What a Difference a Week Makes

I have just got home after taking Louis for his early morning walk.  It is already over 27C (80F+) and the humidity is 85%.  The continuous rain has gone to be replaced by the more normal afternoon thunder storm.  All roads in the Sunshine Coast are clear of flooding but there has been millions of dollars damage to the road surfaces which we will pick up in increased council rates.  Fortunately the Sunshine Coast had very few house inundations but a few houses have been affected by landslides making them uninhabitable.

The rains eased last Wednesday and apart from a few short thunderstorm showers things have been able to dry out.  All in all we we lucky with major flooding both north and south of the Coast but lust a few streets actually on the Coast.

Our parks have dried out enough to take Louis in them without him coming home covered in mud.

Last Thursday I was able to take my folding bike through partially flooded roads to Noosaville and Noosa Junction to do my weekly shop for non perishables.  The lower rack and the plastic crate make it ideal to carry all my normal shopping and a small handlebar bag carries my tools and spare inner tube.

Since then I have used the bike on any occasion where I really don't have to use my car.

One of those occasions was last Friday when I did my my first MOWs run flying solo.  I arrived early, about 10.30am, and parked as far along the drive way outside the MOW kitchen as possible. I signed in for insurance purposes.  Volunteers are covered by liability and personal injury insurance.  My name card had still not been printed.

As other volunteer drivers arrived I introduced myself as they were nearly all different from my trial run and we had a cup of coffee or tea with some cake to keep us going to out late lunch.

Just after 11.00am the MOW manager, chief cook and organiser, D, called out. "Who's first."  I didn't realise that as I was first in the queue of cars that I was and there was some good humoured banter that I had only come for the cake.

D explained the run for me which was totally different to last week and also much longer.  I would be covering about 40km against 20Km.  I loaded the food in four containers into my Honda Jazz behind the front seats.   The rear seats flip up and lock .  (See http://automobiles.honda.com/fit/modes.aspx)  Theoretically this should be more convenient to get at the food for each delivery.

My route was back through Tewantin where I made two deliveries.  One was to an old High Set Queenslander.  My client was out the back in his shed hand carving little animals out of scrap wood.  He asked me to leave his meal in the kitchen of a little flat which he lived in the ground floor under the Queenslander.  He offered me a little pig as a gift and as I took it in my hand I thought, "Margaret will love this."  then remembered she couldn't so I gave it back.  I will apologise to H next month when I see him again.

My next delivery was to a lady living in a unit near my GP's surgery then on to several houses in the residential suburbs on the outskirts of Tewantin.

By now I realised that putting the food behind the front seats was not a good idea as I had to walk around the car to get to the far containers.  This was a Friday run so some clients had frozen meals for two days over the weekend.  I would load my basket with their hot soup from one container, their hot meal from another, their cold fruit juice and sweet from another, special requirements meals from another and finally frozen food from the last one.  Two clients , a couple, had eleven items each.  Trotting from side to side of the car loading the basket,  ticking off the items as they were loaded plus bending over to get at them soon had me exhausted. This week the containers will be boot where I can stand up straight and reach all the food from one spot.

My run include the caravan park mentioned last week and extended up Mount Timbeerwah along a road below the summit to deliver food the a stroke survivor.  Here I was to pour his soup in his mug and open his main meal.  He could make his own way to the table to eat.  Today he had been a bit unwell and his daughter was there to assist him.  I also meant that I could introduce myself so he would recognise me neat month.

Then it was back down the hill to Noosa Parklands where my house is located.  I made several deliveries here including two to people who knew me from walking Louis passed  their homes.

I got back to the MOW kitchen at 1.15pm,  returned the containers and signed off.  Because of my unfamiliarity with the run and my loading difficulties I was last back by a minute or so but within reasonable time.  My last delivery was 1.00pm which is when the clients start phoning D asking where their meals are!

I was very satisfied with my first solo effort and felt that I had done something useful.

D said that this week's run is much shorter and is entirely within the Riverlands Retirement Village but as there is no rhyme or reason to the numbering of the units I would be provided with a special map.   Riverlands is next door to the Noosa Nursing Centre where Margaret died and Helen and I often took Margaret for walks in her wheelchair nearby.

Since then I have been busy tidying up the garden and house but still finding time  to go for a ride most days.


Today I am putting in an application for a new Passport which means a special interview at the Tewantin Post Office at 10.30am.  Later this afternoon I shall attend the first meeting for 2011 of the Sunshine Coast Computer Club meetin for the northern area at Yandina.