Its been a while...

....but I've been working on it. You see today is my 75th Birthday and this is a picture of the house where I was born, my maternal Grandparent's home at number 17 palmer street Pt. Pirie West (the house has since been demolished and a new one built there) The event taking place in the front left hand side bedroom about mid-morning. I was named Ronda after my father (Ronald) and Joy after Mum (Joyce) and known ever since as Joy.

The earliest picture I have of myself, approx 8 months old. Cameras were few and far between, most pictures were taken in a Studio.

On the Pt Pirie docks, where we used to swim. My Mother's family were great swimmers, my mother being diving champion at age 16. How about those cossies? very becoming don't you think? lol

And last for this part of the blog is me at about 3yrs old dressed entirely in red. No colour film then. I lived with my Nanna in the same house until she passed away from breast cancer when I was 4 years old. I can still remember her.

Blogging through Picassa will only allow 4 pics at a time so sorry folks, this has to come in 2 parts, and hopefully I have it the right way around this time.

Growing older.

This photograph is me sitting astride Bonnie, a trotting horse. My Nanna used to keep and race trotting horses and after she passed away my Uncle Don (mother's brother) took over with the horses. I then livedin the same house with Uncle and wife until I was sixteen years old

In this shot I was 13 years old, (can't remember being so skinny !) My dress canary yellow, made by my Mother.

I wont bore my readers with heaps of pictures taken through the years because I'm mostly doing this for my family. I have chosen some that portray me as HAPPY. That's how I want to be today. The one above was taken in my early 40's and the last in my early 70's.

My apologies for being indulgent today, but this, being a MILESTONE birthday, I feel I'm entitled to be. Now only have another 25 years to wait before the Queen's congratulatory telegram. Not really, she probably wont be Queen then and I probably wont be here LOL

Not walking the dog........

...........walking the chooks !! I've been looking through a box of old photographs (doesn't every house have one?) and came across these taken in the late 80's when Popeye (aka Willi) on the left, used to work in the outback. The trip usually took 2 or 3 days, and when they wanted to take some chickens so they would be guaranteed fresh eggs for breakfast this is how they did it. Chooks were transported in a cage but had to be let out for a "comfort stop" Outback Australia is BIG and they had to devise a method to "contain" them because, of course, they would be lost forever with no hope to catch them again. Look closely and see, they each have a piece of bale twine around one of their legs.

Anyway they all arrived safely, in good nick and as far as I know supplied an egg or two each day. Good to have a chuckle at some old photos. Willi actually still had some hair !!

Baby lambs.

Cute little blighters, frollicking around in the paddock all day long.

Cant get too close to them, they are off in a flash!

Three girls and one boy. We have sold most of our sheep and only kept 10 ewes and 2 rams, so there will only be ten babies this year.

This shot was meant to show all four, flat out in a race....this is the last one !! They're too quick for me, I only managed to get the slowest one.

Macchiato

We've had a visit from my son and daughter-in-law, (he is an habitual coffee quaffer from Canberra) they brought with them their old coffee machine which they promised to me when they purchased their new one. When I visited them in the A.C.T. I saw him drinking these little coffees, very strong, 3 definite layers. We had coffee in an Adelaide Cafe' yesterday which was NOT at all like this even though it was the one he ordered.
So, I decided to show him that I could make a better one. This is it. What do you think? I'm rather proud of my first attempt. He enjoyed it. (maybe too polite to tell me otherwise?)
Sadly they are now on their way home again and we probably won't see them for quite a few months. It was disappointing for them to have traveled 1,200 kms to see their football team get soundly thrashed.

I've been a little lazy with blogger for a while, I've made a mental note to myself to make sure I take the camera with me when I leave the house. I pass lots of interesting places which when I see them think, "that would make an interesting blog", but, no camera in the car ! Ughhh.

Visitors

Yesterday we had a visit from some of my much loved family. Front row: Lauren, (my granddaughter) myself and my dear daughter Julie-Anne.
Back row Mandy, Arthur, (Popeye's son and his partner) and David (my grandson)

It's so comforting for me to have them visit, Julie-Anne now lives in Alice Springs (2000 km away) so we don't get to see her often enough.

Sunset Thursday 3rd. June 2010

Sunset reflected on the eucalypts that grow on the fire track, down one side of our property. Its a very cold evening, notice the smoke from the chimney of the slow combustion wood heater in the next picture. Its nice and cosy inside.

This picture was taken from the top of the driveway over looking the house. The next from almost the same spot but looking in the opposite direction. The sun has just disappeared behind the tree line.

Swinging slightly to the right, the dark clouds threaten rain but it did not arrive.

Back inside for me, dinner and a comfortable chair next to the fire awaits me. Forecast is for 3 degrees celsius overnight.