We only left Perth on 5th March and moved into our new home in Mount Barker on 6th March 2024. Just 3 days later I fell very ill and was in an out of hospital in Mount Barker and Albany over the next few weeks, before they discovered it was actually Shingles (for the 3rd time despite the injection)! My Birthday this year was a total NON EVENT with me in bed, drugged up on pain killers and not eating!

I was still recovering slowly when I received the news that a close dog showing friend, Sue Miller, had died suddenly from a heart attack at 5.00pm on Friday 5th April. The funeral was to be held on 23rd April in Rockingham, so I made arrangements to return to Perth and stay a couple of nights with our mutual friend, Sandra Winter. I lost 3 friends in 2023 (Maureen, Ruth and Ann) and was hoping for a bit of break from funerals this year – I was in total shock and disbelief – it was so unexpected! (Sue is the Blonde and Sandra the Redhead below)

So it was a long drive alone back to Perth on Monday 22nd April as Vince had to stay behind to look after the dogs and chickens. To try to make the most of a bad situation, I had arranged to do some errands for things we couldn’t get in Mt Barker, as well as visit briefly with Neena and the Grandkids, but not before stopping off at Pinnaroo to visit with Kyle and to take some flowers.

I was surprised to see his memorial rock had a Perth Glory scarf on it, he was always an AFL man rather than interested in soccer. I guessed that someone, other than our family, had been visiting and left it there. It was a windy day and as it flapped about I then thought maybe it had blown in from somewhere else. In any case I chose to leave it there – just in case someone had placed it for him – maybe one of “The Boys” he hung out with, or even his son, little Cash? Who knows?

I bought Sunflowers (Sue’s favourite) for the funeral the next day and we all wore the Snag Striped Stockings that Sue was so famous for in the show ring and Harry Potter touches – as a tribute – she would have loved it. Sue was a bit of a “Goth” and the black roses at her funeral were very her!

Sue was just 61, the same age as I am – so this was a bit of a wake up call to my own mortality. I have no intention of going anywhere in a hurry just yet, but no one knows how long they have so every day is a gift to make the most of! I do wish and hope that I will get to see my little Gingernut Biscuit before I die, and preferably have time to get to reconnect and know him – maybe he is a Glory supporter?