Christmas 1999 - 2

I nipped up to Sydney for a few days in May when Fiona started maternity leave. We spent a day in Newcastle with Aunty Joan (Dad's sister, and a mainstay of our lives) on her 83rd birthday. It was good to catch up with cousin Beverley too. I came away with a wish that I could visit more often, and some wonderful documents and photos to scan for the family history.

Fiona and I also spent a lovely day in the Blue Mountains, doing sisterly things. She was born when I was nearly thirteen, at the end of my first year of high school, and I left home when she was five, so it wasn't until much later that we got to know each other properly. Her strength and humour and warmth are blessings I wouldn't be without. A happy development in Helen's life in the last year or so has been email contact with her half-sisters, who are based in Glasgow - I'm glad to think they're maintaining contact.

With Amy, 4 weeks oldBy this time, Fiona and Ricky were living in temporary accommodation - a lovely little house, but "little" was the operative word. The extensions to their proper house had been delayed by the shortage of tiles and tilers after the Sydney storms. Fiona started maternity leave late, spent it in a maelstrom of house-related tasks, and then the baby was early.

With Amy, 5 months oldAmy Rose was born on 15 June 1999, a strong, alert and gorgeous creature. Aunthood has taken me by surprise - after a lifetime of wondering what all the fuss over babies was about, I'm doting on this one. This is not to say that I didn't like my own baby - I was just a little taken aback to find myself in sole charge of her! Things are easier now.

Helen and I had our Access Day on Mondays in 1999. It started out with Helen visiting in the late afternoon. We'd get takeaway and lounge about in front of assorted TV shows, to which we occasionally paid some attention. In recent times we've been meeting for lunch, possibly preceded by a swim at Civic pool, then spending the afternoon on Helen's balcony, where she gets a bit of gardening done and brings in her washing while we catch up.

 

HT and SaffyHelen has achieved a small improvement in her health, seven years after the onset of chronic fatigue syndrome. She started the year taking out a pass degree rather than battling on to honours, reducing her commitments in general, and walking with a stick. From mid-year, she's been building up her endurance with exercise. Things were going so well that she took on a part-time job with Cougar Computing and is now walking a bit of a health tightrope again. She's enjoying the job, though!

At H's graduationSCUNA still sings at graduations, and in April Helen was roped in by them as we arrived at hers. I was proud to see her up there singing and graduating. The two of us had a ripper of a posh dinner at the Charcoal Grill that night. Maternal pride is well in evidence whenever I hear her sing: with practice, I've just about managed to stop weeping through her solos. She took part in some terrific concerts in 1999 with the Canberra Bach Ensemble, a new group in the ACT, and continues to sing at St Brigid's Church.

 

We're both relieved that she hasn't had many singing commitments this Christmas: never will we forget the December when she was involved in 27 performances with the Canberra Children's Choir!

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Page created after Christmas 1999; last updated 20 July 2002

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