me, my camera and my life.


Archive for the 'family' Category

Once again, slackness comes to mind

Slackness is a word that comes to mind when I compare my plan to post and actual posts. Each time I plan to become more “regular”, sometimes it works, more so not so much.

As history would predict, here are the last two weeks of photos.

Sunlight on Sandstone, 227/365.
Sunlight on Sandstone, 227/365

I have had one hell of a week this week. A week that has me questioning my morals in ignoring immoral behaviour of others. A week of trying to decide when to rock the boat and when to keep my mouth shut. One of those weeks that really drains everything out of you. After work yesterday I headed down to the mall to unwind in the library, enjoy the music on the mall and just wander around.

The view from my chair in the library.
From my seat above

Swing, Swing, Slide, 226/365.
Swing, Swing, Slide, 226/365
The playground in our park.

Chocolate from Melbourne, 225/365.
Chocolate from Melbourne, 225/365
It is a bit of a tradition at work that if anyone goes to Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide they will bring back some Haigh’s.

The long view, 224/365.
Back door to front door, 224/365
One of the many things I adore about this is house is the central hallway. Standing at the back door you look straight out the front door and vice-versa.

That time of the fortnight, time to restock the pantry drawer and fridge.
Groceries

BBall, 223/365.
BBall, 223/365
I don’t play Basket Ball and don’t think I have ever managed to land a ball through the hoop but with a Basket Ball stadium round the corner, it plays a part in my life.

Sex on Wheels, 222/365.
Sex on Wheels, 222/365
One of the cars that my Uncle owns, a car that whilst supposedly crap to drive, I would quite happily own it. Oh to drive it round the streets of this town!

Old Curtains, 221/365.
Old Curtains, 221/365
Why are these old curtains? Because soon I will have new curtains up. They are just about finished and then my room will look quite lovely.

I ♥ this skirt! 220/365.
I ♥ this skirt! 220/365
Is this not one of the most adorable skirts you have seen?
I’ve looked at this skirt a few times in Alannah Hill but never tried it on (you can also get it with black ribbon instead of red). Last Friday I had time to spare waiting for Georgie and I just couldn’t resist trying it on. I adored it! Not about to shell out nearly $300 for a skirt though… Here is to hoping that it appears on the sales rack….

Dan Sultan, 219/365.
Dan Sultan, 219/365
Went to see Dan Sultan with a mate from work and his partner. We had a ball. Man oh Man that man can move his lower body!

Here I rest, rest one one leg, 218/365.
One leg, 218/365
Mr or Ms Ibis chilling outside work.

The view from a window, 217/365.
The view from a window, 217/365
I was watching the light on the house next door and then looked at my louvres and thought mmmm improvised tripod. Photo taken with camera sitting on open louvres.

Even Wars Have Laws, 212/365.
Campaign Against Landmines, 212/365
This was quite a sight to see outside work on Monday morning. Like everyone else I work with our first thought upon seeing the children with guns was it was a protest against us, however it was actually part of a Red Cross campaign (link 1, link 2). It was quite effective, it bucketed that afternoon though so all the cardboard would have turned to mush.

Collection, 211/365.
Collection, 211/365
I love the sewing room at the farm, shelves filled with wood turned by Grandad and crafty bits from Grandmum.

and what better way to close this off than with a video?

the family I’m from

We’ve had a lot of rain this morning. It started bucketing round 2am and kept bucketing till round 5am, since then we have had showers on and off.

My phone just rang, it was Matthew, my younger brother does not typically call me so I was a little concerned at first as to what might have happened. However, Mums voice came over the speaker wanting to know what my back yard looked like. After I gave her the run down she told me that her and Matthew were at the Toombul car park observing it in all its flooded glory. Matthew must have gone out last night as Mum had picked him up from the bus stop due to the rain. He had told her that Kedron Brook was over the banks. They then proceeded to check out Kedron Brook at as many vantages as they could to watch the flooding. They are now headed on to Downfall Creek to see what it looked like.

Mum was telling me they were taking photos on Matthews phone of the flooding. I didn’t comment then but I will now since I know Mum will see this fairly shortly, that is why I take my camera with me wherever I go!

Yep, that’s my family, well really the Stephenson part of us, straight down the line from Grandad, a man who has kept weather records dating back to the war. The family for which the first thought when it buckets, is “mmmm I wonder how high the creek is?” or Mum’s favourite idea when it has rained is to go waterfall chasing. Yeah, we like our weather.

I got up close to 5, thinking there must be a fair amount of water in our backyard by now, sure enough there was. (A fact of life when living at a bottom of a hill on three sides, is when it rains our backyard will fill with water.) Our street is more convex than most streets to help the street drain in such events. There was probably about 10-20cm over the “top” of the road and about 30cm at the kerb. In our backyard, the water was over the retaining wall. I took a few photos but was not in the mood to get the tripod out so they have been pushed a little bit in Lightroom.

204/365
It has rained, 204/365

I went back to bed for a little while but wasn’t in a mood to sleep, instead I took my book (it seemed quite fitting to be reading a tales of Brisbane, whilst watching the water drain off the street) and my quilt and cozied up on the couch on the deck, watching the taxi drivers trying to decide whether or not to drive the street. By 6ish I was ready to go back to sleep and returned to my bed to doze to the sound of the drizzling rain for you know, oh 45mins or so. I’m not one to sleep in!

The street now just has a little bit of water in the gutter and the water in our backyard has gone down a wee bit, it’s no longer over the retaining wall. I won’t have to water the veggies for a while….

It has rained

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain, as a child when I first saw My Fair Lady, I thought they were referring to a plane not a plain and could not for the life of me figure out why the rain would stay in the plane!

The rain in ‘Bris stays mainly in our yard!

88, 89, 90!

It’s a training day at work today so I am able to get in a wee bit later than usual. Today Grandad turns 90! We had his birthday party last weekend and it was such a treat. The weather was perfect, a fair swack of extended family turned up which was great for a catch-up and of course there was food!

Lawrence Pryce Stephenson, born 29 Jan 1920.
Grandad

Grandad is Grandad and for all that he is, I quite treasure the time I spend with him. We typically go to The Farm, once a week to visit and have dinner etc.

This was the cake.
The week before when we were up, Mum asked Grandad what sort of cake he wanted, his answer was a plain fruit cake with no icing and that is what we had. I of course couldn’t let it go undecorated though! We used to play with this fishing rod and fishes when we were younger and spending time at The Farm. Grandad is a fisherman, not so much at all in recent years unfortunately as it is hard for him to keep steady on his feet in a boat.

Just like we have done in the past for other milestone birthdays, Mum had taped together 90 party poppers in bunches of fives. With a slight breeze in the air, they looked fantastic when they popped.

90 Party Poppers! 90 Party Poppers! 90 Party Poppers! 90 Party Poppers! 90 Party Poppers! 90 Party Poppers! 90 Party Poppers!

Grandad with streamers all over him.
90 Party Poppers!

Pabbi
Papa

Max and Ian
Ian and Max

Jim – Such a Stephenson face!
Jim

Of course, whilst historically hailing from the Northern Rivers district we are a Bundy Ginger Beer family. :D
Gaye and Wally

I can tell you all since Grandad does not read this blog. Today he is having a surprise party in the shed with all the workers. The workers all call him Poppy, which is just so different from Grandad. There will be a big BBQ lunch and who knows what else.

Happy Birthday Grandad.

Christmas Day 09

The Farm is where we head of course!
There was a big morning tea with pineapple dip of course as well as all the other usual suspects. Oh I do love a plate of Jatz and a bowl of pineapple dip!
There was washing up to be done.

And the Christmas Tree. The tree was actually in the living room but I carried out to the turf to take photos…. I love this tree. I found it on Ebay for $9.95, I carefully waited till the last minute to place my bid, hoping no one else wanted it as much as I did. No one else did and it was mine for the starting price. Let me tell you right now, I was prepared to pay a lot more than $9.95! A quick drive to Ipswich and it was in the boot of the car. It is made in Italy, I guess in the late 50’s to early 60’s. It is a little over 6ft tall and is a combination of white, silver and clear tinsel. I’ll have to take a close up photo today when we go to the farm as it actually have leaf shaped tinsel mixed in as well! There are a few of the little white pine cone branch tips missing but oh when the light catches on the tree doesn’t it looks amazing!

The wind of course picked up when we went to take photos, (hence why we are holding the tree) and the sun wouldn’t stay out for long hence why there is sun in Mum’s photo but not in mine.

160/365
Oh Christmas Tree, 160/365 Oh Christmas Tree

It was just a few little knick knacks under the tree, I got a candy thermometer, Matthew got various fiddle toys, the kitchen got an oven mit etc.

It was roast veal and veggies for lunch which Matthew was cooking. Whilst we waited, Grandad put his legs up (of course) and Mum and I went down to the Black Flat to explore and take photos.

Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day

Then it was time for lunch (lunch round 3pm of course). Bon-Bons with silly jokes and trinkets inside, roast meat and veg, gravy in the Christmas gravy boat and of course dessert. Plum pudding, trifle, flummery, jelly, custard etc etc!

Then you guessed it, time to wash up again!

That was Christmas at the Farm 09. Who knows what next year will bring.

Christmas Eve 09

Another year, another Christmas. This year Christmas was much, much smaller than last year. Christmas Eve it was just the four of us and Christmas Day it was just us four and Grandad.

I woke up on Christmas Eve to see this. Strangely enough, now that I’m on holidays I’m typically up at 5, you just can’t ignore those birds! When I’m at work though it’s the alarm that wakes me some time between 6 and 6:30. I was pulling back the curtains, and saw this most delightful reflection on the window next door.

159/365.
Morning Reflections, 159/365

That was the start to a bigggish day. I had present to wrap, bags to pack etc etc. It was only six days ago but I know I did something of semi-importance before heading to Mum’s (I think it is kind of weird how even though my brother and father live there as well in conversation I will say going to Mum’s, carrying on though).

Christmas Eve, means Mahalia Jackson, a fancy afternoon tea, presents, four pots on the stove and waiting for it to get dark enough to have dinner. One of the downsides to having an European Christmas is that well we don’t have short hours of daylight in summer do we???? Dinner is of course, smoked lamb, mashed potato, peas, glazed carrots, cauliflower and broccoli au gratin with rice pudding for dessert. At some stage during dinner I asked Pabbi if he had ever got the almond. As it had come to me that I didn’t think I had seen his name in the book. Pabbi’s response was not since coming to Australia. I spoke to soon. As is always the case, Pabbi stirred the almond into the pudding and dished out pudding, making his usual comments of you sure don’t want more….. Well this year Pabbi got the almond! (Mum/Pabbi, has this been written in the book?)

We had a new addition to the table this year. For many years I have adored the Swedish Christmas Candelabra/Candolier that I don’t ever recall seeing plugged in and lit up. This year, I pulled it apart, stripped out all the wiring and put replaced the fake candles with real candles.

So pretty! Adds a fair bit more light to the table as well when paired with the four candles that we usually dine by at Christmas.
Re-made
Re-made

Once the washing up was done it was of course time for the tree. I got a 3L mixing bowl form my Kitchenaid, some biscuit tins (a pretty old Sunshine powdered milk tin and a collectible Milo tin from 2003 when they had the 70th birthday celebrations) and a bag to match my quilt.

Mum had asked me during the week if I had any brittle left from the packages. I said of course I do. When I arrived on Christmas Eve, Mum asked if I had any left….. I said no. One of Mum’s presents was a container of brittle!

That is Christmas Eve….