My 2008 Easter

I spent my 89th birthday on Easter Sunday surrounded by dozens & dozens of gorgeous girls........(No - I wasn`t dreaming) OK - some of them may be in their late fifties but they all exemplify the endearing enthusiasm of the nurses at Cabrini Hospital...one morning I was woken at 5.30 by an Indian lady named Devi who flashed me a most magnificent smile as she took my temperature, checked my blood pressure etc. I told her what I thought of her smile and how, when travelling in a tram or train I`d lean across the aisle telling folk they had a beautiful smile and not keep it for themself but keep on giving it away! Then I`m always rewarded with a sunnier smile and occasionally "You`ve made my day"....... being a cheeky oldie I can get away with it. Devi told me she`d been nursing at Cabrini for over 3O years...I was astonished, she only looked about 40-45.

 

During the day I tactfully asked other nurses  how long they`d worked there - one saying "A really long time, about 20 years"  it was her turn to be astonished when I told her about Devi. I soon restored her possible slide in "self esteem"(truthfully) when I said "Impossible - you told me you are a grandmother"

 

While I was bearing my bottom for an injection to Trish a pretty youngster in her late 40`s or early , I learned prior joining Cabrini she`d worked many years in the "Age" for Ray Davie the CEO of the Real Estate Section. I knew Ray really well when I had a real estate agency in Croydon. He and I shared such a remarkable rapport & I was honoured by his absolute trust for the valuable top spot in the muchly-desired Editorial,  he accepting without question, the veracity of the admirable adjectives I`d chosen to describe a property.

 

I think I`ve mentioned before, as I age, I`m absolutely amazed how so-called "coincidences".. constantly seem to occur..while here at Cabrini I learned that Sonia & Fred Hall, a pair of my kind,caring neighbours at Ardoch who have a mirror image of my apartment above me, attend the same synagogue as my neurologist who happens to be related to my niece Geri Lazarus by marriage.....Jo has just rung me to tell me when reading Boba`s Jewish Cook Book , a fund-raising effort for Bialik College she`d found a recipe of Sonia Hall.....

 

Prior to Sunday, for a few weeks I actually felt my age - that is 89 instead of 35 as I`ve felt for quite a long time....however last saturday night I had the best sleep for weeks then, after being woken at 6am for tests I slipped into a serene slumber  awakening at 7.40. At 7.42in came my elder daughter Jo and hubby Jim, carrying the biggest coffee-iced chocolate cream cake (my favourite) with son Peter & wife Vonne...2 minutes later in came my breakfast and so we immediately strolled to a spot with plenty of chairs for the 5 of us ( spare room in a 4-bed ward is very limited) so I enjoyed a terrific birth-day party. Campbell,`s second son with Meg his elder daughter had popped in with birthday wishes the day before and later on Sunday and yes, I still feelhis brother James, wife Elaine & children Jacob Ailsa and Matthew arrived so we walked to the same spot as earlier - this time for an afternoon party . An hour or so later Sally, Peter`s eldest daughter arrived with Gabe and my 10th great-grandchild Toby Bo, about 8 weeks old flashing me the most beautiful smiles - especially when photographed across the handles of my 4-wheeled walker carrying L and P plates made by Jo as a reminder to take care as I`d been caught speeding - that is walking too fast in the corridors, as I`ve always walked all my life.

 

Later on,Peter & Vonne`s second daughter Wendy with her 6ft 5 Norwegian partner havard, came to say goodbye as they left next to return to Oslo, It was agreed we`d postpone the planned family party and treasure- hunt until my  90th birthday next year. Meanwhile I enjoyed a delectable bottle of Chardonnay given me with a goblet and

a huge magnificently-presented cellohane & ribbon-wrapped basket of fruit from Cabrini.......and yes, I still feel 35   (in the mind).........................

 

 

                                            `till next time - about 7-10 days

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Absolutely Admirable Ardoch

 

About 13 years ago while seriously soaking up the sun in Queensland I was reading the Real Estate section of the Age and found an advert that immediately acclaimed our immediate active attention - it was describing a unit on Marine Parade St.Kilda facing our beautiful bay...  although we had regular visits by 3-4 grandchildren about 10-12 being popped on the plane at school-holiday time Marge felt she was missing the younger ones etc. and so we entertained the idea of selling out in Noosa and returning to the big smoke...we were facing the Ocean and decided on a seaview if possible after muchly enjoying our 3-6 months stints at Sunshine Beach (5 minutes to Noosa`s heart). We immediately flew down but found it had jus been sold. The agent suggested some other properties which had no appeal until she asked, "Would you be interested in an older Art Deco apartment with 9-10 ft ceilings on about 5 acres in East St.Kilda with a sea view?" We answered "Quite possibly...) as we had much-loved large furniture in our town house in Hawthorn limiting the range of promising purchasing opportunities.

 

We met her the next day at Ardoch, a large picturesque property fronting busy Dandenong Road just past Chapel St and were very excited but didn`t allow the agent to be aware of this as we strolled down Ardoch Avenue as she explained her firm had only just listed the property for sale comprising about 12-13 Art Deco Californian Bungalows  hugging a verdant Village Green and a glorious garden with over a dozen Heritage-listed huge trees and this was her first visit. We were very excited but made sure the agent was unaware of this.

 

There was much building activity as the homes were being refurbished and /or altered - internally only because the Heritage Listing forbids exterior alterations. The property was once the farm home of Sir William Wardell, Victoria`s first Surveyor-General and built in 1864. We walked across the Green and climbed up the steep stairs and yes, there was a genuine glimpse of Port Phillip Bay but no way, at ages of 76 & 74 respectively consider anything but at ground level .

 

She then showed us a superb spacious 3 bedroom apartment with timber walls painted a horrible "Education Department" green as the complex had been used as a school for problem teenagers and street kids...when Sir William Wardell`s family had died out about 1920 an enthusiastic entrepeneurial American sw Ardoch`s palatable potential and built a cluster of individual homes around a huge Village Green about 3/4 acre ased on English ideas which gradually encouraged a colony of artists and musicians...

 

In our building which contains only 2 residences,  one was used by the world-renowned singer Dame Nellie Melba - John Brownlee the famous tenor and Gladys Moncrieff the singer also lived here, but over the years, Ardoch`s glamour gradually faded,  & the whole area was finally taken over by the Government and used as a school for a few years and then refurbished in conjunction with a private developer...

 We immediately left a holding deposit - it was used a display unit for 6 months and we moved here in July1995..... not long after, friends were asking me "What`s it like living at Ardoch?" I`d answer "Here I`m living in Paradise - no traffic noise, the splendid satisfying serenity, wonderful friendly but, trams, trains, buses - all combine to make Ardoch unobtrusive neighbours, a heated swim pool, gymnasium and sauna just 100 metres from my front-door - so close to everything- all combine to make Ardoch quite ideally unique, and it was one of the first cluster housing developments built in Australia.

 

`till next time, in about 10 to 14 days...

My Sweet Little Sister's Obsession

I recently learned my sister had an obsession about the Australian pianist David Helfgott and the film "Shine" and she agreed to my suggestion she should submit a few lines about him to me and here they are in her own winsome welcome words:

 

A few years ago my husband Nat and I visited the local cinema to see "Shine"..For anybody who may have missed it, this was an outstanding true story about David Hefgot, the son of a central European Jewish immigration family.As a small child he had already displayed signs of becoming a great pianist which he did in time - unfortunately his father was always forever criticising him to practise - pushing him into every possible available eisteddford, musical concert etc. until the boy cracked under the severe strain and by the time he became a young adult, he`d become quite eccentric. It was a beautiful true story & eventually saw it three times...

 

Geoffrey Rush played David as an adult - this performance winning an Oscar .Having seen David interviewed on local TV I could not get over the likeness of the two and how incredibly Rush showed his mannerisms. We tried to get tickets for his his Concert Hall performances in Melbourne but sadly missed out and I was extremely disappointed as I`d become obsessed with his life story.

 

Sometime later we visited Coffs Harbour and were interested to learn that the next weekend was featuring the Bellingen Jazz Festival and decided to go as we both loved jazz and the town was but a 40 minute drive away. We then learned that David Helfgot had lived there for many years, and was going to perform with the Raaf Big Band at this festival  for which we were to buy tickets two rows from the front! David played Gershwin`s "Rhapsody in Blue" and I was totally spellbound - and felt everyone there was similarly affected when, after a brief pause of silence after his last note the whole audience stood - as one, and clapped, clapped, clapped shouting"bravo", "bravo", "more", "more" etc. but there was on encore.....

 

He has become very frail in his later years and was led off-stage by the conductor, muttering to himself, but stopping to hug, kiss, or shake hands with everyone in the two front rows shaking hands with Nat after hugging me........

When the conductor returned he said David had insisted on visiting the hall`s kitchen where he apparently helped himself to a handful of teabags - obviously some sort of fetish. This event was a highlight of our Coffs Harbour holiday.

 

When I asked my sister "Would you watch him onscreen or TV again if the opportunity arose?" "Definitely, absolutely" I agree with her it was and still is an obsession......

 

Talking of music, Louis Armstrong (1900-1971), when asked about what he felt about people who copied his style said "A lotta cats copy, but people still line up to see the original"......

 

When I was visiting Paris a couple of years ago and in a long queue to see the Mona Lisa being pushed by my grandson Simon in a wheelchair we were taken out of the queue by an attendant and guided to the front about 1 metre from the sculpture so we could take a great photo.........

`till next time -in about a week - 10 days

George Bell and the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum

All my long life I've found that of the two sexes I always got on extremely well with females but it wasn't till about 10 years ago I had my first true male friend...

Living right opposite us about 20 metres away was a charming couple, George & Glenise Bell who actually lived in Geelong using their Ardoch residence as a town house with George working with Coles-Myer. He started early-morning swims with me and in no time at all we became great mates. He had not long before become computer-literate and soon smoothly subtly submitted suggestions I should follow in his footsteps however I gave this idea little consideration and regularly resisted him for about 5 years until I suddenly had 3 grandchildren living overseas - 1 in Paris and 2 in Oslo, and soon realised the rich rewards of keeping in touch with them .

George Bell.

With grandson John`s assistance I bought a computer and soon became a successful student of George as me made regular trips to Ardoch from Geelong after his retirement due to illness. His next abiding ambition was to introduce me to Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsular of which I knew nothing apart from blissful bay trips from Port Melbourne to Queenscliffe and Sorrento by the paddle-steamer Weeroona. George and Glenise were most kind and I recall with relish staying overnight in Geelong and touring the nearby beaches for the first time - Lorne, Torquay, Ocean Grove etc. but I really received a great thrill when he took me to the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum.

My long love of the sea, I think, is strongly in my genes from my fabulous father, a devout sea and ship-lover, and our trips to Port Melbourne to see the big ocean-liners, and the influence on me of growing up seeing a photo of me, a 3 year-old, in a navy uniform & cap, and always proudly wearing a model full length white sailor suit outfit with a front horizontal flap instead of a button-up fly - exactly the same as an adult outfit - my grandmother had brought me back from London.

On our trips down the bay on the Weeroona, as a 10-11 year-old, the captain always called me up to the bridge to handle the steering wheel - imagine what a big deal that was! We had wonderful trips to the Museum...they have for permanent display various artifacts I've donated such as an antique model of Captain Bligh's "Bounty", my paintings of the Black Lighthouse and pilots' cottages at Queenscliffe & the Weeroona & miniature painted sea-chests. Other artifacts, an 1880`s ship in a bottle, a painting of Pt. Lonsdale Lighthouse( whose 120 odd sloping steps I quickly climbed 3 years ago when I was 86) will go to them when I pass on.....

Every morning as I use the computer I'm so grateful for George Bell's patience, persistence and thoughtfulness.....he actually conned me into seeing my first football game for over 70 years, wearing a Tigers beanie he'd bought me!