The day has begun....if only I drank coffee thought Gertrude.
She has a partime job, cleaning homes. More a ministry actually, to come alongside busy Women and clean and pretty their home so they feel relieved and refreshed. The service includes flowers from Gertys own garden and a saying for the week to encourage and lift up the lady of the house.....
THE SAYING FOR TODAY READS.....(written on a chalkboard)WELCOME TO OUR HOME. Our home is our sanctuary, where the world and all its problems are held at bay from us.It is our little piece of heaven here on earth.
Before leaving for work( she is blessed to be able to take Benny and James with her)... Gertrude has prepared James and Bennys spiderman lunch boxes filled with a chicken sandwhich, popcorn, an apple and a frozen popper juice.The boys know the routine. They pick out a dvd and open their lunchboxes.
Jimmy Neutron is the chosen dvd.....Gerty makes a cuppa....cleans the kitchen and arranges her hand picked flowers in a vase. They are placed on the dining table for all to see when the front door opens.Washing machine goes on next. (May as well while I'm here)
Bathroom next.toilet, bedroom 4, bedroom 3, bedroom 2, dining room.
Washing on line....next load on...back to loungeroom,bedrooom 1 and ensuite.
Next load on line , another load in.... vacuum time....clean laundry...
next load on line...new movie(matilda)..
next load....mop floors and its 3.10 pm.
Time to pick up girls.My back is sore thinks Gerty.
Girls in car......no food at home... go to Bilo to get supplies.
Gerty sends Bethy out of car to replenish.
Arrive home... start cooking mince for spaghetti bolognaise.
Seth gets home.... "I have to start work in half an hour Mum." says Seth
(Seth has just been given a horse two days ago. Unfortunately it has not been broken in yet and is a little frisky.
Gerty has been told not to leave little ones alone in back yard with him.
His name is Brego...said with a twirl in your tongue.)
Gerty asks Beth to finish cooking mince whilst she takes Seth to work.
On arrival home Daddy has arrived and everyone is in backyard with frisky Brego...(said with a twirl in your tongue).
Gerty sits with Daddy and have a cuppa..Thanks Bethy...just what I need.. breathed Gerty.
Gerty listens to Daddy... my back is so sore...she thinks to herself
AAAHH.....Yes a nice cuppa...thats what I needed.... she drifts off in her mind....
SCREAMMMMM!!!!!!James is on the ground screaming ...Oh my Lord....
Brego (with a tongue twirl), has stood on James foot.
Gertrude runs in slow motion towards James.Daddy and Gertrude carry him to the house. Gerty reaches for ice and places it on jamesys foot.
"AARGGHHH!"...He shouts, as tears stream down his face.
Gertrude phones hospital to ask casualty for advice.
Whilst waiting on the phone, Missy asks.." Did you pray for him Mummy?"
Gertrude says "yes,,but I will say one out loud... Dear Father, please heal James foot and make him feel better.AMEN"
(She is thinking It is probably broken... the swelling has begun on one toe and his toe is changing to a blue colour.)
At the end of talking to the sister on the phone, Gerty takes off the ice. James has settled down.. in fact he has stopped crying ....she takes another look.
The blue colour is now pink and there is no longer any swelling... No it cant be... surely. Gerty asks James to place his foot on the floor and to wiggle his toes, minutes before he couldnt do that , James not only places his foot down he walks on it.... and then he runs and says "its all better now mummy".
Gerty and daddy look at each other and shrug.
WOW,It has to be a miracle. "It isnt blue anymore "says daddy....it must be.. Do you think God would give us a miracle that easy.Of course the answer is yes yes yes and Amen.
James starts doing laps running through the house ..he is bewildered and amazed by it himself.
What an awesome God you are, says Gerty to her God.
Daddy goes home exhausted.....enough for one day. oh YES..Daddy and Gertrude separated 2 years ealier.
Rhyssy walks in .... he has been spear fishing after work at Stockton Break wall.
5 blackfish( poppy would be proud)....he started to cut them up on the sink. Spaghetti finished. Gerty cooks up potatoes, corn and peas for Rhys...but aargghh...no lemon or cooking oil.
Rhys takes all little people down to bilo.Annie and Jamie smell the food cooking and pull into driveway.I set table and await their return Annie,please dont tell me about Uranus thinks Gerty... Just sit and rub my head ..pleeasse!!
My back is sore....even now she types this on her knees......Everyone returns home and Rhys cooks his fish in breadcrumbs.
We all eat at table and Rhys shares his fish... Yummy ..
Gerty looks at the time as she clears the table it is 8pm and Seth finishes at 9.
My back is sore and I am exhausted.
Gerty decides to make a deal with Rhys. If he picks up Seth she will let him watch his show on t.v.
Deal!!............unfortunately McLeods daughters is on. (little peoples favourite show)SCREAMS.....SHRILL SCREAMS....come from loungeroom.....missy devastated comes in to kitchen... I try to explain the deal I have just made....(and my back is sore)......but missy will not listen ...she sobs over the top of me....but you said we could watch Mcleods daughters she sobs............
aarrrgghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"Listen to me missy" says Gerty
.. "NO, YOU SAID WE COULD WATCH" sons Missy........"stop Missy!"....
NO YOU SAID..........stop missy....NO YOU SAID MUM......stop meggy and listen to me ........"NO MUM YOU SAID WE COULD"........"missy I WILL send you to your room if you dont stop."...
"BUT YOU SAID MUM".........."go to your room missy NOW!".........
"IM SORRY MUM," SHE SOBS FROM MY ROOM...."I AM THE SORRIEST PERSON IN THE WORLD" she adds ....
PHONE RINGS.........."SHUT UP MEG!" SAYS RHYS...........Its Gertys girlfriend from Melbourne ......"Have I rung you at a bad time?"......
"if only you knew," thinks Gerty ...(*you should never ever ring because it is always a bad time...who has got time for friends anyway?)...."NO." says Gerty," its not a bad time"
.James and Benny come out ... "Missy said she is sorry and wants to come out...please let her out!" they both say at the same time...
"Is everything o.k?" my friend asks. "Everythings fine", Gerty says...........
"Please let me out", sobs Missy.. and then a shrill scream is heard again from loungeroom .
Benny has stood on James groin and youch!!
I excuse myself from my friend and hang up. Missy has a 3 minute reprieve before bedtime.Just enough to heal the rift.
"Shut up" says Rhys... "I'm trying to listen."
"OK, EVERYBODY.... BEDTIME!!".........SHOUTS GERTY!
Gertrude puts little people to bed. She looks at the time and decides to pick up Seth herself.
She grabs a large tea at the drive thru at Maccas and waits for Seth. I wish I drank coffee and ...oh...my back is sore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On arrival home everyone is in bed. Jamie and Anyerin say goodnight and head off to Jamies.
"Good night", says Seth. "Goodnight Buddy", says Gertrude, as she sits down to write a letter about her day to her best friend and mother Maggie in Saudi Arabia hoping to entice her to come home sooner by sharing a part of her day with her.
Well ....what do you think Maggie....does it make you want to race home?
It is now 1.44 am.. and I think I might call it a day!
Tommorrow will be better... after all tommorrow is another day...isn't it Scarlet?
all my love Gertrude (Jewell )xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(*THIS STORY WAS WRITTEN AS A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JEWELL TO HER MUM WHILE SHE WAS IN SAUDI ARABIA)
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