Weekend at our place

A fairly busy weekend for us here, starting with Friday night soccer. My son's team won again, 2 goals to 1 but the match didn't start until 8.30pm. Late night by the time we got home and wound down. They have played 7 games and won 4. It may seem strange that soccer is being played over Summer, but I think it is to do with the Aussie rules season, as a lot of the soccer players also play football. Soccer is played on Friday nights when it is cooler.

Saturday we went to a nearby country city, Whyalla to do some Christmas shopping and chose out some clothes for the year seven's graduation on the 11th of December. My baby is growing, off to high school next year. Whyalla is about 40 minutes driving time from here.

Today was spent at Little Athletics this morning, early start at 8.30am. I had washing to do when we got home and then we had some visitors come around for a few hours. I had grocery shopping to do, that is getting more expensive every time I shop. We even got to have a swim in our pool. The temperature of the water was 31C. (87.8F) The outside temperature was 30C.

I have ironing waiting for me, I did start it but didn't get finished. Probably should be doing it instead of sitting here at the computer!

For dinner we had some snapper fillets, garlic prawns (yum) cooked by me. (I will post the recipe later), homemade chips and salad.

The garden needed watering so while I was out there I took some more pictures of what is happening in our backyard. It is so nice to see things looking so good after the rain.

Gum tree flowering and birds nesting in the same tree.

Some young figs. This is the white flesh variety.


Our grape vines are loaded with fruit.


So are the nectarine trees, the branches touching the ground with the weight of the fruit.

A little wee mandarine.

Our first Olive, we have two trees and they were planted about five years ago. I hope there are some more on there somewhere, my hubby can't wait, he loves them.

Capsicums by the dozen.

Teeny weeny cucumbers.

One of the many oranges developing on the tree.

My turn to wash the Strikers soccer guerneys. They are not needed for another two weeks as the teams are taking a break next week because the local Christmas Pageant is on next Friday.

Another busy week ahead, life gets pretty hectic for everyone this time of year. Christmas seems to come around more often now.

I have decided not to put my Christmas tree up until there are twelve days to Christmas this year. I have also cut down on the money spent on presents.

x Tania

Why me Lord?

Why me Lord?

Another Johnny Cash gospel song for you to enjoy.

Sunday Blessings,

Tania

Cluttercutting

There is a bad storm brewing outside from the north. A severe weather forcast has been issued so I am hoping to get this done before the electicity goes out and I will need to shut down the computer. Lightening and thunder all about, and it's starting to spit with rain. There are some wicked storms around this year.





Last weekend I made the decision to start getting rid of stuff. I can't believe all this has been cluttering up my house. I shall give away most of these to friends or hold one big garage sale a bit later. I am storing all the 'stuff' out in the rumpus room until I am finished inside, then sort through what I have collected or made over the last few years. My son commented that the place is bare (bear).

And this is only the beginning. This weekend I shall be starting in the cupboards and pantry. I don't get to do too much through the week as daycare is keeping me busy.

I forget the name of these, I call them 'trumpet' plant.

This was the sunset two nights ago.

How the garden has grown with all the rain we have had and the humidity that has been around all week. The capsicums are flowering.

So are the cucumbers, even have some baby ones on the vine.

The zucchini is a bit slow only because they were eaten by sleepy lizards(shingleback) earlier on when they were seedlings. I have a teeny zucchini on this one.

Silverbeet growing well and the chooks enjoying a bit of green.

The butternut pumpkin has also been slow to take off, but they are away now producing some flowers.

I picked our first tomato a couple of days ago, hopefully many more to come. Although the vines are showing signs of 'curly leaf' as I know it. May have to go to the garden centre and get some fresh plants growing.

We are off to my son's school concert tonight if it is not cancelled due to the weather. I shall go out and see after I am finished here.

This is what I see from my front window everyday. I draw the curtains as I like to have a lot of light inside. This is the lounge window and it is dirty, these windows are a pain to clean.

Hope you are all well, and those of you that aren't I hope you feel better soon.

x Tania

Update: Went out for the concert at son's school and they decided to cancel it until Tuesday next week. There was a bit of lightening, thunder and rain around. When we got home the wind dropped and the clouds cleared away to reveal a beautiful blue sky. So quickly the weather can change. Oh well, let's hope Tuesday holds out okay.

Gem of the Week

I found this in the West Coast Sentinel, the local paper for my old home town. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A teacher collected some well known proverbs and gave each child in her class the first half of a proverb. She asked the kids to come up with the rest of the proverb - with some interesting results.

Strike while the ..... bug is close

It's always darkest before...... daylight savings time.

An idle mind is..... the best way to relax.

You can lead a horse to water but...... how?

Don't bite the hand that ....looks dirty.

A miss is as good as a..... Mr.

Where there's smoke, there's..... pollution.

Happy the bride who..... gets all the presents.

A penny saved is..... not much.

Two's company, three's..... the musketeers.

Children should be seen and not...... spanked or grounded.

When the blind lead the blind..... get out of the way.

Fortunately God's word, the Bible, is a lot more reliable.

Good Evening,

Tania

Vastness of our country, Australia

The pictures were taken at the top of the Communications tower at Cook on the Nullabor.

Hubby saw the opportunity to get these photos from some Telstra workers that were working on the new mobile phone installation. At the moment there is no mobile signal accross the Nullabor, but this will soon be a thing of the past. This will only be available along the railway line though.

Anyway back to my story, hubby asked the workers if they would take some photos from the top of the tower for him and this is the result.

See the slight curvature of the earth in these photos.

Brilliant in everyway!!

This is Cook 90metres above the ground. Dry and barren country in very remote Australia. You can see where the old houses used to be and where the current house are. To the right is the old school.

Looking West with the Cook airstrip where the Flying Doctor lands regularly. The railway line running east - west. The longest dead straight stretch of railway line in the world from 1917, starts just east of Watson, South Australia and ends at Nurina, Western Australia, total distance 477 kilometres in a straight line, and I mean a straight line.

Looking North, see the curvature?
The lower right corner used to host the Cook hospital but that is long gone now.



90metres above the ground looking straight down, I feel sick just looking at it. Hubby is standing behind the ute on the ground, looking like a tiny ant.



Our winter supply of wood. Hubby has been working hard chopping and splitting this for the past few days. (sigh)



This should keep us warm for a while. All organised, one job less to worry about.



Take Care,


Tania

How Great Thou Art

How Great Thou Art

sung by my all time favourite singer, Johnny Cash.

This is my mother's favourite hymn.

HOW GREAT THOU ART

Oh Lord my God when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds thy hands have made

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder

Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul my saviour God to thee

How great thou art

How great thou art

Then sings my soul my saviour God to thee

How great thou art

How great thou art

When Christ shall come

We shout a proclamation

To take me home what joy shall fill my heart

Then I shall bow in humble adoration

And there proclaim my God how great thou art

Sunday Blessings,

Tania

Books and me

Look what arrived in the mail a couple of days ago, some Day Care goodies. I ordered these free items through vistaprint.com and I just paid the postage. Go take a look they offer FREE STUFF! I also got a free magnet for my car to advertise my business.

These are some new additions to my book collection. I had to buy another copy of The Liver Cleansing Diet book because middle daughter took my copy back to Melbourne with her. She is giving the diet a go as she has a lot of stomach troubles. I think she has worked out that she maybe lactose intolerant.

I will be starting this diet soon as I found that last time that I was on it I felt better and had plenty of energy and I also lost some weight. That was three years ago, and slowly the weight is creeping back on. I am having circulation problems in my left leg so shall have to shed some kilos. The diet lasts 8 weeks and then you can slowly add things back into your diet. Be warned, it is not a very exciting diet when you first look.

To read the back cover, click on the picture to enlarge, maybe this book may be able to help you too.

The Commensense Cookery Book, first published in 1914. Recipes are basic and easy and I seem to have the ingredients needed in my pantry which is a bonus. Modern day recipes use ingredients that I don't necessarily have on hand. A very thick book with 378 pages

Debt free, Cashed up and Laughing, The cheapskates way to living the good life. Full of money saving ideas for the budget conscious. Already I have put into practice some of the ideas suggested within. Lots of green housekeeping recipes in this book. A must read.

Wishing you a great weekend.

Tania

Journey West

My sad journey west began on Thursday the 6th November 2008, when I boarded the

Indian Pacific at 11pm with my eldest daughter to attend the funeral of my friend's 25 year old daughter and to try and bring some comfort to the rest of the family as they mourned their great loss.

The journey took us 36 hours of travelling time, one day and two nights. We were glad, to say the least, to reach our destination at the Perth Railway Station. This is our first stop at Cook on the Nullabor. We had a 20 minute break to get off and walk around Cook.

This was the view from my seat. We went sit up all the way. This is the shower end of the carriage, down the other end was the toilet. This doorway lead to the main locomotives on the train.




The Nullabor Plain outside the window, absolutely nothing to see, some places didn't hardly have a blade of grass. We spent the whole day of daylight looking at this on both sides of the train.


Nothing exciting out there.


or there

Rawlinna in Western Australia, my hubby lived here in the middle of nowhere in his younger days as a Shunter.

After 10 hours we arrived at Kalgoorlie to be told we had to get off the train and find something to do for three and a half hours. This is the first thing we saw outside the railway station. We went for a walk around and then returned to the station and waited until it was time to leave.

A war memorial.

I should have taken more photos but my heart wasn't in it.

We arrived in Perth at 9.10 Saturday morning on the 8th November.

The funeral was held on 11.11.08 at 11.00am.

Appropriate for the family I think, it is a day they will never forget. I won't go into details as this family is a very private one and would not want to share with the world.

When we left there were a lot of tears as I hate living so far away from them. We made the choice to return to Adelaide by plane, so much quicker than the train, arriving at 6.00pm on Saturday 15 November, to a husband and son that were very pleased to see me. It's nice to know I am appreciated and now they know how much I really DO do around this place. We spent Sunday going to markets and son's athletics in Adelaide.

I have promised to go to my friend at anytime if she needs me to. I am calling her every couple of days to check how she is coping.

Now I have to get my life back in order, it has been hard as death changes ones outlook on life. Things and stuff are no longer important.

Family is!

Best wishes to you and your families,

Tania

We Remember Them - Frank Kernot Martin

Frank Kernot Martin

1887 - 1917

In Memory of Frank Kernott Martin, one of my ancestors on my Grandmother's side of the Family. This was her uncle.


Sadly Frank died along with many other young men a long way from his home. The death certificate says he died in hospital of gas poisoning. His body remains in France.




A man full of hope and dreams



I found his name on the wall at the Canberra War Memorial, I had a little cry even though I didn't know him.

Roll of Honour

In Memory of Private Frank Kernot Martin

These pictures are taken from my collection of ongoing family history that I am researching. At the moment the information and photos are kept in folders.

(I missed doing a post on Remembrance Day because I was a long way from my home)