It's raining in the Port

The first batch of ginger beer has been bottled, and after sitting for 30 days it is ready to drink. Tastes good too! Phil is going to try the alcholic version next.

The kit, so simple to make and do.


I took the daycare children to playgroup last Wednesday at one of the local schools. A great little playgroup from 9.30am to 11.30am. It is run by the Toy Library and is free of charge, with lots of activities to participate in.

However, when we arrived on this occasion, this is what we found...one big hot air balloon! The daycare children were in awe of the noise and the size of this thing. The Air Force people were inflating the balloon as we got there.


The school children were getting a demonstration and some of the teachers and students got to have a ride. They didn't go far up, only to the end of the rope.




It's been raining a little today, probably not much to get excited about but where we live it is so dry with an yearly average rainfall of 220mm or 880points (nearly 9 inches). So you can see why it is such a novelty to those that live here.

Just enough to freshen everything up.
Twas a tad cold though!

The fire has been on for most of the day and we spent a lot of time inside staying warm.

There may be more rain on the way, lets hope so. The long range weather forecast has said that it will rain nearly every day in June along the coastal areas, so it would be nice if we get something out of it.

I wish to apologise for any distress I may have caused my readers from the last post. I will need to do a better grammar check next time. I seem to recall noticing the poor sentence lay out about the poor old hen and the old car but left it as it was. Rest assured the hen and the car are well and happy. I will need to choose my words a little better won't I?

Have a great weekend everybody,

xTania

Around our home lately

Today I have had a really off day. Just feeling blah!!

One day care child booked off sick so I decided I would take the day off and try to rest up.

I have noticed I haven't been sleeping well of late and by the time morning arrives I am ready for sleep but have to get out of bed.

I haven't found a reason for this but I think restless sleep has caught up with me today.

My son was fiddling around looking at videos on youtube the other day.

He was viewing pushbike ones where they were doing all the tricks that they do nowadays. He stumbled across instructions to build this contraption on the computer(it does have a name, but I have forgotten).

He disappeared for a while into the spare room only asking if I had some cardboard and a hot glue gun. A little time later he appeared with this. His work was very well done and I think he won't want me to post this picture, as he doesnt know I took the photo. This was left set up on my table so I grabbed the camera to take a photo before I packed it away.

Look at my garden, who made the mess?

One of the hens had made her way around into my flower garden and was having a lovely time scratching it to bits. Aaaahhh!!



Tell me why do the chooks, who have 2 acres to scratch around on make the journey around the top of our block, along the tin fence, down the retainer wall into my garden?! I guess it might be the fresh little seedlings that have shot up after the recent rains. Needless to say when this girl had finished they were no more!!



I have decided it is time for a change.

Sadly I am saying goodbye to this faithful old girl because she no longer serves a purpose for Family Day Care.

I am going to give her either to my parents if they want her or my youngest daughter who has been looking at getting a second car. We also have friends that would like to buy her.

This is the new to me, 1999 Tarago that I purchased in nearby Whyalla yesterday. With 8 seats and plenty of room, I look forward to having this one for as long as I need for my Family Day Care. The day care children I look after haven't seen it yet, and they won't be here until Thursday.
She is going to have a full safety check up on Tuesday next week.

Blessings to you all,

xTania

Where has the week gone? (and a recipe)

It's Friday already and I have completely lost this week forever.

I guess the one day at Barbara's funeral on Monday has put my whole week out. It has been go, go for the rest of the time. And guess who ended up driving around Adelaide, which I had never done before so I am quite proud of myself. A Navman was a great help and so was a daughter who knew where we were going, but there was no offer from her to drive though, thanks Sarah.

I did make time to make some biscuits yesterday, and already they are nearly all gone.

Shall make some more tomorrow. This choc chip recipe is a little different because rolled oats has been added.

OATY CHOCOLATE CHIP BISCUITS

250gms butter

2 3/4 cups Self Raising Flour

2 eggs

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup castor sugar

1 tspn vanilla essence

1 cup brown sugar

100gm packet dark choc bits

Beat butter, sugars and essence in bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition, stir in sifted flour, rolled oats and choc bits.

Place heaped teaspoons of mixture on lightly greased oven trays, bake in moderate oven for about 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Let stand on trays for 5 minutes, turn onto wire racks to cool.

Makes about 70 biscuits.

I didn't use the electric mixer when I made mine as I had some daycare children peacefully sleeping. I also halved the recipe, which I shouldn't have because they have been gobbled up.

I do promise to try and catch up on some of your blogs this weekend. Last night I was soooo tired I don't remember my head hitting the pillow, and the morning came before I wanted it too.

The nights have really cooled down now as we countdown to the Winter season.

It is going to get down to 6 degrees tonight, however we did have some rain (30mm/120points) last Sunday and Monday, but I missed it because of being in Adelaide. I have not been home the last two times that it has rained, I am sorry I missed such a rare occasion, lets hope a little greenery appears. The chooks (chickens) haven't seen a blade of grass for about twelve months.

Wishing you all a wonderful blessed weekend,

xTania

Vintage Car Run to Arno Bay, South Australia

Last weekend we went to Arno Bay to meet up with my parents. They were there for a get together with two other Vintage car clubs.

For all you South Aussie's, Arno Bay is the home of former

Adelaide Crow ruckman, Shaun Rehn. A nice quiet little seaside town on the

Eyre Peninsula, on route to Port Lincoln.

There are lots of pictures here, it was hard to pick the best.

Firstly some of the vintage cars that were there.

Audi

FJ Holden

Plymouth

Dad and Mum's Mark 1 Zephyr, restored by my dad.

Pontiac GTO left hand drive

Mark 3 Zephyr.

And now some of the sites around Arno:

Some Cormorants (or Shags as we know them) on the pontoon.

Along side the jetty with the waves rolling in along the reef.

Beach other side of the jetty, with shacks in the background.

Arno Bay jetty.

Another beach photo, near the jetty.

On the boardwalk, down by the sea.

The boardwalk

The mangroves along the boardwalk.

The beach where the boardwalk meets the sea.

Some Pelicans on the shore.

This board walk has been recently completed.

Arno Bay

The beach

I am heading down to Adelaide tomorrow with our son and two daughters for our friend and Auntie's funeral. It could be an interesting trip as I don't usually drive in Adelaide. At least I have my eldest daughter with me, she lived in Adelaide for ten years while attending University. I am sure between the lot of us we should manage to get around okay without any mishaps. I am afraid I am a country girl through and through and dislike the city. We will travel down tomorrow and stay overnight in a caravan park. The funeral is Monday afternoon and we will travel home again afterwards.

Wishing you all a blessed weekend,

xTania

In Memory

Sweet Barbara

Beloved wife of Ron,

Loving Mother of Rebecca, Rachael, Amy, Narelle, Allison and Susan.

Adored Nanna of Lachlan, Eliza, Billie, Bradley, Savannah, Sophie and Baby Grace.

I have lost another dear friend.

My former sister in law has passed away at the tender age of 49.

She was a kind sweet girl that would do anything to help her fellow man, she did this many, many times for me.

Her funeral will be held next Monday.

Her passing was totally unexpected, we did not know she had been unwell.

You will be surely missed Barbara.

xox

Decision making time?

I am sorry for my absence from blogging, apart from being busy with work and other things, the old bang along computer has got itself a virus and put itself to rest. So I am glad that I purchased this laptop recently, otherwise I would be absent even longer.

All my recent photos are on the old computer, luckily on a separate drive so they

are safe from the virus.

I don't have many photos on the camera at the moment just these few that I took last Saturday when we went to Point Lowly near Whyalla, South Australia.

Fitzgerald Bay is the home of the aquaculture enterprise, growing the yellow tailed kingfish. As seen in the top photo and another view below.

I had never been there although have known about it for years. It is a lovely quiet little place in which to camp and do some fishing.

Port Bonython is also along this road and has a natural gas plant for the Spencer Gulf.
Port Augusta does not benefit from this natural gas.

Point Lowly Light house

I have had a few things to think about lately so my mind has been in many other places at times.

I have been given the opportunity to do my Diploma in Children's Services through Family Day Care. An information evening was held tonight in Whyalla and now my mind is boggling with too much information.

Can I do this or can I not?
This is the question I ask myself.

I have plenty of support around me which is a good thing and it will probably take two years to complete.

Will I be able to make time for the study etc in my already busy life?

I need to make up my mind quickly if I am to apply to get accepted.

I will keep you posted.

xTania

Happy Mother's Day

God's Helpers

God could not be in every place
With loving hands to help erase
The teardrops from each baby's face,
And so He thought of mother.

He could not send us here alone
And leave us to a fate unknown;
Without providing for His own,
The outstretched arms of mother.

God could not watch us night and day
And kneel beside our crib to pray,
Or kiss our little aches away;
And so He sent us mother.

And when our childhood days began,
He simply could not take command.
That's why He placed our tiny hand
Securely into mother's.

The days of youth slipped quickly by,
Life's sun rose higher in the sky.
Full grown were we, yet ever nigh
To love us still, was mother.

And when life's span of years shall end,
I know that God will gladly send,
To welcome home her child again,
That ever-faithful mother.

--George W. Wiseman

Happy Mother's Day.