Comfort

I have been offered comfort from many sources over the past few days.

I humbly, say "Thankyou".
Though, I do feel it is not my place to accept the comfort offered to so many, apart from me.

I felt quite ashamed in afterthought, today. We went to our local shopping Village, where the local Rotary were running Raffles to raise funds for the Bushfire Appeal. I bought some tickets, & stood waiting for the spin of the wheel. Gom came up, & asked what I was doing. When I told him, he decided to buy some tickets, along with me, in the next spin. We had no idea of what the prize was... who cared, we were really there to Donate.

I had noticed an unusual name on the winners list. I knew that name. I used to wear that name! We stood & waited as our spin was taken. Number 33! Not our number. Then the wheel skipped to the next number, 14. My number! I could scarcely believe it. I went to collect the prize, which was a $25 gift voucher for meat at the Butchers. I was thrilled.

When I got home, I felt guilty. I wished I had given the prize back, to be given again. It could have raised further funds.

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I was given this award by Brett, at Coachdad. Brett is a courageous Dad, with 4 beautiful daughters. He is a solo Dad, & I think he does a great job. Being a single parent, is never easy.


Thankyou Brett. I am a rule breaker about passing on such things, & am content to acknowledge this is your award, with your sentiments.
Thankyou.


I have posted some pictures, which will not necessarily reflect the subject matter. I just felt like some pretty.

This, a rose at an Aunt's garden in New Zealand. last year.

BTW, Hello reader from Maketu!! I saw your visit on my stats. I spent many happy hours at that beach as a child, & also spent happy days at Newdick's Beach. WAVING!! Please leave a comment. We might have known each other at school...the beach..

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We have had many days of rain here, in the state of New South Wales. The skies have been grey, clouded, & have frequently dropped heavy showers of cold tears, almost a mockery of the heated devastation of the fires in the southern state of Victoria.

This is a rose called Tequila Sunrise. Again my Aunt's garden in NZ BOP.

This cool weather, with the bleak outlook, has prompted thoughts of comforts.

Comfort in quilts. Gom has been huddling under his Red Square Dance. Of course, the irony of the fact that he also is dressed in shorts, seems lost to him!

I have cooked casserole food, which would seem to be the ultimate in comfort food. Pork, with a ton of vegetables. A one Pot meal, complete with potatoes, & so delicious & warming, after slow, aromatic, cooking.

Gom is a terrible coward, where vegetables are concerned. His childhood horrors, with force feeding of vegetables have never left him. It has taken many years for me to trick him into the joys, both taste wise, as well as health wise, of eating vegies.

He had a young Uncle, his father's brother, who boarded with his parents, when he was a young boy. The Uncle had preferences, where certain vegetables were concerned. He liked most vegies, but balked at the skins of Broad Beans. He ate the insides, carefully discarding the shells, & leaving them on the side of his plate.

Gom's mother said nothing. When Gom, who was around 9, left his skins on the side also, & finished eating his meal, she flew at him, & demanded he sit there & consume every last skin! Such tales of cruelty fill me with untold anger. I could NEVER have done such a thing.

As a child, I loved all my vegetables. I was happy to eat almost any, & all. My Beloved Brother did not like pumpkin. I was always so sorry for him, when our Grandmother would force him to eat it. I would sit & try to disguise it for him, telling him to mash it up & pretend it was eggs, which he loved.

To this day, he is not fond of pumpkin, but he will eat it. He still loathes chicken, & I wonder if it is a result of seeing our reluctant Uncle having to kill a chicken at our Grandmother's bidding, once it had ceased to lay.

The experience of watching him struggle with pumpkin stayed with me, & I never forced my children to eat anything they disliked. I am glad to say, they grew up to like almost every vegetable, with no hideous memory associations attached.

Mind you, I hated chicken, back in the day, too, & was never keen to have any of the awful, tough meat, that resulted from the roasted bird.


This is another flower from my beloved Aunt's garden in BOP (which is Bay of Plenty, New Zealand).

This afternoon, I decided to make some French Onion Soup. I don't know why, but it seemed the ultimate comfort for a cool bleak afternoon.

I used Ree's recipe- you can find her on my side bar. I have to say, it is the most delicious I have ever made. I didn't use the oven, but I was flitting about basting a long time quilt.

I have battled with this quilt top, & am still not completely happy with the result. I am hoping the quilting will improve it. It is for my Granddaughter, & she chose the fabrics to finish it off.

Another rose, from my Aunt's garden. A little blurry this one. Photographer's fault. I had been lent a camera, & it took me a while to get the best of it. I probably never did realise it's full potential.

And lastly, my beloved New Zealand bush, which has regenerated on our long abandoned family farm, & I love every inch of it!

Bob Dylan, Not Dark Yet.

Stealth

These beautiful pics are of one of my girlfriend's gorgeous twin granddaughters. Arent they just lovely looking girls!

They look so happy & healthy! As you can see they are identical, & must be a joy to have.

This pic is an old one of twin dolls I made. I accidentally uploaded it, & dont know how to delete it! how pitiful is that.

Yesterday we had SG for the morning, while his mother & sister dashed off to do some shopping. He made 'cubbies' with the quilts, & tried to convince Leo that he would be happy to share in the cubby. Leo sat on it, & collapsed it, so he wasnt the most popular little dog in town!

Once more, I missed getting photos of SG. I cant believe I didnt get any, but time just seems to rush past while he is here.

My brother made a comment about time seemingly vanishing, & I am sure it is stolen somehow by 'time bandits'. When I stop to think about it, it frightens me to realise how much time has passed since I was young... and there are 'holes' in each day, where I find myself thinking 'How did an hour just vanish?'

If I am sewing, whole days seem to be swallowed up, & I have no memory of them.

I have always done some sort of craft, it seems. When my children were small, I knitted their warm jumpers & cardigans, & also crocheted items. I made most of their clothes, until they grew older, & 'homemade' was not so fashionable. The time spent knitting sewing or crocheting, seemed to fly past. And still does, if I am busy.

I cant really understand it when people seem to find time sits heavy on their hands.

But I think some days GOM finds it that way. He has no hobbies, apart from reading, & often sits staring into space.

When he was young he loved to play sport, but is not interested in bowls or golf, so he doesnt have any sport either.

He is not really the handy man type either.

He tried to fit a new water saving shower head yesterday... to SG's delight & full interest.

Alas, it seems to be leaking this morning, so he will have to re-do it. I can see frustration ahead...

But I am sure a whole chunk of time will be stolen, while he works on fixing it!

On a completely different 'note'. I have Bob Dylan's new CD, 'Modern Times', & there is a track on it titled "Beyond The Horizon".

To my ears it sounds suspiciously like an old song called "Red Sails in the Sunset". Just wonder does anyone remember the old song, & have they heard the Bob Dylan song??