Bears Galore

Where is this?

2008-04-28T14:17:00.000+08:00

Can any of you children Alan, Vicki, Marcus or Bruce, or even you Peter tell where this photo was taken , or what it used to be?

It will probably make you a bit sad, as it means another peice of your childhood has disapeared.

More craft

2008-04-27T11:58:00.000+08:00

As well as making bears and the bags below, I have been making these wraps of late, they have also proved quite popular, and I have been able to knit while we have been away travelling, in Oz this time, mostly seeing relatives and friends. Those of you who read "Holties House" will be aware of how things are with our daughter Vicki. At the time of blogging she is no better but no worse either, a visit to her doctor tommorow may help change that.

We have only spent about 10 days at home since the beginning of the year, and I must say I am quite looking forward to getting home on the 7th May. All things being equal we should be able to stay there for most of the rest of the year, yippee!!!

I will blog about some of the things that have happened, or that we have done, once we are safely home again.

"There are no problems, only solutions"

Bags 2

2008-02-21T18:16:00.002+09:00

For some reason, best know to itself, blogger decided to publish the bag photos before I had written anything, so am catching up now.

I have been back from our sojourn to South Australia for a week or so, but life has been rather hectic, part of which was going to the "Ritzy Tote Workshop" last weekend, over the two days, which gave me the excuse to be able to stay overnight in a lovely B&B in Bunbury, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The workshop was great too, good bunch of "girls", good teacher, good location, and a lot of fun and laughter as well as some serious stitching. The photo below of the green/burgundy (in real life the colours are darker) is the one from the workshop, and because I finished before the finish, I was able to start the black/brown one. Have made the shells for two more, just need some more supplies to finish them. I already have a buyer for one of them, it will be good if I can keep selling them that easily.

I am off to book club tonight, the book under discussion is "The Language of Threads" by Gail Tsukyama, it is a follow up to "Women of Silk", and it would have been better if we had read it first. Never mind it was quite a good read anyway

I have a little book called "Food for Thought" this today's ..

You move towards the picture you create of yourself

Bags

2008-02-21T18:12:00.000+09:00

Test post

2008-01-17T18:18:00.000+09:00

Testing publishing of photos.

The whole gang at Alan's 50th.

The four kids at Jenna and Craig's wedding.

It happened again!!!

2008-01-17T12:32:00.000+09:00

I had a post drafted before we left home, but blogger wouldn't post it and it was quite relevant to what I am about to post here.

After an uneventful 14 hours driving we arrived at Madura Pass where we stayed the night, we left there at about 6.30am and headed east again, I had just drifted of to sleep when I heard an expletive from Walter and then heard and felt a big thump, Walter spent the next few seconds trying to keep us from rolling over and we ended upon the wrong side of the road facing the way we had just come.

Yes we had hit another roo, and a big one at that. The front drivers side of the vehicle was extensively damaged as well as the headlights, driving lights, bull bar and of course the radiator.
All this in the middle of nowhere. Walter started looking under the bonnet (hood) and I walked up and down the road picking up peices of lights etc. Two cars sped past and I started to pray, the next vehicle pulled over, and a young man and his son got out. We were still about 9oo kms from our destination.

With their help Walter was able to take off the broken fan and cowling, we then filled up with water and cautiously started to drive away, we limped along to the next road house, topping up with water as often as necessary, where Walter got some stuff, supposed to stop radiator leaks but to no avail.

Another young man walked past where I was standing and when I told him what had happened he said that years ago, his father had successfully stopped a leak by using Blue-tac. Well this outback roadhouse actually had one packet of blue-tac, which Walter used to seal the leak, it was where the tank and core meet. Once again we set off, stopping a couple more times to check and fill up.

The blue-tac held and we were able to drive the last 300kms without any problems, I was never so pleased to drive into Vicki and Rex's property. For those that don't beleive in the power of prayer, the chances of our being able to continue our trip in the way we did, were so remote as to be non existent, without divine intervention.

What I has said in my other blog was that I never wanted to drive across the Nullabor again.
Now even Walter has said we are not driving again!!!!

Graduation Day

2008-01-11T22:15:00.000+09:00

This is my beautiful grand daughter Aimee Sara at her graduation ceremony, how proud we all are of her. (She is 6th from the left in the second row, Peter , just in case you were having trouble locating her.) She is probably going to work for a year before she goes on with her education.

I spent the day taking down and packing away all the Christmas decorations, it is quite a job, as I am besotted with Christmas, and love to decorate. It looks very bare and somewhat larger inside the house now. I even managed to remember to label all the boxes this year.

I needed to get it done as we are leaving for Wudinna,where my eldest daughter Vicki lives, on Monday, and it will be time to put up the Fall decorations when we get back.
Vicki has to see a specialist in Adelaide next week as she has a suspicious looking mole on her arm, it has changed in the last few weeks, and she needs to get it checked, we are all praying it wont be anything serious.

We are driving across, I never thought I would ever say that again, it is such a long way, two long days driving to get there, and then another six hours to Adelaide, Oh well, at least the air conditioning will be working in Walter's vehicle. He really enjoys the drive, not me though, after having done it at least 20 times, I would much rather fly.

Beach Mission

2008-01-10T14:02:00.000+09:00

We are back from the Beach Mission, it was a great 10 days, the weather was mild, the food was good the team great and we all had lots of fun, as well as doing some serious work.

I teach scrapbooking to the adults, mostly the mums, and grandmothers of the kids at the program. The BM has been running at Turner's caravan park, Augusta for 45 years, and we have a number of generations that keep coming, one of my ladies has been going to Augusta for 50 years, I can't imagine going back to the same place all those years.

The weather here had been quite hot, so the garden is looking a little the worse for it, and we are about to leave to go to my daughter and son-in-law's farm. We will be away for a few weeks, so it will just have to survive, I will try to drought proof some of the more recent plantings.

I am really tired tonight and I must say am looking forward to sleeping my own bed.

Credit where it is due

2008-01-02T08:00:00.000+09:00

It was very remiss of me not to acknowledge that the only reason I am able to post again is due to Peter (holtie's house), encouragement (or was coersion), whatever it doesn't matter, and for his setting up my new blog, for which I have thanked him personally, but wanted to say it again here.

It is overcast here this morning, but the forecast is for a very hot day, hope they are wrong because I hate hot weather. At least Augusta is on the beach so temperature should be a few degrees cooler.

Hope everyone has a splendid New Year as I plan to do.

I'm back

2008-01-01T21:11:00.000+09:00

It's been quite a while between blogs, and lots has happened in between, I hope to be able to post about some of it, the more interesting parts anyway. If anything my life has become busier as I have got older, three score and nine, I had been labouring under the misapprehension that as one got older one could take life a little slower, and maybe stop and smell the roses.

As you can see the photos are posted in the wrong order, guess it will take me a while to used to things again.

The past week has seen us take a 600km round trip to Perth to share in the european tradition of Christmas eve with Walter's sister and family, then have Christmas day with his daughter and her family.Then home to Bridgetown for our own family celebrations over the weekend, as work and other family commitments prevented us being together before then. So I have had up to 15 people here in the house for the last four days, have prepared copious amounts of food, but haven't always had to do the washing up.

I love my family and I am always sad to see them leave. We are going to Augusta, about 90 minutes away, for the SU beach mission tommorow, so guess I wont have time to miss them too much. I teach scrapbooking as one of the activities for the grown ups.

Not sure if I'll get the opportunity to post during this next week at Augusta, but I'll be back again soon.

Weather stations

2006-07-26T20:30:00.000+08:00

We have finally had some rain, which is good news, but of course it is too late for some farmers, like in the pictures below. Walter is obssesed with the weather, and watches all three TV channels each night for the weather forcasts. Not content with that he had a small weather station set up here at home, it told the min and max temperatures, humidity etc. which would have been enough for most people, but...

Neil, one half of the couple, whose 50th anniversary we went to last weekend, is a farmer and also a salesman, and yes, you've guessed it, he sells weather stations, you beaut weather stations, weather stations that cost $250 wholesale, and guess who now has one. It tells you everything from the temperature, to wind speed, rainfall, and there is even a little computerised guy, who shows you what clothes to wear, he even has an umbrella, which he is holding at this very moment.

The weekend went very well, it is so good to spend some time with old friends and family, it was a four and a half hour drive from here, and so we stayed over for a couple of nights, which was excellent. 50 years is a good long time, as someone was heard to say, " you don't get that for murder", and they have raised 4 lovely daughters, who have produced 11 grandchildren.

This is my first chance to blog for almost a week, and it is not going to get any better in the near future. I am very busy bear making to take to my outlet next week, when we go to Perth to pick up our friends from Victoria. We will be spending 4 days in Perth with them, and then they will stay with us here for 2 weeks, then we take them back to Perth to catch their plane. From there it will only be a couple more weeks till we fly out ourselves, to Germany and then to the USA.

So I have decided I am going to take a leave of absence from blogging, I will try to keep up with my reading of the blogs of family and special friends, and leave comments when I can, but with so much going on, I think that would the best way for me to go. Hopefully once we get home again, I will have some more interesting travel tales to share with you all. Walter will be home early in November, but I am staying on in Vermont, as I am determined to share in another Thanksgiving, and see snow again. Maybe this time I will find somewhere to have a sleigh ride, one can dream, can't one.

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In every conceivable manner, the family is a link to our past, and a bridge to our future.

Wheat Country

2006-07-21T21:23:00.000+08:00

This is what the country was like for hundreds of Kilometres, it is usually green and growing wheat at this time of year, some of it had been worked up but not planted, and where farmers had put in seed, there was the occasional tuft of green, just heartbreaking, for those on the land. They have had no rain, in fact rain has been very scarce all over, we had a good downfall yesterday, and for a while it actually looked and felt like winter. We have had some very cold mornings, with frosts and fog, but no rain.

I tried to post these photos on the former post, but we all know how blogger has a mind if it's own, and it just wouldn't let me, so that's why there are two posts tonight.
Walter's trip wasn't nearly as good as he hoped, even he is noticing just how far it is to these outback places. Then of course the weather let him down as well, he even took a pair of shorts with him, but apart from two days when he was able to have short sleeves, it was quite cold.

Have a good weekend everyone, will probably be back on Tuesday.

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An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Mahatma Ghandi.

Mt Augustus

2006-07-21T19:40:00.000+08:00

Mt Augustus
Goolinee

MtAugustus is the biggest rock on the world, it is just over 2000 feet high, is 5 miles long and about 34 miles around. It's situated about 560 miles north of Perth. Goolinee, is a permanent water hole closeby, looks very picturesque, but it is very remote, nearly 400 miles of dirt road to get there. Walter enjoyed his visit, but certainly wouldn't be going again. The yellow in the Mt Augustus picture are wildflowers, paper daisies or everlastings, they actually feel just like paper, and are very hardy, they have to be growing in such harsh condidions.

Murchison

2006-07-19T17:22:00.000+08:00

red dirt road leading to Murchison
preparing the Polo ground
outback architecture Wooleen woolshed
exterior of same

These are some of the photos Walter took on his trip last week, the tanker had to keep watering the ground so that the competitors could see each other, and the spectators could have some idea of what was going on. Not your usual Polo tournament, one of the instructions : Please make sure your horse is securely in the yards provided, this paddock is 200 square miles.
It seems everyone enjoyed themselves, which I guess is what it is all about.

I have been AWOL from blogger for the last few days, no particular reason, it takes some adjusting to having another body in the house after you have been able to do what you want when you want. My life is much more regimented when Walter is home.

We are off to Beverly, this weekend, to the 50th wedding celebrations of some old and dear friends, Neil and Joan McQuinn, I actually went to school with Neil. Joan came out from England in 1955, they met through work, married and had 4 girls, much to Neil's chagrin. After their last daughter was born, he arrived at the hospital wanting to know what was Joan's excuse this time.

About 20 years ago they bought a 360 hectare farm at The Dale, and have really loved their life there. Joan had gone to boarding school in England, and was quite refined, but to see her inoculating and marking (castrating) lambs it would be hard to tell. She has a beautiful voice and leads the choir at their little church. We are looking forward to a couple of days there, catching up and just enjoying each others company.

Live as if you were to die. Learn as if you were to live forever.

Winning team

2006-07-15T20:45:00.000+08:00

Just finished listening to my football team, the West Coast Eagles, win in another nail biting finish, that's four games where they have come from behind, and well behind to snatch victory. I can't bear to watch the TV, I just have to listen to the radio broardcast. Tonights game was against the team who beat them in last years grand final.

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One of my friends sent me this

Computer Technology for Country Folk.

LOG ON Making a wood stove hotter

LOG OFF Don't add any more wood

MONITOR Keeping an eye on the wood stove

DOWNLOAD Getting firewood off the truck

MEGA HERTZ When your not careful getting the firewood

FLOPPY DISC What you get from trying to carry too much firewood

RAM What you do to get wood into a tight place

HARD DRIVE Getting home in the wintertime

PROMPT What the mail isn't in the wintertime

WINDOWS What you shut when it's too cold outside

SCREEN What to shut when it's mozzie season

BYTE What them mozzies do

CHIP Munchies for the TV

MICRO CHIP What's in the bottom of the munchies bag

MODEM What you did to the paddocks

DOT MATRIX Old Dan Matrix'x wife

LAP TOP Where the kitty sleeps

KEYBOARD Where you hang your keys

SOFTWARE Them dam plastic knives and forks

MOUSE What eats the grain in the shed

MOUSE PAD Hippie talk for rat the hole

MAINFRAME What holds up the shed roof

PORT Fancy flatlander wine

RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY
When your husband gets the credit card bill and you can't remember what you purchased

Hope it made you smile.

The time to relax is when you don't have time for it

and home in just 3 months

2006-07-14T21:32:00.000+08:00

We went to Emerald, Ruby and I think Sapphire, all places where they fossick for these gems., we bought 3 pale blue topaz, which were made into a ring for me, it is quite lovely. Other places we saw were Katherine, Mt Isa, Lake Argyle, and on to Broome. Thats a pretty big chunk of our country in one sentance, but there's not much out there. We did go up Katherine Gorge, and took a sunset cruise on Lake Argyle, it sure is enormous. There is so much water up there in the top end during the wet season,( with most of it just rushing out to the sea), and so little down south, there has to be a way to get it to where it is needed. It just needs a bold polititian to spend the money for a pipeline or somesuch thing.

After a few lovely days in Broome, we headed south through, Port Hedland, Roeburn, Karratha, Dampier, Carnarvan and Geraldton. From there it was just a short hop to Perth, 300 miles, to visit with family, and then the last 300 home to Bridgetown. There were only about three occasions that we ventured of the main highways, at Katherine, Lake Argyle and Kalbarri. We had been away just 3 months.

It wasn't till much later that I found out that Walter was worried about having another heart attack. This, despite being told by the doctors and specialists that they had fixed the problem, and 6 years laterwith no further problems, has proved them right. Anyway that was the reason he was in such a hurry, plus he was labouring under the misconception that we could do it all again, but I had kept my promise that I would go once, and for me that once was more than enough. This horrifies some of our family and friends, but there are some that agree with me.

That is the end of my travels, until we get back at the end of the year from Germany and the USA.

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I took the little car that has been loaned to me, for a trip to Bunbury today, 100 kms away, mainly to see if it might be suitable to buy, but it was quite uncomfortable to sit in for that length of time, and it is older than my car, so we think the best thing to do will be to get another motor and fix the Hyundai, because the rest of it is quite good.

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The world is but a canvas to the imagination.

So continue we did.

2006-07-13T17:49:00.001+08:00

It was on through Melbourne and Gippsland visiting more relatives, and then to NSW, somewhere on the road up the coast we discovered a small Amish community, with a lovely store and restaurant, unfortunalely we had just eaten, and couldn't fit anything else in. Sydney, The Blue Mountains, The Olympic sites, it was just before the Olympics, Darling Harbour, where I ran into a friend who had lived in Bridgetown, and now resides in Esperance, which we hadn't been able to get too, as the roads were under water.

Went to Bowral, to the Bradman museum, that was great, visited some friends at Lake Haven and on up the coast and into Queensland. We didn't do any of the touristy things, like to Gold Coast, Movieworld, etc, but we did stop at Gympie, and spent several lovely days with Peter, Lyle and Margaret. Going to Montville was a highlight.

We only went as far north as Rockhampton, and then turned inland as Walter really wanted to go to Longreach, The Stockman's Hall of Fame, the Quantas museum, and Matilda Country.
We enjoyed some lovely evenings around campfires, especially when there was a bush poet, my favourite of these poems, is "The Damp Eyed Bloke", and of course there was always damper and billy tea.
We stopped one night on a property, by a bill-a-bong, purported to be the one from "Waltzing Matilda", whether is was or not it was a beautiful spot, and the stars were reflected in the still water, it was quite magic.

Yes that is me saying that, there are some really wonderful places out there, in the enormous country of ours, it's just the long, long stretches of nothing in between that I find too hard to handle.

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I talked to Walter this morning, and he is quite disappointed with his sojorn in the north, the first two days were warm, and since then it has been cold and windy, so he hasn't left the house.
The first of the Polo people start arriving tommorow, so hope they bring some warmer weather with them, for his sake.

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The only safe thing to take is a chance.

So continue we did.

2006-07-13T17:49:00.000+08:00

It was on through Melbourne and Gippsland visiting more relatives, and then to

It's only the mettwurst

2006-07-12T19:37:00.000+08:00

Walter had always had the dream that, when he retired, he would take a trip around Australia, having grown up in war torn Germany, the idea of such a trip was irresistable.

He and his family had first lived in Adelaide, South Australia, but after his first marriage broke down, he moved west, with his two daughters. His parents, sisters, brother and son all still resided in SA, so he was no stranger to long drives, crossing the Nullabor,a distance of over 2000 miles every year, for 15 years, and he actually enjoyed the long stretches of emptiness.

I, in my former life had made the trip many times, too, not as many as Walter, but enough to know it wasn't something I'd choose to do if I didn't have to. Before we got married I promised him, that I would go once, lots of people keep doing it, around the country with him, and so early in 2000, we bought a mobile home, quite nicely fitted out, with air condidioning, a must, and set off on the grand trip.

Most people on a trip such as this go clockwise, but we chose to go anti-clockwise, towards the east, which as things turned out was a very wise choice. We headed towards Esperance, and on our first day out, ran into a plague of locusts, they were so thick you could hardly see through them, the front of our vehicle was a real mess. Next day we reached my daughter and her husband's farm, managed to clean up the mobile and after a couple more days headed for Melrose, at the foot of the Flinders Ranges, where Walter's oldest sister lived.

From there it was on into Adelaide, for more family visiting, and a memorial service for Walter's father. His dad had been saying to him for years that it was times he got married again and settled down, so he was delighted to come to our wedding. He was 82, and quite frail, but he had a fine time at the wedding, but two days later we had to put him in the hospital, and he just quietly slipped away. I beleive, that he had seen his son settled, and he felt his life's work was done, and it was time to let go. He was cremated here in Wa, and we took his ashes back to Adelaide so that he could be with his "mutti", which was his pet name for his wife.

After that we drove through the Adelaide hills, stopping at Handorf for some German mettwurst, and on to a beautiful little seaside town called Robe. While walking around, Walter complained of chest pain, which he kept insisting, was just indigestion from the mettwurst, so after resting for a while, we did some more sightseeing, spent the night, and next day set off for Kybybolite, where Kim, Walter's son lives.

Sometime during the night, Walter woke me and said that I should get dressed so we could go to the hospital, after I was ready, he said, no, it's alright, get back to bed, which I did. An hour or so later, he woke me and said, he thought we should go, just as I was dressed, he said, go back to bed, a while later, the same thing, this time I got back into bed with my clothes on. Just as it was getting light, he finally agreed to being taken to the hospital, where, of course, he was found to be having a heart attack. So much for the mettwurst!

Ten days later, the doctors wanted him to go on to a larger hospital, where he would have a proceedure done on his heart. Instead of going back to Adelaide, he wanted to keep going forward, we went on to Geelong, not with Walter driving of course. My oldest friends live in Geelong, which gave me a place to stay while he was in the hospital. After several weeks there, the doctors said it was quite alright for us to continue our trip.

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In the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

The Teddy Bears Picnic

2006-07-11T17:01:00.000+08:00

A further installment to the "When Jacqui met Walter" story.

The above photo is of 4 of my very dear friends, who having decided that I, the bear lady, could not get married without any bears being present, so they collected and decorated the restaurant, with as many of my bears as they could find, and then went further than that. Morna, the white bear, composed new words to "The Teddy Bears Picnic" that went like this...

When we came out of the woods today, we all got a big surprise,

When we came out of the woods today, we couldn't beleive our eyes...

The Bridgetown Teddy Bear Lady they say, gets married to her Walter today

and she didn't invite her teddy bears to her wedding.

So we went back into the woods again and told all the friends of ours

to dress up quickly in festive gear and follow us to Ford House.

We didn't get an invite - who cares?

Our Jacqui can't get wed without bears,

she's got to have some teddy bears at her wedding!

As you can see they all donned bear suits and sang the song to us. I had absolutely no idea what they were up too, and it was a delightful surprise.

The 10th of July, is just about smack in the middle of our winter, and is normally very cold, yesterday for instance didn't get above 11degrees C., but on the day it was beautifully warm and sunny, the ceremony was conducted outside under a beautiful rose arbour, and it really was a perfect day.

I really am blessed to have such very special friends, they are just one more reason why I love this little town where I live. Bill, the one responsible for our meeting is the big bear on the right.

When I asked Alan, my oldest son, to give me away, he replied "Only if you are sure Walter is going to take you," they are all comedians, my sons, and take great pleasure in teasing me, but I love them anyway.

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The mind is like a parachute, it works best when it is open.

When Walter met Jacqui

2006-07-10T19:41:00.000+08:00

As today is our 7th Wedding Anniversary today, I thought it might be a good opportunity to tell the story of.........

When "Walter met Jacqui"

As you mostly all know, in 1997 I took myself off to the USA for a wonderful 3 month holiday, on my return I was quite unsettled and really felt that I would like to have someone to share the rest of my life with. I was going dancing twice a week, here in Bridgetown and wherever else in the South West, I had a couple of friends that I went with, in the hope of meeting that special someone.

Months went by, with me moaning to my friends that I hated being on my own, I had always felt we were made, man and woman, to be together. Well finally in August 1998, Bill, and dear friend came up with this idea. He composed an advertisment to go in our south west paper and it went like this....

WIFE classic 1938 model, Australian assembled, German engineering, well shod, low maintenance, a trifle noisy, been around the block a couple of times but running well, promises years of service to considerate, courteous owner, expressions of interest invited and tender documents returned, no tyre kickers please.Box #5266

Well after much discussion with family and friends I decided to put it in the paper.

This was the reply that came,

Dear 1938 BMW,

As I am also a 1938 vintage, German made, imported in 1954, with no ties, willing to give lifelong faithfull service and care to a classic model like this, ring me on 97263329,
Your hope to be future mechanic,

Walter.

Well after being called a BMW, what choice did I have, but to ring and after several phone conversations, we agreed to meet at a neutral place, and as we both liked what we saw and heard, we started going out and after a wonderful family christmas, we decided to get married the following July.

As one of my sons is a chaplin, he agreed to marry us, and Bill came to the rescue again with this wonderful invitation..

Family and friends of Jacqui Allen and Walter Berzel will be delighted to learn that their darling parents, Grandparents and friends have found new spouses. They intend to marry, by hook r by crook, come hell or high water, in the sight of God and Man and anyone else who cares to peer through the window at 12 noon 10th July 1999 at Ford House, Bridgetown WA.

As St Paul the apostle said;

"They cannot contain, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn."
1 Corinthians 7:9

Jacqui cannot be contained, dislikes being burnt and loves Walter very much.

Walter on the other hand, being a chap of mechanical bent, has "checked the old girl out, run her around the block, prodded the upholstery, kept a careful eye on the economy and declared her "sound", and now wants her transferred into his name.

The end result is the same. They are a good mixture of opposites, love each others company and wish to be together for the rest of their lives.

You are hereby invited to witness their marriage and partake of refreshments later. You will also witness the rather unusual sight of Jacqui's son Marcus officiating at his own mother's wedding.

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Keep smiling, it makes people wonder what you have been up to.

About hair and other things

2006-07-08T21:01:00.000+08:00

I am enjoying my weekend, my football team won, I am having my meals when I remember, not when the clock says, and just generally doing what I please. Walter is German and he tends to be very regimented, whereas I have mostly flown by the seat of my pants, we both got to be 60 doing things our own way, and it has taken a fair bit of compromise to make our relationship work.

I have thought several times about posting how we met and married, will have to do it while Walter is away, as he would be horrified.

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I enjoyed doing the Fours Meme, from Granny's blog, so am going to try the one from Meow's.

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Five things......

In My Fridg

Lite start milk. Avacado's. Cheese. Cooked brown rice. Greek style yoghurt.

In My Closet

Jackets. Wraps. Skirts. Tops. X-rays. (only shelf wide enough to accomodate them)

In My Purse (Handbag)

Money. Stamps. Old shopping lists. Face wipes. Pen.

In My Car

Water. Raincoat. Road maps. Bear. Blanket.

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The girls braids on Granny's blog, reminded me of the torture my sister and I endured each saturday night for Sunday School and family visiting on Sunday's.

We were both Blessed!! with straight hair and our mother insisted on us having our hair done up in rags, wonder does anyone else remember them. The hair would be washed and while still wet, divided, a bit like in braids, and then wound around longs peices of fabric, starting right at the scalp, and tied off securely.
When you lay down, it was agony, as the hair was pulled, and it was like laying on sticks as the wrapped hair was quite hard. I am flinching even as I write about it.

The other way, mum would make our hair wavy, was to wash it and braid it, and when it dried, it would have all these corrugations in it, I'm sure there is a photo somewhere, will have to look for it.

Back then it was thought to be more attractive to have curly hair, now of course girls go to all sorts of lengths to straighten their naturally curly hair, even ironing it, if a straightener is not vailable. Despite this weekly torture, I had a very happy and loving childhood.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

Four Memes

2006-07-07T21:20:00.000+08:00

Walter has just rung to let me know he has arrived safely, it's quite a long drive on your own, and he usually has a little nap after lunch, so I was glad to hear from him. It's warmer up there so I know that he will enjoy himself. It has been a quiet and uneventful day here. My days will be be full, I have quite a few projects that I want to do, and there other things that need finishing, I've made a good start so far.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm going to try the Fours Meme that Granny suggested.

Four jobs I have had.

Receptionist for a millinery firm. ( I just love hat's and back then it was OK to wear them)

Receptioist for Real Estate firm.

Waitress for large catering firm, sometimes doing four weddings in a weekend.

Partner in Craft Shop.

Four movies I would (do) watch over & over.

When Harry met Sally.

Steel Magnolias.

On Golden Pond.

Sleepless in Seattle.

Four Places I have lived.

There are actually 28 of them but I'll keep it to the four.

Northcote where I was born and had a very happy childhood.

Birchip where I lived when I was first married and our first son was born.

Mirboo North where I had a lavender farm.

Bridgetown, which I love.

Four TV shows I love to watch.

The West Wing.

DIY Scrapbooking.

NYPB Blue

Law and Order.

Four places I have been on vacation.

Lakes Entrance, beautiful seaside place, with a ninety mile beach.

The Faltz?? the area in Germany that Walter comes from.

Vermont, especially in the Fall.

Nantuckett, The faraway isle.

Four sites I visit daily.

Holt Press

Holties House.

Heron's Nest.

Roc Rebel Granny. Junie Rose.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note to Cara, thanks for your comments, I tried to email, but it came back, love AJ.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Devote today to something so daring even you can't beleive your doing it.

The next day

2006-07-05T19:36:00.000+08:00

Now that I have recovered somewhat from the trip home yesterday, I'll try to write something more positive. No decision has been made about the car yet, a friend is going to loan me a vehicle, he is too old to drive any more and was going to sell it, but in the meantime I can use it.
I could actually manage quite well without a car here where I live, the Doctor, hospital and shops, are within walking distance, unless you are trying to get the weeks groceries home, and there is always someone who is willing to take me if I have something urgent to do.

Walter is leaving on friday, to go to visit a friend from here, who now lives at Murchison, a small settlement about 650kms north of Perth, if you add the 300 from here to Perth it makes it a long days drive. He didn't want to go and leave me without transport, but now that I will have a car he is back to looking forward to the trip. Murchison is one of those outback places, there are only 7 buildings and it is hot, dusty and remote, Des loves it there and Walter will too, as he really dislikes the cold weather.

They have a big Polo tournament there each year, so, as that is happening next week, it is an added attraction to go at this time. Des will also take him out to MtAugustus, a monolith bigger than Urulu,which I know he will really enjoy. I was invited to go too, but with all that driving through miles of nothing, the dust and the heat, I am quite happy to be staying home, and he can tell me all about it when he returns.

I will do more civilised things, like going out for coffee with friends, taking walks along the river, stitching, and other pleasant things. I often think I am not very Australian, although the sound of our national anthem, always makes me feel proud, as I am one of a very few people who are quite happy to avoid the vast empty spaces, red dust etc., that epitomizes what Australia is. I do love the parts of Australia, that are green, cool and hilly, like around here of course, so perhaps I am not a lost cause altogether.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't try so hard, the best things come when you are least expecting them.

The disatrous trip home....

2006-07-04T21:01:00.000+08:00

Well I'm home again, had a lovely time in Perth, and was driving home this morning, when I saw smoke coming from the rear of the car and it just died, so I quickly pulled over and stopped, there was smoke pouring from under the bonnet/hood. On opening it I discovered that the top radiator hose had split, and as well as that there was oil everywhere and where it had gathered under a cowling there were flames. Luckily I had some water in the car and was able to put them out before they did any major damage, the real damage was already done of course, with the motor having seized.

A man had stopped to help when he saw the smoke etc., but there wasn't anything he could do. Very soon after that the volunteer fire brigade arrived, someone driving by had called them, once again there wasn't anything for them to do, so after making sure I was alright, they went back to work.

I called Walter and he first drove 100 kms to hire a car trailer, and then another 100kms to where I was stranded just south of Mandurah, all this took him about two and a half hours. We then winched the Diahatsu onto the trailer, secured everything and then made the long slow trip home, arriving here just after dark.

I was pretty shaken and worried about the whole thing, but Walter just kept saying don't worry, it can be fixed, and I guess it can, but I am worried about him doing it and hurting his back again. One of the reasons for him going to Perth was to see his doctor there and having an injection, which has worked quite well this time and I don't want him to do any more damage.

A nasty end to what had been a productive and enjoyable few days.

Life is a book, and anyone who has not travelled, has only read one page.

Some bears

2006-06-29T15:37:00.000+08:00

These are a few of the bears I have been busy making, I get a lot of pleasure out of making and dressing them, and as they sell quite well, there are people out there who like them them too.
The ones standing up, are from a design of my own, they are quite tall and slim, odd for bears I suppose, but they are very popular, and I have made lots of them. They are collectors bears of course, not suitable for young children, just those that are young at heart, and there are lots of them out there.

We had a store here in Bridgetown, where 9 of us crafty ladies, made and sold their wares, we were rostered for our days in the store, but our numbers reduced, by people moving, dying (most inconsiderate), and taking full time jobs. We were in business for 8 years, not bad for a purely hand craft shop, in a small town. When we got down to just the four of us we decided that it was time to move on, and so we retired, gracefully I hope.

I have still sold my bears in other places, like fairs etc., and it was from that, that I was approached to put them in this store in Perth. They, the bears have gone all over the world, with lots of them taken back to the US, Ireland, England, Japan, Canada etc., and most states here in Australia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A couple had two little boys, aged 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievious. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that if any mischief occured in their town, their sons were probably involved.

The boy's mother heard that a clergyman in town had been succcessful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak to her boys. The clergyman agreed, but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8 year old first in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon.

The clergyman, a huge man, with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?". The boys mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide eyed. So the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?". Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!?"

The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him, he asked "What happened?"

The younger brother gasing for breath, replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time, mate. God is missing - and they think WE did it!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Delicious ambiguity; life is made of moments, small peices of glittering mica in long stretches of grey cement.

Warning signs

2006-06-28T19:26:00.000+08:00

We are away to Perth at the weekend, it's Walter's youngest grandaughter's 2nd birthday, so I have been busy making some new bears to take to the outlet I have found there. Well actualy she found me, having bought one of my bears, and really loving it, she asked me to put some in her lovely store, it's in an outer suburb of Perth, called Kalamunda. Taking them up by car is the only reliable way of delivering them. I also have to deliver one that was ordered,so I'm happy about that.

Walter has decided to join the local Woodturning club here, one of our friends has introduced him to it and he has decided to give it a try. They meet every Thursday, so it is a good way for him to have some male company. He is going to buy some tools in Perth while we are there. He has always hated working with wood, he complains that it gives him splinters, so it will be interesting to see how it all goes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some how we all seem to be preoccupied with growing old, perhaps because that is what is happening to us, anyway I found these and thought I would share them.

How do we know if we are already "over the hill" or simply teetering at the summit of that slippery slide to oblivion?.

Some warning signs.

You start saying things like: "In my day... When I was young... In the good old days..."

You can't see the numbers on the bathroom scale without holding your stomach in.

The gleam in your eyes is the sun hitting your bifocals.

Your doctor sarts saying things like, "Considering your age..."

Your back goes out more than you do.

You find the glasses you have been loking for on your head.

You can't stand intolerant people.

Your golf score is twice your age.

The candles on your birthday cake trigger the smoke alarm.

The thought of exercise makes you sweat.

You can't stand the toilet paper hung in the "wrong" direction.

You have to rely on grandchildren to program your video.

A succesful session in the bathroom is one of the highlights of your day.

You realise the only way to look thinner is hang around with someone fatter.

You can't name a single top 40 song, and you wouldn't like any of them anyway.

You feel like the morning after the night before, and you haven't been anywhere.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angels exist, only sometimes they don't have wings and we call them friends.

Not a perfect world...

2006-06-27T20:31:00.000+08:00

Here in far WA we tend to beleive we are immune to much of the crime that happens in the more populated states, but in the last week we have had two terrible murders, a 15 year old girl strangled by two of her so called friends, in a small town about an hour from us here.

And then yesterday in Perth an 8 year old girl, out shopping with her uncle and big brother, went to the toilet and when she did not return, she was found in the disabled toilet, having been raped and murdered. Thankfully the person responsible was caught, a 21 year old, part time shop assistant at the mall.

I'm sure these sort of acts are influenced by all the voilence that is a constant on all the media, the computer games etc., kids seem to get immune to all the killing or something like that.

I feel so sorry for the families, not just of the victims but the perpetrators as well, it must be heartbreaking to think that a child of yours could do such a terrible thing.

I have three 8 year old grandchildren, and you tend to think that they are old enough to do some things on their own, and in a perfect world they would be, but of course we don't live in a perfect world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The loss of the Soceroos in the World Cup, pales in comparsion, but of course all things are relative, and we were badly treated by the referee's. Our team certainly did us proud.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have had a few interesting days here trying to stop a leak in the bathroom. The wall on the other side was wet. First of all we thought , it must have been the tap leaking, nothing as simple as that. So next Walter took some of the plaster wall off, it was so wet and had to be replaced anyway, it was very wet in there but it still wasn't evident where the water was coming from., it still looked like the fittings though. There was nothing else to do but take the bath out, since the tiles had been put on after the bath was installed this was a very tricky job, and we did manage to break two of them.

At this stage I suggested that as we no longer had small children coming to stay we could leave the bath out and just have a shower recess, Walter didn't take to kindly to this suggestion, not wanting all the work it would entail, or the expense either, Oh well one day perhaps, it would give us more space and be one less thing to clean.

By this time it was getting late, so, no shower for Walter and we would have to attack it again in the morning. Because it had been so wet the floor had rotted and the frame that holds the bath up had dropped in the corner, which had broken the seal around the bath, which had made it leak worse, so, as you can see what looked like a small job had nearly turned into a major bathroom renovation. I'm glad to say that everything is back in place, and showers are able to be had again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have had a lovely lot of rain today and it is pouring at the moment, I'm sure the farmers around will be very pleased, as it has been the driest June on record.

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Rules for happinss: Something to do, someone to love, something to hope for.

Green and Gold Malaria

2006-06-26T09:09:00.000+08:00

Green and Gold Malaria

by Rupert McColl

The day would soon arrive when I could could not ignore the rash.

I was obviously ill and so I called on Dr Nash.

This standard consultation would adjudicate my fate.

I walked into his surgery and gave it to him straight:

"Doc, I wonder if you might explain this allergy of mine,

I get these pins and needles running up and down my spine.

From there, across my body, it will suddenly extend -

My neck will feel a shiver and the hairs will stand on end.

And then there is this symptom that only man can fear -

A choking in the throat, and the crying of a tear."

Well, the doctor scratched his melon with a rather worried look.

His furrowed brow suggested that the news to come was crook.

"What is it Doc?" I motioned. Have I got a rare disease?

I'm man enough to cop it sweet, so give it to me please."

"I'm not to sure," he answered, in a puzzled kinbd of way.

"You've got some sort of fever, but it's hard for me to say.

When is it that you feel this mst peculiar condition?.

I thought for a moment, then I gave him my position:

"I get it when I'm standing in an Anzac Day parade,

And I get it when the anthem of our native land is played,

And I get it when Meninga makes a Kiwi- crunching run,

And when Border grits his teeth to score a really gutsy ton.

I got it back in '91 when Farr-Jones held the cup,

And I got it when Japan was stormed by Better Loosen Up.

I get it when Banjo takes me down the Snowy River,

And Matilda sends me waltzing with a billy-boiling shiver.

It hit me hard when Sydney was awarded the Games,

And I get it when I see our farmers fighting for their names.

It flattened me when Bertrand raised the boxing kangaroo,

And when Perkins smashed the record, well, the rashes were true blue.

So tell me, Doc," I questioned. "Am I really gonna die?"

He broke into a smile before he looked me in the eye.

He wiped away a tear and then gave me this stirring speech:

"From the beaches here in Queensland to the sweeping shores of Broome,

On the Harbour banks of Sydney, where the Waratah's bloom.

From Urulu at sunset to the Mighty Tasman Sea

In the Adelaide cathedrals, at the roaring MCG.

From the Great Australian Bight to the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The medical profession call it "Green and Gold Malaria"

But forget about the text books, son, the truth I shouldn't hide.

The rash that you've contracted here is good old "Aussie Pride".

You'll die with it, young man, because there isn't any cure."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a couple of expressions explained for our overseas visitors.

melon ..head

crook..sick/bad

Meninga..a rugby star

a ton...100 runs in cricket

"Better Loosen Up" .. a race horse

Bertrand/boxing kangaroo...when we won the America's Cup

Perkins......long distance swimmer

cop it sweet...take it

MCG...famous cricket ground in Melbourne.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just loved this poem when I heard it yesterday, hope you all do too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains.

No more travel tales

2006-06-25T14:28:00.000+08:00

No more travel tales at the moment, we are trying to arrange our plans to travel to Germany and the US starting in September. We have agreed that as soon as it gets cold Walter is coming home and I am staying at least until Thanksgiving and longer if it hasn't snowed. I really want to experience a northern fall and winter again, and unless we win the lottery, this will be the last overseas trip, so I am determined to make the most of it.

No posting yesterday as Walter was trying to help a friend download something, we have two computers but only one can be connected to the internet at a time. Well, the attempted downloading went on most of the day and into the night, all to no avail, I'm glad to leave all that sort of thing to Walter. Like most men he hates to be beaten.

I took advantage of a beautiful day here, to do some work in the garden, I had bought a pond liner at a garage/yard sale and decided to install it. It was a deal of hard work but looks very good now that it is in place, just need to get some plants around it now, and maybe a waterlily or two to really set it off. It is just of our back porch, and as I love the sound of trickling water have installed a small pump which is sending water through an old tin watering can. I am very pleased with the effect. It was time to cut back the roses and other plants that had got out of hand. I ache in a few places, but that's OK.

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1st Woman: "Working full time and trying to do the housework really gets to me. After work, I came home, washed the clothes and the dishes, tommorow I have to do the floors and the front windows....."

2nd Woman: "What about your husband?"

1st Woman: "No way! he can wash himself!!"

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.

New Orleans to Los Angeles

2006-06-23T15:02:00.000+08:00

Check out the tyres
THE Chevvy!!
Loved the NO architecture
Walter on Burbon St
Louis Armstrong park

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next morning found us on our way back to Vermont, it was like coming home to be with Ron and Kay again. Their boys Amar and Kyle came home for Thanksgiving. Much preparation, cooking and tasting went into the feast that was Thanksgiving dinner,(at lunch time) and it was all wonderful. We were all invited toanother dinner at friends of Kay and Ron, this time there were over 30 of us around a table groaning under the weight of the food. It was a glorious night outside, it had snowed, and with the moonlight shining on it, it was breathtaking.

They have some wonderful traditions, and Thanksgiving is certainly one of the best, we count ourselves very fortunate to have been able to share with these wonderful people.
For the next few days Walter helped Ron with some finishing jobs on the new house, they enjoyed each others company. While this was happening K ay & I took the opportunity to spend some time together, doing what we enjoy, shopping. I had a great time, as the stores were full of things to do with christmas, some of which I couldn't resist buying.

Because we had enjoyed our train journeys we decided that rather than flying to LA, we would take the train again, this time going down through Atlanta and New Orleans. After a few more great days with the Clark's, we bought a 15 day rail pass and headed for Atlanta, and on to New Orleans. We are so glad now that we did this, as I don't suppose New Orleans will ever be the same after the terrible floods.

We stayed in the French Quarter in another super little B & B, see photos, we went out to a plantation, had a boat trip through the swampland, where we saw aligators in the water, Walter even got to hold one, a very little and docile one of course, it was all just like we see in the movies, water, trees with moss dripping from them, the little shacks etc.

We ate some great southern food, walked along Bourbon St., saw the paddle steamers, Louis Armstrong Park, altogether N. O. was another excellent place.

Our last train journey was from N.O. to L.A., where we were supposed to arrive at 7am, but owing to some amazing mishaps, it was 11pm, when we finally got to Annahiem where we met Ed. Thank goodness for mobile phones, as I was able to keep updating Ed and Cherie on our estimated time of arrival. That trip was another whole story, which I wont go into here, suffice to say we did arrive and were able to spend a couple of lovely relaxing days with Cherie, Ron's sister) and her husband Ed.

Ed has this amazing 1955 Chevvy., he and his son Matt, had spent the last few years restoring and modifying it. It was red of course and although it is licenced for the streets, it is actually a dragster. He took Walter for a drive in it one evening, when they returned Walter's eyes were as big as saucers, he was really blown away by the experience.

Just two days later we again reluctantly said goodbye to them, as we did all our other lovely friends from the US, Sweden, and Germany and headed for Auckland on the second last leg of our journey.

As I have previously mentioned it was the people that touched our lives, in large or small ways, that made the trip something that we will always treasure, their friendship, care, help, thoughtfulness and love wherever we went, that will live long in our memories, and we hope they will continue to think of us with the fondness they showed.

Writing this has refreshed my mind to the wonderful time we had and I can only hope that you have enjoyed reading about our travels too.

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If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?

New Orleans

2006-06-23T14:44:00.000+08:00

Walter and "Satchmo"
Louis Armstrong park. NO.
Shack in swamp, NO
Swamo, NO
Walter, with aligator

2006-06-23T09:34:00.000+08:00

Louisianna swamp
Plantation outside New Orleans
Our hotel in the French Quarter, New Orleans
Walter & Jacqui training between NO and LA
Times Square
Thanksgiving dinner with the Clark family, Ron, Kyle, Amar, Kay and Jacqui

Lancaster county and New York.

2006-06-22T14:52:00.000+08:00

Guess this one speaks for it's self

An Amish farm and family wagon

An Amish phone box
A corn crib
A wagon park.

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I had a wonderful few days at Windy Harbour, it is such a treat to be able to just sit and read, or stitch or even just sit, and know that there is nothing else you should be doing. I did take some long walks, but I enjoy that anyway. So after playing hookey for a few days I had better get on with the travels.

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Our next stop was Lancaster, PA, in the heart of Amish and Mennonite country. We were able to visit the dear lady, Mary, that I had stayed with before, she had retired as well as getting married, we had lunch with her and Abner. He has since died, he was in his 90's and Mary is 75.

She was able to send us to another B & B, this time run by an exceptional Mennonite lady, named Verna. She and two friends has visited Australia the year before and are planning to come again. What a wonderful place it was to stay, Ellmaker House, at Gap, PA, it is a fully restored old stone home, our room was sumptous, the bed so large that we had a step stool to climb into it.

I mentioned to Verna that I had been taken on a tour by a lovely lady called Ada, well she turned out to be her aunt. We quickly set up a tour with her, she is now 82, but so with it and so full of knowledge, it was people like her and Verna that made our trip so enjoyable.
She took us to some quilt, candle and furniture places, all done with no electricity, that is one thing that makes the area unique, no power lines everywhere.

The country side is just delightful,, with farms and their barns, little schools, and quaint villages, and the food, always the food. The phone box pictured above, is one shared by several families, they are not able to have the phone connected to their houses, so they share one like this.

Walter did not want to go to New York, but we had to change trains, so he agreed to stay overnight there, this allowed me to contact my friend Adona. We arrived at 8.30pm on a Sunday, and after we had booked into our hotel, Adona came to meet us, it was very exciting being there again and seeing her.

We took a cab to Times Square, saw Broardway, the cabs, and all the lights, then we walked to a lttle restaurant for dinner. We then took another cab across the Brooklyn Bridge, intending to walk back, so that Walter could seethe Manhattan skyline, but it was a bit far with our limited time.

Instead we stayed in the cab and drove to the corner of 11th and Bleeker where there is the wonderful Magnolia Bakery. Even at 11.30 pm, on a sunday night, it was full of people, so as it was Walter's birthday we bought 3 cup cakes and a candle and proceeded to this little park opposite, where we sat on a bench and sang Happy birthday to him. Something you could only do in New York. After that we walked Adona back to her train station and reluctantly went to bed. Altogether it had been a magical few hours.

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Gettysburg & Antietam

2006-06-22T14:29:00.000+08:00

Walter at Gettysburg with the monster chevvy
One of the many memorials at Gettysburg

Bloody lane at Antietam
Burnside's bridge at Antietam
There were over 25,000 casualities in the one day at Antietum, the bloodiest day in the Civil War

Jasper to John Deere country and beyond

2006-06-16T13:19:00.000+08:00

Walter holding an indian arrow head, and other interesting articles on train (Trails & Rails)
Niagra from the US side.
Mississippi and local characters
An amazing vehicle

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We arrived a couple of hours late at Buffalo NY state, but Kelly, Jim and Jacob were there waiting for us. Late arrival, curtesy of the 3 hours it took us to get back into the US. Kelly had lived here in Australia with her parents for 3 years, and she went to the same school as my daughter Shannon. Kelly and Jim now have another son, Jason, who we will meet when we visit them later this year. We only had two days in Buffalo, but they were very enjoyable.
We saw the Niagra Falls, but just from the the US side, as we didn't want to risk another lengthy border crossing. Had some good food again, see photo of Walter & I wearing our bibs and eating ribs at Tony Roma's .

It was soon time to leave for Chicago, then Galesburg and on to Milan, one of the Quad cities, where Keith and Michelle, Kelly's parents live. Keith is the head accountant for John Deere, so of course we did lots of John Deere things. Took a tour through the combine harvester plant, it was great, I thoroughly enjoyed it as well as Walter. The plant was spotless, I've certainly never been in a factory anything like it. We saw the assembly from start to finish and the spraypainting, which was really quite amazing, we were fascinated with it all. John Deere are a very family orinentated company, and it is a great place to work.

We `saw the amazing vechicle pictured, while we were out with Michelle one day, and of course Walter had to have a picture of it to show back home, it could be yours for a measley $22,000
US.

Once again we ate at some great places, one was "Sneaky Pete's" on the banks of the Mississippi, you may notice in the photo, that nthere are lots of neckties hanging from the rafters, they have a policy of no formal wear, and if anyone comes in wearing a tie, the waitresses come along with a large pair of shears and cut it off. The food was superb as usual and another interesting little custom that have there is that you drink out of glass jars. It is very popular, so it seems nobody minds these odd little things that they do. One night we had a "cook out", even though it was very cold, we just put on lots of sweaters and rugs, and had our feast, sitting around the fire talking and laughing.

The whole week was filled with laughter, but our rail passes were running low, so we had to move on. On our last morning there, in the field opposite their home, the farmer was picking ( that's what they called reaping) the corn, so we watched, fascinated, as the machine picked the corn, stripped the kernels and tossed out the cob, all this with the husk still attached. We had a great breakfast at an old fashioned diner and then caught the first of several trains to took us to Harper's Ferry, where we stayed at the same B&B as I had back in 97, and they helped make our time there wonderful.

We needed a hire vehicle while we were there, and the only one we could get was an enormous Chevy pick up truck, it felt quite weird just us two old fogey's driving around in it, however it got us to the places we wanted to see, like Gettysburg and Antietum, it's hard to describe just what it was like to be there, standing on those battlefields. We hired a tour guide, they actually take you around in your own vehicle, so it is a lot makes more personal and interesting way to go. Even Walter "enjoyed" if that is the word, for such a place, his time there. Harper's Ferry it's self is such a great place, so our three days there, soon slipped by.

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I am off to Windy Harbour, with my friend Morna, tommorow, so no posts till at least Tuesday, it is such a peaceful place to be, no phones, TV, etc., I have some stitching to do, so wont be bored.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The biggest liar in the world is "they say"

Pictures

2006-06-16T12:53:00.000+08:00

Walter with Keith's JD chainsaw & yard tractor
Geese wating to fly south, on the lawns at the JD headquarters
A JD Multi purpose vehicle
At Sneaky Pete's
Walter and Jacqui eating as usual, beautiful ribs this time

Jasper

2006-06-14T15:33:00.000+08:00

I needed to post these pictures to make them correspond with the story

Our train from Vancouver had this uptairs viewing car, which was wonderful, as you can see from this shot.

On our way to Lake Maligne

Beautiful Lake Maligne

This was so beautiful,where the water fall had frozen.

Jacqui enjoying the snow, the mountains and just about everything.

Monterey ...Jasper.....

2006-06-14T14:30:00.000+08:00

Skip, Joshua and Jacqui inCarmel,.with his Drizabone and Akubra, Skip looks more Australian then most Australians.

A beautiful window decor in Carmel
One of the houses in Carmel with the unusual curved roof line.

I had bought a post card of this covered bridge when in the US in 1997, so had to take my own picture.

The viewing car, the screen in the corner is for films, they show them at night, when of course you can't see much out of the windows.

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We only changed trains in Vancouver and then it was off to Jasper, Alberta. It was a stunning place, lovely little town nestled all around with mountains, with snow on them of course, which suited me very well. We had a great self contained unit, quite new and well appointed.
We ate out and had some great meals. It was Halloween, while we were there and it was very interesting for us to watch the children, trick or treating, halloween is not celebrated in Australia.

The weather was beautiful, and because it was still early in the season the mountains were not covered in snow, but had these lines of snow, that with the sun shining on them, made it look like the mountains were wearing giant diamond necklaces, it truly was a glorious sight.

We booked to go on a mini-bus tour to Lake Maligne, and were to be picked up outside our unit at 8am. So Walter who is a real stickler for being on time had us out there 10 minutes early, it had snowed overnight and the whole place was breath taking. Well time went on and Walter had marched up and down, till he had quite a track worn, getting madder by the minute. At 20 past eight, he sent me back to unit to call and find out where the mini-bus was, and they informed me that it was only 7.20 am, daylight saving having finished at midnight. He really had to eat the nasty words he had been saying about them. So we went back to our unit and had a lovely cup of hot chocolate, and were picked up at the corect time.

The tour was well worth the wait, we went up to Lake Maligne, which was just beautiful, and on the way we passed a herd of Elk, saw fresh wolf tracks in the snow, some Rocky mountain sheep, no bears though they were already in hibernation. With the 3 to 4 inches of fresh snow that had fallen, the whole place was amazingly beautiful, it was so wonderful to be there in the midst of so much natural beauty.

After our delightful 3 days in Jasper, it was back on the train for two days and nights to Montreal. Once more travelling through superb scenery, and as usual there were great people on the train to interact with. It took us three hours to get through customs at the border, security is just so tight , and they were leaving nothing to chance. We made it and then headed for Buffalo, New York State.

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In Australia, there are three roads to poverty - drinking, gambling and farming.

My family chose the slowest of the three. author unknown

San Diego and Amtrak

2006-06-13T12:19:00.000+08:00

On our cruise around San Diego harbour

Walter dreaming!!!

The famous or should I say " infamous" Banana split

Leaving on Amtrak for Seattle

They don't call this "The salad bowl" for nothing, lettuce, lettuce, as far as you can see in all directions.

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We were only able to spend 24 hours with Skip, Trii & Joshua, in Monteray, but it such a treat to see them again. Sip & Terri had come to Australia in the early 80's. Skip was running the YMCA in Perth when my Marcus returned from his couple of years overseas. Skip gave Marcus a job, and from there Skip worked on Marcus and within a fairly short time Marcus became a christian and his life changed forever. It was through Skip, that Marcus met Carolyn, who of course became his wife, and mother of their four wonderful children.

Skip left the YMCA to become the first principal of Thornlie Christian College, which my youngest daughter Shannon attended, and we became firm friends with him and Terri, Joshua was born in Australia. About four years ago, they moved back to the States, as their older son Gabriel was attending college there. We were all very sad to see them go. Skip is now the first pastor and principal of Calvary Christian College, in Monteray, so the main reason for our stop over there, was to catch up with them all again.

We spent a pleasant afternoon strolling around Carmel, some of the houses there have these very interesting roofs?? that doesn't look right, but guess you will know what I mean.
Joshua has grown into a delightfull young man, he and my grandson Zachariah were good buddies. We stayed overnight on a beautiful B & B, we loved being there. It was time to get back on the train and head for Seattle.

We headed up the coast, passing through some really wonderful scenery, in places like Oregon and Washington State. On some routes on Amtrak, they have what are known as "Rails & Trails" volunteers, who board at one stop, give a comentary about the country you are passing through, (only in the viewing car) and then get off at another stop, and either stay overnight or get the next train back. They only do this a couple of times a month, I think it would be a great thing to be involved in, getting to travel and meet heaps of new people.

We had gone to Seattle because Walter was very interested in taking the tour of the Boeing factory, he had seen various programs on TV about it. Also our friend Morna had lived in Seattle and worked at Boeing for three years, and it sounded very much like something Walter would enjoy. Well, after paying his bs fare and entry to Boeing, he virtually saw nothing, it seems that since 9/11, because of security precautions, they don't let you see any of the assembling etc, that people like Walter are interested in. I have a lovely time, looking around the city and the beautiful houseboats.

So after a couple of days it was back on the train bound for Vancouver.

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A roumour without a leg to stand on will get around some other way

Some more photos from VT to San Diego

2006-06-12T15:33:00.000+08:00

The Von Trapp Chateau
Covered bridge and fall foliage in VT
Outside the San Diego Zoo.
One of the old sailing ships at San Diego
A beautiful spanish building at Balboa ParkSome more photos from VT to San Diego

Vermont to San Diego

2006-06-12T14:22:00.000+08:00

Lighthouse on Nantucket
The old prison on Nantucket.

Ron & Kay at an old style diner, on the way to Centre Harbour.

Jacqui at Centre Harbour,
a long time wish come true.

Kay & Rons new home, trees & lake in background.

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A long time dream of mine was to go to "Keepsake Quilting", a store in New Hampshire, for the last 12 years I have been getting their catalogue, 4 times a years, and Morna & I sit and almost drool over them. Over the years we have ordered fabric and other supplies and always been very pleased, so to actually have the opportunity to go there was fantastic.

Our week went by too quickly, and we were off again. This time to San Diego, where more of our good friends live, Paul and Vicki, they have been to Australia several times and stayed with us. They actually live in Old Town, which was such a treat for us, so we stayed right in the middle of all that history of the early settlement of California.

We also went to the San Diego zoo, Walter went to the port and went to the Midway aircraft carrier, now a museum, he also saw some ancient sailing ships that were there also. We went on a lovely cruise, all around the harbour, and of course no stay in San Diego would be complete without a visit to the Hotel Del Coronado, I had seen it before, but it is certainly worth a second or even third look.

We went to Balboa Park, set high on the cliffs above San Diego, and had a great afternoon looking at all the beautiful buildings, built in very ornate spanish style.
Vicki took us to a great little ice-cream kiosk on the beach, where she & her sister had spent many happy hours when they were growing up. I decided to have a Banana split, I had no idea how enormous it would be, see photo, but I was able to make my way through it.

The weather was perfect, well for Walter, I of course was looking forward to seeing some snow.
San Diego is a beautiful place and we certainly enjoyed our time there.
We activated our rail passes there and set off for Monteray.

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Every day brings a chance to live free of regret and with as much joy, fun and laughter as you can stand.

Washington DC ~~ Better late than never

2006-06-11T15:02:00.000+08:00

George Washington's farm house at Mt Vernon
Jacqui in great company
at Boyd's bear country
The Kennedy graves
Arlington cemetary, watching the most impressive changing of the guard.

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We were to have been met by our friends Dee Ann and Clark, they had lived in Australia for several years, and were frequent visitors to Bridgetown, staying at Ford house actually.
Dee Ann bought many of my bears over the years, and took them back to the US with her.

On the day of our arrival, they had to a funeral in New York, so we were met by Wolf, their driver, holding a teddy bear in one hand and a sign in the other saying Berzel. He took us to Dee Ann and Clark's beautiful apartment in Alexandria, Maryland, just over the border from DC.
They arrived back next evening and we had a great time with them over the next four days.
Of course Dee Ann and I had to go the the Boyd's bear barn, a whole three floors devoted to bears. I was pretty good and only bought some small bears to take home for presents.

Walter had been waiting to go the the Smithsonian, you really need mch more time than we had, to go there, but he enjoyed the Spy museum. Walter and I went to Arlington cemertary and saw the very impressive changing of the guard. The prescision of the whole thing is just incredible, watching the soldiers move up and down, and the guard changing is spectacular to say the least.

From DC, we flew to Boston, took the bus to Hyannis-port and the ferry to Nantucket. Those of you who read about my first trip will know how much I loved it . Well I loved it just as much this time, and so did Walter, if fact he organised for us to stay an extra day. It really is an enchanting place, we even managed to stay at the same Inn as before, and it hadn't changed at all.

Returning from there we took the bus to Vermont, passing through the beautiful New England country side, and we were met by our dear friends Kay and Ron, they had moved since my visit with them in 1997, to their own lovely home at North Ferrisburgh. It was so good to see them again and we really had a marvellous time. They both had to work so we were able to borrow one of their cars and explore the stunning Vermont country side. Their home is set on 10 acres, of which only 5 is cleared, so it has all these trees in glorious fall colours., and you can see the lake just across the way.

We went back to most of the places I had visited before, Walter really liked the Von Trapp chateau, and the setting it is in. After a fabulous week we were off again, this time to San Diego, from where we would begin our 30 train trip, that would bring us back to Vermont for Thanksgiving.

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A hug: The best gift you cos every size fits & exchanges are welcome.

2006-06-10T23:25:00.000+08:00

I was all set to post some more of our trip when I did something and caused all the photos on my blog to vanish, every one of them, from day one, including the ones in my comments. I have been in touch with my mentor, and he found that they were still showing on his computer, so I have signed in on Walter,s computer and sure enough they are visible here to, so am posting this to see what happens on my computer...
/the joys of blogging, goodnight jacqui

Sweden

2006-06-09T19:29:00.000+08:00

This enclosure is at "Skansa" the garlands are dummies/pacifiers, parents bring their children here where they want them to give their dummies up and they "spit" them for the last time. There were heaps of them, hanging from trees etc.

Walter riding a "Swedish Horse" There was quite a line of children waiting for him to get off.

An early swedish farm house
A much earlier swedish farm house. All the above were at Skansa.
The buildings in Stockholm were so lovely, and in very good condition. Of course Sweden hasn't had a war for centuries, so no bombing damage like so many other places in Europe.

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Sweden, is a very beautiful place too, we stayed with our friend Morna's sister Kajsa and her husband Tommi, great people. Tommi is an armed guard at the Treasury ??, not sure if that is it's correct name, but it is where all the money comes from.

We took another cruise, this time from Stockholm overnight to Mariehamn, and back the next day, through one of the most beautiful and spectacular archipelligos in the world, islands everywhere, 23,000 of them, all different sizes. Some with a single tree, some with a little fishing hut, some with a single house and others with a whole village. We travelled back all day, the weather was perfect, the water like a mill-pond, it was truly breath taking.

Kajsa cooked us some fantastic Swedish meals, I wish I could re-create them here, but some ingredients are simply not available. I have however, with Morna's help learned to make swedish meatballs, a lovely sauce, served with Linginberry sauce and red cabbage. Yummy!!
We took a walk through old Stockholm, which was another great day, such a beautiful city, and of course the ever present water, which makes it quite special.

Spent another day with Kajsa and Tommi, at a place called "Skansa", it is right close in to the city of Stockholm, it is like a living history book, on farming and living in sweden through the ages. Saw my first reindeer there, they are lovely animals, quite different from the sterotype ones we see on christmas cards etc.

After four great days with Kajsa and Tommi, it was time to move on again, so we headed for the USA, Washington DC, to be precise.

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I have actually spent the day with my friends, Morna and Gillian, on a shopping spree in Bunbury, our closest town, it's about an hour away. We had a great time, leaving home at 8am and not returning home till 6pm. We plan to do it again in the not too distant future. It was wonderful not having our husbands, hovering, looking surreptitiously at their watches, or saying "What do you need that for". It seems most menfolk are like that, although I know a couple exceptions.

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The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved.

Little Versailles

2006-06-09T19:16:00.000+08:00

This is the "Little Versialles"palace. It went just as far in the other direction.
The summer house, done in the moorish style, the ceilings were beautifully painted.
Part of the gardens
This shot may give you some idea just how huge this "Little Versailles" is.

Photos from Germany

2006-06-08T22:17:00.000+08:00

Blogger decided to post this photo twice. It is taken from a castle and shows just how close the little villages and towns are, each maintaining its own identity

This is the church that Friedrich & Walter went to.
Jacqui & Walter at a Winery
Walter and cousin Herman
If you just scroll down, you will be able to sart at the beginning of our trip to Germany etc.

Friedrich's car, which he was trading in for a new one, just after we left, it is a two seater, so we did our touring in his other vehicle, a BMW.

As Blogger will only let me post five photos at a time, I have put these on a seperate blog.

Germany ~~~

2006-06-08T20:09:00.000+08:00

Freidrich and Walter at Ghost Lake
The Nahre at Heidleberg
The narrow street where we stayed at Bacharat
Bacharat
Vineyard and crooked building viewed from the Rhine.

Thought it was time to take you all on Our trip to Germany, Sweden and the USA in 2004.

We went first to Germany, where we stayed with Walter's old school friend Friedrich and his lovely wife Edeltraud. Because Walter has been here in Australia since 1954, and has had very little opportunity to speak german, he was worried about being able to converse with Friedrich,
but within 10 minutes they were talking, flat out. To see them together after 50 years was just great for Edel and I. We also visited some of Walter's family, his cousin Herman and an Aunt, who has since died.

We had a marvelous time in Germany, saw and did so much in a short time, we wished we had been able to stay longer. We took a cruise on the Rhine, and saw a fantastic fireworks display over a number of castles, it was very spectacular. With Friedrich & Edel we went to Little Versailles, apparently and german prnce had married a french princess, and she was homesick, so he built her a little Versaille palace. There weill be some photos of it, and you will see that it is not very little. We went to Heidleberg ansd saw the casle and the lovely old town, we went through so many little villages, with cobblestone streets and crooked little houses, including the ones that Walter & Fred had lived and played in as children, places with so much history that it was hard to take it all in.

We ate great german food at home with Edel & fred and at some lovely restaurants, and drank some excellent wine. When we were there it was time for the neuwien, and it is the local tradition to have onion cake and neuwien, it was very good. We certainly crammed a lot in, in the two weeks we were there. It was hard to leave, but our itinerary had us moving on to Sweden.

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It's hard to feel middle- aged, because how can you tell how long you are going to live.

From my garden~~~these beautiful Iris

2006-06-07T14:32:00.000+08:00

Thanks everyone for your positive thoughts about blogging, like you I can only see good coming from it. As far as I can see we are in more danger every day just going out in our cars, or any of the other things we do. I certainly don't think it is fair to compare it to "chat rooms" Well, I am going to continue blogging and sharing in the blogging fraternity, with all you lovely people out there.
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I just love these Iris, they are one of my favourite flowers. There's not much flowering in the garden at the moment.
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Walter is making a big pot of Pea and Ham soup, it certainly smells delicious, and with some garlic bread should make a great dinner. We share the cooking. He raised his two girls and was on his own for a lot of years, so he learned to be a good cook. I'm certainly not complaining.

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Once again I have had trouble with Mr Blogger, I had not quite finished quite a long post, when we had to go out for about 30 minutes, and when I returned , the post, complete with the photos had simply disappeared. There's no one but Walter and I in the house, so there's no one else to blame.

I was posting some quotes from kids about their mothers. I haven't time to do them all again. I really liked this one.....

I'm the youngest of six kids. We've all done well - I'm going to be a barrister some day.
When I graduated from Uni last year, Mum showed me this bit of old paper, a form signed by her phys. ed teacher when she was thirteen, at school in Italy. It was for excellence in swimming.

That is the only document she has recording her excellence in anything. But she says she has us if anyone wants to check her work. Assynta 21.

That's pretty much how I feel about my life, I don't have any letters after my name, or diplomas, but I feel pretty proud of my five wonderful children, and what they have acheived.

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There's no point to being grown-up, if you can't be childish sometimes.

About blogging

2006-06-05T19:15:00.000+08:00

This photo was taken at Augusta, it's about as far south and west as you can go here in Australia, it's usually pretty cold and windy, but a beautiful place, it was in august, the end of our winter, that this shot was taken.

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That's not what I wanted to blog about tonight, though.

We were out to dinner last night, for Bruce (my son's) birthday, and we got to talking about Peter's (his dad's) birthday celebration the weekend before, and how he had 70 odd hits on his site for his birthday. Anyway both Bruce and the friends we were with said they thought blogging was not a good thing to be involved in, and that it was as dangerous as "chat rooms"
So I thought I would put this post on and see what others out there in blogging land thought.

I know I have only been blogging for a short while, but I really love it and the interaction that you can have, and I fail to see how it could be dangerous. Maybe I'm just naive, and only want to see the best in everbody. Frankly, it seems to me that unwanted e-mails are a bigger problem, and I wish there was something that could be done about them.

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Old friends are best unless you catch a new one fit to make an old one out of.

Erinae Lavender Farm

2006-06-04T15:29:00.000+08:00

This was part of the garden I established.
This was how it looked when we bought the property
Several years down the track.
and again
This photo was featured in a tourism magazine, so the quality is not too good, but I like it.

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In 1989 we decided, for my then husbands family reasons, to move back to Victoria. I thought it would be good to live i n the country and that a Lavender Farm would be a good life style.

So we bought 3 1/2 acres of cow pasture, just outside of Mirboo North, bought an old house, had it transported to the site, where with a lot of help from my Brother-in-law, we renovated it and added another third to give us a decent kitchen, bathroom and more living space.

In between this we bought 3500, year old lavender plants, and planted them over two weekends, as they were bare root stock and had to get into the ground as soon as possible. Shannon our daughter was a teenager at this time and helped with the work.

Because of the slope of the ground, we enclosed under the rear of the house for a drying area, aplace for me to craft and a little shop to sell the lavender, lavender products and other craft that I made. We were open to the public. We also propagated and sold lavender plants. We had a shade house with about 1500 plants in it, when a storm with gale force winds lifted the legs, concrete blocks and all, out of the ground and twisted and mangled it as well as destroying everything inside.

A couple of years saw us become well known, we also needed much more drying space, as the lavender had flourished, so it was decided to build a tearooms, and larger shop for me.
It had exposed beams from which we hung thousands of lavender bunches, so it smelled heavenly, and was a lovely place to work. You could actually smell the lavender from a couple of miles down the road, and when it was in bloom, the whole hill was purple, and looked fabulous.

Shannon and I became quite knowledgeable about lavender and were able to give talks on it to the tourists. We only grew and sold a variety called "Lavendula angustifolia Miss Donnington", but we had a garden bed set out with 23 other varieties in it.

I had planted lots of decidous trees, and an extensive cottage garden. It was all fairly hard work, but very rewarding. About this time we had tourist buses coming, were catering for groups for lunches and afternoon teas, had enquiries about holding weddings, so the hard work was just beginning to pay off.

Then I had an accident, injuring my back and was no longer able to do the hard work, of weeding, bunching etc of the lavender. I had to have an operaton on my spine and while I was away in Perth convalescing, my husband decided the work was too hard and simply shut the gates. So the five years that we had spent getting established went to the people that we sold the farm too. It is still operating, and flourishing, we visit sometimes when we are back in Victoria, but it is hard seeing someone else reaping the benefit.

The delightful fragrance of lavender evokes beautiful memories of the 5 years we were at Erinae. While there I was often asked the meaning of Erinae, it is a biblical name meaning "peaceful place", which mostly it was.

In 1994, we moved back to Western Australia, and built a house in Bridgetown. The marriage only survived 2 more years, and my husband moved back to Victoria and I remained in beautiful Bridgetown, where my life has got better and better, but that is a story for another day.

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Some say life is a party, you join in after it has sarted and leave before it is finished.

Final installment of A guide to Aussie land

2006-06-03T22:35:00.000+08:00

I can't imagine why blogger decided to post this pic, of Bruce, Jane, Cody & Grandpa Peter, 4 times, but it's late and I'm going to bed. They say you can't have too much of a good thing...

It is very likely that, on arriving, some cheerful Australians will "adopt" you, and on your first night, take you to a pub where Australian beer is served. Despite the obvious danger, do not refuse. It is a form of initiation rite. You will possibly wake up late the next day with an astonishing hangover, a foul-taste in your mouth, and wearing strange clothes. Your hosts will usually make sure you get home, and waive off any legal difficulties with "It's his first time in Australia, so we took him a the pub, to which the policeman will sagely nod his head and close his notebook. Be sure to tell the story of these events to every other Australian you encounter, adding new embellishments at every stage, and noting how strong the beer was. Thus you will be accepted into the unique culture.

Most Australians are now urban dwellers, having discovered the primary use of electricity, which is air-conditioning and refrigerators. Typical Australian sayings: "G'Day!", "It's better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick." She'll be right."
"And down from Kosciusko, where the pine clad ridges raise their torn and rugged battlements on high, where the air is clear as crystal, and the white stars fairly blaze at midnight in the cold and frosty sky. And where , around the overflow, the reed beds sweep and sway to the breezes, and the rolling plains are wide. The Man from Snowy River is a household word today, and the stockmen tell the story of his ride." (not sure about this one)

Tips to surviving Australia: Don't ever put your hand down a hole for any reason whatsoever. We mean it. The beer is stronger than you think, regardless of how strong you think it is. Always carry a stick. Air-conditioning. Do not attempt to use Australian slang, unless you are a trained linguist and good in a fist fight. Thick socks. Take good maps. Stopping to ask for directions only works if there is anybody near to ask. If you leave the urban areas, carry several litres of water with you at all times, or you will die.
Even in the most embellished stories told by Australians, there is always a core of truth that it is unwise to ignore.

See also: "Deserts: How to die in them", "The Stick: Second most useful thing ever" and "Poisonous and Venomous arachnids, insects, animals, trees, shrubs, fish and sheep of Australia, volumes 1-42"

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Hope everyone has enjoyed the "Guide", there are lots of dangerous things here in Oz, but most of us manage to survive, and think that it is a pretty good place to live.

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My youngest son Bruce, his wife Jane and their youngest son Cady, are here in Bridgetown (or Fridgetown) as Bruce unkindly calls it, for the weekend. It is Bruce and Cody's birthdays on the 6 & 7th so they are here to celebrate early. It is a long weekend here, so it's a nice little break for them.

I have been busy making a scrapbook for Cody, the family went a wedding in Queensland earlier in the year, so he got to go to "Movie World", "DreamWorld", and the " Australian Zoo", run by Steve Irwin, the crocodile man, so there were lots of photos, plus seeing Grandad Peter, of course.

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My football team had an incredible win today, they came from 9 goals down late in the third quarter and won by 3 points. Only downside to it, was they beat the team my two other sons support, so I feel badly for them.

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Be strong, go with your heart, and beleive in miracles because anything can happen.

2nd Installment of " A guide to Aussie Land"

2006-06-02T18:30:00.000+08:00

Some inhabitants....

The last confusing thing about Australia is the inhabitants. First, a short history; some time around 40,000 years ago, some people arrived in boats from the north. They ate all the available food and a lot of them died. The ones that survived learned respect for the balance of nature, man's proper place in the scheme of things, and spiders.
They settled in, and spent a lot of the intervening time making up stories.

Then around 200 years ago, Europeans arrived in boats from the north. More accurately, European convicts were sent, with a few deranged and stupid people in charge.
They tried to plant their crops, (failing to take account of the reversal of seasons when moving from the top half of the planet to the bottom), ate all their food, and a lot of them died.
About then the sheep arrived, and have been treasured ever since.
It is interesting to note here that the Europeans always consider themselves vastly superior to any other race they encounter, since they can lie, cheat, steal and litigate (marks of a civilised culture they say)- whereas all the Aboriginals can do is happily survive being left in the middle of a vast red-hot desert, equipped with a stick.

Eventually, the new lot of people stopped being Europeans on Extended Holiday and became Australians. The changes are subtle, but deep, caused by mind-stretching expanses of nothingness and eerie quiet, where a person can sit perfectly still and look deep inside themselves to the core of their essence, their reasons for being, and the necessity of checking inside your boots every morning for fatal surprises.
They also picked up the most finely tuned sense of irony in the world, and the Aboriginal gift for making up stories. Be warned.

There is also the matter of the beaches. Australian beaches are simply the nicest and best in the world. Although anyone actually venturing into the sea will have to content with sharks, stinging jelyfish, stonefish (a fish which sits at the bottom of the sea, pretends to be a rock, and has venemous barbs stcking out of it's back that will kill just from the pain) and surfboarders.
However, watching a beach sunset is worth the risk.

As a result of all this hardship, dirt, thirst and wombat, you would expect Australians to be a dour lot. Instead, they are genial, jolly, cheerful and always willing to share a kind word with a stranger. Faced with insurmountable odds and impossible problems, they smile disarmingly and look for a stick.
Major engineering feats have been performed with sheets of corrugated iron, string and mud. Alone of all the races on earth, they seem to be free from the "Grass is greener on the other side of the fence" syndrome, and roundly proclaim that Australia is, in fact the other side of that fence. They call the land "Oz", "Godzone" ( a verbal contraction of "God's own country") and "Best bloody place on earth, bar none, strewth.
The irritating thing about this is they may be right.

There are some traps for the unsuspecting traveller, though. Do not under any circumstances suggest that the beer is imperfect, unless you are comparing it to another kind of Australian beer.
Do not wear a Hawaiian shirt.
Religion and politics are safe topics of conversation (Australians don't care much about either) but Sport is a minefield.
The only correct answer to "So howdya' like our country, eh? is "Best ( insert your own regional swear word here) country in the world!"

Final episode tommorow...

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You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing.

What! is it nothing to be happy, nothing to skip, play and run around all day long?

Never in his life will he be so busy again.

A guide to Aussie Land~~The confusing country

2006-06-01T17:59:00.001+08:00

These are a couple of not very good shots of the cliffs along the edge of the "Great Austtralian Bight"

Australia is a very confusing place, taking up a large amount of the bottom half of the planet. It is recogonisable from orbit because of many unusual features, including what at first looks like an enormous bite taken out of it's southern edge; a wall of sheer cliffs which plunge deep into the girthing sea. Geologists assure us that this is simply an accident of geomorphology and plate tectonics, but they still call it the "great Australian Bight" proving that not only are they covering up a more frightening theory, but they can't spell either.

The first of the confusing things about Australia is the status of the place. Where other landmasses and soverign lands are classified as either continent, island or country, Australia is considered all three. Typically, it is unique in this.

The second confusing thing about Australia is the animals. They can be divided into three categories: Poisonous, Odd, and Sheep. It is true that of the 10 most poinonous arachnids on the planet, Australia has 9 of them. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that of the 9 most poisonous arachnids, Australia has all of them. However, there are curiously few snakes, (though those that are here are usually deadly) possibly because the spiders have killed them all. But even the spiders wont go near the sea. Any visitors should be careful to check inside boots (before putting them on) under toilet seats (before sitting down) and generally everywhere else. A stick is useful for this task.

Strangely, it tends to be the second class of animals (the Odd) that are most dangerous. The creature that kills most people each year is the common Wombat. It is nearly as ridiculous as it's name, and spends it's life digging holes in the ground, in which it hides. During the night it comes out to eat grubs and worms. The Wombat kills people in two ways: first, the animal is indestructible. Digging holes in hard Australian clay builds muscles that outclass Olympic weightlifters. At night, they often wander the roads. Semi-trailers (Road Trains) have hit them at high speed, with all 9 wheels on one side, and this merely makes them very annoyed. They express this by snorting, glaring and walking away. Alas, to smaller cars, the wombat becomes an asymetrical launching pad, with results that can be imagined, but not adequately described.

The seond way the wombat kills people relates to it's burrowing behaviour. If a person happens to put their hand down a wombat hole, the wombat will feel the disturbance and think "Hello! my hole is collapsing!" at which it will brace it's muscled legs and push up against the roof of it's burrow with incredible force, to prevent it's collapse. Any unfortunate hand will be crushed, and attempts to withdraw will cause the wombat to simply bear down harder. The unfortunate will then bleed to death through their crushed hand as the wombat prevents him from seeking assistance. This is considered the third most embarrasing way to die, and Australians don't talk about it much.

At this point, we would like to mention the Platypus, estranged relative of the mammal, which has a duck-bill, otter's tail, webbed feet, lays eggs, detects it's aquatic prey in the same way as the electric eel, and has venomous barbs attached to it's hind legs, thus combining all the "typical" Australian attributes into a single improbable creature.

That's enough about our strange fauna, tommorow's episode will be about our strange inhabitants, so stay tuned.......

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I have a furniture problem... my chest has fallen into my drawers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wisdom doesn't neccesarily come with age, sometimes age just shows up all by it'self.

Infiltration and home again

2006-05-31T19:31:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone, Jacqui here, thought I had better reclaim my site, after it's infiltration, not that I minded. I was going to post a photo of Peter's bear, I must say in a more comfortable and congenial spot than where Peter put him. He, Peter that is, has teased me for years about my bears, so I thought it only fitting that he have one of his own.

A couple of years ago, while Walter and I were away, Peter and his good friend Warren, came across here to WA, they were to come down to Bridgetown and stay overnight. They had this feindish plan, and were going to shift all my bears and put them in strange places doing strange things. Well they chickened out, and now they are sorry that they didn't carry out their plan, which is just as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We had a good trip to Perth, and managed to get most things done that we set out to do. I have a new outlet for my bears, I went to the craft fair and really enjoyed it, lots of good ideas, just need the time now to put some of them into practice.

A good portion of my time over the last months was taken up with Peter's scrapbook, from the way it was received it was certainly worth it. I really love doing things like that, I make all the family birthday cards / scrap books. Did a "40 things we love about Jane" card/book, for my youngest daughter-in-law's birthday on the 29th. She really loved it, that was another thing we did over the weekend, went to a surprise party for her, and she was totally surprised, my son Bruce and Adam had managed to keep the whole thing secret.

The Audiologist was unable to give me new hearing aids, unlessI am prepared to pay the $2750 for them. He is fixing my old one that was broken, and has adjusted them, so I will just see how it goes over the next lttle while. They whistle at the least thing, even when my hair falls over them, so it's off to the hairdressers before they drive me crazy. I have Tintinus as well and that means I have ringing in my ears the whole time, sometimes so loud I'm sure other people must be able to hear it too. That's enough grumbling.

Just one mishap, while we were in Perth. Alan, my oldest son needed to be taken to the airport on the friday night, for an 11.30 flight, to Brisbane, for Peter's birthday. We went in his lovely new car, he's only had it a bit over two weeks. He always backs the car into his carport, but after we had dropped him off and got back to his driveway, I suggested to Walter that he just drive the car in. " I'm capable of backing in," was the response I got. Well they have this brick letterbox on the edge of the driveway, and yes, you guessed it, Walter scraped the side of it on his way back. I was mortified about Alan's new car, but he is fairly laid back, and just shrugged it off, saying it can be fixed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The only thing worth stealing, is a kiss from a sleeping child.

"Banjo Bear"

2006-05-29T23:30:00.000+08:00

Hi Jacqui, First and foremost thank you very much for the
incredible amountof work that you must have put into the
scrapbook for my birthday.

The surprise of having Alan and Marcus arrive out of
nowhere was probably a dangerous ploy with my ageing
heart, I’m sure I felt a slight flutter!!

You will be pleased to see that we found a home for
“Banjo Bear” he seems quite comfortable there and so far
hasn’t minded moving aside occasionally when his home
was visited by others.

As I prepare this we are currently packing up our goods and
chattels ready to drop the boys back to the airport this
evening, at least there is a staggered departure this time with
Vicki and Zac not leaving until tomorrow.

Thanks for the site rental, (cheque is in the mail) as I couldn’t
post a photo in comments, for anyone else who is reading this
and wondering what is going on here, this post is coming to you
from Peter, as the site originator I have the password still,
(I’ll explain how to change the password later Jacqui.)

As the “Bear Lady” has made “Banjo Bear” for me it seemed only
fitting thatI thank her here at Bears Galore.

Short Post

2006-05-25T22:38:00.000+08:00

This is the beautiful valley that Bridgetown is situated in, I love the misty mornings, they usually mean a glorious day.

Just time to say that this will be a short post and that I will be away till monday and probably wont have the chance to blog. As mentioned I am going to see an audiologist to have a new hearing test, hopefully they will upgrade my hearing aids, Walter complains about how loud I have to have the TV. Not that I have had much time to watch TV of late, have had a big project underway, it is coming to it's conclusion now, and I am very happy with it.

We will see a travel agent while we are there too, and see if we can work out an itinerary for our trip to Germany and the US. I have been too busy to think to much about it, but september will be here before we know it, so we need to get things moving.

Enjoy your weekends folks, and I hope your football teams wins.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Choose your friends by their character and your socks by their colour.

Choosing your socks by their character makes no sense.

And choosing your friends by their colour is unthinkable</span>.

Two more girls

2006-05-24T20:19:00.000+08:00

Abbey Georgina
Alexandra Grace

These are the last of my grandaughters, in fact the last of the grandchildren all 16 of them, and now of course the great grands have started.

Abbey and Alexandra are my youngest daughter Shannon's girls, Shannon is my daughter from my second marriage. They live with the rest of the family in a very beautiful area of Victoria (Australia) called Gippsland, it is very steep and hilly country, it's mainly dairying, although they don't. Most of the year it's lush and green then when the farmers start to cut hay the hills take on the look of a patchwork quilt.

The views from their property are superb, rolling hills, glorious sunsets etc., and at night you can see the lights of five country towns scattered about. It's drawback, yes there is one, is the wind, which for part of the year are terrible, as they are perched right on top of the hills.It was not far from where I once lived and had a lavender farm. I guess that story will make a good post one day, it was a great way of life.
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The Strange Lady from last night, sure has a lot of relatives, both male and female, as everyone seemed to recogonise her/him, I haven't found a way of evicting her yet, but I'm working on it. She's become much slimmer since the beginning of the year, she's lost 15 kilos, but this means that she is still altering my clothes, making them too big now. Darn, that has meant some serious clothes shopping, and you know how we all hate that, lol.
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A friend sent me this, I think it is beautiful, the only problem is I think I may have already posted it, I looked back through my archives and couldn't find it, so here goes anyway, put it down to a seniors moment, if I have.

If one day you feel like crying....
Call me.
I don't promise you that.. I will make you laugh.
But I can cry with you.

If one day you want to run away....
Dont be afraid to call me.
I don't promise to ask you to stop.
But I can run with you.

If one day you don't want to listen to anybody;
call me and....
I promise to be very quiet.

But if one day you call and there is no answer....
Come fast to see me...
Perhaps I need you..

Grandaughters~~~

2006-05-23T17:25:00.000+08:00

Jenna and Aimee

Sophie

Stacey

These are my three oldest grandaughters.

Jenna & Aimee belong to my eldest son Alan, Jenna is engaged, the wedding is next March. Jenna works in a bank, and has a second job with a catering firm, to earn some extra money to help pay for the wedding. She & Craig, her fiancee, are building their own home, in an outer suburb of Perth.

Aimee, the younger of the two, is currently at high school, doing year 11, which is very hard work. She also has a part time job, waitressing at a pancake parlour, on the weekends & school holidays. She is saving madly to get herself a car.
Aimee is the dancer in the family, she just loves it and is very good.

Sophie, is the only daughter of Marcus, she is looking for a job, as she decided that school wasn't her thing. Like a lot of young people, she has tried many things, but so far hasn't found what she wants to do.

Stacey, the only daughter of my oldest daughter, lives in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, she has a very nice boyfriend, is currently working at Ikea, which she really likes. She has travelled at bit, working in Canada as couple of years ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Strange Old Lady.

A very weird thing has happened.
A strange old lady has moved into my house. I have no idea who she is, or where she came from, or how she got in. I certainly ddn't invite her. All I know is that one day she wasn't there and the next day she was.

She is very clever. She manages to keep out of sight for the most part; but whenever I pass a mirror, I catch a glimpse of her there; and when I look into the mirror directly to check my appearance, suddenly she is hogging the whole thing, completely oblitering my face and body. It is very disconcerting. I've tried yelling at her to leave but she just yells back, grimacing horribly.

If she is going to hang around, the least she could do is offer to pay rent. But no. Every once in a while I do find a couple of dollar bills on the kitchen counter, or some loose change on my bureau or on the floor, but that certainly isn't enough.

In fact, though I dont like to jump to conclusions, I think she steals from me regularly. I go to the ATM and withdraw a hundred dollars and a few days later, it's gone. I certainly don't go through it that fast, so I can only conclude the old lady pilfers it. You'd think she would spend it on some wrinkle cream, she certainly needs it.

And, the money isn't the only thing she's taking. Food seems to disappear at an alarming rate. Especially the good stuff...icecream, cookies, cabdy...I just can't keep them is the house. She really has a sweet tooth. She should watch it; she's really putting on the pounds. I think she realizes that, and to make herself feel better, I know she is tampering with my scales so I'll think I am gaining weight too.

For an old lady, she's really quite childish. She gets into my closet when I'm not home and alters all my clothes. They're getting tighter every day. Another thing: I wish she'd stop messing with my files and papers on my desk. I can't find anything anymore.

Furthermore, when I program my VCR to tape something important, she fiddles with it after I leave the room so it records the wrong channel or shuts of completely.

She finds innumerable imaginative ways to irritate me. She gets all my newspapers, magazines and mail before me, and blurs all the print and she's done something sinister with the volume controls on my TV,radio and phone. Now all I hear are mumbles and whispers. She's also made my stairs steeper, all my knobs and faucets hard to turn and my bed higher and a rewal challenge to get in and out of.

I thought she couldn't get any meaner than that, but yesterday she proved me wrong. She actually came with me when I went to get my passport photo taken, and she actually stepped in front of the camera, just as the shutter clicked. Distaser! I have never seen such a terrible picture. How can I go abroard now? No customs official is ever going to beleive that, scowling face on my passport is me.

She's walking on very thin ice. If she keeps this up, I swear, I'll put her in a home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Only love can be divided endlessly and still not diminish.

Roses

2006-05-22T21:50:00.000+08:00

4th of July
Claire
the Nun
Swan
Pierre deRonsard

I love roses, and after seeing Junies, I decided to post these. I have about 40 growing in the garden, I don't have pictures of them all, and of course these were taken in the summer, not much to see now.

Went over to Busselton, yesterday to see Zac, he is home from England, he returns next Monday, he has grown into a splendid young man, and I am so proud of the work he is doing. Stayed for dinner, so late home and no blogging last night. Watched Marcus play football in the afternoon, he was one of the youngest at 45, one of the umpires is 70, you can't say we don't love our national game here. Some of us had good results from our teams, it's been a strange season so far.

We had a great visit with our friends, it is their 50th wedding anniversary in July so it will be our turn to visit them at "Muddlethro' Farm", they run cattle these days, it is a couple of years since we were there last.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Joke my daughter-in-law sent me.

A tour bus driver is driving with a bus load of seniors, down a highway, when he is tapped on the shoulder by a little old lady. She offered him a handful of peanuts, which he gratefully munched up.

After about 15 minutes, she tapped him on the shoulder again and hands him another handful of peanuts. She repeats this gesture 5 more times. When she is about to hand him a batch of peanuts he asks "why don't you eat the peanuts yourself?"

"We can't chew them because we've no teeth" she replied. The puzzled driver asks "why did you buy them?"

The old lady replied "We just love the chocolate around them".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Too bad that all the people who really know how to run the country are too busy driving cabs and cutting hair.

Beter English

2006-05-19T14:59:00.000+08:00

No time to post yesterday, I had decided to do some decorating in the bathroom/toilet and it got a bit more involved than I had anticipated. The end result is great, and I'm very happy. Body not so, aches and pains, from using muscles that I don't normally.

Then there was a double episode of West Wing, I should have taped it of course, so by the time it was over and I finished painting, Walter was telling me to go to bed.

Having some friends over for a couple of nights, they go right back, Neil & I going to the same school,except he was 5 years ahead of me. Then when I stated going out with Peter, Neil was one of his best friends, so the friendship blossomed, with him and his wife Joan.

They had 4 children and so did we,and because they were all just a year between, they all got on very well, all eight of them, playing with the Lego, etc. They have a farm about 4 hours away.

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This is a bit old but I thought it was still interesting...

Better English?

Having chosen English as the preferred language in the EEC, the European Parliment has commissioned a feasibility study in ways of improving efficiency in communications between gov. departments.

European officials have often pointed out that English spelling is unnecessarily difficult; for example: cough, plough, rough, through and thorough. What is clearly needed is a phased programme of changes to iron out these anomolies. The program would, of course, be administered by a committee at top level by participating nations.

In the first year, for example, the committee would suggest using 's' instead of soft 'c'. Sertainly, sivil servants in all sities would receive this news with joy. Then the hard 'c' could be replaced by 'k' sinse both letters are pronounced alike. Not only would this klear up konfusion in the minds of kleikal workers, but typewriters could be made with one less key.

There would be growing enthusium when in the sekond year, it was announsed that the troublesome 'ph' would henseforth be written 'f'. The would make words like 'fotograf' twenty persent shorter in print.

In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reash the stage where more komplikated shanges are possible. Governments would enkourage the removal of double leters whish have always ben a deterant to akurate speling.

We would al agre that the horible mes of silent 'e's in the languag is disgrasful. Therefor we kould drop them and kontinu to read and writ as though nothing had hapened. By this tim we would be four years sins the skem began and peopl would be reseptiv to steps sush as replasing 'th' by 'z'. Perhaps zen ze funktion of 'w' kould be taken on by 'v', vish is, after al, half a 'w'.
Shortly after zis, ze unecesary '' kould be droped from vords kontaining 'ou' Similar argumentsssssssss vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.

Kontinuing zis proses yer after yer, ve vud eventuli hav a reli sensibl riten style. After tventi yers zer vud be no mor trubls, difikultis and evrivun vud find it ezi to understand ech ozer.
Ze drems of z guvermunt vud ffinali hav kum tru.

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Actually it sounds a bit like my Walter does, he often has trouble with the language.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives.

The last two Grandsons~~~

2006-05-17T14:39:00.000+08:00

Samuel
Adam

I have spent the best part of two hours trying to post these two grandsons photos, they both arrived as emails, I had decided to give up and start on the girls, when I thought, just one more try, and bingo, here they are. I don't think I did anything different, than all the other times I have uploaded photos, but I guess I should be grateful for small mercies.

Adam is the oldest son of my youngest son, Bruce, he is 20, an apprentice carpenter, a baseball player of some skill, and all the other things that go with being 20.
Samuel, on the other hand, is the youngest son of my youngest daughter, Shannon, and at this stage is just a very cute little boy, although Shannon did tell me last week that he has started crawling and climbing up on to things. Shannon is the only child of my second marriage.

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I was to have another hearing test today, the appointment had been made 6 weeks ago. Living here in Bridgetown the audiologist only comes to town every 2 months, well yesterday they rang and said they were overbooked and I would have to wait until his next visit. It's not life threatening or anything like that, but sometimes you begin to feel like a second class citizen. As we are going to Perth next week I will try to see someone while I am there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Senility prayer

God grant me the Senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, and good fortune to run into the ones that I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that I am older, here's some things I have discovered:

1. I started out with nothing, and still have most of it.

2. My wild oats have turned into prunes and Allbran

3. I finally got my head together; now my body is falling apart

4. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded...

5. All reports are in; Life is now officially unfair.

6. It is easier to get older than wiser.

7. If all is not lost, where is it?

8. Some days your the dog; and some days your the hydrant.

9. I wish the buck stopped here; I sure could use a few.

10. Kids in the back seat cause accidents.

11. Accidents in the back seat cause.....kids.

12. It's hard to make a comeback if you haven't been anywhere.

13. Only time beats a path to your door is when you are in the bathroom.

14, If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees.

15. When I'm finally holding all the cards, why does everyone decide to play chess?

16. It's not hard to meet expenses...they're everywhere.

17. The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

18. These days I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter....I go to get something, and then wonder what I am here after!

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Eating, loving, singing and digesting are, in truth, the four acts of the comic opera known as life, and they pass like bubbles of a bottle of champagne.
Whoever lets them break without having enjoyed them is a complete fool.

Tomato tale continued....

2006-05-16T16:33:00.000+08:00

The pickles are finished,and they taste very good, there are 38 nicely labeled jars sitting on my counter top, now I need to make room in the pantry to store them. There are plenty to give away too.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

These are the answers to the # quiz

1 26 letters of the alphabet

2 12 signs of the zodiac

3 13 stripes on the US flag

4 18 holes n a golf course

5 7 wonders of the world

6 90 degrees in a right angle

7 3 blind mice (see how they run)

8 24 hours in a day

9 100 cents in a dollar

10 100 degrees at which water boils

11 13 loaves in a bakers dozen

12 13 unlucky for some

13 29 days in Feb in a leap year

14 11 players in a soccer team

15 60 mins in an hour

16 1000 words that a picture is worth

17 76 trombones in the big parade

18 64 squares on a chess board

19 40 days and nights of the big flood

20 4 horsemen of the apocalypse

21 10 events in a decathalon

22 8 tentacles on an octopus

23 52 cards in a pack

24 27 books in the new testament

25 16 tons and what do you get

26 10 green bottles hanging on the wall

27 3 coins in a fountain

28 1001 arabian nights

29 5 toes on a foot

30 88 keys on a grand piano

31 9 lives of a cat

32 1 partrige in a pear tree

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

love this poem from one of my scrapbooking magazines

Walk along side me daddy
and hold my little hand.
I have so many things to learn
that I don't yet understand

Teach me things to keep me safe
from dangers every day.
Show me how to do my best
at home, at school, at play.

Every child needs a gentle hand
to guide them as they grow
So walk along side me daddy
We have a long way to go.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Forever begins today

The tale of a tomato plant

2006-05-15T20:22:00.000+08:00

I have mentioned that my friend Morna, has a beach house at a place called Windy Harbor, and it's called that for a very good reason, which makes this tale even more extrordinary.

Last year a little self sown tomato plant, one of the cherry kind, came up near the bar-b-que. Well this was fine and it grew and produced really lovely tomatos for Morna and anyone else who wanted some. Becase this is at a beach house and not occupied all the time, the garden does not get regular watering, and here in WA we can go for months in the summer without rain.

Well this didn't deter this plant and it continued to grow, 15 feet this way, 20 feet that way, up over the back of the house, under the back porch and anywhere it chose.
All the time producing large clusters of delicious fruit, it was so lovely to pick a sun warmed tomato, or two or more and just eat them straight from the plant.

A few weeks ago when Morna and I were down there, she said that she thought she would pull it up, as it was smothering everything else in the garden, and as it was so late in the season the fruit would not ripen. It was still covered in green fruit. I expressed the wish to have the green tomatos to make the pickles that my mother made every year, in fact that was the last thing she did before she died, from her mother's recipie. She had handed the recipie on to me , but as green tomatos, are not easy to buy in the shops I haven't had occasion to use it, since she died nearly three years ago.

Well yesterday Morna pulled most of it out, and bought it home, it almost filled the back of her SVU. Today we stripped the tomatos off, nearly 30 lbs of them, and I have spent most of the day cutting them, and the onions, ready for cooking tommorow.

Luckily, Morna had plenty of jars for me to put the finished product in.
My kitchen smells just like mum's did, all those times. Smells really do evoke such wonderful memories.

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I had a great day yesterday, I love to have the children come, now that Marcus only lives a bit over an hour away, we get to see each other much more often. The other two boys are about 3 1/2 hours, so although you can do it in one day, they mainly only get down on long weekends or holidays.

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The cobbler turned out beautifully, and yes it did rise up, even though I am on the this side of the world, so thank you Ann for the recipie.

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It takes a long time to grow an old friend.

Number Quiz

2006-05-14T15:42:00.000+08:00

I have wanted to post this quiz for a while, but not clever enough, but my son marcus is here for Mothers Day lunch and he has done it for me. Also grandson Jordan has given me some excellent tips, hope I can remember them when he leaves.

Am having a great day, hope you all are too.

Number Quiz

Example 7 D of the W = 7 Days of the Week

1 26 L of the A
2 12 S of the Z
3 13 S on the USF
4 18 H on a GC
5 7 W of the W
6 90 D in a RA
7 3 BM (SHTR)
8 24 H in a D
9 100 C in a D
10 100 C at which WB
11 13 L in a BD
12 13 is UFS
13 29 D in F in a LY
14 11 P in a ST
15 60 M in an H
16 1000 W that a P is W
17 76 T in the BP
18 64 S on a CB
19 40 D and N of the GF
20 4 H of the A
21 10 E in the D
22 8 T on an O
23 52 C in a P
24 27 B in the NT
25 16 T and WDYG
26 10 GBH on the W
27 3 C in the F
28 1001 AN
29 5 T on a F
30 88 K on a GP
31 9 L of a C
1 P in a PT

Life is a succession of moments, to live each one is to succeed.

Grandchildren~~

2006-05-12T12:56:00.000+08:00

Cody
Issak
Zacariah
Eli

Here are four more of my grandsons. Zacariah is the older brother of Jordan and Paul and they belong to Marcus, of Holt Press. Zac, has been in England for the past year, he works for "Fusion", ministering to young people. He is following closely in his father's footsteps, this is one of the steps Marcus took on his way to becoming a school chaplain. He will be back in Oz on the 19th for a furlough, and I am really looking to seeing him.

Cody,is the youngest son, of my youngest son Bruce, he has a big brother Adam, who is 20 this year. Cody loves his sport, he plays T-Ball and Aussie rules and does very well in both.

Issak and Eli are the two oldest sons of my youngest daughter Shannon, she has three other children, when Samuel the youngest was born, she had five under 8 years. They live about 20 miles from their nearest town where the children go to school, and because of an on going problem with the ed. dept., they are not able to catch the school bus, which of course means two long trips each day. We are hoping that the dispute ends soon, as it is very wearing on them all.

I have been putting the finishing touches to my kitchen, a lovely "Warren Kimble" border with salt box houses and red barns, it looks great. I ordered it over the net last friday and it was here this friday. In contrast I sent a parcel to Shannon, on the 29th April and it hasn't reached her yet, I know she lives on the other side of the country, like from San Fransico to Philadelphia, but two weeks, don't know what the postal pixies get up to. The kids will have outgrown the clothes I sent.

Walter and I have been out in the bush twice this week getting firewood, it's very hard work, but he loves his fire. There are designated areas that you can take wood from and it has to be fallen, no new felling of trees. It does get pretty cold here in Bridgetown, it was 0 degrees (that's celcious) here overnight. The wood shed is full, and he thinks it will see us through the winter. Most of our friends have gone over to reverse cycle air conditioning, and maybe in a few years Walter will have to give up his fire too.

<span style="font-weight:bold;">A sweater is a garment that a child wears when a mother is cold.

Work in progress

2006-05-10T16:37:00.000+08:00

It was a another stunning autum day here and so Walter was able to lay a few more pavers, it's a very slow process as he has to wheelbarrow them down the steps before anything else can happen.

I'm sure it will look great once it's finished and the arbor, table and chairs etc., are in place. Not that we sit out in the front garden, we have a lovely back porch, where we spend a good deal of our time, having cuppa's and chatting to friends.

Have just been talking with Vicki, Ezra's grandmother, and he is doing quite well, will probably be home tommorow. He was born in Port Lincoln, a bit over 2 hours away, as there are no facilities for babies to be born in Wudinna, where they live.
Grandma is minding Phoenix, aged 2 1/2, and he is a very full on boy, who was up a 5am this morning, so as soon as he goes to bed tonight, grandma is going too.

Vicki does not keep the best health, and the situation was made worse about 4 years ago when she fell out of the wheat truck and was unconscious on the road for some time. Among other things this caused her to loose her sense of taste and smell,imagine not being able to smell all the delicious things we cook, or the scents that evoke such wonderful memories, and she has trouble with her short term memory.

More seriously she injured her neck and back. She can no longer sit at the computer(she used to teach computer workshops) for more than a few minutes, and that is why she hasn't been able to continue with "Foster's Farm".

A mother is she who can take the place of all others, but whose place no-one can take.

News ~ Fantastic ~News

2006-05-09T08:46:00.000+08:00

Two really Fantastic things happened in the early hours of the morning

THE TWO TRAPPED MINERS IN TASMANIA ARE FREE.

and I HAVE A NEW GREAT GRANDSON. Ezra Storm Foster.

Have just watched the television coverage of the miners rescue, for those who didn't know they were trapped by a rock fall caused by an earth tremor 14 days ago, it took 5 days to make contact with them, and the next 9 days to drill through to them. They were in remarkable condition and actually walked out of the lift that had bought them up the 1 kilometre to the surface. The joy has to be tempered with the funeral, this afternoon, of one of their collegues who was killed in the rock fall.

We Australians pride ourselves on our "mateship", and this rescue was mateship of the highest order, the rescuers risking their lives daily. The rock was so hard in places that they had to use low level explosives, what courage they showed in such a dangerous situation, and we all need to give thanks to God that everything worked out as it did.

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.o

2006-05-08T19:02:00.000+08:00

Overflow bookings.

Very good friends of ours, Ken & Jenny, have a B&B here called Ford House, actually that is where Walter and I were married, so named because there used to be a ford across the Blackwood River there before they built the bridge.

Well last week they broke all booking records.... and this is what they had to do to accommodate one of their more vocal customers,a motorbike frog.

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About 10 months ago Ken went to Perth for a routine procedure and ended up the next day minus a kidney, and 27 tumors being discovered in his lungs. He has never smoked or drank, and worked outside keeping the grounds of Ford House looking immaculate, as well as being the chef. Ken grows and preserves all the fruit and vegetables they use, so you could say they have lead a pretty healthy lifestyle. But it seems cancer does not discriminate.

The doctors gave him no chance of living past a few weeks. He had always wanted to go for a Hot Air Balloon ride over Bath in England. So as soon as had recovered enough from the surgery of they went. Most of us here not expecting him to come back, and I'm sure Ken felt the same way.

While driving in the English countryside, they saw a sign pointing to a Gypsy Fortune Teller, and just for the excercise they visited her. They did not reveal that Ken was ill until after she had made her predictions. When they told her Ken was terminally ill, she said that nothing was going to happen in at least the next 12 months.

In her predictions she had mentoned some other things that were quite astute, like the name of someone who had been a great help to them. Well it completely changed the way Ken viewed his future, it went from being at the tip of his nose to somewhere in the distance, and that is how he has coped in these ensuing months. He is still very ill, and gets extremely tired, but he gets up every day and just gets on with the things he can manage.

Then a couple of months ago Jenny, was at first diagonised with Acute Lymphoma. As Ken said when I was talking to him, "Jenny is so competitive that she had to have something worse." Well thank goodness it turned out not to be Lymphoma, but some other very serious and life threatning condidion, that needs constant monitoring, and heaps of medication. But they are both still with us and continuing to run Ford House in their inimitable style, and with their wonderful sense of humour.
As Merle said in her post just recently, any day above ground is a good thing.

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Courage is not being able to see the bottom of the deep end, but jumping in anyway.

Health Q & A Session

2006-05-07T22:27:00.000+08:00

There were several gardens here in Bridgetown, open for the weekend, there is one weekend in the Autumn and another weekend in the Spring, it brings a lot of visitors, as most people seem to love looking at gardens even if they can't acheive the same thing themselves. Have to get that brick paving finished before we could think about entering our garden.LOL. We have a number of events which swell the numbers of our little town.

There is the Easter tennis tournament, The Blackwood Valley marathon relay, it consists of 5 legs, running, swimming, horseriding, canoeing and cycling, teams come from all over the world to compete. Then there is the "Blues at Bridgetown" in November, once again it attracts musicians from all over, it has been running for 12 years now
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a little tongue in cheek Health Question and Answer Session.

Apologies if you have heard or posted it before.

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is it true?

A Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it...don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend your car's life by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: should I cut down on meat and eat more vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficiect mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable.) And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alchocol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made of fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have body fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No pain...Good.

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING111 Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you CRAZY? HELLO. Cocoa beans....another vegetable!! It's the best feel good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! 'Round is a shape'

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets and remember:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways- Chardonay in one hand - strawberries in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, screaming - WOO HOO! What a ride!

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Happiness is a Butterfly, which when pursued is always just beyond your grasp, but if you will just sit down quietly, may alight on you.

Rod's Epitaph

2006-05-06T15:11:00.000+08:00

The father of a very dear friend, passed away recently, Rodney was 86, he had been a dentist, and he also had a lovely sense of humour.

This is the epitaph he wrote for himself.

Stranger pause, pray for the soul
Of him who fills here his last hole;
He was a faithful farrier of fangs,
A pacifier of painful pangs,
For planted "neath this humble sod
Is he on earth 'twas known as Rod.
Stranger pause - your tear let drop
For he no more your tooth can stop;
Alas on earth he's done with caries
He's gone aloft to join the fairies.

To carry on Junie's theme about getting jobs done, two years ago we purchased some paving bricks, the idea was to not have so much garden, weeds etc., to take care of. About six months ago the sand to lay them on was aquired, and now, finally this week the first of them have been laid, no guarantee when the job will be finished, but one lives in hope.

A friend is a present you give to yourself.

When I am old

2006-05-04T22:21:00.000+08:00

This has probably been posted before, but I love the idea, and just someone hasn't read it, I want to share it ~~~~~~

WHEN I AM OLD I SHALL WEAR PURPLE
WITH A RED HAT THAT DOESN'T GO,
AND DOESN'T SUIT ME, AND I SHALL SPEND MY PENSION ON
BRANDY AND SUMMER GLOVES, AND SATIN SANDALS, AND SAY WE'VE NO MONEY FOR BUTTER
I SHALL SIT DOWN ON THE PAVEMENT WHEN I AM TIRED
AND GOBBLE UP SAMPLES IN SHOPS AND PRESS ALARM BELLS
AND MAKE UP FOR THE SOBRIETY OF MY YOUTH.
I SHALL GO OUT IN MY SLIPPERS IN THE RAIN
AND PICK THE FLOWERS IN OTHER PEOPLES GARDENS
AND LEARN TO SPIT.

YOU CAN WEAR TERRIBLE SHIRTS AND GROW MORE FAT
AND EAT THREE POUNDS OF SAUSAGES AT A GO OR
EAT PICKLES FOR A WEEK
AND HOARD PENS AND PENCILS AND BEER MATS AND
THINGS IN BOXES
BUT NOW WE MUST HAVE CLOTHES THAT KEEP US DRY AND PAY
THE RENT AND NOT SWEAR IN THE STREET
AND SET GOOD EXAMPLES FOR THE CHILDREN.
WE MUST HAVE FRIENDS TO DINNER AND READ THE PAPERS.

BUT MAYBE I OUGHT TO PRACTICE A LITTLE NOW/
SO PEOPLE WHO KNOW ME ARE NOT TOO SHOCKED AND SURPRISED
WHEN SUDDENLY I AM OLD AND START TO WEAR PURPLE.
by Jenny Joseph

Here's little story that this reminds me of.

My bestfriend,Morna, when she turned 60, decided that she would dye her hair purple, it actually looked great, and I really admired it.
One day when she was visiting I said " I wish I had light enough hair to be able to dye it purple like Morna's"

My lovely husband replied "Oh no, it wouldn't suit you, you don't have a sparkling personality like Morna."

Yes, I am still married to him. Walter is German and he often has trouble with the language, so I knew this was one of the times that he was really having trouble, and
we have never let him live it down.

Be strong, go with your heart, and beleive in miracles because anything can happen.

Sandy's poem to Jacqui

2006-05-03T15:41:00.000+08:00

One Monday morning a phone call came
from Jacqui who’d just arrived by plane.
She asked if she could stay fro a couple of days
we said of course and looked for ways
to get her from to Dunstable from Heathrow airport
and then suggested a bus be caught.

When we got to know her we found her so nice
the time as our guest going past in a trice.
We sent her to London at the wrong time of year
and for her safety we started to fear.
No need to worry for she was OK
and told us how much she enjoyed her day.

On Thursday to Stratford on Avon we went
Where a writer much better than I had time spent.
Jacqui hopped on a bus to look around
to a pub we did go and there went to ground.
When she came back there was so much to say
our time flew past for the rest of the day.

A visit to The Cotswold’s was next on the agenda
a day filled with so much wonder and splendour.
To Broadway we went and there spent an hour
Looking at architecture so much to devour.
From Stanway to Stanton and then to the Slaughters
to Bourton on the water where bad weather caught us.

Last but not least to Oxford we went
a ride on the tour bus was money well spent.
To Magdalene College Jacqui wanted to go
where the wonderful bells rang out their hello.
Next stop the English Teddy Bear Company
where it was difficult for Jacqui not to spend some money.

Then came the time to say our goodbye
with much hugging and kissing and a tear in each eye.
When the time came to step on the plane
I’m sure Jacqui could not wait to be home again.
One thing for certain and this I must say
It was lovely to have her come here to stay.

So goodbye Jacqui but on this will not dwell
as you have left us with so many stories to tell.
I’m sure that a safe journey will take you back home
to the people who missed you while away on your roam.
Next time we are in Bridgetown WA
We’ll certainly pop in to wish you g’day.

Love Sandy.

Sandy is the sister of one of my friends here in Bridgetown.
This is the poem mentioned in yesterday's post, it made me cry back in 1997 and it did the same again today.
Like I said at the end of my travelouge, the people I met and spent time with were just incredible, in fact I had nothing but marvellous treatment, people who I asked for directions, would go out of their way to make sure I didn't get lost, got of at the right stop, caught the right bus/train etc., I really was knocked out by the way I was received.

The english language is a very strange thing, my friend ad I were discussing something that we found odd, words that never get used without their prefixes, these are the ones we came up with

unkempt~~~has anyone ever told you how kempt you looked

or how ept you are~~~

or how couth~~~~

or even sheveled~~~

or how about membered~~~

and I am sure there are probably others~~~~

The trouble with being a parent, is that by the time you are experienced, you are unemployed.

The Cotswold's and Oxford

2006-05-02T13:06:00.000+08:00

Magdalene College (pronounced Maudlin)

The Eagle & Child

Heathrow at last, rang Sandra, sorted out getting to Dunstable (Following poem tells all) Went for dinner to one of those great little english pubs you see in the movies, called The Fox, it was a real treat. Next day went to StAlbans Catherdral, it is alongside a little river & a pretty park, went to another old pub, called The Fighting Cocks.

Went down to London by train the next day, and walked and walked, looked and enjoyed, Buckingham Palace, The Royal Mews, Picadilly Circus, St James palace, St James Park, Clarence House, The Horseguards, and Lords Cricket Ground. Also went to Selfriges, Harrods, The Gloucester Road, it got dark ( about 4pm) before I could get to the Old Bailey, but I did find lots of the streets from the Monopoly board. Took train back to Dunstable, where I had a quiet New Years Eve watching "North and South"

All up late next day & we set off for Stratford on Avon, what a terrific place, just so much history, loved Anne Hathaway's Cottage. Sandra & Terry are great people & so easy to get along with. Decided not to go to France, with the bottom falling out of our dollar & everything getting so expensive. Accompanied by Pam, a friend of Sandy's we went to The Cotswold's. I really don't have words enough to describe just how beautiful it all was, the countryside, the little lanes with hedgerows, the villages, the taverns, the overwhelming sense of history.

Saw an Inn, that was still in full use, having been built in 947 AD, it really was hard to comprehend. The sun came out after some early rain it was just perfect.
We had some pretty bad weather overnight & I suggested that we shouldn't go to Oxford as planned. Both Sandra & terry insisted, so off we went, it rained but stopped after a while, so we took this marvelous tour, in an open top double decker bus.

What an enchanting time it was , so much to see and learn. Walking along the cobbled streets & around the colleges where so many great people had gone before. I could hardly beleive I was there, and just loved every marvelous minute of it. Magdalene College, was a joy, C J Lewis had taught there, saw the tower where the choristers sing at dawn on May morning, the park with the deer grazing, the Eagle & Child Inn, where C J Lewis & Tolkein had met every week for 30 years, what a marvellous experience to be there.

On the way home Sandu drove us through the forest and village of Ashridged, where"First Knight" had been filmed, no Richard Gere in sight though, and lots of places in Oxford where Inspector Morse was filmed.Left Heathrow with mre tears, what beautiful people Sandra & Terry are.

Well after 3 months & thousands of miles by plane, train, bus, car and by foot my journey is at an end. It has been an incredible time with wonderful & memorable experiences, seeing places I had only dreamed about, meeting all the wonderful "Angels" who have shared part of their life with me, taken me into their homes & made me feel totally welcome. Even if the places I had visited hadn't been so wonderful, just meting these lovely, and loving people would have made the whole trip worthwhile & I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

While I was travelling I kept saying "If I come back I'll..." well it has now become "When I come back..", which I did, but that is another story.............Jacqui

There are holes in the sky where the rain gets in; but they're ever so small thats why rain is thin......Spike Milligan.

New York to England

2006-05-02T12:30:00.000+08:00

Christmas at Broardway, The Cotswolds
The beautiful Central Park

The lake in Central Park

Last two pics

2006-05-01T21:36:00.000+08:00

The lovely Clark family
Jacqui's snow angel

Middlebury in Winter

2006-05-01T21:12:00.000+08:00

Otter creek falls
Jacqui in the snow
Beautiful Middlebury
View fro the front porch
Snowfield next to the house

Boston~Lancaster~New York~

2006-05-01T19:26:00.000+08:00

Ada my lovely Mennonite lady
An Amish house with washing
Lincoln Haus Inn
from the empire state building
Joshua, my New York Host

Just a quick side trip to Baltimore,( my youngest son is a Baltimore Oriels fan, so had to get him a genuine jacket), then on through Phlladelphia to Lancaster and into Amish country. Stayed at the Li ncoln Haus Inn, which was run by a charming old order amish lady caled Mary K. Zook, and yes they only had oil or gas lamps, and wear plain clothes that have no buttons, just large dressmakers pins to keep their clothes together.

Mary arranged for another charming lady Ada, a Mennonite, to take me for a tour, they being able to own motor cars. We went to a candle barn, an absolutely fantastic quilt shop, and all sorts of places with hand made goods. We had lunch at an Amish diner, oh my, the food, so much and so wonderful, I just had to try as many of the delicious dishes as I could. We drove through farming areas, and little towns, there were three that caught my attention, Bird-in-hand, Intercourse and Paradise.

I had a ride in an Amish buggy, which was great fun. I learnt about a lot of their customs, like only being able to get married on a Tuesday or Friday in November or December, the children only going to the 8th grade. There were little one roomed schools all over. Mary and I both cried a little when I was leaving, she was so sweet and we got on so well. My 30 days were running down so it was off to the Big Apple.

I met my host Joshua at Penn. station, and then home to his 3 story walk up, in a old brownstone building in Grenwich Village. Had a super meal at Sazarak House where Josh spends a lot of his spare time writing novels. He then took me on the Staten Island ferry where we could see the Manhattan skyline. It was a beautiful night and the view was magnificent, we passed close by the Statue of Liberty, she is very beautiful too.

Off very early on the subway next morning to Grand Central Station and saw the beautiful store windows all ready for christmas, the New York Public Library, the Rockafeller centre, with the skating rink, went up the Empire State building, it is also very beautiful, but there was no sign of Tom Hanks. Went to the World Trade centre, and got a half price ticket to see Les Miserables that night.

Met Josh at his 42nd story office, had another great meal, this time at an Irish Pub, then Josh walked me to the theatre. What a thrill it was to see such a show on Broardway. Under orders from Josh, I took a cab home, I acted like a real New Yorker, jumping into a cab when I noticed someone getting ready to get out. Josh was quite proud of me when I got home. Josh had been one of the summer campers years ago when my Marcus was in the Us as a camp councellor.

Slept late then took myself to Central Park, walked back along 5th Ave looking at the stores, buying souveniers, and just generally enjoying being in New York.

Next day I strolled into Penn station, took the train to the top of Central Park, and gradually walked back, seeing the Conservartory (Where Harry Met Sally), the Zoo, the museum, the lovely lakes and some trees that still had their leaves. I think the trees are still beautiful with their branches making lacy patterns against the sky.
'
Took lots of photos beacause it really was beautiful. I strolled on through the city, stopped off at the apartment for a hot chocolate, then continued on through Litle Italy, Chinatown etc., past the New York Stock Exchange and Wall Street. I was amazed at how small it was. From there I walked to the ferry terminal , where I again took the ferry to Staten Island just so I could see that magnificent skyline.

New York is a truly wonderful place, it was user friendly and I felt safe the whole time,riding on the subway and walking around Grenwich Village at night, it snowed ever so lightly on one of my walks. I asked all sorts of people black, white, young and old for directions and to take my photo with my camera, with absolutely no problems, just great and friendly responses.

Time to head back to VT, met Ron in Albany and we had another pleasant drive home. What a truly lovely man he is, nothing seems too much trouble. It was great to see Kay again, and it has been a delight to know her as well. It was snowing around Middlebury and everything looked great. One night we drove through these beautiful snow covered hills, to a restaurant called "Mary's" where I tasted Venison for the first time.

On the way home from Christmas shopping one night it began to snow, it continued all night and the next day, it was so exciting. Kyle, their youngest son, and I made a snowman, it was good fun and he looked pretty good. I also made a snow angel. Everything looked so magic with it's mantle of snow, Ron took us for a drive to Ripton and it was just glorious. We had done the same drive when I had arrived back in October, when all the leaves were red and gold, and now the branches were bare with their coating of beautiful sparkling snow.

Had the Christmas feast on Christmas eve, it was super, then to church. Afterwards we went to their friends home for hot cider and to decorate their huge christmas tree. It all felt so much more like Christmas, than our 100 degree temperatures and lots of people opting for a BBQ. Had late breakfast then opened presents, it was a lovely time and I am very glad that I was able to share it with such a delightful family.

The day after Christmas Ron & Kay drove me to Rutland where we had a last coffee and then I caught the train back to New York for my last night in the United States. It was hard to say goodbye to Ron and Kay as I had come to love them dearly. Left early with Josh, he had an appointment with his editor, took one last look around New York and headed for JFK. It was dark when the plane took off so I was able to watch the Empire State Building until it was out of sight, what an extrordinary time I had, had.

The rest of the pics from Harper's & Richmond

2006-04-30T22:47:00.000+08:00

Shockoe Bottom
Shirley Plantation
Jacqui & her driver.
Harpers Ferry

Harpers Ferry and Richmond

2006-04-30T20:54:00.000+08:00

Soft toy tree
Notre Dame Tree at Festival
at Harpers Ferry
Lee's Headquarters at Harpers Ferry
at Harpers Ferry

I might have too many photo's here, just hope the right ones post.

We went & visited Keith at John Deere headquarters, what a lovely place to work. Saw lots of farm machinery, JD of course, ( on Foster's Farm they only use John Deere.)so had to check out a few things for them, it was a very interesting place to visit.

Too soon it was time to leave the Williamson's, Michelle took me back to Galesburg, where we had a lovely lunch & I bought another bear, but I had a train to catch.

Harper's Ferry was my destination, where a charming storekeeper at Grape Expectations directed me to a lovely B & B run by Alan & Alison. Harper's Ferry was a great place to be, it felt like little had changed since the civil war, and the soldiers had just marched down the street. I walked all over, saw where the Potomac & Shenandoah rivers meet at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, it was stunning.
Found the house that Lee used as headquarters, lots of battle sites, the Armory where the whole thing started. It was marvellous being here amongst the history & the grandeur.

Passed through Washington on the way to Richmond, the train arrived quite late & I couldn't make contact with the hotel I had chosen. I was getting more than a little worried, so I just stood there & prayed "Lord, show me what to do," when a voice at my elbow said "Do you need a cab?" It was this great guy called Al Mathis, so I said "Yes, and I need a budget place to stay." So he whisked me off to the Historic District Hotel, where he arranged a discount rate for me & offered to take me back to the train when it was time for me to leave.

Richard, the Bell captain, took my bags to my room & suggested that I might like to see some of the sights in the hotel shuttle bus. So with a couple of other guests we had a very nice time seeing the city by night. Next day, Al rang to make sure I was OK, & as I wanted to go out to a plantation, we struck a special rate & he spent the rest of the day showing me around, first the Shirley Plantation, where I took an interesting tour.

We then returned to Richmond & Al took me to some really great places. We went to The Jefferson , a 5 diamond hotel, the staircase in it was used in "Gone with the wind", I walked down it, it was quite magnificent. We saw the Omni Hote, The Tobacco Club, the decor was wonderful, went to Shockoe Bottom, now a truly beautiful area that has been restored, & the tobacco warehouses turned into delightful little stores, there were cobbled streets as well.

We had a great day, Al reminded me so much of Bill Cosby & we had lots of laughs. After he had gone I went to the capitol building, what a stunning place, it was another magic day. Next day I went to The White House of the Confederacy, what a grand building, & so sumptiously furnished, also saw the White House museum, and lots of other historic buildings.

Al arrived eary the next morning & took me for another tour, this time to the University of Virginia, beautiful setting, along monument avenue where there is a 60 foot statue of Robert E Lee, would be interesting to know what they would have put up if the south had won the war. It was then off to the train, all this had been done in Al's lovely Lincoln convertable.

Headed back to Washington, stayed in a very old & elegant B & B. Took a trolley tour around Washington, great guide called Thomas who made it very entertaining. Saw Lincoln, Jefferson, Roosevelt & Washington memorials, the Whitehouse, the Smithsonian, the Capitol buildings, the Pentagon, Arlington Cemertery, the Kennedy graves, Arlington House whch was Lee's home before the war. Also saw the Korean & Vietnam war memorials, the JFK Performing arts centre & heaps more beautiful buildings. Took both a day & a night tour, both spectacular.

You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in.

The Empire Builder ~~Seattle to Chicago

2006-04-29T19:33:00.000+08:00

The old steam train that used to run across the country, this was one of the stops for all the smokers on board.
Part of the village square in Springfield.
This is Abraham Lincoln's house in Springfield Ill.
This mural is called "touchdown Jesus"
The seat at the lake where Rudy sat when he was accepted into Notre Dame.

"Rudy" is such a good movie, would recommend it to anyone, all ages.
Left later that day for a three day two night trip to Chicago. Slept very well, the train seats are so wde with plenty of leg support etc., and it is easy to curl up in them, even better if there is no one in the other seat.

Woke up again to some absolutely stunning scenery as we moved through East Glacier Park. Took lots of photos so I could show eveyone how breathtaking this place was, but somehow only three came out, and don't give any idea what a fantastic place it was.

After the mountains came the wheatfield, lying fallow at the moment of course, Even so it was awe inspiring, as you could see to the horizon in every direction, and it's not hard to imagine it with the waving wheat waiting to be harvested. Slept well again and after breakfast had my first glimpse of the Mississipi, what a beautiful river, so wide and of course lined with beautiful trees and farms. The farms are just like the pictures we have seen over the years, with their barns and silos.

(The farms in the US are just so different to ours here in Oz, those who have been here will know what I mean.)

Met lots of interesting people on the train, it is such a great way to travel, Tom from St Paul, Maggie & Peter from Ft Lauderdale, Sue from Chicago, Ann from Luisianna and so the list goes. Arrived in Chicago, but it was such a big, busy place and I didn't know anyone there, so decided to go to Springfield, Ill., where Abraham Lincoln lived before he went to Washigton. It is a lovely place and I really enjoyed myself there. All the homes on the square where Lincoln lived are still there, untouched, so it had a real sense of history.

I was very impressed by his farewell speech as he was leaving Springfield, that I included it in my original story, so here it is.

"My friends, no one not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of the people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a century and have passes from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born and one in buried. I now leave, not knowing when or whether ever, I may return, with the task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of that Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him, who can go with me, and remain with you and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will be well. To His care commending you, as I hope your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affection farewell."

Went back through Chicago and out to South Bend, where I was able to go to Notre Dame University, and see all the places from "Rudy", another great day. Back through Chicago again and this time to Galesburg where Michelle & Keith met me, it was so good to see them, and the week we spent together was so special. Keith is the head accountant for John Deere, and had spent 3 years in Oz, and their daughter Kelly was in the same class as my Shannon, also met their other children Lisa & Mark, and KeLly's delightful husband Jim. They live in Milan, one of the quad cities.

Thanksgiving was a real treat and I thank the Lord for letting me spend it with such wonderful people. There were 22 of us around the table, which was almost groaning under the weight of the beautiful food that had been prepared. Went sightseeing with Michelle, saw the arsenal, the lock system and swinging bridge, lots of Canadian geese and a Bald Eagle, it was wonderful. Sunday after church we went to the "Festival of Trees". What a beautiful display, I did enjoy it and all that artistic talent. There was even a tree decorated with Notre Dame theme, and a beautiful one just covered with soft toys, they were to be distributed to underprivelged children.

This has been an interesting evening, my son Marcus is here and he was trying to help me when he lost my post, then he got it partly back, and I was explaining what had happened, when suddenly my original post appeared, it's all too much for me so I am going to bed..

San Fransisco Pics

2006-04-27T21:15:00.000+08:00

The beautiful Palm Court Hotel
Jacqui & Kevin in Napa Valley

Jacqui at Bale Grist Mill

San Diego to San Fransisco

2006-04-27T19:04:00.000+08:00

Jacqui & "Greg Metavoy from NYPD"
Waiters & waitresses on counter singing YMCA
Paul & Vicki
Lacy balconys & trees in Montreal
The beautiful Hotel del Coronado

Took train to San Juan where Bob, Sandy & Rachael met me, (my youngest daughter Shannon had stayed with them on a student exchange program), & we went to their lovely home in San Clemente. It was a great joy to meet them so long after Shannon had been there. I was only there for a short time but we managed to do & see lots of things, like seeing Rodeo drive, the Beverly Wiltshire Hotel etc., scenes from "Pretty Woman". While having lunch at Eddie Debrevets Diner I noticed one of the actors from NYPD, we talked a bit & had photo taken. Saw some local sights, and at Fashion Island Mall, Rachael got me a Bloomingdale's bear, he is beautiful & goes with all the other bears I aquired along the way.

It was then off to Costa Mesa to stay with Ron's sister Cheri & her husband & two delightful children. Had a great time with them too, Cheri & I going to Laguna Beach, and somehow we missed the tornado that was reported in the news that evening.
Great pizza for lunch & I found a Teddy bear supply place, where I was able to get enough supplies to finish a couple of bears.

Next it was on to San Fransisco, Bob (from San Clemente) had put me in contact with an old school friend of his who met me off the train, what wonderful people the Lord kept leading me too. I spent 4 super days with the Strong's, Kevin & Sharon, Sharon sadly passed away in January this year, just as they were getting ready to retire. San Fransisco is so lovely & easy to get around. Kevin is an architect, so he was able to send me to see some beautiful buildings. First day I went on the train under the bay, caught trolleys, went to Fisherman's wharf, ferry around the bay, Alcatraz, under the Golden Gate bridge, shopped & finished the day with a great meal with Kevin & Sharon.

We drove up to Coit Tower so that I could see across the bay to the bridges & the city set out below, what a glorious sight. Of course no trip to SF would be complete without a trip down Lombardi Street, I walked right down , up the hill to Coit tower & then on down again along a brick path that led past these lovely homes clinging to the side of the hill & finally down to Fisherman's wharf.

Saw The Palm Court Hotel, photo following, it is so elegant, the Embacardo Centre, with it's buildings like books on a shelf, & of course the well known "painted ladies", the gorgeous bow fronted houses that we know from movies etc. Just loved the architecture of SF. Saturday Kevin took me to Cal State, his old college, their mascot is a bear so I had to have one of those. We drove around the Haight Ashbury district, the Presido, walked over the Golden Gate & lots of other great places.

For lunch we drove around the bay to Saulsalito, where we walked around the seafront, and up to a restaurant with a magnificent view, luch was excellent. After church next morning Kevin & I set of for the Napa Valley to do some wine tasting, very good.

We drove through pretty little towns, saw a teddy shop, went on a tour of the Bale Grist mill which was very entertaining. On the way to the mill we walked through woods of oak & maple trees, leaves on all the paths & lichen & spanish moss dripping from the trees. It was so beautiful in the valley, the little towns, wineries, the wines & even when the weather closed in, it was still beautiful, the way the clouds clung to the sides of the hills.

I was sad to leave the place & the people, & as it says in the song "I left (a aprt) of my heart in San Fransisco.

Angels exist, only sometimes they don't have wings, and we call them friends.

2006-04-27T18:45:00.000+08:00

These are the photos I tried to post yesterday, they are of Chris, myself & Lisa outside the breakfast cafe, the penny store on Nantucket, the light house,the picture is actually a christmas card that Margaret had made of the lighthouse, & a beautiful home oin Middlebury.
I'm still wrestling with this photo business, so hope it works this time.

Nantucket to San Diego

2006-04-26T21:35:00.000+08:00

I have been trying for the last hour to post some photos to go with todays post, but to no avail so hopefully with some help I'll be able to get them on tommorow.

The next couple of days were spent exploring, shopping, taking tours, the cranberry bogs were very interesting & generally soaking up the wonderful atmosphere, little weathered shingle houses, with roses growing over the roof, big houses with "widow's walks" on them, huge houses belonging to the rich & famous, and lots of really nice people.

On the morning I was leaving I was in "The Seven Seas", a little store, while I was talking to the owner, she tok a penny out of the till, and said that if I threw it overboard as I was passing the lighthouse, it would mean I would return to Nantucket some day. I dearly would have loved to return in December to seen all the Christmas finery.

Back to Boston & on to Montreal, met some great people on the train. There was one older gentleman from Texas, he was taking the train right around the country, not getting off, just travelling. He was recently widowed & I felt he was doing it for the company.

In Montreal I stayed in a Pensionne run by a grand old Russian lady named Madam Zanko, we talked for hours, she had some great tales to tell.
The older parts of Montreal were pretty. It snowed overnight the day I was leaving, I had to be up at 5am to catch my bus, & when I looked out my 3rd floor window, it was another truly beautiful sight. There were no footprints or tyre tracks in the snow and it had settled on the bare branches & the pretty iron lace balconys, with the soft glow from the street lights it was magic.

Bus & train back to Middlebury. It was Halloween time & with all the decorations, pumpkins, mums,indian corn, outside the stores, businesses & home the whole town did look lovely. The Clarke's took me to a display just outside of town where there were hundreds of pumpkins all beautifully carved, not just with faces, but really intricate designs & with their candles flickering inside it was a treat to see it.

A few quiet days then I caught a plane to Chicago & on to LA. Two trains & two buses later I was in Oceanside, where Vicki & Paul were there to meet me. It was so good to see their smiling faces.(A number of the people I was visiting, had lived in Oz at some time & I had met them there Paul had stayed with me one Christmas). We ate at this great diner on the waterfront called "Ruby's", lots of red vynil & chrome, the waitresses in red & white striped uniforms, had great hamburgers & cherry coke, then home to Escondido, which is where Vicki & Paul lived.

It was lovely there, Paul & done a lot of work to give them an outdoor living area, overlooking their avacado grove. Next day we went to the SanDiego Wild Animal park, what a great place, the setting is wonderful & they are having a lot of success with breeding endangered species. It had snowed beforeI left VT, & when I arrived in California it was 97 degrees, so I had to borrow some cool clothes, lucky I fitted into Vicki's.

Debbie, Vicki's sister was my driver for the next few days, we wnt to the Hotel del Coronado, what a superb place, with it's timber panelling & wonderfully decorated rooms. Seaport Village & La Jolla were great too, excellent shopping, & gallery's, tried all sorts of food too. We went to Mexico, to Rosarita, which was pretty depressing, so much poverty & degradation, I was glad to get back across the border.

Paul & I took some lovely long walks around Lake Hodges & Daly Ranch, saw some cabins (like in On Golden Pond). We mostly ate outside, the weather was just perfect. Went with Vicki to what most be the ultimate Christmas store, it was really mind boggling to see all the displays, just so many wonderful ideas. (In case you haven't guessed, I'm besotted by Christmas).

On my last night with them, Paul, Vicki & I went to this great Mexican restaurant, had fantastic food & my first Margharita. We then caught a trolley to the Gas light district, had fun walking around & ended up at a Marie Callander pie shop for pecan pie. The slices were huge & with the icecream, Vicki & I could barely walk.

What a great week I had spent in San Diego, made all the more so, by the company of the lovely people I spent it with.

In the book of life, the answers are not in the back.

Jacqui's journey~~~ continued.

2006-04-25T18:47:00.000+08:00

I actually did this post last Saturday, but somehow it disappeared into I know not where, as I was leaving to go to a place called windy harbour where there is no power, phones, not even mobile/cell phone coverage, I have been unable to do anything about it until today. Had a great couple of days, and the world was still here when we got back.

Saturday saw Kay & i of on an amazing journey (especially if you are from the southern hemisphere). First to Warren where I saw the first of many covered bridges
Stopped at beautiful waterfall, had lunch of turkey & cxranberry rolls, hot mulled cider, sitting on a deck over another delightful mountain stream, just superb. At Watertbury we took a side road & saw a great quilt dis[lay, a round barn with lovely gardens, & a teddy shop. From there we headed for Stowe & along the way we visited a cider mill, cheese factory & a chocolate place all having wonderful things to sample, which of course we did, also see some great locally made hand crafts.

We passed Ben & Jery's icecream but didn't stop as it was too crowded. Later on in the trip I did go to one of their stores & had an oreo shake, it was as good as I had been told. Late in the afternoon we finally arrived at the Von Trapp family Inn where some of the family still live, saw the sun setting on the hills across the valley & it looked just like they were on fire, with all the blazing colours.
It was dark when we reached Stowe, but it was still a beautiful place, with all the lights on it was like being in fairyland.

Just so hard to describe, all dat we had driven through trees, trees & more beautiful trees. Just when you thought there couldn't be anything better, you would come around another corner & it was just as lovely. Something intriguing I was to discover about NE was that in every little village or town there was at least one white spired building, be it a church or a town hall, they all had one & they were all beautiful. I had to keep pinching myself to see if I was dreaming this truly wonderful part of our world, & the people in it.

After church & fresh bagels for lunch Kay & I were off again. This time we went to Daikin Farms where they make the best maple syrup, jellies/jams, mustard, & the best fudge ever, maple nut, my mouth is watering just writing about it. Fort Ticonderaga was the next place on the agenda, we drove through NY state, scenery stunning again, farmlands with their neat barns & silos, saw my first canadian geese, again later in the trip I saw them winging their way south in those lovely V formations, that we know from pictures & movies.

A couple of days exploring Vermont, then took the train to Boston, Trees, fields, rivers, little streams, neat farms, everything about NE enchants me. After following the freedom trail I decided to take myself to Nantucket (that's the sort of thing you can do when you are travelling alone). On the bus to Hyannis port I travelled a young lady, Adona, she was to become o good friend in the years since.

On the ferry to Nantucket, I talked to Bob & Mabel Lee, who were also travelling with their bears. We agreed to meet for diner that evening. I never imagined I would see anyting more beautiful than in NE, but when I walked up Broard St Nantucket, I knew I was somewhere just as lovely in a different way. While waiting outside the Nesbitt Inn, the delightful old Victorian B&B where I was staying, for Bob & Mabel to arrive, I started talking to another couple, Margaret & John Almy, from Conneticut, they were most interested in me & my travells. So the next 20 mins., were spent filling them in. Bob & Mabel arrived & off we went to have dinner.

The next morning I was up early as I wanted to explore as much of the "faraway island" as it is known, as possible. When I got hungry I went into a little cafe & ordered pancakes, which when they arrived were three, very large & 3" thick. I looked at them & turned to the young couple sitting next to me and said "I will have to wlk around the island 3 times to work these off." I was totally amazed when she replied "You must be Jacqui." I agreed that indeed I was Jacqui but how did she know, she went on to explain that they were staying at the same Inn as John & Margaret, the people I had talked to the previous evening & they had regaled the other guests with the story of this Australian women & all she was doing.

I spent the next hour with Chris & Lisa before they left to catch the ferry & head back to Georgia, but not before they extended an invitation to come & visit them there.

Nothing is too small to know, and nothing is too big to attempt.

Jacqui's Journey~~~Middlebury

2006-04-22T21:41:00.000+08:00

These are the pictures that go with the beginning of my story.

2006-04-21T22:31:00.000+08:00

Yesterday & last night just vanished on me and we have been to Bunbury (60 miles away) today to shop. Our little town doesn't cater for all our needs so we make the trip to the big smoke once a month or so.

While I was on my trip to the US & England in 1997, I kept a journal, & when I returned I wrote about my experiences. I called it "Jacqui's Journey" or "You must be Jacqui." The reason for this will become clear if you stick with me, as I thought I might post it, in small episodes. Anyway here goes, please feel free to comment if it is too boring, I had such a wonderful time and did so many things that I only ever dreamed of.
At this stage I was single, 59 (never been out of Oz)& not having met my Walter yet, but that is another story.

I began my journey as I left Bridgetown at 9.30 am on October 4th 1997, spending the day in Perth with my family, before boarding United Airlines flight 4960 at 12.55am, headed for LA via Sydney, arriving LA at 8.30 am still on the 5th Oct. On to Chicago and eventually to Burlington, VT. My friend Ron was there to meet me & we were soon on our way to Middlebury.
It was a beautiful night, moonlit, & on the way I was able to catch glimpses of houses, barns, churches etc. We made Middlebury at 12.30 am, where I met Ron's lovely wife Kay. So to bed, it having been 54 hours since I got out of mine at home.

In the morning I had my first look at the stunning suroundings, in the meadow I could see deer, & beyond that a barn & silo, so unlike anything we have in Oz. The trees, sooo beautiful, they were everywhere, the leaves every shade of, red, orange & yellow.

Kay & I went to Shelbourne & to the Vermont Teddy Bear factory (where else the the bearlady go), we went on a tour, which was great fun. Bought some great stuff for the kids.

We then went to the Christmas Loft, which was to be the first of the many beautiful Christmas stores that I would go to. Over the next few days I explored Middlebury, which is a delightful place, I saw chipmunks, squirrels & a redheaded woodpecker. Saw Otter creek which runs through the centre of town, with a beautiful old stone bridge, the lovely stores & of course the fabulous trees. I was told many times while I was in Vermont that it was the best Fall that people could remember.

I walked along the Robert Frost Trail, through the woods, where there were plaques with his poetry on, and all this surrounded by the stunning trees. We drove to Ripton, past the fantastic Middlebury College, through some breathtaking scenery, mountains, streams & beautiful homes. In Rutland had my first american hot dog, and went to Barnes & Noble book store where we sat & had coffee & read, it was all so different to home.

That all in this installment, I'll try to post so pics as I go along.
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Nothing is too small to know, and nothing is to big to attempt.

.

Two more boys

2006-04-19T19:51:00.000+08:00

Thought I would show two more of my grandsons, the oldest ones in fact. They are the two smiling ones, taken at the the redheaded Daniel"s wedding, the one with little hair is his older brother Mathew. They belong to Vicki of "Fosters Farm".
I think they are pretty cute too, not sure they would like me saying that, but hey, I'm the grandmother and there have to be some privilages .

Both are married now, and Matthew has his own son, Phoenix,who has a sibling due at any moment.

There are six more boys, will post them, and the girls as well, over time.

It's quiet around here again, as the last family departed fairly early this morning. I have been able to use the computer, have a project underway and it is taking shape nicely.

Also busy cutting out some bears for a market on the weekend of the 29th. In the next town, well village would be more appropriate, they have a "Scarecrow Festival", everyone gets involved, all the houses, farms, stores etc, have scarecrows out for most of the month.
Scarecrows are not really a traditional thing here in Oz, so it's quite a tourist attraction, there are huge crowds there for the weekend. Have to see whether I can make a Scarecrow Bear. More about it later, and some pics.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thought this might ring some bells. I apologise in advance if any of you have posted it before.

Flogging a dead horse.

The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed from generation to generation, dictates that when one discovers one is riding a dead horse the best strategy is to dismount.

But it seems the Indian way has been ditched in contemporary Australian tertiary education and government circles and replaced by more adavanced strategies.

These are a few examples~~~~

Buy a stronger whip.........Change riders.........Threaten the horse with termanation........Appoint a committee to study the horse.

Arrange a visit to other countries to see how others ride a dead horse........Lower the standards so dead horse can be included........Reclassify the dead horse as "living-impaired"..............

Hire outside contractors to ride dead horse.........Harness several horses together so as to increase speed..........Provide additional funding and/or training to increase the dead horse's performance............

Conduct a productivity study to see if lighter riders improve the dead horse's performance.........Declare that the dead horse does not have to be fed, it is less costly, carries lower overheads and therefore contributes substantially more to the bottom line of the economy............

Rewrite the expected performance requirements............And should all else fail............Promote the dead horse to a supervisory position!!!!

This is almost too close to the truth to be funny.

Life is short..Live it well.

Two little boys

2006-04-18T23:32:00.000+08:00

I am so tired tonight that I wasn't going to attempt a post, but as I was putting the computer to bed up came these two photos that I had taken today, and Paul, the youngest looked so cute that I thought I would share them with my blogging friends. The other cute fellow, although I don't think a 13 year old would appreciate being called that by his grandmother, is Jordan. They are the two younger sons of my 2 eldest son, Marcus.

It is only possible to live happily everafter onr day at a time>

2006-04-17T17:06:00.000+08:00
Well, two more left today, so it's just the two grandsons, Jordan & Paul and of course Walter & I. We turned the TV off last night and played cards, we had a hilarious time, Jordan (13) has remarked several times today, about what a great night it was. We get so set in our ways, so busy about our lives, that we don't take nearly enough time to "smell the roses" along the way.

One of my friends is amazed at me, she says that I am the only person that she knows, who cries when her visitors leave. But then that's me, I just love my family and hope to go on enjoying their visits for a very long time yet.

We are finally getting some real autumn/fall weather, cool, crisp mornings, lovely mild, sunny days and cool enough again to have a fire, and then snuggle up in bed.
Very few homes in Australia have central heating, and double glazing is almost unheard of.

I am "hearing impaired" or deaf whichever, I don't mind. My hearing aids are the bane of my life, I have to take one out to answer the phone, and on a number of occasions I have dropped it, or even stood on it, which meant a whole lot of redtape to get it replaced, not to mention the times I have misplaced it altogether, so when I came across the little poem, I felt it was quite appropriate that I post it.

The Hearing Aid.

"Doc," the bushy grimaced,
"I'm feeling pretty crook (sick).
My hearings gone to putty
And everything I've took
Just doesn't seem to move me.
So please some multi-pills,
Sure to get me moving

"My life is a blooming trial,
Deaf in either ear
My hearing aid's not working
And neither is my rear."

So with his special instrument
The doc began to poke,
And after deft manouvers
And a penetrating grope,
Held aloft a prize and said
"My God! What's this I see?"
He'd taken from the ear,
A large supository!

"Doc, you bloody beauty,
My sanity is saved
Cause now I can remember
Where I put my hearing aid"

I am not quite this bad yet, but who knows!!

The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give it away.

Take a #

2006-04-16T22:50:00.000+08:00
Hi everyone,

Whenever the family has been been to visit, it hasn't bothered me in the least that they have taken over the computer. But since I have started this blogging, and I have had a problem getting near computer, so I think I will start having tickets with # and everyone will have to take one, you know, like in some of the stores.

Several times I have attempted to post and someone has wanted me for something or other, like food, or drink, or some other incidental like that. I am going to have to train them a bit better. This is serious business.

We have been having a great time, with the uncles playing soccer with the youngsters or taking them for billy cart rides, or just hanging out with them. It's such a good atmosphere, I guess I am really lucky that they all get on so well.

There was a great easter egg hunt this morning, it's great to see the faces of the young, and not so young ones. On of my daughters-in-law is a real chocaholic. When her children were young she used to eat some of their eggs, "To much chocolate wasn't good for them" she said.

One son and his wife has departed, Carolyn to have a few quiet days without husband or the two boys, who are staying here. Marcus has left for the centre of Australia, to take some young people to Urulu, the huge monolith that has special signifigance to the local aboriginal community.

I have found that if you love life, life will love you right back.

Kitchen

2006-04-14T21:26:00.000+08:00

I am posting some photos of the finished kitchen, like everything about my house is it little, but I love it, and we manage to feed everyone out of it when they are all here.

So far Marcus, Carolyn, Jordan & Paul have arrived, Alan, Lyn & Aimee will be here tommorow.

Walter has fixed up a "Billy cart" for the boys, so they are planning to try it out in the morning. Bridgetown is a very hilly place, just hope we can find somewhere safe, and not too many spills.

To carry on the theme on "Granny's" site, here is a little joke.

A man needs a brain transplant operation, so he goes to the store to buy a brain.

The store keeper shows him some, male brains, costing $500, and some female brains for only $30.

"Why are the male brains so much more expensive," asks the customer. "Well," replied the storekeeper, "they have hardly been used."

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty, never grows old.

Finished

2006-04-13T20:55:00.000+08:00
Hooray, the kitchen is finished, well except for the new cupboard handles, which my eldest son, is picking up and bringing down on Saturday.

We live a bit over 3 hours drive south of Perth ( the capital of Western Australia), it's close enough for the children to get down for the weekend. One of my other sons, Marcus lives about an hour away, so they will be over as well.

I love it when any of the family can come to visit, there's always plenty of fun and laughter, everyone gets on so well. Because they are so scattered it's not often, in fact it's over 10 years since we were all together in the one place.

We have a tradition, when they are here, one lunchtime, I cook pancakes and keep on cooking until no-one can eat any more, the kids love it, especially the big ones.

Our Easter road toll has started off very badly with 3 young men being killed last night when their car hit a tree. Seems speed was the cause. Young people just seem to think they are invincible, and nothing is going to happen to them, but sadly, all to often it does.

That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.

and another

2006-04-12T20:51:00.000+08:00
Last night I wrote a post and pressed publish and it promptly vanished, I tried and tried but to find it, but to no avail.

I then tried to answer the comments I had from the day before, well I managed to get one off to Peter and after that the computer said it couldn't find blogspot, so I thought I would email instead, and the computer said it couldn't find @bigpond, so I gave up and went to bed.

Well much to my surprise overnight it decided to publish my post, thanks for the comments, but I don't know what happened to the emails.

An early start was made on the cupboards and all was going well, when I had to go and get some more supplies. Well, when I returned Walter had decided to fix one of the pot drawers which was a little hard to close. Well time has passed, we have had dinner and the pot drawer is still sitting on the floor. I have managed to get one coat of paint on the other cupboards, and fingers crossed we should be finished tomorrow and have a functioning kitchen again, ready for any of the family who will be here for Easter.

Of course I'm not sure any of them will be coming as it has been reported that the price of fuel/gas is going to $1.40 a litre. Add that to the usual price rise of food over the Easter break, and it has made going anywhere out of reach of lots of families. The Easter break runs into our school holidays so it wont be until after that, that prices will get back to "normal" whatever normal is.

I have some other "Walter stories", but will save them for another day

"Everyone smiles in the same language"

How one thing leads to another

2006-04-11T21:19:00.000+08:00
Walter and I laid new floor tiles in the kitchen, today and it looks great, but now the cupboards look tired, so tommorow will be spent, sanding , painting etc., you know how it goes. It will look great when it's finished, will post some photos.

It reminded me of the last time I did some decorating.

Walter was away in SA, at Foster Farm helping with the harvest, so I decided to redecorate the living room, as you have seen in the previous photos.

Before he left, the walls were, off white, the exposed beams in the ceiling were still natural pine, the stairs were also pine, and the inside of the shutters were off white too.

Well I worked for days, painting the walls putting on the border,painting the exposed beams white, painting the stairs white, painted the scenes on the inside of the shutters, and finally acheived the desired result, which I really love, and thanks for all your nice comments too.

Well, my lovely husband arrives home, and we are standing in the living room, and I say to him "Well what do you think". He gives me this blank look and he says "About what?.

Men!!!! exasperating creatures, but it would be a pretty boring place without them.

May you never miss a sunset or a rainbow because you were looking down.

2006-04-10T20:25:00.000+08:00
I wasn't sure that I would get to post today, Walter has been trying to link the two computers together, and in doing somehow lost the ability to connect to the net, but as you can see I am back , so as Marcus (one of my sons) said you will just have to bear with me again.

He gives me a hard time about a lot of things, but this is the message he wrote in my Mothers Day card a few years ago, so he always redeems himself.

Dear Mum,

Wishing you a wonderful Mother's Day,

Thank you for your love

support

encouragement

willingness to help

care

understanding

enthusiasm

and DNA

You are a great Mum,

I love you, Marcus

I am blessed with wonderful children, and thank God every day for allowing me to be their mother.

My friends in San Diego sent me this, hope you all enjoy it too~~~~~~~

Twenty years ago I drove a cab for a living. When I arived at 2.30am, the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away.

But, I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation.. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs assistance, I reasoned to myself.

So I walked to te door and knocked. "Just a minute," answered a frail elderly voice. I could hear something heavy being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on, it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small suitcase. The apartment looked as though no one had lved in it for years.

All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the wall, no knicknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness.

"It's nothing," I told her "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated". "Oh, you're such a good boy", she said.

When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?" It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly. "Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice," I looked in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were glistening. "I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long."

I quietly reached over and shut of the meter. "What route would you like me to take? I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighbourhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and she would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now". We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out as soon as the cab pulled up. They were solicitious and intent,watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a weelchair.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked reaching into her purse. "Nothing," I said. "You have to make a lving," she answered. "There are other passengers," I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you". I squeezed her hand then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of the day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, and then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think That I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware--beautifully wrapped in what others consider a small one.

People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said ~~but~~they will always remember how you made them feel.

Back At My Place

2006-04-09T09:05:00.000+08:00

I can hardly beleive it but I think I may actually succeed in getting these pictures to post.Now to the reason why I wanted them.

Merle requested some more images of my place, so here goes.

To the photo in my last post, because the windows are facing west and hot afternoon sun is very hot, we put shutters on the window and because I didn't want to look at the blank inside of them, I painted a "Salt box house in the snow" on it. Those of you who know me will know that I love winter and especially the snow. Not that we have any here in WA. It also shows the antique german sled that I bought at O'Hurley's General store in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, when we were there in 2004. It was a fantastic store, crammed so full, I'm sure you would find just about anything you wanted in it. The people who run it are direct decendants of the original owners.

The Amish Doll, I made yesterday, it was an order, and I think she turned out very well. I stayed in an Amish B & B,"The Lincoln House Inn" at Lancaster PA., in 1997, with a delghtful lady named Mary K. Zook. We have kept in touch and when Walter and I went over in 2004, we visited with her again. This time we stayed at "Ellmaker House", Gap,in Pennsylvania, which is a superb fully restored 1700's farm house.

The wall niche show here is actually an old window frame, that we fitted into the wall and added shelves, I love the way it looks. It holds some of my special treasures as well as a bear or two. I am an unabashed "Americaphile", I just love the place and it's country decor, like saltbox houses etc., which I have tried to recreate here.

In the rocker pic. is another of my bears, and some of my "barn" collection, also my lovely cut glass, some of which are very dear to my heart, being wedding gifts of my grandparents, which have survived constant use down through the years.

I hope I haven't bored ayone, but I love my little home, having designed and helped buid it myself. It is a happy place, many family visits and of course dear friends from Oz., as well as the US.

I will post more about my place and my travels, which only started in 1997 when for the first time I took myself on an overseas trip~~~~~~

At My Place

2006-04-09T08:34:00.000+08:00

Here I am again trying to post the photos. I'm going to try again, but I think only one of them will be posted.

Frustrated

2006-04-08T23:26:00.000+08:00
I have been trying for the last hour to post some photos with no success so am going to bed and will try again in the morning.

Bears Galore

Where is this?

More craft

Bags 2

Bags

Test post

It happened again!!!

Graduation Day

Beach Mission

Credit where it is due

I'm back

Weather stations

Wheat Country

Mt Augustus

Murchison

Winning team

and home in just 3 months

So continue we did.

So continue we did.

It's only the mettwurst

The Teddy Bears Picnic

When Walter met Jacqui

About hair and other things

Four Memes

The next day

The disatrous trip home....

Some bears

Warning signs

Not a perfect world...

Green and Gold Malaria

No more travel tales

New Orleans to Los Angeles

New Orleans

Lancaster county and New York.

Gettysburg & Antietam

Jasper to John Deere country and beyond

Pictures

Jasper

Monterey ...Jasper.....

San Diego and Amtrak

Some more photos from VT to San Diego

Vermont to San Diego

Washington DC ~~ Better late than never

Sweden

Little Versailles

Photos from Germany

Germany ~~~

From my garden~~~these beautiful Iris

About blogging

Erinae Lavender Farm

Final installment of A guide to Aussie land

2nd Installment of " A guide to Aussie Land"

A guide to Aussie Land~~The confusing country

Infiltration and home again

"Banjo Bear"

Short Post

Two more girls

Grandaughters~~~

Roses

Beter English

The last two Grandsons~~~

Tomato tale continued....

The tale of a tomato plant

Number Quiz

Grandchildren~~

Work in progress

News ~~~ Fantastic ~~~News

Health Q & A Session

Rod's Epitaph

When I am old

Sandy's poem to Jacqui

The Cotswold's and Oxford

New York to England

Last two pics

Middlebury in Winter

Boston~Lancaster~New York~

The rest of the pics from Harper's & Richmond

Harpers Ferry and Richmond

The Empire Builder ~~Seattle to Chicago

San Fransisco Pics

News ~ Fantastic ~News