Nature's Beauty

Mother Nature surrounds us all but sometimes we need to look a little harder to find her beauty.

Come through the gate out to the back

Wheel from yesteryear

The beauty of it all...... surviving in the dry soil


Some daisies



Red Flowering Saltbush





Green/Yellow Flowering Saltbush

Some quandongs, not quite ready

Quandong on the turn

Yellow pigface (as I know it)

Purple pigface

Flowering Native

Pink flowering emu bush

I am not sure of the Botanical Names for these plants and my photography certainly needs some improvement. It would appear that I get too close. I look forward to getting a new camera soon.

Have a truly wonderful day,

Tania

Spring is near

Just a quick post as things are a bit busy here this week. I have my best friend visiting from Perth once again. She is visiting with her family and friends and hopes to move back to South Australia soon. It will be wonderful to have her nearby again as we have so much in common, and have been friends forever.

The weather is changing and starting to warm up, although the mornings are still a bit crispy. Today was a beautiful day with the temperature at a lovely 19 degrees Celcuis. We are expecting 20C tomorrow, hopefully there isn't too much wind with it.

The blossoms are blooming and the flowers are budding. The wildflowers are already in flower and the wild peaches (quandongs/bush tucker) are changing from green/orange to red. I awoke this morning to the birds outside making a lot of noise celebrating the arrival of the spring weather. Show season has started with many agricultural shows on in our district.

On Sunday we did a day trip to the city to take our son down for athletics. He is part of the LA Squad which includes professional coaching and the chance to get selected to represent our state in a National competition. The picture above was taken of a lake near Locheil with a crop of canola growing nearby.

Above is a couple of the new wind turbines being installed along the hills near Snowtown. There is going to be over 100 of these giants eventually along these hills.

These are a couple of the books I am reading. I have not got very far with "A New Earth", because not long after starting to read it, my mum gave me the "Great Pioneer Women of the Outback" which is fascinating. What these women had to go through when arriving in this country is unbelievable. They were promised many things but when they arrived it was a completely different story and their struggle for survival began.

Wishing you all a great week and I will return when my friend goes home in a few days.

Tania

Quiet week

It is very quiet here with Hubby away in Adelaide and son Jack at school.

There was a teachers strike on Monday so Jack spent the day at home with me. The strike was for half a day but it was hardly worth sending him for a couple of hours. The same day, my parents came back through on their way home, so they got to see Jack. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves at Hawker and while up there the had a look around the Flinders Ranges. The last caravan park that they stayed in, they were the only ones there and the power was from a generator that was turned off at midnight and started at around 7am the next morning. So it was a bit chilly through the night without a heater. Dad and Mum have a little fold out van they camp in, not very warm in winter.

Yesterday I spent the day catching up on reading blogs and listening to some of my favourite music. I pottered around doing little jobs, just enjoying being alone, this doesn't happen very often so it is nice to enjoy my own company for a while.

Today will be a lot like yesterday just spending the day peacefully. The weather is a little chilly so I have lit the fire and made myself comfortable with a coffee at the computer. We have had a few light showers of rain but as usual it has all dried up already. The forecast is for more rain on the way, so let's hope they are right. Adelaide had a deluge yesterday and are expecting more.

I have had plenty of thinking time over the past couple of days and I have decided that I will not be going back to work caring for children for now. I am relieved that I have come to this decision because it was full time work and I have missed so much of what Jack has been doing the past 3 1/2 years. He doesn't want me to work either, I can always go back later when he is older. Jack does not appreciate the interference that caring for other children has on our family life, although he always got on well with most of the children. I will look for part time work if I feel the need, but for now I get to relax.

It's nice to see that Jewels has returned to blog land. A truly wonderful place to visit for lifting up your spirit.



Enjoy your day,


Tania

We are Australian

I love this song makes me proud to be Australian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBI3xiDzxMM

Here are the words if you want to sing along.

Lyrics by Bruce Woodley and Dobe Newton, music by Bruce Woodley (member of the Seekers singing group) Sang by The Seekers

WE ARE AUSTRALIAN

I came from the dream-time, from the dusty red soil plains
I am the ancient heart, the keeper of the flame.
I stood upon the rocky shore, I watched the tall ships come.
For forty thousand years I've been the first Australian.

I came upon the prison ship, bowed down by iron chains.
I cleared the land, endured the lash and waited for the rains.
I'm a settler, I'm a farmer's wife on a dry and barren run
A convict then a free man, I became Australian.
I'm the daughter of a digger who sought the mother lode
The girl became a woman on the long and dusty road
I'm a child of the depression, I saw the good times come
I'm a bushy, I'm a battler, I am Australian

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice:
I am, you are, we are Australian

I'm a teller of stories, I'm a singer of songs
I am Albert Namatjira, and I paint the ghostly gums
I am Clancy on his horse, I'm Ned Kelly on the run
I'm the one who waltzed Matilda, I am Australian
I'm the hot wind from the desert, I'm the black soil of the plains
I'm the mountains and the valleys, I'm the drought and flooding rains
I am the rock, I am the sky, the rivers when they run
The spirit of this great land, I am Australian

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice:
I am, you are, we are Australian..

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice:
I am, you are, we are Australian.

Why am I proud?

One of my ancesters, his wife and two children were free settlers from Wales and arrived at Port Adelaide, South Australia upon the ship Henry Porcher, 1st July 1838. Before coming to Australia my ancestor was a soldier in the Army. He joined the South Australian Police Force on 12th December 1838 as a Sergeant and was one of the first policeman in South Australia. He resigned on the 1st April 1852. Some of his many children (there were 9) spread around South Australia mainly becoming farmers.

I can only imagine how hard it was leaving your home land and coming to a strange land that was in no way like England. We are the flatest, dryest continent in the world. This is a harsh country and many children died early in life in the country areas and the outback. I have a keen interest in Family History and have a deep understanding how hard it must have been. When looking up birth and death records many settlers/pioneers had lots of children but only a few survived.

I remember many stories my grandmother told me of her hardships as a young married woman. Not heard of in the world we live in now. I have a strong respect for my ancestors who worked hard and tirelessly and fought in the wars (in which many, many Australians died) to make our country what it is today. We are still fighting wars for freedom today.



My grandmother on her 90th birthday. The local paper did a write up on her life. Rest in peace, Grandma, you are never far from my thoughts. 1906 - 1998

Last year I was disappointed to find out that my son's school does not teach Australian History. My son was bringing home projects to do about other countries but when quizzed at school one day about Australian history only a very few students knew the answers. We approached the Principal and a little bit has been added to the cirriculum. This is so sad. As parents we have taught our own children about their ancestors and the struggles they endured to make their life better.



Thankyou to all my Ancestors, I appreciate what you have done for me and the many sacrifices you made.


Tania

My parents

My parents are calling in tomorrow on their way to a Women's Agricultural Bureau (WAB) Conference in Hawker, north of here. My mum told me that she has been involved with WAB for forty years and is still loving it. Although it is hard to keep the young ones motivated and interested as most of them are busy doing other things. For more about WAB Look here

My parents live in a small rural community and my dad is still working at the age of 72. All his life he has been a backyard mechanic apart from taking a job with the local Ford Dealership in the times of drought. This skill has come in handy for him over the years especially on his own farm equipment. He has a huge shed in his backyard where he still tinkers around with cars and old machinery. He has started a Yesteryear Machinery club that has a lot of members. The modern day cars are getting beyond him now.

My Dad is very fit which amazes the doctors everytime he gets a checkup. He has no health problems apart from a circulation problem in his feet, which doesn't slow him down. He takes no medication and walks everyday. He is a kind, shy and gentle man.

My mother on the other hand has had quite a few health problems over the last few years. As a child she had polio and a lot of problems may be caused by this. She has suffered a major stroke, and a couple of minor ones, but has recovered. Last year she had a large hernia removed that had damaged her bowel. This woman is very strong and tough and does not let on that anything is wrong. I think she is feeling a lot better now and has a lot of energy that she lacked for a while.

She was reared near the city, had a tough childhood that she keeps close to her chest, and doesn't talk about much. As a teenager my mum moved to Ceduna for employment with a local business. She met my father and the rest is history. They have been married nearly 51 years and are still the best of friends, holding hands, kissing, carressing etc. It's great to see!!

My parents had a short courtship of six months before deciding to get married. There are no photos of their wedding because it was squeezed in between Christmas and harvest time on the 28th December, 1957. The only people present were my Dad's parents and they were the witnesses.

After marrying my Mum decided not to continue working. But, by golly she has worked hard alongside my father working the land. Driving the machinery was her favourite past time, and it was a real surprise to strangers to see this petite 5 1/2 stone, 5ft nothing woman climbing down off the tractor. It was no trouble to lift wheat bags on her shoulders, little wonder she has hernias and trouble with her shoulder. She would always rise early to milk her dairy cow so we had fresh milk, and we had a constant supply of fresh eggs from her many forms of chooks, ducks, geese etc or should I just say poultry! At the end of the day there was lovely homegrown, homecooked meals and treats, always cakes and slices and to this day she is still the same, with a constant supply of goodies to eat.

Mum was also very good at knitting and sewing and would enter a lot of her homemade things into the local agricultural show, where she would win prizes. She taught me how to knit and sew although she is left handed we still managed it. I also learnt to crochet from my grandmother as my mother said she could never master the skill, perhaps because of being left handed.

My mother is very independant and dislikes relying on other people for anything. When they come through tomorrow she will have her basket of goodies including thermos, teabags, sugar, milk, cakes and any meals that they will need to eat, even their breakfast. Never do my parents buy any food while travelling. By the way she is still very slim and tiny. Her secret is; she doesn't eat her cakes!!

My mother wanted a large family but only ended up having two children, a son and a daughter. My brother is four years older than me.

My parents are good Christian people and are loved and respected immensely by many. I am extremely blessed to have these lovely people as my parents.

This photo is of my grandparents on their wedding day. My Father's parents, I was very close to them as they were the only grandparents I knew while growing up.

The mornings have been freezing the last few days with frost. We did have a couple of showers of rain on Saturday but nothing much in it. The ground is already dry. The days are also turning out to be cold, I have had to keep the fire burning day and night.

Coming up in August is the Cleve Field Days here. I am looking forward to going along this year, always fun filled days with plenty to see and learn.

Wishing you a wonderful day,

Tania

Icy

Nice and crisp here this morning. Not sure what the temperature got down to, I think it was -1 degrees. I got cold through the night and had a restless nights sleep, needless to say I have dug out another heavy blanket for the bed.

These tyres really showed how cold it was...
Ice on one of our zephyr cars.....

Ice on the few weeds we have...

Geraniums

Car windscreen, will need washing or scraping before using.

Today looks to be another nice one with the temperature forecast for 18 degrees Celcius. Trouble is nice days means cold nights. I am going out for a morning walk as I am putting on a bit much weight (clothes are no longer fitting). All that good home cooked food isn't too good for the waistline. I am hoping that the cold will put some spring in my step, that or I will come home with frost bite.

Have a great day where ever you are,

Tania

Why I live where I live

I moved to from my birthplace, Ceduna, to Port Augusta in 1993 with my partner and then 3 children. Hubby had applied for a job as a Locomotive Engineer and was lucky enough to get it. This is a job that he really enjoys and the only one he knows. He, at this very moment is training to become a Driver Trainer which means he will now be training the trainees to become fully qualified Train Drivers.


Train, Port Augusta





The children were young at the time 12, 9 & 6 so this was a big change for them. I managed to get them all settled into their various schools and for many years I was running between two and three schools for drop off and pick up.


These children are now grown up 27, 24 & 21 and all have made their way doing what they want.


The eldest dughter has just returned to Port Augusta after living in Adelaide for ten years. She went to University and received a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Law degree and is now working for a local real estate agency.



The middle child is living in Melbourne and attending University doing her honours. This child was and always will be highly intelligent. Growing up we had all sorts of behavioural problems with her but she has grown into a beautiful young person. I wish I had known what I know now to have handled the disruptive behavoiur differently, but I did the best I could with the knowledge I had. This daughter is very independant and likes doing things on her own and for herself only asking for help if really needed. She tries to come home regularly but sometimes funds are a bit tight.



Child number 3, another daughter is very relaxed. This child was not very academic but is doing okay in the outside world. She has a four year old son and is still with his father who is a very reponsible lad. They both work hard and love their animals, they have what I call a menagerie. This child has a keen interest in horses and has since about the age of 12. She is a very good rider and most of her conversations are all about horses.

In 1996 I had another child, a boy, he is now 12.

Bridge over the gulf, Port Augusta
I, myself have never really settled here. Being a shy person I have made few friends and have had some bad experiences with people. It seems if you are not a local you are not really accepted by the majority. Although there are a lot of good kind people as well. It is so hard when you are shy to try and mix. I have been involved with different clubs etc and have always felt uncomfortable and couldn't wait to go home. In my home town Ceduna where everyone knew me, it was different.

However, doing childcare in my home has been great because I have got to meet new people with similar interests and it has given a boost to my confidence. My scheme says that I am one of their best carers, so I must be doing something right. I also help new trainees by offering them to do their placement in my home. I show them what I do with my Family Day Care. This is part of the training.

Redbanks, Port Augusta

At the moment I am on a break from working and enjoying it. My daughter that was living here has now found somewhere else to live, so I am free to go back to work whenever I decide is the right time.

Whales in the gulf at Port Augusta

Port Augusta is very dry with little rain, which can be depressing at times. Even though it is winter and it has rained a little there is not much greenery. We had a frost last night with the temperature going down to zero.

With a population of around 12,000 we have a Big W, Woolworths, Coles, Target Country, Radio Rentals, Electrical Discounters, McDonalds, KFC, pizza haven, Wendy's and Hungry Jacks. Not that the shops interest me. We have nearby towns of Whyalla and Port Pirie that have more/different shops and are only 40 minutes to an hour away. Adelaide, the capital city is three hours away. There is a lot of station country surrounding Port Augusta and it is known as where the outback reaches the sea. The beautiful Flinders Ranges can be clearly seen from Port Augusta. We have a large Power Station that powers a lot of the state of South Austraia. Unfortunately also known as Port Agutta because it is not a very clean and tidy town which is disappointing. If travelling through to Perth or up to Darwin you have to pass through this town.



Although this is not the best place in the world to live, it is where I am for the moment and I accept that. Hopefully one day I will get to live somewhere else but for now I will keep on dreaming of greener pastures. Blogging has opened up a whole new world for me and I quite enjoy looking where and how other people live.

It's a beautiful sunny day here today, so I'm off outside to do some cleanup jobs while the weather is nice.

Tania