nanny reads to the gels

Just an old pic on the wall board

But poppy liked it, Tarn's Mum and her gels

Get It? Her girls- Who's gels? Hers! Who? Well, Tarn's and Bev's gels then.

Nanny Bev and my twins- gel#1b &  gel#1a, eldest gel got pink for evermore....

I was asked a while ago to print off a pic of my gels by Tarns's dad when he was around for a meal, oh, about the time of  Mother's Day here in Oz.

"Yep, no worries" I said.

With trepidation. Several thousand pics to go through on the hard drive....

At least I had roughly a time in their growth

1. they were on Nanny's knee.
2. there was no lamp table next to the chair.
3. Nanny did not have a wig on.
4. they were walking.
5. it was well before we lost Nanny to cancer.
6. they loved being read to.
7. pics were not labelled, but all pics were foldered year, month and day.

Today, before lunch, I sat down here and did that calculation above.

Easy peasy. Five minutes or so.
Next was to process the pic, cropping and so on.
Then print off. First print on matt paper trying out the bottom one
Nah, the print was too grey to me, so fancied it up and printed the next one off on Kodak glossy. Shit, nearly late for work! Not really five minutes at all, haha.

Later. "Noice".

original

no tick?

tick?

Next installment tbalance the books, their paternal nanny!

When it is ready

And the weather suitable
or not... won't matter.
It is solar heated.
With a view- stuff the sea side mate!


I may have to beg borrow steal or Buy this place.
For the kids of course.
Once it is ready and the bar is pre-stocked too...

Year in Review-2011

All growed up
Changes

Hitting the half century this year and getting a balloon flight from the Family, rather than a weekend at a famous [within the Family] campground grog fest, has had me try to be profound about flying not drinking. Did not work. Which reminds me- I have to organise That Weekend away soonish before the ticket runs out... I try not to read the part of the paper with the "HatchesMatchesDespatches"- some people write too well for me to complete their memorials to their passed on relatives- makes me wince that I could not get it together to honour Tarnia that way- but the circumstances at the time were hard to handle. It may have been nearly eleven and half years ago now, still hurts to be reminded, but maybe I am so full of myself I was/am insulated from the grief now. The kids are nearly all grown up now or half way, but still they need some finishing touches, like acting on hints "dishes", "lawns" "room!".

But they are the nicest people I know.

Also this year-

My eldest boy hit university running rather than take a daggy trip around the world or buy a car. Successfully completed the first year away in the Big Smoke with his mates and only a few musical festivals, bar cruising and the associated hangovers... Cannot believe he will be twenty this year.

Second or Middle child started his eleventh year of schooling and two jobs after school. These jobs are to only be up with the Joneses- ie skateboard, "skatebike", clothes and shoes, girlfriend and an iPhone... A few hangovers, too early for my liking, and ignoring the 7:30pm curfew has me a little annoyed lately. We saw the Foo Fighters together so I suppose we have spent quality time together, at least once? As I have to let him drive my car or van for a mandatory 120 hours behind the wheel before you can take a car licence test... that must count too? We are still awaiting an invitation from the MCC for his junior membership- waiting for 16 years! A trip to Tassie and some surfing weegens were had during the year. Who says the government run schools are shite? Ejits would. He has been less of a handfull this year at home and school, so I think he is going to be a gentleman after all, indeed, his mum would be proud too, like me. I suppose he might miss his mum, but there is a GF and her mum, and his aunts of course. He is spoken highly of when his name comes up, I expect it was hand rearing and the denial of services goodies bike the phone works, and if no lawns are done, then no driving around on his delivery job!

The Twins have done their seven years of primary school now, and expect to get mobiles [or cell] phones and Facebook and Hotmail accounts this year as they approach the Teen Age. [Expect...] I think I will hold it off as long as possible- what can they do? They cannot leave home. Teen peer group pressure may crumble my resolution though. A mistake may have been made granting their siblings those privileges or RIGHTS[?] too early, ie in the first or second year of high school... Their teachers loved having them all year, and they had a good musical year too- brass band, choir and Taiko drumming. With little or no practice too. Means a quiet house... [Other growing stages are yet to hit them, praying to myself- just another year please.] My mum wanted to pay for piano lessons, but apparently the teacher was hard to get on with... All their friends keep them very busy, sleepovers and all that jazz. Putting up with six screaming preteens in the house is a little trying. Yelling out of my cave "ITS NOT THE SCHOOL YARD!" does not seem to work either. Youtube has a lot to answer to as well! It may be a hard start to the new school year as many of their friends are going off to different schools, but I hope that the friendships made this year will last for life.

The folks are still holidaying at the ocean, well, maybe the wrong word, Living by then, but, they are doing as best they can. The fishing, the river, the dog, the cat, the golf club, the shed, the boat, the kayak, the grandchildrens' visits, all close to their hearts. My little worry is that I am too far away to care for them more if needed- has it been worthwhile staying on in Tarn's house, and not moving closer? My visits are not often enough- which also goes for my visiting my siblings- they are all a long drive to go see from here. Or, I am finally living within my budget! But they are all well, and it looks like most of the grandchildren that have finished secondary school are moving on through to the universities. Six of them so far. And one to start primary school soon!

My sister-in-law has moved into their new house, the one I was looking after. They have had a successful year too, their girl growing up on two continents and appears to be taking it all in her stride. Her dad and partner are still going, popping in for a cuppa or dinner now and then.

Tarn's Garden Grows

As the time goes by
But Her Garden Plan does Modify

Yep. Sad to hear, but what She Wanted is not set in concrete. yet
As far as a garden replacement goes, though, I do dream...

Tarn's idea of an ideal home for us and our kids was a Classic Victorian Style.

That she found.
And my offshore superintendent allowed me to return back to shore for a Lunchtime Hoose Inspection.
That's co-operation for you! And was Tarn pleases and surprised about that.
No more than me...
Must be my...?
I said Yeah, it has a cellar, garage, shed etc, why not? The bank took three weeks and said yeah, why not?
AND

She was Pleased...

High ceilings [for the spiders to hide? Tarn hated spiders!]
Bullnose Veranda. [more hidey holes]
A Garden. [tons of hidey holes]   [btw- guess who was the designated garner...]
Dishwasher. Anyway, a spot for...
Fireplaces.
Ensuite.

The last item was never considered in original CVS hooses.
But her idea here was to put one on the veranda.
NO way I said. Preposterous!
I was just thinking of the new garden that would have to be prepared after the plumbers had to remove the nice pleasant one ensconced at the time. Too much... But then, may have renewed the waste water pipes...

My idea of a home was ... a shelter? No lawns...

Anyway, on top of yesterdays horribiluus-ness [weather, date].

I went to smell the flowers- NO- the sight of our garden blooming away, all by itself, caught my attention.
And thus was late for work while I took a couple of garden snaps to remind me what Tarn had found for us.

I have taken out a lot of plants that were not coping with the minimal care required but not given, and drought conditions did not help some of the plants. I added a mandarin tree, and some lavender & azaleas, and transplanted the white roses she had in large pots- the wind ruined one pot...
I missed the semicircular display this year by a week, bugger. Some larger unruly shrubbery has also been sent to Coventry too, I mean the bonfire. Too old and raggedy. The side hedge may end up that way too if it fails to spruce up by xmas.

Me and #2 might put in a little veranda/sunshade area out back by then too, some where out of sight- like the round the house veranda is a bit exposed to the hoi polloi...

And I thought I better add these two, with their mates at Ballarat.

Chaddy Cooks tour

Like my Irish Cooks Tour
Short but long

When I was pretty young, my mum took me, and my brother as well, to see Santa at the newish Myer store at Chadstone. The getup was up on the roof if memory serves right.  And a sunny day, being Summer Marv.

For the last couple of years, I have avoided the Myer Christmas windows in the Big Smoke and taking the gels shopping anywhere in town or the Big Smoke.

But now...

I had a dream...

A dream knocked my usual shower ponderings off course this morning, after it came back to me, wet like.

The set up: using my hair brush. It is from Aber-bludie-deen, so it had done a few "stylings" since the early 90's... The bristle pad needs to be re-glued to the handle, again. Maybe time to give it up?

I was looking at the brush in the dream, and noticed it had another apartment under the pad, handle side.

"What the...?"

It was a another brush! For shoes!

I turned it over, took it out and tried it. It worked a treat.

"Well well!" [I think I would have said]

Then my dream self noticed a third brush! From the other end it appeared.

This one was for brushing lint off clothes! Wow!

A magical Russian dolls type brush, and for two decades I had never known about it!

Was there a fourth?

I may have woken myself up by then in the strangeness of the dream.

Weird dream. Because had been thinking of dumping it...