The BIG 7 0

 



I just had to tell you...

It's been a dull old day - not at all like summer!  Temperature has barely reached 20C (average for this time of year around 26/27C).  For a long time I had promised myself I would sort out all of my embroidery threads and 'catalogue' them.  Today was a great day to do it.

As I was sitting at my kitchen table sorting and winding and labelling I heard a bit of a commotion outside.  Got up to look and saw the funniest antics I've seen in a long time - just had to tell you!

Over the past week or so there's been a family of magpie birds around the yard.  Mum and possibly Dad - with 3 big babies.  I say big because they look big - but they're still getting food from Mum as well as picking around the garden.

Three youngsters were having a total scrap!  I got my camera and got a few shots!  They were more like puppies or kittens than birds.  I was laughing to myself so hard!

One of them found an old corn husk in the compost heap and was playing with it like a dog would a bone.  Sibling arrives on the scene and tries to take it away.  No way, Jose!  First baby runs quickly to my laundry trolley and hops up into the peg basket.  Deposits the husk in and picks up a red peg.  All the while the other two siblings are trying their best to antagonise and get up to the corn husk.  Eventually when the three of them were back on terra firma, another little tussle ensued.  Biting each other's tails, rolling on backs, pecking, pecking!  Oh it was such a delight to watch!

I stood there at the kitchen window and hubby joined me - thoroughly entertaining!  Eventually the scuffle broke up and they continued their meandering around the garden.  I looked out a little while later as it seemed quiet and one of the babies had fallen asleep on the fence. So cute!

Love all of God's creatures!

Anyway I did manage to get all of the floss sorted and even ended up with a bag of duplicates.  Felt satisfied that the job that I'd put off for so long was done.

Blessings!

PS (sorry about the spacing of the photos. I don't seem to be able to do anything about it this time)

New Years resolutions?

What better New Years resolution could we make - Paul's words say it all!

Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Blessings on this first day of 2012 dear friends!

Up in the middle of the night!

Well, it's almost the middle of the night here - just 20 minutes before midnight. Have had a couple of those nights where I haven't been able to get to sleep - or in the case last night, slept for about 30 minutes then was wide awake for hours.  Managed to drop off about 4am then slept late till nearly 8.  I guess when  this happens, one tends to just try too hard at getting to sleep - then it never seems to happen.

Well I think the last couple of days my mind has been overly active - at least more than usual - and I was kind of 'wound up' and things were going through my head at a real rate of knots.

Yesterday I spent the day on the computer trying to sort out some information for DIL's family tree.  I did get quite a bit done though for which I  was pleased.  Today the morning was fairly quiet with watering the garden and grocery shopping but after lunch DH and I decided to go to the movies.  I had library books to return as well so we got seat bookings online to go to "The Iron Lady" which I've been wanting to see since I heard it was being released.  I really enjoyed it - and Meryl Streep's acting was superb as one would expect.  I love her movies - she is so skilled.  We talked about the movie later in the day, and about Margaret Thatcher, where she lives now and how old she is and of course  my mind stayed pretty well active until bedtime.  But despite doing a little reading to relax, sleep has evaded me again tonight. 

So after a warm drink I'm planning to head back to bed and hope I can drift off to sleep this time.

Tomorrow is the last day of 2011.  It's hard to believe, the last week has just zipped by so quickly - I guess that's what happens when DH is home from work between Christmas and New Year break.  Looking forward to seeing the wonderful fireworks display tomorrow night to mark the end of the year and the beginning of 2012.  Hopefully will stay up and see the 9pm show but it's debatable whether I last the distance for the midnight extravaganza.  We won't be heading off into the city to see it live - it's pretty good to watch on the television!  Sydney is well renowned throughout the world for its New Year's Eve fireworks display and I have no doubt tomorrow night's will live up to expectations.

Happy New Year everyone - and blessings in abundance through 2012!

Sydney Opera House 2007



Long time catch-up

Christmas Day is over!  It seems such a long time in preparation then so quickly, food is eaten, gifts are opened and it's clean-up time.  And we'll do it all again next year I'm sure.  We will have forgotten all of the negative things about Christmas and the lead up to it, but in our hearts I believe we can remember the most positive aspect of Christmas for the whole of the year. 

Yes, the fact that Jesus was born, died at Calvary and rose again is an amazing thing - the way it all happened and was planned by God the Father is something our finite minds find difficult to grasp and hold - but the most amazing thing of all I think, is that God loved us all so much that he not only planned it immaculately, but carried it out - just so that we have the opportunity of eternity with Him.  Oh how I long for that time!

Happy Christmas dear friends and a bright and wonderful 2012.

Blessings!

 Carving the turkey

 E with new camera

 L with new camera (and a sticky mouth)



C, C, L and E waiting for the turkey!

Convicts and bonnets

The craft group I belong to are making Convict Bonnets as part of a living sculpture called "Roses from the Heart".

Conceptual artist and Artist in Residence at the Cascades Female Factory, Hobart, Tasmania and Christina Henri have designed this as a tribute to the convict women of Australia.

The "Roses from the Heart" project aims to have 25,566 bonnets made, one for every woman transported to Australia between 1788 and 1846 when tranportation ceased.  To date about 20,500 have been collected from all over the world.   Many of the bonnets already made have been adorned with a convict woman's name, the ship in which she arrived and the date of arrival.

This link will give you more information. 

http://www.christinahenri.com.au/index.php?/ongoing/roses-from-the-heart/

There are 3 convicts in our family from my husband's side (must have been a bad lot! LOL) however they were all male so to honour a convict woman on my bonnet I have chosen a person with the same surname.  She was Elizabeth Double who was sentenced to transportation on 14 January 1818 and sailed in the "Maria" to Sydney in NSW.  She was in Sydney until 1820 when she was sent to Tasmania and shipped on the "Princess Charlotte" to Hobart. 

It's been a really interesting exercise for me to check out not only this woman but the three rellies who were sentenced two years apart - Joseph in 1842, Edward in 1844 and John in 1846.  Although from the same family name of 'Double's', none were directly related however Edward was a nephew of Joseph.

It's hard to imagine what life must have been like in those days - so hard - most of the crimes punishable by transportation then, would not even rate a mention today - although one of the above was charged and sentenced for arson - burning down a barn of hay! 

Some of the records make interesting reading!

Blessings!

Baby birds and birthdays

I rushed out to rescue the washing from the clothes line - it certainly wasn't dry, but too dry to get wet in the rain that was threatening.  I was casually watching out the kitchen window at the rain as it absolutely hosed down and to my great surprise I saw a brilliant flash of fire then smoke rising from behind the trees not far from our back fence.  Almost instantaneously our power went off.  The lightning must have hit a transformer supplying electricity to our area.  At a guess I'd say a good inch and a half of rain fell in the next hour.  Absolutely pelted down!

The power was restored a couple of hours later.  At least there was enough light by sitting close to the window, to read for that length of time.

But no matter what the weather, baby birds continue to feed, and birthday parties happen.  For the past three days, Mr and Mrs Scaly Breasted Lorikeet have brought baby SBL to my window.  I simply love their huge black baby eyes as they stumble around the tray trying to make out what they are supposed to do with this stuff that mum and dad seem to be wolfing down their throats.  It hasn't taken long and he/she has gotten the idea of what to do, but despite that still needs some from mum as well.  It is amazing thing to watch at such close range!

And parties!  Grandson E had his today to celebrate his 8th birthday. Daughter had asked me to make the cake so after trying to decide how to decorate it, finished up with a 'Mario' theme since the kids at the moment are all crazy for DS and Wii games featuring this cute character.  The water is really too cold at this time of the year but the new pool has a heater installed and after 12 hours switched on overnight, the kids were able to swim and play in 30C warmth!  A bit chilly getting out though! 

The storm has now gone and the skies are clear-ish but tomorrow we are promised from the weather bureau a bit more of the same - and rain throughout the coming week.  At least we won't need to water the garden or top up the pool!

Blessings!