Diary Entries

Why I Love My Dad and Mum I love my mum because she is organised. My dad gives me snuggles. He is really funny. Mum is really good at finding things on the internet. My dad gives me great advice. My mum is good at playing jacks. My dad works to defend people being guilty at court. I love my mum and dad.

Dear diary, Lockdown has affected every aspect of human life. Every day is a constant battle to keep going, to keep on fighting my personal struggles, and in order to do that, myself holds to the tiniest aspects of humanity that is left; the smell of coffee in the morning, the way the sun shines during the day, the way my cats play and fool around, long strolls around the park and new discoveries in terms of books (now am obsessed with Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgward). I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I know we are close to a "normal" life, but it really has been one of the hardest year of my not that old life i am only 32. I wish everybody out there are doing fine, remember you might feel lonely but your are not alone, we are all in this together, feeling the same fears, wishing the best... Regards, Kike.

Today I had porridge for breakfast (which was very tasty). After breaky I started to get ready for school. I got dressed, cleaned my teeth, brushed my hair, packed my bag, put on my shoes and said goodbye to mum and went to school. At school I put my bag on the rack and raced of to see my friends before school starts. When the bell rang I walked to lines ready to start work. After roll call we did spelling and as usual I spelled everything correctly. After spelling we did writing. Than it was time for first break. My friends and I played name tiggy. Than maths was next and I always got correct answers so it was fun. At second break we decided to play touch my team won by 4 trys making the sore 7/3. Than we had free time I listened to scratch music and warrior cat rap battles while making a drawing of all my favourite warrior cats. Then it was home time when I got home I got dressed in home cloths and went on the road with my friends. Then it was dinner and I had tasty taco's. after dinner I had my shower and then I played some roblox (adopt me). After roblox i went to bed and fell asleep very quickly.

I've just shut the back door, closed the kitchen window and turned on the air conditioner because the people who live in the house behind me are sitting outside and smoking. There have been guests, a celebratory lunch and now a smoke. Who in this day and age still smokes ? My neighbours. There's COVID-19 and people are still smoking. I'm feeling a bit better today. Calmer. A medical appointment yesterday upset me. I accompanied my 91 year old father when he went to see his nephrologist. He has to decide whether he wants to do dialysis. His nephrologist advises against it because of his age and his underlying heart condition. She thinks that instead of helping that his overall health will deteriorate. She also advises that dialysis doesn't always work especially in the elderly. My father has a difficult decision to make and I don't know how to advise him. The COVID virus might be around but people have other problems too, problems that don't go away because COVID-19 is with us. I've had a check up recently after a hysterectomy as treatment for endometrial cancer 18 months ago. Other problems don't go away because of COVID-19. A word on mask wearing. I wish people would do it properly. Medical establishments now insist that all patients wear masks but some people pull them down under their nose or even under their chin when they feel like it. And you aren't supposed to touch them without first sanitising your hands and you sanitise your hands after you touch the mask too. Well some people are doing any old thing. Touching everything, their mask included. Heaven help us. An essential visit to the chemist yesterday saw a maskless woman rush in hysterical because a doctor's surgery was closed for COVID-19 cleaning.

Watsons Bay, NSW The sun is glistening all across the ocean. Kookaburras chorus. It could be summer. I enjoy the salmon sunset and for a moment forget about COVID making domestic violence escalate all across New South Wales. In Watsons Bay, I’ve noticed so many more fathers playing with their children. In parks, taking walks, flying kites, riding bikes, holding hands. I hope it is happening elsewhere. One happy outcome borne of collective anxiety, more time, and being housebound. State borders are still closed, and for a moment it is suggested that doctors should decide when borders should open and close, rather than politicians. My piano children tell me sadly that they’re no longer allowed to have school choir practice, with singing banned to avoid infection. Our trip to the Torres Strait is on hold, probably until winter next year. It feels like a long time to wait. We listen to Beatles records to cheer us up. The green and yellow ferries ply back and forth across choppy Sydney Harbour as we record take after take of our new song on piano and guitar. It has turned into something gospelly and doesn’t yet have a name. We take a break and I give the balcony pot plants that have multiplied since lockdown a drink. Hot pink and blood red geraniums flourish beside lilac flowering rosemary and trumpeting tangerine nasturtium. The Port Jackson fig my late grandfather rescued from the Prince Of Wales Hospital chimney in 1954 thrives in the sea air, its roots knotty and gnarled inside its terracotta pot, primed for an artist to notice. Researchers at the University of Queensland are expanding human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine, and The World Health Organisation reports that global COVID cases pass 26 million. Australia is officially in recession.

JOURNEY THROUGH THE SPRING Days hasten towards dusk; Cloudy skies chasing daylight. Soon twilights settle in revealing, What veils the mystic darkness that deem. Snow clouds feather the air; Wafting freezing blows of wind; Ready to imperil the cautious days; Icy drops pelting without mercy. Like a lazy kite, it's movement seems Graffiti of snowflakes flying slow; Like cotton balls from the pillows; They dance amidst the unrelenting gale. The blanket of dense whiteness Fills the ground neatly trimmed; Capping mountains, covering the hills; Spectacles of beauty: fresh and crisps. Days are short, and nights are long As shiver sends thrills to the bones; Patiently notes of enduring anticipation, The journey ends as coldness reels away. Author's Note: I wrote this poem years ago reminiscing our Winter in Orange NSW. I took a mental note of everything that happened during snowday that occurred at daytime. We happened to live in a house built on an elevated ground (that could be a hill way back) and I was fascinated watching the snowflakes gracefully gliding on the air as if they were dainty Ballerinas from our loungeroom window. I was full of curiosity as it was my first time in my whole life to experience winter, let alone watching the snow until they settled down on the ground. 😊❄️❄️❄️.

The light that shined my life is gone out Dear Daire It has been 1,079 days,25896 hours,1553760 minutes, and 93225600 seconds from September 16th, 2017 the day that my life took an unexpected turn together with my future. I did not know how this day will have a major impact on me. the day that I lost my faith, my soul, and my hope in this cruel world that we call home. how can an innocent 12-year-old girl at that time face the reality of this world? the world around us that is wicked, evil, and monstrous. How can she

THE STORY I DREAMT - FINAL The story erstwhile: Lily aka Carol and John went on separate ways going home to their respective places. Heaviness was in their hearts, but they both vowed to keep in touch with each other. While home and back to resuming their area of responsibility at work, they buried their heads to doing what they needed to do. And, with a great deal of care and as focused as if nothing happened. Lily, by the way, worked as a Surgical Nurse in a prestigious hospital in their locality. Distance and work didn't dampen their enthusiasm. Feelings for each other were nurtured to grow. Amidst gruelling workloads, they set aside a time when they could exchange notes of everything very important to them. Patience was their virtue. As time went on, soon their romance had found a way for them to consider their future. They decided to go back to the same place where they were set up to meet. In there, John proposed to Lily on his bended knee presenting her with a beautifully wrapped tiny ring box of exquisite dainty diamond ring. Lily was emotionally teary-eyed but very happy. She said Yes without much ado. It was at this junction that their family and friends appeared and stormed them with congratulatory surprises. They were the mechanics behind the love machine that revved up their hearts to pump, an impossible mission to do, but somehow unexpectedly succeeded. More revelations were told at the reception on their wedding day. No less than the parents of both the groom and the bride were as over the moon as the newlyweds were that finally their bond of everlasting friendship had been sealed through the marriage of their children. The parents of the newly married couple were childhood friends.

I DREAMT OF A STORY Two loveless people torn by the unrelenting demands of their profession were set on a blind date by those very closed to their hearts. They're set apart by borders of the four corners in the country they lived. Living a busy life working in the field of their endeavours, they forgot about themselves. After some hard convincing and persuading, they gave in to take a one week break to unwind somewhere. Unknown to them the love machinery was at work, socially scripted behind the scene. Imagine a retro setting of a Parisian cafe they had to meet up one summer. By sheer coincidence, they set foot in that cafe on the same date, sitting on a separate table far apart, ordering the same menu at lunch time. The story just wound up like 'let the nature takes its course!' And nature did take its course: The guy in his middle earth age was smitten by a be-dimpled simple sweet beauty his eyes caught on a side-swept across the room. Blushes went on for the two and soon timidity was a forgotten dish as the lightning struck splashed by something stupid called cupid instead of the poisoned love arrow. Thereon, a miracle happened only to be marred by a parting sorrow. The blossom that somewhat flourished suddenly was doomed to gloom. They had to go back where their duties bound them. It was time to say Con Te Partiro as Andrea Bocelli sang it. The lady revealed her true identity. The man accepted her revelation with understanding. He confessed that he was as he was except that his profession was on a specialised field mending peoples' broken hearts. He's a Heart Specialist for short. Only to realise that his own heart needed some mending. …Continue

The council is kindly offering socially distanced art classes (via Zoom) to relieve some of the COVID blues and ennui. I have enrolled in two. I start on Friday. I have no artistic talent whatsoever but it will be nice to do something after so much inactivity. My sister and brother-in-law have bought a house together with their daughter and son-in-law in Marrickville. My niece and her husband will live in the front of the house and my brother-in-law is going to build a small flat at the back of the yard. It will be a big change from an architect designed house in Turramurra surrounded by tall gum trees but it is what they want - to downsize and to be close to their children. My nephew lives in Marrickville too so there will be lots of cups of coffee at the cafe down the road.I live in the next suburb along, a stone's throw away, so there will be cups of coffee with me too. Directly across the road from me has been given council permission to subdivide and build so soon there will be dust, trucks and congestion. I am not looking forward to it. Behind me, two other builds are going ahead. With Westconnex that makes for a lot of building activity. The Westconnex tunnels are coming. The tunnelling has already reached the local school less than 500 metres away. I have my property survey on Friday morning which needs to be done in order to be able to claim compensation for damage after the tunnelling is completed. I have been conversing with my cousin overseas about family history. He is in the process of writing the family history and is talking to my 92 year old father to obtain information. To be continued.