My Birthday

My mum, myself & 2 aunties.

Wow... My birthday on the 8th of September... What an amazing also special day that it was!!! The night before went out with a couple of friends for a couple of drinks which was good. As soon as it reached midnight they sang me "Happy Birthday" which meant a lot to me. Yes I was 40 years old at last after all these years... I was saying to my friends that I didn't even expect to make it to 25 years old. There was even a stage where I didn't think i would make it to 19 years old. So I am so blessed and lucky to be alive in a lot of different ways. They were really surprised to hear that yet were accepting of it. When I drove home at about 1:30am in the morning I was pondering for I knew I had to vote and have a really busy day. I got to bed and fell asleep which I needed to.

Next thing I knew the phone was ringing at about 7:45am in the morning and I answered it with a tired greeting saying 'Hello'. On the other end of the phone was my ex sounding very chirpy and nervous. This was not what I was expecting because my ex the year before broke it off with me for no apparent reason and then wanted to have no friendship with me which left me devastated. Then my ex sounded very happy and we were almost talking like nothing had happened... Next thing I knew my ex said "Have to go quick ajax!"

The 3 brothers and I

The phone went dead and I was hung up on all of a sudden. I was bewildered and stunned because of such an early morning wake up call. Before I could comprehend what was happening I got another 2 or 3 quick phone calls which didn't seem to make much sense because I realized that something could be wrong. Then that left me feeling sad and confused indeed. That one is a bit of a long story which I'll go into later. I had a busy day ahead so I packed my things up went and voted which I had to do then went up to my parents.

The corn fritters and salad my Mum made.

 When I got up to my Mum and Dad they gave me a couple of small presents which I liked. One was a small box which looked like a book that had the Eiffel Tower on it. My parents had to go to vote as well and we managed to find a park right outside the polling booth. Getting out of the car I was waiting for my Mum to get out I looked on the ground to find something... There was a $20 note just sitting there and I picked it up and showed a very surprised Mum. So that was a birthday present that I was not expecting to find that!
As soon as they voted we left to go to Ikea in Rhodes where my parents had to get something yet we were chasing time because my Dad had also planned to meet up with his brothers and their wives later on in the afternoon. When we got there I warned my Mum that it was a huge place with a one way 'traffic' where you had to walk around the whole place without turning around to get back out. With my Asperger's I am too blunt and honest sometimes and I didn't think to tell my Dad that in the car on the way over. So in short my Dad did not like setting of Ikea because he was in such a rush to get in and out. Finally we got to my Uncle's house in Pennant Hills which was a huge relief especially to my Dad. Walking into to the house I got a rendition of the song "Happy Birthday" from my uncles and aunts which I found was beautiful also such a greeting that I wasn't expecting.

The burnt fig ice cream & blood orange juice to die for.

We then had all of our greetings and then could relax, sit down to catch up. Being with the older generation was very special because I got to hear what it is like for them. It was so good to see Uncle John and Auntie Sue again after quite a while which meant a lot to me. Also for me to be the eldest grandchild reaching the grand old age of 40 was a huge experience also. I know that for my parents it was a big thing to catch up with them all again as well because they all lead busy lives. Yet I just felt very privileged for being able to be there and share in the experience as well. Uncle John brought up the fact that he met a young woman that day who was in the middle of reading or had read my book "My Life With Asperger's". She and he felt proud to know me or someone that knows me or related to me. My Uncle Brian called me aside and gave me a birthday card with a present inside which I wasn't expecting. I thanked both him and Auntie Dot very much for remembering my birthday. As my parents were about to leave I mad sure I got pictures of the 3 brothers as well as their wives separately. They all had to vote also before it got to late. We said our fond farewells as the sun was getting lower in the sky. On the way back to my parents in the car I felt a warm feeling of love in my body which was good.

The cute little bear I got from Ikea that day.

Also on the way home we dropped in at the shops where I helped Mum with the shopping and Dad had a short rest in the car. The rest of the night was a quiet night at my parents where my Mum mad a special treat of corn patties or fritters and an assorted salad. Also a desert treat of burnt fig ice cream with strawberries and the juice of blood oranges which was to die for. No my Mum didn't make the ice cream yet she bought it. Looking at my Facebook I found a lot of birthday wishes we I felt really humble about. It meant so much that all these people remembered my birthday as well and I felt so touched. I started replying to them all which took quite a while and would leave me busy for on and off for the next day or so. Midnight came and went as it does every night yet on this day it was the end of a very special birthday for me. But it was not quite over for me because the next night on the Sunday night was the family dinner with my brother and his girlfriend.

On the Sunday I went to church for the first time in ages and saw quite a few people I knew which was good. Then  a bit later in the afternoon I went home to get ready for the birthday dinner. It reminded me of a Chinese celebration with it being spread over a couple of days with all the birthday stuff. My parents picked me up where we met my brother and his girlfriend at Izumi Japanese Restaurant which I found on the Internet. It took Mum and I quite a while to find a place which was open on a Sunday night yet I was the one that found it.  It was excellent to see Cameron and Rachel again because I don't get to see them very much. Also with my brother I think he was very good for going to a Japanese restaurant because he doesn't like seafood. Cam and I have very different tastes because he likes everything chili Mexican hot and I don't like curries or hot food. When it's comes to his times I go to Mexican places for him yet that's because I love my brother.

A cute light shade with Cranes on it.

What I was hanging out for was my grilled eel which I love and rarely ever have. I hadn't had it for many many years and I could almost taste it. So when the waitress came we ordered some entree food to share and our main courses. It finally came to me and I excitedly ordered my eel. Only to discover that they had run out. My heart sank like nothing else and looked at my Mum's reaction which was her head down on her hands. She knew how much I was looking forward to this and really felt it with me. Meanwhile the order passed to Rachel and Cameron who ordered theirs then I found some Tempura and a plum wine to drink which looked really nice. My Dad also ordered the plum wine and the evening resumed to catching up with everyone. The food came out and it was so yummy then after that Cam, Rachel and I had green tea ice cream. Also Rachel got a couple of early birthday presents because her birthday is only a few days after mine which is nice.  The wonderful night eventually finished up with a photo that I have to get at the end of every family function. Yet before I could get another photo my camera memory was full but it didn't matter to me. I don't know about the rest of the family yet I had a very full little belly yet was just comfortable. All in all my birthday weekend was quiet and it meant a whole heap to me sharing it with people that I love and care for. Until next time...

Our shared entree's

My Tempura

Cam, Rachel and I

Remembering David 'Davey' Woodcock

 P.S. Sorry about using the same photo over in the blog yet I don't have any others on my computer.
Over the past two weeks or so it has been hard for both family and friends across Australia. In all of our lives so much has happened really quickly and it has been hard to comprehend a lot of it as well. On Facebook I have been making references like "My cousin's son...." just to let people know what was going on yet trying to keep private at the same time. I also do appreciate all the care and concern that my family and I have had on Facebook as well over the past couple of weeks as well.  In fact he had a very strong English sounding name which was David 'Davey' Woodcock. With his first name it had a lot of meaning because he was named after my very much loved Uncle David. The family just call him Uncle Dave and he is such an amazing guy. The name Woodcock is a good unique name as well which I like. I must admit I don't know the origin of it yet must find out.

At this moment my mobile phone has died and run out of battery charge so I unable to check the dates exactly. I also don't have my charger with me here yet that's okay. Okay I will try to do a reverse chronologically  of the past two weeks so please bear with me.... Last Friday was Davey's funeral/cremation/remembrance service. A week before on the Wednesday he lost his valiant and strong battle. On the Saturday morning a few days before I found out from my parents he was gravely ill and they only found out before on the Friday night. Also Davey got married on the Thursday or Friday of that week. When I get my phone charged I will add the proper dates in okay... Yet to put it simply it has taken less than two weeks for it to all unfold.

For me I have had a real big variety and mix of reactions to the news of Davey dying with one varying to a real extreme reaction to it. The person who I told basically didn't want to hear anything at of of the bad news I had just received went off and bought herself a beer and spoke to the bar staff for about five minutes just leaving me there. She then came back and wanted to talk about other less important things. I was devastated nearly in tears and she started talking to other people there so I just left quietly. With that was a loss of a friendship and also serious threats for my safety, car and unit which hasn't been nice at all. I've also had amazing impressive reactions from other family and friends as well as from people that don't know me that well. On Facebook and other friends around me they have all been totally supportive which has been fantastic. I do thank everyone for their concern for the whole family and I. With my Asperger's and ADD it has been up as well as very down at this time for me being so far away from Western Australia and the rest of my family. We all so much wanted to be over there yet couldn't go because of the expenses and it being a long way over to get there. Yet we were all over there in spirit and love.

I remember one of the last times I saw David was in Western Australia when I was there on my last holiday at one of the kids birthday parties. It was a spring day yet it decided to be very cold for me that time. I wasn't feeling very well yet I did take quite a few different photo's of the day and met quite a few few different people as well. It was still good to be around my family that day with my cousin Sue a very proud Grandmother doing things in the kitchen. It was good to talk to David and everyone else as well which I liked. One of the only regrets of that day was I wish I was feeling a whole lot better yet I can't change the past. Yet what I remember of David throughout my life was that he had an adventurous cheeky soul who liked a good laugh. I also remember when he gave me a lift to a bus station to go up to see my uncle Dave that we had a good catch up talk then as well. For whatever reason I wasn't feeling well that morning either yet it can't be helped. Anyway we were in the car for about one hour to an hour and a half talking and catching up which was excellent. I remember thinking that he had the most beautiful soft eyes and his gentle caring nature.  He still loved his cars and mechanical things like his father as well. Yet also very intelligent as well. Words aren't coming easily for me at the moment because I would have like to have seen him and my Western Australian family more. It feels like that all My life I have left my heart in WA although my body has been living in NSW and the "Eastern States" for years.  I've still got the Kalgoorlie red dirt in my veins and the winds of Esperance running through my hair... A true West Aussie even though I was born over here.

In Davey's last days none of the family over here including me couldn't go because of the reasons that I said above. Yet during those hardest day's I went up to my parents to be around them and share with them what was happening. I couldn't physically be there to say goodbye to Davey yet he did get all our wishes and love which was great. I was as close as I could be in spirit. Davey told my uncle Dave that when he died he wanted to come back as a Wedgetailed Eagle. For those of you that don't know that eagle is a typical Australian, West Aussie outback bird. It is also a very strong, powerful and amazing animal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge-tailed_Eagle

Last Friday when the final service was on my family over here and I found it hard. I've also been remembering at this time that it's just not me yet everyone else in the family going through this as well. That week I kept on wanting to jump on a plane to get over there in time for the funeral yet had not way of doing it. Acceptance has been hard for me on that respect yet that's life. One day I do plan to go back to WA visit my family and give them all very huge bear-hugs including his sister and say my own farewells  to this amazing young man called David 'Davey' Woodcock. May you rest in peace with your spirit living and flying on like a Wedge-tailed Eagle over the Australian landscape. You will always be loved and remembered.....

Cam's Birthday

Wow... At last I've remembered my blog password again... Or more-like I have had to reset it again. Over the past couple of months I've had a lot of things going on and have not had a chance to do any posts.... Yet now I aim to catch up chronologically quickly now on what's been going on...

Well April was my brother Cam's birthday where he came up with his girlfriend to meet up with my parents as well as myself for the afternoon. I arrived a bit later after lunch because I didn't realize that it was a birthday lunch. Doh about that... For his presents from my parents he got Mexican themed presents which he liked. He also got a book and another thing from me also. I'm including a few photo's and also a video of the  afternoon...

The resident cockies joining the party

Dad feeding "Poop" his special friend

My brothers 'bird' or girfriend

My brother's cactus's (hope it's right spelling...)

A few more of his presents

Some brownies or sweets my Mum made

My brother and I

A resident possum and her now big offspring still on Mum's back

My Birthday

The eighth of September was my birthday and it was an interesting birthday this year. I had no birthday dinner yet a longish type of grazing on food. It was quite a grey day in Sydney with a bit of rain and I caught a bus into the city with my parents. For the first part of it my parents had a couple of meetings so I occupied myself with a chai latte at world square.

After the meeting I met up with Mum where we caught a bus to Darling Harbour to the exhibition centre. It was "The Fine Food Fair - of Australia" that we were going to for the afternoon and see a lot of different things. That day I wasn't feeling that well and was in quite a bit of pain and discomfort even with the advils I took. Anyway at the fair we were to walk and look through five very big halls of different food, kitchen gadgets, a chef competition, food from different countries and I think also demonstrations or two. Mum was also doing a bit of work along the way which I didn't mind because it was interesting.

Anyway we started seeing different items and trying quite a bit of different food in quite quick succession. We only got up to the second hall I think where I had to much and felt quite queasy. So It was quite funny being around all this food with people offering it to you yet note being able to eat it. There was so much I wanted to try yet I just had to sit down on a lounge until I felt a tiny bit better while my Mum had to keep working. The rest of the time at the food fair I found hard yet was determined to catch the bus back home with my Mum because we make a good team.

We walked from Darling Harbour up to Town Hall where we managed to catch a quick bus. Upon sitting down we both felt happy just to be relaxed and being driven by the bus-driver. We discussed whether or not I come up and stay the night yet I didn't feel well enough to come up. So we said our 'Goodbyes' on the bus and I thanked Mum very much for a very nice day. I went home and heated up my heat-packs put them on myself then I rested for a while. I looked on my Facebook to discover about over 200 or so birthday wishes which deeply moved me nearly to tears. I kept scrolling down, down, down, down, down and down and it brought a huge smile to my face that people remembered me on my birthday. It tool me the next few days to reply to everyone on my Facebook yet I was determined to do it. I also got a few birthday phone-calls text messages and wishes from quite a lot of people as well which meant a lot to me. It filled my heart up with a lot of love and joy!! So thankyou everyone for all your wishes!!!!
Until next time.....