Penniedarling

 When I did my little tour of the garden before breakfast I discovered my 'Great Aunt Ella' Camellia had real flower buds on it, it didn't have any last year and only a couple the year before... since 'Great Aunt Ella' was transplanted from Kincumber three years ago... we've fluffed over it, we've fussed over it and given it our love and attention and now it seems to be responding.   Hurray!

My Mum Rosie took cuttings of Ella's Camellia long before Aunt Ella died, Rosie grew a big bush at Newport where we lived for many years. When Mum and Dad moved up north they took the same bush and planted it right at the gate of the entrance to their Villa.  When we had to move everything out of this Villa, Gwilym dug Ella's Camellia out and transplanted it in our garden... where the poor thing has struggled... until now!!

Even the cuttings we took earlier this year have shoots on them...   Double Hurray!


 My father Ripley Clements adored his Aunt Ella, she lived on the Parramatta River at Drummoyne and he often rode his bike, that she had given him...  to visit her.

 Ella was an Ambulance Driver during WW1, she never married.

 When the Rodd money ran out and 'Barnstable Manor' sold, the family moved to a smaller property called 'Carinya' in St Georges Crescent, Drummoyne, a few years later when money was tighter it was sold, pulled down, flats built and Ella moved into the Caretakers Cottage which had the 'Carinya' tennis court attached. 
Dad would play tennis with his friends quite often charging his friends for use of the court and giving the money to Ella.

 During WW2 Ella turned the tennis court into a Magical Garden growing vegetables and flowers of all sorts.

 We loved visiting Ella as kids, the garden was fun, playing with the old ringer/mangle thing in the garden and discovering all sorts of magical shells and mystery paths and so on.

By now Ella had a Lodger called Miss Dodd (This always amused us, Miss Rodd and Miss Dodd)

Each time we visited Ella she would put on a 'Tea' for us which consisted of a cordial she had made and some cake she had also made.   We soon learned to ask could we take our cake and cordial out into the garden... where we buried the cake because it was always very very old, stale and had mould on it!    So I reckon we did our bit to fertilize that beautiful garden.

 We always came home with bunches of beautiful flowers... Here's Ella, Dad, Nick and Meredith.

Everywhere you looked in this garden there were different flowers, trees, shrubs... always interesting sweet smelling and so welcoming.

After Ella passed away the last of 'Carinya' was sold and of course Flats built!
 The garden all but vanished, the Caretakers Cottage about to be demolished... sometime in the 1970's

And Flats built.

Sad in many ways but I do have lovely memories... and here's hoping that soon my 'Great Aunt Ella' Camellia will look something like this in the old photo below.  The flowers should be much bigger than this little one.

Labels: Ella Rodd, Stories