Dad's Letter Christmas 1952

 June 29, 2021

 Sent back home by my 19yrs old fighting in the Korean War in 1952. Now I have grandchildren this age and understand better just how very young he truly was and to be enduring this horror.

 Page 1...

From Korea

" Dear Family,

Well Christmas is here but I never thought I('d) be in a place like this. We're still in the line & will be for the New Year we pull out on Jan 4th:- so by the time you get this we should be out.

I've just received your second parcel & thanks very much family it's OK. We(ve) not had a proper dinner, our Christmas dinner comes on the 4th Jan. You should have seen the lads when I opened it HA HA + the Christmas(cake?) & cards very nice & thanks for the candles HA HA & 20 Woodbines.

The Daily Mail gave us a bottle of beer 20 Capstan and a bar of chocolate, not bad for a thank you. I also got the (news)papers & thanks for putting in the Daily Herald.

I am very sorry about Doreen(SIL), I just don't know what to say, it was such a shock to me, I only hope she soon gets well again & I know she will. When you go to see her give her my love Alan or Mam when you go, ask her if she remembers last Christmas Eve HA HA

Thanks Mrs Winters very much for putting something in for me, I've not forgotten her.

Page 2

We was woke up this morning with a cup of tea, I wish they would do it every morning then I might sign on HA HA.

We've just got a new draft come to us. I've one sleeping in with me. Every time he hears a bang or sees a flash off a gun he's always asking me what it is but being an old sweat, Dad, I tell him HA HA. It's a shame for him, he's 19 but he looks about 15. they make me sick back home sending blokes like him out. You should see the difference between the new blokes and us HA HA

The Chinks have been putting Christmas card(s) and presents on the wires and playing carols across the valley to us, very nice of them but the RAF didn't think so HA

Well I'll close now as teas up, Spam and cheese HA HA. Thanks once again sorry I couldn't be there & thank Auntie Maggie and Betty for the parcels. I'll try and drop them a line. Hope you got my card.

Your Loving son

Jack

xxxx

xxxx

xxxx

Dad passed away on January 18th this year at the nursing home and is much missed, This is his last Christmas, 68 years later...

November 21

 Hallo again, just a few pics of what we've been doing lately...not a great deal and I am yearning to travel again once we can...such a sorrowful time for so many people and I do count my blessings every day.

Garden is booming with the warmer days although it hasn't been really hot yet which is unusual...lots of pansies here...

lovely lobelia self-seeds everywhere and looks divine...

I'm picking silverbeet, parsley, spring onions, basil, strawberries and lettuce from this riotous bed...

and now my mini Bougainvillea is really thriving...

Some more baby knits finished for two babies due in April...I have bought these top down patterns as there is no sewing up to do once the knitting is finished, the sleeves are knit on the round and the pattern starts at the neck edge and increases to the under arms...very clever methinks...

I went with Dad, Elizabeth and Caleb to the Remembrance Day Service at dad's Care Home, Gill (from Warrington) took this great photo...

Elizabeth and the Lads had fun at Halloween, K and V throw a great party every year and their whole street joins in...Dad and David getting in the 'spirit'

Steampunk is such fun...

Their bus is almost ready for the road with the help of big Bro and good friend Brock, will show some photos once it's tidy and ready. We're also working on Dad's house, de-cluttering and stripping wallpaper and painting(big Bro again)...there's still such a lot of upkeep even though Dad no longer lives there.

Pip pip cheerio

xxx

Waves From Behind The Settee

 

Erky Perky as Rose used to say...I've been away so long that everything in Blogger is different lol

 I've been pretty 'down' this year as I continue to support Dad in Care during Covid times. Dementia is so hard to watch and deal with but he's safe and well looked after these days and could no longer live by himself although that doesn't stop him asking why not?

Here is my knitting which keeps me sane!

It's Spring alright now so I took some pics outside...

We are so fortunate here in WA as our government has kept the interstate borders closed for months now so Covid is almost non-existent here; the only cases have been returning residents who have kept in hotel quarantine. Other states have fared badly and Charlie's other Nana hasn't seen him for a year now...it's very, very sad. My English cousins are also in lockdown as are our Canadian loved ones.

My brother, Ian turned 60yrs this week and he and Wendy visited 2 weeks ago to pick up their new car...it was wonderful to have so many of the family under my roof as we got Dad out for the day and we gathered here for lunch. We also took Dad to the park in September for his 87th birthday...I think Gord is describing a fish he caught ;)

Hope you are all keeping well, big love, Sue

xxx

Visitors and A Walk

     Staying strictly within the confines of social distancing Elizabeth and the Lads managed a visit and I managed a walk around the block...    David had trouble in the dinosaur suit as it is adult size...

                                      

It was Eliz and Cody's birthdays yesterday, just had to send $$ to their bank accounts as we couldn't see them or shop for them...
I've done the 15 minutes walk around a nearby block, Day 1 went well and I saw a huge flock of pelicans going home to roost. Day 2 was hard work going up that slight incline. Day 3 Joe came with me and talked non-stop the whole way round(he hasn't been invited again). Day 4 I took these photos and could have walked further I suppose...this is around 5.30pm, it's getting dark so quickly now...

It's been raining all night which is a lovely change and to celebrate I am making a beef and potato stew for our tea tonight,

Hope you are well, I really do
Love Sue
xxx

Just Some Photos

Hallo Every-one, how are you managing at the moment, such tragic times for so many families plus the anxiety and stress of loss of income and the fear of becoming ill. I'm finding that being at home gives me a false sense of 'there's nothing really happening' but the TV news channel begs to differ.

Very quiet here as expected, we haven't been out for weeks now apart from a trip to collect our prescriptions from the chemist, I drove and stayed in the car while Joe went into the chemist...he hasn't driven at all since his car accident late November when he gashed his head and wrecked the car, there's never a dull moment is there?

This purple and lavender blanket is finished now...such fun and easy knit but so effective with the variety of colours and textures...have begun a nice chevron stitch one now and it's lovely to see the zig zags take shape...more anon...

Still in the garden small things are going on...a fungus came up in one pot...such a pretty colour

Next to the washing line a Golden Orb spider has spun an enormous web, the strands are surprisingly strong, she has bundled up many flies and was working on a large blow-fly when I took this. I haven't seen her mate for a few days, he's probably one of those bundles she's saving for a rainy day..

Elizabeth and David are making some hilarious home movies while in lock-down, I am trying to work out how to share them here; today's efforts involve a T-Rex suit and a spectacular fall from a log lol I think they need to go onto you tube first before I can upload them, Eliz is using Tik Tok atm the moment.

I made a yummy meatloaf by squeezing the meat from 500 gms of free range chicken sausages(the chickens are free range not the sausages) and fried off capsicum, onion etc, an egg, rolled oats and lots of herbs. It had a nice firm texture and was easy to slice for sandwiches too.

So stay safe my friends, stay well and make the most of this time at home if you are lucky enough to be able to stay there,

Love from Sue

I wonder if this link to Elizabeth's you tube will work now?

Quarantinus Rex

March 31st and Pear's Soap

Would you believe that my first on-line purchase after being in lock-down was for 6 precious bars of Pear's soap?

It's an emotional attachment I have because this is the soap that my Nana Gardner always used....I've been buying for Dad(for his comfort too) for several years now and the amazing perfume it has always makes me happy.

And those iconic posters of a chubby toddler bathing have never gone out of fashion have they...

Activities at Elizabeth's yesterday included Caleb's blonde eyebrows being painted which made him look much older than his 13 years, Caleb measuring every-one with a chain made from paper clips and they also started a bucket list jar with small notes about what they'd like to do "afterwards"

Times like this every-one should have a gratitude jar too...perhaps read out the notes at the end of each week...Pear's soap would be in mine lol

Uncle Tom(85) has sown some vegetable seeds in his UK greenhouse for the first time in years, his childhood was during WW2 and his parents had a Victory Garden, chickens, a goat and Nana knit their socks and jumpers etc. Uncle Tom has a spectacular garden of flowering trees etc and grows orchids too.

I was able to order on-line at Woolworths supermarket...they're so busy that the first opening for delivery is in 6 days but that's OK too, we have enough of everything to get through another week. That pasta sauce last night was very good with a few tweaks and some fresh basil, today I have some pork mince and apple patties and I'll make mashed potatoes and frozen vegs. I made a lovely soup of potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and onion in an OXO cube stock and blended it until smooth, so simple and just using up bits and pieces from the fridge.

Old age pensioners were given an extra $750 by the Australian govt yesterday to spend to help the economy...not sure how much will be spent or hoarded but at least they're trying.

OK off to test my soap in a nice hot shower...it truly is the little things that count in the end isn't it?

Love to you all
Sue

Edited to add this...it appears the eyebrow experimenting is going a little too far

Mandy is a good egg alright lol

March 2020

Hallo Every-one, rather over-due for an update methinks.

So the whole world is in the grip of a pandemic, a virus named Corona Virus or Covid-19. It can be fatal for more vulnerable members of society so several entire countries are in lock-down...ie stay at home unless you are in an essential job, need to shop for food or medications. These strategies have come gradually as the virus spreads rapidly and people are still socializing despite being told to keep 1.5 to 2 metres away from non-family members. Restaurants, bars, cinemas closed last week and we are restricted to 20 minute visits to nursing homes. Any-one returning from overseas must self-isolate for 2 weeks and there are some big fines for any-one not complying with this law.

Today our schools have closed for teaching, they remain open to supervise students whose parents are working. My daughter has been home-schooling since the start of the year as they prepare for their bus trip, Jess's school closed 2 weeks ago and Charlie has been kept at home to avoid infection. Cody is doing his TAFE work from home at Grandad's...not an ideal situation for a young man to be so isolated but at least he is safe and has a roof over his head.

Which brings me to Dad(86 yrs) who has been in a nursing home for 25 days now and is very unhappy...he cannot understand why he is there with all those 'old people' but he truly could not live at home any longer as he needs constant care which we are not able to provide. He blames me for his 'incarceration' although the hospital doctors told us it would be unsafe for him to go home, his short term memory is awful but the cancer still hasn't manifested itself with any pain etc. I do hope he'll settle soon, he's also fallen 4 times since he went in.

Joe and I have stayed at home for almost 3 weeks now, I shopped carefully before we started this and was also very grateful for our small stock-pile which I learned about from Rhonda's blog and the forum when it was running. I've been out twice for fresh fruit and vegies which are now running low so I am trying to order on-line from Woolworths but they are so busy that I can't place my order.

https://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-simple-art-of-stockpiling.html

Joe usually stays at home so this doesn't mean much change to him but I am enjoying the time to actually rest and also to catch up things such as de-cluttering our clothes, pruning shrubs outdoors, growing lettuce, silverbeet and lots of fresh herbs...even having time to sweep regularly makes such a difference. I have cut up old clothes to make toilet wipes (google family wipes) as toilet paper of all things was the first thing to disappear off the supermarket shelves when panic buying began about 3 weeks ago!

I'd been to library and borrowed 8 novels before they closed for the duration so I am reading them now.Foxtel have given us free documentaries, I am really enjoying that...Alaska is now on my bucket list.
 I'd also bought lots of yarn from Spotlight while it was on special and have been making these basic small blankets from them....250 sts of 8ply on a 4mm circular needle and then alternating the colours and using a wide variety of stitches in bands of 12 rows

This one is plain garter stitch but there's nothing plain about really and it's so simple I can knit it anywhere...a lot was done while Dad was in hospital for 11 weeks before he moved to the Aged Care home...

Dinner tonight will be pasta with a sauce cobbled together left-over roast chicken, frozen red capsicum and some rather watery bolognaise sauce I'd made and frozen...will boost it with chili, anchovies and olives .

I am so very grateful for so many things these days, our home is comfortable, we have power and running water and plenty to eat. Our families are safe too and that means more than anything.

How are you managing? Are you locked down where you live? Do you have any tips for easy meals or simple pastimes for children?

Big love, stay safe
Sue