I
have a folder of treasures tucked away in my life....they don't have any monetary value... and to anyone else coming upon them, they would just seem to be
scraps of paper, old cards, newspaper clippings, little drawings, and lots and lots of photos......but to me they are precious... and worth a fortune
I came across this folder a few days ago whilst on another mission.....as I opened it I knew my
day as planned was over and I spent the next few hours trawling through it all.....remembering....
Thank goodness I can still remember, though the mind is playing tricks as I age....but for some of my friends the memory has gone....never to return
Such a loss....and so very, very sad.....
So here are a few favourites from times gone by......my treasures
(Yes that's my Mum & Dad smiling above on their wedding day, 15th June, 1934. They look so happy, about to face the unknown, about to embark on the journey of a lifetime....together)
.....
very stylish for the times
This is a much earlier pic, and is of my husband's father (George) with his two sisters, Jane & Smig....taken towards the end of WWI as he was preparing to leave for Boarding School
at ALL SOULS - Charters Towers. Only Smig is still with us, still a beauty aged 91 years
And here is a very special photo of five generations of women in my very own family....what a treasure to have
Sitting on front right is my great grandmother, (Mary Ellen) , my grandmother, (Iris Maude) , holding my daughter (Jan Louise) , back right is my mother (Rita Sybil May)
and me (Iris Merle)
It wasn't often that we got together as we all lived so very far away from each other, but here we all were and what a wonderful photo opportunity. My great grandmother died later that same year, aged well into her nineties....
she really was a treasure
How much time do we waste in the Supermarket each week?
I know grocery shopping is a necessary evil, but unfortunately we have to eat....
However.... I would like, just for once, to get in and then get out, quick smart.... no unnecessary purchases... no impulse buying.... no long queues.... no price checks.
There's our bill.... pay our money ...."Have a nice Day"... pick up our goods, (in the environmentally correct bags of course)....then hot foot it out of there in record time.
Hands up those of you who manage to do this? Mmmm....I don't see too many raised hands....and why is this I ask you?.....I think it is because underneath all our protesting, WE LIKE TO SHOP !!
We LIKE to wander around looking at the new displays, sampling little tid-bits from the smiling attendant, checking out the labels for the sugar content, trans fatty acids, cholesterol. GI etc.etc.etc....comparing prices, admiring the fruit & veg display.... pinching a grape.... squeezing an avocado ( go on, I bet you have).... looking at the fresh meat prices.... trying to regain our composure as we check again to see if that is really what they expect us to pay..... looking for a markdown price...finding one, then checking the use by date....RELIEF!
It's a psychological battle. Supermarkets aren't there for our pleasure. They are there to flesh the money out of our wallets, to make us spend just that little bit more, so that their bottom line looks better than the other supermarkets down the road, when it comes to reporting time.
Woolworths leads the battle at the moment....Coles having undergone untold damage under a CEO who had never even been in a supermarket before being appointed. (Yes, I kid you not!)
However the race is on....with extra discounts, petrol vouchers, seniors' shopping days...untold enticements to get us to BUY..BUY..BUY ....and we do. Another innovation which I'm yet to experience is that Coles have stated "that once there is a queue of 4 people, they will open another checkout !! WOW how good is that !!!!
Yes, I am a cynic.....Yes, I am a victim.....Yes, I am a sucker, and I know it.... And Yes, I will continue this battle, because I love it...love it, love it....... Why HELLO, ALDI !!
My Grandchildren love to cook......so do their mothers.....and so do I
There is nothing better than to spend time preparing something delicious to eat
waiting patiently while it cooks, and then....
VOILA
serving it up to the hungry hordes waiting in the wings
Eliza (pictured above) is preparing a delicious chocolate cake as a special treat for
her Grandfather's Birthday.
Note the little apron we always keep on hand for her when she visits.....
Also please note the look of total satisfaction on her face as she gets down to this serious business of baking !
In the picture below, Zoe is busy making scrambled eggs as a surprise for her Mum on Mother's Day........
utter concentration as the eggs are cracked one by one into the bowl
and here is the finished dish, light and fluffy, served up on wholemeal toast
How delicious !
Here it is, with rich chocolate icing and decorated to within an inch of its life
Truly a masterpiece !
Yes, people love to cook, and this was reaffirmed by the popularity of
"Masterchef "
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the trials and tribulations of the amateur chefs as they turned out average....not too bad..... pretty good....wonderful..... absolutely fantastic dishes
I watched their joys, their disappointments, their tears as they left the show, till finally there were only two .....
Only one could win of course, but in my eyes they were all winners.....
and I thank them all,
and the visiting chefs
and the judges
For stirring the pot, and getting thousands of viewers, potential chefs to start this wonderful adventure
of sharing a meal, with family and friends, prepared by their own hand.
How great is that !
It's that time of year again...the burn off !
And this is the spectacular fire which precedes the harvesting of the cane crop.....
For anyone unfamiliar with cane country, seeing a cane fire for the first time is an amazing experience, accompanied by the great roar as the fire takes hold....and then it's gone
This is a controlled burn, ridding the cane of pests and trash before the big harvesters go in, and the real work starts. Not as hard as it once was, with men, blackened by the soot, hand cutting the entire crop with a sharp cane knife....back breaking work.
But for people living in the vicinity, the harvesting is a mixed blessing.....as the blackened trash, thrown into the air with the upward draft then wafts gently to earth....settling on lawns, gardens, pathways, on the roofs and the tops of tanks, and worst of all, on freshly washed clothes blowing gently in the breeze.
"Black Gold " they call it.......I could think of a few other words...
I wonder what the carbon emissions crew would have to say about this lot !!
Life has a way of stopping us in our tracks.....
It has a way of putting things into perspective.........
It has a way of making important things seem of no consequence......
A distant voice saying those few words.........
"Mum, I have something to tell you....."
So Loving.....
So Caring.....
So Vibrant.....
How can my heart be filled with so much sadness, such great love, and not break?
Tears for my beautiful daughter......
Go well my sweet child.......you are much loved xx
You can get too much of a good thing......
and I certainly wouldn't wish this on anyone
Major flooding (again) in many parts of Queensland and New South Wales,
with some folk losing valuable crops..... cars......their business.... household items....
or even their life......
It is heart wrenching to see people sorting through the mud and slush,
finding their water logged photo albums and memories,
hoping something, just something might be salvaged
What did Dorothea Mackellar say in her poem about Australia.....
"through flood, and fire and famine "........?
We've had the floods and the devastating bush fires.
Let's hope there'll be no famine
My heart reaches out to all those who have been affected
Don't you love the rain?
Just look at these raindrops on the white rose,
making the most of their time before the sun comes out
when they'll disappear, leaving everything they touch refreshed.....
So many songwriters have been inspired by the rain -
Come Rain Come Shine
September in the Rain
A Rainy Night in Georgia
Rainy Days and Mondays
Didn't it Rain
Here Comes the Rain Again
I Can't Stand the Rain
Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head
and that's just a few that come to mind........
Hopefully , the lawns will return, the gardens grow
and the dams will fill with this precious commodity
My newly planted veggies will make the most of it.
Just check out this italian parsley........
Seems to have grown overnight
Make the most of your time in the sun little plant,
You'll soon be adorning some of my wonderful winter dishes !
