Month: May 2018

What is it about a person in a hat with a notebook and a pencil that seems to make us shake in our shoes?

I remember town parks and gardens in England always had a superintendent with staff who seemed to delight in telling children to ‘keep off the grass’ or point to signs that said ‘no ball games’. One of them seemed to have it in for some of my young friends – asking them their names and ‘where do you live’ and writing it all down in a little note book.  It was usually me who was the one charged with keeping an eye out for the ‘parky’ (park keeper)which was fine because kicking a soccer ball around certainly wasn’t my idea of fun.  I’d have my nose in a book hoping I’d catch a glimpse of ‘that man’ before he caught a glimpse of us!

We also were very wary of police – in those days they also had a hat, a notebook and a pencil.  The thought of what your parents would do to you if one of them knocked on your front door and then consulted their notebook was enough to turn me and any of my friends off misbehaving for life.

All those feelings came back yesterday when I drove to Camberwell (a near the city suburb about 35kms from my place)   I’d been using the train for the past few Tuesdays but the weather has changed to much cooler…..even wet some days….and after getting ‘a bit on the wet side’ walking back to the station last week I decided it was time to check out the drive / park close by option for future wet days.

Don’t believe everything they tell you about heavy traffic in the city (Melbourne) – the heaviest I encountered that morning was right on my doorstep!  Canterbury Road from here all the way to Elgar Road was bumper to bumber, cars trucks buses bikes (both push and motor) you name it, I’m sure all the residents out in the east were going west.  Oh what a difference it was after I turned left onto Elgar Road, and made my way down to Riversdale Road – almost as if everyone had stayed in bed that morning.  Then of course there were the trams to contend with along Riversdale Road….nothing for it but accept it’s ‘trundle along behind and hope to overtake somewhere.’ ….but not while the tram is stopped…..which wouldn’t have been too bad if it was before 9am……but after that parking is allowed in the clearway zone next to the left kerb so it’s down to one (and a bit) lanes 😟

Anyway I had a fair idea of where I was going to park, just had to hope there was a vacant spot!  Free parking is very limited in most places these days and if there’s one thing I don’t enjoy it’s paying to park.  How do you think I get to enjoy my overseas trips – by not paying for parking lol. I’m about to turn into the car park when I saw a figure walking out of the first lane –

Mmm it’s the parking inspector.

One of those people similar to the ones I remarked on earlier – one who walks around in a hat with a notebook and pencil – only these days they have a little machine and a dreaded piece of chalk in their hands!!

(Not this actual one though)

Bugger – two vacant spots and he’s standing right there!

If I drive in I’m sure he’ll turn round and mark my tyres…..if I go round the block whats the chance they’ll stll be there.  Surprise Surprise – he started to talk to someone and moved off into the next lane.   Hooray, panic over, I needed about three so that meant I had the two hours before he returned to check marked tyres and a bit more from then.  Wondering if you’re going to get a parking ticket is not the best way to spend a morning so there were smiles all round when I returned and there was nothing tucked under my wiper blade 😊

Isn’t it ridiculous for a grown woman to be wary of someone who is just doing their job.  Like the kids in the park or skylarking in the street I’m not trying to cheat the system, I just don’t want to be on the receiving end of their perceived ‘wrath’ if I fall foul of one of them.

I’m not one for going to see film adaptations of best selling books…. I’ve been known to sit there in the cinema muttering ‘that’s not the way it was in the book….. so often say no when asked if I’d like to see XYZ.

However there is the odd time I will go along, usually when it’s been a while since I read the book and (hanging head in shame) don’t actually remember all the characters and goings on that took place.  When that happens I can sit there and actually enjoy the film without pulling it to pieces.

Last week we went to see The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I enjoyed it – I did have a vague idea of the story linbut there was a lot I didn’t remember so it looks like I’ll have to reborrow the library book to remind myself of the bits I’d forgotten 😊

It was close to the end of the film when this aeroplane(1) called a Dakota or DC3 landed on a beach and The Golfer nudged me asking if I remembered flying in one of them.

No, when was that?

1964 from Singapore to Penang!

How could I forget that!

Many years ago, almost another lifetime ago, I was the daughter of a serving airman (yes an airforce brat – ‘Born Raised and Travelled’) and then went on to be the wife of a serving airman – for the first 30 years of my life I was associated with service life and all it entailed.  Over the years I’ve flown in loads of different types of aircraft but couldn’t remember this one with it’s propellers and bulky almost clunky look.

The Golfer had been posted to Butterworth (on the Malaysian mainland across from Penang Island) and we arrived in Singapore tired and weary from the very long flight from Stanstead…..no non stop flights in those days meant a long stop over in Colombo on the way which lengthened the journey.  The plane we flew out on had been full of servicemen with just a few families so no restrictions on staying in your seats in those days meant I had plenty of babysitters for the two little ones we had with us. We’d expected to stay overnight in Singapore and were surprised when told there was an aircraft going up to Butterworth fairly soon and we were on it.

Now in my defence it was dark and very hot when we’d arrived in Singapore, the temperature difference between the cool almost cold March in England and hot moist tropical right on the equator that greeted us was enormous and I was trying to cope with two tetchy children so didn’t take much notice of the size and shape as we trundled up the steps.  It was an ‘aeroplane’ and that’s all I was bothered about 😊

I’ll tell you what though- I certainly remember stopping in my tracks when I saw what the seating was and how it was arranged!  About a dozen Air Force personnel and my little family sat sideways on – paratrooper style (2) on the jump style seats that lined the inside of the ‘plane.!!  And yes, that is the door to the cockpit at the far end 😟

My life has been nothing but interesting – well, the bits I remember 😊😎

It’s early Monday morning.  I’ve been sitting here thinking about past times for quite a while – best start thinking about tonight’s dinner or The Golfer will be home from ‘you know where ‘ later on and I won’t have a clue what to feed him.

Is Monday a musing day for you – or is it all go go go?

1. Source

2. Source

Poor Andrew was feeling it cold last night

He should have been at my house 😟

Our heating went on for the first time

This morning there was an added accessory to my ‘going to the pool wear’

A beanie to keep my ears warm 😊

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For many years C & A was a department store in the High Sreet where we lived

So C & A weather – was one of my mum’s expressions when it was cold.

C&A meaning Coats and ‘Ats!

There are lots of ‘community clubs’ around the different suburbs here in Melbourne – they are a bit like the local hotel/pub in that a liquor license is involved but that’s where the similarity ends.  This one is fairly local to me

All would have a bistro serving meals most of the day and evening, a lounge and bar as well as snacks and coffee bar service, TAB outlet complete with big screens to watch several different sports, lots of entertainment and of course a ‘gaming room’ full of poker machines (and free coffee!)

Some people think they are nasty immoral places catering to ‘poor unfortunate souls with a gambling addiction’. Others think of them as a club where they can go to meet friends during the day, have a drink or a meal in relative comfort and not go near the pokies.

More upmarket ones will also have a courtesy bus pick up and drop off service which allows members and their guests the pleasure of being able to drink (within reason) and get there and back safely without the hassle of drink drive regulations.  And getting there in a comfortable mini bus is a boon to older members who don’t drive so they will ‘drop in’ more frequently.

Win win – happy customers- more profit for the club.

Melbourne has just hosted a Food Truck Extravaganza in the city – loads of mobile kitchens serving different varieties of food all the one spot. It would have been fun but unfortunately we couldn’t get there.  Imagining all those vans travelling the suburbs sent me off in search of something I’d often wondered about, something my imagination runs riot at the thought of…… MOBILE WOOL SHOPS or YARN TRUCKS.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a van draw up and park outside your door offering all sorts of lovely coloured goodies.  You could ooh and aah to your hearts content over all the new stock without the hassle of going to the shop. There is loads of information on the net and loads of images showing just the thing I visualised however they seem to be a big thing in parts of the United States but not here in Australia.

Look at this …..isn’t it eye catching with those huge great big balls of wool on the roof.  Imagine that out in the street.  I wonder what the neighbours would say about that 😊😎

Well this brightly coloured van isn’t quite what I thought it was.

Remember those courtesy buses I mentioned above…….that’s just what this is….. A courtesy bus to take you to the wool shop.

I reckon a free ride across New York in the Flying Fingers Yarn Bus for a knitter would be like a ride in a fire engine for a child.  Great fun if you could get it 😊😎

Effort – a word that would appear regularly on my school reports.

Meaning a determined attempt

With a bit more effort Catherine could achieve so much more…..

Catherine is capable of so much more if she put the time and effort into……….

Needs to put more effort into her work instead of helping others…..which I’m sure was teacher shorthand for needs to stop talking in class 😊

Last month it was the mental or physical exertion meaning that came into play when it was such an effort to get anything done……time flew out the window whenever I began to do something……concentration certainly had left the building…..I’d begin a task, get side tracked half way through and then complain there wasn’t enough time to finish whatever it was.

Yes I know, excuses excuses.

Lets just hope it’s not too cold a winter because this is my solitary donation to the charity knitting box for April.

Years ago I would occasionally knit to sell, sometimes to order but that could be stressful so usually just to have something here that might be ‘just right’ if a friend wanted a gift for a grandchild.  Of course once babies grew and the time it took to make larger garments did likewise I’d look for patterns to use that knit up quickly  This old front page favourite was made quite a lot over several winters – double stranded for warmth with a yoke done on a circular needle – easy peasy, or so I thought in those days.

Not so these days.  My fingers and wrists ‘hurt’ from using the large size needles needed to knit the two strands and the air was blue as I attempted to put the two body pieces and two sleeves on that circular needle in the correct order.  How could I forget something so simple?  Okay, once they were on and I’d finished the first round of the colour work aka simple fair isle it was plain sailing from there on.  My words to the other crafters during ‘show and tell’ as I pop it in the box tomorrow evening will be – Look and admire because you won’t be seeing another one 😊😎

Have you found anything hard going recently- what’s been an effort for you to achieve over the past few weeks?