Month: October 2023

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All steamed up. . .

I have a special liking for steam trains. They’ve always fascinated me. Doesn’t matter where I see them or in what form – real or imaginary – there’s something about them that always puts a little smile on my face, a feeling of excitement. I suppose it’s sort of in the genes – my paternal grandfather was on the railways in Ireland (most of the males in his family were as well) Like his brother he ‘rose up through the ranks’ to become an engine driver but others were engine firemen, station masters, porters and a generation before ‘gangers’

The engines always look like big monsters needing all that coal and water to make the steam to ‘turn the wheels’. I’m not that cluey to understand how it works but THIS might help if you really would like to know

This mural is in George Street Bowen depicting locomotives used in Queensland.
B1079 – – – C17

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We have an organisation here in Victoria called Steamrail – https://www.steamrail.com.au

Steamrail Victoria is a not-for-profit volunteer group established in 1965 to restore and operate historic locomotives and rolling stock used on the railways in Victoria, Australia.
Source – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamrail_Victoria

8am Saturday 24 March 2012

I’ve no idea aka I can’t remember why we were at Spencer Street Station so early but this was a a real surprise. Steamrail were obviously having a day trip / tour somewhere. Hissing and steaming, providing photo opportunities, putting smiles on peoples faces, promising a good time for all.

A bit of history on locomotive K153 – https://www.steamrail.com.au/k153

Min is now hosting a Wednesday link up – Wednesday Words & Whimsy. 
Why not drop in HERE and see who her visitors are – perhaps you’d like to join in as well

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Spring 2023 Week 8

Our week has been like this
Cool Cloudy Cold even
Warmish at times Wet to very wet at other times.
If the sun shone it was a welcome change to the dull days

Tuesday was forecast to be dry and sunny so an executive decision made it sheet change day – yes, that’s the day I wrote about on Wednesday, the day when we went out and about and then I was faced with making bed late in the evening.

Anyway as we’re over half way through spring, each time a warmish day/night has turned up I’ve contemplated changing back to summer cotton sheets, then looked at the upcoming overnight forecasts and decided ‘No, we’ll stick with the warm and cosy ones I told you all about a couple of years ago.

Here in my outer east foothills suburb Tuesday’s o/night was 3c/37f – Wednesday was the same – Thursday 5c/41f…..whatever way you look at it it was cool chilly or if you think like me ‘down right cold’.
Good thinking Catherine!
Tonight’s forecast is for similar so Warm and Cosy is the way to go for a little while longer I think😊

Highlight of the week was lunch at Healesville – a belated birthday lunch for us both – not on sunny Tuesday but a cloudy wet Monday
No food photos but one from the upstairs lounge

View from lounge at The Golfer’s 2nd home in Healesville
Mt Riddell in the centre

Mount Riddell (829m/2 720ft a.s.l.) is a mountain in the Great Dividing Range in Australia. The prominence is 162m/531ft.
source


Last September the BOM declared that our three wet years of La Niña were over and we were now in El Niño phase – very dry hot days ahead. Even though we whinge a bit because we’re a little chilly at the moment and it would be nice if it was warmer, there were some very hot days (almost heatwave conditions) last month, and four states have experienced bush fires already so it’s definitely not looking too good for our summer

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/.

https://www.csiro.au/en/news/all/news/2023/september/expert-commentary-el-nino

https://www.9news.com.au/national/weather-forecast-australia-2023-la-nina-el-nino-explainer/40c4efbd-42cc-4426-8d75-bb6757aa455c

He’s back: What the return of El Niño means

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it’s not really her fault

Tiggers Mum is on a short work related detachment to Singapore and I’ve been reliving old memories from when we lived there in the 1960s.
Katong was where we called home

And for some reason I just have a hankering for this – Katong Laksa

Two very fuzzy photos from recent visits to the home of Katong Laksa.

December 2013
November 2017

So it’s six years since our last time there
think we might be due for another trip 😊😎

https://johorkaki.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-history-of-singapore-katong-laksa.html

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Makes no difference

If it’s sung by Male or Female
Indoors or out
House or hall.
With or without a musical accompaniment

Have a listen of these different versions of a favourite of mine
A tale of a young man who just didn’t listen

Down By the Salley Gardens

BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS

Down by the salley gardens
my love and I did meet;

She passed the salley gardens
 with little snow-white feet.

She bid me take love easy
as the leaves grow on the tree;

But I, being young and foolish
with her would not agree.

In a field by the river
my love and I did stand,

And on my leaning shoulder
she laid her snow-white hand.

She bid me take life easy
 as the grass grows on the weirs;

But I was young and foolish
and now am full of tears.
Source

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_by_the_Salley_Gardens

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*****

*****

With a forecast like this for next week – I think there’s going to be a couple of stay at home and listen to the band days. . .

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Backyard Builds…

Seeing this little ‘rustic’ outdoor area on a blog recently
brought back all sorts of memories of the time (a few years ago now) I asked The Golfer if he’d build me a little summer house (to use in the winter)

What I had in mind was something like this 👇 – maybe not so large- but light and airy so I could enjoy our winter sunshine and not be cooped up indoors

‘Let me think about it’ was all I got
A week later it changed to ‘won’t be anywhere near that size and definitely not made from new doors & windows!’.
Then he asked ‘does it have to have closing doors?’
*****
Then he asked if I knew anyone doing home renovations- changing doors or even windows- demolishing an old house even – sorry no
OK I’ll call into some builders yards – you know those salvage yards where they sell all that second hand stuff.
No such thing as ‘looking online’ then
*****
Then it was ‘do they all have to match??’
What about something like this – describing a sitting area like these below .
‘Interesting’ I said, seeing my ‘dream’ diminish

Out came a quick sketch of something much smaller, plus ‘all we need is four doors, a bit of wood for the roof and maybe a pallet for the floor’.
But you might be waiting a bit because
have you seen the price of second hand doors and windows ???

Needless to say I never did get my little summer house😎.

Sharing this post with the inaugural link up of Wednesday Words & Whimsy which can be found HERE at Min’s blog

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New day – new way

Today I start a new job!
On a new day as well!

Another rearranging of volunteers – positions – days – has me agreeing to coming in on a Monday and trying something new
Actually I’ll be doing two jobs….. .

One week I’ll be assisting the hairdresser

On the alternate week I’ll be assisting the ‘tour leader’ on outings to local cafes


I’ll still be listening, talking, laughing, comforting, encouraging, entertaining, guiding, reassuring (and many more things) – just in a different setting.
Sounds good to me!

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Are we having fun….

Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we’ve no place to go….because golf was cancelled
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!.

Let it rain! Let it pour! Let it flood!.

(The predicted wet weather arrived – it’s very wet and almost like winter!)

This new tv has arrived at just the right time
It’s kept The Golfer occupied
Not actually watching anything
Just discovering what mysteries are located in the settings

The latest discovery – voice control!
He doesn’t have to use his finger to change channels
He can just ask the voice assistant
I really need to know her name because he’s become quite friendly with her this past week

Not to warn her off but thank her for keeping him out of my way😊




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🧶 Up for a challenge…

Now the days are getting longer (becoming lighter earlier/ getting dark later – daylight savings just begun) I’m more comfortable driving after hours…I’m now back at my local evening craft group where the Spring Challenge is assisting another local charity to build up their stock.

Each of us were ‘given’ sight unseen (eyes closed put your hand in a box, take your pick a bit like lucky dip) -a ball of yarn – ply plus gm weight unknown then ‘told’ to make what we can of it – which means I’m ‘back in the bub’s wear dept.’ again- making their recommended top down large premature size baby jacket from here.

Recommended yes, in fact it’s the only one they will receive:- .
Do you accept donations other than the items listed on your website?
We have worked closely with hospitals to ensure our patterns meet hospital safety and infection control guidelines. For this reason, we can only accept items listed on our website. Source

Maybe not my favourite construction method, it’s a fairly easy straight forward knit, one I’ve made many times before in larger sizes, not always in soft baby tones though, in fact the last time was in much darker colours.
( I veer away a little from the published instructions but the result is the same)

I scored some soft 8ply in a strong baby pink so toned it down by adding 100gms of cream from my stock and managed to do a little mix/max thing ending up with two sets 😊

Guess who didn’t weigh and divide her gifted yarn? On the premise that if I could get one set out of half I could get another.
So I had to knit both bodices and sleeves first, then cross fingers I’d have enough for contrast on the hats/bootees – sneaked in with the tiniest amount left. Now just have to add the cream skirt on to the stripy bodice.

My latest library book arrived. After reading (well, finishing) a big fat zero (yes, nothing at all) during September I’m hoping this will get me going again.
Three women and a Boat – Anne Youngson aka The Narrowboat Summer. (2020)

I’m late to the party I know…Goodreads has over 3.5K * ratings..some good some bad mostly in the middle. Wonder what I’ll think of it ??

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And months after they were begun these little beauties are finally finished and now residing in my charity box where they’ll be joined by lots more various items over the coming months waiting for when the charities shelves are restocked early in the new year.

And a little laugh with the hope that this month is better than the last

Sharing with Denyse’s weekly link up Wednesday’s Words and Pics. .
#WWandPics
Also joining in with Kat and others at Unraveled Wednesday 

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It’ll come good in the end…

For the first week or so after we got home I was in a right mess – mentally as well as physically. I was angry because apart from a little hiccup in Bowen I’d enjoyed many months of being symptom free, then something (who knows what) happened on the journey home and I was up shit creek in a whole lot of trouble. Driving was fine, it was getting to and from lunch stops and the last couple of motel rooms when those awful sciatica ‘electric shocks down the leg’ revealed a very different Catherine to the pleasant one known to most of you.

Arrived home on a Thursday evening- nothing available next day so first thing Saturday appt with my chiro ….who kept telling me ‘it’ll all come good in the end’. Reassuring words I’d heard her say before but very hard to believe when you’re in agony. Engrossed in my own misery and feeling very sorry for myself I ignored everyone and everything around me – I tried but The Golfer got very little ‘intelligent’ input from me where the new television was concerned.
‘Flare ups’ are the pits!!

Now here it is the 2nd of October and after two more chiro visits plus stretching and lots of warm water pool therapy I’m feeling much better, walking with ease ( upright as opposed to leaning forward ) and wondering – as often happens – what was that all about?

Anyone witnessing the pity party that went on in my house one afternoon of that first week home would have wondered if I’d turned into a 3year old.
I’ll admit sobbing took place – tears were shed by the bucketload – moaning and muttering words like “ Why me? It’s not fair! I didn’t sign up for this”
Strangely once it was all over I got up, made myself a cup of tea and settled down to knit….feeling much better.
I’m just glad The Golfer was out and didn’t witness it. Yes it would have given him a better idea of how I was feeling but I don’t think he’d have appreciated the ‘emotional side of it’. 😕

I had a chuckle when a friend I’d confided in (who suffers similar problems) sent me something she’d found online – laughing and saying “yes this helps sometimes….but I suggest having a tantrum on the bed ….because it’s a bugger trying to get up off the floor” 👇

THE 5-MINUTE PITY PARTY .
When things are going wrong and I feel overwhelmed, I set a five minute timer on my phone and allow myself to cry, scream, cuss, and release all of my emotions.
We tend to make one of two mistakes – one is not addressing our emotions and letting them haunt us, and the other is spending too much time focusing on the pain.
Give your raw emotions a full 5 minutes of your time, and then get back to swimming.
Unknown

I’m curious to know how others view pity parties – do you think they have a place in our lives – do they work- or should we just grin and bear it – not let ourselves get that upset?

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Being the beginning of October means one month of Spring has gone by already- apart from a couple of cool days it’s been unseasonably warm…….mind you after today’s forecasted ‘warm one’ (27c/80f) nature is reminding us that she is in control and it looks like it’ll be chilly and damp for the rest of the week.

Sunday forecast

Hopefully the weather will change after that and it’ll come good again.

Monday Musings – a time to think and ponder

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