CHINESE NEW YEAR

The CEO of our village is a Singaporean Chinese and a lovely lady. She loves cooking and cooks lunch for her staff everyday. Chiou See also enjoys cooking for the residents on special occasions especially Chinese New Year. Last Friday we had a fabulous feast and celebration. Relatives and especially grand children were invited. Some of us residents helped out in the preparations and cleaning up. There were 200 guests. Can you imagine cooking for 200?

 Chiou See cooking for 200

 She has some helpers

 Residents and relatives arrive 

 Getting closer to dinner time.

 Everybody is ready

 But first the entertaining Lion Dancers arrive.

 We feed them envelopes of money.

Dinner time!!!

Our table of friends

Happy souls

THE BIG 75

We celebrated Bill's 75th with Birthday Bear and our friends at the Lions AFL Club. The service was good and the meals delicious and the company great. If you are not familiar with our Birthday Bear celebrations read here.

It was Ann's turn to dress Birthday Bear and she had just recently discovered that Bill used to paint. He hasn't done much since he discovered computers and digital photography and making videos.

However, Bear reminded him of his past and he is trying to convince Bill to pick up his brushes again.

Ann did a good job dressing Bear.

I must have been so interested in eating and chatting to my friends that I forgot to take a pic of our whole group.

DAISY HILL FOREST

I have been walking in the Daisy Hill Forest (Its real name is Daisy Hill Conservation Park) since about 1972 and I never get sick of doing that. I love looking for new things to photograph everyday.

 One of the creeks. It is just a waterhole now because we haven't had much rain.

 This is a Curlew protecting its chick from me. Look hard you can see two little legs coming down from the parent's wing.

 Spooky spider

 My walking buddies in the sun rays

Another waterhole sometimes called Billabongs.

Sometimes we do an afternoon walk. That is our village through the trees.

CHRISTMAS1974

Continuing My Story:

In December 1974, we had been in our new house for 6 months and Sonya, baby number 2, was born. Carol was two and a half and old enough to really enjoy Christmas. Naturally it gave us much joy to watch her.

Bill made Carol a dolls house, she was happy with that.

 Introduction to music making. She enjoyed trains (no gender bias)

 She was wearing a pretty dress which her grandma had made by hand. She also had a lovely Swiss dress sent by her Grossmuti.

 She enjoyed the little pool she got for Christmas.

Then we had a little concert.

VALE HEDIE

As most people know I walk in the forest most mornings. I walk with a small group of women. One of these ladies was Hedie, who passed away last month from two severe strokes. She was an amazing lady. She was originally from Iceland. She lost her husband only a few years ago. She recently visited Iceland and her twin sister and other relatives for the first time in many, many years. She lived in her house on her own and did many renovations by herself. She was a fit lady. She went to the gym for years and had done thousands of workouts. She has a daughter in NZ and a son in Brisbane.

We miss her every morning when we set off for our walk.

This was last winter, Hedie is the lady at the back of the group.

Her daughter sent us some photos from when Hedie visited her in NZ not long ago.

She was in her late seventies but you wouldn't think so she was so fit.

RIP Hedie. It was a pleasure knowing you. You were an inspiration to me, showing me how it is possible to keep going, keep walking and keep travelling. The stroke was unfair to you.

The ladies from her gym had a morning tea and raised money for the stroke foundation.

OUR LITTLE FAMILY GROWS

My Story continued

In September 1974 our cute little Sonya was born. My mother and Aunt flew from Sydney to help juggle a new born and a toddler. It was most appreciated.

Carol-Ann the big sister at two years and three months.

 I remember it was a very hot summer. Sonya at three months loved watching Carol play.

Sisterly love. The bonding has lasted 44 years so far.

Sonya on the left and Carol on the right.