LOOKING BACK

Hi Mum

Here we are going through yet another extremely hot summer which yours truly does not and never has enjoyed.  Phil is also finding it more difficult to cope with the heat now he is older.  We do what we can when we can and thanks to the airconditioning which has decided to behave itself and work for us, we are managing to keep cool.

People in our eastern states are faring much worse with horrible bushfires and loss of property but no loss of life directly from fires, although one poor Victorian fireman did die when in Tasmania helping the fire service there.  He was 61 and poor man didn't make it back home.  Some of the fires in NSW had been started by lightning but others had been deliberately lit.  I still can't get my head around the fact that anyone, regardless of their age, could go out and deliberately light a fire which in turn could cause the loss of property or, worse still, loss of life including animals.

Thinking of more pleasant things this afternoon I picked up your book again.  I do this every so often just to refresh my memory about the events of your life and it never fails to amaze me what a wonderful woman you were from a very early age.

I was reading about how you met and married dad and your experiences in London during WW1.  You almost make it sound like fun and yet I know how frightened you and others must have been at times with the bombing that took place.

I've always been so sorry that dad broke off all connection with his family and friends in England and had no communication with any of them once you arrived in Australia.  My curiosity has always been aroused as to why but it is one conundrum that will never be answered.  Oh, how I hate that but I don't think you ever really told me what had happened either.  Perhaps you didn't really know.  Reading between the lines of your book I'd say he had let somebody down rather badly and was perhaps thought rather less of by those near to him.  I always knew him as a wonderful father so will never think very bad thoughts of him.

I was reading excerpts of your book out to Phil, mainly about the Sugar Commission and the importance of sugar to the war effort during WW1 and it made us begin to talk about wars and the dreadful things that happen to people because of the conflict involved.  There are still millions in the world today involved in some type of conflict whether it be political or religious or both and I always feel so helpless at not being able to do anything about people hating and killing each other.  Life to me is so precious, especially now I am aged, that I find it hard to understand why.  There's another why I can't answer so with that thought it's time I said au revoir.

Talk again soon
   xxxxx