When I was working, before I was married, the corporation I worked for had a social committee and we used to go to Sydney to a meal and a show. We saw some wonderful productions of shows like "Funny Girl", "Hello Dolly" and "My Fair Lady".

One of the plays I saw was called :"THe Russians are coming!!" The play was based on a rumour that in the 1880's the Russian fleet was on the move and was in the Indian Ocean headed our way. The entrance to Sydney Harbour was a significant place, the government of the day thought, to place cannons so if the Russian fleet sought to come in we would fire at them and sink them. It was a farce of course. Army men talking about the Russian invasion and planning strategies at parties while their wives talked about the latest gossip. In the end what did come into the Harbour, with permission, was a training ship full of lovely young Russian sailors and military men who stole the hearts of more than one Sydney maiden.

We had a Russian invasion tonight. Some neighbours from down the road, of Russian ancestry, came to give our son a hand to move some accumulated stuff out of our cabin up the back which will allow some more storage space for the printing equipment Trev got from our other son's deceased father in laws estate. A couple of them were here all day giving Trev a hand so he asked could he have a barbecue as a "thank you". So that we did. They were here until about 10pm, about five noisy men, Ray joined them until he got tired and I stayed in the loungeroom and watched tv and left them to their man talk.

It is nice to do some of the normal, everyday things you used to before the strokes and Ray does miss the company of other men and tonight he got a dose of that. These things seem to happen unexpectedly and without much planning and that is good. If I had planned a night when six men could get together and have a talk it wouldn't have worked nearly as well as tonight did.

Ray also participated in chat today, the first time for about a month and he enjoyed that experience. We had to go early as we also had a commitment , he and I and another Lion, to do a BBQ/sausage sizzle down the road at our local liquor outlet too. So by the time he went to bed at 9.30pm he really was tired, very wobbly on his feet as he never got time to have his usual afternoon nap. So I assisted him with his shower and put him safely in bed.

It is so good when you have an opportunity to add to your store of good memories. The Russians coming to our house was a very enjoyable event, this particular family of them are tops in my book. Funny that thirty years ago we would have shunned them as "the enemy" and now they are just fellow immigrants and neighbours. Makes no sense, does it?

I guess as the biggest Island in the world we, in Australia, still feel vulnerable, to all of those who for some reason might come over the sea, invade part of our vast coastland and endeavour to change our way of life. We, the British, did it to the ununited nation of small Aboriginal tribes who were the previous settlers here, and there are still repercussions from that "Invasion". Too politic to say more about that here.

But we had another good day today. And at this time in our life, when the good times ahead may not be in such great supply, that is a good thing.