OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW.

I think most people I know will be glad when 2016 comes to a close.
For us we lost the two oldest Aunts in our family line and even though they were a great age it does not make it any easier.
Health wise I have just come to a place where we can breathe again as I had a large Melanoma removed from my leg,leading to full thickness skin graft and a large tummy cut for them to take the graft from.After an almost 8 week wait we received the news that with the second operation they have managed to get it all,so now just the rest of the healing to take place.
Tomorrow I have a Cataract taken from my left eye and after the right one is done later I hope that is me finished for awhlie! All is well.
Bob decided these past weeks he and retirement are not fans of each other!Unless you have copious amounts of money etc you can't continually go on trips .
Bob was offered 2 half days a week work doing gardens on a horse stud..he started this week and he has a spring back in his step..he was at the point where each blade of grass in our yard had a name given it...well almost..This is perfect as he can still get his pension and work 10 hours a week, he was back home before I knew he was gone the first day! Happy home again.

For over 10 years we searched to buy a Pianola and after all that time finally found one and bought it from a lady not 5 minutes away! Every day Bob gives us a little recital and we work our way through 85 rolls of music that came with it.We are really enjoying it.

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                                                                    Our Garden.
It needs some TLC at the moment but here is a peek
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 We started with just 3 fish now look at them and the front fountain has another few in it!

 We have heaps of frogs and one lives in the lighthouse,the ones we have are black and white.

                                        Always a sign of spring are the good old Daisy.

 Our Fairy Garden got a bit damaged in the winds and storms so Bob built a new fence.

 See the Kookaburra on the little arch a friend sent him to me.

 We are trying the Passionfruit on the back shed wall and we have masses of buds,now we just need the Bees to come.

 Another friend sent me a little package with a postbox a cockatoo and some Fairies so we made this little mini garden.

Soon the weather will be lovely and I can get back out into the garden.I originally did the Fairy Garden with Mum,I used to take her outside and she loved it all.

   

                                                        A Year Has Passed

It is so hard for us to believe it is exactly one year since Mum passed.
Our lives have been flipping and flopping and we are trying to get round the way of life for us.You would think it easy but the void is huge!

When Mum turned 90 a friend gave her a little puppy named Molly.We also inherited another puppy Billy from Mums younger sister when she passed.
So now we have 2 puppies and they are lovely and we do love them,they still miss Mum but we take them to the cemetery when we visit,we have no idea if they know what is going on.
Mum passed away on Molly's 5th birthday strangely enough.
So for her 6th birthday we made them Pork balls and put a candle in them.Billy was 11 at the same time so Molly had her ribbon on and Billy his bow tie and Bob nursed them for a photo call,Mum would have loved that.
I hope I can continue to blog,PC probs and catching up on things have put me out of order.
Hope some of you lovely people find me again.
Blessings from us all.

Home Safe after Travel

We have been away for a few weeks for a holiday to New Zealand. It is a wonderful country to visit,although very like home it is a place with a young history like Australia at the same time it is so different.
A place of high peaked mountains,water the colour of the bluest eyes,The beaches don't have he lovely white sand that we have,it is a brown colour,but we can forgive them that .
We visited Christchurch the city badly damaged by a terrible earthquake 5 years ago and reconstruction still going on.
It is a country of 2 islands North and South Island and the North is a majestic island paradise made up of many smaller islands just beautiful and the South is rugged high mountains,glaciers and rain forests a great mix,large lakes and bays gushing geisas and bubbling volcanic mud.
We had a farm stay among many  things and it was such fun, we went to Hobbiton where The Hobbitt and Lord of the Rings were made it was fabulous.
Here are a few little pics.

Life Goes On.

Life is slowly seeping back into our bones as we get used to a different way of things without Mum.The house seems so empty,I wonder how such a little person could take up so much space in your heart and home.I have slowly made a few differences in the house and we are keeping busy in the garden.

Our first major job was to totally re do our pond and waterfall out the back as it had become so overgrown.new life has settled in,the frogs are back, we have five different croaks we can hear and it is natures music at night,soothing and wonderful.The frogs are laying eggs and the fish are eating them far too quickly so each morning we rescue the eggs and put them in the water pots,at least some will survive.

The pond looks very naked just yet,the ferns are peeping from the soil and will soon be back as will the little ground covers,we had to reline the pond as it had a leak,We had an old broken windmill which is now a lighthouse and Bob has now put solar lights around and it is all lit up at night,the windows light up and it looks wonderful,we often sit out back in the evening,listen to the little waterfall and frogs and reflect on the day.

Have a lovely day as you go on your way.I hope to get back more regular now,lots to catch up on and also to read all your wonderful blogs.God bless.

A Love Lost

I have not blogged for so long as the ability to somehow got wiped from my pc,I am having another try and have missed everyone so very much.
On 18th September at 2.30am Joycie passed away quietly.Our plan was for Mum to be here at home always ,but she became a little ill the week prior and we were told she was too frail and too much now for Bob and I.
We retired from work on 30th April to nurse Mum full time, it was a huge job for us both but we loved every minute of it.
Our lives have changed so much, we are lost,so used to no sleep as we were up with Mum every night several times for many months.She never complained and made the magic age of 94.
My brother and I lost both Mum and Dad when Mum went and the hole left in our lives is huge. So lucky to have been blessed to be born to her.
Her two puppies are missing her terrible but slowly adjusting.

It is a big year for Bob, Georgie and I this year.We have placed our resignations in to Australia Post for the 30th April.I am having trouble getting my head into that space as I love my job and although I am ready to enjoy some quiet time I see many people each day and love them all.I sometimes am first to hear the news of a new baby,the passing of a loved one or the loss of a baby,broken hearts,family feuds etc,same for Bob he is not only the town postie but confidant to many.
The sad day when my mail delivery car was decorated for my last Christmas as a bush postie.

Poor Georgie...first he had 5 minutes of fame last year,plastered all over the national Daily Telegraph and Sunrise Tv and the Today show chasing him and Australia Post stopped his career before it started lol,(we like it better that way anyway.)..Now he is suffering withdrawals....
Crofts are shut for January!.he is craving Crofts Pies so much Bob cooked himself a frozen one and Georgie was over quick as a flash, he also loves Crofts salad rolls especially the Beetroot,many ...times travellers pull Bob over to take a pic of them eating at Crofties, some people say they should call the RSPCA most love seeing him and think it is great, the problem is Georgie thinks he is a person so the RSPCA is not good..best call DOCS..he also loves Potato Straws and chips,yogurt ,white coffee 2 sugars(if you have it another way you are safe lol) he loves Red wine,he hates anything made with light milk or diet food.
Bless his heart,he will miss all this when we give up work,I think we are going to have to have a little plan so he can have a ride on the bike occasionally and have a weekly Crofties!

 

Our eldest grandchild Alexander has just turned 16.People say the youth of today are stuck in front of their phones,Xboxes etc but I think there is a fine balance in life and it is up to the parents to guide and help the children find that balance.
I think my daughter and son in law found that balance 2 years ago when Alexander joined the Air Cadets.
This is a wonderful thing for young girls and boys,Mums are NOT allowed to launder,iron or clean their shoes, they go out on camp once a month and learn to live rough ,he comes back exhausted but exillerated.
He has learned disiplin(he only went with his shoes not up to par once),he has learned brotherhood,responsiblility just to name a few things.
Alex has always wanted to be a pilot or in the Air Force at some level and has focused on this happening since he was 4!
He may change his mind as kids are prone to do but he will be a better young man for his experiences.
He had his Grand Parade this last weekend,another thing we have had to miss but we were with him in spirit,maybe it was a good thing we could not go( we have Mum full time and she can no longer be left alone) Bob and I would have been bawling as we are so proud of him.

Alex front

Far right

 

Well done Kate and Steve you have done a great job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the October long weekend we always do our Christmas cakes and puddings, this year was no different but Mum found the stirring quite hard almost 94 makes you think is this the past time we shall do this together  making all the more special.Bob had a stir too as no family were here this time,usually someone is home to stir the pud. They are now in the freezer,another strange thing e have had to do for many years no ,we used to hang the pudding in the Laundry for months but several years ago somehow the seasons became more humid and the cloths went mouldy so now we freeze them and if at all possible they are even more delicious.

Each day we find things that Mum can't do anymore that once was just a daily routine,but with lots of laughter and love we get through.
Her favourite thing is the shower that I now have to give her,she loves her back scrubbed and especially hair wash and set day as she is very fussy about her hair. The most laughter we have is at bedtime as I put her to bed, our neighbour recently sent me a text to say he could hear us across the road above the storm bird which has been driving him crazy for weeks.
Usually it starts from Mum telling me I am a rough house Annie as she sits on the bedside and I have to lift her legs up to get her in.She is a trooper and  even if in my mind I am wanting to hurry I am very aware of the privilege it is to look after her and I never let on,I find then a little while later I am so glad I was patient, I think otherwise I would be sad I my heart.

                              Just a few things we have had going on around  homethe garden.....

 Bob bought an old wood burning stove and is making an area on the back patio for it, we now do all our Jams,Pickles and roasts in it and bread..it is his most favourite thing.

 Roses from our garden, they were really wonderful this year,now that Mum is not so able to walk around and look at them we make sure she always has some nearby to admire and smell.

 Awful winds this week dislodged a Pee Wee nest from our large Gum tree,we rescued these babies and placed them in a hanging pot for Mum to find and she did.

 The King Parrots come daily for a bath and drink from many bird baths we have around the yard,this one loves the ladies head.

Georgie enjoying a shower of rain on Bob shoulder,he just loves it in the rain and of course Bob has many scratches on his shouldrers.

                                 The boys and I are still doing our soldiers care packages.

We have been working so hard on our passion and to date we have done more than ever before 254 and another 33 in the spare room to go and then we will get the names for our Christmas boxes.
I have 7 boys now and I call them my magnificent 7! We were blessed enough for a local company to sponsor us with a uniform to wear so we are very professional looking now.We have blue polo shirts with navy writing and red caps, these three colours represent all three Australian Forces.

Our home at times looks like a postal depot,and if we get unexpected guests we have to scarper and clear the bed off,but we would not have it any other way.
To do this and expect no reward is a wonderful lesson for these boys,however we get some amazing letters back from troops telling us how much a difference it made to them.
All the boys are great and make up for us not having any family close by,when our daughter comes home she loves to join in and help the boys she is a wonderful support for us with Mum and everything we do bless her.
Our little town is so generous to us,as soon as I am in need of goodies for the boxes I put it on the Facebook community page and all of a sudden everything  turns up that I need.

I thought you might like to see this,Bob and Georgie made the limelight a couple of months ago,it was in The Daily Telegraph...page 3 mind you and almost a page full( well the birds are always on page 3 but not usually the feathered variety).
This lead to TV stations ringing Australia Post and wanting to do a story,which lad to Bob getting into all sort of trouble for allowing himself to go into print,Bob thought the person taking the pics etc was a year 12 student having a little joke.
This then lead to the big boss from Canberra travelling up and giving him a dressing down,the remodifying of his postie bike apparently set up wrong(the pics showed this)mind you it is as it was when he started 11 years ago!
The upside is that they love the fact that Georgie goes with Bob and so that was a bonus.Thank goodness we are only a few months from finishing and retiring...the world has gone mad when you find a simple bag on the front of the bike is wrong and the crate on the back too ...who cares as long as our lovely town gets their mail!

This last pic is a classic as Georgie loves it best when Bob has a long straight and can go faster,I think it reminds him of our big bike.We are going to keep one postie bike when we finish up just so Bob and Georgie can go fro a ride occasionally because they will both miss it.

It is such a long time since I blogged,life has a way of pulling us up short and making us deal or not with obsticles, so we have to put them in order of importance.
Family always comes first ..but..which members,this is a tough call and without going into any detail too much we decided that it is Mum who must come first at this time.
It is not a decision sitting well with all members of our family.Putting her in a home is not an option for us,however others think differently.All I can say is we have had to choose between who is in need and who is being needy.
Mum came out on top, we are missing out on seeing three grandchildren...for now...and we will catch up hopefully before they all get married lol..honestly though they have decided not to visit to prove a point and the choice of visiting them has been taken away from us..so here we are..sad at heart but doing...we think the right thing.

Mum is almost 94 and just very recently has had a Frontal Brain Bleed, we thought the time had come to say goodbye,but here she is almost 4 weeks later,chirpy,cheeky and as of 2 days ago now getting dressed each day.However we can never leave her alone again,so we have a wonderful lady that comes everyday while I am at work.We are locked into a contract with Australia Post so we cannot give up without a lot of notice,so we are retiring on 30 April next year and darling Julie will help us out till then.
Our daughter is a darling and travels up as often as her work allows to visit Nan and to give Bob and I the support we need,it has been very difficult but we made a promise to Mum that she would be with us and we will not change.

So here she is happy on a Sunday with her tea and Vegemite Toast a different girl to some weeks ago.

 

 

Here are some roses from her much loved garden and an area Bob has made for us to take her to sit he calls it the Taj Mahal,it is actually much nicer now,there are 4 chaors and more pots of colour,she loves it but has not been well enough to venture there,perhaps next week,it is 40 degrees today so too hot to sit her outside.

 

 

 

 

 

Will catch up with all the other happenings as time rolls on.

Honor thy Father and thy Mother is the most empowering thing there is we can do, I know I am blessed to have such an easy Mum to deal with,but I just know I could not live any other way and ever have a peaceful sleep again if she were being looked after by any other persons than Bob and I and our helpers,Bob was asked the other day if it would be easier if we placed Mum in a nursing

home close by,his reply was "over my dead body" see that's why I love him so much,not every man feels that way about the dreaded Mother in law.I hope one day the family will unite and support us,until then I write to the children weekly and send an update on Mums health,there are no replies really..but in the big picture of life..tomorrow is another day and time heals all.

                              A Special time for me and my care package Boys.

Something very special happened in Aberdeen today.What an honour for Aberdeen but especially for these boys and we will never forget the Anzac Day that Moses came to town.Never before and probably never again will the flag bearer share his or her honourable time.Moses we say thank you, 4 young boys are still smiling and many Mums and Dads proud but no one more proud than me.

 

 

 

 

I have felt the need today to say just a couple of words then I won't post anymore about Anzac Day w
I was asked why I did not march with the boys and Moses and why I did not lay the wreath with the boys. It is simple I am most comfortable just being their guidance, in the background,I was with them  all day and spiritually I was marching and laying the wreath I wanted them to have this moment to remember for always,they smiled my way and that was enough.My heart was swollen with pride.
This pic is as they finished marching waiting for the service.From left to right..
Nathan,a young man that I am proud to know,he is the most caring little soul,he has done several packages all on his own,but I have to say his caring heart shows in them and he explains to me why each item was chosen,Nathan is going to be a young man that looks after his fellow man.
Brayden,he is the Care Package Captain for so many reasons,he has done so many packages with me,he shows such care when placing each item in the boxes he always shows such enthusiasm and keeps my spirits up,he is humble and does not take credit when it is not his,this is a rare thing,some kids play sport,Brayden does packages.
Moses the boys new friend,I have been lucky enough to have known him just a little longer.When we do the Care packages we discuss what the person might be like etc when we did Moses's package we were in awe of his name we discussed what we thought he would be like,his package was done with love and blessings as we do them all but this time we all felt this was different, we all layed our hands on Moses's box as if guiding him to us on his return,how strange as this is how it turned out to be.Thank you Moses for coming I know we have thanked you before,told you copious times how wonderful it was for you to come,J-M and I thought the kids would love you,it is a sad day for Batman,Spiderman and Superman,the kids have a new hero.
Johnah, has done some packages with us,he has also done some with his family.He also did some with Scouts,they received back a package with a signed flag now in his care,a precious item. He is good caring boy as well.He like the other boys takes pride in the packages,I am proud to know this young man.
Riley has done 2 lots of packages with us,he also enjoys doing them,always with a light heart and he is full of energy and enthusiasm,he is full of curiosity,asking questions the whole time,I love it.
I feel my job is to guide the boys in Community,giving time and caring for others.We talk of how hard it must be for the troops,how little treats will make them smile.I also tell them about Faith and how in every box we need to show that our community may be small but our hearts are filled with limitless generosity.The boys know my faith is very important to me and that is some small way I am serving God and my country,whatever faith the boys may be or me..we are one and my main aim is to teach them one person can make a difference.
Thank you to the parents that entrust your children to me for a few hours each time we get together.

 

 

As we are about to do another 50 Care packages,Moses has taught us how important it is to the troops to receive them and this has made us even more excited and committed.

Our generous community has given me some money and lots of food and hygiene goodies,so off we go.This year we have done 42 last year we reached a massive 232...not bad for an old girl and her young men!They are wonderful and the time I spend with them is just simply the best.

 

                                                                         Children grow way too fast.

 

 

Many of the blogs I follow have the same situation as we do, the children have married and moved away, when they first left the nest It was very hard, then it just became the way it is.

It actually got much harder again when they had their babies, I got to go to them when the babies were born etc and of course the usual visits each couple of months,but when they all started school it was harder for them to visit with sports on the weekends and activities.

Then Mum came to live with us and we can't get away like we could before,so we have all had to adjust to the new way,3 years on we are still in the same position,it is not a complaint just the way it is and I would not have it any other way.

The point of this blog is what a little thing can happen to make our lives joyous!

 

Three weeks ago I was working at our little op shop, we had just had refurbishment and all us girls were putting it back together,Bob too and we took Mum up so she could have a chat and see the shop looking all fresh.My phone rang and it was young William our daughters youngest."what are you doing Grammy ?'..."just up at Treasures I replied"..."o'h ok I might pop up and have lunch with you" and he hung up.......I said to Bob William is playing a trick like Lilli does...

20 minutes later my phone rang again..'Hi Mum we are at Rutherford we will be there in about an hour, Will wanted to go fishing and only George's worms are good enough (our next door neighbour) can Pa Pa take him down the river for an hour?"...What a wonderful surprise, wwe had not told Mum so she was just so thrilled.

So we ended up down the river fishing and having a lovely 2 hours,lunch,then they left ,just like it had been a dream.

 

                                                    Pa Pa showing Will how to do his rod.

 Will thinking this looks too hard lol but it only took him abput 3 casts to get the idea.

Will took his shoes off to have a paddle and with lots of prickles on the ground there is only one way back up to the car...on Pa Pas back ...a lovely day..Will has ordered fishing rod and tackle box for his birthday.Alex was on camp and livvy was at a birthday party so we will see them soon.

 

Then the following weekend another surprise our son rang and said his family was coming up for an overnight stay..blessings in abundance 2 weeks in a row....

 

 

 Lilli,Elijah and Eden helping Pop do his pamphlets for Monday mail delivery,great helpers,we had a very wet visit to the park  as we had had the rain.

Kirsty and Michael looking at  Mums favourite rose with her.I still wash and set Mums hair each week.

 

Just seeing them all was wonderful,we will all meet up at easter and go to the Royal Easter Show together,so that will be fun.

 

Small blessings are the beast, I have always said one hour together is better than no time at all and that is so true.