Month: November 2010

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Saturday November 6

Another warm and dry day with hardly a cloud in the sky
So I took my breakfast out on to the deck along with something to do
Well, I’m not one to rush into the morning
and often at the weekend will  read
or do some crafty thing before I start the day proper
Left Kiera to slumber on after I finished brekky and cleared away
She’s become almost like a shadow since we said goodbye to Leroy earlier this year
Its been hard for her as she’d never been on her own before – there had always been another cat there 
Litter family from birth and then when she came to us all the other cats in the household
As the years went by they all left us till it was just her and Leroy
so I was quite worried about how she would cope
being on her own at the cattery whilst we were away for all those weeks
however she was fine when we got home
She does get quite annoyed if I’m on the computer and not giving her my undivided attention tho’
No time to play (or so I thought)
as I had a ‘date’ with this messy corner of the garden
Was going to sort out all those pots and the rubbish near them
but it never got done
I wandered around and said Hello to
Evelyn
my Mother in Law
The flowers on this rose are very full – almost chubby
just like my MIL used to be
Then said Hello to my Mum
Mary Rose
or rather thats part of her name
If Miss Alice would grow well in my garden she would be here instead.
I’ve tried twice but she keeps fading way and dying 
(unlike my mother she doesn’t like the hot weather lol)
so ‘Mary’ Rose it is instead
I really wasn’t in the mood for heavy work
so set to and did some weeding
divided and transplanted a few bits and then noticed Dh having a quiet time 
Reading and doing nothing ‘cept enjoying the fresh air
Made a cuppa and joined him
Kiera had moved – slumbering the day away in my old comfy armchair
The one I didn’t throw out when we replaced the suite
and I keep on the deck for somewhere comfy to sit lol
Look at her – enjoying the sun
with not a care in the world
The afternoon went by peacefully
I sewed and tried to ‘find some words’
Then noticed the clouds gathering over the neighbours place
No rain which was good as we’ve had quite enough for the time being
thank you very much
All in all one of those lovely lazy days:))
to enlarge the photos
click and then click again
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Moving on

Thank you so much for all your comments, emails and calls
when I wrote about my Dh’s friend in Calgary
http://stillwaters-cathy.blogspot.com/2010/10/time-is-running-out.html
Ann heard this week there is a bed for him in a hospice close to home
so he will have moved there yesterday
These benches caught my eye on one of the days we visited
Near a pick up area – very long in length
giving an idea of all the visitors or patients
waiting for a lift home
I saw this bench another day
Newish looking – plain and functional
I suppose you don’t want anything fancy when your mind is on other things
It was close to the bus stop that Ann uses
and with the hospital in the background
She did tell me she had used it a couple of time whilst waiting for the bus  
So each time we walked past it I called it Ann’s Bench
Foothills Medical Centre
The Tom Baker Cancer Centre in the background of this picture
Tom Baker Cancer Centre
Think of Gorton and Ann please
as they enter this even more stressful time in their lives
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Its been a lovely day today

It’s a lovely day today
So whatever you’ve got to do
You’ve got a lovely day to do it in, that’s true
It’s A Lovely Day Today
Written by Irving Berlin
1950
for the musical Call Me Madam

Such a beautiful morning it was today (Thursday)
Sunny and Dry
so after hanging the washing out
for the first time in goodness knows how long
I found all the gardening tools and did the rounds
Had to tidy up the Azaleas
all the blooms hade faded or like this late blooming one
were starting to die off
The Forget-me-nots were past their best so I trimmed the tops
have enough around the place so trimmed the tops to stop the self seeding 
and swept the path of all the clippings plus the dropped Camelia flowers
Admired the flowers on the Cuban Lilies  (Scilla peruviana)
I planted these for the first time this year
A gift from a friend who was dividing hers  
Deadheaded a few roses
and noticed the lavender round the washing line
was flowering again
Before we went away it had grown to more than a metre high
so I gave it a really good hair cut as in almost to ground level
The huge amount of rain this winter has done it good
and the bushy stalks are growing longer each day
I found these very very late bluebells flowering  
when we got home from our trip early last month
For a few years I thought they’d gone for good
so once again the rain has been a help
But today this is what is saw close by
Don’t they look pretty – so white and vir’ginal looking
Beware though
This really nice snowdrop looking bulb is a WEED
Onion Weed –
so called because it has an onion like smell
http://www.yates.com.au/problem-solver/problems/onion-weed/
Don’t believe all the spiel aboout sprays killing it
It thrives in damp soil (remember all the rain we’ve had)
and spreads like wildfire from tiny bulblets left beneath the ground
It can cover an area really quickly
Leave one there one year – next year there will be hundreds
So my ‘happy’ day turned into a not so happy day
The late Kevin Heinz once said
the only way to get rid of Onion Weed was to move house
or buy a bag of cement
Reckon I’m off to the big green shed
aka Bunn’ings
to buy a bag of cement mix lol
To see more beautiful and unusual flowers from around the world
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Our quiet one

We have one grandaughter who has always been the quiet one
One of those that you hardly knew were there
She never seemed interested in the older one’s interests
going along to the sports matches and the musical concerts
but never showing an actual desire to take part
Till early last year – when out of the blue she asked if she could become a Scout
No not a Guide but a Scout
No-one seems to know what sparked her interest
but she certainly has taken a great interest in all things scouting
She ‘works’ hard for her badges – is involved in all her troop and patrol activities
Even asked if she could go to the 2010 Jamboree in Sydney
being one of the yougest there didn’t daunt her in the least
Not having shown any previous interest in music
she is the one who now plays the Bassoon in one of the school bands 
and early this year asked if she could audition for Show’time
a concert put on by young people involved with scouts and guides
similar to Gang*show 
There were months of weekly rehearsals
and wouldn’t you know it
we were away when the concerts took place
Thought we’d missed out
until we found out the production was going to Bendigo 
nearly 3 hours away from us 
giving some of the youngsters up there
a chance to shine along with the others from the big city
So up the Calder Highyway we drove on Suday
in the pouring rain and freezing cold weather
to catch up on our ‘star performer’
It was a very professional production complete with a live band
It was so much fun –
There were lots of skits and loads of singing
Lots of good feelings
To enlarge pictures click and then click again
This one took the micky out of the campfire singing sessions
There was one about seniors on a cruise
A great scene using stools as zimmer frames
Then the massed finale
Younger boys and girls
Slightly older ones
And here’s some of the ‘biggies’
Here they are being congratulated at the end of the show
There are some who frown on these organised groups for young people
but I know from my time as a Brownie and then as a Guide 
(many years ago as a child in England)
I learnt about commitment and leadership
I encouraged my children to join
not all did – some started and then lost interest
One changed from Guides to Venturers –
I think with her the mix of boys and girls was the drawcard
but still she worked at whatever there was to do
So I’m pleased that one of my younger youngsters had found something
that will help them become more confident and teach her many life skills  
 no matter how dated others may think they are
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouting_and_Guiding_in_Victoria
http://www.kidspot.com.au/224+++_Scouts-Guides.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout_Law
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Tuesday November 2

Today was a public holiday
For a horse race lol
Yes, today was the First Tuesday in November
which means the Melbourne Cup was run at Flemington Racecourse
Yesterday we were told the past October
had been the wettest October for 35 years
  http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/records-broken-as-vic-rainfall-continues-20101031-178j9.html
It poured over the weekend – really drenching torrential rain
caused flooding all over the place
and looking out the front door this morning
it looked like it was going to rain
for the best part of today as well
I certainly didn’t envy all those ladies
who were going to dress up in their finery
complete with fantabulous hats 
and spend the day at Flemington
So after realising I couldn’t potter round the garden as planned
I turned to the tv for entertainment
Here you can see the silly hats
were being worn really early in the day
Even the tv presenters were dressed in posh frocks
complete with tizzy hats
Heres Kerri- Anne
and Fifi
and heres Johanna
It was so chilly we had the heating on most of the day
I sat and sewed
and yes
watched the days events from the comfort of my chair
Coming into the straight for the last time
The order had changed by the time they reached the winning post
First – Americain
Second – Maluckyday
The favourite – So You Think – came in third
which was a shame as Bart Cummings the trainer
was hoping for his 13th cup win
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/nov/02/americain-so-you-think-melbourne-cup
The rain did come down for the best part of the day
The sun made an appearance late in the afternoon
Too late to garden then
but never mind
theres always tomorrow
Hey – that would be a good name for a race horse lol
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Lounging around in Ketchikan

As Ketchikan proclaims on their world famous sign
They are the Salmon Capital of the World
And to prove it
they even have some fishy benches
dotted all round the town  
I saw this wooden one with a Salmon shape for the back
and another which has a Halibut shaped back
Halibut is another fish found in Alaskan waters 
http://www.akhalibut.com/
http://www.truealaskancharters.com/
Close to the area where the cruise ships dock
there is a huge carving of a Bald Headed Eagle
and right beside it is a nice solid looking bench
It looks a bit uncomfortable
but obviously these tourists didn’t think so
or they were so weary they would rest anywhere
Do you enjoy benches as much as I do?
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