Monday, 29 October 2007
Sunday, 28 October 2007
Boys will be Boys... and don't we just love 'em!!
1. No!! Charlie, don't splash in the bird bath!
2. Okay Pennie...
3. Not before I throughly wet myself though!!!
4. Jackson making a Pizza.
5. Jackson cutting the Pizza.
6. Jackson finishing off his Pizza, David and I only managed a couple of pieces Jackson ate the rest.
7. Hold on around my middle Charlie...
8. Down we go...
9 All the way to the bottom!!
Saturday, 27 October 2007
Good to have a catch up with old friends...
Lovely morning tea today with a few old friends from the P&C of the local Primary School, Jo just back from Canada, Jenny O'B about to move up North, Sheila visiting from Perth, myself and Jenny B. from round the corner! We don't often get to have a good catch up like today so I made the Lemon Cheesecake I used to do back in the 70's and 80's... good old friends = good old recipe!
W10.Scatterday'J', Restaurant, Sport & Pointy Things.
Restaurant - David and went to Manly especially this week just to have lunch at Jellyfish which is across the road from the North Steyne Life Saving Club. Seared Swordfish on a bed of fresh vegetables topped with a Poached Egg… Delicious!! and the Jellyfish Drinks Menu.
Sport - My nephew Michael Rodd is a Jockey, here he is aged 2 then Michael and girlfriend Cara with David and myself in London in 2005 and the last photo is of Michael Rodd the Jockey who will be riding in the Melbourne Cup again this year. (This is the only photo I didn't take, would you believe I've never seen him race!)
Pointy Things - My Grandson Jackson Harry is a ‘Pointy Thing’ here he is pointing at his Mummy, Pointing at the garden and Pointing to himself!
Friday, 26 October 2007
Charlie is teaching himself to drive... he's learnt how to back up so the next lesson will be to go forward!
Monday, 22 October 2007
Sunday, 21 October 2007
Saturday, 20 October 2007
(W9) Scatterday 'P', Red Things, Sweet Things & Metal
This week I didn’t have to leave the house but I did take many photos away from home till it eventually clicked with me and it turned out to be a much easier week than I thought!
Red Things = Persian Carpets, we’ve got plenty of those!
Sweet Things = Penelope Rose, how sweet is this rose with it’s sweet sweet smell and it’s beautiful name LOL!
Metal = Pewter of course! I know I’ve already done this as a ‘collection’ but it was do it again or photograph some boring Painted Metal bus Panels as my DH suggested!!
Friday, 19 October 2007
Thursday, 18 October 2007
Fish Markets.
I've been into the City three times in five days which is a bit unusual for me but I couldn't pass up a lunch with a couple of my Internet friends at the Fish Markets... another one of my very favourite Sydney spots!
These delightful Asian Gentlemen were really enjoying their lunch and each others company so I just had to take a photo... there were plenty of jokes and laughter a few beers and large platters of seafood being passed around... don't know why I had to take a photo but they made us smile and feel at peace with world I guess.
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Miriam Margolyes
David and I went to the Sydney Theatre (not to be mistaken for the Sydney Theatre Company but just across the road... so work that one out!! Why put two theatres with very similar names opposite each other??)... anyway... we went to see Miriam Margolyes in 'Dickens Women' which was absolutely brilliant, she has a few different chairs on stage for props and reads, mostly by heart the roles of many of the characters that Charles Dickens put into his books, many of which she herself has played in either film or TV. She also told us a lot about the real women in his life... most entertaining so if you get the chance grab it!
I stole this photo of Miiram Margolyes from her Website, here she is playing Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter movies.
P.S. Somethings in the air I think... David and I've been to three things in the last 8 days... we can go 6 months without seeing a show but in this last few days we've seen the brilliant Swedish film, 'As it is in Heaven', Clive and now Miriam... all highly recommended
Monday, 15 October 2007
'Here's Daddy's mate John!'... says a certain 5 year old boy!
'Who's this?' he asks after opening 'Daddy's Mate', 'That's Paul.' I tell him, 'Who's this one?' 'That's Bob, then Malcolm and Gough.' 'Mmmmm...' says the boy, then repeats their names as he packs my John Howard Babushka away! I am not surprised that Jackson knows John Howard but I am surprised he recognized this Babuska!!
The Explanation... I know you're dying for one!!
When Tim became an Australian Citizen on Australia Day in 2002, John Howard and Philip Ruddock were the Government Representatives so when Tim had to get an Australian Citizen to witness his papers for him he asked John, who very happily obliged, a queue formed of course but Howard's minders shuffled them off and him off to the next Australia Day Ceremony. So the family joke is that John Howard... (I almost did JH?? ooooohhh spooky that's Jackson's initials!!!!! ) ... is referred to as Tim's Mate!!
This is not a political statement, the voting preferences in this family are a mixture to say the least... lets just call us a bunch of Swingers!
Sunday, 14 October 2007
Tomo is on the move...
A big move is happening for oldest son Tomos, he and Emma and our two darling little girls are all moving to Macau. Tomo is in Hong Kong already and Emma with 22 girls will leave London before the end of the month... only two of the girls are our beautiful little grand daughters the other 20 are all dancers going to Macau for a big Spectacular Tom and Emma are putting on! They'll be a lot closer to us for a few years which will be wonderful and their Christmas flights have been booked... Hip Hip Hurray!
You've gotta love this City... but...
... you have to be rich! I thought we were in for a cheapish night out but when you add it up, it's a different story. We went to see Clive James 'Out on his Own', and we had a really beaut night but there was no great set on stage, just Clive, a rostrum and a chair and he was really there to sell his new book. Our Dinner was just cafe style with one glass of wine... and the Parking wasn't too bad I guess.
2 Tickets @ $78. 50 each
Parking @ $30
Dinner @ $40
Total.... $227.00
The plus side of all this is of course the venue... how could you not fall in love with this city when walk around the Opera House on a crisp moonless evening with ferries shuttling around the harbour and the fact that it's only 30 mins from home. I love my City!
Saturday, 13 October 2007
W 8. Scatterday 'F' - Cold Things, Signs & The Elements.
Cold Things = Fish… Flake, Two Franks & Flathead. (Whenever I ask if I can take a photo in this shop one of these fellows always wants to be in it! I explained that I was looking for something cold starting with the letter ‘F’ and he said his name was Frank and he’d just been in the Cold Room!! And of course his mate jumped into the photo as well telling me his name was Frank too! Who am I to doubt them? ) LOL
Signs = London Routemaster Bus Destination Rolls showing Forest Hill and Fulham then in the middle a little enameled sign which is a copy of an old advertisement for Fantasia that I have on the wall of our family room.
The Elements = Fe. Is the symbol for the element Iron. David’s Uncle Keith went to Carmel, Calif. in the 1920’s and started a Forge making several iron things including this Bell. These are three little Iron profiles that we bought in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire of Messes Telford, Brunel and Stevenson all designers of Iron Bridges in Britain. Another of Keith’s Bells plus some Iron Shoe Lasts hanging on the wall outside… note spider web in tact.
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Scott McGregor
Why is Scott McGregor, Australian star of Film and Television, photographing my David?? Scott is writing a book about 'Big Boys Toys' that's why... so who would have a bigger toy than David!! http://www.markbyrne.com.au/celebrity.php?client=scott_mcgregor
There's movement at the Station for the word has got around...
Briony is moving to Canberra for a couple of years... I'll copy and paste her email to me so you can see why she's moving.
I've been selected for a graduate position with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to commence on 29 January 2007.
About 20 grads chosen out of 2,000 approx applicants. It says graduates - but the successful candidates are usually in their thirties. This is a competitive job cos of it's great opportunities to climb the department ladder quickly after rigorous training.
The graduate program includes a 10 month training program with three rotations. So I will get to try out various sections - such as International Labour Organisation, Parliamentary Liason, Worker's Safety and Entitlements, Legislative and Policy related divisions.
Congratulations Briony... we'll miss you :-( but there's always a spare room at home for you.
P.S. Joon is going with her for the first 6 months so he can finish off his Ph.D away from the hustle and bustle of the Korean Community.
Sunday, 7 October 2007
Nerys started it but Emily perfected getting into other people's photos!
We celebrated Nerys' birthday last night, she chose Roast Beef with every roast vegetable under the sun plus Yorkshire Puffs and Gravy then Lemon Cheese Cake for dessert. It looks terrific in the photos but I've lost my knack, it was too runny... delicious but runny.
Nerys started it all by getting into Emily and Charlie's photo but Emily kept popping up where ever I pointed the camera!! You have to admit she did a good job of it!!
Saturday, 6 October 2007
W7. Scatterday 'C'
Week Seven Scatterday using the letter ‘C’ and the categories… Hobbies, Furniture and Pizza Toppings.
Hobbies = Collecting… Old Green Bottles, I collected these while living and traveling in England in the late 1970’s they have the name of towns we visited on them. Old English Pewter which was collected by David’s Uncle and passed onto us and David’s Collection of Old English ‘Dinky’ Double Decker Buses which he collected from both Australia and England. You’re lucky I stopped here… we have so many collections of different ‘stuff’!
Furniture = Chests… A rare Camphor Wood chest (I know it’s rare because the people who sold it to us 25 years ago offered to buy it back for double the price a couple of weeks later, it has no carvings), Australian Cedar Chest that we had restored & my Maternal Grandmothers family Mahogany Chest that came out to Australia with them from England in the early 1800’s (you can still see the shipping label which says Long)
Pizza Toppings = Crustaceans… my very favourite of course! Spanner Crabs, Delicious Pizza I made and Tiger Prawns.
BTW I have no problems asking shop keepers if I can take a couple of photos for a game I’m playing on the internet… the guy in the Fish Shop asked me if he could be in the photo LOL)
P.S. The Pizza was absolutely delicious!
Friday, 5 October 2007
Thursday, 4 October 2007
Would you believe it!
See this family, they are the Longs... my Great Grandfather, Great Grandmother, my darling Grandmother (Mama) on the right, the little girl is my Great Aunt Cranky (Nancy), One boy is my Great Uncle Bill and the other one didn't live long after this photo was taken because he was killed in a shooting accident!
Anyway... I was talking about them to my Mum this week and she told me she never liked her Grandparents... I was shocked because I remember my Great Grandmother very well, she lost her marbles and used to let me do fun things like light fires on the carpet of her bedroom and so on... what kid wouldn't have fun memories like this eh!
I had to push my mother and asked why she didn't like them and she told me that my Great Grandmother was spoilt! What sort of spoilt was she I asked... Well said my mother... she told Great Grandfather that she wouldn't marry him unless he did all the washing... and he did for the whole of his life, with a copper and wringer. He was Headmaster of Windsor School and apparently it caused a sensation in the whole town!! I'm still laughing... we're talking late 1890's and early 1900's here! I was laughing so much I forgot to ask why she didn't like Great Grandfather! Maybe he had rough hands from all that washing LOL.
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Parents!! You gotta 'ave 'em... and you gotta luv 'em!
Visited Mum and Dad today and Mum told me that my brother Nick had given Dad a Fathers Day present of the book 'My Story' by General Peter Cosgrove...
Dad read the book and throughly enjoyed it. When he went to put it in his bookcase he found he already owned the book and remembered that he'd enjoyed it when he bought it himself earlier in the year!!
Mum was laughing when I had to correct her, it as me who gave Dad the book on Fathers Day and when I gave it to him I asked both him and Mum if he'd read it because I would take it back if he already had it!
This is one of the perks of the over 80's and 90's they can read the same book twice and not know they'd already read it a few months before and then get a laugh!