JEMIMA She was a staid little old lady, very prim and proper, dressed in quiet beige, sitting very uprightly, with her head held high. I named her Jemima. I bought her in 1960 and she was two years older than me. She was my first car, a 1938 Vauxhall – purchased for the princely sum […]
WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCHED THEIR FLOCKS BY NIGHT … at least they were supposed to be watching their flocks! You see, it was dark on the hillside and we were glad to finally rest after a hard day of roaming the area looking for grass to eat. Our shepherds had had their dinner and were […]
Tara has enjoyed the affection of two sets of grandchildren over the years. Her patience knows no end! She was a cute fluffy bundle of black, white and tan, an interesting mix of Jack Russell and Maltese Terrier, with bright little eyes encased in a body wriggling with endless energy. Her razor sharp teeth […]
I grew up with good plain wholesome food. Sunday roast, chops and three veg, rissoles, or sausages and mash. Exotic stir fry’s, curries or laksa’s never entered our kitchen. Not even much rice, apart from creamy baked rice puddings. Rather, we had baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, or potatoes chopped with butter. When I married at […]
When my granddaughters turned 13 we would do something special together. As is so often the case, it was meant to be a treat for them, but I thoroughly enjoyed each experience. It was granddaughter number three, Tiffany’s turn. We were about to embark on our big adventure, a weekend together in Sydney. Her calm […]
My Mum in her latter years In the 1950’s, with five children to care for while my father spent two years away in a Sanatorium recovering from his second bout of tuberculosis, my mother’s frugal homemaking skills were essential for our survival. I’m not sure what kind of income she had, but it would have […]
To a Mist Up from the river, softly stealing, by wanton breezes rent and torn, Half concealing, yet, half revealing, The glories of an early dawn, The mist sprite draws her gossamer veils O’er the wakening face of earth As on the wings of the wind she sails Clouding the sunlight’s birth Clammy, damp, bewildering, […]
To everything there is a season Autumn seemed to be late in coming this year, but finally summer decided to depart in a blaze of glory. This tree in my street had a luminous quality about it, almost as if showing off before shedding it’s finery and hunkering down for the rigours of winter. The […]
We are all very different. For many years I tried to be like my clever creative friends, and undertook a variety of craft activities. I started a patchwork quilt when I was 16, cutting out little octagonal shapes of material, backing them with paper, then hand stitching them methodically together one by one. The idea […]