Penniedarling

Friday, May 05, 2023

Todays Story from Penniedarling.

Did you know that I've never done a test for my Drivers Licence... not a real test that is.

1967 I was working in Canberra and decided I needed to learn how to drive, I was 21. David was overseas and his brother took me out a couple of times but he didn't say anything or tell me what I should know or do so I went to a Drivers School sort of place, while doing the second lesson the Instructor said I was ready to get my Licence so off to the Canberra registry. A chap sat with me... who's car was I in?? Must have been the driving instructor's, we turned left from the car park, left at the first street, did a 3 point turn, right out of that street then right back into the Registry Office. I sat in the car thinking I had failed but the Inspector said 'Come and get your licence!

Not long after I was off to England to marry David who had a horrible Vauxhall Wyvern that our friend Peter had named 'Vera' I found Vera very difficult to drive because I couldn't see over the steering wheel plus sleeping in this vehicle when off on our weekends exploring the UK, wasn't good, I had to sleep on the front seat so had the steering wheel on my head or on my knees... it wasn't good for David on the back seat either. When I saw how much room there was in a London Taxi... farewell 'Vera' and HELLO to 'Tabitha' the Taxi which was a great success, we bought four Taxi's in all, one at a time though and David them fixed up until he was happy with our last one... we shipped the last Tabitha home to Aus in 1970 and we took off to see the rest of the world by Trains and Ships.

Back in Australia, Tabitha was my vehicle until David wanted to restore her fully, a Ford Falcon Station Wagon was my next vehicle. In October 1971 my Canberra Licence expired and I needed to get a NSW one so off to the Registry Office which was in Waitara back then, the chap doing the paperwork asked if I had a vehicle with me and I said yes but was very worried because of my pregnancy David had put big wooden chocks on the pedals so I could reach them... without looking at me this chap asked me when my baby was due and I was able to tell him that it was almost one week overdue... then still not looking at me he said, I don't think we will bother about a test.' And I received my NSW Licence!

In 2000 I volunteered to be a driver for the Olympics and I did take the Instructor from our training office at Ultimo down to The Fish markets and back... easy peasy! I just loved driving all over Sydney, down to Wollongong and out to Penrith for the Olympic team from Iceland!

The only time I felt a little uncomfortable driving was in the USA, not because I was driving on the left hand side of the car and on the right hand side of the road but because David's instructions were difficult to follow, he'd say turn left when he meant right and visa versa! 😏

Above David with 'Vera' the Vauxhall.

Below - 'Tabitha' the Taxi.

Cooking a meal on the luggage area of 'Tabitha' while tripping around Europe and below driving 'Tabitha'.

Very cosy sleeping and eating area and below a very large snow fall during the night while in the Futa Pass, Switzerland in 1968, which made trying to get outside in the morning for a 'wee' very difficult, both of us had to use our feet to push a door open because the snow had built up on the running boards. BTW squatting to do a wee in such deep snow wasn't fun... so much melting, much easier for blokes who could just stand and aim away.

My car during the Sydney Olympics.

Here is my 20 year old Pug, I just love her, we did have another couple of Pug's before this one, one of which was a 8 seater, very handy for all the kids.

Labels: Cars, Story

# posted by Pennie @ May 05, 2023 0 comments

Thursday, May 04, 2023

Here's the PoopootoShirley story.

Several people have asked me where my 'swear' word 'PoopootoShirley' comes from so here's the story.

My Great Aunt Nancy aka Cranky and my cousin Suse travelled the world from 1957 to 1962, Cranky sent me and my siblings lots and lots of postcards from many different countries, 10 years ago I scanned these 320 postcards and put them into a Blog which has been archived by Trove.

The Story.

Cranky and Sue were staying in London and one day while on the top deck of a Double Decker Bus driving down Regent Street they saw a young woman very nicely dressed skipping along singing PoopootoShirley, PoopootoShirley, PoopootoShirley and lifting her skirt up and over her head each time.

We have no idea who the woman was or who Shirley was but I do love the story and 'PoopootoShirley' has been in our families vocab for more than 60 years.

Here's three of those 320 postcards below.

Cranky and friend Millicent sitting beside with Sue opposite in Rome.

Cranky and Millicent in Venice.

Switzerland.

http://postcardsfromauntycranky.blogspot.com/

Labels: Cranky, Story

# posted by Pennie @ May 04, 2023 0 comments

Tuesday, August 06, 2019

Now here's a little Story...

Four beautiful Grandchildren sleeping over, there's lots of play, lots of laughter, lots of YouTube watching, some games and it's lots of fun for us all.
Dinner time comes around and the Nachos is gobbled up while chatting away to all, now it's about 8pm so I give them their instructions...

Four things Kids...
#1 Go upstairs
#2 Brush your Teeth
#3 Have a Shower
And #4 Put all your dirty clothes down the Laundry Chute!

The place erupts! Squeals of delight, shouts of... 'This is something I've really been looking forward to!' Happy Happy laughter as they all race upstairs!

It turns out it's not only their clothes they put down the Laundry Chute, it's themselves as well!! The parents of three of these beautiful Grandchildren ring from Singapore in the middle of all this mayhem!

Yes they did all have a shower, timing each other to 5 mins only... and yes they did all brush their teeth and they all slept together in the one bedroom.

How lucky are we eh!

Labels: Griffiths Family, Story

# posted by Pennie @ August 06, 2019 0 comments

Thursday, February 28, 2019

I'm a weirdo, always have been and here's a story I wrote that proves it.

A fear of Hard Boiled Eggs.

I can’t stand hard boiled eggs, they give me the shivers and shudders and the smell of them makes me want to dry retch, egg sandwiches… oh no, can’t go there.

I’ve lived with this fear all my life and never thought too much about it but the other night I was watching the Graham Norton Show with Richard E Grant as a guest, then when Graham asked him about his fear I was so relieved and happy to hear it was the same as mine… Richard E Grant has a Fear of Hard Boiled Eggs! I’ve just done a Google search and we aren’t the only ones. Kate Humble is out there about it as are others.

I enjoy eggs, I like mine nice and soft, I can eat the white of a Hard Boiled Egg but never the yolk.

Then I remembered a moment from when I was a young teen, I was staying at Wollogorang, at the home of my Great Aunt Cranky and Great Uncle John. I was down to Breakfast first and from the Buffet I chose what I thought was a ‘Dippy’ egg, but no it was not… I hurriedly took that hard yolk out of the white and put it into the little coal fire stove behind me, then ate the white, not long after this Uncle John came into the Dining Room, said a gruff ‘morning’ and before choosing his breakfast went straight to the stove opening it to check if there was enough coal… he stopped, he looked harder then he looked at me, looked at that yolk again then at me… I just grinned a little, John just Aaahhhhed… How embarrassing but nothing was ever said.

Labels: Pennie, Story, Wollogorang

# posted by Pennie @ February 28, 2019 0 comments