Penniedarling

This is James Hadden Hogarth.  My Great Aunt Carol caught Jim on her string bag on a train.  Jim had to get off at the same station as Carol because his belt buckle was snagged in Carol's bag.   A little while later the two of them arrived at the home of my Grandparents announcing that they'd just got married at the Burwood Town Hall! 

Jim was the last Soldier home from World War 1.  He spend months after the War digging War Graves in France. 

Labels: 6/14, Jim Hogarth

 This tree has to be at least 55 years old.  My Grandmother planted it when I was a young teen.

 One of Gwilym's employees took some photos from on top of a Morton Bay Fig in Marrickville Council while he was pruning some dead wood... so...

 I had to take some photos of my Morton Bay Fig from above...

Yes it's a Bonsai.   Fabulous isn't it.

Labels: Garden

Found this Christmas Decoration today...  Dang!  I thought I'd taken them all down before this year even started!  What do I do now?  it's almost half way though the year, soon the shops will be telling us it's so many days before Christmas...   

I took it down!!

Labels: Christmas, Garden

What a Delight this little boy is...

Labels: 6/14, Remy

Ready to go to the Bank to swap for paper money  :-)

Labels: Babushka

A couple of weeks ago I bought a small loaf of 'Fig and Fennel' Sourdough bread from a Supermarket at Macquarie Centre.

It was absolutely delicious.

A couple of days ago I went looking for the same bread at a similar Supermarket closer to home.  I asked a young man who was loading the shelves with the freshly baked bread, but he just couldn't get his head around 'Fig and Fennel'  I explained slowly... Figs as in the dried fruit and Fennel Seeds.

He thought I might try the sliced bread isle but I told him I'd got the last loaf from the Bakery just like this one.  He went off to ask his boss.

The boss was busy instructing someone on how to use one of the machines so I waited until the young lad got to ask the question of his boss... but he couldn't remember  LOL.  This lad was caucasian with an Aussie accent but still couldn't get his head around 'Fig and Fennel'.

The Boss came up and said very hesitantly, Yessss... they did have some, but they didn't have the right labels so they couldn't put it out on the shelves!

I suggested he put a different label on the bread with the same price but he told me that would confuse the records soooo... he Hummmed and Aaaahhhed a few times so I asked him what happens to the Fig and Fennel Bread.   It just gets thrown out at the end of the day he tells me!   Well can I go around the back and pick some up?  I asked... he just laughed.  

When are the labels coming in I ask?  Tomorrow is the answer.

He hums some more then says he might get into trouble but....

Then... this young Boss gives me two loaves of this wonderful Fig and Fennel bread in a plastic bag and tells me, if asked, I was to say that he had  given them to me as a sample!

Then he adds... it hasn't finished being cooked so just cook it up for a short while before eating.

Yum!!

Labels: Supermarket

All four of our children slept in this bed when we went away, it's a travel cot!  A lot more bulky than todays travel cots.

Labels: 6/14

I grew up in a very loving family... here's  just some of them at Nar Vale, Strathfield...
Back Row... Rip (Dad), Aunt Pam, Harrie (Poppa) and Rosie (Mum.
Front  Row... The Kelly's a family who rented a flat at my Grandparents... Me, Eileen (Mama) holding my brother Tim and Kissa Kelly, son of the Kelly's.  (I called him Kissa because I couldn't say Christopher!)
My Uncle Tony took the photo.

Labels: 6/14, Family

We are lucky enough to have one of the best Butchers in Sydney just a short walk up the road from us, we don't eat as much meat as we did when we had or have a full house, so we are buying less but I like to buy only the best!  Jason smokes his own ham and bacon, both are full of flavour with little but just enough fat.

I would eat bacon maybe twice a month, David eats bacon almost every second day.

David thinks Jason's bacon is too expensive so we buy David's bacon from a cheap butcher in Hornsby who sells Budget Bacon for $6 a kilo, I call this stuff 'crappy' bacon, it has no flavour other than salt!

I usually buy a dozen strips of my bacon at a time and put it in the freezer in two slice serves.  I do  similar for David's bacon but in 10 strip serves.

This morning David was out of his 'crappy' bacon so I offered him my last strip which was in the fridge. 

Soooo...  I went and got my things and was about to head out to the Shops, I came back into the kitchen to see him taking out of the microwave two strips of slightly cooked defrosted bacon!!

Me... How many strips do you want?

He... Just the one.

Why not use the one already defrosted in the Fridge?

David just shook his head and said something unintelligible!

I lost it then dear reader... I just lost it!!!!!!!

So I ranted...
Why do you have to ruin perfectly good bacon when there is already one strip waiting to be used?
What are you going to do with the second defrosted partly cooked piece?
Is this what I have to live with?
I will ring James Valentine if you aren't careful... I could take up a whole show of his!
I'm leaving...

Then!  David said 'Good!!!!!'

Well 'them thar fightin' words' aren't they dear readers!

When I get back I want to see a clean and tidy kitchen! 
I want to see that wine glass in the dish washer.
I want to see both those pans in the dishwasher.
I want to see these plates and bowls in the dishwasher and I don't want to see any crap lying around. 
I want to see that little table folded up and put away so I don't fall over it.
And... I want to see the compost bin emptied.

Huh!  is the reply as he starts cleaning up.

I'm LEAVING!  I shout.

GOOD! he shouts.

'Love you David', I say as I walk out the door.
'Love you Blossom', says the man I married all those years ago.

So... I'm home from the Shops and the wine glass is in the dishwasher the little table is folded and out of the way... but everything else is left all over the benches!

So... I've just said to David.
You know how I wanted you to tidy up all your things in the kitchen? 
Yes, says he.
Well why didn't you do it?
Wellllllll.....  says he looking around at the mess... I was just too busy doing something else.
What? asked I.
Welllll...  said he, thinking thinking thinking then he started to reel off a list of stuff.

How was my bacon David?

Just delicious says he....  

This is what I live with  :-)))

Labels: David

At the moment I'm dreaming of going to the 'The Welsh Quilt Centre' in the Town Hall, High Street Lampeter, Wales!    Just check it out!

Labels: 6/14, Quilting

Labels: 6/14, Garden

Pool covered  - Camilla petals.

Labels: 6/14, Garden

At the same moment I went out to collect our bins... a bus pulled up and two young men climbed aboard!    Thrilling eh??? 

Labels: 6/14

Nerys decided to do a Bake Off of Tea Cakes!  Check out the Ingredients below then see if you guess which is which from the cakes below...

 Gluten Free.

 Greens Packet Mix.

 Organic?

 Coles Homebrand?




Go on... have a go  :-)

Labels: Food

Today David, Tim and his friend Lance drove down to David's friend's home in Curl Curl to pick up some firewood from a large tree that had just been chopped down.  A massive trailer and the back of David's van were full to overflowing and still there is more to come.


 Guess Who!!
 Beautiful!

 Some of the firewood, David's Van is yet to be emptied.

Hello Charlie.

Labels: Nerys and Tim

I will be posting this Wrap and the spare 11 squares off to the Wrap with Love Offices this week... brilliant job of knitting with eight friends and myself... 39 Squares made from my late Aunt Anne's wool.

Labels: Knitting

David's vegetables...

Labels: 6/14, Garden

Gollygoshgeewillikens... what geeks we look with those silly ties!! 

Labels: 6/14, Pennie

His name is Oleg,  and he lives in Krasnodar!  Last night we met his mother, his daughter and his nephew, such a lovely family.

Labels: David

Yay!  Cyclamens are back in flower... love these bright little things  :-)

Labels: 6/14, Garden

 Here are some photos of Briony and Kate's new home.  The garden, although needing a lot of weeding and a bit of pruning... is magical with lots of wonderful surprises popping up at the moment. 

 The little Conservative got so so so warm after the sun had been on it for a while.   I bought those Cyclamens for Kate's birthday.

 The Back Garden...

 Bri and Kate in their garden  :-)



 From the Front.
 Lots of Jonquils pop in up on the right.

 Can you see them through the hedge?

 #4!
 I drove down on the Friday and David drove down on the Sunday... silly I know but we had furniture to bring down.

On the Saturday we had Brunch with a couple of my long time SCQuilter Friends, Wendy and Donna.
No photo sorry.

 Then on Saturday night my cousin Andrew his wife Monica came around for Dinner.



On Sunday we went around to my cousin Simon's for lunch and I was able to show both Simon and Megan the Blanket we made from their mothers wool.  

I drove home on the Monday and David stayed until the Tuesday.

On Monday Briony and David had lunch with my cousin Andrew at the High Court.

 Even though David sold Andrew all these Bus Models from the Bus Museum... he just can't keep his hands off them can he!


 On Monday night David put down MY iPad and stopped playing 'Words with Friends' and played the real game of Scrabble with real people all in the same room at the same time!!

Clever eh!

Labels: Briony & Kate