded and I shall leave this evening. I have had to slip the whole trip by a day. Unfortunately this means that I shall be coming back on the tilt train sitting up rather than in a sleeping bearth on the Sunlander. I will cover the trip in my next blog.
Finally I should state how I am coping living on my own. First I miss Margaret. I still see things and tell myself, "I must let Margaret know about that.' When making decisions I still think, "What would Margaret want to do?" One of my dog walking friends, J, husband died five years ago and she tells me that she still discusses things with him so perhaps I am not so peculiar.
The most difficult time is in the evening when normally I would be sitting next to Margaret in our big chairs watching TV and having a glass of wine. Even lately when Margaret was in the hospital or nursing centre Helen would be there or I.
would be whacked out after visiting Margaret
Now I watch TV for a little while, surf the Internet for a while and check my emails and am normally in bed by 9.00pm.
From 8.30pm this evening I shall be on the tilt train sitting up and looking forward to a 22 hour train trip.
Louis is kennels, my bags are packed and I have a little tidying up before I go away.
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