My Journal:

October 2009

Here it is, the last day of November, and I've just been reminded that I missed October altogether! Where did it go? What did I do? Luckily I have my trusty private journal to refer to.

The month began with a lovely trip down to Forest Hill with some friends. There's a very original Post Office there, where one can buy a lot more than stamps. It's full of interesting craft work, and there's even a lovely little cafe where one can get delicious food - some healthy - some not, and drinks of course. The man behind the post office counter has an interesting accent, and I asked him what part of Ireland he came from. "The part that is in Canada," he said, which caused a few laughs all round. How embarrassing!

The next few weeks were taken up with a lot of necessary work around my home, getting ready for summer. There were seedlings to plant out, reticulation lines to check, gardens to trim and pots to care for. I was also very busy typesetting a recipe book for my local U3A (University of the third age). The book is to be a fundraiser, the money going towards us finding a place of our own sometime in the not too distant future. For those who may not have heard of U3A, it began in France in 1973 and has since spread to countries around the world. U3A promotes learning for personal enjoyment and satisfaction (no exams or tests, and no diplomas or degrees earned). There's no requirement for prior learning or knowledge, just an eager anticipation of stretching the mind and building new friendships. The organisation is run entirely by volunteers (all over 50 and no longer working full time) and the courses offered cover many interests, such as sport, craft, all forms of exercise, the arts, language, technology, travel, dance, games, gardening, the sharemarket - you name it and U3A probably has a course for it. U3A is where I have been studying Italian for the past 2 years, and it's been a lot of fun.

Towards the end of October I travelled up to Bribie Island, where I attended a 5 day retreat. This is an annual event, run by the Society of Women Writers Qld, and is much looked forward to. It's a chance for us to get together for some quality writing time, in a lovely old home in a fabulous location. I always enjoy my time there and come home feeling as though I've had a good holiday, even though I do work and get lots of writing done. And we eat well too!

At the very end of October, I set off from home to drive down to Sydney, where two of my brothers were busy building me a new computer. But more about that next month.