Letters to Ann

Dear Ann,

She was christened Riley Rose Louise Hodgetts & she just happens to be my beautiful Granddaughter. I am certainly not prejudiced in any way, as all the family plus practically all her friends, think that she is very bright, clever, earns her living serving people at Subway with a smile on her face while studying at Uni to get her degree in Communications, majoring in Public Relations. She aims to finish doing her studies to this end by the middle of the year: six months earlier than the norm.

She is also very adult & has her feet firmly planted on planet earth. In my book she is quite exceptional & needless to say I love her very much. She is so smart that she can wrap her Dad around her little finger when it comes to a debate with him & not many people can do this.

When I witness an occasion like that I am reminded of when I rang my little sister Jill on the day Riley was born to tell her I had another granddaughter. Jill, being the ever present astrologer, asked if I would like to know what this baby was going to be like. Of course I was all ears.

I have never forgotten Jill saying that Riley will very definitely have a mind of her own & that David, her Dad, would have met his match. I have seen that happen more than a few times too. She certainly did have a mind of her own from a very early age.

No use buying pretty little dresses for her when she was little as, if she didn’t like them she simply would not wear them & I learnt very quickly to consult her first. And when, at that age, I was often wont to call her my little princess, she would smartly say “I not a little princess, I a little girl!”

Dave and Riley on his birthday Oct 2016.

I have told you about her romance with boy friend Dave, it was obvious they were very much in love & considered to be a strong item. Therefore when I went up to David’s place for dinner last Sunday night & saw Riley coming down the stairs to greet me in her usual loving way I remarked on how pale she looked: she was almost as white as a sheet. I received my usual hug & kiss while she told me Dave had been out to visit her during the past week & that they had parted company as a couple while remaining good friends.

Dave apparently, broke the romance between them explaining that he was very unsure of himself, his job & his future & wanted some time to sort himself out. Riley was naturally shocked, but in her adult way explained that she loved him so much that she would be something of a hypocrite if she didn’t do as he asked.

This news didn’t come very lightly as it was obvious they thought a lot of each other. David had given it a lot of thought, they spent a long time discussing it between them, with the outcome that both were extremely upset.

When Dave left, Riley told David & said that Dave was too upset to say goodbye & relayed what had happened. With that David looked outside to see if Dave’s car was gone, but he was still there.

When David went up to him he was sobbing. David got him out of the car, gave him a big man hug & said all the right things for Dave’s sake & said he would always be welcome to visit anytime, should he wish to do so.

Of course Riley explained all this to me before we had dinner. I felt so sad as we all thought the world of Dave & of course we all felt Riley’s pain. I could only say in great truth how sorry I felt. Although there was nothing I could do to help her over this hurdle I truly understood.

I have always felt that we never forget our first true love. It is something special. So dinner was a bit hard for all of us to really enjoy that Sunday evening.

However, I came home with it on my mind & for some reason two lines of a ‘would be poem’ kept going over & over in my head so much so that I turned the tele off & continued to write a poem for Riley’s twentieth birthday, which was to take place the following Friday.

I had formed a plan in my head as to what to give her for her birthday. I will relate the poem to you so that this mystery will unfold but in doing so my mind was so active that when I did finally get to bed I hardly slept a wink! However, the effort was well worth it & this is what I wrote:

Dearest Riley

I didn’t buy you a birthday card I know that’s miserly & sounds very hard, but I wanted to write my own words to you because you mean so much to me. I love all that you do.

Your very own story you gave to me in your very own version I felt so sad & thought you needed a good diversion.
So my thoughts came together in one mad whirl
As I thought what I can do to held my wonderful girl.
While it’s no substitute for your romance gone amiss I needed a grest inspiration to help you get over this.

Then I thought, I know, diamonds are a girl’s best friend
But thieves broke in & left nothing worthy to this end.
So Riley take this package & hope for the best
Count the blessings left & say bugger to the rest.

I figured the best diversion I could give you honey Was for you to tip this out & count a bucket full of money.

With my deepest love always, Gran.

David had printed this out for me & put Happy Birthday in coloured letters all around the poem with a bundle of balloons at the bottom & it looked really good.

So I gave this to her to read while a little white bucket of money was decorated in cellophane & sitting in front of her. It had a little new hand towel ready for the money to be tipped out onto. So there in front of her was a heap of money all jumbled up which contained 100 each of five cents, ten cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, $1 coins & 75 x $2 all mixed up.

I offered her another $50 if she could guess the exact amount of money – she tried hard, got close & just missed out. Her comment after it was all done was “Gran I love it & although money is not everything it certainly helps.” I was pleased that it created a lot of fun for her at a time when she needed it.

After all that was over, David, Lauren, Riley, Pat. (Lauren’s Mum) & I went into the city to the Parry St. Garage restaurant which is very popular with the young folk. Georgia & Mick were already there waiting for us & our only family member missing was Charley who was at work.

The ‘Garage’ was certainly in full swing on that Friday night, the 13th January, 2017 as we had never heard it so loud. That doesn’t affect the young folk, but I doubt I spoke more than a dozen words throughout the evening as the competition was a bit too much.

Towards the end of the evening I saw Pat say something to Lauren who took her arm & escorted her outside where she promptly fainted! However, being made of tough stuff she recuperated quickly.

We all enjoyed the great food that the Garage is noted for before calling it a day.

And this momentous event marks a big change in David’s life as he no longer has any teenagers! Time marches on.

Love to you always, Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

Certainly the market bug had bitten me & I was all fired up. One thing leads to another. When you get to know the stall holders they are a breed unto themselves & I have to say the nicest kind of breed ever.

The Lions Club told me of another market to go to on the other side of town that made me more nervous than ever as I don’t know that area very well. However, David gave me instructions on how to get there.

I was fine, but got up even earlier to leave home in plenty of time. It was easy & stall holders were well established as I could see countless gazebos again in a huge park, but I evidently went around to the back end of the markets.

When I parked the car & entered the park two people were still setting up their stalls under the shade of a huge tree & welcomed me to put up my tables in between them. I didn’t mind that it was at the quietest part of the market, as I found out later, but was happy to settle in to any niche available.

This market was organised by Veterans Affairs & I had no sooner got my display up when a gentleman virtually bowled up to me asking if I had a food licence? I was pleased I had it with me.

The only other time I saw anyone from the club was when they came round the stall holders to collect their fees for the space. This market was only a week away from the last one when I had been on top of the world.

One thing I learned is that there is a vast amount of people who go out very early on Sunday mornings to get the daily newspaper & then they wander through the markets, which accounts for some very early morning sales.

I was certainly starting to get to know the run of the ropes as it was all experience to me. It was lovely sitting under the shade of the tree on a lovely day, chatting to friendly people as they passed by & stopped for a tasting.

It was quite uncanny but I sold exactly the same amount as I had at the previous market, so I was very pleased & went home a happy little vegemite after an enjoyable day,

All of this happened prior to Philip & Greg arriving from Burbank. We had been out one day when – on the way home, very close to home – Greg pointed out a sign on the road advertising a market at Warners Bay, which is where I live as Lakelands is part of ‘The Bay.’

Dawn in her new gazebo at the Warner’s Bay market.

The market was being held in two days so I had no time to lose. When I rang the number I found it to be the local Chamber of Commerce so I told the lass what I was about. She laughed & said “I recognise your name Dawn, The Pudding Lady & would you be wanting to sell Christmas Puddings?” Spot on Roslyn!

That lass did everything she could to help me get my application & the papers required, in to her before the market. I realise there are some nasty people in the world, but there are also some wonderful & good people too! Roslyn was so keen for me to attend that she even called at my home to collect a copy of my Insurance Policy which is required before you can go to any market.

This market was right up my alley, just a couple of streets from home. I had that inner feeling it was going to be a really good one. Warners Bay has been crying out for a new market, as the monthly one they held a couple of years ago that was popular, had to close because of complaints from the local supermarket that some stalls were selling produce that they sold.

I even had a new gazebo for this one which the council men running the market put up for me. I had a pretty display with my Christmas table cloth made for me by my friends in the Philippines embroidered with Christmas trees & Santa Claus & all my puddings in sparkling cellophane with their appropriate labels. One little girl came up to me, touched the cloth & said “I love this”.

I sat in my gazebo on my comfy chair (some of the time) & I think I chatted to everyone who passed by. I had taken my usual stock of puddings & sold out completely an hour before the market was due to end. I had a lovely, lovely day!

It was a Saturday, so I called in to see the butcher in our shopping complex (also an excuse to have a well earned coffee at Micheles) & bought the best looking beef steaks in his window. They were called Viking Steaks priced at $52 per kilo. I bought three & nearly swallowed my tonsils when the nice butcher asked for $54!

Part of just one of the Viking (Rib Eye) steaks.

I managed to keep my tonsils, as it was my celebration to share with family whom I don’t see very often & I knew they would enjoy this treat. I would never dare cook steak with my boys here as they are pros when it comes to steak so I let them do the honours.

However, the steaks were so large (weighing almost half a kilo , or a pound) that they had to halve the steaks for another meal. We had a delightful dinner as Philip brought out one of his stash of birthday wines & we had a dinner fit for a king!

Love to you my dear friend. You are forever near. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

I don’t look in my letterbox every day as I can usually see from my car whether there is mail for me or not, but it was two nights before the Toronto Spring Fair was to be held in the middle of November & a Friday so I casually went to have a look.

There was an envelope inside just with ‘Mrs. Hodgetts’ hand printed & in the bottom corner was the date & time the envelope was placed there. I recognised the printing immediately. It was from John Smith alias ‘Em’: knowing that person it was very characteristic to have written time & date of delivery.

That happened to be the previous day when I hadn’t checked the mail. The note inside the envelope was in a different handwriting from the envelope. The note was from the local Council informing me they had received a complaint about my business. The writer, Lisa, asked that I ring & speak to her.

I was naturally disturbed about the contents in the note & rang David who laughed it off, telling me not to worry about it. However, he had second thoughts on it too & rang Lisa the following Monday, which turned into a lengthy phone call.

The outcome was that David said it was best for me to contact Lisa myself, as she was merely doing her job.

I did that by driving to the council the following week & made an appointment to see Lisa on the 3rd November. I thought I would get my birthday over first!

I can’t say I was jumping over the moon when I arrived for the interview, but I wasn’t altogether in a flap about it either. I felt reasonably calm as Lisa was only doing her duty & I hadn’t sold any puddings on Etsy, which was the real thing in question & also Toronto Spring Fair.

She didn’t keep me waiting for long & we went into a private room where we had a long talk that I think we both felt was good. I had decided to be very open with her & just tell the truth as we went along as there was nothing to hide.

To begin with I told her how all the people in Newcastle with a business selling Christmas Puddings on a commercial basis were trained by me. The Adamstown Pudding Kitchen was the first business.

I asked had she seen the ABC Compass programme telling the story about how it started that was shown nationally on television twice before last Christmas. In it the ABC reporters & camera men had me making the puddings in my own kitchen here while they told the story of how it all began, by Dawn Hodgetts who had said prayers for the safety of her brother serving in Vietnam.

When her prayers were answered she built up a strong business making puddings made from her Gran’s recipe & after doing this for some years she then gave it to the Church to raise funds for the needy. This was given to the Church with the profits I had already made.

The Adamstown Pudding Kitchen took it from there. They built there own kitchen after Dawn taught them all she could. In the years they have had the business, raised over one million dollars for the needy.

After telling this story (Lisa had seen half the video) I added that I am very proud indeed of what the Church has done. It was wonderful for me to see the video & ABC sent me copies of it for myself & also copies for my friends in Burbank adapted for the American television system, which was very kind of them.

I then went on to say that I built up the business again after giving the business to the Church. I called it “Newcastle’s Pudding Lady.’ We made about 50 tonnes of home made puddings annually, supplying all the major food halls plus hundreds of other stores throughout Australia.

I had also given to the Church the hundreds of letters sent to me thanking me for the best Christmas pudding they had ever had so that they could keep in touch with those customers. As could be seen, I then looked further afield for other business including fetes, fairs etc. as well as stores & over the years built a thriving business that was sold to the new Newcastle’s Pudding Lady.

It was during the time I had the business that I trained two very dear friends who also became interested in the puddings. I could see the potential so I trained them & they eventually became agents for us & ultimately opened up Newcastle’s Pudding Lane in business for themselves.

I made a special note of saying how pleased I am that all three of the businesses mentioned have a thriving business today. I also told her about Mandi’s Kitchen as well, so that she had all the facts.

Of course all this was said to Lisa much quicker than writing it down. Then I told her about my illness in 2015 where I was diagnosed with cancer that meant my family got the right people in to do my house work & garden.

Having been an active person all my life & living on my own, this left me with all day, every day to do nothing in & I was terribly bored. It was at this time that my granddaughter told me about Etsy, which I thought a great idea as it would fill in some time as a hobby which is all I wanted. I really needed something to do & this seemed a great answer.

However, I did inform Lisa that it had not been successful. I also informed her that the cancer had disappeared, but it did not give me back anything to do. I mentioned the fact that if I had a business I would be going to wholesalers for my ingredients instead of buying them at our local super market.

She asked me if I had I done any markets & I told her I had booked into Toronto Spring Fair, which – at the time of the interview – wasn’t being held for two weeks. She mentioned at one stage that if I made puddings in my home as a business I would need to take up the floor as part of the rules & regulations.

I quickly replied that firstly, I could not possibly afford to do that & secondly, I did not have a business & didn’t want one. This was only a hobby, like many other people do when they are retired.

I did ask her how the ladies got on making sandwiches, slices & cakes for fairs & fetes as there are hundreds who do that regularly. She just said some were exempt. So I did ask how to get exempt as I think what’s good for one is good for another.

She replied that she would ask the health authorities & would give me a call within a day or so. As I write this we are now in a New Year & I have heard no more from Lisa.

That was the crux of the interview that probably took about an hour. However, I respected Lisa for the job she had to do on receiving a complaint. I feel at the end of the interview she respected me.

For myself I was pleased that I could tell her very truthfully exactly how all this had come about & I am sure she knew as well as all she has heard about me would make her realize I was telling the truth. I did not even intimate that I knew where the complaint came from, my statements were all positive.

Two of my friends at Michele’s – David & his wife, Roslynn – couldn’t wait to find out how my interview went with Lisa. I told them. David said “I think when she went to the health authorities & told them about a little old lady of 87, with a history of cancer, who is selling a few puddings  would just say to her “Go away!””

He may be right, as Councils have more to concern themselves about. It really it is a mountain out of a molehill, but I did want to share it with you. When you read my mail on all of this – I have more to write to you about yet - I certainly think you will not have time to be bored.

But I must tell you about a lovely young lass who has had a birthday. More to come!

Love to you always my dear friend. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

I think it was Priscilla who told me about Carols in the park at Belair School, in another suburb. I thought it would do no harm to tag along if they would accept me. When I rang Emily, the designated person, she warmly welcomed me into the fold. This was a little different though as it was to be held between 5 & 8 p.m.

Again David gave me explicit directions, but it wasn’t held in where he though it would be so I got lost… a few times. This is what gives me the cobby wobbles in my tummy, but I just soldier on because I don’t give up easily, & I am committed.

In this case I kept stopping to ask school children coming out of school where it was to be held. Eventually I arrived at my destination & met Emily in person as soon as I arrived. She even had a large table ready for me, which was nicer than my two small ones. Again, everyone was very helpful.

There were hardly any stalls compared to a market & it doesn’t take me long to set up my display so I had plenty of time to wander around to see what else was available for sale. By now I am a dedicated stallie & watch out for my mates who may need help or, even a few sales, so on this occasion I bought some home made jams to put in Christmas bags for my friends near my age but not as old as me!

Sometimes the home made produce is even more appreciated than something they don’t need & I tend to put it in as an extra. Even younger folk also sometimes like these home made items rather than the merchandise from the super markets.

It was a nice evening although rain was threatening. When it did come it didn’t last, but would you believe two of the visitors came to my aid to lift my table next to an Indian lady doing fun tattoos who had a lovely big gazebo. She said she didn’t mind sharing with me.

That was one memory I will keep under my hat as she was so busy tattooing the school children as you would imagine, but she struck up a conversation with me. I gave her a taste of the Traditional pudding but she was also interested in the one suitable for diabetics so I gave her a taste of that. She quickly bought one saying how much her father would appreciate it.

Sales were quite slow at Belair, but considering the crowd was really just parents of the children it wasn’t to be sneezed at. It certainly was very pleasant in between listening to Christmas Carols. I don’t mind that at all.

Towards the end of the evening a lass with a young family came by & tried a tasting of the Traditional Pudding. She tasted it then smelt it & said “This taste & smells just like my Gran used to make & my Gran passed away just recently”. I told her that maybe her Gran had the same recipe as my Gran being of the same era.

Later this lass came back saying “I’m back & I have to have one of your puddings it is so much like my Gran’s.” She had tears in her eyes & looked as if she was going to cry. I could see she was missing her Gran.

This struck a vital chord with me too & I had tears in my eyes as I handed her the pudding. She could see that & I could tell how she was feeling. I bet no one enjoyed their Christmas Pudding more than that lovely young lady & I hope I see her at Belair next year as I won’t forget her.

I sold half as much as what I did at my previous two markets, but I was still happy to add that to my total & by now I was fired up. I feel like the tortoise, slowly but surely! It certainly wasn’t like the grand old days of huge fairs & fetes with thousands of dollars involved, but I am happy being a little old lady as slow as a tortoise.

My aim is not to win any races, but to just have something worth while to do & a reason to get up in the mornings. I even get a kick out of shopping at the supermarket when I am purchasing the ingredients needed, as nearly always people look at the huge amount & comment saying “You must be going to make lots of Christmas puddings.” This leads to a conversation & when I tell them about it they give me an order which is nice.

Now the past three events I have written about took place from the middle of November before Philip & Greg came for their visit. What I haven’t mentioned yet is the envelope placed in my letter box by someone. All it had on the front of the envelope was ‘Mrs. Hodgetts” & in the bottom corner the date & time it was placed in the box.

Love you heaps. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

I thought about the contact Priscilla had given me about the Boolaroo School Market, which I knew would only be very small as it is only a very small suburb. However, as I had nothing to do & all day to do it in, I decided I wasn’t going to go far staying in bed for half the time.

I contacted the number I was given, was accepted & packed the car ready for the big adventure. I had never taken part in a market before.

I woke very bright & early only to find it was raining. I got up to contact the organiser & see if the market was still going to be held. She confirmed that ti was & would be held in the Baptist Church Hall & that some of the stall holders were already setting up.

That was at 5.30 a.m. I was very tempted to give it a miss, as if it’s raining the public simply do not want to venture out, but something made me go. I think I had the feeling that I had nothing to lose so off I went in the rain.

When I arrived the little hall was packed & there was just room for one of my card tables to be set up, so I went ahead & got myself well settled. I was right, no one comes out to a thing like that, big or small when the weather is not good. In all I sold three puddings to the stall holders.

That silver lining broke through again. The lass next to me selling scented candles told me about another market that she said was a popular one & passed on to me the contact number, but also said that you had to get there early.

Nothing ventured nothing gained & I rang. The market was organised by a very worthy organisation here in Australia called The Lions Club. They do a lot for charity & charge for the allocated site in the huge park where the market was held. On phoning, the gentleman gave me directions where to go & told me to just come along. It was being held the following Sunday in November.

I was very nervous, but determined & found the park quite easily. When I got there I could see about sixty gazebos dotted around the park. I drove in, parked the car & lined up behind quite a lengthy queue waiting to book in. I didn’t think they would have my name down being so new, but they did.

One of the Lions Club Members told me to get in my car & he walked alongside to show me where to go. It was quite easy. In no time I had my two tables set up with a beautiful Christmas embroidered cloth over them & my display of Traditional Puddings, Gluten Free Puddings, Diabetic Puddings & Macadamia Nut Yuletide Logs.

I arrived about 5.30 a.m. realising that most people had arrived an hour or so beforehand, but then it takes me only a small amount of time to set up a display as I don’t take too much with me. This market was really my first real trial effort.

So I was well ready & soon realised my first mistake: I forgot to bring a chair. I thought I would have to sit on the back of my car for the next 6 hours, but the stall holder next to me lent me a spare chair. I was so grateful.

Then that same stall holder came over mid morning with biscuits, cheese & salami for my morning tea. I made sure she had a little pudding to take home with her! I am telling you this small detail as I was astounded at how kind the stall holders were in looking after me.

That was also the day I had to leave early before the market concluded. As I was on my own & couldn’t leave my stall, another stall holder went & talked to some Lions Club Members & arranged for them to lead me out when it was time for me to go. They were absolutely marvellous & so very kind.

As for the sales: there was a steady flow of onlookers. Almost all stopped for tastings that I was handing out & I think I impressed ninety nine percent! The fact that I was the original Newcastle’s Pudding Lady was well known, as were the puddings as they are quite famous in Australia & extremely popular. So sales were very steady.

There was still an hour to go before the market closed, but I had to leave to set up the surprise I had for Ursula, as that was the day I was meeting her & Jean for lunch. Sure enough the Lines Club gentleman came over to help me just as I was talking to a friend of mine from Prime Timers, Yvonne. When he asked me to back my car out my hesitation showed. I am not too confident in backing the car as I didn’t want to hit someone else’s stall.

Yvonne kindly hopped in the car & took over for me. She put the hazard lights on, which is the first time I had used them & all went well. Yvonne handed the car back to me & I tootled off towards home.

When I stopped at traffic lights a chap from the car next to me was bellowing out something to me. I thought I must have had a flat tire, but realised the commotion was that I still had the hazard lights on!

All in all it was a great day especially after I gave Ursula her gift carton from Santa & the elves. The day got even better as I counted the sales after I got home & unpacked the car. I was so happy.

I went up to David & Lauren’s for dinner that night absolutely over the moon. David sat me up at the kitchen counter giving me a glass of wine & I couldn’t stop babbling about the wonderful day I had experienced.

I had enjoyed every bit of it & was bubbling over about how lovely the day was; how kind & helpful the stall holders & the Lions Club were; plus my friend Yvonne & how happy I was the the sales. I actually couldn’t stop laughing & talking. I don’t think I have ever had quite a day like it & never expect to again as I think I was thankful to all mankind & how good it was from A to Z.

David was laughing at me. He actually said to me “Mum I have never seen you like this before & you don’t know how good it makes me feel, as I really did not expect you to live when you were in hospital & also when you came out & to see you like this warms my heart.”

Looking back at some photos made me realise how terrible I looked & it was no wonder so many shared his thoughts at the time, so now I have discovered the secret of good health: I think it’s a bug called ‘markets’!

Love you heaps. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

I hope you have not been holding your breath waiting to hear what the silver lining was in my previous tale! Firstly I had better let you know that we did permit Kay & Em to come back into the Pudding Kitchen as they had to remove their personal belongings. All those involved were present including our Solicitor.

I didn’t cry my eyes out when Em showed me some photos of me taken at the Canberra Show & then tore them up in front of me! Both Em & Kay were extremely hostile & as furious as I have ever seen two people to be.

Newcastle’s Pudding Lady.

However, with things as they were it’s a wonder they didn’t have a sentence hanging over there heads particularly as we had to visit their home to recover several hundred puddings which had been stolen. However, that’s all water under the bridge including other alleged felonies.

Here we were fourteen years later with another Newcastle’s Pudding Lady doing extremely well. I made sure she knew all I knew about the manufacturing of puddings when we sold the business to them & I retired.

Then there is also another pudding business known as the Adamstown Pudding Kitchen that is going really strong & I am very proud of them.

I started the pudding business for them – long before Newcastle’s Pudding Lady was in vogue – in answer to my prayers that my brother would come back from Vietnam safely, where he served in the army. When he did, that’s when all this pudding business started. When I had built a strong business I gave it to the Church.

They pulled the manse (Minister’s residence) down as it had come to its use by date & built a pudding kitchen instead. Last year ABC did an episode on ‘Compass,’ which is a National programme. It was screened last Nov. & Dec. and tells the full story of how the Adamstown Pudding business started.

The TV show showed me making puddings in my own kitchen here in my villa. In the years the Church have had the business, they have looked after it well & raised over one million dollars for the needy. I am indeed proud of all they have done.

Since then the Newcastle’s Pudding Lady was founded & was extremely successful plus a third pudding business was also founded by Kay & Em after they lost out on buying our business. They also have a thriving business & I was the one who taught them from A to Z.

In other words, if I have no claim to fame in any other way, but it was me who started it all rolling when I made the first pudding from my Gran’s recipe. I am proud of the fact that three thriving businesses all started through that as it was through me starting it all that the Christmas Puddings were sold on a commercial basis.

There is also another thriving business going in Melbourne, Victoria called Mandi’s Kitchen whom I also trained. She is the daughter of my old Tupperware friend, Esther crapper & became an agent for us when we still had Newcastle’s Pudding Lady business. After we sold the business she started out on her own & even takes the puddings across Bass Strait to sell at successful markets in Hobart (Tasmania).

Now having told you all this story you can get the general picture of how we are back in the present day. As you know, I have been making Christmas Puddings in recent years as a hobby for gifts to my many friends & acquaintances. I needed something to do with all the spare time I have, particularly since I came out of hospital two years ago when all my housework & garden has been taken care of for me.

Also, because people know that I am the original Newcastle’s Pudding Lady, they ask if they could purchase some & naturally I do not say no! It gives me a reason to get up in the mornings & fills in a few hours.

That’s when Etsy was born & the trouble all started with the ad on GumTree. So I did nothing about John Smith & it wasn’t long before the Food Authorities in Sydney contacted me. The lady I spoke to was Amy & she was just so nice explaining that I must have the okay from them & a food licence. She very kindly said that if I filled in the application form on line it wouldn’t cost me anything.

When cooking puddings the ingredients never touch the bench.

This was done (with David’s help). I have since received the guidelines needed when manufacturing food. Amy advised me that no inspection was required. One good thing about the pudding business is that at no time does any mixture come in contact with benches or tables. It goes straight onto pudding cloths lined with plastic, tied up & boiled for hours. They remain in their inner wrappings which seals them after they are cooked.

While on the phone to Amy she asked my age. I told her to which she replied “Well I take it that if someone knocks on your door to purchase a pudding that person would be using the pudding for Christmas.” When that was correct she then said they would not bother about the labels.

I think she may have got the impression that an old lady of 87 was not going to cause any harm, anyway she was very nice about it all. I liked & appreciated her approach & her warmth towards me!

Then I received a notification in the post box that Toronto Chamber of Commerce were holding their annual Spring Fair, so I thought I would go for old times sake as, when in business, we used to do that one every year. As it’s not an overly huge fair I booked in for it in November.

There was also going to be another fete with ‘Carols by the Lake’ near Christmas in December, so I emailed Philip thinking he wouldn’t mind a bit of nostalgia in doing what we used to do & also to help me, so he decided he would come with me.

Charley was going to help me do the Spring Fair & we both tootled off in November with our tables & our puddings in the pouring rain at 5.30 a.m. to set up in time for the start & guess what? It was cancelled before it started, because the forecast was for torrential rain all day. That meant our fee was transferred for the carols night.

It was then that the powers to be informed me that Newcastle’s Pudding Lane would be there as they go every year. The lass was making sure I didn’t mind having opposition. Not at all I assured her!

However, my stomach was churning a little & then a miracle happened. It poured with rain & Carols by the Lake was also cancelled. I was probably the only person elated as I really didn’t want to meet up face to face with Pudding Lane & have to pretend I wasn’t stressed!

So that was that & no harm done. At this point it was probable that I had some Divine Intervention as over the months I had absolutely no sales from Etsy or GumTree & I truly think this was a blessing in disguise. I am glad I tried, it was an experience, but in view of circumstances with Pudding Lane to remove my shop from Etsy will make some people very happy & it’s not going to hurt me in the slightest. Other good things have happened.

One of those good things was Priscilla’s Palace. The day the Toronto Spring Fair was cancelled, Charley & I came back to Michele’s patisserie where we had a nice cosy breakfast together. On the way out we saw Priscilla & her Palace, which was a three sided stall & looked quite magnificent.

Instead of selling some puddings we ended up buying quite a few Christmas gifts. In doing so we got to know Priscilla rather well as she wasn’t busy at that early hour in the morning. She is a very outgoing young lady indeed & very likeable.

We told her about our tragedy that day, so she proceeded to give us names of a couple of small markets. One of these was at Boolaroo. Toronto was the suburb next to where I live & Boolaroo was the suburb next to me on the other side who was holding a small market at the school the next Saturday morning!

So you see the silver lining was peeping through the cloud & a definite plan was forming in my little head that I will tell you about in the next episode to this saga!!

In the meantime, I send my fond love as always. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

I was quite excited when my Etsy store was opened last August to tell the world that my Christmas Puddings were available for anyone who wanted a home made one just like Grannie made. I had no idea how they would sell on line & really didn’t mind if it didn’t take off, but I just wanted to have a go at it.

David was also quite enthusiastic about it on my behalf: so much so that he put an ad on Gumtree for me, which I thought was sweet of him. So imagine my surprise when I received a message from John Smith in September which read :

‘John smith replied to your ad. Illegal & unregistered kitchen, not Food NSW notified, no HACCP Food Safety Plan, illegal labels, not Fsanz compliant, illegal marketing claims, you are in for huge fines, Centrelink & Australian Tax Office aware of your additional income. Toronto Fair? Lake Macquarie City Council & Food NSW to be notified.’

You can imagine how I felt on receiving an email that contained so much venom. So much for a stress free life. For a few moments I felt positively sick to realise that I was hated that much, so I immediately sent the email to my advisors, Philip & David.

Centrelink is the Government body who pays our pensions. As for the Tax office, I wish I was earning enough to pay taxes! With my Christmas Puddings I am doing what hundreds of people do when they retire: they create a hobby out of something they are good at & take it to small markets.

When we had Newcastle’s Pudding Lady business & making forty or fifty tonnes of puddings annually we took them to big fetes & fairs where they were widely known by the general public. The sales for the day at these fairs were huge, amounting to several thousands of dollars taken within four to five hours. Not everyone sold in that volume, but we did because of the popularity of the puddings. These sales would naturally go into the business for taxation purposes.

I always loved the hype on fete days as people would flock to our stall early in the mornings –  when we were still setting up the display – to make sure we didn’t sell out before they got to us. The fairs would be held on a Sunday. Our stall always looked quite grand & Max would be outside the stall giving out tastings getting a laugh when he would invite all & sundry to come & try & not to worry as there were no calories on a Sunday!

Dawn in her apron ready to sell.

While he did that, I was behind the stall in my special apron with Newcastle’s Pudding Lady embroidered on it, looking like a little old Grannie who made the puddings. Myself & another helper would be flat chat taking the money & handing over the puddings. I loved those days, we would come home tired out but satisfied with the results. It was hard work as sometimes we would need to take two car loads of puddings which meant a lot of packing. setting up etc. but it was loads of fun. And when the Tax Office came around to do an audit it was all okay.

So when I received a note in my letter box from the Toronto Chamber of Commerce advertising Toronto Fair it brought back memories as this was one of the fairs we always did when we had the business. So I booked myself in, as it was quite a small one & I didn’t need to take hundreds of puddings.

Dawn and Max looking fine at a fair.

That also must have upset John Smith because ‘he’ was also booked in to it & goes there every year with the puddings ‘he’ makes. Of course John Smith is not ‘his’ real name. My family knew immediately who John Smith was, as did I.

‘John’ is half of a couple whom we have known for years whom I will call Kay & Em. Their friendship with us was eighteen years old when we had Newcastle’s Pudding Lady business. They lived in Sydney & when in Sydney we were guests in their own home, as they were in our home when they came to Newcastle.

They were interested in the pudding business & in time I taught them everything there was to know about the business. They became agents for us doing other fairs & fetes for us that we didn’t have time to do.

There were even times when Kay, Em & myself would travel to Canberra to take the puddings to the Canberra Show for a week, with Max needing to stay at home to take care of the business. We loved all that too as we were very dear friends.

It was all very personal, friendly & nice. We would stay at a motel near the show ground & each night after the show we would go out for dinner. We did this for many years & they were very happy times. I have dozens of loving, caring cards from Kay & Em expressing the love they had for me. These are still in my possession,

While Max & I ran the pudding business when we had the kitchen built specifically for our needs, it was Philip who was the Manager. However, when Philip was moving to America to live he felt that we needed someone to take his place in taking care of the managerial part & who would be ideal for this position?

None other then Kay & Em who were only too eager to take on the job. We really only needed one to do the job, but there was a big snag in the fact that they lived in Sydney & the job was in Newcastle. After much discussion we both compromised as, after all we were friends, so a sum was settled on for their employment plus a proviso that when we were ready to sell the business we would give first offer to Kay & Em. This was agreed on.

However, I guess you have heard the old adage ‘never mix business with friendship’ & it is so true. After Philip & Greg went to live in America a lot of discrepancies kept cropping up in the business. The ‘affection’ & the high esteem I felt I had been held in by Kay & Em dwindled rapidly. It was also the case where Max was concerned. The situation was far from pleasant.

So much so that Philip came home from America to look into the situation. He immediately called in a business lady who was noted for assisting in businesses when they appeared to be going downhill. When this was done the situation got really hostile, so much so that we were obliged to engage a lawyer.

We were ultimately advised to lock Kay & Em out of the premises &, sad as it may be, that really that was the line of action that had to be taken, because of the illegal things that were taking place.

However, we kept our side of the bargain & gave Kay & Em first offer to purchase the business. They made an offer, but in the meantime, the business lady who became involved, along with her brother, showed interest in also purchasing the business. The outcome was that we refused the offer by Kay & Em & accepted the second offer.

So myself & family have no doubt as to who John Smith is & that a grudge has been held because of the fact that we didn’t take their offer. How heavy that grudge must have been to carry for fourteen years! The advice I received after that hateful email was to do nothing about it, which is exactly what I did.

However, this is not the end to it all. I always try to look for the silver lining in the cloud no matter how daunting it may look. I will look forward to letting you know what happened when I write again as it opened up a new world to me just when I needed it most.

God Bless & Loads of Love. Dawn O X O

Dear Ann,

From time to time when visiting Burbank I have shown what expertise I have in my line dancing hobby. Likewise when Philip took up singing lessons with April, Greg & I have been privy to a few private concerts from Philip.

It has been quite amazing the improvement from year to year with the singing lessons. Philip may never be a Pavarotti but he has certainly come a long way, which he deserves as there is never a day goes past that he doesn’t practice his scales as well as his songs. He puts his heart & soul into it & has even combined his acts with choreography, which are good.

I am not that good with my line dancing, but it is a great hobby as well as a means of mental & physical expertise. I am pleased at what I have accomplished so far.

I was secretly hoping that Philip & Greg would attend our Christmas Party to witness in class what I can do, as I did when I attended his singing class where a lot of action took place. They both said they would like to come so I rang Jean, my teacher to let her know that they would be coming & she was very pleased. She has heard a lot about them & now could meet them in person.

This is the first Christmas Line Dancing Party I have been to as well. We were to dance for the first hour & then have the party. Jean jokingly asked if I would like her to put on all my favourites & of course the ones I am good at!

She also said I needed to bring a plate of eats & three surprise packages as they would be having secret Santa. No problems, I had it all under wraps as I had bought six mini bottles of good wine & put two together in each of three parcels.

I thought that was a bit different to the norm & if not a wine drinker I was sure someone would swap with them. I was secretly hoping that Philip & Greg would get two of them, but they didn’t have the lucky numbers!

I was so pleased they were coming to see what Mum could do, but Jean did not pamper me with my favourites although she did include a couple for me, one being the Rock & Roll Waltz, my absolute favourite. I can just lose myself in that one as I waltz away!

Dawn dancing her heart out.

A lot of the dances had been put to Christmas music, which threw me a bit, but it also made me realise I should know the dances well enough to do them to any appropriate music. So on the day I wasn’t satisfied with my own dancing as I can do better than that, but the Christmas music did make it a bit more of a Christmas party.

Anyway I did okay & put put my best foot forward. Philip had great fun in showing on his phone a video of him doing a solo in a fancy dress outfit & then peeling most of it off to show some shiny golden gold short shorts that he was wearing underneath, as he continued singing & dancing to the choreography. I think those who saw it was pleased they did see it!

Then we sat down to do justice to our party with all the goodies on a long table so we drank the soft drinks provided while munching on lots of delicacies. My Roasted Almond Slices always are a crash hit, gone in no time with everyone wanting the recipe.

Line Dancing Christmas Party

We were all given a ticket with a number on it to receive our secret Santa gift which was fun, as always & after all the exercise, the eating & putting on the calories that we had danced off we came home contented & happy little chappies.

Love you heaps. God Bless, Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

Isn’t it strange how the simplest of things can make a difference to your day. Yesterday I had my usual appointment to have my hair done at 10 a.m. which is a permanent weekly appointment. As I hadn’t slept well the night before, I was laying in bed feeling very drowsy when I thought I had better look to see what the time was only to find that it was 9.35!

As it takes twelve minutes to drive to my hairdresser, I jumped out of bed in more than a half daze & in a panic. I wash my hair when I have my shower, but there was no time for that. I grabbed the nearest clothes in the wardrobe & started to dress.

In my hurry I couldn’t help thinking that anyone watching would have thought it a circus as I couldn’t seem to step into them & was tottering all over the place: more haste less speed! I managed to get to my destination only three minutes late & that was the best start to a new day.

I then had to rush to meet my friends, Cheryl & Sandra, at a suburb in the opposite direction, so I felt as if I had been half way around the world & back before I even woke up properly. I dusted my eyes to get the sleep out of them & was feeling more like myself by the time I met my friends.

Then another hiccup occurred, as I was supposed to take a bottle of my relish for Sandra, but Cheryl had forgotten to tell me. Fortunately I had supplied a cafe with some just prior to Christmas, so we were able to drive there so she could purchase a bottle.

With all the driving completed, we were then able to go to our restaurant for lunch. Cheryl had chosen a small, but very popular place that was well known for great pizzas. Their fame was spot on, as we ordered two large ones. They were delicious with enough left overs for Sandra & I to take home for our dinners that evening, so when we got back to Cheryl’s car she popped them in her cooler bag to keep them nice & fresh.

The plan was for Cheryl to then take us to see her home & garden as I had never been there, but I had heard quite a bit about it over the years. By now being well fed fed & having been a bit further around he world to get Sandra’s relish I was wide awake & in good spirits looking forward to seeing Cheryl’s home.

I knew it was a simple abode & I also knew she loved her garden, but did I get a shock. It was, without any doubt, the most interesting home I had ever been in. It was just magical.

It had a drive off a main highway, which gave it easy access & looked to be a very humble abode which indeed it was. What a store of surprises & treasures it held, as we went on the grand tour.

Firstly though Cheryl backed down the long drive to the garage that was the only clue to grandeur, as the drive itself was long & wide having been done by professionals after Cheryl had retired. It was lovely (I think you can call a drive lovely) & alongside the fence was a garden which looked as if it had been landscaped, very beautiful indeed complete with a little windmill.

The garage would have to be seen to be believed as it was big enough for four cars (Cheryl & Gary only have two); had enough space in which to live, but instead held everything a man could want all in it’s rightful place. It was huge & certainly would make any man envious.

Before we were taken inside the house we had a grand tour of the garden. There were so many garden beds it was indeed a grand tour, even down to the chicken pen. Each little garden had it’s own charm, even to the veggie patch that was sporting some healthy tomato plants. Sandra & I left there with some home grown tomatoes that taste like real tomatoes.

Every garden bed had garden ornaments that were so cute. I had given Cheryl two lovely ornaments for Christmas – a little boy with a matching girl – & these already sported succulents growing in them. They somehow matched the whole garden.

I detected that Cheryl also loved ornamental frogs, as she had them tucked in almost every corner. As we left her that day she was going to ring a nursery, as she had seen a frog on a Harley Davidson motor bike & kicked her self for not buying it at the time. As I write this I bet it’s now in her garden on display.

Cheryl likes all things froggy!

So with the grand tour of the garden completed we were taken inside. When Gary & Cheryl bought the house from it’s original owners it was fifty years old, as they love old places with character. This one certainly has character. Gary has spent years painting the rooms one by one after he has done all the alterations that they wanted.

From the minute we stepped inside you could feel the character of the house, it was charming although even that word does not do it justice. There are ornaments, framed photos, bric a brac, all sorts of things that look so right without being overcrowded.

Her love of frogs was also evident inside. I lost count at one thousand three hundred & twenty one which may be a slight exaggeration! Cheryl definitely loves frogs & one teapot even had frogs on it. There is also a grand display of teapots too, but everything in the whole house was in a place that is ‘just right’ for it.

For Cheryl’s last birthday I had given her a quite beautiful ceramic tile of the San Antonio Winery. This was tucked in the corner on a bureau amongst some maiden hair ferns & looked exactly where it ought to be.

Cheryl certainly has a flair for decor as all these little things are tucked beside a few teles which seemed to be in all the main rooms.

The bedrooms are worthy of mention as the big queen sized bed sported at least a dozen cushions of all sizes & colours to match the spread. Cheryl declares she can make that bed in five minutes! But the next bedroom we entered was amazing. It sported all Cheryl’s hats: the whole twenty three of them! Who would ever think of that, but they looked great sitting on top of the bed that I doubt is slept in very often.

Cheryl’s hat collection

I lost count of the rooms & would need to wander about the house to get my bearings, but with all it holds it is in no way ostentatious: it is just sweet, cute & lovely. It’s hard to find the right words. Gary has worked on the home a room at a time & what a handyman, he has done a great job.

So we wandered from room to room with a few rooms yet to be renovated, but what a kitchen we walked into. It had obviously been done professionally. I involuntarily exclaimed when I walked into it. It is the most magnificent kitchen I have ever been in: mainly black & grey with a touch of white with a stove & oven big enough to cook for a small army.

The garage might be every man’s dream, but that kitchen would be every woman’s dream with hidden lighting & an oven wide enough to take two baking dishes side by side.

Then as if that was not enough we went to the back of the house & into a long room, beautifully furnished with casual decor, a tele, sound system in a setting fit to match the great room, which is almost the full width of the house. Cheryl says that’s where they live mostly & I can understand why.

They had that room professionally done too & that’s where we sat, in the oh so comfy floral cushioned chairs & chattered for the next hour or so, as we breathed it all in while looking at the wisteria winding it’s way through the peach tree.

The Queensland Room

I laughingly chided Cheryl for hiding this from me for the ten years I have known her, but it was worth the wait. It was such an interesting & lovely home & as we sat in the back room which is called ‘The Queensland Room’ one would never know that there was a main highway out the front. It was so peaceful & quiet & from the silly start to the beginning of the day it turned out to be what we called ‘ a magical day’.

There is a little PS to this epistle as I had driven from Toronto to home after I left my friends. A few minutes later the doorbell rang. It was Cheryl. She had chased me all the way home to deliver my left over pizza that I had left behind in her bag.

We had to laugh at that & off she went again in her bright & breezy way after a little hug between us. How great are good & true friends, I am truly Blessed.

My love to you Always. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

After Christmas Day the next week just flew past & all of a sudden Philip & Greg were about to leave. It was great for them to have Neika’s car those last weeks – Philip had it while Greg was away –  as they were then free to go & see their friends whom they had not had time to catch up with.

I only saw them in the mornings & again in the evenings for dinner. Meals did not seem to be a problem. Greg seemed to come up with ideas for these while he was here. I had some scallops in the freezer & mentioned that I didn’t know what to do with them.

Greg came up with cooking them in some delicious sauce with an equally delicious mango salad. It truly melted in the mouth. He is certainly a good chef.

Scallops (with roux) with mango and avocado salad

So their final week was fairly busy for them as they flitted around to see the friends they hadn’t yet caught up with.

So the night before New year’s Eve it was decided we would have a family party at my place & had fun preparing for that meal too. I still had one fresh duck that I had purchased from a poultry farm that happened to be on my way home from line dancing.

That was a good start to the menu & with the addition of some really nice smoked ham & salads made a complete meal. This was to followed with an all fresh fruit salad which contained all the summer fruits available.

I had made enough to feed twice as many people as were here. However, leftovers are no problem when Charley is around: she is very happy to take them home for herself & Dom, her flat mate & very dear friend.

It was very memorable for me to have the whole family at my place:  David, Lauren, Riley, Dave, Charley, Dominic, Philip, Greg & myself. The only family missing were Georgia & Mick. They live quite a few kilometres from Newcastle, plus the fact that they are expecting their first child, means they are not always available, which is understandable because Georgia is still working. We miss them though.

As always when we are together we have a fun time & spirits are always high paticularly when Charley & Riley are around, as they are both so outgoing. We drank , dined, ate, talked, laughed & had a simply great night.

Then all of a sudden it was over & everyone went home. However, they didn’t leave until I got a good family photo of us all together as my sister, Kim had said to me at Christmas time to be sure & get a family photo on Christmas Day & I forgot all about it.

Charley, Philip, David, Greg, Dawn, Riley and Lauren.

I made sure I got a good one at the party, or I should say that Philip got a good one. His camera is a bit more sophisticated than mine.

Then that done, goodbyes were said, the dinner dishes stacked on the sink & time for the three of us to go to bed as the boys had a very early start in the morning. Greg’s parents were picking them up to take them to the station, for which I was very grateful.

Doesn’t the time fly by so quickly, it didn’t seem any time since they had arrived & here they were going,

They came in to give me a hug & a kiss before leaving. I was wide awake not looking forward to that moment. However, I was good & I went back to sleep after they left.

When I got up the place was so quiet & I needed to have the dishes to wash from the night before to give me something to do. I had the rare feeling of being lonely for about three days after they left, until I got used to not having them around.

I realised It is so much easier me leaving them in Burbank than them leaving me! However, if I don’t get over there next year I will be hoping that Philip & Greg come back here again for a visit, as it was great to have Christmas with all the family together so here’s hoping for a repeat performance.

Love you Ann. God Bless, Dawn X O X O