Feeling a bit sorry for myself!

Oh my goodness -  have just come in from the library where I fell up the steps!  What a silly old moo I am!  My watch took the  brunt of the fall and I've cracked the glass and belted it up a little - grazed knee, took a bit of skin off my hand and a sore forehead where I landed. Thank goodness I didn't damage my specs apart from a little scratch on the side!  A dear old lady came rushing over to me and helped me up - she was so kind - one of God's angels there for me.  I'll really have to watch my step (no pun intended) - must be my advancing age I think and not picking my feet up properly.  I guess I'll know tomorrow if bruises emerge where else I might have landed.

My mum's back in hospital. My brother phoned me from NZ to let me know she has been in a week. He was not supposed to let me know (orders from her) however he felt I should be told.  I've spoken to her a couple of times on the phone and she doesn't sound too good.  The problem is pain in her lower back, hip and knee but especially down her right thigh.  I feel strongly that she may have a pinched nerve in the lower spine as I've had similar pain in the past myself.  There is not much that seems to relieve it.   Anyway she is having all manner of tests carried out and I just hope that before long a diagnosis will be made.  It's not good being so far away at a time like this.

We've just had 7 days of heatwave!  A record has been broken for Sydney - 5 days was previously the longest over 30C (86F). For most of those 7 days, it reached 40/42C (107F) and has been most uncomfortable - especially sleeping at night.  For those of you northerners reading this, we 'downunder' as a general rule don't have air conditioning/heating built into our homes although having said that, more and more people building new homes these days are certainly doing just that.  We mostly have brick homes too and once those bricks heat up after a number of hot days, it takes a while for them to cool down, even with insulation etc.  Yesterday we got a predicted cool change mid afternoon which brought the temperature down by about 15 degrees in quite a short time.  What a blessed relief.

Australia has certainly had dramatic weather conditions in the past few weeks.  Floods in Queensland, Northern NSW and Victoria, Cyclone Yasi has devastated many towns on the northern Qld coast and a few hundred miles inland and in the last few days, Western Australia around Perth has been battling dreadful bush fires.  It's all happening here folks!  All we in Sydney have had to cope with has been the heat. We consider ourselves more fortunate than our neighbours in other parts of the country.

Recently I've been feeding the Rainbow Lorikeets sunflower seeds instead of grain bread.  I was really being a bit aggravated by the brown Indian Mynah birds which are so aggressive, even to their own. The seeds are working out much better as the 'brown bombers' are not seed eaters.  I am putting out 3 trays each afternoon with the seeds and the birds come down and really get 'stuck in' to it.  I took a couple of pics of them with their heads down, tails up feeding - they look so comical!

Youngest grandson L5 1/2 started school this morning.  I am anxious to know how it all went for him.  His daddy was planning to take pics of him and big brother E7 before they left.  I'll post them here if he manages to send them on to me.

Well that's about it for now.  Hope you are all doing OK and thanks for popping in.

Blessings!



sunrise during the heatwave



scrambling for best position

 

heads down, tails up!




and a drink afterwards!



STAMPING - no not my feet!

I really love the Magnolia brand rubber stamps! I've never been a great 'stamper' but recently I purchased my first 'Tilda' and made some of my Christmas cards featuring her.  I just love the 'chunkiness' of them - just great to colour and since I began using Copic markers, I love them even more.

Now this is not a free commercial for Magnolia or Copic - I just wanted to show some of the cards I've been making recently.  So without any more ado -

ta da!!

I deliberately left these cards bereft of wording - I'll just add something appropriate when I choose to use them.  This weekend I'm planning to give the baby boy away with a small gift to a new mum who's recently had a little boy named Malachai - so I'll add a cutesy 'something or other' that I think is exactly 'her'.

My visit to the eye specialist yesterday went well.  It seems one tear duct may have been partially blocked but after a squirt of saline from a syringe through a mini-mini canula, it seemed to unblock with a squirt into my nose! A strange feeling.  After a couple of drops into my eyes which made my pupils dilated and another examination, it seems I have the beginnings of cataracts. Oh well - that's aging for you I guess. It's not concerning me - it could be years before anything needs to be done about that particular situation. I spent the best part of the rest of the day though, worried by my dilated pupils - fortunately the sky was fairly dull for the drive home but my sight didn't right itself until late in the afternoon.  Not too much of a problem though - and so on that note -
All for this time
Blessings!

CHIT CHAT

Another week has passed - cannot believe we are almost at the end of January! Is this how quickly 2011 is going to pass?  It must be that I'm getting older.

Another week of reading the bible each morning. Now that I've reached 'the Samuel's' it is a lot easier even though the biblical names still get me! They are so difficult to pronounce - even silently! I usually have to read them aloud to get the 'gist' of what they sound like.  They sure were a blood-thirsty mob back in those days - going to war with neighbours almost for the sake of it without any really good reason.  I'm so glad we don't operate that way these days. But it's easy to see that God had a hand in it all and David honoured Him in everything he did (well almost - discounting his discretion with Bathsheba) - but I run ahead of myself.  I've only just begun that part of David's story this morning so I won't comment any further.

At my usual weekly bible study (which doesn't commence for 2011 until next week) the title of the booklet we will be using is "Bold I Approach" (Tony Payne Matthias Media) the why and how of prayer.  I'm looking forward to this study as prayer is something I always seem to struggle with. Not the actual praying, but the words to say.

Have been doing a little more stitching on my WIP "Daisy Girl" recently and I'll include a pic of my progress.  I've also begun a little 'Dimensions' piece which is a bicycle with a huge bunch of flowers on the handlebars - just something quick as a bit of a change from working on linen which I find fairly tedious these days.  I haven't a pic of that one yet but will do that soon.

I've just come home from an appointment at my optometrist.  My eyes tested OK with no real change in prescription for my specs from last test 12 months ago but there seems to be something going on in my right eye which is causing my vision to not be great.  My GP thought it might be blocked tear ducts and I've an appt to see a specialist at the end of the week but after this mornings check up, it's possible it may not be the cause of my problem. The machines which are used these days to take photos of the eye are absolutely amazing!  Fancy even being able to get a pic of the film across the eyeball and from that to be able to see the depth of tears formed at the base of the eye. My problem may simply be 'old age' with the old eyelids sagging somewhat and changing the shape of both the eyeball and the opening to the tearduct.  Isn't it amazing what technology can do these days?

Anyway I'll know more after Friday when I see the specialist.

A few days ago a baby Noisy Miner bird came to the birdbath.  No mum or dad nearby that I could see - its the first time I've seen such a baby attempt by itself to go adventuring this way.  It had a marvellous time flapping in and out of the water. I couldn't resist taking a photo of the cute little thing.  Oh yes - instead of feeding the lorikeets grained bread recently, I've started putting out sunflower seeds for them.  I was getting really aggravated by the Indian myna birds which were stealing it all the time and causing damage to the native birds as well.  Since I've been using the seed, the mynas have shuffled off to a certain extent but we've been getting visits from some huge white sulphur crested cockatoos. They are big birds with an awful screech and all the little lorikeets are really quite afraid of them.  They also do a lot of damage to any fruit or vegies they can swipe at the same time so I don't encourage them.  Here is a pic of one having a good feed of the seed before I shushed him away! There's also one of a colourful bug I found on one of the eucalyptus trees recently.

All for now!

Blessings!



Birthdays

Why is it that as you get older, birthdays seem to be like any other day.  Kids just can't wait for theirs and continually ask 'how many weeks'? 'how many sleeps' - but for me anyway, birthdays now are just like any other day.

Well you might have guessed already - it was mine today and honestly I don't feel a day older!  Maybe next year when its one with a big fat ZERO on the end of it I may feel differently.

Today was quite unspectacular (is there such a word) - but good none the less.  It was good to just be alive, to have experienced one more day in the Lord's time.  Nice cards, phone messages and heaps of facebook birthday greetings made it just that bit more of a 'birthday' feel.

Well, tomorrow is another day and for now, I'm off to bed!

Blessings!

B90Days - week 2

Boy am I sure glad I'm through all those rules and regulations - even Deuteronomy's long sermon took some getting through but now I'm on to Joshua I feel sure I really enjoy reading each day.  I was pleased I only had one 'catch up' during last week - my morning reading time just seemed to slip away and I had to finish in the afternoon.

Three verses kind of jumped out at me:  Deuteronomy 10: 12 (Walk in His ways) 13: 17 & 18 (Keep His commands) and had a good chuckle at 24: 5 where a new bridegroom is instructed to not work for one year in order to keep his bride happy.  Wow! imagine that these days? LOL

DH is home on holiday this week - sadly we won't get to spend much time together as I am still required for childminding for another 3 weeks.  Much as I love these two 'nippers', I will be quite relieved when they are both at school for the new term.  While E7 begins on Monday 31st Jan, L5, beginning his first year at 'big school' starts a week later.  Called at the public library today and picked up two Elizabeth Elgin novels to read.  Very light reading - this woman writes novels about conditions during the World War 2 era - nice quick, light  'before going to sleep' kind of novels.

Below are two new acquisitions. I love the colours of the fuschia - just like a ballerina's tutu - and the orchid is tiny and quite fragile looking.

 Beautiful ballerina fuschia

Pretty pink phaeleonopsis orchid

Thanks for calling in - blessings!



B90Days

When I was browsing my niece's blog not so long ago, I came across commennts which led me to another website.  From there I jumped again and have come up with a great way to read right through the bible in 90 days.(See here) It is a schedule worked out for each day's readings.  Without too much thought as to why I actually wanted to do it (in fact I'm still not really sure!) I signed up.  It's not as though I'm signing my life away or anything nearly as drastic (LOL). Each reader is grouped with a leader who takes an active part through the internet in encouraging and praying for each participant in the group and is encouraged to check in to a website each Monday to update your experience and how you are finding it.   Prayer requests can also be made and whilst being part of the group, other members are also praying for you.

I'm now on to my 8th day of readings and I have to be honest I have found the past couple of days fairly tough.  My focus has not been great and I've been easily distracted, especially throughout Exodus where so much is repetitive.  Still I'm determined to keep up with it and I know I will feel an achievement at the end of the 90 days.

Thanks for popping in - blessings!

Happy New Year

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us".

Ephesians 3: 20

Last days of 2010

Looking forward to 2011, I'm posting a few of my last pic memories of December.



Rosy Galah's came to visit and tear up the grass!

  

Some new cards I made using the very cute "Magnolia" stamps




Beautiful soy wax Lemongrass perfumed candle which I keep on my kitchen benchtop




Butter beans, purple runner beans and the very first peas I have ever grown picked yesterday



90 Days

Here I am on the last day of 2010. I've decided to read through the Bible and will be doing it in 90 days. It will be a challenge for me as I need to devote about an hour of reading each day.  I didn't realise there were so many supports and resources out there for this kind of 'adventure' but I'm going to try to stick with it. The reading begins on January 3 and I'm hoping to update my progress here every Monday.

The weather today is hot!  It's just after 1pm and already the thermometer has climbed to 32C.  It is expected to get a bit hotter than that by late afternoon and I'm not looking forward to it.  Here in Sydney we've been given a real reprieve from this heat so far but it looks as though that might be reaching it's end - more and hotter over the weekend is expected.  These days I am trying not to use the air conditioner - our electricity bill has been creeping up with the increase in tarriff but we do have fans which are cooling especially at night - sleeping under one is a relief!

I've been checking out the internet for accommodation for our Family Reunion in June on the Gold Coast in Queensland and I think I've found one that looks OK which is half the price of the resort we stayed in three years ago.  I'm glad I decided to look around first.  It will be our early winter month when we all meet but Queensland temperatures shouldn't be too cold then. Probably swimming in the sea might be a bit cool but this resort has a heated pool and spa so for those who are brave enough, I'm sure that will be fine.

Not sure yet if I'll make it awake to see 2011 in yet - I usually fall asleep while waiting for the massive Sydney celebration fireworks to begin (on the TV I mean) but one of our channels is showing the Edinburgh Tattoo tonight so that should keep me awake for a while.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you my friend a very blessed New Year and peace throughout 2011.

Happy New Year!



Fireworks over Sydney Harbour showing Opera House



'Tis the day after Christmas

Christmas eve saw us delivering the grandie's gifts to them. They were full of excitement and we got this pic to remember the occasion

Christmas morning worship service then home to a king ocean prawn lunch by ourselves - the first time in our almost 49 years of married life! A very lazy afternoon, napping, watching TV, cross stitching then out to our son's property for a combined meal with ours and his wife's extended families. Thirty three of us in total and what a spread it was.

A fun-filled game of volley ball where no rules were allowed followed to 'shake the first course down' - followed later by desert of Christmas plum pudding,  whipped cream, cheese cake, chocolate log, trifle, ice cream and fresh fruit.  Oh I forgot the chocolates and cheese dip which also added to the food spread.  Despite there being 32 mouths to feed (1 extra being a baby) there was still a heap of food left over.  No doubt that will be used over the next day or so.

Son had decorated his house and yard with lights which looked magnificent once daylight faded.

Despite the fact that youngest grandie broke three bones in his foot a week ago, and couldn't participate in the game, he had a good time and he and I sat on the old cubby house steps and watched the proceedings - until the mosquitoes began biting that was.

Well Christmas is over for another year - the preparation, the sending cards, the buying gifts, the eating more than we needed, the meeting of those we don't see regularly, all fades into insignificance when we remember the baby Jesus who came as the Saviour of the world.  That is something we can celebrate every day of the year, not just at Christmas time.

Blessings!

Merry Christmas to you!

As we reflect on the baby in the manger and the reason for his coming to earth, I wish for you a holy, peaceful, and safe Christmas.

Looking for someone?

If you look for me at Christmas
you won't need a special star -

I'm no longer just in Bethlehem,
I'm right there where you are.

You may not be aware of Me
amid the celebrations -

You'll have to look beyond the stores
and all the decorations.

But if you take a moment
from your list of things to do

and listen to your heart - you'll find
I'm waiting there for you.

You're the one I want to be with,
You're the reason that I came,

And you'll find Me in the stillness
as I'm whispering your name

Love, Jesus



Inspiration?

Yes I need some!  I pop in to read so many but at present I just can't seem to get any enthusiasm or inspiration to write even though there seems to be lots going on in my life.

The Christmas lights look great now they are all operating as they should, but alas, lack of sunshine at times has meant that the solar panel ones are not twinkling as brightly as they should.  Whoever heard of a December morning being only 12C outside?  I don't remember it in Sydney anyway. Maybe that's a reflection of our northern cousins who are experiencing chilling  weather at present.  The photos I took of the lights didn't turn out too well so I'm not going to embarrass myself further by posting them.  Suffice to say I just love looking at them out the windows in the evenings  when they start to 'do their thing'!

As I write this at least the sun is shining but there's a cold wind.

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours doing some more stitching on my WIP. I've used all of one colour thread so will need to replenish supply.  I will get to post another progress pic on this soon but at present I'm off to do my Monday volunteer at the Information Centre.  I'll take it with me and hope that I have a chance to do a few more stitches on it. 

Blessings!

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

Oh Christmas Lights!

Neighbours have had their up for days, right down to a gorgeous sleigh with Santa sitting relaxed being pulled by three beautiful twinkling reindeer. Santa's climbing house walls, Santa's on roofs, even the lady next door was busy up on a ladder a couple of days ago hammering long lines of lights to the roofline (a first for this neighbour, bless her heart!). So with all that's happening around me to make it all feel more 'Christmassy' I felt obliged to move myself and start a bit of decorating myself. 

Well, now the wreath's on the door, the little Christmas tree is up and the balustrade decorated with green and gold starry tinsel.  Two new sets of solar lights for the shrubbery by the letterbox now fired up enough to twinkle their little heads off.  Timer set on fixed lights around the roof line - last thing to do was switch on last year's solar lights (pretty multi coloured and flickering) which chase each other up under the eaves.  Oh no! not working - oh well, put the solar panel right into the sun's path for a full day - that should do it.  But Alas!  they have gone to God! 

Out with grandson L5 yesterday to the Christmas el cheapo shop to purchase more - darn it, I'll get two lots  (just in case).

Came home and put the panels out in the brilliant sun. Not quite long enough though so today will have them out early to catch enough sun power for sparkles tonight.

Oh the joys of Christmas!

PS might get pics when all are functioning (ahem)!

Clydesdale eating?

Another feature on our familiarisation tour was the Clydesdale Restaurant. An unusual way to see the historic sites around the Windsor (Sydney) area is to be pulled in a dining van by 3 beautiful Clydesdale horses.  We stopped by to check it all out while they were being 'dressed' for the evening's booking.  Beautifully docile animals stood patiently while their dresser plaited and twisted and knotted and decorated their manes and tails.

For just A$185 per person you can be fed a five course meal (collected along the way from the area's top restaurants) and be shown many historic sites in and around Windsor.

What a great way to spend an evening on a special occasion!

Blessings!

Hawkesbury River

During the day out at the familiarisation tour, we crossed and drove alongside the Hawkesbury river in several different places. Here are a few photos I took along the way...




Looking towards Wisemans Ferry




Beautiful blue Jacaranda's in bloom





View from Cornwallis House



HISTORIC SYDNEY

As a volunteer with my local council, I help at the Visitors Information Centre for my area.  We are ready when visitors come in to the centre to help them out with brochures and information regarding accommodation or attractions in the area.  As part of the volunteer team, every two months we are taken on a familiarisation tour to inspect many of the different venues and places of interest in the area known as The Hills and Hawkesbury.

Last week we had a full day and visited four different places - at three of them we were treated to either morning or afternoon tea and lunch. It was fabulous.

We went by coach to an out of the way place named Ebenezer.  It is situated high up on a hill overlooking the Parramatta River and it was here that a stone church was built by Scottish settlers in 1809. Fifteen pioneer families who settled in the area made a huge contribution to the development of the colony in this area in those early days. Now 200 years is not that old when thinking of history but for Australia, it was only 30 years after the first settlers arrived.  There were others built around that time around the Sydney area but this is now Australia's oldest surviving church and was the first non-conformist then Presbyterian church in Australia.

Ebenezer means ‘The Lord has helped us all the way’ or ‘Stone of Help’ and is referenced in 1 Samuel 7 and verse 12.

The church began a school in 1810 and pioneered education in the colony. It is the oldest extant school building in Australia.

After sailing for 90 days to get to such a strange place, I wondered what their reactions must have been on arrival in this harsh environment. But hard as it was, they never forgot the Lord who had kept them safe. After worshiping in the open air for 5 years, the work on the church commenced. It was indeed a privilege and an honour to sit on one of those very hard wooden pews and reflect on those families who had worked so hard and sacrificed so much coming to a new country to start a new life for themselves and their families. 

What a very special contribution they made and one that we were able to reflect on during our visit to this beautiful little stone church tucked away amongst the gum trees. 

 

The roses are a picture

Blame it on the wet year we've had, the fertiliser, or just good fortune, but the roses have been magnificent since they began their blooming a few weeks ago.  I never get tired of looking at them - or taking pics of them for that matter.  Each one so different in colour and shape and yet each of them reminds me of Jesus, Rose of Sharon!  Beautiful Saviour! Wonderful Lord!

Blessings!

Aotearoa (NZ - Land of the Long White cloud)

Brigadoon

Diana Princess of Wales

Julia's Rose

Just Joey

Moonstone

Shocking Blue bud



Shocking Blue in the rain





Christmas baking

This morning dawned blessedly cool compared to the past three! With day time temperatures around 33C and night time inside still around 27C it was a relief to be able to open the doors and windows and let some coolness in.

Since today promised to be the coolest for the next week, and since I had put the Christmas cake dried fruit to soak in brandy last week, I decided it might be a good day to bake.  I had just put a loaf of banana bread into the oven when a phone call announced that young grandie L5 wanted to visit. Of course his mum was pleased to take the opportunity to do her weekly grocery shop at the supermarket as well so knowing that I was not going to be able to 'entertain' too much with the process of cake making in hand, decided the best thing to do was get some gingerbread dough on the way as well. 

Had just taken the banana bread out of the oven and put the Christmas cake in when young L arrived.  Excited at the prospect of making his own gingerbread men, he got started right away. He kneaded and rolled and cut his way through a stack and we baked three trays full.  Once cool enough, the finishing touches were made with white icing.  By the time mum arrived back to collect him, a large container was filled for her to take home and freeze. Of course L needed to carry out a taste test and reported that they were certainly yummy! 

Banana bread, Christmas cake and gingerbread shapes all baked beautifully. A successful morning indeed.  We made precious memories today. Thankyou L for being part of that special time together!

Blessings!