Mostly Older Than Me

So long, farewell, adieu......

2011-11-25T23:28:00.003+11:00

It is with a heavy heart

that tonight I pull the plug on

mostly older than me.

This blog has been about the family

our dreams, our plans.

Now I have to find my own dreams

and make my own plans

and those dreams and plans

deserve a place of their own

But it is important that I not

leave here without

saying how much I have enjoyed the trip

and a huge thank you to

those wonderful people who

have travelled it with me.

To Kerry, Renee, Jane and Tina

who held my hand over the last

seven months and made

sure I came back

and the friends I met who have also been there
through the long hall
Vicki from Vicki lane mysteries
Anita from Castles Crowns and Castles,
Semi expat in Oz,
A-M
Life in the Country Lane
James
Karina,
Gigi
A room for everyone
and Ann

There are so many other wonderful people I met
who have widened my view of the world
who allowed me to share some of their
tears and laughter who
gave me a glimpse of their lives
and who taught me that
goodness still abounds in this
world of ours

I thank you one and all

hopefully I will catch up again in the near future
but for the last time from here

Goodnight

tidying up loose ends

2011-11-23T22:27:00.000+11:00

Following up and tidying up loose ends

On my sidebar is a link to

Stratford House

a house that was built by

Ambrose and Bridget Rotton

without whom I would not be here!!!!

in the post I wondered what

it would have been like inside

and UK daughter promised to visit.

She did and we have lovely photos

of........

Offices!!!!!!

But we were not to be totally denied a vision

into the past as we then discovered

that Bridget's brother had built a

house a few years before

and it was this house that Ambrose and Bridget

obviously got some of their ideas from

they are incredibly similar.

and this house, called Blakesley Hall,

is also still standing

and is in fact a museum so

if you would like to have a look hop over here to

Blakesley Hall

and check out how they lived in the 1600's!

Maybe find a few ideas for your new interiors!!!!!!!!!!

Goodnight

The joys of downloading!!!!!!

2011-11-05T18:50:00.004+11:00

What a wondrous world

hangs out there in the ether!

We disposed of the cameras upload program

downloaded another

and here we are!!!

don't know if this is all going to work

but if it does

the pic is a rather wonderful shot

taken by the clever

Gregoir

just before my first guests arrived

for my first

"entertaining"!!!!

So lets see how this works!

Goodnight

2011-11-01T22:41:00.001+11:00

My computer has taken

exception to the fact

that it has had little use in the

past 6 months

It absolutely refuses to allow me to load

any photos.

The minute I try I get the dreaded

blue screen.

Don't know how long it is going

to continue this sulk...

but we will continue anyway

and hope it forgives me

for being absent so long!!

Blogger on the other hand has

recovered from it's sulk and

is now allowing me to log in to my dashboard instead of

just the new post page!

So after this very boring tirade

it would appear that

I am back

Thank you

for all those wonderful comments

and emails that have kept me going

you are a truly wonderful group of people

Hugs to you all

and Goodnight

Goodnight

2011-10-31T00:01:00.000+11:00

I have a problem

I am not allowed to log on but I can post!

Some good news at last...!

2011-07-11T22:42:00.000+10:00

15000 rioting people

100's of riot police

tear gas hanging in the air for hours,

two days of transport strike!

Did I say good news?!!!

Well yes...

because

despite all the carrying on in Athens

our beautiful Harry

ignored it all

and he and his team

played wonderfully and he brought home

a bronze medal

from the

World Special Olympics!

His parents, sister, aunt and Gregoir

all braved the elements to watch

him play.

Harry

Papa would have been soooooo proud!

and as usual you continue to amaze me

with your sporting abilities,

your sportsmanship,

your team spirit,

your indomitable spirit and your

truly wonderful sense of humour.

You enrich my life Harry

and I love you very much

Goodnight

another goodbye...!!!!!

2011-06-07T17:27:00.000+10:00

He was a large puppy

an even larger dog

who had a friendly wag for everyone

but behind that

cheerful look and wagging tail

there lived a fierce protector

but at 15 years and without Top and Maggie

John Wellington Wells (or Wells for short)

decided on Sunday that it was time for him to go too.

Travel safely Wells till you find the other two.

Goodnight

The tomato lady soup...!

2011-05-23T22:48:00.000+10:00

1 large onion chopped

half a medium pumpkin chopped

6 - 8 medium ripe tomatoes

2 cups of chicken stock (4-5 cubes)

2 teaspoons crushed garlic

2 teaspoons basil

Put everything in a soup pot. Bring to the boil,

cover and simmer

until pumpkin is soft.

Puree and then strain

Serve with lots of black pepper and sour cream

Once you have made this soup using the recipe above

you can then improvise like I do

garlic not crushed, basil not chopped

sometimes more pumpkin than tomato

sometimes the other way round!!

and truly, somewhere in there, there is also pumpkin

Top hated pumpkin soup and really disliked tomato soup

but this is one of his absolute favourites

and every year I fill a freezer drawer full.

on Sunday night a warm bowl and some crusty bread

WOW!!!

In the height of summer sieve twice

so it is like velvet and serve cold

WOW! WOW!!!

at the moment my freezer is full of many different types of soup

made by incredibly wonderful women

but there is no Tomato Lady Soup!!!

I thought you might like to try this with me

and we can all share a bowl

Goodnight

This is my world....!

2011-05-19T23:55:00.000+10:00

This is my view

at present

I am

surrounded

by wonderful people

but

even with

a full house

the loneliness

is unrelenting!

Goodnight

thinking rationally?....I don't think so.

2011-05-10T17:19:00.000+10:00

My concentration and rational thinking

are rather limited at present

This morning I

put the tea bag in the dishwasher

and the spoon in the bin

Took the wash out of the washing machine

went into answer the phone

came back out

put the wash back in the machine and washed it again!!!!!!

Maggie joined Top last week

so they are walking together now.

I will come back soon

I thank you all

for the well wishes here and the emails

Goodnight

Thank you Kerry

2011-04-30T20:42:00.000+10:00

I can't do this at the moment so

thank you Kerry from

a tranquil townhouse

for doing it for me

I will be back

and I will need you all

Goodnight

A very happy Easter

2011-04-22T00:25:00.000+10:00

A decision we do not want to make

has to be made this weekend

so while we see things that are not there

and wish for things to be different

and struggle to accept our decision

and know that it is the right one

I wish all of you a wonderfully

happy Easter

full of all the joy of this life

that is our gift

God bless you all

Goodnight

a relaxing day and impossible things!!!!!

2011-03-19T23:18:00.000+11:00

It feels like forever since I have been here!

I have so much catching up to do

that it now seems an impossible task

Today we went out to lunch

and I have fallen in love with this building

it is what I would like our

next home to look like

on a ~~much~~ slightly smaller scale

the alfresco dining is just beautiful

and the different areas

make it hard to choose a place to sit

so I tried them all!!!!!!

This turned out to be my favourite and

over coffee we discussed other

impossible things

like ipods and iphones

do I get one or both???

and what is the difference anyway?

But the reason we went to lunch

was to celebrate the fact

that, today,

I am a whole year younger

than I thought I was!!!!!

( so I am just going to pick up that missing year

and there I intend to stay for the next ten years

until people say...

poor thing, she hasn't aged at all well has she!!)

truly, old age can be really quite exciting sometimes!

Goodnight

explanations....!

2011-03-02T00:14:00.000+11:00

For those of you who think

I am totally mad.

my unwillingness to cut flowers

from here

began with a tree, twice the size of this

and a chain like this

hanging from the branches

and a gentle old lady

The tree was an almond tree and it was covered in fruit.

The wonderfully gentle elderly woman reached up

and picked a handful of the dried fruit and

showed me how to discover the nut inside.

Twice, I hit my head on the chains that were hanging

from one of the branches

(rather nasty, rusty old chain with three heavy strands

attached to a ring large enough to put your hand into)

Being the curious type I asked why it was hanging there

"Oh, dear, that's the tree beater"

"The what?"

"The tree beater,

when we first came here, 50 years ago,

the tree didn't bear fruit

so after a few years

my Jack put this chain together for me and each year

I beat the tree, every day for a week, around the trunk,

and it has never failed to produce a crop like this."

Well I did have to ask why, didn't I?!

The answer was that apparently almond trees

bear more fruit if they are stressed

and beating the trunk with a heavy chain rope

stresses the tree

Now the problem is that I have never forgotten that

and I figure if someone beat me with a chain

I would be stressed to

because

it would hurt!!!!!!

the question is

do you think it is possible that plant life might feel pain?

Just in case the answer is yes I no longer

go on the attack with the secateurs!!!!!

What do you think?

Goodnight

I did promise I'd try....!

2011-02-28T21:28:00.001+11:00

Jane does this count?????

I have a secret to confess

but before I tell

Jane you must promise you will still speak to me

promise?

I have terrible trouble picking flowers or pruning shrubs

the reason I have trouble is...

I am not totally convinced that it is painless

to the said shrub or flower!!!!!

What if the plant is soundlessly screaming

as I have at it with the secateurs?

Dumb...I know....really dumb!

but every time I go to cut

I get this terrible picture in my head and just can't do it.

AND

that is the reason for my dashing pink paper roses!

and why I enjoy this in my garden

Now to see really beautiful floral arrangements in the home

go to

Jane at Small but Charming

and just enjoy her utterly charming blog

Goodnight

shades of green....!

2011-02-27T21:46:00.001+11:00

Petty jealousy is really very boring!!!!

and not something I normally suffer from

...thank goodness!

BUT...

a wonderfully eccentric friend

rang tonight for a chat

and half way through the conversation said

go and check out where I have been staying!

so I did

and I could so see myself lying by the pool

enjoying a wee pre dinner drink

then settling in for the night

perhaps grabbing a good read of the shelves

and day dreaming

after lunch in the shade before another dip

or wandering through the beautiful gardens

so I suggested next time she went she had better take me!!!

all images from here

Alas....too late

as it will probably be sold

she replied

just slightly

tinged green am I!!!!!

Goodnight

We will survive this disastrous summer......!

2011-02-22T22:52:00.001+11:00

It started at the beginning of our summer

with our little flood

that we thought such a disaster

ruined crops, roads and fences

Little did we realise what was in store for

Toowoomba, the Lockyer Valley, Ipswich

and Brisbane

as the rain continued to fall and fall

St Lucia shopping centre photo courtesy The News

As we were recovering from this

the news that Victoria was suffering it's own destructive flooding

and more and more people were losing their life's belongings

then Western Australia was fighting

out of control fires

image from here

But Queensland was still in the line of fire as Cyclone Yasi

came hurtling towards the coast

for more photos go here

and cyclone Carlos drowned Darwin with

26 inches of rain in four hours

from here

and, as all across Australia,

we struggled to cope with the aftermath

of so many major disasters

we were not prepared for the news

out of New Zealand at lunchtime today

from here

as an earthquake again hit Christchurch

the damage is horrific

and as I write this, search and rescue teams

from Queensland (and the rest of Australia) are on

their way to help.

We are two strong nations and with each others help

we will survive

My prayers are with the people of Christchurch tonight

Goodnight

up and running again...!

2011-02-13T21:08:00.000+11:00

Thanks to our local computer shop

we are back!

The computer has survived

the modem has not

(It fried in the heat!!!!)

I have so much to catch up on

and it has only been 10 days!

withdrawal was the pits!!!!!!!

NEWS FLASH

they came early to look at the house

so they saw it warts and all!!

they say they are coming back

but do I really want them to?

how mixed up is that

I really, really, really

want to move into something

much smaller and newer

but I love this house with a passion!

The little bedroom, as we call this one,

has pink days as above

or blue days

and it holds a lot of my favourite treasures

The fourth bedroom has two

French pine beds I found at a swap meet

and the desk is early Australian

absolutely useless for anything

other than old fashioned letter writing

Oh dear when I look at these photos it is

really hard to believe that once, I was

a photographic stylist!

Apparently it only works when I am not holding

the camera!!!!

If we move where am I going to put all these things

and how am I going to decide what goes and what stays?!!!!

Goodnight

Crash and burn....!

2011-02-05T11:20:00.001+11:00

In spectacular circumstances

would be a good way to go

but

first the modem...

then the computer

gave a last heaving gasp

and quietlycollapsed

our computer just could not cope

with the weather

we are currently having here

We have dropped it into

computer hospital but they are not

hopeful!

Alas, a new computer is not high on our

priority list just at present

so I may be missing for a while.

I guess that means I will have lots to catch up with

when we are back on air.

Depending on how long I will continue to drop in here

at the local library on a Saturday morning

Kerry keep knitting,

Jane keep the flowers coming,

Tina, I will miss your next great thing

Sharyne I hope everything is OK

Renee, what will I do without you!

I will miss you all but be back eventually

Goodnight

The Princess room....!

2011-01-29T20:38:00.000+11:00

Oh dear where does time go?!
Late on Wednesday night we received a phone call
from a gentleman who wanted to know
if we would be interested in selling our house

yes!
yes!
yes!

so, today we started the big clean up and toss out!

They are coming to look in a fortnight so we have a bit of time
Top discovered we actually have quite a large
back verandah
and I spent the day here
in the Princess room!

the girls call it the Princess room because of the

height of the bed

(you almost need a stepladder to climb up!)

and they feel we should put a pea under the mattress!

the pink curtains were, alas, inherited with the house

and to date we cannot afford to change them

(the quotes were quite, quite ridiculous!!!!)

The marble mantelpiece holds quite a bit of my

Don Quixote collection

The golf stick leaning nonchalantly against the fireplace

was an award for a hole in one

Not mine alas!

I am a total shocker when it comes to golf!!

the salon suite is the very first antique I ever bought

I was twelve years old and it cost me 12 pounds!

the light fitting hiding underneath will one day replace the rather nasty chandelier,
but tomorrow it will find a spot in the garage out of sight!

and the mirror needs to be taken out and painted

before it goes above the fireplace

all our ceilings are pressed metal and the patterns are quite beautiful
it also needs a bit of a clean but it's so far up I'm afraid
it will just have to do!
Tomorrow I take on the other two guest bedrooms!

Goodnight!

Know when you are on a good thing...!

2011-01-12T23:19:00.000+11:00

Our son's kitchen bench this morning!

Even this little chap knew to move to higher ground!

a good feed and then he was gently

encouraged to move outside

****

It is amazing how in disasters like this

even the wild life will turn to others for help

image from the Wellington Times

and seem to know that they should just accept it

and it is happening all over the East coast of our country

Goodnight

the worst is yet to come....!

2011-01-11T19:41:00.000+11:00

This is not the post I was going to write today

please go here and read the courier mail

but as we wait to hear news

of our son and his beautiful family

of A-M and the boys

and all our other friends

I wonder is there a family

in Australia

unaffected by the

horrendous news coming out of

Queensland

and now North Western New South Wales

with 9 confirmed dead

and 66 still missing

the death toll is bad enough

but on top of this

6500 homes will go under in Brisbane

in the next two days

and already hundreds of houses

and businesses

have been lost

The rain is not easing

and the wall of water that

became an inland tsunami in

Toowoomba and was responsible

for the lost lives

is racing down the valley

toward the Capital

to meet a King Tide

I ask

that tonight

you light a candle

say a prayer and think

of all those in

Queensland who have lost

nearly everything they possess

and for whom the worst

is yet to come

Night

Finally...older than me!!!

2011-01-04T00:47:00.000+11:00

I have just told a friend

that I am not

a metal kinda girl!

only to realise

that one of my favourite pieces in our home

is just that

metal!

Actually it is worse than metal it is

onyx and gilt!!

way, way, way over the top!

Oh dear! Do you think

I should have dusted it before taking these?!

the floor could have done with a good mop too!

Half way up are the hooks for an umbrella

or parasol as it is a French piece

Then at the top the hat goes at a jaunty angle

don't you just love the hanger for the coat? (wide and rounded

so no mark was left on the jacket)

and then a small hook for a cane!

There it stands in all it's over the top glory

I understand it is French probably mid 1800's

and if any one has seen one like it

or knows anything about it I would love to hear.

It normally hold a red Fez that UK daughter brought home

for her Father

My Father's pith helmet, rather aged and tired

but it was well worn during the 2nd World War

and a Malacca cane.

So maybe, just maybe a could be a

metal kinda girl!!

Goodnight

You are invited......

2010-12-30T18:12:00.000+11:00

To join Top and me

here at Arias

tomorrow night

when we

celebrate

our 40th Wedding Anniversary!

(I was of course a child bride, barely legal!!!!)

at first we had thought to eat

at the chef's table

until I realised it was not big

enough to fit you all in!

and also you would miss the view

of Sydney Harbour!

we will start with champagne here and enjoy

the lovely sea breeze

then when we have all arrived we will wander in here

and let Chef Matt Moran

feed us!

figs and asparagus are really beautiful at present

and just look at this piece of steak.

I may have to share some of this with someone else

as I need to leave room for desert

and as I could not make up my mind

which desert to offer you I chose a few!

you could be led to believe that I am a fan of figs...not true

this dish just looked so beautiful I could not leave it off!

I am, however, a chocoholic and

will not share a bite of this with anyone

in fact I may even have to have this one as well!!!

I have watched Matt Moran on Masterchef and his

food always looks so beautiful...I am getting really excited

about this and of course

seeing you all there!

until tomorrow

Goodnight

P.S. in reality we are going for lunch to a very nice restaurant about 100ks from here!!

the 12 days of an Australian Christmas....

2010-12-29T01:14:00.000+11:00

After six weeks of Christmas everywhere I look

it has just plain disappeared,

to hide away until next year

but

I am not finished with Christmas

for me it lasts until the eve

of the epiphany January 5th

our Christmas decorations

stay up until the twelfth day of Christmas

a tradition that has always been in my family

and thinking about that reminded me

of one of my favourite Christmas songs

The Twelve days of Christmas

so I borrowed an

Australian version from

jaybees entertainment

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
A kookaburra in a gum tree

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Two cockatoos, and a kookaburra in a gum tree

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to meThree parakeets.........Two cockatoos, and a kookaburra in a gum tree

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to meFour great galahs,Three parakeets,Two cockatoos, and a kookaburra in a gum tree

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to meFive opals black......(etc fill in the rest yourself otherwise my fingers will seize up!!!!)

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me Six 'roos a-jumping........

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to meSeven emus running.......

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to meEight koalas clinging.........

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to meNine wombats waddling........

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Ten dingoes dashing.......

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eleven snakes a-sliding.......

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Twelve goannas going.......

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Twelve goanna goin,
Eleven snakes a-sliding,
Ten dingoes dashing,
Nine wombats waddling,
Eight koalas clinging,
Seven emus running,
Six 'roos a-jumping,
Five opals black,
Four great galahs,
Three parakeets,
Two cockatoos,
And a kookaburra up a gum tree.

and all the images are from Google images

Goodnight

Tis the night before Christmas... almost!!!

2010-12-23T20:13:00.002+11:00

I am a little early but I want UK daughter to see this before she leaves!!!

For Katie, Lucas, Lisa,

Because I am not with you tonight to read it

may it bring back memories of Christmas Eve's past

and for all those
wonderful people
I have met over the past 12 months
I share this Christmas tradition

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

all paintings here by: Miss Jessie Willcox Smith

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all,
and to all a
good-night!"

It's supposed to be summer...!!!!

2010-12-21T00:09:00.000+11:00

Today is the

20th of December

it is practically

mid-summer

We have the fire going

our winter woolies are

out of the mothballs

and this is the Perisher Valley

Snow report from here

Did I hear someone say this was going to be the

the third warmest summer on record?!!!!

Can they tell me where please?

Maybe we will have white Christmas too!!!!

The moon is out tonight

and I am sending lots of love

to Jane here

are you?

Goodnight

a tale of two communities...!!!!

2010-12-17T21:49:00.002+11:00

Living in a country town

is quite different to living in a large city

there are the obvious difference

like the lack of traffic

fewer choices

(if you actually want them)

more choices

(when it comes to fresh food)

and so the list could go on

but this is not about those sort of differences

it is about the community (as in the people) difference

Here we know nearly everyone

some by sight,

some by name,

some by business,

some by friendship,

some by love.

In the big Cities if you know your neighbours

you are probably doing quite well!!

But

The point is that because we know every one,

when good luck strikes we know about it

when bad luck strikes we know about it

when things are hard for them we know about it

It makes us a tight community

and in the hard times

we all come out to help

The Blog community is like living in a country town

you get to know everyone

some by sight,

(on others blogs)

some by name

(from their comments)

some by business

(their Etsy stores)

some by friendship

some by love

we know your up and your downs

your joys and your hard times

in sickness and in health

your troubles and your families troubles

today I visited

Simone at

honey and fizz

and learned about

Jane from

my pear tree house.

most of you are already pouring out your love to A-M

and I have another friend

who is suffering

so wouldn't it be nice and in true Christmas spirit if

we all follow Simone's advice

"What if each night you look at the moon for, say, 15 seconds and send positive thoughts to Jane and to others who you know are going through harsh times?...

•What if you post this concept on your blog or speak to your friends?...

•What if your followers blog this concept and speak to their friends?...

•What if hundreds of women look at the moon each night and send off their thoughts?

•What if women needing support received these hundreds of thoughts?...

You see, we all have the same moon, don't we?..
Girl power.
Can we do it? 15 seconds a day? Pay it forward?
I say we can. It can only help. It can connect us all. It can be global..
So what do you say?...
Start blogging the concept girls or make a pact with your friends"

and fellas you can do it too

we don't absolutely need to restrict this to the ladies

and to my dear, dear friend

if you are reading this, know that all my love and prayers

go to you both and I am sending power via the moon

and to all a

goodnight

Christmas viewing... upstairs and downstairs

2010-12-15T00:50:00.000+11:00

Christmas this year is

just the two of us

so it will be

a midnight service

a drink and then bed

Santa is not calling here this year

we are cooking a traditional

hot Christmas lunch
regardless of the fact
that the weather prediction
is for the high 90's

so we will probably eat late

and then

we have saved the last episode of

Downton Abbey

for the evening

image from here

UK daughter purchased the DVD set the day it was

released in London and brought it with her

on her trip home

we have eked the episodes out

trying desperately to make it last

image from here

If you get the opportunity to watch it on the TV

well and good but if you don't get English shows

image from here

then go and buy the DVD of the series,

a classic upstairs, downstairs tale,

because it is very classy viewing in a time

when most of the stuff we are expected to watch

is just pure junk!

The cast is wonderful the writing superb

The writer is Julian Fellowes who wrote Snobs

which I will now have to back and see if I can get into it this time.

Of course when we have finished it

we will have to wait even longer to see the second series

as this one probably won't appear here until well into

next year.

Well I guess that's what you have to expect when

you are to impatient to wait!!!!

The mossies are about to lift me out of the chair

so I am off to spray lots of

airogard all over myself and hit the sack

Goodnight

anniversary.... and things to do on a rainy day!!

2010-12-08T23:30:00.002+11:00

Little ole flibbertigibbet me

has stuck this out for

one whole year
and 105 posts

! ! ! ! ! ! !

so what do you do
when
it rains day
after day
after day

for those who asked, Maggie is in remission at present

you find someone to tease

that's what you do on rainy days

first, you ask nicely

then you push a bit

until she tries to push you off

and finally you accept the inevitable,
and your place on the lounge

and you both nod off
dreaming of a day when there is no longer any rain,
the park is no longer under water
and you can, once again, stretch your legs

everything in the house is currently under dust sheets
as we have a particularly nasty type of mud
it is red!

It does not wash out!

it does not soak out!

it does not bleach out!
and the dogs,
who know
they are not supposed to play in the house,
are just plain

bored silly

Now can I do another year?

Goodnight

rain, rain go away.......!

2010-12-03T15:46:00.001+11:00

After yesterday's post

I thought you might like to see

some of our local bridges

all photos courtesy of the Liberal

4 lanes not exactly in passable condition

The debris becomes a huge problem

our dam is now 120 percent full

down to 6 percent this time last year

and it is more than 4 times the size of Sydney Harbour!

They had to release the floodgates yesterday

or the dam was in danger of going

and that would mean the loss of our town!!!

an extra 400 megalitres a day isn't going to help the flood situation

further along the river though!

and not for all the tea in china would I attempt to drive across here!

******

The rains have started again!

we are expecting 3 fine days between now and Christmas

I have never hoped that the weather bureau was wrong quite so much before!

Goodnight

...the rains came...and came...and came!

2010-12-02T23:19:00.000+11:00

Today was our first reasonably fine day in weeks

the tractors sit silently

the men wait patiently

the silos are only half full

I tried to take some photos of the bridges

under water but

couldn't get close enough for all

the other

rubberneckers!

That's not me of course

I am serious about this

I need to take photos for you!!!

The traffic in town is appalling

more like Sydney than a country town

as they edge the semis

around the swollen river banks

and over the old bridges that weren't

meant to take these weights

The school children stayed home

the roads are all closed

Tonight our river is going down

but in other towns they wait fearfully

for the expected rises still to come

After more than ten years of drought

this is a cruel way to end it

These beautiful paddocks overflowing

with the best growth in years,

the answer to so many prayers,

are fit now only for feed

if and when they can get the machinery in

without becoming hopelessly bogged

Say a little prayer for our farmers when you go to bed tonight

they need all the help they can get

Goodnight

...and a book walked in!

2010-11-29T00:39:00.000+11:00

Do books find you?

Do you find books?

I ask, because sometimes I will pick up a highly recommended

book and no matter how I try I can't get into it

Three months later I try again and can't put it down!!

Go figure

Sometimes I have a craving for suspense

sometimes soppy romance

sometimes something historical

sometimes an old classic is all that will do

but whatever I choose there is

one absolute criteria

It always has to be well written

*****

Whilst we have had a wonderful time with our UK daughter

it has been a sad few weeks here and

I desperately wanted something light and breezy to read

Now doesn't this cover just scream

Chick lit?

Well it did to me

so I grabbed it and raced home.

Chick lit

it is not

Beautifully and magically written

it is

Light and breezy

it is not

A book to bury yourself in

it is

But sad and funny and uplifting as it is

it turns out it was just the book I needed

When I finished

I was so entranced with this authors writing

that I went searching for anything else she had written

and found

this

I wish I had read it first

as the characters are the same

and Belong to Me follows on a few years later

But had I picked it up first

would it have been the book I needed now?

I don't think so.

I can only say if you haven't read either of these

do yourself a favour and get them

but it might help to read in the right order

Goodnight

It's just a piece of paper....!!!!

2010-11-27T00:36:00.000+11:00

a simple sheet of paper

is a wondrous thing

it can carry your words across the world

in the form of a letter

it can wrap a parcel

it can be the first page of a wonderful novel

or you can do this with it....!

see more of this at here

or this

I don't have any idea where I got these from

but I have just found a link that

shows more here

they have been sitting in my files for ages

and I decided today was a good day to share them

as a collector of shoes these are a must!

and this is just amazing and I recommend the link

I have included if you want to read about this artist

from here

of course

if you are like me

you just use paper to

wrap a gift like this!!

and then think you have done a wonderful job!!!!!!!!

Goodnight

Whoopeeeeeee.......!!!!!!!

2010-11-12T22:51:00.000+11:00

this is a picture of me!

incandescent with joy

because

I hope this is just dress up and make believe!

UK daughter

arrives in Sydney tomorrow morning

for two whole weeks!!!!!!

I have not seen them for two long, long, long years

so I may be missing in action for awhile

goodnight

A truly lovely blog........

2010-11-10T19:55:00.000+11:00

I can't put it of any longer

I have to make a decision

a hard decision

well a sort of hard decision

weeks ago
Karina from
Karina Gentinetta
gave me this lovely award

I took weeks to tell you the
seven things about me
just so I didn't have to make the decision!
but now the time has come

I follow far too many of you
and I feel a very strong connection to some of you
and follow your every post and I thought
how will I decide
and then I looked at the award again
and realised that
it is very specific

it's for
one lovely blog

and then suddenly it was clear as day
there was only one person I could pass it on to.

A lovely young blogger
who fills her days with more than I fill a week

A lovely young blogger
who makes incredibly beautiful things out of scraps
and ingenuity

A lovely young blogger
who shares her day and her family with us all

A lovely young blogger
whose house renovations are a joy

A lovely young blogger
who spends her hours studying

A lovely young blogger
whose comments always make you feel better

who, is more deserving of this award than
the beautiful Tina at
Rubies place

Tina this is for you

I think I got this right
don't you?
off you go and visit her
and if you don't already know Tina
you will fall in love!

Goodnight

Things I have to tell you ..6 & 7

2010-11-01T00:27:00.005+11:00

No 6

is.... I am not a great fan of television

it has to be a really great show to hold my attention

but I never missed this lady

on this show

the cook and the chef

I have several of her books

this being my favourite

I buy a lot of her products

just for us, as well as when we entertain

have been known to claim it as my own then!!!!

...

not being a fan of television

also meant I missed this rather

emotional moment

when Maggie Beer accepted her award

from our then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

as she was named

senior Australian of the year

but I did see her on this

from....Masterchef

when she was the guest on Masterchef.
...

which brings me to the final thing

No 7

and

6 degrees of separation

because I also missed

this show

from... who do you think you are

'Who do you think you are'

and so missed the fact

that this incredible woman

this magnificent cook

and yours truly are

distantly I will admit!!

we share

a great, great, great Grandmother

yep, there we are again back

to the Rottons here and here

Maggie is the Great, great, Granddaughter

of Walters wife Jane

So if you don't know Maggie Beer go

here

and you will find all sorts of lovely food stuff!

Goodnight

p.s. next post and I will pass the award on

Who knew how hard it is to narrow down

the lovely people I follow to just one!!!!

Things I have to tell you ...5!

2010-10-23T15:30:00.004+11:00

Shhhhhhhhh

I have a secret to confess

but don't let it get out

don't spread it around

this is just between you and me!

I have fallen in love with

a younger man,

a Frenchman,

a policeman!

a man who cooks divinely,

who enjoys his wine,

his rugby and his tennis

who takes time to train the children,

who knows everything to know

about his town and his people,

a kind man, a savvy man

and his name is

Bruno

I have spent

4 days in his company

and cannot wait to spend

another few days

but I thought you might like to meet him

as I have just discovered he has

his very own BLOG!

Now he must also be a very shy man

as the photo on his blog

IS NOT HIM!!

you will find his blog

here

It is a wonderful place to visit,

he will tell you all about his region,

his wines, his food and also all about the man

who introduced me to Bruno

whose name is

Martin Walker

Now because I am a very generous soul

and don't have a jealous bone in my body

I encourage you to go meet

Bruno

because if you are a bit of a

Francophile like me

you will also fall in love!

But

there is

a very sad note to this story

unfortunately

Bruno only exists

in the pages of these

three books

all of which I have now read

Damn!!!!

so to see him again I have to wait patiently

for Martin Walker to hurry up and write

the next adventure!

I am running out of things to disclose as after nearly

100 posts I think I have told you just about everything!

but if you've tagged along only recently

Things I have to tell No 3.... and 4!

2010-10-19T22:59:00.000+11:00

From when I was a small child

to right up until I left home

I was a prolific letter writer

Google

If you were related to me,

a school friend,

if you had me to stay,

if you gave me a gift

here

I wrote you a letter

if you were a boyfriend

I wrote you many a letter!

cattycamehome

After I had finished the letter

I would address the envelope with great care

I would race downstairs to my Father

and beg a stamp

but it had to be a pretty stamp!!

back upstairs, stamp on

I would put it in my top drawer to reread tomorrow

just to make sure it sounded alright

Don't know where this beauty came from

Now the time came when it was time to leave home

the time came to marry

the time came for my Mother to get rid of the junk

I left behind

We had left the chest that sat in my dressing room

and my Mother thought she would take it downstairs

but it was too heavy

So...

she opened the drawers and found

image by Yunhee Kim

letters...

hundreds of letters

all addressed and stamped

with penny stamps and every thing else

up to 5 cent stamps!

(not a big jump in nearly 20 years!!!)

Not one of those letters

had ever been sent!!!!

in her wisdom my Mother

took those letters to the Sydney GPO

Google

where the Postmaster, when told the story

agreed to send the letters as they were

this is a long time ago and Postmasters could decide things like that then

Taken a bit of a Liberty here Benjamin Franklin image from Google

Nearly everyone who received one of those letters wrote back

and said some really lovely things

but

not one of those letters was addressed to me

they were all addressed to my MOTHER!!!!!!!!

So now I don't write letters, not many emails, and I try very hard

to reply to you all but occasionally I hold back the reply

to improve it and, you guessed it, it stays in my draft file!

I never draft my blog I sit, write and publish

Frequently I have to edit horrendous spelling mistakes

and statements I didn't mean to make

but at least they get published!

If I comment on your blog it has taken

real effort to press the send button

without previewing,

so if I ever offend I appologise now

as it would not have been meant

I just write too quickly and sometimes it

doesn't come out how it should!

There are now 15 draft blogs on file that I know

will never see the light of day

as my Mum is no longer with me to send them

There you have things 3 and 4 I have to tell

and I think I know who I will pass the award on to...I think!!

Goodnight.