Letters to Ann

Dear Ann,

It was the Thursday before Christmas & I only had two appointments. First, the usual early appointment with my hairdresser after which my friend Cheryl & I had arranged to meet to exchange Christmas gifts with one another.

Cheryl called to pick me up from home & we thought it a good idea to exchange our gifts in the privacy of home rather than in a cafe as we normally do. That proved to be a good idea as Cheryl had a living plant that she had been nurturing for me. It was quite different to the norm with young cacti in a low circular container that I fell in love with & that I have been nurturing myself ever since.

Dawn’s living plant.

Our mutual friend, Sandra, was intended to be with us for this occasion, but a last minute vacancy meant she was called into hospital for a much needed operation for an issue that needed to be taken care of.

I was a little disappointed at this news as Charley & I had made a special jar of our Curried Zucchini Relish especially for her. What made it special was the fact that the jar was nearly a foot high with a nice silver screw cap that took almost the whole batch of produce.

Normally a batch would fill eight of what Charley & I term as our “$10 jars” which is a lot of relish. I had planned this for Sandra for a long time as she is the most avid user of our relish. She absolutely loves it & buys four very big jars per month.

Christmas with Cheryl.

I gave all the gifts to Cheryl to give to Sandra along with her other gifts in the huge gift bag & she was thoughtful enough to take a photo for me. Sandra was delighted.

So, minus Sandra, Cheryl & I went off to a nearby nursery, a venue we enjoy as we sit amongst the flowers & had a delightful morning tea, which we rarely ever do on our own. I had given Cheryl a frog which measures the rainfall. She loves frogs & this one was a little different to the norm & far from real!

By the time we parted company that day it was almost lunch time & I was wondering what to do for the rest of the day.

When I arrived home there was a message on my phone to say that my friend, Ursula, was hoping to see me at Micheles Patisserie where I usually go for lunch almost every day. So I didn’t waste any time getting there & sure enough along she came soon after I arrived.

It was gift giving time again & it’s times like these when I have short notice of the event that I am pleased to be as organised as I am for Christmas. I had Ursula’s gifts all wrapped & ready. Normally our mutual friend, Jean, would have been with us, but again this wasn’t to be as Jean was in & out of hospital at the time.

So Ursula & I exchanged our gifts; had lunch; drank coffee; & talked! Nothing unusual about that & we sat there in relaxed mode for the next three hours!

Christmas with Ursula

Then mid afternoon I sensed rather than saw, a figure standing in front of our table. I looked up & got such a lovely surprise. It was Nicole & Christopher, my nephew & his partner.

You haven’t heard me talk of them before, but Christopher was my first great nephew, son of my niece, Michele, daughter of my sister, Joice. I will digress a little here to explain how this couple came to be in my life recently.

Nic, as she likes to be called, met Chris at his younger brother’s wedding when she was bridesmaid. They apparently hit it off very well from their first meeting & became partners. When my sister, Joice, broke the news that she was going back to Tasmania to live, both niece, Michelle & Nic were in my home. I got a real shock at the news & why I did what I did I can’t explain, but I was nearly in tears. I turned to Nic saying she would have to take Joice’s place. Nic put her arm around me & assured me she would.

We had met quite accidentally on a couple of occasions before & since. Chris called at my home just before Christmas before last 2016 to say hello, which I was very pleased about as it was unexpected & it’s not every day the constabulary call to check up on me. Chris has been in the police force for some years now.

Recently I met Nic somewhere when she informed me that she & Chris intended to visit me before Christmas. There she was before me with Chris holding a lovely bunch of flowers along with a Christmas card. I was so thrilled, Ursula took a photo for me, then went on her way & I found myself drinking another cup of coffee!

The three of us chatted for awhile & among the chat they said how much they had enjoyed some relish I had given them some other time. I suggested they follow me home saying that Charley & I had some gift packs left over & maybe they would like them for gifts.

So we met again at my little villa & had more chat! I was just so thrilled that they had taken this trouble to see me, as they live quite a way out of Newcastle, so I knew it was done with a lot of thought.

I must say that although I did not know Chris as he was growing up I did have a special feeling for him as the very first great nephew. When I got the news of his birth I was in Heidelberg, Germany. I remember buying a very lovely baby towel with a hood on it, which was quite unique at the time, & mailing it to Michelle.

After Nic & Chris left I was pondering on how much I had enjoyed the day when my phone rang. At first I did not catch who the caller was & had to ask. When the voice answered saying it was Christine I almost screamed with joy.

It was my friend of 44 years calling from Munich in Germany. I was over the moon as it was so unexpected. You would have thought that we saw each other yesterday as our conversation picked up from when we last spoke & went on for over half an hour.

We talked of many things including Charley & I going to Munich to stay with her for a holiday, to her coming to visit us when we are next in America. Christine came over to Los Angeles & stayed with me at Philip & Greg’s apartment in 2009.

I think the odds of her meeting me in LA is greater than me going to Germany. She is now 73 & still a spring chicken compared to me! We discussed Charley going to Germany, as even though they have never met I feel rather certain that those two would get on like a house on fire despite the difference in their age.

Charley is keen, so we will see how things pan out in the next couple of years as we make our fortunes at markets!

Having spent a winter in Europe in 1982/3 I must admit to feeling a touch of nostalgia when Christine said, at the end of our lengthy conversation that after our conversation, that she was putting on her overcoat, warm gloves & going off to visit the Christmas Markets in Munich. Charley & I would absolutely love to be with Christine at a special time like that would put us over the moon.

I wonder if there are any pills to remove wrinkles & put a spring in my step?? I went to bed that night after such a wonderful day with all kind of possibilities going over in my head. Sometimes dreams come true!

Love you, God Bless. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

It was several months since the Tupperware girls all met. It doesn’t take long for time to pass & Dianne had been on the phone to us all organising our Christmas luncheon. These are the girls who were our packers & secretaries when we were Tupperware Distributors.

Our venue was to be a little old hotel well on the way into the city known as The Junction Hotel, one of those little places that’s great to know about, but you could drive past & never know it was there.

I must admit that I no longer feel confident in driving into the inner city or anywhere near to it, so our young Janelle – good hearted soul that she is – came to the rescue. It seems that I was not the only one either, as Janelle ended up driving to our homes to pick up Dianne, myself & Jenny, while Donnah went to collect Margaret who is in a retirement village out in the country a little at a place called Medowie.

Janelle & Donnah particularly still have youth on their side. Dianne & I can remember back when I was confident to drive anywhere, even in Sydney, but times have changed, or at least people have!

None of us are getting any younger. Joan, one of our flock who lives at Cessnock, which is almost an hour’s drive away, now finds it too far for her to travel to Newcastle. We missed her at our gathering.

The Tupperware girls. Back row: Donnah, Dianne. Front row: Janelle, Dawn, Jenny, Margaret

When we arrived & walked in, the whole hotel had gone through a great face lift & was looking young & elegant again, bringing back all its popularity.

It was indeed pleasant & we not only enjoyed a delightful meal, but also nearly four hours of chatter. Margaret had been on a trip to Scotland to a relative’s wedding, so she had lots to tell us. Despite her age she managed touring around & enjoyed it immensely.

Margaret is our matriarch, being the eldest, with Jenny & myself not far behind, but there’s still a lot of life in the old girls yet!

I took the all the girls a baby pudding as a little Christmas gift, which they all seemed rapt about. The steady flow of chatter didn’t let up for four hours before we had to part company.

I was the cause of the early parting as I had a date with my son, seeing as it was Saturday afternoon & I didn’t want to miss valuable time with him,  but we are all looking forward to meeting again early in the New Year. Each year is precious to us!

A few days after this event I had a big package left at my front door. As an ex-Tupperware Distributor I had received a letter from Head Office Australia previously to say they would be forwarding & sharing the magic of Tupperware with me at Christmas.

Charley with her gift bags and the Tupperware special gift.

When I opened the package, magic it was. Before me was a beautiful modern set of gorgeous black & gold Tupperware Salad Bowls complete with servers. I fell in love with them & even though I knew I wouldn’t be using them as I don’t entertain anymore, I knew who would also love them!

Charley loves black & I thought how fitting it would be to pass this great gift onto her. Tupperware had even included a big shopping bag, of course, with their name on it, so I put all the bowls together to give to her on her 25th birthday that was coming up soon, packed them in the bag & handed it all to her.

Needless to say, she was absolutely delighted, so we can chalk up another crash hit to Tupperware for their ingenious planning in supplying such a beautiful gift. I still love it all & thank Tupperware for not only a wonderful product that is still sought after, but also for a great life because of the opportunities they gave us.

My love always. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

It was so many moons ago when Judy & Frank Vandenberg came into our lives: too many to remember. I don’t even recall how we got to know this great couple, but we recruited Judy into Tupperware. She worked diligently until she became a Manager of her own group of Tupperware Dealers.

This couple are rather unique in the fact that what Judy got involved on, Frank would give his utmost support to & vice versa. They are such a positive couple who would make things happen & not afraid to make an adventure out of life.

Judy proved to be a very successful manager &, as sometimes it happens in Tupperware, they also became lifelong friends. One would have to say that they were special people.

Their lot in life was not always what you would want it to be, but they had a wonderful family of four whom we got to know extremely well. They would attend our private family gatherings as we did theirs. Their youngest son, Frankie, suffered with ‘Down Syndrome’ but he is adorable.

Frank was born in Holland, came out to Australia with his family when very young & no one could find a more dinky di Aussie than what Frank turned out to be. He was as Australian as they come & certainly learnt our Aussie slang.

Towards the end of our own Tupperware career Judy & Frank had decided to return to Holland to live there for two years for various reasons. Soon after that Max & I announced our own retirement from Tupperware & departed in November 1982 to spend Christmas in Denmark with friends.

Knowing this, Judy & Frank made us promise we would go & stay with them in Holland after our time in Denmark.

Frank and Judy Vandenburg, Dawn and Max Hodgetts in Holland 1983.

Never will I forget our arrival in Amsterdam & the welcome we had from the Vandy’s. They had their whole family with them & lived in a house the quarter of the size of the average Australian home.

However, they had a bedroom all ready for us. I am speaking the truth as I tell you &, as the saying goes, you couldn’t swing a cat in it. As a matter of fact you could hardly turn around in it, but what a welcome: a  rug depicting the Australian flag draped on the bed & a vase of tulips on a little bedside table.

The Vandys could adapt themselves to anything. For as long as I knew Frank he was a drummer in a band, or he could get a job driving a truck in a mine. He never lacked work & if he didn’t know how to do a job he soon mastered it.

When we arrived he was firmly ensconced in working in the tulip fields. Judy kept us in stitches telling us how the sticky beaks knew everything that went on in Holland. It  was protocol to never to pull your curtains across the windows so that all & sundry could see inside!

We had the most amazing two weeks with them in Holland. It was fun from start to finish & a never to be forgotten time. If I set my mind to it I could write a whole book on our experiences just with them for that fortnight in Holland.

I learnt so much from Judy & Frank. They are the most positive couple I have ever known. They treat life as one big adventure to be enjoyed no matter what. I have never ever seen them down hearted. They are always smiling no matter what setbacks they may have.

I often think of Frank when I am driving, as he said one day in true Aussie style how he never lets the ‘buggars’ driving behind rattle him when he was driving his car & they could deal with the problem. I often think of this when I am driving.

I have known their son, Frankie, since he was a teenager. Even with Downs he went out to work earning money in what we call ‘sheltered workshops’ doing something that he could handle.

Then one year I started making Christmas Puddings & Frankie got to taste them. To say he loves them is an understatement! Right from the very beginning I always made a special pudding just for Frankie. It is a ritual & if I don’t see the Vandy’s all through the year it is a promise that I will see them at Christmas so they can collect Frankie’s pudding.

A couple of years ago I made a phone call to their home & Judy & Frank were not there so Frankie answered the call. He asked who was calling so I said “Dawn,’ which I could tell meant nothing to him. Then I said “You know me Frankie, it’s Dawn the pudding lady.” Frankie was not slow on the uptake replying very excitedly by saying “Can I have two this year”? I think I gave him half a dozen little ones that year!

So this year was no exception. Just recently Judy & Frank arrived on my doorstep with a lovely bottle of white wine for me, plus a whole ham. I was overwhelmed, but that’s the kind of wonderful people they are.

Nor will I ever forget the card I received from them just after our huge robbery when my beautiful jewellery was taken which devastated me. It said “You might have lost all your jewels Dawn, but you are a beautiful gem yourself for what you do for Frankie”.

So what does a little old lady do with a whole ham? The whole family made good use of it as I gave it to David to care for, so he carved enough for me to have for about three weeks. Some went up to Medowie for Christmas lunch and David & family have fed off it for most of January. I have a huge ham bone in the feezer now waiting until Philip & Greg to come for their next visit because we all love Pea & Ham soup.

You can see now much I love this wonderful couple. Even with Judy suffering from Parkinson’s disease now, it never deters them from being the happiest couple you could meet.

The nicest thing that happened after their visit with the ham is a definite promise that we will meet for coffee in the New Year, as none of us are getting any younger.

Love to you always. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

When I was growing up Halloween was never brought into the vocabulary & certainly not celebrated in Australia. I don’t think I even learnt about it until I was quite an age, but it gradually came to the fore. I had heard it said though that Australia does normally follow what Ameica does, but it takes some time. Certainly it did & it has come to the fore gradually during the past two decades where now we are conscious of having sweets on hand for trick or treat.

A couple of years ago I got caught & only had a large Cadbury Chocolate on hand when seven little folk knocked on my door. They promised to share it but now I make sure I have a bag of treats ready.

This year I had no one knock on my door, but Charley & I were invited by the local Chamber of Commerce to take part with a stall at a Halloween Event to be held at Cardiff on the Saturday before Halloween, 28th October. The Chamber of Commerce also runs our Warners Bay Market.

Cardiff is the suburb next to mine in another direction & where David lives. This costs double what it would for a normal market, amounting to a considerable sum, which is probably why David cautioned us about attending. His contention was that people would not be interested in Christmas Puddings nor Relish at that kind of celebration.

Charley & I conferred about that side of it & with our positive attitudes decided to take the plunge & be in it. It gave us an extra market to be part of & keep our products before another section of the community. Besides the end of October is getting close enough to Christmas to be thinking about food on the Christmas table.

The morning dawned clear, sunny & warm: a very pleasant day. It was a very easy entry & we were set up in no time. Although everyone was invited to dress up for the event we didn’t take our enthusiasm that far, but the stall next to us were doing face painting & really dressed up very much for the part as witches with cob web hanging from their gazebo. They really looked good.

Even though a lot of stall holders did not do fancy costumes, perhaps next year we might be enthusiastic enough to invest in some just for fun.

Charley was very astute though. We were situated in a great spot in the middle of all the activity & opposite one of our major super markets, Woolworths. Charley slipped in there and bought back a large bag of individually wrapped sweets at a very nominal price of $4, but then a super market never lets a chance of striking while the iron is hot!

I hadn’t thought of arming myself with that kind of ammunition, but Charley was surely thinking ahead. Every child that came up to our stall would find Charley holding out the bag so they could pick.

Dawn with one of the many costumed attendees near Halloween.

Needless to say the children crowded around with their parents & created a lot of goodwill as well as the opportunity to give out a tasting of our delectable Christmas Pudding and/or Relish!

Also needless to say, but I will. Charley went through quite a number of the treat bags & became a frequent shopper at Woolworths during the day. She was also very popular with both children & parents! I was thankful for her foresight & good thinking.  She is becoming a very well established ‘stallie’ by now.

I can’t say we broke the Bank of England with our sales that day, but we we did okay & got some brand new customers in the six hours we were there. We made sure they had our business card. Once they taste our pudding – being noted & judged as the best in the world – with the price as right as it is, we are assured of future customers, so in our book it was time well spent.

The majority of the attendants were all dressed up in Halloween costumes & it made an interesting day. The streets were packed with an air of conviviality & most people wore fancy dress outfits to make it more outstanding.

Two young people really took our eye by being dressed as ‘Thing One’ & ‘Thing Two,’ which was rather original, so we made sure we got a photo of them. Actually we took quite a few photos as many of the costumes were very original. It was a fun day, we both enjoyed it & certainly we will have our name down for the event next year.

Lots of love alway, your friend, Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

It was Tuesday morning again & every third Tuesday in the month I know will be a good one because it’s Prime Timers. So I went along, full of anticipation of a great morning with my birthday all behind me.

I had forgotten about the birthday announcements, which are done every month by our leader, Joan who does the roll call. Joan calls Cheryl the ‘bridesmaid’ & it’s her job to light the candle on each little cup cake.

My birthday, being on the 2nd of the month was called out first, along with the announcement that Dawn was ninety nine years old! Everyone laughed (as they should)! Joan can afford to be cheeky as Joan & David already have their sixty little puddings in their possession to be given at our Christmas party next month & it’s a pleasure to still be able to do it for them.

Anyway, with that last birthday greeting it meant that I had the longest birthday ever; lasting for nineteen days; an amazing & memorable birthday.

I was looking forward to the gathering this month as the Rainbow Sisters were performing & I love watching them. There is about a dozen of our members in the group who go along each month for practice as they do a lot of gigs at nursing & aged people’s homes.

They look quite smart simply dressed in black slacks, a very neat white tee shirt with a little flower pinned on the neckline to one side & a gold glitzy hat on top of their heads. They also have a triangular skirt around their waists with the gold disks attached adding an accompaniment to their music as they move.

Some of The Rainbow Sisters: Bev Crawford, Bev Holt, Terry Walters, Cheryl Ford

They play the tambourines which are small percussion instruments with small shallow discs in slots around the edge, played or being shaken or hit with the hand in time to the music. The ladies do a good job of doing this & to make it more effective usually little streamers are also attached & I find it fascinating to watch.

It looks very easy but so does line dancing & I guess it is not as easy as it looks. The girls make it look easy as they shake, hit, move them from side to side, up in the air, around their backs & are very deft looking quite skillful as they make their moves.

Judging by the looks on their faces & their exuberance they all thoroughly enjoy what they are doing.

As well as the Rainbow Sisters to entertain us, we were all given a song sheet. We had little bouts of singing some favourite songs in between the Rainbow Sisters entertainment. This is good for us too, as Joan plays the ukulele & husband, David plays the piano accordion & are very good at it.

Then when all had been concluded & the ladies were getting our sandwiches & slices organised for lunch, Joan announced she was going to play on the stereo a song being sung by Neiil Diamond (I think) & for everyone of us to be very quiet & after it was over we could chatter all we liked.

Well, oh my goodness but what should come out in the silence that ensued was the song/hymn:

Long time ago in Bethlehem so the Holy Bible say,
Mary’s boy child Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day.
Hark the Herald Angels sing,
A new King born today
And man will live for evermore because of Christmas Day.

I am a real sentimentalist at heart & whenever I hear this hymn it really tugs at my heart strings & nostalgia sets in. I will tell you why.

When Philip was in his early years, he & his friends recorded this song in our home. Involved in this were Philip’s very good friends,:David Berryman, Bob Cox & Philip’s girl friend at the time, Denise Bull.

David was a sound technician; Bob played the guitar; Philip played the organ; & Denise had a voice like an angel, I always thought Denise would go a long way with her singing, but she married instead.

The four enthusiastic young people rehearsed this song for weeks together. All electrical equipment in the house had to be switched off & anyone inside the house was scarcely allowed to breathe lest they made a sound.

After many weeks it was perfected & a tape was produced.

I know this may not sound such a big deal, but I had so much enjoyment in being there to watch & listen to the music & Denise’s glorious voice that it did become a very important memory as I witnessed the pleasure it gave to these four young people in producing the tape.

I had that tape in my possession for almost forty years until long after Philip went to live in LA. & never a Christmas would go by without I played that tape, plus many times in between.

And I would have tears in my eyes every time. I loved the lyrics, loved the hymn, & loved the memory of the young people taping it all. It was without a doubt one of the loveliest memories I have of these young people & when the tape broke I was more than sad.  (I think I wore it out.)

I took it over to Philip hoping with all his technical expertise he could put it together again, but some of his even more technical friends were able to make a digital recording that can be copied over and over.

So you can imagine the nostalgia I felt when it was played at Prime Timers. Joan had no need to worry about this girl making a sound as I bit on my bottom lip. I tried to stop my eyes from swimming, but they really were happy tears Sometimes I get very nostalgic,

I thoroughly enjoyed our togetherness at Prime Timers & could watch the Rainbow Sisters for hours, it was indeed a lovely morning & I feel sure they will be on our menu again in the New Year. I love being part of this wonderful group of people, it is important in my life.

God Bless & Much Love. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

I thought my birthday celebrations were over, but not so as my dear Sydney friends were on the phone to set a date for them to come to Newcastle to take me somewhere special for my annual birthday lunch, which they so generously treat me to.

The friendship with Judy & Peter started way back in a year I can’t remember. It was maybe about forty years when Judy worked at the Westpac Bank & decided to order puddings for the staff & many more over the years that evolved. Judy is a beautiful lady with a heart of gold & hubby, Peter is no exception. He has a talent for making one feel special with his care, concern & comradeship. They are two of a kind & dear to my heart.

Peter certainly likes to take us to the most exclusive restaurants in town & quite often we have lunched at a restaurant called Scratchley’s, which is on the foreshore right in the city which the three of us are enamoured with.

That venue was out of the question this year, as the city of Newcastle was being torn up in certain areas to build a racing car track for the final round of the annual V8 Supercar Rally. I don’t know anything about supercars or car rallies, but I – along with thousands of others – knew it was a pretty important event because of what they were doing to our city.

It was almost a daily news item to tell people how to get into their homes or which streets would be cordoned off to the public. The whole city was a buzz over the final twenty laps for this, apparently famous, event.

Peter certainly knew what was taking place here & on the phone as to where we could go. It has only been through these good friends that I had kept in touch as to where the exotic restaurants were in Newcastle.

Peter enjoys his seafood platter for one.

It was a different story when Max was still here with me, as every Friday evening we would dress up & frequent the best places where the menu was known as well as a password! The staff at these places got to know us very well, as this was our Friday night treat in those days. Sadly, this is one of the things I missed most when Max left planet earth.

So I was not able to help Peter & Judy with an alternative venue in the city & our suburb is only small. However, God bless them. they googled & came up with our most famed restaurant in this quiet neck of the woods known as Brown Sugar. I had been there with friends a few times, but had forgotten all about it until this couple mentioned it. I knew instantly it would be what they were looking for. It is very exotic.

My birthday therefore continued on & two weeks later Judy & Peter were at my door to pick me up with our venue only five minutes away by car, overlooking our beautiful foreshore on Lake Macquarie.

It was a bit noisy. We had opted to sit out on the enclosed balcony, but finally asked if could we sit inside so that we could hear each other better, as this is the only time in the year we get together & we like to spend about three hours over lunch to give us time to catch up on everything.

The venue might have been a bit noisy, but the food was excellent. After a small entree Peter & I opted for the Seafood Platter for one, which we hadn’t come across before as usually it is only available for two people or more. The prawns were fabulous & we certainly were not disappointed with our choice. No wonder it has a renowned name.

If only we could hear what Judy was saying!

I didn’t get into any photos of the food on this occasion, but you can see how good the platter was & also Judy looking as if she was whispering some dirty joke into Peter’s ear. However, she is too much of a lady for that & more likely it was a promise for more good things to come as we certainly enjoyed our day & the time together. This loving couple have given me many hours of loving friendship which I value.

Friends are Forever. Love you. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

Well as I said, you haven’t heard the last of it yet, as there is more to tell you about my birthday believe it or not. I have often had an elongated birthday that went over a week, but I think this one might get me arrested for going over the limit!

But you see, my friends, Pat & Judy whom I have lunch with every Monday were parted as Judy just had to go away for weeks on end & Pat was not permitted to celebrate with me when Judy could not be present.

Judy, Dawn and Pat celebrate over a jelly cake.

Judy had a good reason though as she & husband, Jim, were holidaying in Fiji, which is there favourite haunt seeing as Judy was born there & Jim worked there in his younger days as a Bank Manager. Neither Pat nor I were daunted by this absenteeism & on the day of my birthday Pat gave me her birthday card when I walked into the hair dressing salon because she wanted me to have it that day.

These two caring ladies worked so hard with me when we had Newcastle’s Pudding Lady business. After the business was sold to the current Pudding Lady Judy, Pat & I have spent our birthdays together over a period of thirty two years. Two more loyal & true friends you would never find. You can see why the celebration couldn’t take place until Judy returned home.

Almost two weeks had passed since my actual birthday, but last Monday we were all present & ready to let the fireworks free as we sat down in our favourite corner in our favourite cafe. Pat had already given me her loving birthday card when I met her in the salon on the day itself & it was a lovely card as always which said:

To someone special on your birthday.
This comes with warmest wishes now that your birthday is here
To let you know how special you are all through each day of the year.
Here’s wishing that your special day stands out from all the rest.
Enjoy every second, every minute – hope it’s filled with your favourite things & hope that every year ahead unfolds with the best that life can bring.
With love & special wishes on your birthday,
Enjoy your day, Love, Pat’.

I know that, like others, these friends of long standing years have a hard time of thinking of something I would like. I know it’s not easy selecting a gift for someone of advanced years who doesn’t need anything.

However, there are things in life that you don’t need, but love to have. Over the years they have given me a number of gnomes for my garden which I love as they remind me of the Seven Dwarfs with the expressions they have on their faces as they sit in my garden.

This year I received a delightful surprise. As I pulled him out of the package I held a gorgeous kookaburra in my hands. It was indeed love at first sight & I adored the little fellow. I am planning a special place for him so that he can watch over the gnomes & laugh at their expressions.

Dawn’s 88th with the Kookaburra

Sometimes kookaburras, which are native to Australia, are known as Laughing Jackasses as they make a very loud raucous kind of laughter. They are also very tame & when they get acquainted with you will even knock on your kitchen window to remind you its feed time. Anyway I just love my little fellow.

It was great to have Judy back after her long holiday &, along with Pat gave me a big scratchie to help me win the millions! Neither bore fruit, but I appreciated the thought as I did Judy’s lovely card. It was so very pretty with little gold swallows sitting on gold branches – really sweet & the message read:

To a Special Friend,
Everything you are & everything you do makes you a Special Friend.
Happy Birthday with love from Judy’.

And so on the 13th November my birthday came to a close with these two dear friends treating me to a raspberry jelly cake in the shape of a heart with a candle to blow out & have a special wish.

However, I have missed telling you that a few days later my sweet friends from Sydney who I have shared with you over the years – Judy & Peter – had made arrangements to drive up from Sydney to take me out to an exclusive restaurant for lunch, which they do every year. I appreciate their gesture very much indeed.

A few days later they were at the front door to take me to the most exclusive restaurant Warners Bay has to offer – ‘Brown Sugar’ – & did they do us proud!

For starters we had prawn toast that was more like a toasted prawn sandwich & delicious. We nibbled on this while sipping on champagne, which Peter is very liberal in sharing!

This was followed by entrees of belly pork for my hosts & seared scallops for me: a great favourite of mine. Judy had a super looking pasta while Peter & I both had a seafood platter for one. This comprised of fish scallops, squid, prawns & lobster & slices of fresh fruit. It looked magnificent & was magnificent, especially as we digested it with a beautiful dry white wine.

I certainly was not thinking of dinner that evening! Peter & Judy are wonderful & very generous hosts. My birthday lunches with them are very memorable.

Peter & Judy November 18!

When they delivered me back home I could say I was a very happy little vegemite as I loaded them up with a few Christmas puddings to take home with them. This is all I can do to thank them for their love & care towards me as I know they love my puddings almost as much as they love me & they savour them over a lengthy period making them last for a long time.

So much so that, as they departed for their return to Sydney with four Christmas puddings cradled in their arms they let me into a secret telling me that they do really savour my puddings.

They entertain their friends very frequently with excellent cuisine as both are superb chefs. However, as guests often eat so well they cannot always enjoy the Christmas Pudding as they should & are a wont to leave quite a bit on the plate.

This wonderful couple confided in me that they actually purchase a cheap pudding from the supermarket & serve that rather than see mine wasted when they could enjoy it to the fullest themselves. So how about that!

Since hearing that from them I have been told by others that they do the same. No need to tell you that it’s no wonder it is looked upon as the Best Christmas Pudding in the world!

As a matter of fact our most famous store throughout Australia is David Jones. When in business & trading as Newcastle’s Pudding Lady & supplying all their stores throughout the country, this store did tell me that in their opinion, my pudding WAS the best in the world. So, naturally, I relate this to customers at the markets.

However, in relation to this let me share with you the information that came to me via my dear friends in Canberra, Roger & Kay during my birthday saga. I actually received a marriage proposal!

Needless to say I met this great couple when I attended Canberra’s annual show with the puddings, which was always a great success. Kay would get oodles of orders for me among her friends & we became very firm friends over twenty years ago.

I send them a large cartons of puddings near Christmas to do with as they wish. This is for their birthdays & Christmas & in return they send me a carton of my favourite wine annually (sometime two cartons). It’s a good arrangement when both of us receive what we enjoy.

So Kay rang me quite excited in my birthday week. This was to tell me she & Roger left their farm to spend some time in the city where Kay visited David Jones’ store. As I said, it’s a famous store, very popular & they have the biggest chain of stores throughout Australia. Kay deviated towards the current Newcastle’s Pudding Lady puddings when a man who introduced himself to her as, Dakara, a representative in the store. His opening remark to her was, “These are the best puddings in the world.”

What a grand opening for my friend, Kay, who responded, “Yes I know. I know all about them & I also know the lady who started it all.” She then went on to give him the whole story to which Dakara responded, “Please tell that lady I love her & want to marry her so that I can have this Christmas Pudding all of my life!!”

I do have to say that this birthday has been a very memorable one. Not only did I have lots of friends who wanted to celebrate it with me but others also who sent more beautiful cards.

I received so many very thoughtful gifts along with so many loving phone calls makes me feel very humble & also very definitely loved.

I am indeed very thankful for all my Blessings, for my wonderful family & dear friends & the joy in feeling healthy & that life is good.

God Bless You too my good friend. Love you always. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

I was sad to see Narelle drive off, but time marches on & my friends, Ursula & Jean had not caught up with me for my birthday. It had been arranged for them to meet me at Micheles Patisserie at noon on Saturday.

I was pleased Jean was well enough to travel from her home, which is a little up country, to be able to celebrate with me as her health is not the best. Bless her heart she was already sitting in our corner seat where all the cushions are when I arrived. We had time for quite a chit chat before Ursula arrived, which was nice as I don’t see Jean much at all throughout the year because of her condition.

We nestled in together in what could be termed ‘Dawn’s Cosy Corner’ because, if it’s not Ursula, Jean & Dawn sitting there, it’s Cheryl, Sandra & Dawn. If it’s not Cheryl, Sandra & Dawn it’s Pat, Judy & Dawn! Between us we have celebrated more than a few birthdays there! I haven’t heard Micheles Patisserie complaining yet! Far from it, they are always at the ready with the cup cake & lighted candle.

I would have had to be blind not to see more kisses, hugs. birthday bags & loads of love coming my way again. Nevertheless I have broad shoulders & can take it all!

Seriously though, I am truly blessed to have so many friends. My Mum used to say you were blessed if you could count five really true friends on one hand, but you can see I have to use a second hand! I look back & bless the day I came to live at Lakelands, which is part of Warners Bay & where our much loved patisserie is along with Rachelle the owner & all her fabulous staff.

As a matter of fact I have been going there for so long that I know every single thing on the menu. Not only that I think I have tried it all! On the opposite side of the fence, the staff all know what I am about to order!!

One day I asked Lucy if they had my very favourite pink jelly cake. It didn’t surprise me when she said ‘no’ but what did surprise me was the quick follow up with, ‘But I will tell you what we do have & that’s a bacon & egg sandwich,” which she knew was my favourite sandwich. I couldn’t help thinking that was good salesmanship.

I remember many years ago Rachelle having an interview with our local paper that quoted Rachelle as saying she almost always knew what the patrons were going to order.

So, sitting in our cosy corner with Ursula & Jean, it came time for birthday surprises. Jean amazes me as to what she can think up as gifts for a little old lady who has all she needs.

88th birthday – Jean, Dawn &Ursula at Michele’s patisserie

Firstly came out a very beautiful Singapore Orchid, but this one was different to the others. I have seen it wasn’t a single orchid but a double one with such a pretty flower. It was delightful & in my favourite colour. Jean always selects gifts in my favourite colours.

It’s still a wee plant embedded in another cute wee little pot & I have it sitting on my windowsill in my little office at home where it will get the sunlight. I have been astute enough to watch what my friend, Sharon does with all of her orchids & how they love their environment, so I hope this beauty will develop like Sharon’s orchids do.

There was more to come from Jean. I opened up the most unusual kitchen towel with a pattern of scissors & needlework accessories on it. It was very different, with a cream coloured towel & black accessories.

I loved it & said how my Grand daughter, Charley would absolutely love the towel. My dear friend spontaneously answered to give it to her for Christmas & she would get me another one. Jean’s card was simple:

To Dear Dawn, Wishing you a wonderful celebration.
Happy birthday hoping it brings you joy & happiness & wishing you good Health & Happiness throughout the year,
Love & Blessings, Jean’.

Ursula’s birthday bag was then in front of me. This thoughtful lady had selected for me what I had noticed in a catalogue & was also intending to write & order it. The item was a pair of magnifying glasses to be worn over prescription glasses. As the saying goes: “just what the doctor ordered’ with my eyes deteriorating as they suddenly did (more on that at some other time).

This gift was not only what I wanted, but also what I needed & came with an eye pillow that you can place over your eyes to help you relax. The pillow is filled with lavender, which is helpful if sleep is trying to avoid you.

Along with this was some very pretty imitation lavender that looks very real. Of course, again my favourite colour which, no doubt, is why they were chosen. Ursula’s card could only have been written by Ursula, just her own words:

To a very special lady & a very special friend, best wishes for a joyful ‘DAWN’ birthday (your time of birth).
Wishing you dearest Dawn a most wonderful day & a fulfilling year ahead with many joyful experiences.
Your ‘Michele Partner’, Ursula.

Needless to say I had very loving, thoughtful friends with me on that Saturday to celebrate with.

I had to leave them & they had to leave me, but I needed to be home for David’s Saturday afternoon visit. I hadn’t seen him all week, but I scarcely do.

I have often thought of David’s love when I came out of hospital two years ago. I could never forget that first walk down to Micheles Patisserie after some months away.

I had only been out of hospital for a few days & feeling very weak. David held my arm as we walked ever so slowly & carefully towards the Patisserie where Rachelle & Mother, Sue, were watching & smiling to welcome me from behind the counter.

It doesn’t sound much but it was a surreal time. There was no doubt as to David’s loving care & for weeks afterwards he would collect me every Wednesday to go to Micheles where we would have lunch & do the crossword puzzle in the local paper together.

For me it was very special togetherness during a time in my life when I was not the strong person I had always been. So I couldn’t be late for our Saturday afternoon teté a tete, which I so very much looked forward to.

So I was home snatching a quick ‘shut eye’ when David came in all smiling & very pleased with himself. The reason? He had s birthday parcel in his hand & he was so happy that I had given him no cause to stress over what I needed for my birthday.

He was able to walk into the appropriate store, buy his Mum a much needed phone that supplied the necessary message bank. The previous Saturday when I asked him to purchase a new phone for me I hadn’t a thought about my birthday, but he knew what he was getting his Mum for her birthday & it really was a surprise. And I was more than delighted to have a good phone again & installed for me complete with message bank!

His birthday card must have been a special one as my brother, Leon had also sent me the same card to say:

There is no better time than your birthday to wish you all life’s very best not just for today but always.
Hope you have a wonderful day’.

Then in his own words David must have been thinking of my market activities as he said:

Happy 88th birthday,
What achievements ‘Go Girl Go’
Love from David, Lauren, Charley & Riley’.

I have been dying to tell you all about this 2017 birthday of mine, Ann & chapter 6 is on its way!

My love always. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

It was sort of an anti-climax coming home to a quiet house after such an active, interesting & happy day. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself until my favourite TV programme came on.

I thought I would fiddle around on the computer until then, but other people thought differently. The phone started to ring. I answered & it was my son, David who had been ringing all day without a response.

I must tell you at this point that a couple of months ago my telephone packed it in. I have been waiting for a new phone designed for people with a hearing problem. A lady spoke about them at Prime Timers around the time my phone went kaput. The phones are free. You must have internet connection & it prints out what the person you are talking to is saying to you, so that if you don’t hear it you can read it.

Five people from Prime Timers had it installed straight away. I was next on the list, but the lady left their employment, which meant I had to wait for someone from Sydney to install it for me. That hadn’t happened & in the interim David had lent me an old phone with no answering service, which is a necessity for me. So I finally asked David to buy a phone set for me & install it next Saturday when he came for his weekly visit.

I am telling you this because both Charley & David were trying to ring me on my birthday with no response. Finally Charley rang her Dad wondering if something had happened to me.

David had also been worried, so got in his car to drive down here to check. However, he hit a traffic jam – bumper-to-bumper – & went back home. So when the phone rang it was my son & I was able to put his mind at rest.

He wished me a Happy Birthday, asked if I would like to go out for dinner. I think was a little relieved when I said that I had so much lunch I would not be able to do dinner justice. So he said he would see me on Saturday.

This was Thursday, the actual day of my birthday. So as it turned out I didn’t see any of my immediate family on my birthday.

However, no time to dwell on that as the phone kept ringing non stop until late into the night. I was sitting at my computer & felt like a telephonist answering calls every few minutes from friends & family. It was great.

Firstly, from Philip in LA. Then from friend, Jill in Adelaide, to Kay & Roger in Canberra advising me they had organised for a carton of my favourite wine to be collected at the local liquor store.

Then my niece, Michelle; my sister Joice; nephew, Dean; my sister Jill; local friends who hadn’t been in touch for a while. In between calls I read birthday messages from friends in Denmark, Germany & LA on my computer.

My last phone call came from my brother, Peter & wife, Beth in Brisbane, which lasted for a wonderful hour chatting (not unusual), when I had to call it to a halt as I was starting to feel tired after my great day. I was also feeling elated. However I slept well!

Friday morning I was well refreshed, which was just as well as I received a call from Narelle, David’s very first true love & a deeply caring loving friend of mine since she was fifteen years old, which makes this friendship 45 years old.

Do you remember me telling you about the time, a few years ago, when I arrived home from LA how she, her partner Geoff & David had revamped my whole back yard so that it was self sufficient from then on.

That was a true act of love & David has told me how they enjoyed emailing each other in planning it all. It was to be a ‘never forgotten’ wonderful surprise. It explains a little the true depth of the love we all share.

So she rang me because we hadn’t been able to get together for our birthdays so she was intending to leave work on Friday night, to drive for two & half hours from Sydney to my place to come & stay the night. What joy & what love. I was elated.

It was arranged that I would have a simple dinner of chicken & mango salad & she would bring the wine & dessert. I set the table, had everything ready via the local supermarket & could hardly wait for her to arrive.

However, I had one small problem, which was 200 x 1 KG puddings sitting on the spare bed! I know I could have used the sofa bed in the lounge, but decided that was not what I wanted, so I got very busy. Luckily had enough cartons courtesy of Rachelle at Micheles Patisserie that I could store them in. Better to have 25 cartons of Christmas puddings stacked in the lounge & dining rooms & have a nice cosy bedroom for my important visitor!

What elation when she arrived at the front door which was wide open & Dawn standing there. As she walked towards me there were huge smiles, then more than great hugs before we walked in with Dawn accepting the flowers, the chocolates, the wine AND the dessert! AND the LOVE.

We sat down at the table at almost 8 p.m. where we ate, drank & talked. And we talked & we talked & we talked. We hadn’t been alone together like this in years.

We covered ground over many many years. We had shared many ups & downs throughout our years of friendship. I guess she looks on me as another Mum & I probably look on her as the daughter I never had.

I surprised her by saying that I believe she has been allocated the job of sending me off when I leave this planet by doing my eulogy. David had told me this once. So we kept on talking so that she was well prepared for her send off speech whilst we shared the wine!

We had lots of laughs along as the night wore on. And we very much enjoyed the berry cheese cake that she had brought along.

However, in true Narelle style, I had yet another beautiful & sentimental card to read from this lovely young lady, now 60 years old, but looking like a 40 year old. Her card meant so much to me as many of them had over the years. I read:

Happy Birthday to an Amazing Friend.
We’re so young to be such old friends.
We’ve known each other for so long & shared so many of life’s milestones through our friendship I feel so lucky to have a friend like you.
Love Always, Narelle & Geoff”.

However, she went on to say in her own personal words:

What a wonderful friendship we have shared over the many many years. I treasure our times together through our ups & downs. Here’s to many more years enjoying & valuing our truly wonderful friendship.
Lots of love always, Narelle’.

Narelle & I had the most wonderful evening together deciding to call it a day at 1 a.m. I think she had gleaned enough for the eulogy!

I had a fantastic sleep, no doubt due to the utter contentment I was feeling, not to mention three quarters of a bottle of crisp white!

In the morning it was time for Narelle to head back to Sydney & believe it or not the birthday had far from ended. More to come.

Love you my dear friend & I treasure the memories. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

I left my doctor feeling like I could fly to the next suburb where I had an appointment to meet my great friends, Cheryl & Sandra, but like a mature 88 year old should do, I drove very sedately to cafe, ‘Boulevard 7’, where we were to meet for my birthday lunch.

I had to fill in time drinking coffee until they appeared with birthday packages, cards & a bucket load of love. They also had an appointment that morning & had thought they would be at our appointed place but, for once, I was there ahead of them.

When they arrived everyone knew. There was no use me pretending I didn’t see or realise they had birthday bags as they came straight up to the table with hugs, kisses, birthday bags, cards &, as I said, a lot of love.

The small restaurant was packed & everyone knew the little old lady was having a birthday! (I don’t really think I look like a little old lady although my son did say on Sunday night “Gee you look old Mum”!!)

Well, anyway let me start again, I don’t feel that old! Anyway those in the restaurant couldn’t have cared less about all the excitement that was happening!

After sitting there on my own for fifteen minutes, all of a sudden I had friends kissing & hugging me, bags put in front of me & happy birthday greetings thrown my way. What a happy ‘to do’! We even took time to order from the menu before the ceremony began!

Dawn enjoys the scarf Sandra gave her.

I attacked Sandra’s parcel first & found the loveliest blue & white silk scarf with frilly edges, so very pretty & certainly my colour, which smartly got wrapped around my skinny neck & suddenly my skinny neck looked gorgeous. And so was the card:

Wishing the happiest of birthdays to the sweetest of people. No one deserves it more.

Then she wrote:

Happy Birthday Dear Dawn,
Hope you have an awesome day Darling & pray you have many more.
Love & Prayers, Sandra’.

More hugs & kisses. I do love my friends.

Then it was Cheryl’s gift to open & I found the sweetest little blue floral top with sparklies on the front. Fell in love with it but it was far too big.

My Cheryl is a ‘don’t let’s sit down & do it later’ type of person. No Sir. She was up & out with the lovely top to get the problem fixed.

She must have run down the street to the boutique as she was back in minutes – long before our lunch was served – with a completely different top for obvious reasons. I knew when I looked at it that it was going to be ‘just right’ like baby bear said about his porridge.

And it was. I put it on as soon as I arrived home. I genuinely liked it better than the first one as it is going to be foremost in use during the hot summer which we are expecting.

You would have realised by now that I love my gifts, but I really treasure the cards & it will be a sorry day when technology takes over & they are outmoded. I hope that doesn’t happen in my time.

The card was meaningful from Cheryl:

Happy Birthday.
Take a minute to think how many lives you’ve touched in ways that only you could.
Take time today to know how truly loved you are.

Then:

To my Darling Dawn on your birthday.
Have a wonderful day.
Best Wishes & Much Love from your friend always, Cheryl’.

After all that excitement we had our lunch & mine was absolutely delicious. I remembered from years ago that Boulevard 7 had some delicious bread toasted with bacon, pineapple & cheese melted on the top. It was as delicious as I had remembered.

Not only that, but Cheryl arranged for a huge piece of Passionfruit Sponge Cake with cream in the middle an inch thick. It is an all time favourite for both David & I & is what I always made for David’s birthday cake. This was as good as mine, home made & ‘to die for,’ complete with candle to be blown out on the top just before the girls rushed off to their next appointment.

About to attack the passionfruit sponge cake!

Well what a day. I had a most memorable time & as I drove back to Warners Bay I felt so humble & so happy. I am so richly blessed.

And I was so happy that when I got back to Warners Bay I really didn’t want to go home. I had two huge pudding parcels to post to Sydney & Canberra so I thought I would do that. I parked the car, put the large parcels on the boot hoping that I could carry them across the road into the post office.

A nice man saw me & the parcels, came over & took it all in hand. As we walked towards the Post Office I asked him if he liked Christmas pudding – did he what! I dashed back to the car to get a little baby one & that man would not hear of me taking the parcels. He carried them inside & down to the counter.

I had the pudding to give to him & saw the look in Dave’s eye, an employee from behind the counter, so I explained it wasn’t for him this time. I give the Post Office staff a baby pud each Christmas to thank them for their service.

Naturally, Dave thought this one was for him & was lamenting that he was only in the PO on borrowed time, so I made sure he would be there the next day.

When I took it into him I received a big smile! My friend who carried the cartons in for me was also quite stoked with his little gift although assuring me it wasn’t necessary. It never hurts & it doesn’t cost much to spread a little goodwill around.

I know it is the theme at Christmas, but I observed my Gran when I was very little who gave the tradesmen with whom she dealt, including the grocer, a little gift at Christmas with her greetings. Thank you Gran, I learnt a lot from observing the kind things you did!

Doing the crossword puzzle at Michele’s.

I still wasn’t ready to go home & thought I could drink another coffee, so sat down in my favourite place, Micheles Patisserie. I was working my way through a crossword puzzle when Ursula appeared at my side. So naturally she drank coffee too, had something to eat & we talked for the next hour!

I don’t think I wanted my birthday to end, but all good things must,  so I finally got home nine hours after I left. It was so quiet when I walked in, not a soul, not a sound, but as I put my handbag down it all started!

The birthday wasn’t over yet & I still have a lot to share with you.

Love you I miss you my friend, my letters are all I can do for you. Dawn X O X O