Penniedarling

With Santa we have Five.  Tomos, Gwilym, Briony and Nerys.

Labels: 7/16, Briony, Gwilym, Nerys, Santa, Tomos

Labels: Pennie

Finally there were Four!  Briony, Gwilym, Tomos and Nerys.

Labels: 7/16, Briony, Gwilym, Nerys, Tomos

Then there were Three... Tomos, Briony and Nerys.

Labels: 7/16, Briony, Nerys, Tomos

I heard on the radio this week that Vita Wheat Biscuits no longer had holes in them which means we can never enjoy a 'Wormy' biscuit ever again! 

How mean and world shattering news is this!   I have to admit I haven't bought these 'Wormy' biscuits for a long time so I just wasn't aware!    But today I bought a packet and spread one with butter and Vegemite and gave a good squeeze... 
...  Still plenty of 'Worms'  so it seems I have been conned, maybe Vita Wheat's sales have been down so they wanted to spread a naughty rumor to get their sales up... or maybe I just heard it wrong,  I know they were also talking about Shape Biscuits not being the same.

Labels: Food

Tomos made Two!

Labels: 7/16, Nerys, Tomos

Once there was only One... Nerys.

Labels: 7/16, Nerys

Great Job Remy, your drawing looks perfect.

Labels: Remy

Can you see the Zebra in this, Charlie's First Birthday Quilt.

I will start making my 8th First Birthday Quilt soon.  :-)

Labels: 7/16, Quilts

This is a better photo taken for me by Emily, thanks Em.  Odie was laughing and waving and smiling while we were chatting on Face Time, such a beautiful little one.

The first time I made a pair of Leg Warmers for Elodie, using similar sock wool, I was surprised to notice that the pattern would match so with a tricky little fiddle I worked out where to start the second leg warmer so got this pair of Leg Warmers to match  :-)    I think I will be making Leg Warmers as this little poppet grows into a big poppet!  What fun!

Labels: Elodie

My Paternal Great Grandparents - Nancy Yardley and Edmund Pritchatt on their Wedding Day.   31.7.1879 almost 137 years ago.

Labels: 7/16, Rodd Family

https://www.iinet.net.au/happybirthday/

I just rang iiNet to thank them, the girl on the switch laughed her head off when I told her I was 'Customer' and just wanted to thank them for my Birthday message... when she stopped laughing she did ask my name!  :-) 

Read the Credits as well...  What fun eh!

Labels: iiNet

Here she is playing the Goalie!  Hurray!

Labels: Nerys

I don't have a photo of Xenophon, he drowned at Yackandandah aged 6.

Labels: 7/16, Watson

This photo was taken on my 20th Birthday, first day of Nursing Training. 

Don't I look like just perfect, no Nursing Sister could fault my neat uniform!  Or my hair!

Ohmygollygosh!  This was taken 51 years ago!

Labels: Pennie

Watson Family - Leopold Tamerlane, John Grandison (My Great Uncle) Archibald, Harry Fredrick, Sidney Grandison and Robert McGregor.

Labels: 7/16, Watson

I started Blogging on this day back in 2005,  David and I were going to live in England once again, for only 6 months this time, but I thought it was a great way to communicate with my Children, my first Grandchild, my Parents, my Siblings and my friends while we were away enjoying some good times with our son Tomos, daughter in law Emma and new born grand daughter Abigail Rose.

Sometimes I go into that first Blog and can spend an hour or so reading some of those old posts, it's sort of  like reliving being back there all those years ago.  Have a little look see if you like... Pennie and David.   By the time I closed that Blog we had 4 Grandchildren, but the main reason I closed it was 1,000 plus Spam posts.

I hadn't finished Blogging though and started up another... Pennie & Co.   this Blog got a bit full so then I started the Blog you are reading... Penniedarling!

But wait... there's more!   When I looked at those old photos of David and I in Europe back in 2005/6 I kept remembering the first time we lived in England in 1968 to 1970, dug out our old photos and started another Blog called Europe by London Taxi, which was found by Trove and Archived!  Which was a wonderful surprise...   I just looked at this Taxi Blog and found 130 people visited it yesterday!  Wow! 

... and More!  My Great Aunty Cranky travelled the world for many years during the 1950's and 1960's, she was a prolific Post Card sender and my mother Rosie had kept all these old Postcards and was going to throw them out when they moved up north but being the keeper of all things family that I had become I bought them home and they sat for almost 20 years.  

While I was doing the Europe by London Taxi Blog I kept remembering Aunty Cranky's Postcards so after finishing the Taxi Blog I dragged all those 320 Postcards out of their box, sorted them into dates then wrote Postcards from Aunty Cranky.    Which has also been Archived by Trove.    I sent the Postcards to my Sister Meredith a couple of years ago, she lost everything in a big bush fire, they are something of her childhood.

Then a friend asked how many Babushka's I had, so I wrote Babushka-Matryoshka Russian Dolls.

And of course there's the Sydney SCQuilters Blog that I put photos up on each month after one of our Pub Days, this gets more than 200 viewers after those Pub Saturdays.

There are three other Blogs I used to write with groups of friends but they have all stopped now and there is one more just waiting to happen...  Chronicles of an Albion Double Decker Bus...  I will get onto that one day  :-)

Labels: Blogging Birthday

Christmas 1933 in San Francisco.    On far Left, Virginia and Keith Evans, David's Uncle and Aunt.

Labels: 7/16, Evans

Master of all he survey's.

Labels: James

From Wiki.

History

The letter u ultimately comes from the Phoenician letter Waw by way of the letter y. See the letter y for details.
During the late Middle Ages, two forms of 'v' developed, which were both used for its ancestor 'u' and modern 'v'. The pointed form 'v' was written at the beginning of a word, while a rounded form 'u' was used in the middle or end, regardless of sound. So whereas 'valour' and 'excuse' appeared as in modern printing, 'have' and 'upon' were printed 'haue' and 'vpon'. The first recorded use of 'u' and 'v' as distinct letters is in a Gothic alphabet from 1386, where 'v' preceded 'u'. Printers eschewed capital 'U' into the 17th century and the distinction between the two letters was not fully accepted by the French Academy until 1762.

Labels: 7/16

My Great Uncle Tremayne... 1875 - 1959.   I have never been able to pin this uniform down, I thought it may have been the Boer War but it's not.

Labels: 7/16, Rodd Family

 Confusing...
I don't have an Opal Card yet,    I've ordered one so just waiting.  Now buying a ticket from a Ticket Machine on the Railway Station is hard work, I won't go on but trust me it is just a tad confusing!

Funny...
We arranged to meet Nerys, Jack and Charlie in the second front carriage where Jack was playing Pokemon on his Mum's phone and when we sat down he found a Pokemon on David's arm, it was a two headed animal!  Weird eh!  Especially when David has no idea of how to play.

Hurty...
Walking up and down stairs, along long tunnels, up and down more stairs makes a person's sore leg even sorer!  I took a very low dose of Endone with me just in case... it was needed!

Memorable...
The Fromelles Commemorative Service, in Hyde Park was indeed Memorable and moving.

Five Thousand, Five Hundred and Thirty Three (5,533)  young men lost their lives at Fromelles.

The Holy Family Choir sang several Hymn's in between several speeches.

Darren Mitchell was Master of Ceremonies.

 Premier Mike Baird gave an excellent speech.

Major General Gus Gilmore from the Australian Army gave a very clear and moving speech.  (Are high ranking Army Officers getting younger and younger or is this just from a mature age woman... hang on a minute, Doctors are getting younger as well...  and...  Oh I see! I think I get it...  It must be me!)

Nicolas Croizer, Consul-General of France covered WW1 and the three attacks on France in the past 18 months very movingly and of course in a very heavy french accent.

 Piper Jim Braid played the Lament during the Wreath Laying Ceremony.

 Several Wreaths were laid, here's L to R, Gus Gilmore, Nicolas Croizer and Mike Baird laying their wreaths.

One of the wreaths with Dame Marie Bashir on right.

The Last Post was played by Bugler Terry McCleary along with the Fire and Rescue NSW Band.

Pastor Bob Durbin gave a Prayer and Blessing.

 Mr Jim Munro from Families and Friends of the First A.I.F. closed the Centenary Memorial.

Musical...
I sang the French National Anthem in La la la's and I sang the Australian National Anthem word perfect out loud and clear!

Interesting...
 After the Service I stopped a man walking past and asked him if he would mind taking a photo of us all, he was not only very helpful... he suggested we move so the Sun wasn't behind us, but he was very interesting as well.
 I told him we were there to Remember my second Cousin who had died at Fromelles and he told me that he was 67 years old and his father had been in WW1 when he was 18 years old!   I had to think about that, I am almost 71 years old and my Father was in WW2!  Both my Grandfathers were in WW1 and about the same age as this man's father.
 He then told me that his father had been 50 when he was born... so that makes sense but this man, who's name I didn't get,  must be quite unusual!   Anyway... this is one of the photos he took.
 David, Remy, Gwilym, Pennie, Charlie, Jackson and Nerys.

Yummy...
On Gwilym's advice we headed down Liverpool Street to a great Sushi Train called Yamaki,  we needed 7 seats and even though this Restaurant was packed we were seated at our own table in only a couple of minutes.    Nerys and Gwil and Jack and Charlie all headed to the Sushi Train and bought back plates laden with wonderful foods... David ordered a collection of cooked little nibbles, he's not comfortable eating raw foods.

Loving...
Watching Jack and Charlie looking out for Remy as we walked along footpaths full of busy lunch time crowds was a joy then lots and lots of hugs and kisses as we parted at Museum Station.

Historical...
Have you ever spent time wandering the tunnels of Museum Station, it's really wonderful and in great condition with some fun advertisements on the Platform...  here's some photos I took last time we were at Museum Station it is still the same today.




Lastly to the Kind...
I don't know if you have ever seen me in action but I love to catch the eye of a stranger and have a quick chat, I did it 4 times today.  The first was a man I was sitting next to at Turramurra Station waiting for our train.  I laughed when I heard the announcement that the next train arriving on Platform 2 would be going to Hornsby etc.  I said to this man... 'That's the 8th train heading to Hornsby since I've been sitting here and we are waiting for the second heading to Wynard',  he just nodded.

The man sitting opposite me on the train opened his iPad so I asked him if he was playing Pokemon, he laughed and we had a little chat.

To the lady trying to get past us and the three boys as we headed up Liverpool St,  I said... Those boys are so wonderful looking out for their younger cousin... and that started a little chat which was fun.

Then when we got to Turramurra Station, the hurty leg sat down on the Taxi Rank seats when a man beside me said, 'Are you waiting for a Taxi?'  I told him no, my husband was getting our car because I had a sore leg.  'I was going to offer to share if you were,' he replied.
He said he'd booked a Taxi but it was hard to get Taxi's at this time because it was Change Over time.  I asked him where he was going and he said North Turramurra,  just then his Taxi arrived and we said goodbye but after a chat with the driver he came back... I asked him what had happened and he said the Taxi Driver wouldn't take him because Canberra Avenue was only a short trip and he wasn't interested in taking short trips, this is illegal but it happens often apparently and there is little the prospective passenger can do.

I offered to give him a lift and he said his mother was waiting in the Coffee shop and if I was sure he would go and get her... David arrived and along came the man with a very elderly lady using a walking stick... we introduced ourselves to Susan and Ivan who we discovered were from Armenia. We settled Susan into our car, Ivan headed to the Station and work at the Opera House but before he left he handed me this delicious loaf of Spinach, Cheese and Pine nut Bread, see below...  we drove Susan, who was absolutely delightful,  home to Canberra Avenue and here I am Blogging!

It's Been a FUN Outing :-)
P.S.  Nerys just rang to tell me that when they were continuing to enjoy the City and walk down to Circular Quay they were amazed to discover many many many groups of adults in suits and so on playing Pokemon in Hyde Park LOL  You gotta love Pokemon... then as they headed to Macquarie Street they heard sirens, Police Helicopters, saw heaps of Police and Ambulance Officers, they stopped to ask what was going on and were told it was Joe Biden  :-)

Boy oh boy it was a FUN Day wasn't it!

Labels: Bishop, Food, Griffiths Family, Sydney, WW1

At the ANZAC Memorial in Hyde Park, to pay our respects with Families and Friends of the First AIF Inc and His Excellency General The Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retired)
Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia.

David and I along with Gwilym and Nerys, Jackson and Charlie are remembering my Second Cousin Raymond Charles Bishop who lost his life during this battle on the 20th of July 1916, he was only 20 years old.    Ray's body wasn't discovered until 2009 and it  was my Mum,  Rosie's DNA that identified him.

 Private Raymond Charles Bishop - 1895 - 1916.

I found this photo below on the Internet, it's of the Australian Statue at Fromelles, France with 1,000's of hand knitted Poppies all around. 

Notice the French Flag is at half mast, I suppose that's because of the troubles in Nice.

Labels: Bishop, Fromelles

 Sarah Cobcroft nee Smith was my 4 times Great Grandmother, she arrived in Australia as a free settler,  along with John Cobcroft, a convict, 226 years ago.

Labels: 7/16, Cobcroft

 Here's what I did.

I chopped up some carrots, pumpkin, green beans, sweet corn, leek, cauliflower, cabbage and garlic, lightly cooked them all in the microwave, made a thick white sauce, added some shaved Parmesan cheese and lots of fresh thyme, mixed it all together then...

I put the mixture into these little dishes...

Found some, going stale, savoury biscuits and some grated Parmesan cheese then...

I put the biscuits into a plastic bag and gently made breadcrumbs out of them with a rolling pin... and... 

 Now we have Five delicious vegetable surprises in the freezer for that quick easy meal whenever!

Very YUM!

Labels: Food

Ripley Clements Rodd, my father, standing on top of the pile of boys in Martin Place.

Labels: 7/16, Rodd Family

The Quinn Family, my first cousin once removed Sarah and her family.

Labels: 7/16, Phelan

Labels: Quilts

My Aunt Pam with me as Flower Girl at her Wedding, she wants to be my Bridesmaid at David and my Wedding in a couple of years time she says, she's never been a Bridesmaid and reckons at 90 years of age she can do it!  :-)

Labels: 7/16, Cobcroft

 I'll have you know that I've been very brave today.... I was a passenger in my car for a 30 minute drive along some straight and some very bendy roads!    And I didn't throw up!

If you know me and if you have ever offered me a lift you will know that I suffer motion sickness, have done since I was little, how my family put up with me I don't know because we did get around a lot... drugs I remember.

Last time I flew to England I threw up 5 times, three in the plane and twice in Tom's car and I had taken drugs!   Luckily I had a lot of sick bags with me.   While living in England that time I went to Boots the Chemist and was given these Traveleze chewy things which I tried and they worked brilliantly with no drowsiness either, I was so excited.   I was able to get them online for a few years but a while ago a child ate several of these chewy Traveleze and they were discontinued.  I went to my Dr with my last packet, no luck, then I went to my Pharmacist, no luck, then my Dentist with no luck again then a couple of years ago I was telling my Physio about my motion problem, there and then he did a search on his computer and found a very similar tablet available in New Zealand called Sea Legs.

I was so excited and ordered some but when I told one friend who had just been to NZ she said she has a motion sickness problem similar to mine and had taken Sea Legs in NZ and was not only violently sick she was very drowsy as well.  That frightened me so much it's taken me probably a year to be brave enough to try the ones I have.

Today was my Brave Day.  At 11am I took 2 Sea Legs, at about 12:30pm David drove me down to Newport!  For ages now we've been going to try lunch at 'The Newport', which was in our day, long before and long after just known as 'The Newport Arms' or 'The Arms', this was one of our old stamping grounds in the mid 1060's, so off we went.

I was okay, didn't throw up and wasn't drowsy but there were a lot of burps happening before we got there.

Look at this enormous tree.

The food was absolutely delicious and there were so many different places to choose different foods from,  the prices were very good and the whole place is like a little outdoor village with a big children's play area as well plus live music.

 When I was a young teenager it was easier to row to the shops at Newport than it was to walk up and down all hills in Crescent Road.  I used to row past that sandbank, stop and let our dog Peewee out for a run, she just loved chasing the seagulls and getting her legs stuck in the wet sand.

 I had Crab Omelette, David had a Pizza but he'd eaten his before I thought to take a photo.

Just a tiny section of the new Arms Hotel, we didn't need to light the fire but it would have been great later on. 

I do remember coming here in the early mid 1960's with open fires in the Beer Garden as it then was called.

Later... I just had to find the shop that I got my first ever job.  I must have been about 16 when I started work at the 'Alley Cat' Milk Bar at Newport Beach... I just loved it, making Burgers and Milkshakes...  This is where the Alley Cat was and the current owner tells us this building is going to be knocked down and Apartments built, how lucky was I to decide to find that old shop today.  I remember you had to watch young teenage boys who would go down this alley and get some bottles that you were able to get a deposit back on and bring them into the shop.


Of course we had to take a selfie at the beach.  Nobody in the water today, not even any surfer board riders... it was chilly though.
I have to say that I didn't feel all that well on the trip home but HEY!  I never threw up so here's hoping for a few more adventures.

Check out the 'The Newport' Here.

Labels: Newport