Scottish George and Rhodie Audrey
Scottish George very adeptly manoeuvred our rig into their tight driveway and professionally levelled it out on blocks. Such effort could hardly be rewarded with an overnight stay and on the eve of winter, an onslaught of cold and wet weather arrived. The warm welcome of our host and hostess put us right and we thoroughly enjoyed a good few days of non stop chatter – not only of a past history we all had in common but of our families. Their stories engrossed us and by the light of a warm fire Scottish George took up his accordion and entertained us one evening. This touched a childhood chord for Lea as she recalled her aunt Moira doing the same way back at Cecil Rhodes Drive. Another night we watched treasured old cine film clattering away in that inimitable way, of George supervising bridge construction on the lower Mazoe and Sabi Rivers while Audrey and their three children lived in their caravan home on the river banks - wonderful archival stuff. No wonder we found it difficult to tear ourselves away from these kindred spirits and the magnitude of their hospitality. We left with a bag of freshly picked home grown vegetables. With each bite we savoured the memories of our stay.
Weather wasn’t at all conducive to exploring this coast line even though there were places we would have liked to stop and see. Busy freeways in wet misty conditions certainly not our favourite. We pulled into a municipal caravan park in Windang on the mouth of Lake Illawarra. That afternoon, wrapped up warmly, we walked along the lake’s edge to pay a courtesy call and check on an old relative belonging to our Cleethorpe friend Rob.
Days of tossing thoughts through our minds ……over fuel prices finally came to a rest when we made the decision to base up over winter with Lea’s sisters. Sherry had extended an invitation to use their home while they were in England for three weeks over July – before her husband Keith was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune condition in which a person’s nerves are attacked by the body’s own immune defence system causing a spreading paralysis last month. Never did we dream of hearing of this potentially life threatening and frightening illness for a second time. The first was shocking enough with our young friend Mark in Zululand. Fortunately Keith’s Doctor recognised the symptoms early and promptly handed him over to specialists who admitted him into Intensive Care with treatment administered speedily. Rehabilitation was started and this ex Wallaby player’s discipline came to the fore as he worked at regaining power in his hands and feet in between numerous bouts of sleep. Anxious to see him for ourselves we headed for their home in Kings School, Parramatta. Drove down the side road of Forest House before realising there was no turning place! Over a cuppa George’s brain churned over this predicament. However, he successfully ended up turning Getaway on “a sixpence” bit by bit using Skiv’s winch. Once safely tucked into the forest, George swore Getaway wouldn’t be moved until we left New South Wales!!!! Although this mighty brother-in-law of ours had lost weight and strength, his determination to overcome his disabilities were most apparent. The goal of a 60th Birthday to attend in Norfolk proved a big draw! Not wishing to add to Sherry, the Carer’s burden, we spent a happy night catching up with them before moving up to Leecy at Killcare, on the Central Coast. The rest of the month passed swiftly in a buzz of strenuous activity… George spent weekends working alongside brother-in-law John and nephew Sheldon on John’s building site and week days building shelves galore throughout Leecy’s house along with plenty of neglected household tasks and renovations. While Lea saw to the everyday cooking and baking in between doing a massive and long overdue DECLUTTER. Between us all, this three level house took on a ship-shape and organised look giving plenty of exercise with the many stairs. Leecy delightedly worked within this new ordered home whether it was on her commissions in her personal art studio or the many art classes that take place daily in her dining room.
Tuesday students take turns, to complete their lesson with a soup lunch. Leecy challenged her sister to make the weekly soup and earn from the $5 a head! Thus, we all kept busy. But it wasn’t all hard work we had plenty of play…
We nipped back to Parramatta, using the train service through picturesque waterways and bush land, for an auspicious occasion – a pleasantly small dinner party celebrating Keith’s 60th birthday. A week later it was our nephew Sheldon’s 28th Birthday.
Keith and Shell
Celebration for Sheldon
Cultural and social occasions allowed us to meet Leecy’s friends as we took in good films, an art gallery or simply walking the old dog Dup down at Hardy Bay or Putty Beach – often in the gloaming! Winter darkness comes all too fast when you are caught up in renovations. Only Dup, getting underfoot with a reproachful look that drags us out in the cold. Talking of dogs puts us in mind of Keanu Sands Foxfire Icecapade Miami alias “Houndini” who succumbed to her cancer earlier this month leaving us with the memories of her many Tasmanian escapades.
We had scheduled ourselves to be back in Parramatta in time for the last weekend of June to learn the ropes of Forest House and take over the care of Skittle – Shell’s beloved geriatric 22 year old cat before their departure for the UK. However, we delayed until the Saturday evening as fittingly on the anniversary of Lea’s father’s death we couldn’t resist a luncheon date in the magnificent water front home of Michael and Jennifer, an art student of Leecy’s who arranged a special meeting with their friends… Australian Howmans! How Dad would have enjoyed this meeting. Peter drove up from Canberra with his wife Corinne, daughter Jacqueline and her friend Ron for the occasion. There was an instant rapport and much hilarity ensued with the surname pronunciation… Peter was immediately taken by Leecy’s close resemblance to a cousin of his. While George spotted strong genetic similarities within the Howmans descended from common Norfolk roots dating back to circa 1270. With his family scattered widely we look forward to meeting them all in time especially his parents up in Queensland.
Meeting our Australian Howman
The clock ticked on relentlessly to end our happy afternoon and we took leave of our new relatives to be back in Parramatta before nightfall.
Keith had been passed to travel to the UK on condition he took every precaution not exhaust himself. Sunday passed all too fast as Keith and Shell took us on an orientation tour of our immediate neighbourhood and that evening they had invited our distant cousin Adam and his family over for sundowners. We hadn’t seen Adam since he was a toddler and here he was living a short distance away from Kings School with his wife Debbie and their almost teenage children plus his mother-in law- Alison. By quirk of fate, Alison’s father had been a close friend of Lea’s Dad in their youth and both men had produced four daughters with interwoven lives over the years so there was much to catch up.
June ends with us settling into Forest House – on the enormous and thickly wooded estate that is Kings School, the oldest private school in Australia devoid of school boys being holidays.
