Thursday - Tuesday, January 11 - 15 2013 (diary)

We are just about into our "wet season" up here, with rain spells consistently every day.
While large chunks in the South Eastern part of the continent (NSW, South Australia and Tasmania) are blazing with soaring temperatures (up to 47° C), here around tropical Darwin we have mild top temperatures in the low 30s and refreshing rain just about every day.
During the past two weeks we have had 212 mm of rain here on the mango farm, and everything is green and growing.

Adjacent the latest water colour painting by Malveen White, a portrait of the French impressionist composer Erik Satíe. I like it very much.

Today (the 15th) is my 76th birthday, I can see that 80 coming on in the distance. So far so good, I am in good health, do some regular exercise, eat fairly healthy, drink no too much booze, stay in touch with at least some fellow human beings and keep my mind active (althoug memory laspes do occur quite regularly now).
Today I am having lunch with a few of my bridge acquaintances at the Palmerston Tavern and playing a few hands of social bridge afterwards. Tonight (as usual these past few month or so) some salmon sashimi and sake as entree before dinner. I am getting quite used to that now, enjoying it very much.

Meanwhile the Australian Open started in Melbourne this week. The first of the Grand Slam events it is the richest tennis tournament in the world with a staggering $30 million in prize moneys. Quite obscene really when you think of the millions of people in the world who live on $1 a day or even less, with several million starving each year from hunger or decease. Although it must be said that many of these sport and entertainment super stars do donate a lot to those in need.

Wednesday - Sunday, January 16 - 20 2013 (diary)

As I write this (Sunday morning) I am getting ready to go to the Tracy Village Club in town for another one of my monthly Intermediate Bridge sessions. From what I have heard this past week or so there should be a good turn-up for the event and I am looking forward to it.

In about three weeks time I will be visiting my daughter Babette in the Sunshine Coast (SE Queensland) and there too will conduct some lessons for my former bridge students there.
While playing bridge yesterday afternoon I received a phone call from my son Jeroen. They have just returned from a 3-week holiday in Bali. His adopted son Jia (from the Philippines) has been awarded the Chief Minister's Award for the most improved student in the English language in the Northern Territory. Obviously we are all very proud of his achievement.

Meanwhile the wet season is in full swing here with monsoonal showers (of 10-25 mm at a time) several times every day. I really love this type of weather, at least as long as the cyclones stay out of our way. *

One or two of my University friends in Holland are struggling with their health at present and I wish them well. (Almost half of our original student club of 20 have passed away now.) Traveling through your 70s your perspective on life changes. As friends and acquaintances fall away left and right of you, you can't help feeling being in some sort of endurance race. How long will I last ?   I am feeling pretty good at present and hope to clock up another 15-20 years, provided my mind stays in tact and I remain reasonably healthy. But one never knows.
However, whatever happens, I look back on a hugely varied and interesting life and I am very content with that.

* : During the short period I have been writing this Blog entry we had another monsoonal burst of 10 mm of rain. Total for this month on our mango farm now stands at 297 mm (12 inches).