Courtesy taliesin @ morgueFile free photos

World environment day which was some days ago…

…well Life and Caring happened in between, but Hi, I’m back

How am I doing world environment day … every day
How do I see it … every day

In simple language, in a grandma, mum and dad and family way

Abundance of newly striked cuttings vigorously growing

Grow plants from cuttings to spread and share the abundant growth and joy around

Huge mushrooms on a dinner plate grown from mushroom compost by friends…a by product of spreading compost under the orange trees :)

I’m going to again push my love of seeing bees busily collecting nectar amongst the bushes and herbs which we grow in our tiny patch….as soon as the sun comes out even in winter here in Australia the bees come out foraging. But soon I’ll have to prune my flowering Lavender hedge which I am so loathe to do. I know, I have to be cruel to be kind to keep my hedge nice… But still !!! Also this time of year our little veggie/herb patch looks a bit sad as I really need to plant spinach to fill in the hole left by the finished Basil and tomato

On an aside though, did you know that Rhubarb flowers and goes to seed. That spike of a tall Lacey flower though has the most disgusting smell which made me promptly cut it off…but there are still stalks of rhubarb growing for a second crop….firstly I wondered how to harvest rhubarb as I’ve never grown it before, so I Googled for info and found that you twist the stalks at the base and they come off easily. Then as I hadn’t cooked rhubarb for years I found a recipe which may have been a Jamie Oliver one. The instructions said to roast it which I did in an old-fashioned Corningware dish from the Op shop. The dish was just the perfect size. Pour the required sugar on top with a tiny dribble of Vanilla essence. Cover and cook. There was a suggested time and then also that you’ll smell it as soon as it’s done….well that was so correct as to the smell; divine. Next time though I’ll use less sugar. It was SO rich I could only eat a bit of it with my homemade thick Greek yoghurt.

I was happy to have learnt that old milk is a good fertiliser even though it was only half a cup….my parsley is thriving

Then memories…Remembering when…the tying up like a bandaged bear and staking, with a neighbours help, of a vandalised small tree on our park just opposite our house. It is now a huge gum tree.

Also saving a tiny acacia tree years ago from having the long leaves plucked off by then toddler grand-daughter, explaining that we wanted to see the tree grow big. It has!

So there’s many a way to celebrate World Environment Day. We care. We do it everyday without even thinking sometimes, just like the older generations before us.

If you pause for a moment, how or what have YOU done. How do you care.

Do you wish to share?

Even the seemingly trivial things?

Whether you are just starting life’s journey or well on the way like us. With a looking forward to it soon to be retired hubby. New happenings and new adventures and new horizons but always learning.

Courtesy Jusben@morgueFile free photo

Happenings whilst trying to have a conversation when little children are part of the picture

Conversation on the phone with a mother …
Chatting about every day happenings
Hearing little boy playing in the background
Oh you’ve finished, that’s good says mum to boy
We continue chatting
Little voice pipes up, Quick quick
Mum saying, good boy, quick into the bathroom!

Little boy wanting to talk to grandma
I chat to him, he remembers things we did on holidays…”yes”

He tells me about some dogs coming into back yard
I know a lot of head nodding is part of the conversation
Bye grandma and a kiss is blown

Me back to chatting with the mother
Little voice wanting to chat again and tell grandma his finger is sore
Pointy finger held up I’m told by mother

More about the dogs in the yard told me by the mummy
The neighbours two young boys sitting in a toy electric jeep car found and salvaged by them from the annual council clean up.
Add a lot of yipping and yapping
One small dog and a larger strong dog
A struggle as they try to hold dogs

The picture…
Arms, legs and paws going every which way as they try to “drive” to their house next door

And one delighted and wide eyed little boy watching it all

Joys of a semi rural last day of holidays….for Rachel

…and lessons from a little boy to grandma to be patient and let him explain himself x

Photo Courtesy revwarheart@morgueFilefreephotos

Love my family
No matter the ills
Keep on keeping on
With patient explaining

With patient explaining
With hugs and support
For years long ago we needed support
…Now turns the tide
Young must support the aged.

Then too also
With loving concern
To strengthen and cheer
The younger in need…

Remember to hug your loved ones today
For that is all that matters…a hug and a smile

Love is patient , Love is kind

1 Corinthians 13

Dedicated to those who care for the aged, the weary, those who suffer in body and soul.
Dedicated to those who suffer due to age; the failing of mind and body.

In haste and briefly touching base
Joining in with Essentially Jess for…
Blogging on Tuesdays

Memories flitting through my brain as I do my pile of ironing this beautiful autumn morning, like moving grains of sand on a beach. There one moment then gone. Like life, fleeting.

Little boy’s words….in tunnel driving to airport with two and a half year old little boy in back seat saying over and over

“point…point….point…point”

????

Ah Hahhh!

…..There were green arrows on the roof of the tunnel pointing up ( it seemed) showing all lanes open

Daddy cutting grass…Little boy….”lowing mawn” and putting his ear “muffins” on…Ear muffs for the noise.

Me, Grandma, pointing out a huge crane on a building site as we drove to airport ,
Little boy stating……WOW…
Grandpa do, Grandpa do…
He was stretching out his arms showing how BIG the crane was. Only problem being, grandpa was driving and couldn’t stretch out his arms wide.

Little boy not wanting an afternoon nap, kept wandering out with lots of excuses, last one being as he carried out a big book open wide …”story?”

Memories, of a now adult oldest daughter, when about 6 years old saying to me with my red dress on…mummy you look like a princess….priceless …love you too.

Chatting by phone to the same daughter today. She asked her little boy if he wanted to speak to Grandma…NO….he wanted to come and SEE Grandma. Cute boy!… I think I’m allowed to be a little bit biased though:)

Years ago my husband helping a friend carry an old Auntie in a fireman’s lift ….crossed arms and hands clasped on wrists down flights of stairs in flats in Germany to get her to car.

Little cousins and friends who are now adults, playing, running and sliding down monstrous sand hills near Robe S.A. and getting caught in a wind sand storm…older cousins helping younger cousins escape. Clothes full of sand.

Running home from school in Germany as a little 6 year old because I was so scared of the rumbling line of tanks on a local cobbled street in Lampertheim Germany. They were the American occupying forces on a manoeuvre and seemed monstrous to a little shy girl.

How memories flit through our brain, random and without order, rhyme or reason…but yes , there quite often is a reason or triggers. Yesterday glancing through an old diary of my mother’s going back more than 20 years make for memories.

9th of May , and a spring day in Germany still very cold but wanting to wear a white with little green patterns summer dress . It had ties at the shoulders and came with a red puffed sleeve blouse. My mother had made it for my 6th birthday.

Looking with soft heart at a photograph of my mother’s house where she spent teenage years. My mother had described it in words but this was my first actual pictorial view.

Heppenheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany

Being told of the exciting news of a first grandchild to be.

Holding with awe our first grandchild, and another and another. Six precious beings from teens to babes.

Enjoy and savour the beauty of this day or find something to hold onto that creates a thought of peacefulness.

As the Flower of the field, it toils not nor spins…

Contents and photos by Alexa.
Till later…

Linking up for IBOT…I blog on Tuesdays with Essentially Jess

5 Random Things I am thankful for this day

1..Summer Fun and memories
2..Cool days a coming
3..New lavender buds-love them
4..Comfort food for a cool morning
5..Observations from being with little boys

1..Thankful for the lovely family and friend times we shared outdoors during our summer here in Australia. Summer fun, Beach fun, picnic times, impromptu cricket games in the true Australian fashion when all that was available was a tennis ball and bats. Camp chair and Esky/chilly bins were pressed into service as stumps. Fun had by all…

Summer time is also our wedding anniversary so am thankful for the lovely time and meal we shared a La restaurant@home and a fabulous bunch of red roses from Aldi for $5. So love them.

Eating out at home in pleasant atmosphere

2..On to today and Oh so sad…today being the last day of Summer and the sky is definitely NOT showing summer weather. It’s grey and miserable with constant drizzle. Cool enough for me to search out my sheepskin scuff slippers this morning instead of bare feet. Thankful for warm feet.

Cold weather approaching and summer has passed

An upside of overcast weather is that photographs come out much better because the sun is not leaching out colour. I just use my iPad for convenience

3..Lots of buds happening in my garden on my Lavender hedge which I grew completely from my own rooted cuttings with a huge dose of patience. Happy days cause I love Lavender.

4..Cool weather this morning made for wanting a warmer breakfast but not as heavy as porridge. So out comes the trusty Couscous. A very easy and quick meal with only the breakfast bowl to wash up….cook according to directions on pack. I used the microwave. Towards the end add a few sultanas. Allow to stand for a while. I also add a drizzle of olive oil when cooking. I make sure there’s a bit of liquid left once couscous is cooked or else add some more then stir in a bit of milk powder and a drizzle of Maple Syrup. Breakfast done and nice warm stomach…thankful..(I think making it with quinoa would also work and be somewhat healthier, but more expensive.)

5..Observed one little boy on Wednesday…daddy snoozing on lounge chair after a long day at work. B going up to daddy with…Tickle Tickle…not much response…sometime later B climbs up and crawls under daddy’s arm, daddy cuddles him and continues napping…B rubs his fingers on daddy’s arm for a while, lies there for a while and slithers out again down the side of the chair…like a little puppy. It was so cute but because I was cooking I couldn’t take a photo and just observed. Too sweet and precious daddy time x

Observation about B’s little cousin on Tuesday during showering time. I put a bit of shampoo on H head and then proceeded to wash and rinse shampoo off….little voice piping up “awww grandmaaa” every time I put a container of water on his head…I was spoiling his fun playing with his toys…awww grandmaaa

Drawing of a field of flowers with colourful “blooms”

Grandchildren are SO precious and take our mind away from the cares of the everyday. Indeed thankful for blessings.

What are you thankful for on this day? Count them and you’ll be surprised.

So another week ends. Blessings

By Alexa
Photos belong to me too

Joining in and thanks ….
A rural journal blogspot Random 5 Friday

Memories… walking through fields of grass  

Photo courtesy Proven Winners

Son newly practicing  his abseiling skills using the huge gum tree in our yard with all his ropes and tackle instead of the cliffs and canyons.

Same son lying on lounge in his suit utterly spent after a gruelling day at American Consulate for his interview to migrate? and live in USA to be with his now wife.

At Sydney Airport with family saying our goodbyes with tears  in our hearts. Son and his wife entering restricted area for  Customs where we could not follow but only look and observe them walking away as they returned to USA….a little 2 year old voice calls out plaintifly…. “come back!!!!” . Our son told us later it was the hardest thing he had to do to keep walking and not look back. As I write this it makes me tear up again.

Son writing some poetry…I saw a quote recently…”Poetry is Code” . That must be why he is a programmer.

The smiles on daughters and sons in law faces  at the birth of their dear children.

Me knocking on daughter’s locked front door- knock, knock,knock….little voice from the other side calling “mummy” , footsteps running,  “grandma.”

Me carrying a restless unhappy  little boy who is trying to wake up properly. Whistling occasionally as I walk around among big gum trees  in the still Australian bush beyond the back fence-line …a little voice pipes up “Music”

Me going for a walk in the same still bush on last day of this year with 2 little boys, cousins, trying to find where the tractor that we can hear chug chugging away is. We find it, and holding my hands we just stand there listening and watching from  a distance…chug chug chug, a tractor connected to pump water from a dam for the cows….Very soon its time to go back for tea. One little boy runs to a huge tree and tries to hug  and climb it. Arms are MUCH too little so I lift him up and he walks up the tree horizontally… up and up, way above my head. Another voice pipes up “me too, me too”. So up we go and again and again till grandma’s arms wear out!

“Grandma, God is little cause he can come under the door…he can see everything”.

…and a little funny one, “Grandma can you lick the gravy off my meat I don’t like gravy” from someone quite a few years ago now

Life is full of memories or is it the other way round, memories are life