A Mother's Day photo.

The photograph below was taken on Mother's Day, when grandson Fin would have been about four month's old.

Parenthood certainly appears to suit Amy and Drew.

Winter's nearly here.

It was a cool day in Yamba today and also yesterday, with temperatures down to about 24 maximum.....maybe a degree lower. Clear skies and bright sunshine, however.

But down in Tasmania (and Victoria) it was a different world; winter arrived with a blizzard in the Victorian alps and in Tassie it was just as bleak.
This photo - sent to my sister by a friend in Hobart - could be from somewhere in Europe rather than Mount Wellington, behind the city.
The building is the iconic Cascade brewery - the original structure.

A lovely photo, what with the snow dusting the mountains and the old building bathed in sunlight.

ANZAC Day - 100th. Commemoration

The 25th. of April 2015 marked a century since the landings in the Dardenelles by British, French, Australian and New Zealand troops.
In commemoration and remembrance of that day, the local theatrical group presented a special one-hundredth anniversary performance at the Maclean Civic Centre.

Below are some photographs taken during that performance.
I don't know the names of the performers, other than that of my sister, but I'm sure that the participants, their family and friends will be able to pick out faces in the cast.

All photos will enlarge when clicked.

The full ensemble.

"Kiss Me Goodnight, Sergeant Major"

"I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair", from South Pacific.

Members of the cast in the finale.

 

 

A selection of favourite songs from WW1 and WW2.

The female prisoners' choir.

The finale.

A wonderful performance by a lot of very talented - and dedicated - people.

Summer is fading and Autumn is here.....

.....but you wouldn't really know.

The weather over the past fortnight has been superb - clear, blue skies, gentle southerly breezes, low humidity and temperatures in the 24 -27 degree range.
This is Autumn far-north coast style and significantly different to that we experienced in Canberra: the trees don't becomes masses of golds and reds and then lose their leaves, the shrubs and garden beds still bloom, everyone still wears shorts and T-shirts, the beaches are still peopled and the only significant change is a single blanket now pulled up at night.

It's hard to believe that exactly 12 month's ago we exchanged contracts and were counting down to the 16th. of  May, the date that we left Canberra's cold and moved to Yamba.

Rosie the cat likes it in the afternoons now,  when the sun is low enough to shine through the living-room window and warm the end of the lounge suite for an hour.....

Aaaah! It's a rotten life but some cats just have to put up with it.

Meanwhile, out the back in the sweat-shop.......

Shirley continues to sew up weight bags for the residents' exercise classes at the local nursing home.
Sometimes the language that comes from this part of the premises leaves something to be desired!

Tiger Feet and Kitchen Stools

Since living on the far-north coast for over nine months (moved last May from Canberra) I have worn little other than shorts/swimmers, Hawaiian shirts and, on my feet, Birkenstock sandals.

The climate has had its effect; all my life I've tanned easily, turning nut-brown in summer as a child. Back in those days summertime was spent in shorts and little else...not even a top.
So I had to have a laugh when I noticed my feet the other day......no, they aren't dirty stripes but suntan through the gaps between the straps on the Birkies.

Ugly feet, but nice sandals.
I can recommend them for comfort, support and, of course, striped tanning!

The other item in this update relates to the two wooden stools that my wife made for our breakfast bar.

She did all the work, using the power tool equipment available at the Men's (and Women's) Shed located at Townsend, near Maclean.
Timber is (I think) Meranti and all the joints were doweled and glued and the timbers stained and varnished.
The corduroy seat-pads were done by a professional upholsterer using materials supplied by my wife.
Very comfortable items and beautifully made.

A new arrival

We became grandparents for the third time just two days ago with the arrival of out new grandson, Fin Robin, the first for my son Drew and his partner, Amy.

"Fin" (which may also be spelt "Finn") is ancient Scottish and means " blonde-haired warrior".

As I will turn 70 at the end of this year I can't help but wonder what the world will be like for little Fin and his generation in another seventy year's time - 2085. I hope that it is a happy place.

UPDATE Sunday 25th. January
We visited out new grandson in Brisbane yesterday and naturally I took several photos.
I think that the one below, with Fin being held by his paternal grandmother, is the pick of them.

 

The calm after the storm

A couple of photos taken after a late afternoon storm passed through a few days ago and the setting sun lit up the clouds.
The first is a panoramic and both enlarge when clicked.

Yamba from the air - and stormy weather.

Here's an aerial view of Yamba.............

That's Whiting Beach in the right foreground, Turner's Beach at the left.
Behind Whiting is the Yamba harbour and the village proper.

You can make out the lighthouse on the grassy headland, the reservoir and, in the background, Main Beach, Convent Beach and Pippi Beach, which runs down to Angourie.

A lovely photo, taken by I know not whom.

Last week we had a very stormy day, with strong winds and high seas.
Here are a few shots taken from the lighthouse looking down at the breakwater.

This was the same day that a yacht off the coast near Evans Head (up the coast a little way from Yamba) sent out a mayday after hitting a submerged object and foundering. They were rescued by a freighter and everyone was okay.

Hemiaspis Signata

In other words, the "Marsh Snake".

I came across this little bloke this morning, on the footpath which runs through the glade of trees in the resort.

He/she was about 20 cm long and didn't even move when I gently picked it up.....with a thin stick!
I popped it back down on the path, took a couple of photos and then when I was back home I used them to identify the snake.

First snake I've seen in the "wild" for decades; the last one was an "Eastern Brown" snake in Canberra about 30 years ago - I nearly stepped on it!

The New Glasses

The new glasses

I had two pairs of glasses up until last Monday; one pair for driving, which were fitted with clip-on Polaroid lenses, and another pair for reading and computer work.
The latter pair had accumulated so many scratches over the six years since I had them prescribed that it was like trying to read a book through raindrops so I made an appointment to have an eye test and get new glasses.

Test results were good: macular excellent, no sign of cataracts, very good field of vision and just a leaning towards the first signs of glaucoma.

The optometrist suggested that I go for new multi-focal, or "progressive" glasses, which would cover far to near without the need for two pairs.
I followed his suggestion and four days ago picked up these new glasses - which cost the equivalent of the national debt of a small African nation. Thank heavens for small mercies in that my health fund covered part of the cost - less than half but at least it's better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick. Pun intended.

If I said that I was finding the process of becoming used to wearing them slow and frustrating that would be an understatement. I sometimes feel that my neck muscles are getting more work than they have ever had before as I am constantly moving my head up, down and from side-to-side.

I'll persevere but boy, it's a trial, that's for sure.