Twenty Years

My beloved father passed away twenty years ago today.  It seems so long ago and yet my memories of it are like they happened yesterday.  

My father was a hard-working dairy farmer for most of his life, having bought the farm from his widowed mother after he returned from duty in World War II.

In this old 1972 photo, he is 'teddering' the hay.  Grass would be cut and then teddered to scatter it around the field so it would dry better.  This would be done at least twice to help it dry faster (the machine on the tractor would be configured differently to how it is here).

Here he is raking the hay up into rows ready to be baled.  The tractor was a Nuffield, a true work horse on the farm for many years.

The cowshed on the far right was a walk-through.  Whole milk was collected daily from the shed by a milk-tanker, supplying the Waharoa Butter Factory (now defunct).

The farm was around 120 acres and the herd normally was around 120 cows.  Bulls and heifers were also kept on the farm, along with a couple of steers and a few sheep that were destined for the freezer.

I feel I was fortunate to have grown up surrounded with farm life.

Margaret xx

Father's Day

It was Father's Day here yesterday, and son's daughter arrived last night with some cupcakes she had made especially for him.

We had thick fog this morning, but it cleared by lunchtime and turned into a beautiful blue-sky afternoon. 

It won't be long now before the poplars are clothed with leaves again.

My wallflowers have begun flowering. 

And so have the dwarf snapdragons. 

The stocks are still blooming, but they ended up being all single ones. Not that I mind too much - the double flowers might look prettier but I think the singles have more scent.

The daphne, alyssum, freesias and violets continue to flower.

It was lovely to sit in the garden, soak up the sun, and inhale the heady fragrance of spring flowers.

Margaret xx 

My Favourite Sweetpea

For many years my pet name for my daughter was Sweetpea - I loved both of them!

She now lives in the United States and arrived today for a short visit. I'm so excited 😁 

Son and I watched two enthralling sports events last night. 

The Olympics men's marathon was up first.  Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia ran superbly to win the grueling race in a new Olympic record time.

Then it was a change of channels to watch rugby, with the All Blacks playing against Argentina's Los Pumas.

It was a fast closely contested match, with some classy play on both sides.

Argentina were the victors at the end, with a 38-30 win.

I'm thrilled to be able to catch up with my daughter again. Modern technology is fantastic, but it can't beat personal contact. 

And there are no points for guessing which Sweetpea is my favourite!

Margaret xx 

My Daughter Is Here!

 

What a thrilling day!  It is four years since I last saw my daughter, and this morning she flew into Auckland from Los Angeles to spend a few weeks with us.

I was up at 4.30am so I could drive up there and meet her (a 90 minute drive).  It is a few years since I was last at the International Airport and was glad there were two ushers directing traffic through the short (and extremely busy) public area.  You can only stop for a few minutes, just long enough to drop-off or pick-up a passenger.

Somehow or rather, I managed to get on the wrong road leaving the Airport (I arrived there safely enough), and we ended up going through a lot of streets I never recognised before we finally found our way back onto the Motorway.  We laughed about it!

Soon after leaving Auckland, we stopped at the Bombay Autobahn to get ourselves some breakfast and have some quiet time together.

I had a salmon and feta quiche followed by a custard tart and a hot chocolate.

We arrived home mid-morning and I don’t think we have stopped talking since!  Mittens was not very impressed to have a stranger in the house (she never is), but by this evening she is starting to come round.

It looks like it may be an early night tonight as we are both rather tired.

Tired but happy 😊

Margaret.

 

The Sun Is Shining

 

It was a reasonably busy day yesterday.  The morning was spent cleaning floors and washing a few windows, and in the afternoon my services were called upon as an Angel in a Silver Taxi.

Younger son injured his back on the previous evening, moving a washing machine, and found himself almost crippled.  He does not own a vehicle, so asked if I could take him down to the doctor’s surgery.

No problems, I can do that.  But his appointment was a “fit-in” so the wait was a long one.  I found a car park facing the road and spent a lot of my time watching all the crazy drivers negotiating the crossroads here (it was hard to get a photo without vehicles in it!).

Eventually, he arrived back at the car with a fist full of prescriptions and a referral to a physiotherapist.  (I should mention he has kidney problems, so has to be extra careful what he takes).

The sun is shining this morning, with only a few clouds around although the forecast is for showers later on.  It is still not that cold overnight, but our daytime temperature highs are slowly dropping.

I’m off to visit Rusty the Dog this afternoon (and his owners!).

Have a happy day 😊

Margaret.

 

Visiting My Cousin

 

My Cousin G was recently in hospital with a life-threatening issue, but is now home again.  She is frail and needs assistance when walking, but is doing alright.

I had made arrangements to visit her and her husband this afternoon, planning to travel there in the company of her sister, my Cousin M.

Then, around lunch time, I got a call from Cousin M to say that she herself had just been admitted to hospital with possible pneumonia.

I guess my family is getting to be of an age when things like this will happen more and more frequently, but I hope this will be the last one for a while.

A family gathering in the 1960s

I went ahead with my visit and had some happy time with Cousin G and her husband.  Cousin A and his wife also arrived, so I was able to catch up with them after not seeing them for quite some time.

I was also able to catch up with a second cousin and his wife who have returned to New Zealand from Argentina, where they have been teaching.

I cherish these moments with extended family.  Families are a treasure that should never be taken for granted – life is too short to do that.

Take time to make someone in your family circle feel special today 😊

Margaret.

 

People Need Love

 

This last week I have had a bit of a dilemma to face and now I have a confession to make. 

An elderly friend was feeling extremely lonely and depressed and was in desperate need of having some human-to-human contact, so I visited her for a couple of hours.

We maintained social distancing and we have both been fully vaccinated, but under our current lockdown restrictions it could be argued that I was guilty of Civil Disobedience.

This lady has children who live outside our restricted area and so they have been unable to personally visit her.  She was anxious and worried about how Covid in the future was going to affect both her and her loved ones.  I hope I was able to allay her fears a little.

Our little garden beside the driveway

Under Level 3 we are allowed to extend our household bubble to include one other vulnerable person, and we have already done that with a vulnerable family member.  We are not meant to have contact with anyone else.

However, today it was announced that the Waikato area would have its lockdown restrictions reduced to the same level as the Auckland area (who have ten times the number of daily cases that we are getting). 

This means that two household bubbles can now meet together outdoors with social distancing.  We are also now allowed to go hunting, fishing, scuba diving etc. (not that I would want to!!), so from tomorrow my visit would probably have been alright.

I made a decision that I will not turn my back on family or friends who are having mental health issues because of Covid lockdowns.  Not everyone wants to call Helpline, and when someone needs my help I will give it in any way that I can.

Surely, as sensible adults, we can take the proper precautions and be there to help each other when needed.

Take care,

Margaret.

Out All Day

 

I’ve been out for most of the day, galivanting around enjoying myself.

A brother-in-law and his wife took me out to lunch at a little country café.  What a lovely way to catch up on things, as well as all the extended family gossip.

Afterwards, we drove to a nearby garden centre – Wairere Nurseries, who are well-known for the wonderful collection of roses that they sell, alongside the usual plants and shrubs and trees.

We wandered around for quite a while, but in the end neither of us purchased anything.  I was surprised to see these japonicas for sale – such an old-fashioned shrub (my grandmother grew it).  Perhaps it is about to have a resurgence in popularity.

My next stop was the bookshop for a couple more puzzle books – this time, pixel puzzles and a word find book.  I like to do a puzzle at night when I am having trouble sleeping.

Then it was a spur-of-the-moment visit to another sister-in-law and more gossip!

Finally, it was time to drive home.  I thought I was early enough to miss the rush-hour traffic, but I was wrong.  So many sections of the trip home were bumper to bumper, and negotiating some of the intersections was a bit hairy.

New Zealand Olympic athletes did well with medals today.  Not bad for a little country of five million 😊

Margaret.

 

An Upset and Some Books

 

It seems the only constant in this world is change, and we are all exposed to it.

Grand-daughter had her sixteenth birthday this last week, and the following day decided she was moving out and going to live permanently with her mother.

It made me sad to realize she has made this decision because there will be less restrictions placed upon her activities (not that she had anything draconian placed upon her here).

Having your own way in everything you do does not, in my experience, lead to a happy life.  But I respect her decision – during life we all have choices to make, and then consequences to bear as a result of those choices.  It can be a harsh learning curve sometimes.

The first daffodils for the season are making their joyful appearance

This morning the sun was shining (it has clouded over now!) so I headed off to the Lions Club annual book fair.  I have come home with twelve books to peruse and digest – which I am going to go and do now, with a cup of hot chocolate to keep me company.

Then I will have to figure out how I am going to fit them into my bookcase!

Enjoy your day, wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing 😊

Margaret.

Life Goes On

 

Families all around the world have one thing in common – they all face good times and bad, happy times and sad.  

Our family seems to be in the bad/sad side of things at the moment.  It is not something I am free to discuss, or would even want to discuss in the public arena, but current family dramas have left me feeling too sad and bewildered to post anything on here lately.

I know things will improve, they always do, so our family will recover and move on.  It just takes time and moving through each day as it happens.

If you like, it is a bit reminiscent of my journey through grief after losing my soul mate.  Live each day as it happens, move through bad times the best you can, and learn to be resilient.  Tomorrow is another day and hope must never be allowed to falter.

Our Weather Today

Life goes on, just like the tide that flows in and out, or the sun that rises and sets each day.

Hugz to all my dear readers,

Margaret.

A Happy Visit

 

The sun was barely up when I left home this morning and set off for the other side of Auckland, a drive of about two hours.  I went to visit my youngest son, whom I’ve not seen for several weeks.

The weather was misty as the sun rose higher, but then the day turned out quite pleasant.  Even the traffic was not too bad – sometimes it can be horrific when trying to get across the Harbour Bridge.

There was little traffic on the road going up until I reached Auckland itself, and coming home now is all on a four-lane road so the moderately heavy traffic was not too much of a problem.

Youngest son and I had a lovely visit together, with lots of chatter and laughter.  It is so pleasant to be able to meet together, and I confess to dreading what it would be like if we faced the same lockdown issues that so many others are.

We have had several cases of the new covid strain at our borders – if it were to escape into the community I shudder to think what the results would be.  

We are getting a lot on our News about people beginning to be vaccinated (even Her Majesty The Queen, who is in her 90s).  Hopefully it will be the turning point for the world to return to more normalcy.

Take care and stay safe 😊

Margaret.

Loving My Phone

 

I am sometimes so thankful for modern technology, as it allows us to stay in contact with friends and loved ones like no other medium can. 

My ancestors had to make do with writing letters that could take up to three months or more to reach their recipients, especially when writing “home” from a new country.

A loving father signs off a letter to his daughter in 1859

I enjoy my phone as it gives me instant contact with people, a real-time communication that is ALMOST as good as actually being with the person.

This morning I have spent time chatting with a sister-in-law, my youngest son, and a good friend, and have been able to message with my daughter in America.

Not much housework got done though!

Receiving a letter must have been such an event (1915)

Our sweetpeas are in full bloom and smell heavenly when one goes out the back door.  I have picked several bunches for the house – they look pretty in their vases, but picking the flowers also stops the plants from putting all their energy into seed setting instead of flower production.

Who doesn't love having flowers in the house?

Have an awesome day 😊

Margaret.

What Next?

 Yesterday was a happy day, driving out into the countryside to a café on a blueberry farm, and meeting up for lunch with a large family group.

Today I am sad and stunned at the unexpected passing of yet another family member (not present yesterday).

My portable hard-drive is still throwing wobblies and my computer keeps crashing on me.  Our 15 year old cat needs to be put to sleep, the toilet is still out of action, and I am worried about a dear friend that I haven’t been able to contact for over a week.

It all seems to be piling up on me at the moment, so I have made the decision to quit social media for a few days until I can gather myself together again. 

Sending love to all of you, my dear blogland friends,

Stay safe and be happy J

Margaret, xx

Mother's Day

Today is Mother’s Day, a day set aside to especially appreciate mothers – of which I am one!

We don’t do gifts, instead, we talk and hug and laugh together.  We do this other days as well, but it is always nice to have special attention on this day, and I have enjoyed speaking with my far-flung children this morning.

It is ten years since my own dear mother left this world.  I still miss her smiling face, her care and concern, the little talks we shared together.  She will always remain in a special place in my heart.

I found this old photo (taken sometime in the 1930s) of my mother with her mother, and her mother – three generations together!

  

Thirty years later the photo was repeated – with myself, my mother, and her mother.

I first became a mother myself in 1974.  My children have enriched my life and given me much pleasure (and strife!) over the years.

I thought this made a lovely poem for Mother’s Day:

I KNOW A FACE, A LOVELY FACE,

AS FULL OF BEAUTY AS OF GRACE,

A FACE OF PLEASURE, EVER BRIGHT,

IN UTTER DARKNESS IT GIVES LIGHT.

A FACE THAT IS ITSELF LIKE JOY,

TO HAVE SEEN IT I’M A LUCKY BOY;

BUT I’VE A JOY THAT HAVE FEW OTHER,

THIS LOVELY WOMAN IS MY MOTHER.

It was written by Edward Wyndham Tennant especially for Lady Glenconner, his mother.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the great mothers out there J

Margaret.

Happy Holiday Memories

Every year my mother would take the four of us children to the beach for two weeks of holiday (my father had to stay home and milk the cows).

We always stayed at this camping ground in Tauranga.

The children would play in the sand, go swimming, play at the nearby playground, or generally just get up to mischief around the camp.  The adults would congregate beneath the umbrellas!

This photo brought back memories as I looked at the clothes (the photo is of me and my three younger brothers).  My mother used to make nearly all of our clothing herself.

We used to stay in one of the camp cabins.  I remember it had a pay-as-you-go electricity meter, which always seemed to run out in the middle of cooking dinner.

I was about ten years old in this photo.

This camping ground has now vanished and been replaced with luxury townhouses.  One thing that never changes in this world is change!

Stay happy J

Margaret.

LINKED TO Timeless Thursdays

My Grandad

It is 33 years today since my maternal grandfather passed peacefully away, two days after his ninetieth birthday.  I can still remember his gentle placid temperament and how his eyes would twinkle when he was playing a joke on his grandchildren.

I have digital copies of some of his photos, taken on an old Kodak Brownie camera (still in my possession!), so thought I might post a few of them.

Unfortunately I have no idea who most of the people are in his photos, or when they were taken (although I am guessing most were between 1910 and 1930).

My Grandfather.
I wonder if these clothes were high fashion at the time?

One of his first vehicles was a Douglas motorbike

Families used to get together then, as they do now.

These two women were obviously giving their dogs a wash.

Picnics were a popular pastime.

I loved these happy swimmers.

Horses were in daily use on the orchard.

Three young ladies, who may have perhaps been his sisters.

I love looking through these old photos.  If only they could talk!

Enjoy your day J

Margaret.

LINKED TO Timeless Thursdays

Cemetery Visit

No apologies for photographing a cemetery.  It is 18 months since my darling husband died and I sought solace by visiting his grave.  It takes me around an hour to get there, as the cemetery we chose is a provincial one situated in the town where we first met. 

This rather rickety-looking seat was in the older part of the cemetery

My father, mother, a brother, and a grandmother are also buried here, so husband is in good company!

A view across the cemetery

The cemetery is not large, being so much more intimate than the big city one, and has a very peaceful atmosphere with several large trees and all kinds of resident birds.  It is actually a lovely place to just sit for a while and ponder on things.

This area is reserved for Returned Servicemen

Whenever I leave a cemetery I like to follow Maori protocol and wash my hands before leaving, throwing some of the water backwards over my shoulders. 

Washing the hands this way is to clear any connection that has inadvertently been made with the spiritual world, and also leaves the departed ones in their places so they do not follow you.

Sounds superstitious I know, but the act always leaves me feeling purified somehow.  It gives me peace instead of turmoil.

I love this majestic old oak tree

Margaret.

A Birthday In The Family

Over the back fence

We still have strong winds today and they are not exactly warm.  There is no rain forecast but we have no sunshine either, only a lot of grey clouds.

Not the best of weather for my eldest son’s 46^th birthday.  It seems incredible to me that I have a son who is that old, because I don’t feel that old myself!

New garden beds

He has been busy in the garden the last few days, laying a new path and finishing off some new garden beds.  Now he is digging over ground to sow a new lawn.  He reminds me very much of his father, always with a project on the go.

Pathway in progress

We long ago gave up giving each other birthday presents, but grand-daughter and I will cook him a special dinner tonight.  Nothing spectacular, just a simple meal that we three can enjoy together.

Grand-daughter’s specialty is meatballs and rice with a sweet and sour sauce, and I have made a trifle for dessert. 

'Redwall' by Brian Jacques

I have finished another book – Redwall that was written by Brian Jacques.  It is a story about an evil cruel rat and his henchmen who try to destroy a peace-loving colony of mice.  The story was full of animals dying left right and centre, but thankfully no gory descriptions or I would not have been able to read it!  I think teenagers would appreciate the story more than I did.

And, now, time to search the bookcases and see what I want to read next.

Margaret.


Linked to Our World Tuesday

Joining The Centuries

I feel like a generational connecting point.  My grand-daughters are both born in the 21^st Century.  My grandmothers were both born in the 19^th Century.   I and my siblings were born in the 20^th Century.  I have known family members from three different centuries!

Today it is 31 years since my paternal grandmother died at the age of 93 years.  With her Victorian upbringing, she could be quite a stickler about certain things but she never lost her sense of humour and I still miss the long conversations we used to have about everything under the sun.

This is a studio photo of her as a young child.

She was an intelligent sociable woman who loved her home and garden, who put her family before all others, and who enjoyed a good argument with anyone willing to take her on!

In 1921 she married my grandfather.  He died less than four years later, leaving behind a woman who had to care for a farm, a 19 month old daughter, and a 4 month old son (my father).

(This photo is hand-tinted)

Six years later she remarried and had another son.  This marriage lasted 15 years before she was once again made a widow.  By now her bright auburn hair had become a pure snow-white.  I can remember watching her sitting at her dressing table in the mornings and brushing her long waist-length hair before tying it up in a bun and adding a hair net over it all.

In her later years she had her hair cut off shorter – for the first time in her life – and remarked how much easier it was to care for.  By now her mobility was becoming an issue and this greatly impeded what she was able to be involved in, although her interest in life and the world around her never waned and she still loved to have a good gossip with anyone who visited.

I wonder what my grand-daughters will say about me when they become grandmothers themselves!

Stay happy,
Margaret.