My dad has sold his business after 38 years of delivering sand. He started the business with my pa and they have worked hard to make a living from this business. Dad has raised 6 children, the youngest is now in her mid twenties. Mum has never had to work. I know he has had stressful times throughout these years and yet he has persisted and I hope his retirement is long and enjoyable.
It is so good to see him and mum planning trips and the weight of the responsibility he has carried, lifting at last. I remember when I was a kid dad often worked 7 days a week and he left before I woke and got home after dark. I also remember times when the building industry was quiet and he would be worried about meeting his commitments.
My pa retired officially around 10 years ago probably but he has still worked out there from time to time. The funny story from this is that he apparently told the local butcher that my dad had sold his job and he was a bit cranky about it. Pa is 87 this year, yet he still enjoyed going out to the sandpit and putting in half a days work from time to time. He had cancer last year and underwent chemotherapy and had just ‘got back to work’.
Port Albert
We returned today from Port Albert. It was a beautiful break for a week. The place we stayed in had a great view of the prom. We experienced a range of weather. The first afternoon we arrived it was blowing a gale and cold. Other days were clear and sunny.
I had been warned about sand flies, by my grandpa yet didn’t experience them. He has been bitten badly by them at Port Albert and says nothing would make him go back there.
There was a bottle of oil containing lavender, tea tree and eucalyptus oil and a sign saying the sand flies were known to be around from October to March, we left today and they hadn’t appeared yet.
I saw lots of beautiful birds and got some videos, which I will put on my revver site no doubt.
Port Albert is only an hour away and I haven’t been there since I was a kid. I remember going with my best friend Jane’s family for a BBQ one Sunday afternoon.
The port has undergone some development since then. It was a little fishing village and popular with fishermen mainly when I was growing up. I think that is still the main attraction there, but the waterfront property real estate development has also moved in and toned it up a bit.
I have to clean up and continue unpacking now. The downside of taking a trip.
Bring on the long weekend
Sooo tired. Reports are done, a week to go before holidays. I am looking forward to my friends visiting from Freo and going for a week away with Andy. I have a cold, my son’s glands are up again but he has been tested and he has’t got glandular fever. My best friend from school has been away with that for over a month and I miss her a lot. Pa is struggling with his treatment. The sky is falling.
Experience tells me it will all pass.