2016!!!!!!!
It
still seems unreal to be writing at the end of 2016 – where have
all the years gone???
2016
is a milestone year for us – Joyce celebrated her 70th birthday in style on 5 November meaning we have both now passed the magic three
score and ten mark – and certainly consider every year from now on
a privilege and a bonus – but NOT a right. As we age, we have
become more concerned about how our society has been making marking
of the years for as long as possible a right, and almost a badge of
honour without considering either quality of life, or the costs to
our society. Interesting insights to how our society is handling
death can be found in Stephen Jenkinson's book, Die Wise. At his
website www.orphanwisdom.com.
The
other milestone for us is the death of Bob's mother, Kath Matskows,
in November at the age of 95. Her journey in the last years of her
life, especially her last years being 'well-cared for' in a nursing
home has certainly made us more reflective on how we would like to
complete our life journeys. Making the Christmas card list this year
also brought home how many friends and relatives have died in recent
years – and how this list will continue to grow. The greatest
challenge to us all is to accept and grow through endings and change
– and death is certainly the greatest of these.
Life
for both of us, as for most of our friends, has been somehow more
frenetic this year as we try to pack in as much as possible in
response to the rush of time.
Joyce
has again had an adventure trip – this time a 3 week (2 X 10 days)
backpacking expedition onto the escarpment in Kakadu
National Park – which was a very rewarding challenge, and an
interesting area to visit. Getting fit for the trek involved walking
and carrying a backpack wherever I went on Bribie, as well as
exploring many untracked areas of the Island for several months
before the trip.
The
recorder group which had been a major part of Joyce's life for over
20 years broke up at Easter, and regrouped on the Sunshine Coast to
become the Sunshine Coast Recorder Group, meeting on Thursdays instead of Tuesdays . Although the new group is
smaller than the old one, the four of us who have been playing
together regularly have been enjoying exploring the group's extensive
collection of music – and are sounding better and better all the
time!! I am also still playing bass recorder with the Bribie Island
Orchestra, and soprano in a newly-formed and very successful Celtic
music group.
Artistically,
the focus of my year was the Printmaker's 'Trans.form' exhibition in
August and the building of a meanderinglabyrinth at the Bribie Island Community Arts Centre .
Bob has been very busy helping with the construction of a butterfly house on Bribie - and has required all his organisational skills to bring in reality a very complex and logistically challenging project. Opening date will hopefully be sometime in 2017...
He continues to be an enthusiastic golfer, playing 2 to 3 times weekly, and to be president of the Bribie Island Bicycle Users Group. Both of us ride regularly with the group, which has become an important social centre for many of the about 40 active members.
Janet is still in Geraldton, after an interesting and rewarding 7 month break in the middle of the year in Mauritius with a post graduate course in Endangered Animal Management run by the Gerald Durrell Foundation. Like many in her field of environmental management, she continues to work on short-term contracts which are becoming increasingly scarce.
Craig is in Atlanta Georgia, and enjoying yearly skiing expeditions to Canada and France.
Joyce's brother Alan, sister-in-law Linda, and niece Heather visited for 2 weeks in November - it was great to be able to catch up with them, especially as we both are feeling hesitant about any more overseas travel as we have already had the privilege of seeing a wide range of places, and would like to spend more time exploring close to home. Who knows what the future might bring!!
We will be spending Christmas in Geraldton with Janet catching up on her adventures, and talking about the coming year. Our thoughts will be with our many friends around the world as we celebrate the beauty of our world.
Love and wishes for flexibility and a sense of humor when facing the joys and challenges of 2017,
Joyce and Bob
