See that line of dots with shadows along the median strip, right up to the intersection? Those are pine trees, in what I call The Line of Pines.

They look a bit spindly in this older photo, but until the past week, they were strong and beautiful.

Until last week —   they’ve been cut down, woodchipped and removed!! Not all of them along Marmion Avenue, but all as far back as that side road just past the truck.

The ones further south are not all gone, but many are. As well, a digger has been in and ripped up many, many square meters of the beautiful lawns near the roundabout.

I assume this is a road widening, to make two lanes in Marmion Avenue north of the roundabout, but to see those beautiful pines go … It looks as if the place has had a bald haircut.

One point is, how are they going to make two lanes around the roundabout? There’s too little room on the left hand (west) side. Maybe not.

Anyway, it’s the old story, that progress requires demolition. Pity.

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My neighbours’ dogs are barking again. They were going at 10pm last night, but with all the doors closed it was tolerable. Gee, 38C yesterday. I had to use the aircon for a while.

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I’ve finished sending out the email invitations to our next high school reunion on 1 April. This is the year all we former Northam Senior High School friends turn 70. It’s not so bad – I can make that statement from 8 days’ experience.  OK so far, as the saying goes.

1989 Me, Viv, Alex, Meryl

2004  I’m on the far left, as befits.

2007  I was behind the camera for this one.

It’s remarkable how we of the 1960-64 group have stuck together. We’ve had numerous reunions (about four so far, I think, and this will be the fifth) and we’re very much in touch, with many friendships now reaching nearly 60 years. Not many other years have stuck together as we have.

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The doctor has prescribed a different sedative medication to help with my insomnia. Boy, it works well. Even the minimum dose made me so sleepy that I couldn’t shake it off the next day, so I’m breaking the tablets in half. That’s working quite well, but I’m still quite sleepy for the whole morning after I get up, and I still  wake around 2-3am feeling quite alert. The difference is I can get back to sleep easily.