With more than 12 months since Margot’s passing I am gradually achieving to a more normal routine in my supportive retirement village unit. I am starting to appreciate the bird life and the ever changing creek which flows past my main view. My fellow residents continue to act as the ideal extended family to which I feel I am starting to contribute and feel useful.

With my yearning for teaching ever present in March I started an approximately weekly meeting entitled Tech over Coffee where I strive to help my fellow residents to make productive use of their mobile phones. We also discuss the ever evolving technology landscape and how it can help and hinder our everyday lives. While those who attend probably only make up 20% of those who can benefit they have started to pass on what they learn to our wider community. Our big step forward has been the adoption of WhatsApp groups for day to day communications. Several of our most popular activities now coordinate their gatherings, and particularly the changes that occur.

I have had some ups and downs on the health front. Early in the year I acquired an escooter mainly for intra-village travel but soon found it useful to go shopping, the pharmacy and even some fitness classes within a 10 km radius - the range on a battery charge is 30 km. However I became too bold, and despite wearing my cycling helmet and knee/elbow guards came a cropper arriving at a fitness class one day. I was tipped directly forwards over the handlebars onto concrete and broke my nose in 5 places. Fortunately my ENT surgeon was able to reconstruct it 3 days later, and I recovered fully after about 3 weeks of some discomfort. I still use the escooter but have a helmet with a nose/mouth guard, and use it more judiciously.

Just after my recovery I had a positive experience having both my eye cataracts done. My tri-focals lenses provide full coverage from close reading/phone through computer screen to far distance. I couldn’t be happier. The eye surgeon also discovered the beginnings of retinal detachment and I had a third eye op which lasered the lining back in position. When I couldn’t drive waiting for my eyes to heal I began walking around our grounds which include a lock/weir, creek and some open bush. After several attempts I now have a group of fellow residents join in the weekly Boundary Ramble followed by coffee and cake.

A couple of weeks later I contracted Covid and suffered for a couple of days before taking antivirals which brought quick recovery within 24 hours. I then had a dry cough for a further 10 days before getting back to normal. I think I was lucky, as I was well enough to host a birthday tea. Sadly though my weight is still a problem and needs serious work in the new year.

Birthday tea with some of my support group

All year I had been building up to take Margot’s ashes to scatter in one of our favourite places in Tasmania - Randall’s Bay. Just before the anniversary of her passing I made a brief trip to Hobart and then Launceston. I discovered that Randall’s Bay is no longer the quiet and tranquil place I remember so moved round the coast a little and chose a tree just off the beach in Eggs and Bacon Bay to scatter the ashes. I recorded the exact spot with the What3Words mapping system so I may return in the future. It was not possible to link up with any Hobart friends but that hopefully will happen on a future visit.

Eggs and Bacon Bay in central foreground

I continue with my investing work for my self-managed superannuation fund, my JP witnessing work and social club groups outside the village, as well as the myriad of weekly village events. I manage quite a few physical activities such as cycling, fitness classes and a new-found love of line dancing which certainly gets the blood racing. Of course Zooms have been my lifeline for a couple of years and I still attend several a week with fellow investor groups, social club members, and particularly my uni friends of 55 years ago who Zoom with me every fortnight.

For Christmas I am booked on a 6-day package tour to Cairns in the tropics as a travelling companion of a fellow resident - she is also our keenest line dancer here and leads our classes. It will ben hot and humid but should be enjoyable with several tours organised around the city and reef.

I send all my friends my best wishes for the festive season, and health and happiness for the new year to come.

Michael

17 December 2022

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For family history from previous years see the Family Rees Sway site.