On New Year’s Day
Mum brings out this
year’s new calendars.
We both go to school now
we know how calendars work
we look for birthdays on one
calendar. We find Claire’s on
birthday in January, Dad’s
and Auntie Maureen’s
birthdays in February.
Our little brother’s birthday
is not there ! He was born on
29 February last year, he will
be one on 29 February this year.
We can not find 29 on February
on the new 2017 calendar !
Mum and Dad say no, February
has 29 days every fourth year only,
and will do it next time in 2020.
Chloe is not to write “29” on
February on the kitchen calendar.
“That does not make sense !” insists
Chloe. Later she quietly writes
“29” in bright lime green felt tip
on February on our bedroom
calendar from school.
She also writes “29”
on February in Nana’s
calendar. Nana does
not seem to mind.
Previously posted March 2017.
Personal Stationery
On Christmas Day
the excited five year
old received her very
own personal stationery
with flowers and elves
on toadstools along the
bottom of the pages and
the back of the envelopes.
Her seven year old sister
writes on her own notepaper
and envelopes with fairies
on to Grandma and Grandad
living a few hours away, to
uncle and aunt in the big city.
Previously the five year old
wrote on Mum’s notepaper
to the fairies, to Grandma
and Grandad. She told Mum
what she wanted to say, then
copied the words Mum wrote.
Both sisters wrote to Santa
before Christmas with their
requests. They asked him too
to look out for the tabby hunter
who strolled off on Sunday
morning five months ago
and never returned. The
fairies have not seen her.
Still the five year old has
her own personal stationery
to write many more letters
to family and to fairies.
Previously posted January 2020.
Car Seats
Dad removed the girls’
car seats, laid them on the
driveway, fixed a frame
for a baby capsule behind
the front seats ready for
the new family member
due to arrive soon.
On the long back seat of
the seven seater van he
fixed the girls’ car seats
then they all climbed into
the van and drove off to
the vast mega hardware
store to buy hedge plants.
“You’re sucking your thumbs !”
called Dad. The girls aghast
stared at each other in shock !
When behind the front seats their
own seats faced backwards, out of
sight of their parents’ sharp eyes.
Now in the back of the van they
faced forwards ! The rear vision
mirror exposed thumb suckers to
their parents’ alert gaze !
Big school girls should only
suck their thumbs in bed at
night as they go to sleep.
Previously posted January 2001.
Pictures
For nine years in a block of flats
I hung a few pictures on my walls,
except for the cinder block wall.
In my new home the maintenance
man worked his way through my
lined up pictures fitting them all
neatly round bedroom and living
room walls within an hour.
Not gallery style but spread
out enough to enjoy.
As I talked with a friend
on the phone – she lived nearby –
the ground beneath us shook –
Earthquake ! she gasped. We were
glad when it stopped. Bad things
happen here when the ground
shakes on and on and on and on.
I straightened my smaller pictures
went about my daily life. Was
surprised when the smaller ones
went crooked again. though we
had no further earthquakes.
those pictures had stayed straight
in my old flat – why not now ?
A moving picture caught my eye
as a large truck rumbled past out
on our street – used as a bypass
for a nearby busy main street.
I am still straightening
my smaller pictures.
In A Digital World
We all access the internet in this
digital world, says the government.
Covid vaccination passports now
they say. Population must get them
in three weeks or be excluded
from society’s activities.
Half the eligible population find,
download vaccination passports.
– Not retirees with no photo ID
like passports or driving licences.
– Not retirees with no computers
smart phones or helpful relatives.
– Not rural people with little or no
internet access, no phone towers.
– Not low income families sharing
a computer or email access.
– Not low income families with no
smart phones or computers.
Not this retiree who applied online
while awaiting her renewed licence.
The website rejected her even
after long waits for help line to
answer her call and reset her account.
At last some pharmacies are allowed
to grant vaccination passports.
Our 2018 census gained only 80%
responses after going online.
They are very slow learners.
Old Age Home Lottery (2)
After her husband left them
she brought up their daughter,
working each day at the local
cinema complex office, her earnings
paying for rent, utilities, food,
clothes, daughter’s school costs.
Her daughter grew up, went out
to work, became pregnant.
Her son’s father soon left,
as her own father had left.
Daughter and grandson left town
with a new partner. Mother was
comfortable in her new office job.
Daughter and grandson settled with
new farm worker husband on the
farm with two babies. All thrived.
Turning fifty mother’s body began
to fail: asthma, lung infections
heart weaknesses. She reduced her
work hours, reduced them again.
Her brother in his fifties, such a
healthy eater, cycling, running,
was defeated by relentless heart
and lung problems. Soon passed away.
Mother deteriorated further, kept
falling. No government help for
her care until she is far gone.
She now lives in the farm worker’s
house with daughter’s family.
seven years’ wait for old age pension
at sixty five …. If she lives that long.
Old Age Home Lottery (!)
The price of a family home will
purchase occupancy rights in a
retirement village: villa, apartment.
buying small leaves some of your
sale price to pay monthly fees
till the end of the resident’s life.
On our shaky isles’ home ownership
over fifty is common. Big companies
build retirement villages
to care for us in our old age.
In our little regional city they
are building a fifth village.
On a large vacant lot across the road
they are expanding my own village.
So many retirement village price i
places for such a small city.
But a lottery nonetheless for
a home in our old age.
I own mine through my share
of our parents’ home price in
our sprawling megacity’s
inflated house prices.
Many older people still pay
rent after low paid jobs
poor health on sickness benefits.
The home lottery is cruel
to the frail, the very old,
to those in poor health,
on sickness benefits.
At The Heart Of The Family
Vaccination time !
Vaccinate the whole population
to stem the spread of Covid 19.
First the older age groups.
All senior relatives in their
seventies had two vaccinations.
Next middle aged jabs began.
Mum loudly vowed that poison
would not go into her body
or her children’s bodies.
Nana’s strongly principled beliefs
expressed strong horror.
Mum, equally principled, responded
angrily, the huge uproar heard
by the twelve year old nearby.
the first time she had heard such
a major adult disagreement.
Next time Nana parked at their
house five year old little brother
rushed out, asked if she had
been jabbed. “Yes,” she had.
“People who get jabbed are mean !”
he told her.
Nana adores her grandchildren,
fears her bad heart will sever
her from them early.
A gaping rift in the heart
of the family.
Mum is still angry.
Nana is still shaken.
Tough Guy
Little brother is a tough guy,
five years old, a big school kid,
like his sisters all his life.
After school he proudly reads
his books to Mum. He is even
writing after cautious beginnings.
His sisters always wrote on the
magnificent cards he created
with felts and stickers.
Down by Dad’s office he digs
and tunnels through his dirt pile
with lots of water from the hose
helped by his classmate
from down the road.
He builds wonderful creations
at his workbench with all its
extras put together by Grandad.
He uses nails, scraps of wood,
and surgical plates from Mum’s
broken ankles.
At weekends he struts around
with Dad, two men together
as Dad works around home.
Best of all Dad takes him to
the mega hardware store to
buy Dad stuff, and wood scraps
for the fabulous work bench.
On Mondays at Nana’s after
school he eats Nana’s yummy
afternoon teas then curls up
with her on the couch to read
from his favourite stories.
Horses
For three years the twelve
year old has closely focused
on horses, on riding lessons
every Monday after school.
As soon as her scooter delivers
her home she cleans last week’s
mud off her riding boots changes
into riding clothes, finds her helmet
jacket, box of afternoon tea.
When Mum returns with the
other two from school she is
ready to be driven across town
to the horse school paddocks.
The bedroom she shares with
her sister has posters from her
monthly “Horses” magazines over
much of the walls but a little
space has been spared for her
sister’s school awards, certificates.
Under the windows the long
bookshelf has a vast number
of pony club stories, beautiful
horse books which she joyfully
reads and re-reads.
Money is requested for birthday
presents to be spent replacing
riding clothes which her bean
pole figure keeps growing out of.
Also more books about adventures
with ponies and horses.
lifecameos 