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Wednesday 2 September 2015

Hello and Welcome Spring



Its funny how a date on the calendar can make you feel so much better.  God turned on the most beautiful spring day on the first day of September, and it was like drinking in a long tonic of sunshine.   There were people out and about walking or just standing, looking up into the gentle sun, smiling.

Of course in Melbourne Springs means one of two things for the vast majority of Melbournites.  Its either finals season for AFL (footy) or its Spring Racing Carnival time.  So you are either going to be getting dressed up in your footy clubs clobber from head to toe with painted face and coloured hair downing meat pies and beer in the company of 80 to 100 thousand screaming fans or you are going to be visiting a milliner for your race day hats and designers for your racing wardrobe whilst sipping champagne.  I of course, will be doing neither of these activities.  I will be spending time in my garden communing with worms and playing with poo, having great chats with the veggies and giving them lots of encouragement.

A garden is a dance between Mother Nature and the Gardener.  

See, this is me dancing in the garden!   Honest.  
Our dance at the moment is more like a military tattoo though in a month or so I'm sure we'll be doing an elegant waltz together.

Of course today, 2nd of September,  its raining and that's OK too because winter hasn't been exactly wet. Cold, freezing even but not wet. I am, however, talking about my side of Melbourne, the West.  My sister lives in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne near the Dandenong Mountains and she complains that it never stops raining. We often have different weather. This is due to the effect of the warm waters of Port Phillip Bay meeting the cooler waters of the southern ocean and the prevailing easterly winds causing the rain to move to the East towards the mountains.

I'm near Werribee in the West and Glenda is up near the Dandenong ranges.
FYI for my overseas readers
Now that you have all enjoyed a lesson in geography and meteorology, on to more interesting things.  I, of course, am feeling much better since my last post and i thank my loyal readers for their kind comments.  You do know that was the aim, don't you?  To elicit as much global sympathy as possible. It worked. I feel restored.

OK, sound the trumpet, bang the kettle drums Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom , Mum has moved into her new home in Narrandera and seems to be settled in and very relieved.  At 85, it seems though her heart is willing to take on another house her body and emotions have taken a toll. Time for a rest.
Its been a big, long-winded adventure for an her.  First selling her home in the next town, packing, saying goodbye to many memories and then moving back to Narrandera, which we all think of as home.


Huge kudos for the many members of my family that worked tirelessly for a weeks and over the last weekend. When Mum told me she was concerned about how much effort it was taking i simply reminded her that this is why you had six children.  This is payback for all the stretch-marks and hernias, the million meals she cooked, the clothes she made and all the great advice she has given.  Laryn, I'm sure, would rather forget the frying pan to the back of the head many years ago when he was being cheeky but there he was cleaning out the kitchen cupboards with his grandma keeping a close eye on the pot drawer.


I am looking forward to making a trip home to see everyone.  I'm not going to plan it.  I'm just going to go so that the planets do not have time to align under the title of "holiday" and there is no chance of things going wrong.

Back on the home front (are you confused now, where is home) here in Melb we are going about our working lives.  Rob in his new job on the other side of the city.  He's not enjoying the extra driving but he is enjoying the work environment and his colleagues.  Change is difficult but worth it sometimes.  On weekends he's been working on fixing his car.  I've told you before he can turn his hand to anything.  This time he's been a panel beater and spray painter of his XR6's front bumper bar which was badly damaged by many run-ins with gutters and it was practically falling off making it undrivable.


All the supports had to be bent back to normal and the bumper itself heated with a heat gun and remoulded till it was back into shape.  Many many hours of sanding, painting, sanding, painting, sanding, painting (get the picture - he's a perfectionist) and its now back on the car.  This has been done over several weekends and i lent him my car for the duration as he has so far to travel.  Lucky Tom has a car too, so i borrowed it for work.  Rob's happy to have the life support for his sound system back on the road and i will be happy not to have a bumper bar on my dining table for weeks, drying inside because it was too cold in the garage for the paint to dry.

Since I'm putting tickets on Rob at the moment, he also fixed his Samsung Note.  He left it on the top of his work ute several months ago and later received a call from someone who had picked it up off the road, taken it home, removed the Sim and located him.  It was very very crushed.  As you will know, a Samsung Note is an expensive phone and when you are locked into a phone plan you pay whether it is working or not and in this case, for almost another year.  What to do?   Fix it of course.  He took all the parts he got back and through the magic of You Tube he taught himself what to do and what parts to order via EBay.

Even the battery was bent.    Total cost of repair $250 for all parts.  
Rob's head will be getting too big with all my praise and so i tell you that i dragged out my 20 year old sewing machine to take Rob's new work pants up when he had asked me to take them to the tailor.  It's been ages since I've sewn but took immense pleasure in doing a neat job.  It only took an hour and by the time he was home that day two pairs of work pants were shortened, hemmed, washed, pressed and ready to wear the next day.  Cost - $NIL


My friend tells me that blogging is one big brag. I guess she is right.   I didn't put in a winter garden but i do have some amazing snow peas on the go.  With being away and being ill i missed going outside for two weeks.  When i went out this weekend the snow peas were everywhere.

Snow Peas galore!  We've had them in slightly cooked in multiple meals (2 min in microwave with dash of water) , as fresh snacks in lunch boxes and I've given a bag away.   The more you pick the more they crop so I'll be back out there again this weekend.  
One last brag.  Do i not have the cutest dog?  You know those embarrassing photos you take of your kids and threaten to expose when they are 21.  Well i think I'm safe so here they are.



You know that she sleeps with me but did you know that she sleeps upside down on her back between us. She is so so cute and the skin on her tummy is so warm and pink.  She has both her undercoat and top coat so she is super fluffy.

I haven't forgotten Tom, my fingers are crossed for next weeks driving test.  He's completed his PC based Hazard Perception Test and now its just the actual Drive Test to go.  I think his life will change so much when he is independent and can drive himself.

Tootle Peep till next time.

Thanks for Visiting Living In The Land of Oz

7 comments:

  1. Nice work on the frugal mend and make do! I am most impressed with phone, car and trouser repairs! As for 20 year old sewing machines, don't you know the old ones are the best?
    Your garden will thank you for the winter's rest and it's clearly already doing so! You will have saved a fortune growing rather than buying all those snow peas!
    Give that fluffy tummy a scratch when next Miss Tilly demands attention and best of luck to Tom on his test.

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    1. So lovely to hear from you. Tilly would like you to rub her tummy yourself. Maybe after your big weekend.

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  2. Lovely lovely post Lynda, So nice to hear your Mum's settled, now to relax and enjoy her new home. I remember when I lived in Melbourne that I wore my winter coat until October (I am a Qlder after all) and was starting to believe that summer would never come. But then come the finals weekend, all was well. That photo of you dancing in the garden shows all that walking is paying off!!! Thanks for the great post.

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  3. Loved reading your post Lynda. It was full of such wonderful news. I hope you Mum settles really well in her new home.

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  4. Hope you Mum settles in well and is not too exhausted. Those peas look lovely when did you plant them?

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    1. A few months ago i guess, dont remember. They were very slow to start off but then took off in a big surge of growth over winter. Some early once were iced but still ok.

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  5. Spring is always so welcome. So is autumn after the summer's heat! Those changes of season always seem to be the best. Sounds like you have a busy summer ahead of you.

    Wishing Tom the best of luck on that test. That will be a huge accomplishment. And glad your mum is moved and happy to be settling in.

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