Letters to Ann

Dear Ann,

Somewhere in my early years I read a fabulous book by Barbara Taylor Bradford that was published in 1979 & it had a great influence in my life. It was titled A Woman of Substance. It told the story of a young girl who had a very humble & difficult beginning, but overcame many adversities to build a family empire.

Her name was Emma.

The author wrote many more books following on from this one. Although I enjoyed them all none had the impact on me like her first one. For many years after when family would remark on achievements I made throughout my life I would answer “Just call me Emma, Emma Harte, a woman of substance.”

Also from the time I read the book, Emma has been a favourite name for me.

I guess that’s why when Trudy, a close friend of my own hairdresser, Felicity, told me about her little niece whose name happened t be Emma & the great fight she was having I took that little girl to my heart. She has suffered a great deal of adversity with cancer.

I have never met Emma but she became a very real part of my life in the fact that I care about her deeply especially when Trudy told me that one of Emma’s greatest wishes is just to be able to go to school like other little girls.

Emma is now five years old. She had a bone marrow transplant well over a year ago. The doctors said it was successful & she was given steroids after the operation, This treatment has not been very successful as when the medical team attempt to take her off steroids, within ten days she is so ill that she has to go back to hospital again.

Emma

She is also not able to go out where other people are congregated without a face mask that has proved not very successful either. She can’t even play with her cousins when she is home from the hospital. Her life has been spent at home & in hospital &, as strong as that little girl is in her endeavour to get better, she has had so many setbacks that it causes problems not only to her but also to her family.

I care so much about Emma that over a year ago I have been praying for her constantly for someone, somewhere somehow will find a cure for her. I asked my friends would they pray for her too so that we could have a whole prayer group thinking of her.

In connection with this though I would like to tell you a little story which also touched my heart. There is a lady who sat next to me at Michele’s patisserie a couple of years ago & we got talking & kind of gelled as you do sometimes. She is a very humble person & a lady you could put trust in. There is nothing fancy or uppity about her. She just came over to me as a really nice humble person. Her name is Sarah

A few weeks ago she came into the cafe to enjoy a coffee before she caught her bus to where she lives, which is almost right into the city. I hadn’t seen Sarah for over a year, but the meeting was very natural & comfortable even though I do not know Sarah really well.

I am not backward in asking so I told Sarah about Emma & asked if she would pray for her also. Sarah did a very nice thing, she looked at me kindly saying “why don’t we do that right now.” So there we were, in a cafe praying for Emma. Sarah said that prayer so beautifully not only making me feel stronger about Emma, but I know that Sarah will keep up the prayers even if I don’t see her for another year.

Emma

Now that I have explained about Emma I want to tell you a beautiful story.

When I saw Trudy at the hairdressing salon yesterday, she told me how badly Emma wanted to go & see ‘Disney On Ice’ which was showing at our Entertainment Centre. They perform there every year & it was a tradition that I always took Charley to see that show annually.

Emma really wanted to go & see ‘Disney On Ice,’ but of course there was no way that Emma could be among the thousands of people that attend. The teacher at the hospital who gives lessons to young children too sick to attend school rang up Disney On Ice & told them about little Emma.

Trudy could not wait to tell me that the Managers of the Show rang Emma’s Mum to invite her & Emma to attend the entertainment centre where they would put on the complete performance just for them. I wasn’t the only one with tears in my eyes & I came home elated. What a beautiful thing to hear amongst all the horror things we keep hearing about in this world. This was a wonderful gesture of kindness.

Needless to say, Emma got to have her photo taken with all the cast in the show & she looked the part herself dressed up in her own fairy outfit.

What a thrill for a little girl. I have seen the photos so now I have seen Emma & the steroids have blessed her with a mass of very thick black hair, which I am told is very soft to the touch.

This was the second lovely thing I heard in the same week. When we visited Wayne Rogers in his home & while entertaining us he asked had we heard of Danny La Rue who was another famous drag queen from England, years ago.

Of course we had. He was famous & like Wayne, a great entertainer. Once when doing a big show here in Newcastle, someone spoke to him from a Nursing Home saying he had enjoyed the show so much it was a pity some of his friends hadn’t seen it too.

Danny immediately asked his manager if they had anything on the next day, which happened to be a Sunday. When the answer was “No” Danny said “Well we do now”. They took the show to the Nursing Home. There are lots of good people still in this world.

Mentioning nursing homes brings back the memory of my last birthday gift from my sister, Kim. She did mention to me over the phone that she wasn’t too sure if it was the right choice of gift or not. When it arrived & I opened it up I must admit to being a little surprised.

The parcel contained some very lovely colouring in books complete with a very nice set of colouring in pencils. I was not aware that this is the current activity in nursing homes, but in any case it was not for me. I would rather be making my relish & Christmas puddings to take to markets!

A friend of mine remarked on what a lovely gift, so I toyed with the idea of regifting it to her, but then I thought of little Emma who loves colouring in so that’s where it is right now. I feel sure Kim will not mind one bit. She will no doubt feel happy with the fact that a very sick little girl is loving it.

God Bless. Love You. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

My little Toyota Echo car was due for registration so I had been a bit busy getting quotes, insurance etc. & my last port of call was to have a registration check for the RTA . I have been going to the same mechanics for the past thirteen years, since moving here. The boss, Andrew, knows me quite well; looks after me very well & when the festive season arrives he is on my list for a nice big Christmas pudding for the good service he gives me.

So he took my car into the workshop & I opted to wait for the required check. It wasn’t long before the mechanic came to where I was doing a crossword puzzle & took me to the workshop to show me a little problem.

With heart in my mouth I learnt that something (I can’t even remember the name) had a crack in an important piece of the steering works, which was going to cost a few hundred dollars. He explained it was okay to drive & could be left for awhile, but would only worsen. If the authorities saw it I would have a fine of nearly a thousand dollars on my plate. I told them to do it straight away. It would take two days & an appointment was made for this past week for Tuesday & Wednesday.

As I was about to become housebound for the two days I thought it a good opportunity to do a batch of fifty kilo Christmas Puddings. So last weekend I bought all the ingredients necessary & started weighing, mixing etc.  I was doing very nicely.

By Tuesday morning I had them well under way when I delivered my car to Andrew who had someone drive me back home. I was completely reconciled to being housebound for two days.

This never happens unless there is a good reason as I go out every day. I was working back at my pudding project when, after a few minutes I had a call from Andrew who was highly embarrassed because the parts they had ordered to do the repairs were found to be the wrong ones.

This meant another delay & that I was not going to be housebound at all this week. This was an unexpected change of plan that meant Andrew had to come & collect me again so that I could have my car returned to me. Another appointment was made for next Tuesday & Wednesday.

It couldn’t be helped & it didn’t bother me as it did the mechanics. I just got back to my pudding making & was down to the last nine puddings to be weighed out, tied up in their cloths ready for boiling.

So I got my good old fashioned scales out to do this small job. As I had the last container holding the mixture sitting on the table where the cloths were laid out ready, I did something I had never done before. I put the scales next to the container on the table because it was only for such a small quantity of weighing. My regular practice is having them on the kitchen bench with the container next to them.

I had weighed out one pudding when I knocked the scales flying across the floor & did a good job of smashing them.

I had the big saucepans on the stove with the electricity encouraging them to boil quickly so, I could get the last nine nestled in the boiling water. I had to turn the stove off because as frustrating as it was, it was necessary to dash out & buy new scales.

After three shops I finally ended up at The Good Guys just up the road from me. I really must have been in a flap because they were the obvious people to go to in the first place! Also they are the closest to my home.

They had scales but only digital ones. My dear old faithful scales has pounds & ounces as well as grams & kilograms. As I am old fashioned I like old fashioned scales.

It wasn’t to be. They only had digital ones. I refrained from using a naughty word & only said it under my breath. I just didn’t have the time running to the next suburb, so I had to settle for digital. The lass serving me showed me very quickly how to set them up.

So off I drove home with something I knew I wasn’t going to like as I tried them once before & they were so slow!

I arrived back home after an hour, turned the stove on again & set out to weigh out the mixture. At least the scales were flat & I wouldn’t send them flying!

When I came to tare them for the mixing bowl to weigh the mixture into I got highly confused as I always do with new tools. I thought I read something about batteries, but I had to get the aid of a magnifying glass to read the small print.

There was nothing else to do but turn the stove off again & – armed with batteries, bowl & scales – I choofed off to The Good Guys again. I was feeling a bit foolish when I walked in & three good guys were having a chat together.

As I walked in one asked if they could help me. Yes sir, please show me how to tare these scales so that I don’t give my puddings the incorrect weight. The nice good guy was only too happy to help the poor little old lady & showed me how to do it: just where it says on-tare, press that button! No batteries needed, nothing.

As I stepped back into my car I thought how, at times, it is good to be looked at as a poor little old lady that knows nothing about gadgets! I came home, turned the stove on again & got the job done.

Wasn’t it Shakespeare who said “much to do about nothing?” Well he was right. This was such a small thing that caused me a lot of frustration & time. Not that time worries me as I have plenty of it, but I had planned that day to have the last nine puddings in the pot, cooked & hung up to dry by 11 a.m.

As it was I got to go to lunch at 2 p.m. with them still boiling in the pot & due to come off at 4 p.m.

The ray of sunshine through the cloud was that I had my car when I needed it, so I guess all that was meant to be seeing as I found it necessary to send my lovely old fashioned scales flying.

I kept my cool & went off to line dancing on Friday. As I was dancing I couldn’t help thinking how good it was to leave everything behind & dance. Sometimes the mental & physical is just so good for me. I may not be the best in the world, but I do love my line dancing. I really realised that as I was floating around doing the dance to the tune of ‘The Rock & Roll Waltz.’

Then we had our first five minute break, when our teacher, Jean announced that she had made a decision to retire. We were all a bit stunned.

My immediate thought, after the first dozen immediate thoughts, was what I learnt from my son many years ago “life is full of changes, they are inevitable & we must embrace them.” But I’m going to have trouble with this change in my life. I am greatly attached to all my teachers & to my fellow dancers as, apart from their friendship these good people bring me their empty jars each week for my relish & they buy my puddings etc.

Jean talked with us during this break saying she was going on a family holiday for five weeks in July & is trying to decide whether to retire before she goes or come back after those weeks away, perhaps feeling refreshed & continuing on until the 8th Dec.

We all left it for Jean to decide, but we are hoping she will leave it until December as, right now, it seems a bit too sudden. I kept my mouth closed during the conversation as I can sometimes tend be selfish, but this is the same Jean who organised for all the class to come to my home for an afternoon tea party when it looked like I wouldn’t get back to dancing.

It is the same Jean who encouraged me in saying she had an aunt who did line dancing until she was ninety six with the aid of her walking stick. This is Jean who asked me to the Multicultural Church Service. This is the Jean who, when I asked her, found a market for me to go to where she lives, which happened only last week.

It is also the Jean who lost her husband last year. After a life time of teaching, we all feel that she just wants to spend her time with her family now. Having written that it makes me feel better & I have been fortunate in knowing Jean & having her in my life.

I am just hoping the expiry date will be the 8th Dec.  I also hope that Philip is here for his birthday to give me his arm as he so often has done. I don’t think I have the get up & go to attend a different line dancing class, but I guess I will need to jump that hurdle when it comes.

In the meantime, thanks to Jean, I have to forget about puddings, dancing & all that as next weekend I have two markets to think about: one on /saturday & the next on Sunday. I had better change my boot scootin’ footwear for some others as I have a few batches of relish to make, bottle & price by the end of the week.

Whatever, life is good & with all the frustrations of life I am very fortunate & very blessed.

Heaps of hugs & love dear friend. Dawn X O X O.

Dear Ann,

A few years ago I had the privilege of attending a concert held in a huge hall where the star performer was Wayne Rogers. I had not heard of him prior to the concert, but when I did I was enamoured by his performance, as were the other hundreds of people who attended.

Wayne is a hairdresser, singer & drag queen. He is well known in Newcastle & Sydney & has performed on television in a show called ‘The Voice’ where he received a lot of accolades from both the judges & the audience.

The outfits he wears are his own creations & they were not short of stunning. He also has a pair of beautiful legs that most women would die for! In addition to this he is a most popular person in his business also on & off the stage.

Just recently Cheryl was in touch to say we had the opportunity of visiting Wayne & his partner James in the privacy of their own home where we could see all through the house, enjoy some entertainment & end the afternoon with High Tea. All this for a mere $80, but only twenty guests could attend. Certainly Sandra, Cheryl & I were very keen as we had seen some photos of the home in the local paper.

So last Saturday the three of us arrived before the rest of the guests & the first thing we did was take a photo of the home itself, which was a very old building built in the nineteen twenties & older than I was! We had been told that Wayne had redecorated the home completely by himself & of course we were all eager to see what the interior was like.

Dawn & Wayne Rogers at the greeting.

We all assembled outside the home, as we had been requested not to knock on the door. We gathered at the foot of the steps ready & waiting. We could hear something buzzing from inside the door & I suggested to my friends that they were doing a last vacuum of the floor!

Cheryl was more astute, stating that Wayne was no doubt putting finishing touches to his hairdo. I think she might have been right. The front door opened & wow! Wayne appeared with a fantastic hairdo (wig or not) & a beautiful very slim fitting cream lace dress just to the knees. Over this was a two tiered fur trimmed cape. He also stockings & also 3″ high heeled shoes.

He was holding a tray filled with champagne, orange juice with a strawberry, which followed with James holding the door open plus a camera. We were all invited to step up & make ourselves comfortable on the patio while being served with pre high tea nibblies & drinks.

What a lovely dramatic beginning on a sunny winter’s day that we all thoroughly enjoyed, as the conversation was quite informal & very friendly with all of us.

After two champagnes I had the courage to go over to where Wayne was chatting to some ladies with camera in hand to ask if it was permissible for photos to be taken. He smiled & said of course, go right ahead. So I said “in that case would you have your photo taken with me please?”

He did & my shoulder tucked into this tall slim person’s underarm. I felt a bit like Riley must have felt when with Dave. It wasn’t the only photo he had taken with me either because he really liked me & fell for me hard. I will tell you about that later.

I took heaps of photos inside the house as there was so much to photograph. All the beautiful memorabilia Wayne & James had collected, which was so tastefully placed. There was just so much that made that house a real home, with photos of the boys together also with parents. You could feel the love they had put into the place.

Main Bedroom showing the cornice detail

All the old fashioned cornice in each room had been artistically painted by Wayne himself & was a beautiful addition to the decor. I couldn’t explain to you all that was there, but the light fittings were absolutely magnificent. We loved every thoughtful detail the home held.

I could only liken it to one other home that I have seen which was similar, which belongs to your son, Les. That is a little different being full of film & movie memorabilia, which was the industry in which Les was engaged, but it also has stories to tell & is as amazing as Wayne & James’ home.

The elaborate toilet.

We were all invited to go look through the whole house being told particularly not to miss going to the toilet adjacent to the laundry!

When we saw the toilet we could only gasp at the artistic add-ons that made it a toilet like no other any of us had ever seen, without it being ostentatious! We then moved to every room in the house. It was truly like a life sized doll’s house, with two small sets of steps up to the top, then down to the bottom with all the living rooms in between.

We started off with the two bedrooms downstairs & it wasn’t just the decor, but the selected colours that made it stand out so much. I could not help myself, but every room deserved photos!

Upstairs, one room was a third bedroom that contained a real neat & special cot that a friend had given them with a toy monkey nestled inside. It seemed to be a part of the decor.

The other upstairs room contained a large number of Wayne’s outfits on display, but I feel sure there were more hidden in the closets!

After the tour upstairs we went down again, where there was another flight of stairs taking us to the entertainment section. Furry chairs decorated with wide pink ribbon awaited us & there were only twenty seats!

Wayne makes his entrance.

When we were all seated the door to the stairs was closed, James set the music going, the door opened & there appeared a beautiful lady with long blonde curly hair hanging around the eyes, a gorgeous blue sequinned lace fitting gown.

Wayne is no more than size 10 bordering on size 8 & is very tall with or without high heeled shoes, which he was wearing. Over his arm he had a very large darker blue boa that matched his eye makeup perfectly!

Of course there were a few additions like blue rings on his fingers & very large ones, which – me being me & loving jewelry – I thought were the finishing touches to a superb look. In all of this glory, when the door opened to admit his entrance, the steps to the auditorium glittered with multi coloured lights. We welcomed him with loud applause.

James had also turned the spot light on (which ruined all my photos as I am not at all professional), but it didn’t matter as Wayne just stood before us & talked & sang. He just spoke naturally tellling us how shy he was when he left school. He went to work in one of our major super markets in the fruit & veg section for two months. At that time he was so shy he didn’t talk to anyone in the place durmg that time.

I can believe that as he still has that shyness about him. He doesn’t carry the worldliness that might be expected. He told us how he wanted to be a hairdresser from the time he could remember. As a little boy would borrow his sister’s doll that had long hair & he would fiddle with it while his sister cried out “Mum he’s got my doll again!”

He also told us how he had to make a decision to continue a career as a singer & drag queen & how he was encouraged by professional people to continue. His audience is so glad he did.

In between chatting he sang some beautiful songs for us & that’s where his shyness went from him. He loves Shirley Bassey songs & indeed I think he loves Shirley Bassey as well as her songs. He sang a couple for us & also had two ladies get up with him while he encouraged us all to participate in ‘All that Jazz which was really great.

Chatting and entertaining.

In between telling us a little of his life he spoke of another very famous British born drag queen, Danny La Rue & what that man did for charity. I think too, that Wayne also will be remembered for the same thing.

My son, David, has told me his very favourite song of all time is ‘My Way.’ When Wayne sang that for us his voice was tremendous. There would have been more than one with tears at the back of their eyes. Wayne wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to his singing & no wonder he is sought after for his expertise in more than one field.

Having enjoyed the show we then went upstairs for High Tea, which the dictionary says is where everyone sits around a table & eats a cooked dish, bread & butter & drink tea. Well we did all sit around three tables in the living area, but it was a little different to what the dictionary says.

I remember Max & I having High Tea in some very posh retail store in London: Harrods was the name. It was something to experience. No hot dish, but the little bite sized sandwiches & delicate cakes were to stay in one’s memory.

So it was at this High Tea with Wayne. High Teas always have three decker cake plates holding these delicacies & the ‘to die for’ sandwiches (no crusts at High Teas) simply disappeared within a few minutes while we were served tea (or coffee)!

Wayne had come upstairs wearing his gorgeous blue dress with the whole works, so I asked again if he would have his photo taken with me “cause I knew he liked me & would oblige,” Cheryl asked him to squat down beside where I was sitting & as he did so his high heel slipped on the floor & he fell over backwards!

Dawn and Wayne at High Tea.

We all laughed, including Wayne & we had our photo taken again. I told you he fell for me hard & I did tell everyone he didn’t have to let them all know just how hard!

That was how our afternoon came to a close. Before we left Wayne made a little speech indicating great thoughtfulness for other people in what he said which endorses my original impression of him being am extremely nice person, happy with his life & thankful for doing it as he said: “My Way.”

Hope you have enjoyed reading about Wayne & my thoughts & love go with you always. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

When I first came to Newcastle as a Tupperware Distributor in the nineteen sixties one of my first thoughts was to get myself a good hairdresser. After a little time I was introduced to Val, a hairdresser who had a salon in a suburb close to where we were living at that time.  Her home was also within a couple of kilometres to our home.

Val took me on board & I had a standing hair dressing appointment with her at her salon at 10 a.m. every Friday. This ensured that my hair was looking nice for the weekend, as it was a usual practice for Max & I to dress up (in those days in a long gown for females) & go out to dinner at a nice restaurant every Friday evening.

Val was a few years younger than me, but we gelled together very well & respected each other immensely. She was very good to me & on more than one occasion came to my home to do my hair after I had been in hospital.

It was also nice that David would have no one else cut his hair in his teen years other than Val’s daughter Cheryl. The association almost became a family affair.

Val was more than accommodating. Like when Tupperware had an important function for us to attend in another State, she would make her self available at odd times – sometimes even as early as 7 a.m. – to give me a hair do. This ensured that I could leave to catch the plane in the morning & arrive at the other end with my hair immaculate. Also I am woman & it made me feel good! I valued this extra service on many occasions.

Val & I became quite close over a couple of decades. When she sold her hairdressing salon to carry on with a few privileged patrons in her home, I was fortunate enough to be one of those. I valued Val’s hairdressing expertise as I also valued her friendship.

Then when Max passed away & I moved house to Lakelands, Val decided it was too far for me to travel for a hairdo & suggested I get someone closer to my home. This meant looking for a new hairdresser within a reasonable vicinity.

Fortunately for me, my long time friend Pat was a resident here most of her married life & suggested Felicity who did hair dressing in conjunction with her friend, Trudy at a suburb next to where I live. If Felicity is away, Trudy takes over her customers & vice versa. It has been a very good arrangement.

My standing appointment is now at 10 a.m Thursday morning, & I go with my hair shampooed. If I am ten minutes early, & Felicity is not busy, I am often out & on the way home before my appointed time. Felicity is the fastest & most proficient hairdresser I have ever known.

Recently I wanted to try out an old fashioned hair net for my hair to use at night & asked if they happened to stock this outmoded item. The reply was “No, but maybe Bella hairdressers had one.”

I was told to go straight along the street & Bella was situated opposite the local hotel. Not knowing exactly where the hotel was I drove along a couple of streets & pulled over to park & get my bearings.

I was looking around when a very ordinary youngish man asked if he could help me. I said I was looking for a hairdresser. He pointed straight across the road to a hairdresser! Then before I could say anything he took my arm & practically ran me across the road. I had to tell him I could no longer run!

By the time we were across the street & the one car, a street away, avoided hitting us! Then he left me & I couldn’t help but remember the nice young man in Burbank who offered his arm to me at an intersection years ago.

My saviour this time had delivered me safely & left just as fast as he had taken me across the road, but I managed to thank him for his kindness & asked God to Bless him.

I finally found ‘Bella’ a little further on & got my hair net. I even bought two for $3 to make the trip worthwhile! I then drove home.

It is my practice to drive in through the garage, which I did. I left the door open as I intended to go out again. I was only inside for a few minutes when I realised I had a visitor walking beside me.

Dawn’s little tiger visitor

It was a sort of brown & orange striped cat which I had seen a few weeks ago walking through my bushes in the garden &, he or she, looked like a little tiger. This time he was not so furtive & walked past me into my living area having a good look around.

I talked to him as you would when you don’t have many visitors & kept calling him ‘Puss’ while I showed him out the front door. He was loath to leave & when on the other side howled to come in again.

I didn’t want him to make himself too much at home as we are not permitted pets in our villas, so I put a drink of milk out the front for him. He seemed to appreciate this & even though he was wearing a collar I opened up a small tin of fish for him as well. He was a bit dubious about that but I just sat in my little wooden rocking chair & kept talking to him.

Doesn’t this remind you of a poor little old lady with love to spare?

Puss ate his meal & then kindly posed for me to take his photo. Having been encouraged to this extent I went over to stroke hi,m but he was having none of it! He watched my hand, smelt it deciding that he had had enough. He almost treated me with disdain as he put his head in the sir & strolled away. I haven’t seen him since!

Now this might seem a nothing kind of a letter to you Ann, but perhaps like me, as you have aged you realise that these little incidental things in life are life itself. There is not much in an aged person’s life that makes it exciting.

I have learnt that it is the every day things which we once took so much for granted that makes our life today. So that young man intervening & my little visitor made my life a little bit different today & I wanted to share it with you.

I hope you know that my letters to you have always been special to me knowing that you enjoyed them so much & writing to you still gives me a purpose in life sharing with you the every day little things that happen to me.

Ann if you don’t already know it I want to make sure that you know that you were a very special person to me & through my son’s understanding made it possible for that special bond to continue. And yes, like you, I wish I had known you twenty years before we met.

The last time I saw you is indelible in my heart & mind. I had said goodbye on you out on your balcony & as we embraced you said “You know I won’t be here when you come back.”

I did know, I hugged you & said goodbye. I took a few steps & felt compelled to come back & hug you again. I am glad I did. I loved our times in Richard’s hair salon. I loved our ‘ovaltines’ & I loved you as two friends love each other.

God love you too, Thanks for being such a special person to me & we will meet again. Dawn X O X O