CANTERBURY AND CHARTWELL

Bluebells at Winston Churchill's home "Chartwell"

At least Easter Monday was dry - but the wind was still very chilly. We set off to drive to Canterbury - a drive of a couple of hours. The English countryside is magnificent - green and lush with Spring daffodils, primrose, crocus, jonquils, anenomes and ranuculi brilliant splashes of colour as we drove through both tiny, narrow lanes and huge, wide motorways.

The Old Weavers House A.D.1500

Canterbury is no less historic than so much of the United Kingdom. Buildings in the main street dating back to 1500 and still at least from the outside, looked in quite good condition. Painted boards outside the different establishments were fascinating. The Cricketers and The Old Weavers House A.D.1500, only two which took my eye. We had visited Canterbury a number of years ago and had seen inside the cathedral so our first stop was for lunch - a modern little Italian restaurant - quite a contrast in architecture right outside the cathedral entrance. Leading to the cathedral gate, a small circular courtyard was surrounded by old looking shops with ‘busker’s’ performing beside a fenced off monument in the centre.

Busker outside Canterbury Cathedral

We wandered through the main street, battling against the bitterly cold wind and back to the car. On our way again to “Chartwell” the home of Winston Churchill, so famous during the second World War. Unfortunately it was too early in the season for much of the garden (which the home is quite famous for) to be out in bloom but the flowering bulbs were an absolute ‘show’. Loved the vibrant bluebells and particularly the Lenten Rose which I had never seen before but grows from a tuber and blooms during the period of Lent.

Lenten Rose

"Chartwell"

Churchill was a prolific painter and his studio has been preserved as a gallery for the public to view. Interesting pieces were on show which over the years had been given to him as gifts. A short drive and we were back ‘home’ to where we were staying. We were grateful for time to ‘get our suitcases in order’ as we had a very early start the next morning - taxi arriving at 4am to drive us to Luton airport - bound for Aberdeen in bonny Scotland. An early night indeed!

The chair from which Winston Churchill painted

LONDON! again

Easter Sunday dawned just as cold wet and blustery as the day before had been however we were'nt detered and not willing to let it stop us, we rugged up with almost as many clothes as we had taken with us and set off again for London town.

Walked (it seemed) for miles from the station to the Millenium Bridge where the wind was icy and cut through us despite the layers of 'woolies'! Stopped for a few seconds on the bridge to take a couple of photos while fellow travellers (mostly joggers in clothing not suited to the weather) passed us by. St Paul's cathedral in front of us we made our way as quickly as possible toward it. Again, being a tourist venue, and especially being Easter Sunday, hundreds of people were milling around. The most lovely cherry tree was blossoming right opposite this austere building and made a great photo.

We sat for quite some time inside the cathedral waiting for the service to begin. Just looking around and admiring the wonderful building was really enough. Wondered how such a landmark had escaped ruin during the second World War when large buildings just a few metres from it did not. What architecture and presence! It was lovely and warm inside - enough to start shedding the layers!

Mattins was very regal in procession. So much gold! My eyes goggled at the sight. Sounds from the choir as they snaked their way to their seats was glorious! I guess the actual service was rather surprising to me in its formality - not being used to such high church! (Ours - The Salvation Army - is very casual by comparison - and might I say, much happier). The Bishop of London spoke very well for about 10 minutes and the procession wound its way back again - I guess to get ready for the next service which was an hour away.

We walked to the tube station behind St Paul's, viewed the glorious daffodils planted in street gardens, and quickly boarded a train to Oxford Street. On finding The Salvation Army's Regent Hall corps (church) we stepped inside to catch the end of the message, then stayed for a welcome cup of coffee with other people attending. Found a small but very cosy restaurant where we ate excellent food and took respite from the bleak weather conditions outside.

Earlier in the day we had decided we would stay and check out a few more of the London sights but this plan was fairly quickly changed. Being Easter Sunday, the large shops were not open so after wandering down Regent Street for a short while, decided to head back to our accommodation to get out of the cold.

The train was warm, and a comfortable 40 minute train ride with a short brisk walk 'home' saw us back inside about mid afternoon. We were looking forward to driving to Canterbury tomorrow.

LONDON! Here we come

Our flight took us from Sydney through Hong Kong, Munich and on to London. On arrival at Heathrow the sun was brilliant although it was very cold outside. The roadsides out of the airport were covered in bright golden daffodils - Spring! They were beautiful!

Good Friday dawned cold, wet, windy and miserable! Some might say 'typical London' however we did venture out to our church service and we were so glad we did. Staying with friends was great - and we were blessed on both counts.

Easter Saturday we got 'rugged up' and got the train into London town, arriving at Charing Cross station. Walked (it seemed forever) to get to the London Eye. Passed 10 Dowling Street on the way and had our photo taken next to the horse guardsman on duty - stoic as ever. The wind was cutting as we walked across the Westminster Bridge after passing Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. It felt exciting just being there. So many people - tourists - doing exactly as we were doing! Tour bus touts everywhere trying to persuade people to buy their tickets.

Queues for miles - for tickets to go on the 'Eye' - for getting on to the 'Eye' and for getting food in the precinct. Security was tight - random frisk searches of people before entering the 'pod' and on exiting after the ride was over, employees rushed in with brooms and mirrors on long poles and carried out thorough inspections of the pod before the next lot of people got in.

What a view! We got into 'our' pod after 11am and by then the rain had eased - the keen wind helped to make the view a little clearer. Now I don't like heights - planes are OK but high buildings? No sir! I was so surprised then to find that on the London Eye for me at least, there was absolutely no sensation of movement or indeed height. Even though, through the clear floor, one could see down to the ground to the people looking like tiny ants, I still didn't get that awful feeling of being up high. I knew I was, but didn't get the sensation of it. Was great! Fabulous landmarks like Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, all the memorable bridges across the River Thames, Whitehall Court, St Pauls Cathedral were all seen clearly from above. Even as far as Hyde Park and Wembley Stadium and some quite new and modern looking buildings such as the Tower 42 and the 'egg' shaped Swiss RE Headquarters were easily identifiable.

After lunching at the Golden Arches which was located almost right under the Eye, we walked again to the tube station and planning to have a wander around Covent Garden Markets, hopped on the underground tube train to take us there. On exiting the tube station at Covent Gardens, we noticed a tiny shop 'booth' selling half price theatre tickets. Now DH has always wanted to see the stage show of 'Les Miserable' and after enquiring whether there were seats available at the matinee show that day, we rushed around to the Queens theatre and purchased two of the last 5 available. We were in! It was kind of exciting to think we were going to a show in London's West End. While wandering around the streets there waiting until we could get into the theatre, I was thinking about the image one gets about some of these old places. I had always imagined the West End to be something very special (and to many I'm sure it is) however my impression was that of it being rather dowdy and untidy. I guess at night with the many lights twinkling it would become a different atmosphere altogether but for me, on that afternoon, I just didn't get the feeling of 'special-ness' I had always imagined it to be.

The show by comparison was wonderful and although the story was rather depressing in it's own way, we did enjoy it.

After it was over, we were able to wend our way back through the tubes to Charing Cross station again and eventually back to where were were staying. And even if we were chilled through, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable day. We were looking forward to the next day - Easter Sunday - going back again.

I'M BACK

A month since I posted - where has that time gone. Well at least I'm back now and my wonderful holiday is behind me. I'm planning to relive it all again when I scrapbook my photographs.

Will be back soon to tell all.

Blessings friend!

CHIT CHAT

We've been away now 11 days - isn't it always the way with holidays - you look forward to them for so long, then the time goes so quickly and before you know it, you're back home.

Our flight from home was long - the longest I think I've ever taken. Sydney to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Munich, Munich to London. Weather on arrival was brilliant - sunny but cold. That soon deteriorated and the next few days were cold, wet and windy. We didn't let that stop us though. Train to London city and seeing some of the tourist sights was great - especially a ride on the London Eye - magnificent view of the city and well known landmarks well recognisable from such a height. Got tickets and saw Les Miserable at Queens Theatre in the West End then Easter Sunday morning service at St Paul's Cathedral.

Flew to Aberdeen to meet distant relatives who had found me on my family website and spent a couple of nights with them. Saw Balmoral Castle, the summer residence of the Queen and her family and saw the stage show 'Sound of Music'. Flight back to London and by car to the South Coast was our next move and the weather has been brilliantly sunny for most of the time however there has been a very cold wind which is persisting. A lovely lunch at a small cafe on the beach front and visits to Arundel Castle and Highdown house have been highlights. Will post some photos when I'm able to get them off the camera.

Tomorrow we move on to Ipswich to spend a couple of days with relatives before leaving London for the USA to visit our family in Texas.

Not looking forward to the very long flight - London to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to San Antonio Texas. Just hope we'll be able to catch a few hours sleep along the way. God is good and we praise Him for His faithfulness.

ONE MORE DAY

Tomorrow we're off! A long awaited o/s visit to friends and distant rellies in the UK then to stay with eldest son, DIL and two grandies in Austin Texas. How we are looking forward to seeing them all again. For DH it's been 5 years since he saw DIL and the grandies, only 3 for me but no matter the kids will have grown - now at 13 and 11 - quite the young 'adults' to get to know over again.

We plan to attend an Easter service in an English cathedral. Have been looking forward to that. I'd love to get some photos inside but don't know if that's permissable so will just have to wait and see. Up to Aberdeen to meet a distant rellie for the first time then back down to the south coast of England to stay with dear friends we worked with in Zambia. Last port of call in England will be with 2nd cousins right out on the east coast. We hope to see some beautiful English Spring country side.

So friends, I'll be missing for a while - but if I get the opportunity to call in here and there along the way and tell you how it's going, I'll do that. I know we'll have a marvellous and memorable time.

Have a blessed week!

DH PAYS BUT I'M THE WINNER!

Last night we went to a function at our church - a pot luck supper to which everyone contributed then a fun auction to raise money for a street school in Lae, Papua New Guinea. Everyone had the opportunity to bid on an item - which was not so much products, but time. Many people had donated some of their own personal time and others bid on them. What a variety to choose from. Car washing, gardening, pet minding, child minding, swimming lessons, massages, facials, flower arranging, calligraphy lessons, handyman hours, cake baking and decorating, music and maths lessons, even how to put a computer together (which DH bid for and won), house cleaning. and so many other offers which very generous people had made. It took quite a long time to get through all the items but right at the end was up for bid, a weekend for two people at 'resort-style' accommodation close to one of Sydney's great beaches - Friday night to Sunday midday, meals included. DH had told me he was planning to bid on this item and we thought it would be popular. It was - but finally DH claimed the winning bid. We are planning to take this weekend away later in the year probably when the weather starts to get warmer again. A nice little getaway to look forward to. The auction made just over $4,000.00 which everyone was absolutely thrilled about. An estimate at the beginning of the evening was $500!

This money raised will provide much needed educational aids for the street school run by two national young men who attend our church in Lae. They have had little formal education but certainly knew much more than the 200 or more kids that cram into a small room eager to learn what they can. About 12 months ago they began with nothing except the kids in the room. Then someone donated a white board and pen. A friend of ours is working in PNG at present and she was able to get donations enough to provide each child with a notebook and pencil. That is all the equipment they have - until now. Can you imagine what $4000 will purchase in this developing country? Education in PNG is not compulsory and the majority of parents do not have the finances to send their kids to schools which are expensive. We were so thrilled to be part of encouraging these young men in their endeavour to give of themselves to help these youngsters learn so much more than they would ever have had the opportunity otherwise.

A very satisfying evening!

Have a good week - Bless you!

BUSY DAYS

I went to get my new lenses fitted yesterday and foolishly didn't really give them a good test before leaving the shop. Went to read some stuff during the afternoon and found that I couldn't see the words very clearly. The multi focal lenses seemed to be blurring the words. I was annoyed with myself as the Optometrist is about 30km from where I live in a suburb called Chatswood. (There are several closer however this is the one I've been going to for about 20 years and am reluctant to change).

I was already late for a luncheon/Nutrimetics and Tupperware demonstration organised by some ladies from my church. The distance lens was fine so I was OK driving. After getting there late and leaving early I headed for my appointment at the chiropractor but phoned the Optometrist before I started the car. He suggested I just try them out for a day or so. I was a bit peeved as I didn't really want to be trailing back to Chatswood another day if I could help it. After a 35 minute solid neck and shoulder massage, and a few little moves from the chiro man I was feeling much easier and by the time I arrived home decided I could probably alter the glasses frame myself. I got out an old pair of glasses (to see with) and with the help of a little pair of pliers managed to move the little thingies that rest on your nose. (this is not meant to be a complicated blog but its getting more and more involved!) With moving them down a fraction, it has now lifted the frame on my face just a little and my vision is now much easier. I don't think it's quite right and I'm a bit afraid that I'll do damage to the frames if I mess with them any more so I might just have to go back to Chatswood in the long run. That will certainly teach me to check things won't it?

This morning I've been doing some retail therapy - having to pack for both cold and warm temperatures has been good in many ways! I've just simply had to buy a couple of things to take. So I'm now home with a new pair of little flat shoes and a 'drape front' cardigan. Sounds kind of 'posh' doesn't it? Here's a photo of them so you can visualise what I'll be wearing - well some of the time anyway! LOL

While I'm about it, here's 3 of my beautiful roses which always have the most vibrant colours when they bloom in autumn.

Blessings!

Purples, mauves, aquas and grey

Princess Diana of Wales

Julia's Rose

Moonstone

CHIT CHAT

Not too much of the past week has been especially noteworthy. Got some long overdue correspondence to aunts and cousins in New Zealand done and posted. I only write every couple of months to these particular people as none of them have computers and it's a 'snail mail' job. Interestingly, despite all the emails I seem to get on a daily basis, I still really enjoy getting snail mail in the post. There's just something about the opening of a letter and physically handling that paper with hand-written words that gets to me every time. I get rather frustrated these days if I have to hand write anything as long as a letter - it takes so much time - and my brain races ahead of my words - then often I forget what I was planning to write when I get to the end of the sentence. Maybe it's not frustration - probably just old age! LOL

Daughter, SIL and their two boys are leaving this morning on their long awaited holiday. They were to have left last Friday however a tropical cyclone made it unsafe to travel by air to the island resort they had booked and the airline cancelled their flights for that day. Fortunately they were able to make new reservations at both the airline and the resort and we've been watching the weather reports over the last few days to see whether it was likely they could get 'off the ground' today. The cyclone passed over the coast on Sunday morning with winds of 200km per hour but although lots of flood damage has been done further inland, the island resort only seems to have suffered badly from booking cancellations and postponements. As I write, they are driving to the airport with two very excited little boys. They are celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary and we pray their 10 days away will be all they hope it will be.

DH and I are preparing to go on holiday ourselves and leave before they arrive back home so it will be a month before we see them on our return. We are excited about visiting friends and distant rellies in the UK then go on to Austin Texas where our son, DIL and two grandies will have us for 10 days. It is a bit unfortunate that they will both be working and the kids at school while we are there but we are grateful for the opportunity to catch up with them again. I saw them all 3 years ago but DH hasn't visited for 5 years. He'll see such a difference in the kids who are now 13 and 11.

I wanted to take some cross stitch with me to keep me occupied while away so sent for a Teeny kit from The Sweetheart Tree. It is entitled "A For Angel" and I'm looking forward to working on it. Hopefully by the time we get back home it will be finished and I'll be able to post a photo.

Brother-In-Law was discharged from hospital just 4 days after his brain surgery and able to go home to recuperate with his very new wife to look after him. Unfortunately the tumour that was removed proved to be a malignant melanoma so he now waits to attend the oncology clinic to see what the next move will be in his ongoing treatment. He has made a wonderful recovery post operatively and after 4 hours in surgery had medical and nursing staff amazed at how well he has done. Of course he and the family visiting him were quick to testify to staff of the healing power of a loving God and Heavenly Father and they are very confident that will continue. We do praise Him for his faithfulness!

The purple runner beans I planted a couple of months ago are now beginning to fruit and I picked the first ones yesterday. I had feared they would not be ready before our departure but I should be able to get a few more off them before we leave. The rest will go into the neighbour's pot! He is a dear and will mow our lawns and water any plants that need it while we're away, so I reckon he deserves to collect the beans.

It is now autumn here in Sydney howeverthe temperatures are certainly not reflecting that, and we continue to have what some might call an "Indian Summer" but for me, I'm just looking forward to cooler temperatures. Admittedly early mornings are somewhat cooler however overnight temps are still staying warm. I think our first breath of coolness will be when we step out of Heathrow into the early Spring temperature of London. Probably by the time we reach Austin, they will be having weather much the same as we are experiencing here in Sydney at present - oh well - a 2 week reprieve is better than nothing. The only down side to this is having to carry both summer and winter attire in our baggage!

Had my eyes tested last week as I had noticed quite a difference in distance vision. I do have to get new lenses and will go and have them fitted today but found out that the reason my vision is changing more quickly now is because my eyelids are drooping! I thought that was quite funny at first until I was told that this causes the eyeballs to change shape because of the weight of the eyelid pressing on them which then has the effect of changing the vision. I'm grateful at this stage that change of lens will compensate but looks like eventually I'll be needing an 'eyelid job'! Oh my goodness!

On that note, I'll sign off! Have a good week friends... Blessings!

TIME FOR ANOTHER UPDATE

More than a week has passed since I wrote - the days are just flying past - I know people say that's what happens when we age but this is ridiculous! LOL

An update on BIL's health. His surgery last Thursday went well. The whole tumour was removed and now he is amazing the medical staff with his progress and recovery. The biopsy result won't be in for another few days but we are still praying that it will have been found to be benign. I'm sure his speedy recovery and progress are a direct result of him being uplifted to the Great Physician in prayer - plus the fact that his very new wife is paying him so much attention that he cannot help but want to get well and home. Haven't heard yet when that might be - maybe the doctors are waiting for the results of the biopsy. We still leave him in the Lord's hands.

Granddaughter E18 had her party on Saturday night. It was themed 'a character from a movie' so most of the younger set who attended dressed accordingly and there were some very good ones including 'Queen of Hearts' 'Zorro' (and his wife in typical Spanish getup including the rose between the teeth) Captain of a pirate ship, Cleopatra, Moe and Homer Simpson (Homer's large belly being attributed to a near due pregnancy) and Wonder Woman. Many others - Cruella de vil from 101 Dalmations made a grand entrance with her Indiana Jones husband - all were excellent. Small 'oscar' trophies were given for Best Couple, Best Female, Best Male and Most Outrageous. E18 had a ball and all in all it was a great night for her. DH and I were the first to leave at around 10pm - having had a heavy dose of allergy (hayfever) since the afternoon, by then the noise, laser lights and 'smoke' were adding to my very stuffy head.

I was very happy visiting the new doctor last week. She was thorough and pleasant to talk to. Blood work results need watching and I'll have another lot done in 3 months. Meanwhile a jab in each arm to fight against this coming winter's flu bugs plus pneumonia should set me straight as the season approaches, despite two fairly painful and swollen upper arms! All is good, the swelling has almost gone.

Runner beans are doing really well with heaps of pretty purple/mauve flowers but I'm not sure if there will be enough heat in the sun now that autumn has arrived to bring the bees for pollination. Even if that happens, I fear we will miss most of the fruit as we plan to be away soon. Oh well the neighbour will harvest them I'm sure. The few lettuce I planted out have all matured at once as I thought they probably would but there's only 4 left so they won't take long to consume.

Have a good week friend - blessings!

Granddaughter E18

18 Candles

Moe and Homer Simpson

WEEKEND UPDATE

Today is grand-daughter E's 18th birthday. I've just come in from having lunch with her - a very quick 25 minute 'grab' as she is working today at her part time job - but it was nice to spend even that time helping her celebrate a very momentus day in her life. She will be having a real celebration next weekend at her 'theme' party when all her family and friends will gather to mark the occasion.

I didn't take her gift with me because although the actual quilt is finished, I've still to stitch the 'pioneer story' to the back of it. (thanks to Susan and Shelagh for their info re this - it worked out a treat!).

Update on BIL in Perth - he has had a good few days with a home respite visit on Saturday. His new wife needed to get him back to the hospital by 10am Sunday otherwise he would have 'lost' his bed. The health system here is in disarray but despite that he has confidence in his doctors and the treatment regime he's under at present. The full body scan last Friday revealed no other abnormalities and we thank God for that. Now he just has to concentrate on surgery for the removal of the tumour behind his eye and then to get well. We believe he is in God's hands and are praying that His will shall be done.

Attended a baby shower for little 'Anzac' - code name for a little 'nearly due' bub whose mum is an Aussie and dad is a Kiwi. I think its rather cute actually and the name has actually grown on us all that know this couple. In fact we have heard of at least one baby who is now about 7 months old who has been named Anzac. Anyway the shower was a huge success. Played silly games like collecting a baby safety pin from someone each time the word 'b a b y' was used - the person with the most pins at the end of the afternoon won a little prize - and one I thought was rather cute, a tiny plastic baby had been frozen in ice cubes prior to the afternoon and at a given time, everyone was given a cube to place in their drink and the first 'baby' to be born (or thawed) was the winner. A quiz using the names given to baby animals also kept us amused for quite some time. Many of them I didn't know so learned something new. Taste testing purchased baby foods was also something that was an interesting game and most of us declared that home cooked food was far superior in taste.

DH and I are looking forward to visiting our US family at the end of the month. It is 5 years since DH saw the grandies and DIL and 3 years for me so it will be a good 'catch up' time for everyone.

Meantime our weather still remains so hot and humid. Feel like a grease spot most of the time. Even though nights are cooler than they have been, it is still not easy to sleep with the humidity being so high. As I sit here typing the perspiration is just rolling off me - even after taking a shower, once I get out and dried, I feel like hopping in again! A catch 22! Roll on Autumn.

Purple runner beans I planted about 5 weeks ago are just flowering and I'm hoping we will get a few to freeze before we leave. I feel sure we will if this heat keeps up another couple of weeks. The lettuce are almost ready to pick but those I planted in a tub I've been using for over a week now. They are so tender and I'm just picking the outside leaves off as they get large enough.

I visited a new doctor this morning as I plan to transfer from the one we've been attending for the last 11 years - long story which I won't bore you with - but I mentioned to her that I've been trying to lose some weight over the past 3 or 4 months and have succeeded so far in only shedding 6 and a bit kilo (14 pounds) so when she weighed me and measured my height was surprised when she told me definitely not to lose any more - my BMI is now right for my height. I didn 't think I'd lost that much really, however I'll take her word for it. Am still planning to continue on with the same kind of regime but will now begin to add a little more carbs however I don't think I run any sort of risk of losing anything more - I've remained fairly static for the past few weeks despite not deviating in food intake.

That's about all for now - blessings all and have a good week!

Our family members at 'Anzac's' baby shower - from left - 18yr old grand-daughter, expectant mum, her MIL, my DIL, me and my niece - all with surname McInnes!

LAST WEEK I...

was busy. At least that's how it seemed to be. The weather has certainly been more to my liking (not that I'm being selfish here you understand) however autumn definitely has kicked in, with heavy dew in the mornings and cooler night time temperatures with that beautiful 'frosted' look about the rose petals each new day - definitely my time of the year - leading into the best time - winter!

However, I digress and as usual got sidetracked from my week. A funeral mid week of a young man who had barely begun to live life, laid him to rest. He went to sleep after watching a movie with his mum and in the morning he was 'gone.' So sad for his family and friends.

News of DH's youngest brother's hospitalisation and the subsequent diagnosis of a brain tumour behind his right eye has not been a happy part of the week. An MRI of the brain on Thursday has suggested it is in a very accessible position and a whole body scan yesterday was to check if there are any other areas to be looked at. Surgery to remove the tumour mid next week is to take place after a weekend respite visit at home for him. We are praying for a miracle and asking that doctors and surgeons to be guided by the Great Healer himself. Can you imagine this situation happening just a couple of days after being married? Well it was a wedding celebration just a week ago and two days later a hospital admission. Not the best way to start to married life! Happily though new wife is coping admirably and both are extremely positive about the outcome. We pray it will be true.

Trips to the shopping centre to pick up travel stuff, another day to check DH's newish iPod nano which had frozen - fortunately there wasn't anything radically wrong and is now functioning as it should - dropping grandkids to school and pre-school and picking them up again - purchasing a cabin bag - making an appointment to see a new doctor for a regular checkup - laundry - just a few of the things that have occupied my week.

This afternoon I'm off to a baby shower - this long awaited baby due in 5 weeks time will be the first grandchild of DH's brother and SIL - a celebration of combining one Australian parent and one Kiwi - baby's codename "Anzac" - isn't that the cutest thing?

Have a good weekend friend. Blessings!

MAKING CARDS

On Saturday I attended a pencil watercolour class and made some cards. I've used watercolour pencils before but never very successfully so I was looking forward to some professional help.

The three cards made during the class turned out really well although had I a choice of colour, I wouldn't have chosen brown however it was an exercise which I enjoyed and now feel more confident to do something else using the pencils. I really like the softness that can be created using this medium.

Sunday was also enjoyable. Our bible study group met for the first time in 2010 and we had a great time lunching together then opening God's word - this time looking at Job. It should be interesting as we get into it a little further and I believe God has something to say to each of us in the group from this study. Having recently heard about 3 friends having deaths in their families - two of them relatively young people - I believe now is an opportune time to learn more about this steadfast man of God.

Blessings friend!

BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE?

As I stepped on to the wooden floorboards in the kitchen I was immediately conscious of grains of rice which had fallen on the floor. As I went to get the dustpan and broom to sweep them up I realised with a shock that we hadn't eaten rice in our house for a good 4 months (diet blamed here!). A closer look at the floor revealed - MAGGOTS! I nearly heaved - then quickly went for the can of insect spray. Spraying them like crazy didn't really help. There must have been a couple of dozen of the critters and each second they were creating a wider circle in all directions - mostly towards my feet - and all the spray was doing was creating a slick on the floor which wasn't stopping them.

In panic mode now I dove into the laundry to grab the dustpan and broom and started furiously sweeping them up, racking my brain the whole time wondering where they had come from and was there any more lurking where I couldn't see!

They just kept wriggling along and as I inspected the rest of the kitchen floor found a few where they had managed to crawl/wriggle along the edge of the wall. Even now a couple of hours later I am absolutely puzzled to know where they came from.

After the cleanup I inspected all cupboards and drawers within the vicinity and could find nothing resembling the afore-mentioned critters. Can 'things' like this hatch in such a short time? My husband had been pottering in the kitchen only minutes before this as he made preparations for breakfast then left for work.

On checking the internet it seems they can hatch almost within minutes of the eggs being laid. Had the grandsons here yesterday afternoon and they have a habit of leaving the scrren door open. Last night I had spotted a fly in the kitchen area which must have sneaked in and had sprayed it with insecticide but didn't find the 'evidence' of its death. This morning it was on the benchtop - dead. I'm now wondering whether in it's last moments it had laid eggs on the floor and this morning's little 'troop' was the result - eek - it still sends shivers up my spine even thinking about it!

As I sit here typing close to the back door there is a dreadful racket going on outside - from birds! I've mentioned before that we have a large number of native bird who come regularly to the yard here to get fed with bread. In the past months we have also had some 'imports' of the brown Indian Mynah birds who have taken up resident in our neighbours garage roof and bred now two lots of babies. They are extremely territorial and quite vicious in attacking the natives in what they have seemed to claim as 'their' backyard. A couple of them had come down looking for bits left by the natives and had been immediately 'shoo-ed' off by both them and a couple of magpies who got in on the act for good measure. Now that they've been banished back to the neighbours yard, it is quietly peaceful except for the occasional bird calls of the maggies or beautiful butcher bird.

A good start to the day? Perhaps blessings in disguise - depends on which way you look at it I guess!

Blessings to you dear friends!

CHRISTMAS DAY IS ALMOST OVER

Christmas day in Sydney NSW. The day proved to be a lovely cool, overcast 27 degrees before a few brief showers about mid-afternoon.

The big Christmas Day cricket match! (all for fun of course)

Daughter in law talks to family in Texas USA



Daughter Kate with yummy turkey cooked in the bbq with a special cranberry marinade

SIL with the wonderful ham he cooked

Grandson E6 - Lego - just what I wanted!

Grandson L4 got a scooter and play costume

Grandsons - good mates!



Visitors for Christmas Day - pink and grey Galahs

Lovely memories of Christmas day 2009 together with family.

Blessings All!

CHRISTMAS IS HERE

The presents are wrapped, the beef is roasted and all that remains to do early tomorrow morning is prepare the vegetables for roasting. Then - the traditional family dinner that we've been waiting a whole year for will be enjoyed by us 10 at daughter and SIL's home. Here in Sydney our family take it turn about to host the Christmas day dinner. This spreads the load nicely and everyone brings a contribution toward the yummy dinner.

This time it will be ham, turkey (freshly bbq'd) beef, roast potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes (kumera) carrots and peas with Christmas pudding, custard and cream (or ice cream) to follow.

Then the gifts under the tree will be opened by the two smallest members of the family who will no doubt have already received 'Santa's' contribution early in the morning.

Tonight I am planning to attend the local Anglican church for their Christmas Eve service. What a lovely way to get into the Christmas spirit - to worship the babe who was born to be King!

Have included a photo this time but not of Christmas origin! The finished 'Pioneer Quilt' all except the back where I plan to stitch and include the story of the family pioneers who emigrated from England in the 1850's. This quilt is to be a special gift for a precious granddaughter who has her 18th birthday next year. The appliqued blocks represent activities the great grandparents undertook on their arrival in New Zealand.

We are planning a few days in Auckland New Zealand soon after Christmas so I won't be posting until we're back home.

To those of my blogging friends who visit from time to time, I wish you a very safe, restful, blessed and holy Christmas, and all the blessings of the New Year.

Merry Christmas all!

WHERE ARE THEY?

I see such beautiful Christmas pictures and photos on many blogs at this time of the year but I wonder where they come from. I've looked around 'the web' and find either stuff that's not suitable or they have royalty or copyright attached. Can someone tell me please 'where are they'?

Meanwhile thought I'd give a gllimpse at the church banners I've been busy finishing during the past week. The first one has been 'hoisted' up and is now hanging in our church with the other two to get hung over the next two Sundays. Unfortunately the quality of the photos is not good - I had them pinned to a curtain to take the shots so the colour has been affected - but it will give a bit of an idea of what they look like.

I've been making 'patches' towards making a 'pioneer' quilt for about 3 years. It has been a slow process as I've really only been using bits and pieces from my fabric stash as well as using applique to make 'pictures' of aspects of our ancestors arrival from England in the mid 1850's to New Zealand. After finally being motivated to get it finished, I've now stitched it together with borders and yesterday spent almost the whole day machine quilting the various blocks. I've a few to go yet but am on the way to being able to finish it. When that's done I'll post a photo.

Today is Wednesday - my day for looking after E6 (before and after school) and L4 (all day) however as it's almost the end of our school year, E6's school has made arrangements for them to be transported to a local high school for a large EOY assembly. To have little 5 and 6 year olds sitting in a massive school hall for the morning seems a bit unreasonable to us so he will not be going. Therefore I will look after the two nippers at their house today instead of mine - so I'd better move myself and get over there so their mum can get herself off to work.

Must run - have a good day!

Blessings all!

PHOTOS FROM LAST FEW WEEKS

Been really busy making Church banners for Christmas so not much time to be blogging but will post a few photos that I've taken over the past few weeks.

My lovely Gardenia has been loaded with blooms this year

The butcher bird that kept swooping down on me a few weeks ago

When friends from the UK visited we took them to Manly on the harbour

Eight of the family went to see the musical "Wicked"

Grandson L4 surprised me when he came in dressed in a Batman costume

That's about all for this time. Have a good weekend.

Blessings!

CHIT CHAT

My weigh in showed I'd lost 3kg (about 6.6lb) in one week but I know that a lot of that loss was not so much body fat, but retained fluid. Last Monday's weigh in showed a gain of 600gram. Disappointing for me as I'd stuck closely to the diet however the wiring thingy test result showed I'd actually lost 1kg of body fat but was retaining more body fluid. I'm definitely seeing a difference in my clothing - particularly trousers and skirts are looser around the waist so I shouldn't be despondent I guess. One of the aims of this eating regime is to lose inches from the waist - the most dangerous place for women to store body fat. So I've kept strictly to what is allowed and hope that this week there'll be a loss showing on the scales.

We've just come through a 3 day heatwave - it was awful. Air conditioning in houses here has become more popular in recent years, especially being built in to new homes. Many however have none and I really feel so sorry for those who live in them in conditions such as we've just had. We do get it hot here in Sydney on occasions but not as hot, nor as early as November but this heatwave was a 'doosy'! The thermometer topped 40, 42 and 41 on the three days last weekend finally giving relief through Sunday night and dropping to a cool 20. Today was only 18C! Rather a contrast and no wonder so many people pick up colds and bugs in these conditions. DH did just that and spent an almost unheard of (for him) day at home from work today. A visit to the doctor confirmed a bacterial infection but medication should certainly bring that under control in a couple of days.

Spent today in a large room with 21 others 'learning' about customer service. I attended a seminar which was a compulsory activity for accreditation as a volunteer in our local Visitor Information Centre. In our council area we are very fortunate to have a number of historic houses and properties which have been preserved and some restored. VIC's are built on the same properties and as well as giving information about the area, tours of the houses can be conducted for groups as well as individuals. I love the history of these places and it seems to me a good idea to be able to combine these activities, with the centres manned by volunteers. The room in which the seminar was held was modern, huge and cold! We tried several times to have the manager raise the temperature somewhat as the majority of people were complaining of feeling uncomfortable however although I believe this was done, it didn't seem to make too much difference - I wonder how many of us will come down with colds as a result. At least the seminar is now 'out of the way'!

It's 3am as I write this - wasn't sleeping, so a hot herbal tea and a bit of chit chat might just be the thing to put me back to sleep again. Here's hoping !

Bless you!

SCRAPBOOK PAGES FINISHED

It's finished. The bling was easy peasy to put on. I had been warned that it was difficult and the best method to fix it in place was to pick it up off the backing with masking tape first then place it on the page. Nothing like that needed. It peeled off its backing sweet! I'm sorry the photo hasn't done it justice but at least it will give an idea of what it looks like. I'm pleased with it.

Last night went to a Thanksgiving Dinner at a friends home. We all contributed to the food - I had to make the pumpkin pies. Never attempted that before so followed the recipe to the T. All went well apart from the baking time. Recipe said 1 hour at 375 - eventually I pulled them out at 2 1/2 hours and they appeared set. (I was just hoping for the best, not knowing exactly what they should look like). Anyway they went down well with honey sweetened whipped cream, although I didn't get to eat any of the prepared dinner - I took my own salad greens and chicken meal.

I think I have worked out why the pies took so long to bake. The recipe called for cans of pumpkin (USA) However we can't buy that here but have heaps of fresh pumpkin in the shops to buy so prepared and cooked my own. I think the fresh pumpkin is much moister than the canned - therefore the mixture is much wetter as well - thus the longer time in baking. That's my theory anyway.

DH enjoyed it and other guests complimented me on the taste - said it had a kind of caramel flavour - so it must have been OK.

Appointment with the Naturopath tomorrow so will see how much weight I've lost in the week.

Blessings all!

CHIT CHAT

The bling has arrived for my scrapbook layout pages so when they are finished I'll post a photo to show you how it turned out.

Did I mention last time I'm consulting a Naturopath for weight reduction and digestive problems? I only started the new food intake regime on Monday and by Thursday I was almost ready to give it up but today I feel as though I might be able to keep it up. The first week apparently is the worst - but hopefully I'm climbing over the top of the 'carb barrier' (my words) and I can be happy I've lost 3kg. I'm sure that 3kg is mostly fluid however so it will take a little while I think to start actually losing body fat. There is a machine that measures the fat/muscle ratio of the body and I'm sure that will begin to show when it's happening!

Meantime the beans I planted a few weeks ago are going crazy. Far exceeding the 6ft height I expected and have now begun to wind their way into the olive tree nearby. It's giving me lots of beautiful beans though and I sliced and blanched another 600g this morning to freeze. Tomatoes are coming on with a couple almost ripe enough to pick. Have also been getting a few blueberries but interestingly, they don't seem to all ripen together. There are lots on the bush that are still green and each day there are perhaps half a dozen that are black enough to pick. I'm really on a learning curve with blueberries!

Enough for now.

Blessings all!

THAT SCRAPBOOK CLASS

The Scrapbook Class I went to last week was great. Only 4 people in it so plenty of attention from the teacher. I'm not posting a photo at this time because the bling which should have completed the double page layout didn't arrive in time so I'm waiting on that phone call to say its available for me to pick up.

I'm always disappointed when things like that happen. It does look good though and the photos of E17 turned out well. I was pleased with the almost finished product. As soon as the bling bits arrive and I'm able to figure out how to put them on I'll post a photo.

Have started this week on a diet after consulting a Naturopath. I am hoping to lose a few kilos which have slowly piled on my frame over the last couple of years. Not doing too much in the way of exercise these last 6 months since my back surgery hasn't helped either. Hope I can stick to it for a while at least.

Its a low carb high protein food intake and I'm missing my cup of tea badly. Up until 6 months ago I was a real coffee drinker but decided to cut back on that and had been drinking mostly tea. Oh well, I'll give it a go for a while and see what can be achieved. I've been warned I'll possibly only lose about 1/2 kg each week but feel I've already lost more than that. I was carrying a lot of fluid and I can feel that is lessening. I'll know next Monday when I get weighed.

The main thing on this regime is loss of body fat, not muscle. Will be interesting to see how it all works.

Blessings!

MAKING BOOKMARKS

While I'm in the 'crafty' kind of mood I tried my hand at some bookmarks to use as little gifts for my Bible study friends. Although a little time consuming as each stage needs time between to dry - stamping, glittering then finally laminating, its been fun and I've enjoyed trying something new.

Tomorrow night I am doing a scrapbooking class using my grand-daughter E17's 2008 Year 10 Formal pics. I've already seen a sample of the double page layout - she is such a beautiful young lady and her photos will totally be the 'wow' factor. I'll post a pic of it when its done.

Blessings!

Front view shows Bible verse from Psalm 9: 11

Back view showing black lace pattern