a magic blogging moment.......!!!

In the beginning
it was something to do, to keep the children updated with our thoughts
and the events in our lives.
We had one daughter in the UK, one daughter in Sydney and a son in Brisbane

When did it change? how did it change?

I don't know!!

I do know that I never expected it to bring such changes in my life
I never expected that I would make friends!

This blog world is an amazing place
a place where,
when you meet someone, you meet the essence of that person
There is no pre judgement on age, appearance, clothing or accent
(I hate to think I do this but being honest I think we all do a little bit!)
But here we have no idea and so friendships form

Some will remain, like pen friends, words on a screen
some will become more personal, emails separate to the blog,
but for both these types of friendships there is an intimacy that we share that is rare and beautiful
and then there is the third friendship we make

the ones who reaches out in a time of need and says what can I do?
here is my phone number, ring me if you need to!

This is the one that eventually you ring because you think you will be able to carry on a conversation without bursting into tears...you think it will be a quick call just to say thank you.
An hour later this blogging friend has become someone special

So imagine my joy, my exultation, when just prior to Christmas we made arrangements to catch up
in person
in Sydney
for coffee!!!!!

On Tuesday I had coffee with the gorgeous Kerry from
a tranquil townhouse 


and I can tell you that she is as lovely in person as she is here
she is as generous with her time and her honesty as she is here
so
Kerry thank you for joining me
thank you for the absolutely beautiful scarf that I did notice with the cherries!
and thank you for being there and enriching my life.

It really is a beautiful world this blogging world!!!

with love

The wedding....!

The groom looks amazing
a bit lighter in weight but otherwise pretty good
Do we detect a slight nervousness there as he prepares to go out to official areas?!

 

we didn't have time to notice as we cut and sliced in readiness for the predicted 300 odd guests
see the powerful magic of this day here

the guests didn't notice as they lined up to sign the visitors book

and waited for the big moment



the sun made it's first appearance in days and the wind dropped down
God was being very kind on this most beautiful day

the bride, as is her prerogative, kept the groom waiting, but only for a few moments
 

She looked beautiful, happy and radiant

and then it was all over and we met them as Mr and Mrs for the first time in 34 years

They are an amazingly handsome couple

did I mention that the Groom's dogs also took part in the ceremony

resplendent in their satin rose collars. They were quite happy to go back to their beds though as there were just too many people for them to cope with

some of the guests were dressed to the nines

and some just needed a bit if time out!!

amongst the roses

Say a little prayer for Col and Cheryle that this may be a marriage of years not months!!

Faded beauty......!

Tonight I am linking to 

small but charming

for flowers in the house.

I have written this post six times!

The first was so sad even my tears were flowing

The second was so cute it was pathetic 

The third was just plain ridiculous and 

four five and six just became  worse and very worse

but I was determined to link to flwjane so  I even thought

 I might use this pic 

but many of you will have seen it before when I last linked to flowers in the house

here and that sort of isn't playing fair so

I have spent a whole day arranging more bowls of flowers
 than I think I have done in my entire life and not one of them worked! Sad sacks every one of them
It is so obvious that my skills are not of the florist kind. 

 
Then I walked into the dining room and there sitting on the table was a vase I should have emptied weeks ago
but hadn't got round to. It is so perfect that it is going to stay for a while longer

this beautiful
faded beauty!!!!!


its called age...enjoy it!!!!!

p=

House hunting.....!!!

If anyone out there wants to purchase a Victorian heritage property.
A property that would make  a wonderful family home in the country or a smashing bed and breakfast with the addition of a bathroom or two or three for the 8 bedrooms
A home with 14 rooms if I count  the outside loo with its black and white tile floor and marble step
Let me tell you it is going cheap!!!

Now if that person would turn up very soon I will not miss out on this next time it comes on the market!!!!

Sitting on a smallish block in the prettiest town. I could do some serious cooking in this kitchen

Oh what blogs would be written in here and morning coffee would be a treat when you come to visit

I love the french doors but the garden could do with some colour and some pots. I would ask flwjane for some tips on what to plant for picking

and of course the red door won me straight away (I just cannot resist a red door!)

the bathroom, I am totally in love with it. I just love the use of the ripple iron and french doors out to the garden...what heaven!

They could leave it furnished as it even has my great love, a worn brown leather chair...oh bliss!!

and that slab wall!

There is a loft bedroom which I think would have to be mine with that beautiful ceiling

The raw timber deck is already turning silver and I would have to talk to Renee about the perfect furniture for here


So as soon as I find the right people to buy our family home and turn it into a family home again (or B & B)
this is what I am looking for.
Just to make sure that there are some slightly more upbeat posts here I thought I would share with you some of the homes I find that appeal to me. I will try and be reasonable but occasionally I fall in love with something  so outrageously not suitable that I can't show the children (they do worry that Mother might be losing it!!)
so I will share those with you too. You understand house love!!!!!

 Now I just need you to find me a buyer with about half a million dollars  ( the house does need a bit of work!) and we are rocking


happy house hunting

images from Raine & Horne Morpeth

Emotion is a powerful magic...!

from here

The Wedding

Through the smudgy window in the ‘old wing’ down the corridor

We paused to view the next door office block.

Hospital gown, I.V. stand, grey and overcast outside

I thought, the time is right, and asked to tie the knot.

And the answer and the smile was immediate and sure

And a hug and kiss filled the place with light.

And the trolley seemed to float as we glided back along the ward

Both determined in the coming fight.

And we’d like our friends to gather and celebrate the day

Celebrate our times throughout the years.

For the memories are great and the experiences are full

And the time seems somehow right – after thirty four years!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

This beautiful poem arrived in my email box the other day, it was the invitation to the wedding

to be held on the 17th of December. I will be there, but in the kitchen along with 12 other ladies who dropped everything cancelled prior arrangements so that we could do this for a man who has at one time or other helped every pet owning member of this community. The man, who laid my beautiful Maggie to rest and made sure she was buried with dignity in our garden, who convinced us to let our forever Winnie  be given a few more days when she was only two months old and suffering post parvo abscesses (she's now sixteen!)

Two weeks ago the diagnosis was made, inoperable pancreatic cancer but Col's faith and his belief in prayer are surely working in his favour. The community here are working and running on pure emotion as we prepare for this wonderful day. We polish and shine his home so it is ready when he comes home. We plan the wedding lunch and have no idea if we are catering for 50 or 500 guests (!!!) when two people who lived in different places, but managed an everlasting relationship for 34 years are going to be joined in holy matrimony it is a wonderful thing but when it is this couple the emotion runs high!

, 

If I have touched you,

 in that place where your emotions reside

I would ask that you send up a fervent prayer for Col that the chemo works and that he and Cheryle will have a long and beautiful marriage.

give your partner a hug tonight

I will link this to Jenny Matlock here

confused am I......!!!!!!

,

It was with great excitement that I discovered,

 this morning, that 14 of my very, very favourite people had hopped

on board to follow this new adventure

Imagine my horror tonight when I hit the show blog button by accident 

and noticed that I had no followers yet as it asked if I would like to be the first!!!!

Where have you gone?

I am so hoping it is blogger going bad but if not I don;t suppose any one will actually know that I am blogging this!!!!!

But it has been one of those days the pic above is how I walked down to the butchers this morning

blithely unaware until I was asked had I bought them like that as a pair or what!!!!!!!!

up the garden path....!

I walk up the path

check out the tables under the grape,

but it's a hot day and the mossies will be out, so I stroll up 

on to the verandah but, it's not that hot, 

and the tables are in the shade 

so I look back into the garden, that flourishes here no matter

 how much (or how little) rain we may have had during the year.

and there is the table under the pistachio tree,

 nobody is sitting there

it's just the right distance from the fish pond

 so the mossies aren't a problem

there is enough sun filtered through the leaves to make it just right

I move smartly back down the steps of the verandah

 before someone else beats me to it.

I pull out the chair,  put my handbag on it, and wait for the girls to join me

Once upon a time I would come here each day with my book, have my coffee, sometimes a piece of cake or a bowl of soup. My friends would wave and pass on, they knew it was my alone time, my time for me,

Now they join me,  we laugh, we chat and we make  busy 

plans for other days

I don't need me time, alone time any more




is it time for a cuppa?

Did you know....?

That ladybirds came in quite so many 

shapes and sizes? 

 That they had  so many patterns ?

Did you know they gathered together like this?

We didn't!!!!

Did you know that if you look at the clouds very, very carefully

you can see the most amazing things?

We did!!!!

What can you see in the cloud above?

Do you see what we see 

a magnificent grey horse in full gallop

and if we look very carefully we can just see the rider

Happy cloud gazing

a new beginning.....!

Did the new adventure start when I drove to a neighbouring town?
Did it start the first time I left the house to spend a weekend with family?
or did it start when we entertained for the first time?

That's the day we are going with, and, as Gregoir took some really beautiful photos
we thought we would share them with you

Pieces that have been stored in the cottage,

hidden in the garage

pillows that grace the spare beds
were all dragged out of hiding

 
and set up on the side verandah

the gifted flowers were an appreciated touch of beauty

and with the ongoing rain the Jade decided it would not be put in the shade and shot up straight and tall

The food took forever and was unbelievably simple (I will have to practice again)
thank goodness for friends who brought a plate!

We did start small with just six guests and the three of us but it made for a jolly group

it wasn't quite on the scale of this but it is a start!

The adventures will continue