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.

                                                             Long time between posts

Our first change of news is that instead of retiring in  about 8 weeks we will be working another year, we are used to the idea now and it gives us more preparation time, to be honest, I was struggling with letting go of my office .Those that have followed me know that I work in Gods own office in the countryside on my mail run. Our contract actually  finished in 2015 so it is no surprise that things would not work out the way we thought. Now we have a better chance of being better off financially as well as still having Mum full time we can't go anywhere yet so may as well be at work( well that's my reckoning lol).
 Our area has been in drought for a long time now, and just the last couple of weeks we were blessed with rain, so now the creeks are slowly starting to trickle again, although so much more is needed.

                                                              Refreshing waters are back......

 The little waterfall without all its splendor,it has looked this way for months.

Usually I have to carefully drive through water here but sadly it is very slowly coming back to life,we need much more rain yet.

With the gentleness of the rain comes the dusty paddocks slowly coming to life with the rebirth of weeds and wildflowers,enjoy some I took pics of last week,they were wonderful to see once more,they have been sadly missed.

Looking out from our front verandah the promise of more...I am thinking we are blessed.

                                                             The week that was......



Some visitors to our garden, Bob puts Georgies left over food in a feeder attached to our large Gum tree and we get so many visitors, these couple are so quiet we can go almost right up to them, they bring their babies to show us each season,sometimes there is up to 8 visiting, this day just the two came and it was great as Lilli was here to see them too.

 

And here are some pedestrians that I met this week,funny things cows they just stare at you and move when they are good and ready,we wasted a whole 5 minutes this day and we did not care they are just lovely,isn't it wonderful how long cows eye lashes grow.

  
One farmer has Alpacas to mind his sheep a white one and a black one, I just love them, they also have amazing eyes.

 

Thursday they were on the roadside feeding,we are so desperate for rain, food is not plentiful again and so they feed on the 'long yard" as we call it over here, you need a permit and have to pay to do this,hand feeding takes it toll on the farmers,hopefully rain will come soon.

Not a drop of water left in the many creeks I cross,I can't wait until the rains come and the wood hens come back and the lizards are there  having a drink,poor things wonder where they found a waterhole.

h

Have a wonderful week everyone and may the sun shine on your lives and in your hearts,may your plates and tummies be full,while our lives just go on a flow others are so hungry and homeless, we are truly blessed to be where we are,God is good to our family I pray that he will find a solution for all those struggling,in our own little way we all need to do a little no matter how small,one person does make a difference.

                                    Photos you are just so glad you took.

A few years ago we took Mum to visit her sister Pat in Kiola so they could spend a couple of days together.They talked on the phone every day for many years.It is one year today since Mums very close sister passed.Mum misses her soooo much....Aunty Pat is on the right.Mum turned 93 in December and her dear brother John passed away the year prior so his anniversary is on the 22nd of this month and her sweet twin Thelma passed away 8years ago.It maks Mum very sad some days,but the lovely thing is she reminisces a lot and tells of the many happy times mostly of when they were all young,so she has more joyful memories than sad ones.
I think this picture tells it all Aunty Pat and her big sister Bid.

 

                                                  New Year brings many Changes


Well Christmas has come and gone and a great time was had by all, New year arrived and went also a nice time but everyone I see is soooo tired out by it all...I know we are.Mum had a lovely time and was spoilt as she should have been.

The countdown is on for us ,6 months to go in our working lives, I am terrified, I wonder how we will manage etc,but I guess everyone wonders that,all our working life has been as lower wage earners and just the last 6 months things have looked up but now we will have to give that up.
I am looking forwad to being available to seeing the childrens school events, travelling on the train to visit etc, time for the things I used to love to do,I just hope we can do at least one of our dream trips..we will see...

I am going to try to take a picture each day of my work day.
The first to share is of the pupils of the little school I have told you of, 6 pupils and the school is named Rouchel Public School  pronounced Roo-kell.

Bob had the chance to come with me just before Christmas and he got to feel the joy and love the children give to me, when they hear my car coming they squeal with joy and run to collect the mail.Can you imagine the noise when they saw Bob in the car...then Georgie...(they are famous you know lol the kids told me!)..
Anyway they all had a hold and each had their pic taken with Georgie,and Bob was in his glory.Just one of the many things I will miss!

Aren't they all gorgeous! the tallest boy nelson is off to High School this year and that will leave 5 children, the government has given permission for the school to stay open for another year they pray for another family to move to the area.
Have a great day.