Month: September 2014

We’re leaving home, my little sister said.  Yes, in a few years time we’re off.

Of course what she meant was that when they retired they were going to put their plan into action.  So for the past five years this is where she has been calling home.

Not sure in the beginning if she and her man would enjoy it – now they love it.

Buying the corner house was a good move – they are not directly overlooked and  have land to extend the view on one side.

Room for extra garden furniture and a little garden. ‘ Always wanted a lemon tree’ she said lol

She also has the benefit of a large utility area and car spot right near her back entrance.

 Yes my little sister Patsy,  is really enjoying her retirement in the warmer climate of Cyprus rather than the rather temperamental one of the UK!

 

Me and my little sister – Paphos Cyprus

 

 That’s where we’ll be very late this coming Monday evening 🙂

This will be a different journey to any other we’ve taken from Melbourne before in that we’re flying out at what to me is the middle of the night!

It’s a bit late now but I’m sort of having second thoughts about this because even after the thousands of miles we’ve flown over the years,  apart from a couple of near midnight flights from Honolulu I’ve never actually begun a ten hour flight that late in the day.

I will have been up since about 7am sorting out all those last minute bits and pieces – cant come home to a dirty house so there will have been a bit of cleaning tidying and clothes washing – making sure my case closes properly – not worrying about Kiera who will have been at her holiday home since the day before – left for the airport about 7pm (drop off car pick up shuttle to departures – check in starts about 9.30pm maybe earlier.  There’s clearing customs and then going through security to airside and then waiting for boarding.  Lets just say there might be some tears or at least sharp words spoken before bedtime! 🙂

Catherine is usually well into the land of nod at 11.30pm
Which is take off time lol

Abu Dhabi is the first stop, then on to Athens .  That’s another thing I’m up in the air over.  Political events have worsened in that part of the world, Australia will be sending troops to Iraq very very soon.  To get to Athens our carrier flies over Iraq.    There is absolutely no chance of the Malaysia Airlines disaster in Ukraine happening again BUT…………

Talking of political events –  our cruise ports were changed.  The days I thought we were going to spend in Odessa and Sevastapol are no more – at one time the cruise line had us up in the air wondering if the cruise was actually going to be cancelled but now Constanta is as far north as we go and then along the southern shores back to Istanbul.  Shame, as I really was looking forward to them, doubt if I’ll get to that part of Europe again 😦

Up in the air I went in the city last Thursday – slippery tiles on the floor of the ladies loo in the Elizabeth Street underpass section of Flinders Street Station means I am now sporting an ankle of many colours.  Luckily the swelling has gone down and there is no pain when I walk – and there I was writing not long ago about being extra careful lol

The ever changing health issues with my brother in law has lots of aspects of our visit with my sister in Cyprus up in the air.  Daily radiation treatment is leaving him fatigued so I can’t forsee any of the ‘remember when’ day trips we had planned between us all months ago.  I’m sure we’ll enjoy it no matter what.

So putting all thoughts of all those ‘what ifs’ out of my mind I’m going to spend the rest of this week practising long forgotten greek words from the time when we looked like this.
Taken in July 1960 – a couple of weeks after I met The Golfer.

We are going back to the scene of the crime as they say – only we wont be able to recreate this photo because the site of The Roundel Club where it was taken is near the Ledra Palace in Nicosia which is now in the UN buffer zone and out of bounds to all but peacekeeping personnel.

Kalimera – Good morning and Yassou – Hello/Goodbye
I think that  will do for today 🙂

Thank you all for your comments and emails on the ‘who do you use’ post – I really appreciate the fact that so many of you joined in the discussion.

Now blogging isn’t the be all and end all of my life, it’s something I enjoy and like lots of things in life if there is an easier way (to enjoy other’s writings) I’ll certainly be in it 🙂

The basic blog roll on the sidebar seems to be popular – there is a blogger/blogspot  style that updates when a new post appears.  It was the constant checking blogs for updates that used to annoy me.  WordPress has a reader but doesn’t appear to have the (obvious) updating blogroll facility right on the blog page.

The various ‘ feed readers’ seem to appeal to different bloggers. Some offer just blog feeds, others news feeds as well.   Sometimes I need a fresh look at things so after reading all the feedback on that last post I sat down again and looked at the pros and cons of the feed readers I subscribed to.

Oh, you should have heard the chuckles coming from my side of the room when I realised the one I thought didn’t do it for me would actually function better if I used it correctly – so – I decided to persevere with The Old Reader

Thanks again – Bye for now
Cathy

A hundred years ago today (11 September 1914) some Australians fired shots in anger – it was the day the Battle of Bita Paka took place near Rabaul New Guinea, the day Australians first saw action in WW1, the day the first Australians were to die in WW1.

One month earlier on 11 August 1914 a new chum had answered the call and enlisted in what was called the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force. He had arrived in Sydney three years earlier after having served in the Hampshire Regiment of the British army so was well aware of what he was doing.  His regimental number was 194 so it’s safe to say he was near the front of the queue and raring to go.  He was a first cousin of my maternal grandmother.

Today The Golfer and I went to The Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance
(photos enlarge with a click)

The band played – colours were paraded

The armed Catafalque Party was there and banners were paraded

Politicians were visible – wreaths were laid

Prayers were said and The Last Post played.

 The Catafalque Party left – Soldiers and Sailors had been remembered

The Eternal Flame burned above the new plaque

As we looked back at the Shrine on the hill

I thought of young James Bannister and wondered how well he would have done in Australia after the war had ended – sadly he never got the chance.
In January 1917 he lost his life on the battlefield in France

 

I had coffee with ‘our big girl’ last week and in amongst all the other chat she mentioned looking at her teenage daughter’s twitter account.   That had me wondering if girls these days ever had problems with their mothers checking up on them.  I suppose it’s no different to what happened years ago when mothers surreptiously read a daughter’s diary that was tucked under a pillow. 🙂

 

With two children over 50 and another heading that way later this month
I’m beginning to feel like a dinosaur chatting like this lol

Yes, Sprinter
It’s that time of the year when Spring has begun
but it occasionally reminds you of Winter.

Today is the first day of September – officially it is Spring.

SEPTEMBER in Melbourne
September is the first month of spring, which is the most changeable season of the year. A full range of weather may be experienced within a few days, from warm, calm and sunny to cold, windy and showery.  The temperature usually reaches the mid-20s for the first time since April. Nights are cool, frost is fairly rare, and the lowest temperature for the month in the city being about 4ºC.  http://www.melbourneaustralia.org/climate-weather

So being Spring there are spring blossoms to look for 🙂

A few years ago The Flowering Cherry at the top of the drive was getting to be nuisance.  No matter how many times I trimmed it the lower branches still hung over the drive and out over the pathway at the front so we took it down to shoulder height and were left with just a chunky looking stump.  I wasn’t too fussed if it didn’t recover but look at this –  It has sprung to life once more shooting up from the base and still isn’t fazed by a dull day.

(all photos should enlarge with a click)

With its tiny little flowers it really is the forerunner of spring – sadly they wont last long as soon it will be covered in little purple coloured leaves.

 The white Flowering Quince by the side fence has been just bare branches all winter, it is slowly showing us the flowers we look forward to.  The pink one beside it seems to be opening later this year.

Small roundish flowers – initially on the bare branches.  Then the bush takes on a greeny white look as the leaves start to appear.

Once the bush is in full leaf the flowers don’t stay long so need to be enjoyed while they are there looking pristine and clean

Also known as Chaenomeles or Flowering Japonica
they are virtually indestructible.
This pinky red one was planted back in 1977, we chopped it right to the ground at one time but couldn’t remove it completely.  Within a few months it started to shoot up again and I didn’t have the heart to attack it another time.  I just give the branches on the right hand side a bit of a haircut now and then so we are able to get down the side of the house

Yes I think Spring has arrived
The days are getting longer – earlier sunrise, later sunset
We have been teased with some warm dry sunny days
However I do wonder how long it will take for Winter to leave completely??

How are you coping with the changing seasons?