Penniedarling

This is my very favourite 'Treat'!   And my local IGA hasn't had any for months now  :-(

Labels: 10/13, Food

It's been a long long long time since we've had rain like this... and we need it so... especially in the Blue Mountains!

Labels: 10/13, Garden

Tom and the children all ran in the Charity 'Run of Hope' in Macauo on the weekend... looks like George and Tom really enjoyed it. 

Labels: George, Tomos

Gwilym had lovely long curly hair when he was a little boy...  the screaming when I took him to the Hairdresser was too much for me... and him  :-)  I think he let it be cut when he realized most of his male friends had shorter hair.  I love these old photos though!

Labels: 10/13, Gwilym

Stolen from Tim's Facebook... This is the last communication we've had from them since Friday... They must be having a wonderful time all four of them.

Labels: Nerys and Tim

This is... Just for you Charlie!

That's Penniedarling in the front row, fourth from the left, I have a pretty bow in my hair and I'm 7 years old...  just like you. 

Turvey Park is a suburb of Wagga Wagga, there were 45 kids in my class way back in 1953 and I was at this school for only a few months before moving on to Kapooka Army Camp when the Married Quarters were finished being built, they were kit homes from Sweden would you believe, and I think only one of them is still standing today.

I went from 45 pupils in my class to just 2!  Kapooka was a one Teacher School and he looked after all years from Kindy, where my brother Tim was, to 6th Class where the really cool guys were.  My Class had just me, who's initials were PJR and Peter John Renfrey... I've never forgotten that name, we both had the same initials and I came top of the class  :-) 

Labels: 10/13, Pennie

 First it was FaceTime in Macao... Tom, Abi, Tilly and George had just done a Charity Run, Emma is in Malaysia.

 Bye, Bye George, we loved seeing your Cowboy outfit, your Batman outfit and your Duplo Lego train going around the track.

 Then it was FaceTime with Remy in his bath tub in Newtown... Remy has just learned to poke his tongue out!  A very useful talent to have... don't you agree?

 Beautiful Boy!

 Then it was Face Time with Briony and Kate in Canberra...  they were recovering from an overload of party after party...

How lucky are we that we can trip around the place like this, visiting each others homes, chatting face to face and we don't get a big Bill after.

Nerys and the Gang are all aboard a Cruise Ship somewhere in the blue Pacific! 

Labels: FaceTime, Family

I wonder what the next line will be  :-)   

This will be the 6th 'I Spy' quilt I've made like this one, takes forever to choose the fabrics and cut the squares but I do have an enormous stash of Novelty fabrics so it's a lot of fun.

Labels: Quilts

Every time the word 'Peaceful' comes up, this photo and the memory is the first thing I think of... 

Labels: 10/13, Gwilym, Tomos

 It's this sign... I came out here this morning to have some fun taking photos before David left for the Bus Museum.

 Oh dear a naughty car is coming... 

 ... and that little silver car actually sped up...

 Yeah!  Slow down you...  Slow Down!

Now I can hear David's van coming behind me... 

 ... out the driveway he comes...

 ...  getting up some speed...

 ...  more speed... but that's the best he can do...

 Thank you David  :-)

 ... and there he goes, you can just see his wheels under the sign.

Yesterday David saw a young kid on a BMX... he was peddling like mad as fast as his legs could go... but he only made it up to 37   :-)   I wonder if he will try again...   I need to sit out there for a while and watch the cyclists coming along I reckon, they go really fast.

Labels: Turramurra

Labels: 10/13, Garden

 I got a shock yesterday when I drove right up my road to the Pacific Highway... this lovely old home with tennis court has been totally flattened and all gone and cleared away...

 She was such a large grand old home... now all gone   :-(

Not only has she gone but her neighbour on the left has also gone... why you ask?

 Now that I can see the size of this corner block I wonder if the house behind is still standing, I will have to check next time.

Why has this home and many other large homes in our suburb and adjoining suburbs been demolished...  Well see below...


 Mmmm... this is what they call progress... 

All up the Pacific Highway near us are many Unit Blocks very similar to these.

These Units would be an ideal place to live if you worked in the City, in the mornings you could walk down the hill to Pymble Station and in the evening you can go one stop further and walk home down the hill from Turramurra Station.  You'd have to love living on the Pacific Highway though...

Labels: Turramurra

Our Diamond Python is very welcome around here....

Labels: 10/13, Animals

 There's a lot of activity around here in the Dark!  A few less of these Possums now, with the help a our friendly Python.

Labels: 10/13, Animals

My Mood Today is what it usually is... happy, a little cheeky and full of life!    :-)  I reckon I feel like this 99 out of every 100 days.

This photo was taken at Battle Abbey in Sussex in 1968. 

Labels: 10/13, Pennie

 I didn't get these out for his 21st... but I thought a 90th Birthday was pretty special for something as delicious as Vegemite!


Waaaaaa...  Come on Mum stop taking photos and get me out of here, it's starting to sting! 

Labels: Gwilym

 Just look at how much Martin Place has changed from 1967 above to today below.

Labels: 10/13, Sydney

 Then...  Circular Quay back in 1967.

Now... Circular Quay 46 years later.

Labels: 10/13, Sydney

Labels: 10/13, Garden

 It's always a good day when these two big boys come for a sleepover  :-)  Just fresh from their haircuts as well.

Labels: 10/13, Charlie, Jackson

You had to stand very very still if you wanted your photo taken way back, in the early 1900's  This is a photograph of my dear Grandpa Rodd, Clements Ripley Rodd, he is wearing his Rechabite Regalia but where are his hands?

I remember my Dad, Ripley Clements... telling me that Grandma Rodd wouldn't marry Clem unless he joined the Rechabites!  Dad said there was never much talk about it, it was a hush hush subject... Grandma Rodd's father and other members of her family were alcoholics. Dad also told me that although Clem is dressed up in this gear he doesn't remember him ever going to a meeting, but he also can't remember him ever taking a drink, he went to the Pub but liquor never touched those lovely lips!

Clem is in his early 20's here, just before he headed off to WW1... he has the Rodd Family problem of looking 10 years younger than we are  :-)  a pain when we are teenagers but not so bad now!

Click here is you would like to read about the Recabites... they are still going, but I'm sorry you've just missed the last meeting, it was on Saturday.

Labels: 10/13, Rodd

I took these photos in October 1967, just before David took off to see the World... as Aussies did way back then and still do today.

Labels: David, Opera House, Sydney

As a Primary School kid in the 1950's I remember seeing photos and even a model of what the Sydney Opera House would look like, I also remember all the controversy over raising the money and the costs going way over budget... and of course the Opera House Lottery.

As an 18 year old I worked for a short time in a Real Estate Office, we managed the home Jorn Utzon lived in at Church Point.

On this day in 1971, I remember watching the Opening Ceremony on telly with a 2 year old Nerys and a 4 month old Tomos, it was a very windy day, not unlike it's been around here lately.

All our children have performed at the Opera House at some stage with School or Ballet or Choir but the time I remember the most is 1988 when our 14 year old Tomos sang in four different Opera's.   At the time he was not only in St Andrews Cathedral Choir he was also in the Children's Chorus of the Australian Opera, this was a short lived Choir which was sponsored by one individual who I believe went broke.

This photo was taken at the first Opera Tom sang in... it's Carmen... can you spot Tomos?  (Jackson did straight away).
Tom was also in Turandot, Die Meistersingers von Nurenberg and Fiddler on the Roof.

Probably the main reason I remember this year so well were the transport logistics!  Getting Tom to the train before 7am for Choir Practice at St Andrews each weekday morning, twice to the Cathedral on Sunday's, then to Opera Practice at Redfern, getting him home fed and back on the train for the Operas, then getting in the car at 10pm to drive to the City to pick him up after the Opera!   Home before Midnight but up early next morning...  Plus... Nerys and Briony were into Music, Ballet and Sport, Gwilym was into sport as well... that poor little car certainly got around  :-)

How long did it take to build the Sydney Opera House?  14 years.
How long did it take to build the Empire State Building?  1 year and 45 days.
How long did it take to build the Parthenon?  15 years.

Happy Birthday to a beautiful landmark!

Labels: Tomos

I had a slice of Raisin Toast and a bottle of water,  Charlie enjoyed his Hotcakes with Chocolate Milk, while Jackson had a Meal Deal thing of Burger, Hashbrown and Chocolate milk... but as usual he was hungry when he'd finished and asked if he could get some hotcakes... So I gave him a $20 note and off he went... he was gone a while...

Now we are a family who is rather unfamiliar with McDonald's... so when Jackson went up to the counter and asked for Three Hotcakes, (just like Charlie had in his breakfast box). 

This is what he thought he'd ordered...

 But... this is what he got!   LOL!!   
He of course had no idea that what he'd paid was too much for the 'three' hotcakes he wanted.

 He ate it all up of course but was full this time thankfully, because I was running out of cash.

We laughed and laughed and I took the extra Hotcakes home and froze them, I put the Sachet's and the boxes in the Larder... so that next time the boys have a sleep over they can enjoy a McDonald's without having leave the house.

Jackson also thinks this story is funny and is going to tell it for 'News' at School tomorrow!

On the way home in the car Charlie was hungry so we stopped at the local Fruit Shop for an Apple, he chose a great big delicious looking Pink Lady... which cost $1.85!! 
* Jackson's said I was a 'Cool Grandmother, even though the Peugeot I drive is Un-Cool!  :-)

Labels: Charlie, Jackson