Daily Notes and News
The Month of October 2000
Sunday, 1st
Today has been a good day although it has been very a different day weather wise. Almost every minute the weather has changed from being sunny to wet and windy and very cold. Thankfully the weather in Sydney for the marathon has been kind to the participants.
Mass in the country was at Ouse today and there was a good crowd. We said farewell to Diane Piuselli who heads off on the Tasmanian Jubilee Pilgrimage on Wednesday. Sandy Cowling is also going but we will say farewell to her on Tuesday.
This afternoon I headed off to see Gordon Batchelor at the District Hospital and took him Holy Communion before spending a few minutes with the young fellow who I saw in the hospital yesterday.
There was a reasonable number at Mass tonight - much more than I would have expected with the final ceremonies of the Olympics about to start. After Mass I headed to Glenorchy for tea and to stay overnight to watch the Closing Ceremony with some friends rather than be by myself. I went to bed as soon as the Ceremony was over and had a good night's sleep - which tells you that I am posting this a day late - but the Olympics only happens once every four years (at least the Summer Olympics) and I'm allowed to stay out sometimes.
Monday, 2nd
Today has been an interesting day with nothing working quite the way it was meant to.
The Journey sessions both went well with some good reading involving Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians. It has been a good experience to relearn some of the material from my Scripture classes during my seminary days and then to be able to share with others.
My appointment with the producer of the Country Hour didn't happen today but is set down for about 12.45pm tomorrow so that gave me some free time today. I used it to send out the faxes for the next Business Morning Tea which is to take place next Wednesday (11th) as well as completing some letters that needed to be written.
This evening I had a phone call from a friend inviting me to attend a Rotary meeting in the morning to listen to Sir Gustav Nossal - in Hobart this week as part of the Australia Day Council efforts to find candidates for the 2001 award.
I also got a message telling me that Sr Tess Marcelo's mother had died late last week in Manila. Tess had entertained me at a Filipino Fish Market/Restaurant when I was there at the end of July and had been caring for her mother during the past year or so - in some way it was a blessed relief but it is still sad.
Now it is time for bed.
Tuesday, 3rd
An early start this morning to get to Salamanca Cafe for the Salamanca Rotary Meeting and the guest speaker, Sir Gustav Nossal. It was well worth the effort and I really appreciated the fact that Ann Graham rang last night inviting me along to listen. It meant a slightly slower start to the rest of the day however.
After Mass this morning I stayed for coffee as today is the last day before Sandy Cowling heads off on the Diocesan Pilgrimage. She will join the Archbishop and others on a once in a lifetime journey - I hope that the troubles in Israel and Palestine can be resolved for their benefit as much as for the Pilgrims because it doesn't look good at the moment.
My interview with Chris Wisbey on the Country Hour regarding the Rural Pastoral Unit and what it means for the Church went well and I hope that there will be some positive follow-up from various people around the place.
On my way home I called into Sacred Heart College to obtain a College logo to scan for the labels for some Christmas Puddings that I hope we will be able to sell through the School. They suggested that I might try their web site to get a better image which I have done and have spent some time working on the labels for any puddings we might sell through the school. I had a bit of trouble printing the label for The Friends' School but I finally got it right. By going to the schools I hope to be able to build a clientele which will enable us to maintain a level of orders to keep the process viable.
I rang +Adrian to wish him well for the Diocesan Pilgrimage that leaves tomorrow and he said that it had been cancelled because of the troubles in the Middle East. There is a possibility of a different tour being arranged for those who still want to go but things will be sorted out tomorrow - he hopes. I feel sorry for Sandy who has put so much emotional energy into preparing to go - I hope it works out for them.
Adele and Greg have been to see me to complete their marriage preparation this evening and now I am heading for bed - I'll tape the Bill and watch it later.
Wednesday, 4th
Sandy was at Mass this morning - she seems to be taking the cancellation of the trip reasonably well although she still wants to go and had her mobile with her in case the Tour Firm rang to tell her what was happening.
Today has been a working at the desk day - I've managed to get a couple of things finished but it didn't last that long. I got a phone call from a family asking if I might do the father's funeral on Friday. After I said that I would do anything I could to help they told me that a celebrant had been arranged and they didn't feel that he was the right person so they approached me!!! I spent some time on the phone repairing damage and getting everything right with the celebrant before spending time with the family to make the arrangements for the ceremony.
I called in The Friends' School to drop off samples of this years puddings before heading to a meeting with Neville Dean at ITIM to look at the launch of Living Faith in Public Life. It will be a couple of days before we have everything sorted but we will be trying to set the date for the second week of November.
I dropped off samples of the puddings at Sacred Heart College so we will wait and see what happens there.
Tonight has been a quiet night - I have done a few things but mainly looked at the funeral book for the late John Müller.
But now I am heading for bed.
Thursday, 5th
Sandy headed off today so I hope that the trip works out for her. (Frs.) Peter O'Loughlin and Bill Egan didn't go and neither did Diane Piuselli - as the new trip didn't really meet the trip that they had envisaged.
After Mass at 9am I headed off to the District Hospital to take Holy Communion to Gordon Batchelor before returning for the Christian Leaders Meeting at 10am. It was a short meeting because we had a Service of dedication and Blessing at Corumbene Nursing Home. Afterwards I called into see some people at the Royal Derwent Hospital - there is a whole lot of tension amongst the staff at present because the facility is going to close shortly and there are concerns regarding the level of care which will be available for people after the transfer to residential accommodation.
I then returned to work on the leaflet for the funeral of the late John Muller - it took longer than usual because I don't have a service which actually covers the kind of service that the family wanted but I think that I have it right now.
We had a PPC meeting tonight and it went reasonably well although there were not too many able to attend. I have some work to do to prepare some financial material to be delivered to Parishioners this weekend before we put out the new Thanksgiving Envelopes at the end of this month.
Now it time for bed.
Friday, 6th
After Mass at 9.00am I headed off to Corumbene for their First Friday Mass and spent some time with the residents after the celebration. It was the first time I had been with the whole group since the death of Jack Walters and it was good to be there for a time.
Then it was off to visit the District Hospital to take Holy Communion to Gordon and Eileen. Gordon still isn't that well but it is good to spend time with both he and Eileen and some of the other patients in the various rooms.
I came back home to complete the preparations (and the Big Book) for the funeral of the late John Muller which was celebrated this afternoon. I left a little bit early to visit a couple of places on the way - especially to get the toner for the photocopier. The service went well and with a large number of people from the Tasmanian Automobile Chamber of commerce to farewell John it was a fitting send off.
I wasn't able to spend time with the family because there was still some work to do on the arrangements for the Foundation 2010 Book Launch - it still hasn't come completely together but we are working at it. I am still having some difficulty finalising the name of a person to speak at the 5 Questions function that is to be held on 15th November but hope to be able to complete that on Monday.
I've just arrived home from having a meal with my Bellerive friends to celebrate Aileen's birthday which was on Wednesday. It was a good night and the food at the restaurant was terrific but the noise was loud so we headed off to a Coffee Shoppe for dessert and a slightly less noisy environment to complete the evening.
Although it isn't real late I am heading for bed a tired little person.
Saturday, 7th
Today has been a long and busy day. I headed off early this morning to go to a meeting of the World Justice and Development Commission of the Tasmanian Council of Churches - the meeting was at Campbell Town. For once I didn't drive and I didn't really relax on the trip, on the way up nor on the way back - I don't think that I am a very good back seat passenger. Also on the way back we had to deal with the annual Launceston to Hobart Bike Race which meant that at some stages of the latter part of the journey we were travelling really slowly.
I managed to call into Bridgewater for a short time to see the guys as they finished their lunch before heading home to complete the newsletter and some information regarding the Parish Finances for the first six months of the Diocese's Financial Year. We need to bring the information before people so that we can ask them to increase their Thanksgiving Program support when the new envelopes become available in the next few weeks.
This evening I have been to the opening of the new Christian City Church complex in Hobart. They have purchased the old Odeon Theatre - a building used for the past x number of years by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. They have made a wonderful job of renovating the building and I attended as a representative of one of the local Churches as a Chair of the Board of Awakening 2000.
Now, however, I am ready for bed.
Sunday, 8th
Today is my brother Brendan's 40th birthday and he is going to be celebrating in Wollongong and I, and the rest of the family, are here in Hobart - sadly these things can't be helped. I'm sure that he will have a good day.
Mass today for the Country was at Maydena and there were a couple of people there who have been away so it was good to see them again. Both morning Masses were well attended - according to the normal numbers.
After lunch I headed off to see my Mum - Dad went to hospital late last night so I will try and see him tomorrow. I'll take Mum and we will check him out to see what he is up to.
I had thought of catching up on some of the things I have taped recently but I had forgotten that there was a special youth service to conclude the 175th Anniversary Celebrations for St Matthew's Anglican Church which have been on all weekend so I have just returned from there. There was a good crowd of people there and Paul Davis was the guest and did a good job with the message and some music.
Now for bed - I don't seem to have done too much during the weekend but I am really tired now.
Monday, 9th
After Mass this morning I rang Sydney to contact the printers of our Thanksgiving Envelopes and found that they had actually been placed in the garage (a dry sheltered spot as requested by the printer) but they had arrived while I was away in the Navy and had been put with material left in the shed for the White Elephant Stall from the Fair - a box in the midst of other boxes and lucky to be found.
After the Journey session this morning I visited Gordon in the District Hospital before heading down to Claremont to collect Mum to take her to Calvary to see Dad. Just before I left I got a call asking me would I visit another patient in Calvary the next time I was down. I was able to do both which made things a bit simpler. On the way I dropped off a new program to Graham's and learnt that Sr Justin Cook LCM (a Calvary stalwart) and Margaret Southwell (a Claremont parishioner) had both died earlier today. Greg Hudson rang just before I got to the hospital to say that a New Norfolk parishioner, Leonard Burke, had also died so the next few days are going to be a bit busy.
Dad is reasonably well - a torn ankle ligament - but will be slowed down for a while. While there I arranged for an appointment for him to see a specialist on Wednesday afternoon might be cancelled and the doctor is calling to see him while he is in hospital.
The Journey Session tonight went all right and Mary checked to see which of the Businesses she needs to visit today re the Morning Tea for Wednesday so the work is done and bed beckons - none too soon either.
Tuesday, 10th
Today has been concerned mainly about the preparations for tomorrow and the Business Morning Tea although it has also been busy about other things as well. John Maher and I spent time setting up the main preparation area so that when we get started tomorrow things will be able to flow along without too much difficulty.
I have also spent time today preparing for the funeral of the late Leonard Burke which will be celebrated at Tunnack on Thursday afternoon. I managed to reverse into a very low garden fence and have managed to do some damage to the rear of my car which has made the process of getting ready for reselling more protracted.
All this has been around the cooking of some sponges for the Morning Tea - not as many as I usually cook but that is good. Mary called in with the final list of the businesses involved and it looks as it will be over 90 but we will not know until the morning as we wait for a couple of calls.
My time with Maree and Tyson as they come closer to completing the preparations for their marriage went well and I am looking forward to celebrating their marriage with them. Maree is the first person whom I have baptised whose wedding I have been involved in - it is a special time for me which I hope will be a time of great happiness for them.
Now it is time for bed.
Wednesday, 11th
An early rise this morning as I needed to make the scones for the Morning Tea. I talked with Ruby yesterday and we have decided that we need to change the way we start the preparation process for the Morning Teas. We seem to get into a pressure situation because we have only a fraction of the food we need at the beginning and we start to prepare extra food and then when everything comes in we are embarrassed by the quantity remaining. Today went better because we slowed down at the beginning and didn't try to get everything finished by 9 am.
There were some hiccups however when Murray arrived with some lamingtons - it meant that Frances wasn't going to be there and shortly after Beryl rang to say that she had a flat tyre and she would be late. Then John arrived and he has developed an allergy to some medication he is on so when Beryl got there she and I became the delivery drivers. We are still without Nancy who is staying with her daughter in law after the death of her husband and she is missed - we will have to invite her along sometime to a morning tea as thanks for all she has done.
Immediately the last delivery was made I headed off to town to drop off the photo of the late Len Burke to get a bromide made as I was not able to get a good scan from my machine. It worked out all right because I was able to get that done and get back here in time for the midday Mass.
While I was away in town the team started work on cutting the material into the sizes that we will need to wrap the puddings when we get into the final stage of pudding work for this year. Now that this is done we will arrange to wrap the puddings next Tuesday - hopefully we will get most of them finished.
Just before Mass my Mum rang to say that an uncle had died that morning so I have been in touch with my aunt but will not know until tomorrow what is happening about the funeral and whether I am involved. After Mass I collected Mum and we headed off to see Dad in Calvary Hospital - it looks as if he will be there for another few days.
While Mum and Dad were visiting I headed off to the Whittle Ward to catch up with Manfred Schiebel who had been at Calvary on Monday afternoon but has been transferred there for Palliative Care. I also ran into Christine Ramsay who is very low at the moment and had a brief chat to her and her mother before heading back to collect the bromide and then collecting Mum and taking her home. Dad is well and giving cheek but can't really get around on his ankle at the moment so he will be there for a couple more days.
The rest of today has been quiet and I managed to complete the leaflet for the funeral tomorrow and I called up to see his niece and her family to show them the leaflet. I haven't had any appointments this evening and I have enjoyed a little bit of quiet time so now I'm heading for bed.
Thursday, 12th
I was really tired all day and even though it is only early I am heading for bed, and hopefully, a good night's sleep.
After Mass this morning I completed the Big Book for the funeral of the late Leonard Burke which was celebrated at Tunnack this afternoon. There were quite a number of coincidences that occurred during today so it has been a very interesting day.
As I was driving to Tunnack I got a call from a friend who said that her grandmother and the grandmother of her husband had both been born at Tunnack and knew each other as young girls. On the road from Oatlands to Tunnack I came across a team of road markers and saw my cousin whom I hadn't seen for three years - the day after Mum and I had been speaking about him. Then the first person I met when I arrived at the Church was my father's cousin and the second was my mother's cousin and then a whole group of people who I have known for years and whom I hadn't seen for ages. And all at the funeral of a man who I hadn't met but whose family live in New Norfolk.
When I got back from the funeral I immediately got to work on the Business Activity Statement to go to the Church Office as well as material for the Sick & Retired Priests Fund which I will send off to Phil Scanlon in the morning. I managed to get it completed although I'm certain that there is something else I am supposed to add but which escapes me at the moment.
Now it is time for bed.
Friday, 13th
Today was a hectic day - from the start to the end.
Just after I had posted Friday's Daily Notes and News the phone rang. Ruby had just received a call to say that her twin sister Mary was close to death and the family were being called. I also headed down to Glenorchy and anointed her and spent time with her son Anthony and Ruby before coming back here for the 9am Mass.
Immediately after Mass I headed for the Crematorium for the funeral of my uncle, Ken Bowden, the husband of Dad's youngest sister Joan. My brother Sean was there so, together, we represented Dad who is still in hospital. Margaret and Kay and Noel were also there, Betty (who lost her husband Richard last year) is in the USA at present having been here for Dad and Mum's 50th three weeks ago.
After the service there I headed off to the Cathedral for the funeral of Sr Justin Cook LCM. There was a good crowd there with lot's of friends of the Cook family as well as a whole lot of people from the Calvary Family and supporters. Just as the funeral finished and as I was talking to one of Sr Justin's neices my phone buzzed and it was Greg Hudson telling me that Mary Mudge (his aunt) had died and so I made arrangements to see Anthony about 2pm.
I left the Cathedral and out to Glenorchy to drop off some books that a friend was taking to Launceston and had a cuppa before calling to see Anthony to make some arrangements for the funeral of his mother to be held at Glenorchy on Monday. I collected a photo and took it with me to town to drop off at Photolith to get a bromide that can be used for the booklet.
From Photolith I headed off to the Whittle Ward hoping to see Manfred Schiebel and Christina Ramsay, both of whom are in the Palliative Care Unit. Unfortunately Manfred was asleep so I didn't disturb him and Christina was being cared for by staff and family and so I didn't stay - will try and catch both on Monday.
I then called into the LCM's Convent to offer my condolences to the sisters and Sr Justin's family. I was more than a little late and there were only a few people remaining so I stayed for just a few minutes and then went across the road to see Dad. Unfortunately, instead of being able to come home he has a temperature and so will probably be staying in hospital over the weekend.
From the hospital I headed into town to collect the bromide before heading back to the Mudge's to show them the bromide (and return the photo) before dropping off some family death notices into Graham's. From there I headed back to see Mum and drop off Dad's PJ's before coming home to collect the mail from the Post Office and hitting the computer to get all the things I had hoped to get completed today.
I've manage to prepare most of the leaflet for the funeral which I will email to Anthony in the morning as well as a copy of some of the readings that might be appropriate. I've also done most of the work for the newsletter but will need to ring Sr Denise in the morning to see if she might be able to do the Journey Program on Monday evening only this coming week as both Ruby and I will be at the funeral which is at 11am on Monday - the same time as the Journey session is due to be held.
I'm going to have a bite to eat and then I'm hitting the sack - a tired little body.
Saturday, 14th
Today was a busy day. I worked away on the newsletter to get it finished as well as setting up the financial/budget papers to be included with the newsletter.
As I was working away Mum rang to say that Dad had a bit of a turn during the night and he wasn't well at all. I rang the hospital and found that he had been moved down to the High Dependency Unit to be monitored. Later this afternoon both Martin and Michele were there with him, Sean had been there this morning so it meant that Mum was getting up to date information from family rather than through the system.
I had a Baptism here this morning of an Emily Rose Post at 11am and then I headed off to Pontville for the Baptism of Abbey Rose Watson - great care was taken to ensure I didn't get the wrong names at the wrong times.
I managed to complete the financial material this afternoon and stapled most of it together before the 75th Anniversary Mass for St Brigid's School at 5pm. There was a great response from people for the celebration with a more than standing room Church and then we continued on down at the School for a Cocktail Party and great fun was had by all.
Now, it is time for bed.
Sunday, 15th
The Ellendale Fair has been the centre piece of the day - marked at both ends by well attended Masses. I was a little surprised at all the presence of good crowds at all of the events today because there has been a good covering of snow on the lower hills around the Valley this morning and it was very, very chilly.
The Fair had an even bigger turn up than usual which was good because several of the older members of the community are wondering if it is all worthwhile and when they get this kind of support it does them good. It will mean about $2000 for both the Church Communities of St Andrew and St Colman in the Ellendale area.
After the fair I headed into Claremont to collect Mum and take her into town to see Dad - he is much better today but is still uncertain about a whole lot of things and I don't think that he has too much energy left. After I dropped Mum home I had a few minutes to work on printing the Big Book for the funeral tomorrow and run off the leaflets so that is a job well done.
As I had come out of Calvary there had been a message on my phone to say that Manfred Schiebel had died and so I arranged to go and see Mary and the family after Mass tonight. I haven't long been home from there so after a long day I am heading for bed.
Monday, 16th
I cancelled the Parish Mass this morning because we had the Funeral Mass for Mary Mudge at St John's Glenorchy. The majority of the people who would have been here for the Parish Mass were there to support Ruby. After the Mass a few members of the family went down to Kingston for the burial - Molly's late husband Les is already buried there. I then headed back to Glenorchy for another gathering of the clan after the service so I had another chance to see more of my family (the first time was after the funeral of my uncle, Ken Bowden last Friday).
I wasn't there long when my mobile rang asking if I was going to be able to get to my appointment with Alan Daley - scheduled for 2pm and the time was 2.20pm at the time. I raced off to his office in Austins Ferry very apologetic and managed to do some work in preparation for the ITIM-Foundation 2010 Breakfast for the middle of November.
I had dropped off the photo of the late Manfred Schiebel at Photolith before the funeral this morning and managed to collect it on the way home from the burial at Kingston. I have done a fair bit of the work but will need to spend time tomorrow to get it completed.
We have just completed the Journey session for this week - it was wonderful to have Sr Denise do the session and me simply sitting back and learning without having to work as well.
Now for bed.
Tuesday, 17th
Today has been busy with the team plus a couple of new people arriving after Mass and getting down to wrapping puddings. We also had a visit from Penny Edman (Catholic Standard) to take some photo's of the group for the November edition of the Diocesan Monthly paper. We managed to get a fair few done and will come back next Tuesday for another go and hopefully get them all completed. At least the ones we have made up to this time.
After lunch I headed for Claremont to collect Mum and take her to the hospital to see Dad who is a little better than the weekend but not real good yet. I managed to catch up with Reg Byrnes who is in hospital after breaking another bone in his leg on the weekend. I got into a little bit of trouble because I didn't know that my sister Karen had also been into spend time with Dad on Saturday (I was the only one who didn't get there) and it looked as if she was the 'wicked daughter' - I am now happy to remove that scourge from her character and praise her for her attentiveness. I'm probably going to be in bigger trouble for writing this instead.
The photocopier has been playing up today. It worked all right this morning for the labels for the puddings but this afternoon stopped every 15 pages or so and needed to be cleared - there seems to be some form of problem with the paper pickup or delivery and the system closes down when the paper isn't ejected at the end quickly enough. I've finally managed to get the leaflet for the funeral printed but it has taken some effort.
I also called around to see the Schiebel family and dropped off a couple of copies of the leaflet for their benefit. They seem to be coping reasonably well so I hope that tomorrow isn't too hard for them.
Now for bed.
Wednesday, 18th
After Mass this morning I headed off to the Hospital to see Gordon Batchelor whom I haven't seen for over a week. A whole lot of things have made life busy but that is really no excuse for being slack and not getting to see him.
Then it was back here to celebrate the funeral of the late Manfred Schiebel - it was a quiet but dignified celebration for a man who was known as a quiet worker who managed to do good things without making any sort of fuss. After the service here we went down to the Crematorium before coming back to his family home. I didn't stay long but it was good.
This afternoon I have been working away at the newsletter because the next two days are busy and I will be out for major parts of the time. I've also just returned from the School Board Meeting where we looked at some of the issues facing the School for next year - especially the question of staffing, which is always a difficult process. I will be meeting with the Board Chair next Tuesday evening to look at the criteria proposed for the selection process for a new Principal which will be on the cards for next year.
Now it is time for bed.
Thursday, 19th
Today were two meetings this morning at 10am - the Christian Leaders Group meeting here at the Parish House and the Police and Community Consultative Group meeting at the Police Station. I am the secretary of this second group so I attended that meeting - there was some interesting discussion so that was good. I managed to get back for the final portion of the Leaders meeting so I am up to date with what is happening there.
After Mass at midday, Sr. Lorraine and I headed off to Oatlands for the next stage of our planning for the Rural Pastoral Unit. It is still a bit frustrating not being able to make any real plans because of the uncertainties that still exist concerning the make up of the team. One thing that the people are asking about is the Mass Timetable which we are unable to present to the Unit because we don't know what priest/s are available to celebrate Mass each weekend. Hopefully, there will be some response from the Pastoral Planning Team before too much longer.
I was late getting back from Oatlands so only had time for a quick shower before heading out to the Australian-American Association Farewell Dinner for Cmdr Henry Finnis RAN who completes his term as Navy Support Command Tasmania at the end of the year. He and his wife Robyn, and two of their three children, will be moving to Canberra for a Directory Posting so it was a chance for one group with whom they have worked throughout these past three years to say thanks.
Now for bed - it has been a long and tiring day.
Friday, 20th
Mass this morning was at 9am and when that was celebrated I headed off to the District Hospital to take Communion to Gordon and Eileen. After missing them last Friday I needed to say hello - Gordon might be transferred to Corumbene but is being assessed today and I haven't heard how he went.
I worked on the newsletter and got it finished this morning which was good, although I managed to leave a name of the list of the sick so will need to fix that before next weekend. I then headed down to School to join the staff in saying farewell to Gill Thompson, one of the aides who has managed to get a more permanent job and left today - she will be sadly missed. I also went back down later this afternoon for a quiet little drink to complete the farewell process - very nice way to complete a Friday.
I managed to do some work on the invitation for the ITIM "Five Questions" Breakfast which I will need to run past a couple of people before I send them out - on Tuesday at the latest. Hopefully we will be able to get a decent response so I'll see what happens. I might take a copy of the invite with me tomorrow to lunch to ask a couple of people what they think about it.
I've just got home (after midnight) after enjoying a Tasmanian performance of Les Miserables at the Derwent Entertainment Centre. The performance was brilliant and the efforts of the performers was outstanding. I'm so pleased that I had the chance to get to see it. Patsy Duggan, who gave me the ticket as a 25th Anniversary present, picked me up and drove me down and back and we managed to avoid most of the problems that people had with long delays in getting away from the Centre by coming home via Old Beach, the back road.
Now it is time for bed as the Prayer Breakfast is on in the morning and it is an early start.
Saturday, 21st
This morning was an early start with the Monthly Prayer Breakfast - this month in the new hall at St Matthew's Anglican Church. A great facility but fewer people than normal there - I'm not certain why.
As soon as I got back to the house I started making the Christmas Cake for the Christmas Raffle. Everything worked well although I might have been smarter to have used the next size cake tin as it rose just a little too high for tin and consequently the top has some small cracks in it. Hopefully it will still work out all right.
I headed off to lunch at New Town with the brothers and had a good meal - I was the first one there which made me wonder if I had made a mistake. I knew that the Passionists had asked to change their date and for a few minutes I wasn't sure if the list I was using was an old copy of the list. Luckily everything worked out and the list is the correct one.
After lunch I called to see Mum and Dad. Dad still doesn't sound too good but seems better than this time last week.
From there I've come home and taken the cake out of the oven, checked some internet addresses and a WordPro page setting for John Shallvey and set up the letters for parishioners to take to remember the children preparing for First Communion in November. We encourage them to take an envelope with the name of a child and invite them to remember the child during these next four weeks or so.
I put the Mission Envelopes with the newsletters and finished everything else off so now I am heading for bed and a good night's sleep - or at least a reasonable time in bed.
Sunday, 22nd
At the 9am Mass this morning we had the Baptism of Lilli Frances Reardon, the daughter of Michael and Monique, who have recently moved into the district. A good number of their family and friends were present so that boosted the crowd considerably. There was also a good number at Mass this evening so it has been a good weekend.
The country Mass was at Ellendale and it was good to say thanks to all the wonderful people who worked so well together to make the Fair such a success last weekend. Winnie gave me the figures for the Fair - $5,197.40 - which will be split evenly between the Anglican and Catholic Communities at Ellendale.
I called into the Reardon's on the way home for a bite to eat but didn't stay long as I was so tired that I needed to be able to sit down for a while to relax. I did manage to get some work done on the invitation list for the "Five Questions" Breakfast on 15th November so that was good - there is still more that will need to be done over the next few days.
I got a phone call after Mass tonight asking me to be involved in the funeral of the late Maxwell Miller which will be celebrated here on Wednesday so I will see the family tomorrow.
Now it is time for bed.
Monday, 23rd
Today has been another interesting day.
After Mass this morning I did some work on the Pudding Orders to get an up-to-date record of what has happened so far. I didn't have too long to do this because of the Journey Program at 11am so by the time one thing was finished the next thing was on. Sandy Cowling also called in after her tip away - a little sad after the death of her niece but glad to be home none the less.
After lunch I headed into town to get the paper/card for the raffle tickets and the labels for the small puddings which I need to get completed for tomorrow. I also called to see Shelly at Glenorchy because she is still having problems with their computer so I said that I would have a look and I think we managed to fix the minor problem which seems to have given back her computer.
I got home just a few minutes before the son & daughter-in-law of the late Max Miller arrived to work on the funeral liturgy for Wednesday morning. We have managed to get most things completed so all I need to do tomorrow is to collect a photo and get a bromide made for the front cover - the rest seems under control.
I've done some work on printing the invitations for the "Five Questions" Breakfast so I hope to be able to post them off tomorrow. I've also written a short note to go with each one - partly to put my own name into the system so that people might, just might, think twice before they say that they don't need to consider it. I also asked them to consider handing on the invitation if the date is unsuitable or they are not interested.
The Journey program tonight was another good night so that means that there are three books to go and about 5 or 6 weeks left in this almost two year program. It has been a great effort and a positive thing for the Parish.
Now it is time for bed.
Tuesday, 24th
After Mass this morning Ruby found a card in the letter box saying that a delivery company had called to deliver some wine before 8.30am - I was in the office so I must have been really concentrating because I didn't hear a thing. Anyway, they'll be back tomorrow.
The team was back to wrap the puddings today - they are now all wrapped so that is good and we'll be able to put the whole thing into the big melting pot of sales in the hope that we can get rid of all of them. W started at 9.30am with a cuppa and then got down to business and managed to finish before the 12 noon deadline that I had set with everything tidied up and cleared away. Thankfully it will mean less work for me later in the week to get ready for the Clergy Lunch on Saturday.
This afternoon I headed off to Mangalore to collect the picture of the late Max Miller. With it in hand I headed back to town to get a bromide and managed to remember to take some trousers to get dry-cleaned as well as some of the invitations for the "Five Questions" Breakfast to the ITIM Office. Unfortunately there was no-one there so I'll ring in the morning to let them know what is happening.
I called to see Dad and Mum on the way home after collecting the Bromide and Mum asked me to get a present for my brother so I'll do that after the funeral tomorrow.
I've finished the funeral booklet and the Big Book for tomorrow so that is out of the way. I've not yet sent off the invites for the Breakfast because I put tomorrow's date on the note that will be going with them so I thought that it would look stupid for them to arrive before the proper date.
I've just come home from working with Tim Wilson-Haffenden, the Chair of our School Board. We have been looking at revised conditions of appointment and employment for School Principals. The Catholic Education Office have asked for responses to be made by the middle of November which is before our next Board Meeting so we have had a look and will be forwarding our comments within the next few days. Tim is doing the prelim work and I'm adding - thank God.
Now for bed.
Wednesday, 25th
Mass today was down at school at 10.15am - it means that when Mass is finished the children can immediately go out to morning recess.
After mass I returned home to celebrate the funeral of the late Maxwell Miller. The complete service was celebrated at New Norfolk so that made life a little easier. There was a reasonable gathering including the sister-in-law who had provided two stained glass windows in memory of two previous husbands who had died - she is married to a third but we are not expecting to get another window.
I then traveled to town to collect a gift for my brother Steve who has his birthday on Friday so that Mum could post it off to get to him in time.
The rest of today has been basically working away at material for the newsletter and sending out of the "Five Questions" Invites as well as fixing the problem with the downloads. I needed to uninstall Netscape and reinstall it and then use a different ISP to avoid any problems with the files which might have been cached at the ISP. Everything worked out so that was good.
I'm going to have an early night because Friday and through the weekend end are going to be busy and tiring.
Thursday, 26th
Today was Show Day and a public holiday so Mass was at 9 am. After Mass we wrapped some puddings for me to take to Melbourne tomorrow for the ITIM meeting. I decided to wrap some small (150 gm) puddings and label them with ITIM labels to see if they might be an item for consideration for the staff.
I had a phone call last night from some friends who were going to Launceston for the day to collect some household goods and clothing belonging to their daughter who has been studying at the Uni in Launceston and who needed to leave her unit at the conclusion of the year. She will move into a house at the beginning of next year but needed to clear the old unit out so I said yes, I would go with them and help. It was a pleasant trip and we managed to get a lot of gear into the car (bit squeezy on the way home) but the last few things she has to bring home will now be much easier.
Tonight has been a reasonably quiet night. I packed the puddings into my big navy bag in boxes and made some scones for morning tea tomorrow so everything is ready. All I need to do is set the alarms to ensure that I wake at 4 am to get to the airport in time for the flight to Melbourne.
Bed.
Friday, 27th
It was an early rise this morning because I had a 6 am. Flight to Melbourne for the AGM of ITIM. Unfortunately the meeting didn't start until 9.30am so I had almost two hours in the Qantas Business Lounge Meeting area by myself. It was useful because I was able to work away at some letters as well as some details on files that I had brought with me to while a way the time. And as today is my brother Steve's 48th birthday I managed to catch him at work before the meeting started.
The meeting was a good, but very long, meeting with a whole lot of issues discussed and addressed but it was very tiring and after an early start I faded fairly quickly. Thankfully we managed to have a number of breaks throughout the day which made life a little easier. My scones went down well so that helps. I also managed to deliver the 4 x 2 kg & 4 x 1 kg puddings on order and I managed to collect another couple of orders as well so it has been a good day all round.
Had a short time out in the lounge before the plane took off for Hobart and managed to freshen up before it left because as soon as I arrived home I headed off to Laetare Garden for the Annual Fundraising Dinner to support our Seminarians in their training. It also was a good night but I am completely whacked and need to go to bed in a hurry as I have the clergy coming for lunch tomorrow and need to do some cooking early in the morning to ensure that I have everything under control.
Saturday, 28th
Today was a busy day with my mind completely preoccupied and so I managed to muck quite a number of things up as I raced around without really thinking before I did things.
I had to go to the supermarket three times because I forgot things I needed for lunch so that was frustrating. I did, however, manage to get the newsletter finished and printed, the Calendar for November printed and both stapled together.
I also boiled some puddings and made them into 150 gm puddings for delivery to Margaret Davis for her daughter (with some 7 x 2 kg and 17 x 1 kg puddings as well). I also made enough to take with me to Bronte tomorrow for Robyn Wiss who has ordered a dozen (plus some bigger ones as well).
Lunch for the priests went well, with a number of the Salesians able to get there which was good. +Adrian came before heading off to Launceston and the North West Coast for Mass and Dinners for the weekend. He only arrived home from the Pilgrimage on Thursday so is back into action quickly.
I also managed to get the Thanksgiving Envelopes for the next four months into order and out into the Church so that they are available for a next Sunday start. But now I am ready for bed - I've tried to be in touch with a number of people and have not managed to get them so will keep trying tomorrow - between going to Bronte and the Ecumenical Service tomorrow night I should be well and truly tired.
Sunday, 29th
After the 9am Mass I collected the puddings to take to Bronte and headed off into the distance. Just before I left Sandy rang and asked if she could come so that was good. I learnt after Mass tonight that the O'Halloran's had also been on the road when they realised that they would be late so they decided to come to the evening Mass instead.
Both New Norfolk Masses this weekend where well attended - the Bronte Mass not so well as there was a function at Ouse that occupied a couple of the people there so they didn't travel up. But the travelling is very tiring and the racing is what slows me down when I get home so I hope that the Rural Pastoral Unit travel is better arranged with a less tight schedule.
When I got back from Bronte Fr David Ranson was just on the phone saying that he was not able to help us with the Diocesan Retreat so I rang +Adrian to let him know that so far I hadn't had any success and he suggested Fr John Thornhill, a Marist Priest working in Brisbane. John rang back this evening to say that he should be able to make it and will start the process of tickets etc. tomorrow so that is good. I tried to ring +Adrian but he was out so will catch him in the morning.
I've just returned home from the Combined Churches Ecumenical Service at St Paul's Uniting Church. I think that it was the best turn out for some time so that is good.
But now it is time for bed.
Monday, 30th
Mass this morning was at 9am and I did a little bit of work here before heading over to the Boyer oval for the School Sports. It started out as a fine morning but sadly turned a little ordinary later during the day. The kids seemed to be enjoying their sports and the children in Murphy, one of the teams, had put green dust through their hair so the Murphy participants in every race were very noticeable.
The Journey program at 11am had only a few people this morning - I'm not sure why but it went well none the less. The evening session, which has just finished, was better attended although only one of the morning group was there.
After lunch I headed for town to attend a meeting with one of the catering students who has been tasked with assisting us in finalising the details for the Foundation 2010 "Five Questions" Breakfast for the 15th November. It went well and things are looking good for the event. There have been a couple of people who have already indicated that they will attend so that is helpful.
My appointment at 6.00pm was a young woman whose marriage I was part of several years ago looking at some questions relating to the break up of her marriage and what the future might have in store for her. I have suggested she sees one of the staff at the Marriage Tribunal to see what can be done for her.
Journey is over and bed beckons.
Tuesday, 31st
I managed to get the Rural Newsletter completed, even with the downgrading to a previous version of Publisher so that I can send it to Bronte. I have also been able to prepare it as a WinZip Self-Extractor so that it can be opened by anyone without them having to have a copy on WinZip on their computer.
The meeting of the Foundation 2010 committee in the ITIM Offices in Hobart went well and the remaining things for the 'Five Questions' Breakfast and the 'Living Faith' Book launch look to be under control.
I have also managed to complete most of the things that need to be done before I head off to Sydney tomorrow so that makes me feel a little better. I collected the extra ingredients for the Christmas Puddings that we will need to have for the cook off on Monday but forgot the ice-cream for the school Fete on Friday evening so someone else will need to do that for me sometime over the next few days.
I've just returned from the Parent Meeting for First Eucharist. We discussed a video with the emphasis on parts of the life of children that interrelate between life & Eucharist. Unfortunately not all the parents were there so we will need to keep working at them for the good of their children.
Now, however, it is time for bed.
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