Penniedarling

 Spread the emptied bread rolls with cream cheese with some finely chopped dill and start filling... baby spinach, grilled mushrooms, Jarlsberg cheese, sliced ham, grilled aubergine, sun dried tomatoes, slices of ham and anything else I could find in the fridge!

Labels: Food, Stories

 Christmas Day 2013... do you remember just how cold it was! 

Labels: 11/15, Christmas 2013, Home

 So I started sorting through this pile this morning, just to see if I remembered going to see what was on these tickets... and yes, they bought back some wonderful memories but also the reason we stopped subscribing to the Ensemble and Glen Street Theatre.  Some of these plays were just plain boring, most of the ones I don't remember were trying to teach me a lesson... that's not how I like to be 'entertained'  I like to learn something, laugh or just enjoy and come home with a warm feeling, not an angry feeling. 

 Sorted into Theatre by Theatre.
 Hey Kids, who went to see 'Hey Hey it's Saturday'?  it wasn't me.  I loved the Tunnel Walk, Dylan Moran, the Giant Panda's all the Movies and always loved a good Eisteddfod!

 Barry Humphries, Neil Diamond and all the One Day Cricket matches with the children and my great big hamper of yummy lunch!

But... this ticket below, gave me the biggest laugh.   David and I aren't sports fans really, we think we sort of know whats happening but have never followed any teams.   We did take the children to the One Day Cricket several times because they loved it and I always took a wonderfully big hamper of yummy food...  but we wouldn't bother to go again.

Then I joined this group on the Internet which was called the 'Cows' and several of these southern State 'Cows' are very enthusiastic about their game of Aussie Rules.   I have another Internet friend who is an avid Swans fan and her love for this team is very infectious so I decided, just for the 'Cows' that I would follow the Swans.  Well!  It was great fun with them teasing me and me teasing them till eventually these 'Cows' persuaded me to go and see an actual game of AFL! 

So... David and I bought tickets.

In the pouring rain we drove to the Sydney Cricket Ground, we took our seats, we bought a pie as we were told to and we sat there unable to see 'our' Swannies because the team they were playing was so good the ball never got to our end of the field, plus the rain and mist were almost impossible to see through... at half time we went home, we were so wet and the rain wasn't going to stop, but we were very happy, it was fun to see how the fans really got into the game!  We haven't been again but when we were living in England in 2005 we got an early morning phone call to tell us that 'our' Swannies had won the Premiership!  Yay!  Go the Swannies  :-)

Labels: Tickets

A little quilt I made for Remy when he was a baby.

Labels: 11/15, Quilts

 That top shelf needed a tidy and sort through.
 What's this in this lovely little box Gwilym made!
 Theatre tickets!  What do I do with them now I wonder...  I suppose I want to have a little look through and remember before I chuck them.
 And then there were the Stamps!  This box is overflowing with used stamps that have been sent to me... I do NOT collect stamps but thought one of the children might be interested... then I noticed lots of packets of stamps that I think Dad bought... oh deary me!
Old Old Christmas Cards that I have received over the years, I've cut the messages off them and just got the pretty pictures now... maybe I should just resend them... who says Christmas Cards need to be folded in two??  Mmmm...

Labels: Office

I love going through all these old photos...  especially the top row!  :-)

Labels: Gwilym

The Star Jasmine is absolutely beautiful this year, on both sides of the tennis court and over the front door.

Labels: 11/15, Garden

 January 21st 1991 a storm hit our area, we were out of power for 10 days!  In Summer!!  Lucky the Big Green Bus was still a mobile home and the gas kept a few things cold.  Check it out HERE.

Labels: 11/15, Home

1.  Family   2.  Australia   3. Australian Wildlife.

Labels: 11/15, Griffiths Family

Labels: 11/15, Signs

Go Jackson Gooooo...  Yay!

Labels: 11/15, Jackson

I haven't made this for a while...  now I'm hungry!

Labels: 11/15, Food

My Grandfather Harrie bought this painting home from France after WW1.  It belongs to my cousin Sarah now.  Isn't it beautiful, it really surprised me when my Aunt Pam told me Harrie had bought it.

Labels: 11/15, Cobcroft

They did once belong to his beloved Dudu, his Grandmother... but all the same it's one tricky and very fiddly and very messy job cleaning them.

Labels: David

 I am 70 years old so how come I never knew this interesting fact about me and you for that matter???

On Sunday I put a photo of my David up on Face Book wishing him Happy Birthday and one of my 'friends' a real Pedant!  asked me if it really was his birth 'Day' as apposed to his Birth 'Date'. 

 Mmmm... I checked, David was born on a Sunday and his 73 Birthday fell on a Sunday... so to answer you correctly Brian... Yes!  :-)  
Now this got me thinking and I can't stand 'thinking' about silly things, I just have to work it out to get it over with... so I have!!  

Did you know we have a pattern of 6-5-6-11-6-5-6-11 years (or similar) between celebrating our actual Birth Dates on our actual Birth Days.

Phew!  I'm so glad I found that out before it was too late!!!

I was Born on a Monday in 1945
1951 =   6yo  -   6 years Monday
1956 =  11yo -    5 after last Monday
1962 =  17yo -    6    "
1973 =  28yo -   11    "
1979 =  34yo -    6    "
1984 =  39yo -    5    "
1990 =  45yo -    6    "
2001 =  56yo -   11    "
2007 = 62yo -    6    "
2012 =  67yo -   5    "
2018 =  73yo -   6   "
2029 =  84yo -  11   "

So this is my pattern then of course I wondered if it was the same for all of us so I checked Gwilym's 'Days' against his .Dates'... yes the same!   Why don't you check yours?  HERE!

Born on a Friday  1980
1986 = 6yo - 6
1997 = 17yo - 11
2003 = 23yo - 6
2008 = 28yo - 5
2014 = 34yo - 6
2025 = 45yo - 11
2031 = 51yo - 6
2036 = 56yo - 5
2042 = 62yo - 6
2053 = 73yo - 11

See... the same except Gwil was born in a different cycle than I was... if that's what you call it! 

Labels: Birthdays, Stories

 My baby brother Nick did, here he is in about 1961 with his well loved Panda and our cousin Marcus with his well loved Truck!!

And here is my baby Grandson Remy with his much loved Panda!  Remy's Panda has a friend called Little Panda.
So what is it with Remy's Great Uncle Nick and Nick's Great Nephew Remy and their love of Panda's!   Have you still got your Panda Nick???

Labels: Nick Rodd, Remy

 The Star Jasmine is fantastic this year, I can smell this one as I'm heading upstairs to bed each evening... and it's just lovely on the Tennis Court as well.   Our garden has loved all that winter rain :-)
 These are funny plants, one day in bud, next day in flower and the next all dead and dropping off until the next day when the buds come back.  Gwilym knows the name of this plant  :-)


These Gardenia's are such strong smellers... knock you out with their perfume they do.

Labels: Garden

 David's comment on Face Book...
'Really excellent menu and the best coffee I have ever had---- Italian proprietor. Super fritto misto and crispy skin duck with mango salad.'  

That Duck dish was absolutely wonderful!  I'm going again,  wanna come with me!!

 Rodd Point on the right and Rodd Island in the middle, you can see the little red roofs of the Picnic sheds.

 'Barnstable Manor' would have stood behind that house with the red roof just below the edge of that umbrella.

 My 2 x Great Grandfather Brent Clements Rodd, born in England, arrived in NSW in 1820 with his two older brothers and his father John, he was 11 years old.  His mother had died before they all left England. 

Sarah Janet Robertson, my 2 x Great Grandmother.

 Barnstable Manor, nearing the end of it's days.

 The paddock where this horse is, is now Neild Park.



 This shot below was taken in 1940.  The land surrounding the old Manor house was taken over by the Army during WW2, those are tents below.  Barnstable Manor can just be seen among those trees
in the middle of this photo and in front of the tents.
A google map photo, Neild Park Pavillion is on the far east west corner of the Neild Park, light grey roof.

Labels: Food, Rodd Point

 Look at David's beautiful new Ladder!  And Flowering Gum!

 Remy and Emily are loving it!
 Gwilym needed help to open his presents...
 Remy wants a taste of Gwil's fudge, the recipe from Remy's Great Great Great Aunt Carol!  Yum!
 Charlie's helping Gwil as well...
 Tim is looking a bit tired, not from the beer but from spending an hour at the BBQ!
 I was there as well... with Nerys :-)
 The Staff are exhausted! 
Tim's Pommy friend Steve came all the way from England especially to do the Washing Up!!  Thanks Steve  :-)

Labels: Birthdays, David, Family, Gwilym