Some things that make me happy.

I seem to have had plenty to gripe about lately, so I thought I would try to redress the balance somewhat.

This is a picture of my Dear 80 year old Aunt's Crazy wallhanging that she made. I love it. I wish I lived closer to share all her secrets about her quilting & sewing adventures.

This Aunt is a treasure in our family. She was an only child, & when she married my Uncle, she was introduced to a very close knit, large family. She always says she was thrilled to become a part of such a close, & loving family, & I am sure she means it. We, as children, loved her warm, & welcoming ways, & she has always been a legend in our family, with her wonderful cooking, & her never failing good humour, & welcome to all comers.

Here she is with my Beloved Brother, & her husband, our Dear Uncle G.

We know she has made our Uncle the 'happiest man alive' to quote him. How else would he have lived to be 91!

Here is a photo of Best Friend J & her two children. Adults now, of course. The years fly away when I think of how we were two young mothers, & our children were babies. It was so lovely to have the chance to see them both now, as adults.

This is a photo of Princess No 1. My Best Friend J's eldest Granddaughter. What a lovely girl she is. How else could she be otherwise with such lovely Grandparents, & such a lovely Mother!

And here is Princess Two, equally as lovely. Their personalities are so different, but they are such lovely girls.

Here is Jessie, their wonderful intelligent bright & happy Kelpie/Border Collie pup. She is so bright & eager to please. She was my 'Doggie Fix' on my trip. I was seriously missing my dogs while I was away, & Jessie was the dog contact I really needed!

Here are cousins at play. Sisters, with their younger boy cousin. How nicely they played, & how well they got along together. My Great nieces & a nephew, who now has a new brother, who I have not met.

An African Violet, which reminds me of my mother, who could grow them like no one I have met. She always had them flowering upon her windowsill, & she could poke a leaf into soil, & next thing we knew, a new plant was flowering!

This, a gorgeous Birthday thought, for a lovely Grand Aunt. How gorgeous is this photo, & the thought behind it! This dear little girl, who is almost 1, wishing her Great Aunt Happy Birthday.

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Then there is the less than delightful C*R*A*P! that sneaks into every life!!Haha.

As you may know, we have recently had cause to purchase a new Electric Blanket.

Initially, we put the said blanket on the bed the wrong way 'up', or 'down''.

When I purchased the blanket, the harrassed sales assistant had hastily tried to tell me the controls has a 'long cord'. I naturally did not think too much about this piece of information.

Until we discovered the blanket was upside down. The controls seemed to be at the correct level, but the heating zones were not. The foot levels wiring was all under the pillows.

So, we reversed the blanket. Which resulted in the control plug now being at knee level.

(I tried to do a stick figure man illustration of this oddity, but it proved far more difficult than it would appear. My pitiful diagram was hideously inadequate, & so I have spared you the twisted result. I take my hat off to Mike, with his SFM illustrations. I could achieve nothing like his proffessional results.)

The plug connection to the blanket is now at knee level. It intrudes quite markedly into the bed area. Gom had complained bitterly about this freak occurrence. He is adamant the blanket is upside down.

When I explained to him the fact that the foot area, of the wiring, needs to be at the bottom of the bed, he could not understand the fact that some Cretin, has placed the control plug at knee level. He does not have arthritis of the knees, as I do. He is not currently on the waiting list to have a knee replacement, as I am. But he does have sensitive knees. They protest at banging themselves on some f%$#ing plug in the middle of his bed! He claims to wake at every contact with this ill-placed control plug.

To say nothing of the fact that the control barely reaches the bedside table. The electric plug barely reaches the site of the electrical outlet plugs.

The instruction booklet gives no idication that the placement of the control plug is ludicrous. I have tried, with no success to contact the marketers of this product. They have chosen, it would seem, not to answer my complaint of the serious design flaw of the placement of the control fitting.

I note we were given a Return Policy card when we purchased this appliance. I am not sure whether we have grounds to return our purchase or not. As with most of these policies, the wording is very confusing, & obscure. I think we may be making a trip of return on the grounds of ludicrous placement of connection plugs. I suspect that they have had numerous returns for this very reason, & this is why the sales person stressed this fact. Who knows what the eventual outcome will be.

I note that the marketing brand does not seem to carry any Electric Blankets, as current stock.

I will keep you posted on this ludicrous little drama.

Meanwhile Gom is claiming wounded & maimed knee caps - & sleepless nights!





America, Ventura Highway.

"I never thought it would happen to me"

How many times have heard that phrase, or thought it ourselves.





"I never thought it would happen to me."





I have been thinking it rather a lot lately.


I suppose I should be thinking,





"Why wouldn't it happen to me? It has to happen to someone!"





As well as this intolerable itch, of which I despair of ever finding any solution, I have other health issues that seem just plain bizarre.





I seem to be falling apart. The latest 'thing' has really depressed me, as, unless I win Lotto or thousands of $$$ some other way- which is hardly likely, since I dont even take tickets, haha!- I cannot get this latest wretched problem repaired, or corrected. Not deemed to be life threatening, it will remain to be an unpleasantly uncomfortable bane of my life.





I feel a little guilty for feeling this way, as there are people much worse off than I am, who are battling their own private hells, or health battles. With far more serious, & indeed, life threatening problems. I guess it is human nature though, to think of our own misery first. Selfish species that we are.





Somehow, knowing that we are not the worst off, doesn't help us to feel any better.





I feel a bit like advertising - you know the sort of thing,


"Available for learner surgeons to practise upon."





"Unusual & complicated surgery necessary, - Any one interested in learning repairs, on tattered old body."





I am to have a scan, just to 'reassure' us it is 'only' what we think it is. I felt a slightly hysterical urge to scream/laugh out loud when the Dr told me that.





I racked my brains, thinking of all the female relatives I could, who had never seemed to have this problem. Imagine the indignity of finally recalling a male relative who, I would almost bet, has it.





My blood pressure is doing stupid things too, far too high. Dr said he wouldn't worry about that, at the moment, as, if someone is worried about some other problems, chances are they will have higher than usual readings. Of course the fact that last time I went it was sky high too, does not auger well.





******************





Yesterday, my lovely daughter took me out for lunch. Her Mother's Day treat for me. Just the two of us. We tried out a newly renovated establishment, with a swish new menu. Have to give it 9 1/2 points. The food was beautiful. One slightly mouldy salad leaf let it down a bit. Apart from that, it was just perfection. I had a nice glass of Chardonnay, & DJ had a beer. It was lovely to just sit back & chat. I realise every day of my life, that I am truly blessed to have a daughter that I get along with so well.



*********************


The day of my Granddaughter's birthday, we went to a Mall, to meet before our lunch. Gom loves playing tricks on Granddaughter- well he loves playing tricks on anyone, really!

So he appeared in the Mall wearing this mask. As it happened GD & her friend were outside a window in the Mall, & they saw Gom & were laughing. Our Daughter began to laugh too, along with our rellies.
As you can see, somewhat hideous, but not really threatening surely?

Next thing Gom knew, he was being tapped on the shoulder & told not to wear the mask in the Centre. Did he pose a threat? Was he about to hold up a shop? Or attack someone returning from the toilet block?

We moved away laughing, & as we stood about discussing our next meeting point, a female Security Guard came up to us, & asked if we needed help, or directions? Was 'everything' alright? We must have been under close scrutiny from the cameras! Surely 4 elderly, greying, people with 3 younger women did not pose a likely threat? We are not of any specific 'ethnicity'. Just plain old whitey folks doddering about, making plans to meet later for lunch.

Did the 2 teenage girls look like desperadoes, I wonder? Being tutored by the "Elders of the Gang"? Obviously masks are not good to take to shopping Malls.

We will know better, next time.

This next couple of photos I took one day last week. A moth, who suddenly appeared on Gom's shoulder. After taking my shots, I was urged to 'Get it off me!'

It flew onto the mop handle, so I took another pic, as it appeared so different.

Thanks for your indulgence if you read this rather crapulous post. I am sure I will get over my little selfpity party shortly.

Bryan Adams Cloud Number 9.

Moving Right Along

Just a collection of things that took my eye along the ways. Not in any particular order. The vehicle is for Granny J, as I know she likes decorated vehicles.
What is not to like about art like this?!


Leaving Auckland, & setting out along the Motorway. The ripples of clouds seemed harmless, & in the main, they were.



A timely warning on the morning we stepped out of our Motel Unit. We had cooked ourselves a slap-up breakfast with lovely local eggs, & delicious bacon. The smoke alarm had gone off when we cooked toast, & it was impossible to stop- or bear! So Beloved Brother took the battery out. The proprietor was less than happy about it, but as my brother declared, he needs to protect what little hearing he has left!

An interesting little side comment here, is about the Motels in general in New Zealand. Most of them have a stove, (with oven) a microwave, toaster, electric jug, & fridge. A sink & bench, dish washing facilities are provided with teatowel, & dishwashing liquid, as well as the requisite china & cutlery. We felt quite sad when we stayed at this particular Motel, as we had often met our Aunt, at this Motel, & she often had a slap-up dinner cooked for us!

There is a local Club, which also has a Restaurant, & we have often dined there in the past also. Now our Aunt has gone, but the memories linger on.

We visited our Grandparents Graves, & it is also the site of our mother's ashes, & an Uncle's also. It is an old Cemetary, which used to have wonderful heastones but this poor ruined Angel is the only one left now, due to vandal activity. We were pleased to see that on this visit the rabbit holes had been filled, & it seemed some attempt to rid the grounds of rabbits has been undertaken.

This is a shot of the main street of a small town, which I am rather fond of, & I have vivid memories from my early childhood. We often stop there for a refresher on our way to visit relatives.

This is the wonderfully painted vehicle which was in the street in Opotiki. I took these shots for Granny J- & myself! I looked about to see if the owner was about, but it was quite crowded at the cafe, & also the Home Bakery. No one looked to be watching my photographic attempts.

This, the other side of the van, & equally as well done. Some type of Taniwha? I wonder....

The following are pics of the flowers in an Aunt's garden. I am not sure what these first pink blooms are, but they were lovely. This Aunt always had a very green thumb, & her garden used to be legendary in the town, as they lived in a very visible house on the main road. People would stop to photograph her flower displays, & she successfully grew Pineapples to ripeness for years.

Here is a very pretty Kanagroo Paw, flourishing in her garden in New Zealand. They can be tricky to grow in Australia!

Another pretty rose, & I am sure this one was called Kiwi something? I have forgotten!

Another bloom of Tequila Sunrise. Beautiful full brilliantly coloured blooms.

Another lovely bloom. No idea of the name of this one.

This is a Bumble Bee. I tried so hard to get a good pic of him/her. They don't live here in Australia, & the first time my son's partner saw one, she could not believe her eyes. They are so large & seemingly should not be able to fly, but they can, & though they seem awkward when on the flowers they seem quite quick in the air. Of all the shots I took, this really was the best.

Here to finish are some rolling richly greened paddocks of farmland in the Waikato area. They have had a drought this year, but recent rains had superficially greened things, & gave the impression of the usual lushly green landscape.

**********************

An update on the itch. Sadly, it did not abate during my New Zealand sojourn, so at least that eliminates the carpet.

I am scheduled to see the Skin Specialist on 1st July.

Tracy Chapman, If Not Now.

Anzac Day 2008

I realise it is well after Anzac Day, but this year my Beloved Brother & I spent Anzac Day in the small town where our parents married, in a small Church in the town. Our father is buried in the Returned Services section of the Cemetary. Of course we went to visit his grave, & were pleased to see all the Returned Services personel gravestones had Poppies placed on them. My brother crouched down for this photograph. I was unable to crouch for mine, & so I look hideously ungainly, bent in the middle. My knees dont do 'crouch' or 'squat', or even 'kneel', any more, so I have spared myself the indignity of my pic.







We attempted to visit the little Church where our father had married our mother, & later where his funeral was conducted, but there was a very large parade crowd gathered for the Anzac Day ceremonies, so we left that.



We drove around, & I was very taken with the wonderful Murals painted on the walls at Opotiki Primary School. Isn't this wonderful?






This is another mural on a low wall, & is also very impressive. There are further murals, which were further distant. It being school holidays, I take it the grounds were locked, though we did see some children playing in one of the playground areas.

Another building which impressed me with it's wonderful carving feature is the Whakatohea Maori Trust Board building. It is a very humble old building, but is neatly kept, & the carvings looked to be recently repainted.

A closer view of the carving.

Details of the side carvings.

I couldn't get them side by side. Techno dummy.

This old house is quite typical of a many older houses in New Zealand. It looks very well cared for & I am sure it is nice inside.

My Aunt & Uncle's house is about this vintage, & the wonderful woodwork in the rooms is beautiful. There is a lovely fireplace with a beautiful mantelpiece in one of the rooms, & I wish I had taken photos.

After we had been to visit our father's grave, we went to our Uncle & Aunt's home, & as I watched our wonderful 80 year old Aunt bustle about getting us a wonderful lunch of homemade soup, scones, & pikelets, I wondered what I will be like at 80 should I live so long.

They insisted we stay the night, & so we agreed we would. They took us on a guided tour up to the old family homestead up in the Waioeka Gorge, & BB drove their car.

BB has a truck, which was our mode of transport, & I must say, by the end of our travels, I had grave fears my spine had compressed up into my skull. Those little snubnose trucks dont really offer much comfort. However the truck was handy, in the event, as another aging Aunt gifted a fruiting pineapple plant to BB & it travelled about on the back of the truck quite happily, & made it safely home after all our travels, about the Bay of Plenty & through the Waikato.

It must be 40 years since I have eaten red meat, not for any reason, other than the fact I do not like the flavour. However our Aunt had prepared Venison, that our cousin had shot in the Waioeka Gorge, for our tea, & it smelt so delicious I was tempted to try a piece. I was amazed, it was delicious! The last time I had tried venison, I had vowed never again. Perhaps I am getting adventurous in my old age.

It sounds ridiculous, but I always feel potatoes, & eggs taste better in New Zealand, & my Best Friend J's husband assures me the meat all tastes better too, because the animals are not stressed from lack of water. The more I thought about that the more sense it makes.

I wish I had taken more photos, & I wish I had copies of my Uncle with his trout catches, truly huge fish. As he said it was a hunter & fisherman's paradise, to live in that area.

He tells us if he dies tomorrow, he has lived a wonderful happy life, & every day is a bonus to him. He does the dishes for his wife every night, & he hangs the clothes on the line for her. He filleted fish he was given while we were there, & my brother said he has a sure eye & did a great job.

This photo was taken for his 90th Birthday, & he looks just the same today, at just on 91.

Nancy Wilson, How Glad I Am.

Life's Random Swipes

Last Saturday evening, we had a family party, to celebrate our Granddaughter's 19th Birthday.

It was very nice, & as the evening wore on, I became aware it was rather cold, & I turned on my electric blanket for a little comfort & warmth for my retirement. Which was odd in view of the fact that the whole time I was in New Zealand, I was hot every single night! The weather seemed to be unseasonably warm, & the high humidity made it seem even warmer. Oz is traditionally warmer than NZ. Not so in April in the North Island, this year.

I slipped away to my bed before the night's revelries had finished. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the bed felt cold. As I turned back the sheets, I noticed the burn mark. Horrors! The electric blanket had burnt a hole in the mattress protector, melted the control, & singed the sheets, & the quilt cover.

I decided not to alert anyone else, & just unplugged the thing, & climbed into bed. Next day when I told Gom he was quite horrified. I thought we were really lucky it didn't burst into flames, & either burn the bed, or cook me. The blanket was not very old either. We had one for 30 years that never did get checked or malfunction.

Off today to purchase a new one. Plus a new mattress protector. The sheets can wait. As I trundled about looking for electric blankets, I couldn't help but notice the mall seemed to have the smell of a hospital. I couldn't work out if it was just me or if they have started to use some new cleaner. I had noticed the smell on Monday when we were there too. No one else seemed to notice it. I asked Gom about it, but he doesn't have a very strong sense of smell at the best of times.

Electric blankets seemed a bit like hen's teeth today. Very hard to find. To cap that off, the large Department Store, beginning with an M, had staff of hens teeth rarity too, & one poor harried woman was trying to field a long queue of intending purchasers, plus complaints. What is wrong with these large stores? Surely they can afford staff? The temptation to stump off without purchase was only thwarted by the fact that I had eventually found one, several stores later, which seemed a minor miracle. The fact that it seems to need a license to operate, is a minor detail, I am sure. I hope it goes well, & suffers no malfunctions. Has a 3 year warranty, so should be ok for that time at least. It also seems to smell vaguely medicinal... hmmm perhaps it is me......?

************************

Further photos from my trip around family.

This wonderful tree, seemed so magnificent, I felt moved to take a photograph.
No idea if it is a native of NZ or not, but it is wonderful to see it so large, & healthy.

This is another tree that I greatly admired, & in spite of my Uncle telling me the name, I have forgotten again. It is host to many other plant forms, & is on the side of the road which winds through the Waioeka Gorge, beside the Waioeka River. In the distance behind the tree, the naked hills can still be seen, where the farmers to the district tried valiantly to clear sheer cliffs & turn the land into some kind of farms.

This is an area of my early childhood. My father's family farm was in this hostile region, & my mother's parents lived beside the river, so I spent some time here, & still find it a thrill to revisit.

The poor hills have largely regenerated to native bush again, & are beautiful & wild to behold. We took a drive up to the old homestead, which now has some Chalets, for deer stalkers & pig hunters to use or folk who want a true holiday off the beaten track. They are also very popular with trout fisher folk, as the river has wonderful trout.

Here is a shot of the wonderful regenerated bush above the river. I feel homesick just looking at it. It was wonderful to smell again, the river smell, & the damp bush smell. As a small child my father's sister used to collect me on her horse, & take me back to the homestead, & she taught me the names of all the native trees, & the native birds.

A lot of the farmers just walked off these farms back in the days before the Second World War. The sheer hills, had little to offer the farmer in either sheep country or dairy. Most of the land has now reverted to bush.

In this pic, the River can be seen, & it had recently been very high, so we saw a lot of logs washed up along the banks, & there had been some huge slips on the road, where the rocks on the side of the road had fallen with all the rain causing instability. There are now a lot of holding nets alongside the road, to prevent the worst areas from spilling onto the road.

It is so very different now, from the rough road that existed in my childhood. My maternal grandfather's job was to patrol the road & deal with any slips that might occur, & keep the water tables clear. It is all paved roading now, & is quickly cleared should slips occur. My maternal grandmother was the Postmistress.

We drove up to the house where my maternal grandparents had lived, but it was impossible to see much as the new owners have huge hedges on the roadside now. The Uncle & Aunt who guided us on this trip had owned it at one stage, & had a tea rooms in the old home. I never did get to see the tea rooms, but they were very popular, & a lot of hunters & fishermen use this road.

This is a pic closer to Rotorua, of rolling green dairy farmland, with huge sheer cliffs in the distance. It was a very dark day, & the photo is not very clear- plus my brother was driving at a fair clip! I kept trying to get a photo of the dairy herds, of Jersey cows & Fresian cows, which are the most popular for milk on the dairy farms, but missed every chance. I didnt even get to take pics of the sheep!!

This last pic is of a Rimu tree. I have always loved Rimu trees, & this one grows near a church in my hometown, where a friend & I used to go to Sunday school together many years ago. The church has been rebuilt since our day, but I wonder if the tree is a survivor?

Tequila Sunrise

This rose is called Tequila Sunrise. It is very beautiful, & to me, could well represent my Beloved departed Aunt. She had a heart of gold to me, & was never less than loving & caring. I hope, if there is an afterlife, she is resting in peace & love.



My sad journey to farewell her, began at 3am. I caught a train down to the Airport at 4am, & it was quite eerie travelling along in the dark outside, in the lit carriages, with snoring passengers who were obviously workers commuting on a trip they were used to. I watched as they woke to some mysterious clock of their own, to proceed to their job destinations.

I had quite a lot of time to fill in at the Airport, & was quite happy to sit & watch the passing parade. I must have looked friendly, as several people struck up conversations. It is always interesting to talk to diverse peoples.

At last I was above the clouds. Luxury of a window seat, alone. Three seats, all to myself. I love flying, & love flying alone, for some reason. Above the clouds the cares are just as present, though. No cessation of grief or worry.



The Waikato area of New Zealand's North Island, has suffered a severe drought this year. It is normally green & lush. They have had a little rain, which has superficially greened the rolling paddocks. I liked the image of this rainbow over the Waikato farmland. Those glowering skies did bring rain.

I was thrilled to hear & see, this tui singing his heart out, in my Aunt's Kowhai tree. This Aunt was unwell, & unable to attend the funeral, so we called to see her. It is sad to think I may not see her again, as she is 80, & has failing health.

The Tui is very indistinct, but I could not get a clearer photo, & the Kowhai is the biggest one I have ever seen, I think.

These are the Pine Forests of Tokoroa, which is in the region where my Aunt lived. The pollen lies thick upon the road, & all the surrounding areas. I cannot believe people don't suffer massive sinus problems, living amongst it all. As you can see, we had a good clear road, with no traffic to contend with. Pity we took a wrong turn! haha.

This is a new feature in the little town where I was born. My brother is on the left enquiring as to the whereabouts of toilets, which I was in dire need of! I stopped to take this pic, was very impressed with the carving, & would have liked the chance to ask questions about it all, but time was pressing- along with my bladder!

Here is my little Great Nephew, the first night I arrived in Auckland. He was so bright & at almost 6 weeks was on the verge of smiling at us.

Here he is asleep in my arms, the morning before we left for the funeral. He is just gorgeous. He is the apple of his Grandmother's eye- well both Grandmothers. As he should be. His lovely mother K brought him up for me to cuddle the morning we left to travel.

And here he is, a week later, after our return. He was smiling & so alert & happy. He is just beautiful of course, & is progressing really well, & sleeping almost through the night. It felt so lovely to cuddle his little vital body, & watch his smiles.

My return flight was crowded, so no luxury of the window seat. I was scrunched up in between 2 other women. My flights were with Emirates Ailines, & they certianly provide nice food, & also have inflight movies, with individual screens & headphones. I could not be bothered watching a movie, but gave my headphones to the girl on my right, & let the girl on my left watch her Hindi movie on my screen, as hers didn't work. The flight was just over 3 hours, so not long really.

I struggled with baggage at the train, on the return. I got lost & couldnt remember where to get my train home. After struggling with my heavy case, I must have been looking very stressed, as a kind gentleman offered to help me out. The train was very crowded, & I struggled to find a seat, under the baleful glare of a nasty fat man, who spread himself defensively over 2 seats, & tried to guard the other 3 seats facing him. I threw my case onto the seat in the corner, & glared right back. I felt very tempted to thank him loudly & sarcastically for his lack of manners or help, but really didn't have the strength or the breath left. What a time to get an asthma attack!

I noted he was wearing a shirt with a Westpac logo. His son joined him shortly after I had arrived, & I could see it must be their nightly ritual to meet in those seats. I was doubly disgusted when they left the train at a suburban station, so really, they could have caught any other train home, & left the Countrylink train for genuine Countrylink travellers.

As I alighted at my home station, I was huffing & puffing, waiting for the very crowded lift to the platform, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. There stood Gom! Imagine my surprise. It turned out he had caught the train to the Airport to meet me. He had not told me he was intending to do that. We missed each other, of course, & then he was panicking, as he knew I had no house key, & thought I may have got home ahead of him. We were both glad to see each other, even though I could have used his help earlier.

Next morning we had visitors arrive to stay, & they have just travelled on, yesterday. I still feel I need a day of sleep to catch up. I have still not had my cry. My brother & I tore about the countryside visiting rellies, & catching up with aging family members. I am still feeling all the swirling emotions from so many events.

My beloved Granddaughter had her 19th birthday on Monday, & we all went out for a slap-up Yum Cha lunch. I am still kicking myself for not taking photos!!! I hope my brain catches me up soon!

The beloved Cousin, who has just stayed with us, has her Birthday tomorrow. My 90 year old Uncle will turn 91 on 14th. My eldest son has a Birthday on 25th. This is a busy month for birthdays in our family.

Amerca, These Brown Eyes.

Fraught.

Hi Everyone.
Thankyou so much for the kind thoughts & wishes from all of you.
As funerals go, my beloved Aunt's was one of the 'best'. My brother read the Eulogy, & did a damn fine job of it.
His voice is made for public speaking, we are thinking of renting him out for such occasions.

It was bittersweet, as such occasions always are, & quite harrowing in a lot of respects. My Beloved Brother travelled with me to visit elderly rellies, & the awful thought was present that I may never get that chance again.

It was lovely to catch up with new little members of the family & have hugs & cuddles, kisses.

And a very special visit & magic day spent with my Best Friend J, & her beautiful granddaughters. I swear, kids these days are so gorgeous they make your heart bleed.

Another magic day spent with a special niece, & her beautiful daughters, & a great Nephew.

I have a house of guests, so I won't be posting in depth for a while, but I am safely back in Gom's care. There is a tale to tell about that too, but it will have to wait. I will blog about it at some stage.

Honey & Leo gave the type of greeting one dreams of, too, so all is ok in this corner of the world.

Again, Thankyou for all your kindness, & thoughts.

I will post once the dust of "hectic" all settles.

I feel I need a good racking railing gnashing slobbering cry- the dam has not burst yet, but I am sure it will.

John Denver, Country Roads.

Leaving On a Jet Plane

I will be absent from this blog for approximately 12 days. I am flying to New Zealand at dawn tomorrow, to be with Family & friends to attend the funeral of my Beloved Aunt.

After the death of my Mother 11 years ago, my Aunt stepped into the gaping hole in my life, in as much as anyone can, when your mother dies. My Aunt has always been in my life, & she has truly been a Gift to my life. I will miss her sorely.

This is a photo of her garden, which I took in December 2006, when I went to stay with her. At 84, she still took great pride in her garden, & cared for it by herself. It is only recently that she has been unable to keep it tidy by herself. It upset her not to be able to do that.



This is a pic of Little Pipi, who was 'born' in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty. She is named after the Pipis that live at Papamoa Beach. If she is lucky, she might get to return to her 'home beach', - just for a little visit!

I do look forward to meeting my new great Nephew. That is the way with families. One member leaves, & another is born. The natural ebb & flow of life.

I do thank you all for your kind thoughts & wishes at this sad time. Grief is a selfish emotion. I am glad for my Aunt's life. I am grateful for the gift of her being in my life. I am glad that she is at rest, & peace.

Enya, No Holly For Miss Quinn.

Marbles.

Update.
My Aunt died this afternoon.
I could not wish her back.
But she will leave an unfillable void.
Love into the chasm, that is left with your passing.
17. 04. 2008


No, not another post about old age. This time it is about marbles as toys. We had SG again today, & I decided a visit to a local Op Shop was a good idea. So off we went, SG & I, to explore the wonders of the newly relocated Op Shop. Gom opted to remain in the car. SG & I leapt through the hidden puddles hiding in the grass, & the dancing drops of rain, & into a wonderland.

The new location is more spacious. There is a book room, with a whole section of books for children. Being school holidays it was well attended! A whole room for clothes. Another for Bric a Brac, another huge room, for assorted goodies with tables of toys, kitchenware, furniture, electricals, computers begging for new homes.

We wandered about inspecting all sorts of things. Knitting needles, yarn, pattern books. A Fat 1/4 pattern book was tempting, until I saw it required templates. I am a fast roller cutter girl now! Too old to fuss about with hand drawn templates! Too short of time- while the marbles are still present?

There was a fascinating 'washing centre' which intrigued SG no end. It had a washing machine, with agitator! A dryer! Both of these had wonderful timers! An ironing board- with iron tucked away in the dryer. and a coat hanger. Very tempting, as it was heavily reduced. I could see Gom's frowning face. I could see his mother's sighs at another bulky toy to house. So we let it be.

SG's father is very good at laundry, & very good at ironing. I encourage SG's interests in that direction! As I encourage his cooking interests. His father is also a very good cook now, after our daughter's tutelage. I taught our son to be a good cook, & see no reason why a male should not be as accomplished & capable as a female. Especially in this day & age.

Gom grew up seeing his father often cook the family meal at night. His mother worked full time, & his father usually prepared the vegetables for the evening meal. Gom, for all his faults, is not helpless in the kitchen, & made a very good fast food cook in our Hotel Restaurants. He can turn out a very nice meal, & if I get ill, I will not starve in his care.

Yesterday, Gom & Darcy made a chocolate cake together. They carefully measured, & mixed, & beat, & ladelled. A beautiful cake was the result. The icing was duly made, but it was a little too sloppy for SG to take some home. So it waited until today, when it was cut & celebrated! Very nice, after our return from the Op Shop expedition.

Which is where the marbles come into play. In the Bric-a-brac room, we found a bag of marbles, priced at $1. I was fascinated with marbles, & their pretty patterns when I was a child. I still find them attractive. So SG was delighted when I suggested he could have them if he liked. We went to pay, & found they were reduced to 20c!!

Home we came, & SG chose fabric to make a bag for his marbles. What fun, as he stood next to the machine as Nanna sewed.
"Is it a bag yet Nanna?"
"Not yet, D"
"I am so excited, Nanna, is it ready yet?"
Mummy arrived, breathless, running a little late. She had been going to take SG away for an hour or so, to give us a break. We told her things were going well, to go off & have a little break. She had an afternoon meeting to attend, so off she went. Nanna completed the marble bag.

What fun SG had with his bag of marbles. He tipped them all onto a tray we keep for his use. It has legs, & a melamine base with wooden sides. He swished them from side to side, he found out they sound like the sea, rushing onto the sand. He tried paper on the tray, he tried all the different sounds they made, as they landed on different surfaces. He tried dropping them onto the marble bag.... "Super Quiet!" he declared.

I am kicking myself I didn't get photos. He spent a long time with the marbles, discovering all sorts of ideas & playing possibilities. A friend called. SG played at making a Marble Bridge. He is quite inventive with his ideas. His mother & sister arrived, so we had further demonstrations. He took his bag of marbles home, for further wonderful playing possibilities. We are having him tomorrow. I wonder if he will remember to bring his marbles.

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And here, just for fun, are pictures of the wounded Plumbago. Click to enlarge, to see the total lack of order to the trimming.

Before the Gom attacked it, it had quite a compact shape, & quite a few flowers. It fills an awkward spot, & provides a bit of greenery on a bald wall.

This is a wider view, which probably gives a clearer idea about my wonderment at the haphazard nature of the wounding.

This is the unruly & ugly, scraggly Budliea. It definitely needs a damn good tidy up. It has grown very ugly, & far too large. Perhaps the fact that Gom bought it, & planted it, is why it remains a ghastly feature in the front garden.

I am constantly surprised, however, at how unsentimental he is about plants he has planted. He is just as likely to rush in & hack them to death as any other plant. The only things he consistently destroys though, are my herbs. He has left the gifted herbs in the pots alone, so that is something to be grateful for.

So the days go. It has rained off & on, all night & day. Our gardens cannot complain. I have been so glad I have a clothes dryer. Even just for airing, after snarky showers have caught us out!

Though my Beloved Aunt is not travelling well, my life is still filled with 'Free Treats"!

Enya, How Can I Keep From Singing.

( this may seem inappropriate in light of my Aunt. She would not see it so.)

Autumn Grumps

I have a touch of the Grouches. It is raining again, & in this country, it is never good to complain about rain, since we never quite know when we might get our next lot.

It is grey & gloomy, with low glowering black clouds in the skies. Autumn is usually the most beautiful of seasons here in Australia. This year we have had the 'Summer that wasn't' & now we seem to be having the 'Autumn that isn't'.


I took myself off out into the garden, amidst the spits of rain to take some photos of the Camellias. Obviously this one is very happy with it's share of rain drops.



The white one has been flowering steadily, & though the flowers don't last very long, they are quite pretty while they last. The ants adore them.

It is now the School Holidays, here in New South Wales. Our Daughter J said on Saturday, Small Grandson was marching about the house declaring he was "So bored I can't stand it!"

He began pulling at his hands, saying "I will have to rip my hands off & kill myself!" "I am can't stand having no school to go to!"

His mother pointed out to him, it was only the weekend, after all, & he always has that off, & it wasn't even the proper holidays yet!

Goodness knows where he gets his sense of drama from, & we have no idea where he got the rip his hands off, & kill himself part! As my Beloved Brother pointed out, if he had ripped off his hands, it would be impossible to do much else.

I do believe we are to have SG for the day tomorrow, & also part of Thursday, so I hope we can find entertainment for him. His mother has prepared a 'craft box' for him, & he can often spend quite a lot of time with crayons & paper, so we have those all ready. I have gathered a few items for him to play about with also, so he should be happy.

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My beloved Aunt is still with us, but very ill, & still in hospital. She had her 86th Birthday yesterday. She had told me she didn't think she would see it, but she has. Her children have been told they can probably only expect to have her for months at the most, but the outcome is not looking as promising as that, at present.

My brother went to see her, on Sunday, with our cousin, her son. I had phoned the hospital, but she was too weak to speak to me. My brother said she roused herself a little, & sharply told them to "Get out! You are sucking all the energy from the room!" They laughed, as it was definitely a spark of her humour!

I can imagine what she is thinking. She has confided in me often over these last months as she has battled her mystery illness. I suspect she feels her life has run it's course. She has lost all her siblings, but one. I think she feels ready to go.

Next, it will be our generation's turn to start popping off. I think a lot of us feel the same. Somehow we are surprised we have lived so long anyway! When we were young, & the Beatles brought out the song 'When I'm 64', it seemed an impossible age, & we used to laugh about it. When we reached it, my Best Friend J, & I we could scarcely believe it!

Yet in my heart of hearts, I still don't feel 'old'. Of course some days I feel older than dirt! Some days when the itch is peaking, I feel I wish I wasn't here to be old! I wonder why I am still here.

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Went grocery shopping with Hitler this morning. Few necessities, few luxuries. Looking ahead to guests coming to stay. Thinking about meals to come, ideas for easy meals. Now that the weather is looking grim, it is tempting to cook casserole type things. Gom still likes his salad, so we have them quite often. It is not really cold, but I have made two huge pots of thick vegetable soup already, & it is nice to sit with fresh bread rolls & the comfort of hot soup. Besides it is a good way of getting a huge variety of vegetables into Gom, without his knowledge. Although, I think after all these years he does know, but prefers to pretend he doesn't. I usually use split peas, & often barley too, so he doesn't notice the other vegetables, by the time it has all cooked down.

For some reason the Cockatoos are screeching & they keep flying about the pine trees in great flocks. We haven't had any more on the balcony railing, but occasionally a huge Magpie comes to sit, on the balcony floor, & peer through the glass at us. I can never catch it with the camera though

More happy Camellia pics to finish this scrappy, cr*ppy post.

I had asked Gom to cut back the Budliea in the front garden. He went off for hours, & I stayed well away. I didn't really notice, until this morning when we went out, that the Budliea looked untouched.

When we came home I mentioned that I had thought he was going to cut the Budliea back. He told me he had.

It turns out he has utterly munted the Plumbago! The poor thing looks like some marrauding beast has chewed & stampeded through the centre of it! There are branches sticking out at odd angles & I nearly choked when I saw it! It had been flowering too. I could have cried, but now I am laughing at the pitiful ruin of it!

All my little parsely seedlings, which I pointed out to him, & begged him to leave....you guessed it. They have been rooted out. One of these days....

As I said to one of my friends, there are days when I hate every fibre of the being of the "TPIM". For those who really want to know, TPIM stands for That Pr!ck I Married. Sorry to those among you who dislike such language.

The thing is, he has let me down emotionally over my Aunt, so I am feeling bitter & hurt. And that is TMI.


Enya, Marble Halls

More about Age- or Bore about Age!

I read quite a lot of blogs whose authors are young, quite a few with children. I can feel sympathy & empathy with a lot of what they write, as I have 'been there & done that'. My daughter is in fact 'being there & doing that', also, so it is never irrelevant.

I also read a lot of blogs of, shall we say, more mature authors. Closer to my age, but not all of them of course. I like male & female bloggers points of view. I like deep, frivolous, funny, artful, talented... you name it! I follow other bloggers links, & have found myself incredibly moved at the writing & thoughts of other bloggers.

There is also the fun, the laughter, the hysterical coffee-spitting hilarity...& often pain, peeping out between the lines of seeming laughter.


There are many down sides to the body getting older. The aches & the pains & some of the parts letting us down from time to time.
There are many up sides too though. We are not always expected to leap up to do the dishes at family gatherings. We are not expected to run about the lawn playing vigorous games with the grandchildren.

We can feel perfectly happy, sitting for a couple of hours, with a sleeping baby nestled in our arms. We don't feel we need to be up & doing something. We have time for the baby, & it is soothing to just 'let it be'.

I used to worry about how I appeared when I was young. Was my hair neat, were my clothes the right type for the right occasion. Trivial things like that. Now I don't care if my hair is crappy that is a blatant lie. When I go to get a haircut & come out scalped, I want to run home & hide for a month! I confess, I do care if I feel it is too crappy.

I can honestly say, I no longer care if my clothes are, or are not, fashionable. I might make someone else feel awfully superior when they look at my tired old garden variety clothing, so really I am doing them a favour! We don't live the social life we once did, so I don't feel the need for 'fancy' dress. Comfort is first consideration, & the fact that I don't care what others think, is a plus.

Reading one blog today, the writer, who is young & pretty, says she hates dropper inners. I used to hate them too. I remember the wife of our local GP saying she hated nosey neighbours, dropper inners, & other people's kids who wanted to stay. I felt a bit sorry for her kids & I thought about my friendly neighbours, whose kids spent more time at our place than theirs.

I liked my kids having friends over to stay. I had not been able to have friends to stay, when I was a teenager, & I enjoyed having a houseful of happy teenagers. At least I knew where they were, & what they were doing!

When I was younger, I would feel a bit nervous with drop-in visitors. I would hope the kids had not filled the toilet with shoes or toys. Or done other, unmentionable things.

Now I welcome drop in visitors. It could be the last chance I get to see them. I love people to feel welcome. I don't care if the house is in disarray, or the dogs have tramped grass & leaves inside. Or if our grandson has his toys out all over the floor. It just means we are living, & enjoying it. At times I have fabric all over the dining room table, which is where I cut fabric for my quilting. It might stay there all week. I don't care. We don't use the dining table anyway. If friends come over we can sit out on the patio & use that table.

I have very few housekeeping rules. I hate housework. I just like the beds to be made, the toilet, & bathroom to be clean, the kitchen to be tidy, if we are not using it, & the rest can be a bomb site. Gom likes a little more tidy than I do. He rearranges the pantry. It used to drive me crazy. Now, I try to ignore it. He has changed the order of things about, & I have come to the conclusion it is because he is right handed & I am lefthanded. Maybe?

I wish he had a hobby, but I can't force him to have one. He does read a lot, which is good. I hope we both keep our marbles. His memory is better for such things as movie stars names, mathematical matters, mine is better for other things.

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I have a dearly loved Aunt, who is in hospital. I am distracted with worry about her. I know she is thinking she would rather be gone, for all sorts of reasons.
She has told me she can see her eyes have the far-away look that her husband & sister's eyes got before they died. It scares me to think about my life without her being here. There is a part of me that also feels if she needs to be gone, well, I would never wish her back.
I don't feel now is her time to go.
I wish I could be there to visit her, & help care for her.

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Gracious Jackie, TMOTL has given me an award.

Thank you Jackie.


This Award originated here, do go & read her post about it, here. Very interesting!

Now, I do believe I am supposed to hand this along to others. There has been quite a bit of resistance to Awards among bloggers recently. I usually take the coward's way out, & dont nominate particular blogs. I like them all, or I wouldn't have them listed, or visit & read them. So if you are reading this, take a bow, take the Award, & thank you for entertaining me.

Dire Straights, Brothers in Arms.

The Spoilers.

These pics are the interior of the bush shelter, where I collect Small Grandson from his bus, when he comes home from school.
I have long admired the painting of the interior walls. Obviously, someone or several someones, have put in a lot of time & effort to paint this. It is Aboriginal in style, & has been carefully painted.

This is the side facing the oncoming bus. Just a hole, for watching to see if the bus is coming.

This side view is the other side, so no hole in the wall is necessary.

These are 2 kangaroos, & the most recent additions to these has been graffiti. It seems a shame to see it defaced in such a mindless ugly way.

This panel has a large blue turtle which has also been defaced, in an even uglier fashion.

I have tried to find out who did the painting, but so far, have not found any answers. There is another shelter decorated in bright floral abstract shapes, so perhaps there is a group who try to encourage these paintings to try to stop the ugly graffiti.

What ever happened to the wit of old, when hilarious or clever things would be seen written modestly on walls in public places, or public toilets- or even semi private toilets?

We used to find graffiti on our toilet doors or walls in the Hotel, from time to time. Not always of the "For a good time, phone Bella on *******"

Or "Lydia is a slut." To which some wit had added, "Is that the Lydia Teapot?"

One thoughtful soul had scratched " Beware the Limbo Dancers" on the door, which was about a foot clear of the floor.

Another had scratched right at the bottom of the door, "You are now sitting at a 45 degree angle".

Once on a trip to Sydney on holiday, we read, in huge letters, "The female orgasm is a Phallusy" . Which had a certain cleverness, & would indicate the writer had some brain.

Another, on a train, "Circumcision is no skin off my nose" caused muffled laughter as people spied it.

But the current scrawl of mindless 'foul' language & unreadable garbage does beg the question, have the perpetrators got any brain cells left alive? What possible pleasure could they derive from such mindless rot?

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I have tried the Pinetarsol, & unfortunately, I have to report no decrease in the itch. If anything it almost seems worse, though I am sure that is not the fault of the Pinetarsol, but due to some other mysterious cycle my body is going through.

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My Sister In Law, not the estranged crazy one has been asked to go to China, to spend a month! What an incredible opportunity for her. She has Chinese ancestors, though she cannot speak a word of any Chinese language. Her Chinese father was born in Samoa, , as she was, so she can speak Samoan fluently, but I doubt there would be call for that in China.

She has very green thumbs, & has worked with growing for export, plants , specifically flowers, & in particular Roses. A consignment of rose plants were sent to China, by the company my SIL works for. It seems the roses all died through lack of knowledge on how to handle them. So now, her boss wants to take her to China to train the Chinese how to grow the roses.

My Beloved Brother is very excited for her, & has told her to go for it. I am not sure what she will decide. Having a new little grandson to love & cuddle is a bit of a deterrant.

Leaving aside the politics of China, I think it would be a very interesting place to visit.

Joyce certainly enjoyed her stay in China.

Jean Michel Jarre, Orient Express.