VILLAGE DINNER INDIAN STYLE

Every month managing director, Chiou See and her staff organise a special dinner for the residents of our retirement village. In August the dinner was an Indian Theme. Chiou See organised a guest speaker, Manju Jehu, who is an Indian migrant, and a Radio personality.

 She told us her life story and showed us how to wear a sari. She dressed Chiou See and Dana, one of the office staff. She also dressed one of the residents, Noni, and donated the dress to her.

Chiou See likes to arrange who we sit with so that we get to know all the people in the village but you can also ask to be sat with friends if you want to. This night my friend, Dot, asked for us to be at her table as she had invited her brother, who was staying with her from north Queensland.

Dot and I have known each other a long time. We were in beds next to each other when we were recovering from giving birth to our eldest daughters. We have kept in touch over the years and it is great that she lives in the same village as us.

 We have the choice between mild and moderately hot meals of chicken or pork. I chose the pork with vegetable dahl, rice and papadums.

Our residents' chairman, Ian, is thanking the visiting chefs and the high school catering students and teachers for making the night a success.

We had a good time.

CAROL-ANN STARTS SCHOOL

My Story Continued:

In Jan 1978 Carol-Ann was five and would be turning six in June so It was time to start school. We lived close to Springwood Central State School in Dennis Rd. So we could walk to school. They wore a uniform of a green dress with a yellow and green check trim. Carol and I were both nervous. I hoped she would be happy and be able to look after herself. Its always hard to say good bye to your babies when they start school. However, she was confident and all went well. Now I could spend some quality time with Sonya.

The next day our neighbour, Adam, started preschool, so Carol took him under her wing.

After school birthday party.

 We  had a pet bird at the time. It was a messy animal and I hated to see birds in cages so we gave it back to the breeder.

Grandma made them terry towelling throw over dresses for their swimming togs.

OUR GIRLS 1977

My Story continued:

I'm still scanning photos and renovating old albums. Then I publish here ready to print into a book for our girls. As all parents do, we thought they were pretty cute kids.

Watcing TV

Dad made them a trolly full of blocks.

Big brown eyes from their father.

End of year Pre School Concert.
 Carol in the green dress.

Carol receiving present and Sonya looking on.

School holiday fun in our pool.

Neighbour's kids join in.

Christmas Morning 1977

SPRING HAS SPRUNG EARLY

The gardens in our village are blooming beautifully even though its still winter. However, the Grevillea seem to be in flower all year round. The garden along the front fence of the village is full of flowering trees and birds. I am not a birder and I do not know all the names of birds but I am a photographer and love trying to capture them.

Friar Bird

Scarlet Honey Eater

Lorikeet

BLOWING BUBBLES

My Story continued:

In 1977 the girls were at a nice age, 3 and 5. They were good at playing together and with our neighbour's children. However, it wasn't always rosy, there were some three year old tantrums now and then but no more nappies was a boon. (no disposables in those days).

Blowing bubbles

Playing with the neighbours

We didn't go out much when the girls were little but we belonged to the local Lions Club and we attended the conference at Hervey Bay. Grandma came from Sydney and came with us to Hervey Bay in the Campervan. She looked after the girls when we went to the dinner.

 Another time we went to a Lions Club Fancy Dress Party. We made Paper Mâché masks and dressed as Mickey and Minney Mouse. I made Bill his funny shorts too. It was a fun night.

GALLERY OF MODERN ART BRISBANE

We took ourselves off for a visit to GoMA as we haven't been for a while. There was a Margaret Olley exhibition on and I rather like her work. When we arrived we discovered that there was also a Ben Quilty exhibition. Bill found is work very interesting and he liked it very much.

 We caught the bus into town to save parking fees. We walked along the riverside to GoMA.

 Outdoor sculptures reminds us that we are in the cultural centre of Brisbane.

After a coffee in the Sate Library Cafe we continued on to the Modern Art Gallery. When Bill saw some of Quilty's work we had to venture into his exhibition first. Ben Quilty, b. 1973 is an Australian artist and social commentator. He was a war artist in Afghanistan and he has visited many countries where there are refugee problems. He has won many prizes including the Archibald portrait prize. Rorschach tests, the old inkblots into which viewers project their own preoccupations, have been a major feature of his work in the past decade.

 Quilty's style is using thick layers of paint.

 This one was huge.

Bill was reading this sad story about this piece of art. There was another similar one on the next wall. This is only one of his social comment pieces. 

 Bill loved Quilty's style.

 Then we went into the Margaret Olley exhibition. Margaret Olley is one of Australia’s most significant still-life and interior painters. She drew inspiration from her home and studio and the beauty of the everyday objects she gathered around her. Born 24 June 1923 and died 25 July 2011.

Ben Quilty painted Margaret Olley's portrait, which won the Archibald prize. 

 I'm not all that fussed on still life but I do like her work very much.