A BROKEN LEG IN THE FAMILY

You have freedom when you’re easy in your harness. – Robert Frost - See more at: http://www.thebridgemaker.com/3-ways-freedom-rocks/#sthash.b3IncpF5.dpuf

To live is so startling, it leaves but little room for other occupations.
Emily Dickinson, letter

You have freedom when you’re easy in your harness. – Robert Frost - See more at: http://www.thebridgemaker.com/3-ways-freedom-rocks/#sthash.b3IncpF5.dpuf

You have freedom when you’re easy in your harness. – Robert Frost - See more at: http://www.thebridgemaker.com/3-ways-freedom-rocks/#sthash.b3IncpF5.dpuf

It has been a few weeks since my last post. In some ways it has been very eventful and in other ways not so.

Four weeks ago my 83 year old mother fell and broke her leg and her arm. Luckily she is very fit but this has still meant 2 weeks in hospital and constant care after that.

My brother lives in a flat underneath Mum's house and is self employed so has some flexible hours. I am retired so I have been staying at Mum's for the last 2 weeks.

I'm in charge of the cooking. It is strange cooking for 4 every night after only cooking for two for so long. P:-) comes around every night for dinner to join my brother Mum and me. When I last lived at home, close to 40 years ago, I couldn't cook a thing. Now I like to think I am quite proficient.

Today I saw a beautiful cobweb outside Mum's bedroom window - full of insects and raindrops.

Mum has a lovely garden, although the photos below do not do it justice

It is Autumn here on the Eastern Coast of Australia - not a time when the garden is at its best.

It has been raining and windy here for days. My brother took Mum, me and P:-) for a drive to see the big seas. We ate fish and chips in the car as we looked out across the foaming water towards the steelworks.

The time goes very quickly. While P;-) and I see each other every day it has been nice staying with people. I live on my own and, although I have plenty to do and lots of friends, sometimes I do get lonely.

Interesting sites

1.

 Seaweed clad house

Photo credit

This house in Sweden is clad in seaweed. it is based on an old traditional technique. Click here to see more.


2.

7 spectacular spits

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 This article is really interesting. It is about the 7 most spectacular spits on earth. Click here to read more.


3.

 Pictures leap off the page

 

Photo credit

 Alessandro Diddi does amazing 3D pictures that seem to leap off the page. Click here to read more.

FAMILY REUNION AT DAVISTOWN

I have reached the stage now where luxury is not in fine possessions but in carefree possessions, and the greatest luxury of all would be the completely expendable.

 

Nan Fairbrother, The House in the Country

The holidays are over. How quickly they went. I am retired now so it doesn't make such a difference as it once did, but it means back to the old routines.

P:-) and I volunteer every Thursday evening at Manna House where people come in off the street for a free meal. People come for all sorts of reasons. For some of them it is a meal they would otherwise not get. Others come for the company.

It has been lovely to have a break from Manna House since Christmas. This is our last week off and we will start again on the 5th February, so this is our last free week.

P:-) and I spent a few days last week helping P:-)'s daughter M paint her new classroom. She will be teaching kindergarten two days a week and wanted to spruce the room up.

Don't the new colours look great!

Here are some pictures of it complete.

 M is a super keen teacher and we are very proud of her.

I must confess I spent more time playing with M's little daughter S, than I did painting.

I think I had the best deal.


On Friday P:-) and I took a short trip to Davistown on the Central Coast of NSW. P:-)'s family has had a holiday house here for years. It has just been sold but as yet is still vacant and the new owners kindly gave us permission to camp in the back yard as we have done many times before.

We have a caravan that pops up and out, affording us two comfortable double beds - plenty of room to spread out at night and have a good sleep.The caravan is a 1981 model - vintage. We bought it sight unseen from eBay 4 years ago for a cheap price. It is very basic but we have great fun in it.

The reason for our short holiday was a reunion of P:-)'s family in the park opposite the old house. P:-) has cousins who live next door so it was just across the road for them. Others came from various areas of Sydney and Wollongong.

 P:-) has very nice relatives and I really enjoyed the day as I think did all involved. We were lucky to have good weather.

While were were there some ducks set out in formation down Cockle Creek.

The next day, Sunday 25th, was quite hot. The early morning view across the lake was very still and peaceful.

 Later, during the heat of the day,I couldn't resist this shot of the sky through the awning.

 We spent most of the day under the awning, trying to keep cool.

A mother duck wandered around the yard with her ducklings. We had seen them when they first hatched in October.
Then there had been 14 of them. Now there were only 5 left, but they had tripled in size.

 Apparently kookaburras and other birds prey on the ducklings when they are young. They were much harder to photograph this time. Perhaps the mother was more wary after losing so many of her little ones.

I had thought these ducks were native but have been told this is not the case. I would love to know the breed.

On Monday26th, Australia Day, the rain set in.

We spent the day sheltering and then packed up in the rain on Tuesday. There is nothing worse than packing up in rain. Garbage bags come in very handy to put wet things in.

We drove home in rain.

 We came home to more rain. But I will never tire of the view from my back window.

My daughter J has an exhibition on in Gallery 9 at Darlinghurst. Here is the link for the advert.
 Advert for Jade's exhibition

Just a final note. I grew up by Towradgi Beach in Wollongong. My father, James Edwards, was one of the initial surf club  members in 1947 and captain. This is a link with a little about it.

Interesting sites

1.

 Tiny eco home in Romania

Photo source

 The Soleta ZeroEnergy One is a prototype eco home in Romania. Click here to read more.



2.

Harry Potter in Lego

Photo source

 This project features architecturally accurate recreations of the Harry Potter sets such as the Great Hall, the Quidditch Courtyard, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and the bridge over the Clock Tower. About 10,000 LEGO bricks were used for the L-shaped, nearly 4 meters long structure of the school’s central staircase alone.
Click here to see more. 



3.

Cabinet from disused pallets

Photo source

 Handy with a table saw and a hammer? If you’re looking for a new furniture project to take on, then check out the latest tutorial from avid DIY builder and passionate recycler James Higginson. In this how-to edition, Higginson shows us how to build some fabulous cabinets entirely from disused pallets!
 Click here to see the tutorial.

FALLING CHIMNEY STACK AND TWIZZLES

A kookaburra decided to perch on my deck this week. Many years ago we used to feed the kookaburras that came around, but found they would crash into the house windows. So we stopped feeding them. They still crash into my glass doors occasionally, but this one seemed quite happy just looking around.

I learned a great new word this week - twizzle. It is a new word introduced at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games to describe a movement in the ice dancing.

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So what is a twizzle? It is when a skater executes a one-foot turn while moving across the ice, however it must be a continuous turning movement as the skater glides across the ice. The skate movement is required, as it distinguishes a twizzle from a stationary spin. Or even a series of turns.

 Usually skaters turn for at least four revolutions on a twizzle. 

Photo source

Until Thursday February 20th 2014, Port Kembla, an industrial suburb of Wollongong, was home  Australia's tallest industrial chimney - a 198 metre tall chimney built in 1965. 

Yesterday it was demolished. P:-) and I went to watch from Towradgi Beach. Below is a picture across the water just before the stack was demolished.....

.... and below is a photo of the same area minutes after the stack was demolished.

It was just too difficult to get a picture of the stack as it fell. No specific time was given as to when it would occur so we had to stare at it for about 2 hours.

I grew up very close to where this photo was taken and I remember watching the stack growing taller and taller  as it was being built across the bay. As a 10 year old I was very proud of the fact that it was the highest stack in the Southern Hemisphere. 

There were all sorts of problems with it, associated with toxic pollution, and the stack hasn't been used for years. In 2008 it was discovered that the stack had concrete cancer and would cost $10 million to demolish. It was finally demolished in 2014.

When I looked at some of the tallest chimney stacks in the world on Wikipedia I found the Port Kembla stack was disappointingly small in comparison. The tallest at the Ekibastuz GRES-2 Power Station in Kazakhstan, comes in at 419.7 meters compared to the Port Kembla stack at 198 meters.

It was a beautiful morning at the beach and  couldn't help being a bit self indulgent and including some photos I took while I was waiting for the stack to fall.

I'll finish off with these beautiful Lilli-pillis I spotted growing on a footpath near the CBD. They looked very big and juicy. Lilli-pillis are native and I grow them in my back yard, but they don't bare much fruit as they don't get enough sunlight. They are edible and usually turned into jam or sauce. I don't think I've ever seen any quite so lush as these.

Interesting sites

1.

 Surprising fortress house

Photo source

This house is completely closed off. But, at the touch of a button, the coverings will be rolled back. The stairway is inaccessible normally, but it suddenly appears. The house actually is covered in windows, but can be made into a fortress. Click here  and you will be surprised by what you see.

2.

World's scariest bridge.

Photo source

The world's scariest bridge is in Engelberg, Switzerland. Click here to see more.

3.

Kids will be kids
 

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Poverty is a thief. It steals childhood, innocence, security and fun. It sends children to work instead of a classroom; it replaces playfulness with worry; it puts heavy burdens on small shoulders. Compassion refuses to let this happen. Every child should have the opportunity to use their imagination, to create and to laugh. To be kids. Click here to see more.

AFTERNOON TEA AT BULLI

It is difficult to bring people to goodness with lessons, but it is easy to do so by example.
Seneca

 

The days are going so quickly. I am so far behind in where I should be organising my house for sale. A friend suggested it was procrastination because I really don't want to sell it and he is probably right. I do love my house and it holds so many memories. I was 25 when we moved in here, with only one child. I am surprised at some of the things I am finding as I go through everything. Full of memories.

 

 A few days ago P:-) and I drove up to the town of Helensburgh. This flock of Sulphur-crested cockatoos was in the park. These are Australian natives.

Sunday was the first day of Spring. It was also Father's Day. We had afternoon tea at Bulli Beach with some of P:-)'s children and grandchildren. It was a beautiful, sunny day and there was a plethora of mini cupcakes which the little ones devoured.

 There was a great view of the mountains up north and of the beach down south.

 Below is some information on Bulli taken from Wikipedia.

BulliWollongong, New South Wales Australia
Aerial view of Bulli
Coordinates	34°20′03″S 150°54′48″ECoordinates: 34°20′03″S 150°54′48″E
Population	5,453[1]
Postcode(s)	2516
LGA(s)	City of Wollongong
State electorate(s)	Heathcote, Keira
Federal Division(s)	Cunningham

 I am really enjoying having Jasper, my daughter's dog. I will have him for another fortnight.

 Jasper has spent much of his time curled up in front of the heater.

 

 

 

It is really nice having someone to come home to in the evenings, even if he is a bit on the doggy side.

Interesting sites

1.

Photo credit

This is a beautiful house!! Click here  to read all about it. Be sure to click on the thumbnails to have a good look


2.

 Adapting as you go

 

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You have freedom when you’re easy in your harness. – Robert Frost (one of my favourite poets.) Click here to read more.

 

SUBLIME POINT

 

Photo source

On Sunday morning we drove up to Sublime Point, a lookout, overlooking the city of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.

It was was the birthday of  P:-)'s daughter M, and to celebrate, family and friends had breakfast together at Sublime Point Cafe.

M's mother-in-law made this delicious cake.

It was very rich chocolate. Delicious!!


On Monday morning I used the ATM at the Commonwealth Bank and forgot to take the money, which was a pretty stupid thing to do. I hadn't walked away - I was just thinking about something else. By the time I realised what I was doing the machine had gobbled the money up. This was a nuisance as I needed the money to pay bills. When I went inside the bank they told me I had to contact the IMB  from where I was withdrawing the money. I have done this . The IMB will send me out a form to fill in. 

I have never done this before. I was very annoyed with myself!

Capsicums were $1.69 a kilo at Woolworths this week so I bought a big bag. I charred them and took the skin off, chopped them and put them in the freezer ready for pizza or other dishes.

I am really enjoying cooking now that I am no longer working.



Interesting sites

1.

 Building project for Wollongong

Photo source

This building project is set to start in Wollongong, my home town, in 2015. I can't quite place exactly where it will go but it looks very interesting. Click here to read about it.


2.

Forest paths

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Here are some beautiful photos of forest paths. Click here to have a look. It is really worth it. 

3.

 Vegies tick over after harvest

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Vegies keep ticking over after they are picked. Click here to read about it.
 

BACKYARD AND BIRTHDAY

 Never fear shadows.... that always means there is a light shining somewhere.
  Jonathan Santos 

My backyard has been a bit of a worry. I love it. It is a bush garden but it had become very overgrown. P:-) spent some time on it a few weeks ago and then my wonderful brother G spent all last Saturday clearing it. It is looking great.

I plan to sell my house and I don't know if this type of back yard will make it harder to sell. There is no grass to mow, but some people like that. It was a great yard for my children when they were growing up.

I have had some trouble downloading my photos onto my computer so I have only a limited number to use, but here is a small sample of the photos I took of my garden after my brother had finished.

 

It was P:-)'s birthday on Tuesday 9th July. His lovely daughter M made him this apricot and chocolate chip cake, smothered in Nutella.

 

P:-)'s daughter M and 9 month old granddaughter S came down for lunch.  We ate at Diggies, a popular restaurant right on the beach at North Beach, at North Wollongong and we had a lovely view of the surf as we ate.

P:-) will have his main birthday celebration on Sunday, when his 5 children and their partners and 4 grandchildren plus a few friends will all go out for lunch. I will cook a birthday cake for that occasion.

P:-) is a few years older than I am. He is 64.  I will be 59 in a month. How fast the years fly by. It seems that one minute I was 30 and suddenly here I am, very close to 60 - only 12 years from 70.

Since my twenties I have always dreaded the next decade. It is all just numbers, but somehow hitting 60 will really make me a senior citizen. I already have trouble with the label middle-aged.

I remember my grandmother at 60 - she was an old lady. My mother on the other hand is 81 and not an old lady at all. She is very fit and independent. She is very involved in the church and community. She is always smartly and fashionably dressed and very much on the ball when it comes to current affairs.

So I know it is all just a matter of attitude and making the most of each day as it comes.


 






Interesting sites
1.

 Chic tiny house in Omaha Nebraska

Photo source

Have you heard of the Tiny House movement. Click here to check out this tiny house in Omaha. You need to click on the small photos under the main photo to see all the pictures.


2.

5 life-giving truths from 5 years of living with less

Photo source

Through necessity I am beginning a minimalist life. This article is very encouraging. Click here to read it.


3.

 20 terrific pictures of turquoise

Photo source

 Click here to check out 20 terrific picture of turquoise.