I'm employed for now, as a locum with Beaucare in Beaudesert about an hours drive from home. I've rented a unit in Arundel, 4 km from Mum's, and although it's rather small it's starting to be home.

I'm the Family Support Officer in a team that contains, the Community Development Officer, (the team leader) me and a Youth Worker. The Youth Worker is a great guy, a Maori, huge, and much fun, he's a single Dad of four late teens and a new grandson. The work is more crisis work, especially housing, which just isn't available in Beaudesert. We cover the old shire of Beaudesert, and I spend Tuesday at Jimboola, wednesdays on Mt Tamborine and thursdays will be Rathdownie. It's great to be part of a team and have like minds to bounce ideas and possibilities off. It's also exciting to again be establishing a program.

I still spend time with Mum about 4 days a week, yesterday we had an interesting day, I got to Mum's just on 11am and her neighbour Cassie, came out on her walking frame calling out "help - fire" I thought I should investigate, got Mum to ring the carer, and went to see what was happening. There appeared to be no flame just lots of dark smoke so I went in and the stove was on and the pot had burned and the heat had started to melt the plastic fittings to the stove exhaust- no smoke alarms - so I turned off the stove and opened the windows and doors. Cassie was very distressed, the carer arrived having called 000 and I went down to the gate to direct the fire brigade. Two big trucks with sirens blaring turned up, gues there wasn't much happening at Sunday lunchtime.

Mum and I then revised our plans and went to the Pines for lunch at the cafe. It ws quiet and very nice, we then went to the Sothport Sharkes club, where they have real sharks, in huge tanks, and I got very excited as I won the jackpot of $50 three times, then Mum won over $700 - so we both did well and came home happy.

Life seems to be moving forward, towards what? I have no idea. But I decided it was time to be more proactive. My kids found it a great amusement that I was unemployed and living on my Mum's couch. Annie and Lin said Mum was doing well and from the brief phone calls she sounds well and happy. So find a place to live - not easy when your unemployed. But I did find a unit that would consider me if I paid 3 months in advance. So tuesday will see the removalists at my new home at 7am - they do things early here!

I had decided that Murwillumbah may have to go on hold - the unit I wanted was withdrawn from sale and it is 40 minutes from here, so 12 months renting quite close would give me the time and space to make some more permanent decisions.

Two interviews this week that seemed to go well, but then I'm not sure what well is any more, still maybe there's a whole trend of progress.

On a positive spin I wanted to record Dan's efforts at fund raising for Breast Cancer. With his friends from Natura Records and fellow street artists, they put on a concert and painted some canvases for sale.

three months have past!

it's now 2009 - on reflection I decided 2008 was a year of endings for me, ending a job I loved, ending a marriage I didn't so much any more, ending friendships, just by distance and lack of availability. But I'm looking to 2009 as a beginning on so many levels.

the last three months haven't been the easiest, Mum has had two hospitalizations, job applications are slow, I seem to get lots of interviews, but miss out. On enquiry I find my age is against me and the wide experiance I have is an advantage to go for more jobs but in the big smoke the jobs are more specific - relationship, children, anger, depression, grief and loss, family, drug and alcohol, and though I have worked with all these, there are others that have worked in just that area. I'm still confident the right job will turn up at the right time.

I've been making a list each day when I sleep and when I wake of all the things i'm grateful for - they tend to get lost in the daily struggle to try to get ahead. So today I'm grateful to have the time to read novels, I'm grateful i have airconditioning when so many don't, I'm grateful my children are alive and well.

This is Murwillumbar- Mountain Village retirement but the unit I liked has been withdrawn from sale so I guess it's not or me at this time. I've decided I need to live much closer to Mum at this time so I'll probably rent in Ashmore for 12 months.

and I'll try to write more even though my life isn't at all interesting - each day brings something however small an trivial. No photos but i can still write it down. Ok web photos will have to do.

I had a lovely very quiet Christmas with Dan, he arrived the day before, and seemed happy to just be in a quiet and clean place. Living off my saving means no expensive outings and I live a very quiet life. Dan spent New Year with Matt Ogilvie ( who has been a mate since they were in second grade) Dan and I had a day together on Friday as Matt was at work - I splurged on lunch at the North Burleigh Surf Club - fish and chips and the beach of course! Then we took a trip down to Murwillumbar. Lots of talking and just sharing the day.

and life gives me just what it decides I need.

My posts won't have photos for awhile as I'm using Mum's laptop which doesn't have my camera program - it's in storage in brisbane with just about everything else I own in the world.

The day I flew out of mt Isa, mum was taken to hospital with pneumonia. She has never been hospitalised before - except to have five kids- and doesn't take well to being ill. It is good that I have the time to care for her while the need is there.

It was hard to leave Mt Isa after five great years. I decided to become a landlord and rented my house to a young colleague. Centacare care me a lovely lunch that so many attended - I was surprised. The packers were so efficient that all the paperwork etc I'd left out to bring with me is currently in storage. I have 186 boxes and yes- mostly books and fabric!

I had a surprise farewell at mt Isa airport - an indigenous family I've worked with drove 140km so the kids could see me get on the plane and then they'd know i had left and weren't just not coming anymore. They'd had a cake made for me - it looks like a wedding cake! heart shaped, pink, covered with roses and says "Farewell Jill". Such thoughtfulness and kindness.

but somethings don't change! Telstra! Over two weeks ago I went into the Telstra shop to get a mobile - I had to hand in the work one, and the car! I chose the mobile and plan I wanted, and because Telstra was upgrading their program, I couldn't get activated as I was a "migrating" customer. So I got a $10 pre-paid to see me through the next 5 days - and I still don't have a phone service despite being put on hold for many hours, hung up on and transfered back and forth. I've spoken to 27 telstra employees!

with the current economic climate semi-retirement isn't looking good, though i have enough books and fabric to outlast me. There seems to be plenty of work available and I've put in an expression of interest with four positions on the Gold Coast. I'm holding on to the belief that the right one will present it'self at the right time.

Living in the "city" is very different, the traffic hazzards are different, no-one sleeps on the roads here, and they whizz by so fast. Even buying a car is a daunting task that i will have to tackle sooner or later. Then again they do have a public transport system. I'm currently driving Mum's car - this too was scarey as she has always not allowed me to do this. Having shopping available at just about all days and endless variety is still unique.

I'm continuing to knit beanies for the homeless and searched Mum's garage for left over wool. I had an interesting find - a jumper in size 8 she had been knitting for Dan - size 8 would have been when he was around 6-7 years old and he's now 24. So I unravelled it and it makes good beanies.

Adels Grove and Lawn Hill July 2008

Mum came to visit - to see where I lived and to see some of the country that I covered. She flew from Townsville to Richmond. We stayed at Mary MacKillop House with lovely views of the lake. They have put in a native food garden interspersed with "moon rocks"- these can be collected on the side of the roads and often contain fossils.









We spent a morning at Kronasaurous Korner - an amazing, informative exhibition of world unique fossils.
We then travelled the 600km back to Mt Isa through Neilia, Julia Creek and Cloncurry. I work in each of these communities. Mt isa was impressive from the lookout.

Mum's visit co-insided with a team meeting we had organised at Adels Grove, as a team we cover over 1,000km and this is a central point for us to meet. Adels grove is unique and about 400km n-w of Mt Isa towards the Northern Territory border.

the journey getting there was interesting - and i got a speeding fine - my 3rd, all since i've been working out here, the first going out of Cloncurry on my 55th birthday, the second, about 3 months agao coming out of Julia Creek on the Dirt and Dust weekend and the third going into Cloncurry to pick up Milton, a co-worker in Cloncurry to go to Adels Grove. The policeman asked me if I'd been booked recently, yes! and said that was him, so what are the odds? 3 tickets and 2 by the same policeman! He said we'd have to stop meeting like this because I'll run out of points. I was VERY careful to stay within the speed limits on my last visit to the Curry.

Adels grove is so lovely and the facilities are fantastic - even the long drop toilets - they have great views! and the showers are wood heated, it's certainly an outback experiance in the most beautiful setting. Adels grove has a facinating, and sad, history.

Adels Grove and Lawn Hill July 2008

and change happens.

and change happens!

again it seems forever since I did this, but now I'm in semi-retirement I hope to catch up - along with major packing. My house went on the market on Tuesday, the removalists are booked for the 4th September, I resign on the 5th September and I'm on the 6pm flight out that evening.

change is scarey - I don't know what comes next, initially I'll stay with Mum at Ashmore ( on the Gold Coast) sort out some medical stuff, find somewhere to live and get a job.

The estate agents valued my little house at $329,000. That's a good profit in 18 months, and so far there's been lots of interest. Yesterday I went into the office to get the wireless broadband sorted on my new laptop - my old one crashed, and everything was lost, and when I got home the agents had been, as arranged, and they locked up so securely that I was locked out, a locksmith was called and I hunted for more keys - seems I was only ever given a key to one lock - and there's four!

Packing gets no better, I'm trying to take just what I'm sentimentally attached to, it seems I'm sentimentally attached to a great deal, how can I part with all the memories attached to so much that I own? I keep muttering " do I want to pay someone to move this?" usually the answer is yes! But I am creating a pile that will go to the homeless program- a fridge, my twin-tub, it was always intended for tank water, but I now have a front loader that does all the work. There's the bed ensemble from my guest room that was bought when Dan came to stay, and I'm managing to add other "stuff"- that I'm sure will be valued by families who have very little.

Then there's books and fabric - I'm looking at that as my retirement fun though the local secondhand book shop is doing well, and a couple of quilt making clients out on remote stations will get a box or two of fabric.

This is an example of Dan's work - his trip to Darwin was a great succes and they have been invited back to repeat the workshop and extend it into other communities. I'm not sure he should give up his day job just yet but it is a great oppertunity for him and for Dan who did the HipHop music side of it. Dan is currently acting in a team leader position and says he's coping with the challanges that involves.

Jess is also doing well and has just been given permancy in the Public Service. So they do eventually get their acts together, and I'm proud of them both.

and Happy Birthday my Jess for the 4th August, I was glad to hear that this year the guys got their act together and you managed to party for a week.

Where did June go?

and I can't think of what I've achieved this month.

Work wise, the client work continues, I've had a quiet week this week - after getting new tyres on the car, they were needed, the shuddering in the back wheel continued. It turned out to be a problem in the differential, but it took days, and a replacement vehicle seemed "too hard" to organise so I made a decision to just stay home this week. It's been an excellent time to catch up with case notes, following up, and generally catching up on paper work. I've also been trying to finish work sometime in the afternoon and taking time to relax, to read, to bake and to do some stitching.

I've been knitting scarves and beanies for the kids in Canberra - such cold it hard to imagine.
Dan, and a friend, also Dan, tells me they are planning on doing a workshop with disadvantaged kids in Darwin round street art (graffitti) and hip-hop music. I'm sure this will be a unique experiance for them all.

I guess the biggest thing for me is I've decided it's time for change! Scarey stuff - and though I'd ideally like round 12 acres on the Atherton Tablelands with rainforest, an orchard, and a magical garden, realism tells me that at my age and with my finances, this isn't going to happen! So I looked at what was most important to me - and it's family. The northern NSW coast is appealing and fits better with being closer to the kids and to Mum too. Looking at what I can realistically afford, I'm even exploring the idea of a retirement village. When did I get that old!

So I guess lots of change - time to see what the next part of my life holds?