Broadband

Now we have been connected to the NBN. There was a lot of trouble at the start, with Angus getting a fast speed, and Jim and I getting dead slow or stop. After loads of fiddling about by Angus, swapping modems, and generally trying everything, we now have to be content (at the moment) with not being able to have the 5G that we thought would be possible.

I think Angus will get on to Telstra again, to see if things can be speeded up, but we won't hold our breath. However, now my and Jim's computers are usable, after a couple of frustrating days.

So, here is an update on the Christmas tree presents!  Notice anything different?

What an intriguing parcel. Angus swears it is a Pogo Stick!!

Christmas once more

Well folks, it is another Christmas, and we are gearing up for the festive season. To this end, this morning I decorated the tree in the lounge. We have so many decorations that the tree really isn't big enough to cope with them all, but you can see here the result of my labours.
This is Amelia's tree, and is the second Christmas we have used it. She just bought a new angel for the top.
So far, there aren't many presents there, but this will change soon I am sure.

Let us hope for a happy Christmas to everyone, and an even better 2018!!   How the years fly! The tree has fibre optic lights, but you can't see them very well in the daylight. At night it looks brilliant.

It is absolutely weighed down with decorations.

School days

Here is a picture sent to me by Dilys. We are both in it. and at the time we were at Bexhill Grammar School for Girls...as distinct from the Bexhill Grammar School for Boys, which was actually an adjoining building, although we had to behave as if the boys were invisible!!
No matter that we shared the same bus and train, and also the fact that most of us had brothers there, I think the teachers did their best to make us into young ladies.

Where did it all go wrong?
Anyhow, they were happy days, and we had plenty of sport and gymnastics, as well as a good grounding in the 3 RRRs!!

This, I think, was taken at a Girl Guide camp, and obviously there were scouts there too.

Dilys and me swinging from poles. She is in front of me. Possibly this was somewhere in the New Forest, but I am not sure about that.

Update on Henry

As you may know, Henry is the rabbit, and now he is getting bigger, and knows his way around a bit more, here are a couple of pictures of him, lazing by the window. It had been a rather hot day, so he was flat out trying to keep cool, as well as keeping an eye out for any tit-bits that may accidentally stray his way.

He has decided that one ear up and one down is the sartorial look of the day!

What an alluring position, but probably only for another rabbit!

At last some rain

We have had a night and half a day of lovely gentle soaking rain, with, I think, more to come. The garden dried out very quickly after a week of hot sunny days, so hopefully this will set us up for the next slab of hot weather. As it was raining this morning, I picked this particular time to go outside and photograph a couple of stunning plants. The rhododendron next to the post box gets almost luminous in certain lights, and the azalea next to the house has been wonderful for years. Unfortunately, after all this time, it is getting bare underneath, so when the flowers are finished, we shall bite the bullet and cut it right back. I am sure it will bounce back, and look lush again, although on a smaller scale.

Rhododendron by the post Box.

Azalea soon to be drastically trimmed!

Where were my followers?

In case you were wondering, my 'Followers' gadget suddenly sprung an error. Nothing I did, but one day it said there was an error. I ditched it in disgust, and decided not to bother.

I left it for a few days, and then, today, I decided to see if anything had changed. Lo and Behold, it was all back again.

What is Google up to?

Here's an old cartoon to celebrate the return of my followers. Nothing to do with it, but I just like it!!

A success

We cut back the wisteria last year. It was pulling down the archway, it was so strong. But this year it is going gangbusters, and standing underneath almost feels as if there is a light on. It positively gleams.

This is next to the pond, which also looks brilliant with all the ferns cut back and tizzied up. Hot weather will dull it all down, but we are taking full advantage at the moment.

 

 

 

A bit of a butcher!

Just recently I went to see the doctor, and he sent me next door for a blood test. One of the women working there has always been a bit brash and gung ho. She never seems able to get the vein quickly.

This time was the worst. She poked and prodded and gouged at my arm, and no, I didn't scream or complain. In the end she said she had gone right through the vein. Finally it was done, and a short time after it really began to ache. When I took off the dressing, this is what I found...the worst I have ever had, compared to some, who hardly make a mark. This picture is several days old, and it will take a good while to fade I think.

What a little hero I was.

Just a footnote, and nothing to do with this, but I would like to congratulate Fraser and Summie for achieving 10 years together. No mean feat in this day and age, and we wish them lots of love, and hopefully another 10 ... or more.

My favourite time of year

Don't you just love Spring? We are so lucky in Melbourne that we get a fairly clear defined season. One minute everything is grey, dull and bare, and almost overnight the garden is blooming.
Recently we had a tree come down, and it thudded into our largest camellia bush, which is now higher than the house, and that's at the highest part. So for a while, there was a great gap in the side, but already it is starting to look less bare and lopsided. I suppose we were lucky it happened at this time of year, just as the growing season was getting underway, so we don't have to look at the bareness for months on end.

Our purple Wisteria is out, and already the birds are pecking it to bits, and now we have a purple carpet over the nearest flower bed. The white is slower, but more vigorous, and is almost blooming.

A lot of things were cut back hard this Winter, especially the Hydrangeas, so we don't expect as many flowers this Summer.

This azalea never lets us down. year after year it flowers in this inhospitable spot.

An early splash of colour outside the back door.

I just had to pick this hydrangea flower. last year we had hardly any flowers, but this year there are lots.

Spring promise

This year, the spring flowers have been wonderful. All the azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons are in full flower, and the hellebores are stunning too.

Here is a picture of one I planted last Winter. Obviously it likes the spot, as the azalea next to it is doing well too. This had been swamped by larger plants around it, and so when I cleared the bed it had grown a funny shape, with the back quite bare,
Now, as you can see, that too is a mass of bloom.

Hopefully all the other plants will do as well this year.

Hellebore and Azalea outside the lounge window.

Pieris outside the back door. After the cut back it went ballistic!

The Myer lemon loves its new position. We are deluged with lemons now.

All done and dusted!!

Finally, I am out the other side of all the medical hoo ha. My second cataract op. went even better than the first, and in less than a week, I have done away with the dark glasses except in sunny conditions, where you would wear them anyway, and I have packed away my glasses. This morning we went to the $2 shop, and bought a pair of reading glasses for $5!!  Just for close work, as everything else is brilliant.

Now we are recovering from all the dashing around, plus we still have colds, although Jim's is worse than mine, as it always goes to his chest.

So putting myself through the 2 operations so close together was worth it in hindsight, although at the time it felt...at one stage...as if it would never be over.  Patience is the answer, of which I have little!!

Now I look (and feel) funny without glasses, but I am sure I will get used to it.  Not to mention the lack of all the expense when buying new glasses. What a bonus.

Now we must get over all the financial cost involved, and then think about maybe having a couple of days away.
  Surely something to look forward to.

Deja Vu......With mirrors!

Here we are again. Once more looking like a pirate. Yesterday afternoon, I had the right eye done. No more cataracts and hopefully staring into the distance like a young(er) thing!!

 

As my appointment was later in the day than the other eye, and my follow-up check very early the next morning, I wasn't quite ready to have the patch off. There was double vision, so I am keeping it on for the rest of the day, and then it should be OK. Back to drops 4 times a day, and I am still having drops once a day in the other eye, although that finishes soon.

 

It has been a bit of a marathon, and an added bonus is that I am now on blood pressure tablets!!  As I said to the doc...you go about your business and live your life for 40 years, and then all of a sudden you are scurrying hither and yon, from one medical facility to another!!  Not only that, but we are both getting over bad colds, and I was scared they wouldn't operate if they thought I was sick. I put on a brilliant show as a well person. and all went OK.

 

So here's me last night, having finally fought our way home through the traffic.

We were absolutely knackered. Jim with what seemed endless driving, and me with all the medical hoo-ha!
 

The Latest remedy

Well, just recently, we have all been struck down with the cold. Amelia caught it from her grandmother, brought it home, then of course Angus got it. Next Jim succumbed, and finally me, even after all my efforts to keep away from everybody. As my second cataract op. is due in a couple of days, I REALLY didn't want to get sick, however, I feel I'm over the worst, but still have a cough and sniffles.

So, after Amelia sang the praises of this throat gargle, I tried it, and the relief was wonderful. So I went to the chemist and bought some, and here it is.  Very concentrated  i.e. 1ml to 20mls of water. But it works, so this is my recommendation, and no, I am not getting paid for this ad. but if anyone has a sore throat and/or cold and cough, here's the way to go.

 

Hopefully, we shall all be 100% before too long. Just in time for Summer....that's if we have one this year!!

 

 

Over the counter at the chemist. Costs about $20 but lasts for ages
 

 

What a way to start the morning!!

We were up early, as usual, and while pottering about, I heard a lot of cracking and breaking, and then a large thud. At the time I was standing next to the back bedroom window, and I automatically ducked, as it sounded as if it was going to come crashing through the wall.

A dead tree, near the washing line, had finally decided to drop. Not on a windy rainy blustery day, but on a dead calm morning. As they do. We went to inspect, and once again we consider ourselves lucky. It missed the house, as it lodged in a fork of the old Japanese Maple. That will probably have to be taken out as it is really broken and out of shape. A small price to pay.

so I rang the SES, not sure if they would come as it isn't blocking the driveway or the road. But hopefully they will come late this afternoon, and inspect, to see if they can help at all. They said they wouldn't take the wood away, which is just what we want, as it will keep the wood-burner in Jim's shed going for a good while.

So all-in-all, it could have been so much worse.

The First Eye

Well, last Wednesday, at last I had my first cataract operation. It was done  at a beautiful little hospital in Clayton...The Sir John Monash private hospital. A really good experience, as hospitals go, all the staff very caring, and before I knew it, I was coming to, with one eye patched, and being offered a very welcome mug of tea and a sandwich. As I had had nothing since 6.15am, this was much appreciated.

Me, post op. looking pleased with myself

Next day, I was back down to the surgeons rooms, and wonder of wonders, the eye patch was removed. Now starts the regime of eye drops 4 times a day, and wearing dark glasses all the time to block most of the light. Angus reckons now I look like a bikie!!!

But I don't care. One down. and one to go. as soon as this has finished healing. Maybe in about 6 weeks. Then, watch out folks!!  Laser vision for me. No one can hide!!

I needed sunglasses that protected the side of my eye as well. I never professed to be a fashion plate!!

O'Henry !!

Henry the rabbit loves company, and so he doesn't mind what situations he finds himself in. Yesterday, Amelia had him inside her loose jacket, and somehow he wriggled himself down one of her sleeves. Then of course, she couldn't get him out, without taking off the jacket, and there he was, poking out of the cuff, quite enjoying all the attention. In the end she had to hold him upside down, and shake the sleeve, and then out he popped onto the floor.

His little bit of excitement for the day.

Naturally, we had to have a pictorial record of it!!!   As you do!

The New Addition

Here is the latest addition to 140. Amelia is used to having pets, but now she is living here, there are none. So she asked if she could have a rabbit. Of course, we agreed, so at the weekend, they went to get him....courtesy of Gumtree. He has been named Henry, and is a happy little thing...just a few months old, and loves to be cuddled and stroked.

So the "Ritz"  was put together from a flat pack, and he has taken up residence on the back veranda. As we go in and out of the back door, he gets lots of visitors while Amelia is at work, and then lots of cuddles when she is at home. 'So far so good, and apparently he will eventually double in size.

Henry 'in residence'

Life at the Ritz.

Jim

I couldn't let this day pass without wishing Jim many happy returns of the day. He has now turned 73, and so here is a picture of various stages of his life.
How did this adorable little boy turn into a beanie-wearing model train fanatic??  Just lucky I guess.

So I have put together a few well-chosen pictures of him over the years. Has he changed at all?? Has he heck-as-like??   Or is it hardly noticeable to the naked eye?

Whatever....Happy Birthday Treasure.  And many more.

Various stages of the boy's life!

Winter Scene

We have been having some really cold misty mornings recently, so I decided, before my phone went flat, to go outside and get a few photos . The scene changes very quickly, so I went out early to get some pictures before it all got too light and disappeared.  Nobody could mistake the season for anything but Winter, when you look at this. Lovely, but very cold.

Looking up the driveway from the veranda.

Bare Silver Birch and Liquidambar in the front garden

Red Capsicums

I found a recipe ages ago for preserving red peppers. So we decided to plant some seedlings to see if we could grow some. Well, they seemed easy enough to grow, but of course they are green at first, and you have to leave them on the plant until they turn red. Which takes a little while up here. Finally I had 2 red ones (there are still several green ones left to ripen) so got to work char-grilling them, then skinning and cutting them up, and put them in a mixture of oil, red wine vinegar and garlic. I have to say I find them delicious. Out of 2 and a half peppers, this is what I ended up with.

What's not to like?

I am sure there is practically no one in the world who doesn't like sausage rolls. Once more my tried and tested recipe was given another go. So, before there are none left, I had to take a quick 'snap' although I am sure everyone knows what they look like!!

For those few who may not know, here is my recipe:-

1 large onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, grated
500g pack of sausage meat
Mixed herbs to taste
2 garlic cloves (or 1 large) minced
3 sheets of puff pastry
2 eggs
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

Place onion, carrot, garlic, sausage meat and 1 beaten egg in large bowl. Mix well with hands. Add herbs.
Cut sheet of pastry in half. Put sausage mix in a line along the middle of the pastry. Use second beaten egg to brush 1 edge, and roll up Repeat until all used.
Cut into bite sized pieces, and brush with beaten egg.
Cook in moderate oven for approx. 30 minutes or until golden.
A small amount of breadcrumbs can be added to the mixture if desired.

Autumn

How could anyone fail to appreciate these wonderful Autumn colours?  I went out to do some raking, but when I saw that beautiful red carpet, and stunning trees, I decided to leave it. I know after a while it will go brown and mushy, but just for the moment, it is a joy to see. Besides, it saves me quite a bit of work for the time being, and that's got to be a bonus too!

This is down the side of the house. It is more sheltered there, and not so often used, so hopefully the 'carpet' will stay pristine for a little longer

Autumn Colours

We have had marvellous Autumn colours this year. Maybe the weather was just right. Whatever the reason, I just had to take some photos, as sometimes they can fade fairly quickly. So here are a couple of our Japanese maples, and a Liquidambar down by the driveway.  Soon it will all be bare again, and we shall then be longing for Spring once more. Maybe the cold nights and sunny days have made them all the more vivid.

This original Japanese Maple is usually more brown than red, but not this year.

Looking upward through the same tree.

This one is down in the front garden. Again, more colourful this year

Our Liquidambar next to the front driveway. I just caught it before the leaves all fall.

Mother's Day

Well folks, another Mother's Day has come and gone, and once more I have been truly fortunate. Both Summie and Fraser, and Angus and Amelia gave me super presents. So I must share them with you.

Thank you so much Angus and Amelia. New perfume is always exciting.

My thanks to Fraser and Summie. You know Kate Hill is one of my favourite shops.

Not Again!!!

Yes, I'm afraid it IS again. This morning the pantry was again awash with little tiny ants. Obviously freshly scrubbed and painted walls and shelves just didn't cut it. So once more, (and this was before 7am), everything was emptied out...again.  All the jars and containers were cleaned and stacked, and the shelves once more washed.
Then Jim got to work with the surface spray, and we've now shut the door and left it to soak in before putting everything back. Surely we must have cracked it this time.  So here are more familiar photos...one couldn't let this pass without a pictorial record....again.

Pond Update

With all the rain we have had recently, everything in the garden looks greener, including round the pond. Soon it will be time to wade in and have a clear out....when the oak leaves have stopped falling. So a bit of a temporary respite there.

So here's a picture of the ferns, looking as good as ever, and the new Pittosporum hedging that is gradually filling in the gaps. With this sort of thing, one just has to be patient.

Curtains are Us!!!

Yes....the new curtains arrived early this morning. About 8.30am the van arrived, and in the twinkling of an eye they were installed. I am sitting here getting used to them, after all the dreadful brown flowers we have endured for the last 25 years!  Long overdue I reckon.  I just hope these last as long,  If they do, they will probably outlive us!!

Bedroom

Back sliding door.

The Boy's Toys

Here is just a taste of Angus and his 'toys' . Nobody need ever be short of a ride when we have all these modes of transport lurking about the place.

One more thing. Happy Birthday Fraser. Hope you have a good one.

Here they are...the 4x4, road bike and Aurion

It's Curtains!!

Well, at long last, and well overdue, my new curtains are due to be installed next Monday. So, as a final goodbye to the old ones, here they are, almost for the last time..with any luck!!

These are from the back sliding door

These are my dreadful orange and beige bedroom curtains

What a star!!

        Angus fixed up his remote control car, and was certain he would be the model car champion. Amelia asked if this was his way of saying he deserved a medal, so we got together and decided to make him one. I had an old paper plate, and Amelia had some Christmas ribbon, so, together with a few textas and sharpies, we came up with this ab. fab. award!!  It was all a good laugh, and all was taken in good spirits!!   As you can see....no expense was spared!!

Chicken and potato bake

This is a very easy and tasty recipe, which I have adapted a bit, it made such a huge amount. For us I used:-

2 Large potatoes, thinly sliced and peeled
1 (or more)chicken fillet cut into small pieces
1 tsp All-purpose seasoning
1 Onion chopped
4 bacon rashers
8 button mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic
300mls cream
1 cup grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 180 (approx)
Spray rectangular or square casserole dish with oil
Layer half the potato slices covering the bottom
Fry chicken in a little oil until golden, and sprinkle with seasoning
Place chicken on top of potato slices
Fry onion, bacon, mushroom and garlic in same pan for a few minutes
Place on top of chicken
Top with remaining potatoes and pour cream over.
Bake for 1 hour, sprinkle with cheese, and bake a further 30 mins(approx) covering if browning too quickly..

Absolutely delicious.

I really really meant to take a picture as soon as it came out of the oven.....but....of course I forgot, and we ate most of it. The rest was finished off by Angus and Amelia. All good....no wastage. This is a keeper!!