DUCKLINGS IN SPRING

 When I walked in the morning with my buddies, I saw these ducks with ducklings dangerously crossing the road. I jumped out on the road and held up my hands to stop a car driving towards the ducks. The driver kindly waved and mouthed thank you. 

Every Tuesday evening I play cards with a group of friends in the village. Dot and Peter are the hosts. Last month it was Dot's 80th so Ann (looking on) baked a cake for Dot and we had it for supper. There are quite a lot of village residents turning 80 this year. 

NEW CAR

 Because we don't travel any more our bank account has been growing. I decided That I would like a new car. Bill agreed so off we went to the local Hyundai Car Yard. I have been looking at a Kona for some time and wishing I had one.  It is higher off the ground being a small SUV, which makes it easier for Bill to get in an out. We had a test drive and told all the wonderful things it can do, which I promptly forgot. The day we could go and pick it up, I had a panic attack and thought,"What have I done? This is ridiculous at my age." Anyway when I drove it home it was beautifully easy to drive but it was bigger than our Mazda and I had trouble getting it into the garage. But after a few weeks I can do it okay. Still get nervous about parking next to posts and walls. I haven't learnt how to use all the bells and whistles yet.

Our first outing was to take a friend to the golf club for lunch. All went well.

Then back to the village with its spring flowering trees.

Then home to our pretty lavender.

ANOTHER ONE HITS EIGHTY

 We were invited to a neighbour's 80th birthday party. Gay held a party in the community centre. Her daughter and son in law are caterers so we had an amazing spread of food and the hall was decorated beautifully. There was a musician and dancing. Just about everyone in the village was there. It was a lovely time.

Gay is the one with white hair.

BIRTHDAY BASH

 It was youngest daughter, Sonya's birthday last weekend. We took her to The Boathouse Restaurant by the bay at Manly. Older sister, Carol and husband David flew in from Melbourne for the weekend. No sooner had Carol settled in, she decided to cook us a Züpfa for breakfast the next day.

We had a late booking but we still had to wait sometime to be served. So we gave Sonya our presents.

Carol and David gave her a beautiful perfume. She was impressed with the fragrance.

Bill and I gave her a vase and poppies for her new house.

It is lovely to have both of them in Brisbane even for a few days.

The oldies enjoying the day with family.

The Fam!

FATHER'S DAY IN OZ.

 The first Sunday in September is Father's Day in Australia. My wonderful father passed away 42 years ago at the young age of 69 with bone cancer. He grew up in the East End of London. He was clever at school but he had to leave when he was 14 to go to work and help with the household budget. One of his jobs was pulling a heavy concrete roller over the local cricket pitch for sixpence a week.

During WW11 he was rejected by the army because he had a bad back he also had an important job in keeping the population fed. He was a truck driver for a meatworks. He had to drive to the ports and pick up the meat that was being imported and get it to the meatworks to be distributed to the butchers. The Germans tried to starve the English by continually bombing the ports to prevent the ships unloading. So it was a dangerous job but he survived. I was born during this time and when the war was over times were tough in England. Food and clothing was rationed. Mum had to queue for ages for everything. It was then that Australia and Canada were advertising for migrants to go to their countries. Dad suggested they migrate. The wait time for Canada was longer than the wait time for Australia. In 1949 they were on their way. They left their parents and friends to start a new life in a strange country. (You can read the story by clicking on "My Story" on my sidebar.)

Dad and me on the "Georgic" ex troop ship on the way to Australia in 1949. He was 35. I was six.

He had a hard start in Australia. We lived in a tent for 6 months and then a garage for 5 years. He built our house in Sydney. Later he went to night school to improve his qualifications. He studied for his Leaving Certificate at the same time as me.

Dad and I studying in the sun in our back yard. He started by driving trucks for the PMG but he finally became a public servant as a clerk in the local council.

They were happy for my brother and I to leave home and work in PNG.

When I got married in Papua New Guinea, Mum and Dad came to Pt Moresby for the wedding then they flew to Kavieng to visit my brother.

LAKE DENNIS AND A BUNYA TREE.

The weather is becoming warm and sunny, The days have been so nice that I have taken Bill a little further afield from the village for his daily walk. Last week we ventured out to Lake Dennis  in the next suburb, Daisy Hill. Lake Dennis is named after a pioneering family of our district.  James Dennis immigrated from Cornwall in1864. He married Mary Ann Markwell in 1867 and they had 18 children, not all survived. They acquired over 800 acres. They named it Daisy Hill after their daughters found a native daisies growing on the hill. When the land was passed onto son, Frank, he built a dam wall and after the first heavy rains the dam filled and has been there ever since. This is where we walked today.

On the way back to the car we passed this huge Bunya Pine Tree.  (Araucaria bidwillii) It is an ancient, evergreen, conifer native to south-east Queensland, Australia. They have a huge seed cone that fall during summer and autumn posing a safety hazard. They have been bush tucker for indigenous people for years. The cone can be split open for the large seeds that can be ground into flour. The seeds are like huge pine nuts.

The female cone is as big as a football. (from the web)

Bunya seeds (from the web)

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

The last few days have been sunny and warm and flowers are blooming, so its nearly Spring. I'm looking forward to the warmer weather. It was so nice that I encouraged Bill to go for a walk. We went to one of our favourite places for a short walk, Underwood Lagoon. Hoping not to bore you with more photos of this place. It is a five minute drive from home.

We were met in the carpark by a goose and some moorhens.

We walked along the path, which encircles the lagoon. There has been some new plantings on the right with the muddy lagoon on the left. We have had a lot of rain, which washes silt into the lagoon.

You know spring is close when bright, yellow, wattle is blooming. It is our national flower.

Sit for a rest and a peaceful interlude.

A white ibis. Their nickname is "Bin Chicken". Can you guess why?

Melaleuca, (Paperbark or Tea-trees) love having their roots in water.

On the move again.

A water dragon sunning itself.

It runs away with an amusing gait.

Australian Black Duck

Back where we started.