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Sunday 15 September 2013

A Day Trip with Antiques


No, not Mum, furniture, bric-a-brac and such.  Besides, Mum tells me you have to be 100 to be considered an antique and she is only 84.   Cute look in one of the hats that were for sale.  Is it cruel to dress your elderly Mum up in funny hats and take pictures?  She actually asked me, "Will that one go on your blog"?  Too funny....

We popped in to The Mill Markets just outside Ballarat, an hour away.  This is a large shed with numerous stores inside selling mostly smaller pieces of furniture, jewellery and household items. There were some lovely things and some frightening items (like burnt orange canisters) that i remember from my childhood which reminds me that today's kids think we are old.  I almost bought a set of six boned handled Sheffield desert knives but then gave myself a kick and a telling off.  What would i do with them and when would i use them.  I have cupboards full of "good stuff" for visitors and i don't use them.  So, well done me for buying nothing more than a bowl of barley and veggie soup.


Mum did buy a crystal bowl that matches one that she already has so that she can serve trifle (she makes two) for the oldies at Friday at 11 (Church for seniors).  I mean, they must be in matching crystal bowls, right?   We may have been dirt poor farmers kids but we were taught how to do things right.  Right down to the "book on head" posture lessons and presenting meals on the table.  One day I, and my three sisters (the two boys can raid the tool shed) will inherit a shop's worth of crockery, crystal, cutlery, ornaments and accompanying table cloths and doilies.  Never mind all the hand painted china plates on the walls and assorted Italian statues on beautiful carved pedestals.  This will be her legacy along with a lifetime of giving love, faith and life lessons to her brood (and many others).

Of course, we all have houses full already as she has gifted us much and we have all accumulated even more over the years through 21st, engagements and weddings.  I think we all like pretty things and enjoy entertaining and "going over the top" for guests.  I kept looking at things today with the thought that i want less, not more.  I want to declutter not accumulate.  I don't need things, despite them being pretty.  I'm looking forward to Tom's room being done so that all his stuff (trophies, signed basketballs, souvenirs of trips, remote cars etc) can leave the family room's display cupboards and i can drag out the boxes of beautiful salad bowls, platters and crockery, and actually use them, regularly.

Ive only just noticed the truck with the rocket on the back in the photo. Huh? Nevermind the lifesize camel made of wool and felt just inside the door.  We laughed about taking it home and putting in front of the Mum's house next to the For Sale sign so everyone in town can refer to it as "You know that house that has the camel in the front yard!".

Next stop was the Ballarat Botanical Gardens next to Wendouree Lake.



Mum has a walker which i bought recently from Gumtree and this enables her to walk with stability and to take a seat when she gets tired.  At one point, my sister, sat her down and pushed her backwards like a wheelchair.  Neat trick.   Ive taken some photos of the beautiful gardens, greenhouse and statues so just breeze through and admire.

















We ended our day with a drive around the lake, gawking at all the beautiful heritage homes (that must cost a buck or two) and the amazing architecture in Ballarat left over from the goldfield days.  They sure knew how to build back then.   I find it amazing that you could put all 4 of us (the girls) in a car with Mum and we would all be ooooing and arhhhing about the same things.  We really have similar taste in most things although i did buy my sister today a box of cacti plants (which i dont like but its about the only thing she cant kill) to put on her windowsill.  Lucky she doesn't know how to turn on a computer, huh!

On the way home we called in at service centre for pee breaks (another thing in common) and Mum tried her first Popcorn chicken.


Her verdict was "they are quite savoury, aren't they".   I couldn't let her go through life without ever having proper junk food, now can i.   She must enjoy all of life's riches.    I took her two weeks ago to see Hot Shoe Shuffle, at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne so since her recovery from major surgery only a few weeks ago, she's done pretty well for herself.    She leaves to go back home next Friday and so i have only a few more nights to squeeze some time in.  I know I'm blowing a few pennies at this time and will need to seriously buckle down to saving but i don't get to spend time with Mum very much and nor do I get the chance to spoil her.

Now, I'm on a mission to find a lobster and then work out what to do with it.  She said the other night that she hadn't had one for thirty years.  ......

 
Now this will be interesting.  I had to get my husband to take the head off a prawn the other day when i made her an old fashioned Prawn Cocktail.  I just couldn't do it.  I don't eat seafood.

Tra La.....

Thanks for visiting Living In The Land of Oz


4 comments:

  1. Oh lynda your not going to believe this, I was at mill market this morning with my father , I remember seeing your mum now looking at this photo. Of course she wasn't wearing that hat at the time. I was standing at counter when she was walking in . How bizzare is that. Now I'm sitting at lake across from gardens with the kids reading your blog on my phone. Lol think we crossed paths today. X . The photos are beautiful by the way. I was bad I bought 2 things at market will blog soon about them .

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    Replies
    1. Holy Cow. That was close. My sister was walking with Mum and i was wandering along on my own. Great minds think alike.

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  2. Lynda, it's lovely you are getting to have some good times with your mum. I hope she gets to see her starring role on your blog post!
    And so nice that you have a new puppy. Awwww.
    All the best with that lobster!

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  3. I forgot to say how good Mum was looking, especially the nose. A few weeks ago it had over 50 stichese on it and she was black and blue. Yuk. Its looking really good except two stitches were left behind and im afaid they will need to be dug out. Mum is so over it all.

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