Hannah and Sam's (Bates) wedding

Just a few snaps of Hannah's wedding on the 20th march 2010. It was a beautiful day and the local radio station puts on Sky Fire every year. Sky Fire is a huge fireworks display so we had that as a back drop to the evening.
Hope everyone is well. Love Belinda

Hello Family,

This epistle may take awhile, so will probably be finished over a day or two. LOTS of things

happening now, so I'm finally able to actually DO something. Yesterday, the manager

of Vista Village rang, & said I could go & look at Peters' room, & could start moving his "stuff" in!!

Oh! Glorious, Happy Day!!! I was to meet with her, & the medical staff, at 9.30 am, to discuss his

medical condition, medications, habits etc. We had a 2 1/2 hour meeting, covering all angles I think. I felt 10 years younger, & am still on a bit of a cloud. As soon as I hung up the 'phone, I rang Mo & the three childa. Everyone shared my joy!!! Tomorrow I move the bed in, & get it made up. Will take all linen, towels etc. I hope to have everything, excepting his clothing, "settled in" by

Saturday. I don't know when Peter will actually move, but I am hazzarding a guess that it would be about 2 weeks. The house here is sadly in need of a good cleaning, (which is usually done in dribs & drabs), but I can live with that while I get the "important" things done!! Everyone & everything has been sadly neglected for quite some time, so I don't think a few more days will matter too much.

A BIG job to be done "after the move", is pay back time. I owe so many people, for so much consideration, I really don't know where I will start. Friends are such gems, I don't know how I would have managed all these years without them. I also have to learn how to enjoy myself again!!! I'm looking forward to the lessons.

Sara, you asked if I had heard anything. I'm sure this will answer your question. Meg, thank you for the updates on Tom. Mo & I have both spoken to her in the last couple of days, & she was very cheerful & sounded happy. Said she was feeling quite good. Once again, I think "thanks" should go out to Meg, for taking control. It was great that the Myers all had Mark home for awhile. Mo & I each had a very lengthy conversation with him. He sounded very contented .

I enjoyed hearing from Lisa. Sadly, nothing from Jane or Stew. Also Wendy May filled us in with a bit of laverty news. Congrats. go out to lenice. I had hoped to get a note off to her, but I think that for the time being, this will have to suffice. A picture of the lucky guy posted on the

net would give us all a chance to "meet" him???

Bernice, WHERE ARE YOU??? We have missed you for a couple of months now. Would be great if you could fill us in on what is going on in your lives??? Tully girls must have lots to write about too. Sara is still faithful, & I'm sure I don't know how she does it. Thanks Sarie!

I havn't gone back on any old posts, so am probably missing a lot news items to comment on.

However, that will have to wait. I will get Pics. of Peters' place once he has settled in. His room is quite small, but adequate, full bath room, several sitting rooms, well equipped, & a very nice dining room for 10. Mostly men in the facility, so he should have lots of company. Security is impressive!!

Mo is having a pretty rough time. Joints seem to be "freezing up", (which is expected, but NOT appreciated!) She has the odd good day, but mostly "not so good." They are both VERY busy, so that doesn't help her pain any.

The ceremony of the Ordination was very impressive. All the

hierarchy from the Cathedral were present, & the Bishop himself performed the Ordination .

There was standing room only. All spare chairs were used up. The decorations, all church banners, flags, flowers etc., were very tastefully done, (Mo & Bill I think.) All in all, it was a beautiful ceremony, & Bill has already performed his first Holy Communion. (First OFFICIAL I mean!!!) Mo is the only one who ever cleans the church, & she keeps it spotless. It is a very pretty church. Meg, Tom & Mark have all seen it. All it needs are some young parishioners to carry it on to the future, when the Oldies are no longer around.

The wedding appears to have been a beautiful occasion! All participants looking very handsom, & lovely. The Mother of the Bride was very beautiful I thought. We have a few pictures, but expect more as time goes by. The M. of the B. wore my favourite colour, & it looked so good on her. When it is laurens' turn, I expect to be at it, if I can still get around!!

I must read over, for spelling mistakes, then must finish off, & will plan on Blogging more often, after the move. Love to each & every one. Keep it going! Love Kell

So I got all of these in a folder and it put them all on....so you get the full service just about !! Our Altar prior to service, Bill ready to do Communion; Bill in his Lenten robes after service; self, Bill and Gospel reader/preacher, Dave Johnson.
The ordination service went off well. I had Kell here which was special for me, and she enjoyed it, too.
I am going through a bit of a relapse of the old disease and sitting here isn't easy, so will finish off, post this and try to get back to answer questions, make comments, later today. I have to go back a long way to my last note, but will write stuff down so I don't miss anything.
We talked to Tom while Kell was here and I may call her again tonight...Bill is away to a meeting. We have a busy week with meetings all but tomorrow night, and I think we will have a friend in for supper and perhaps a bottle of Vino! Celebrated Cook's birthday on 19th and mine on 20th.....will have to restock! More later. Mona
I should have told you, this is Bill's first Communion service, on Sunday 21th. M

Our Archdeacon, Rev. Norman Collier, self and Bill taken immediately following Ordination. I can't put more than one pic. on at a time, so will send this and add another couple.

Belmore calling...

Hello Peoples, my apologies once again for not being on here as much as I should. Life, you all know how it is...

Finally Angelina is back at 'prayer-school' (pre-school). She has been off with the school sores that Giancarlo had a bad case of. It's rough on the pocket because I still have to pay, whether she attends or not. Anyway she went off happy as a lark this morning and I promised myself a day on the p.c. but still have to do the usual house stuff also.

Greg phoned me on Friday night from Kenny & Bernice's, he'd been through Sydney on his way South and stopped to have a cuppa with a girl in Ryde. While he was tomcat'ing his dog 'Dicky Knee' went walk-about from the back of the ute. Greg drove about for two hours searching for him, to no avail. Then when he'd made it to K & B's he got a call from North Ryde Vetinary clinic to say they had his dog (he's 'chipped'). So of course I'm to go and collect him on Saturday. I picked him up no worries and decided to let him have a front seat on the drive back to my place but being the huge dog that he is, when he was standing to put his head out the window he had his bum in my face (I could see all the detail ) and was whacking my face with his tail. Needless to say it was only a couple of suburbs before I pulled over and put him in the back of the wagon. Kids on the back seat so couldn't put him there. Tony has the wagon running on LPG and installed two tanks in the back so poor old Dicky Knee was a bit cramped on top of them and pleased to be out when we got home. I put him out the back with our dogs but it wasn't long before he'd started to dig under the gate and being as huge as he is he managed to push the gate right open (pulled the hinge out of the wall. Tony has to remount that). Well he didn't wander but Bruce, being the good 'host' that he is, insisted on staying out the front with Dicky Knee and so the two of them stayed there quite happily day and night sleeping on the patio sofa.

Greg arrived on Sunday, lunch time'ish. He had in tow a utility he'd bought mid-last year, an old XD Falcon. It was an impulse purchase at the time and he'd planned to do it up and resell it but on reflection he knew he'd never find the time nor the money to do it so decided to just resell it as it was. I told Tony so he went out to take a look. It's the type of project he's been wanting to do for years so between the two of them they decided to leave the ute here and over time Tony will do it up. He has all the contacts where he can get parts etc at low cost. It'll take a while but it's got him fired up and is out there now tidying up the Nissan ZX300 Fairlady to get it registered as we need the second car. When we get on top of things a bit better I think Tony will sell the Z and maybe get a more practical little run-about. The Z is only a two seater but was a hot little car before he sold it to his brother who destroyed it with stickers, bog and pulling parts off it. Tony's been slowly fixing it up but it'll never be as good as when he first had it.

Giancarlo is off on a school excursion tomorrow to see a stage show of Snuggle Pot and Cuddle Pie. I showed him a Banksia tree (the nasty 'Banksia Men' in the story) when we were at the reserve a couple of weeks back but there were no gumnuts about to show the main characters. They go on lots of cool excursions. The p&c put up the money for all the students to have access to the 'Mathletics' website so I have to get him on to do some work. He is very good at his math's so I'd like to keep him inspired while he's still young. He's a pretty fair reader but writing is still a bit of a challenge. He tends to write his letters bottom to top and flatly refuses to make an effort to try otherwise. I will have to get him a proper ruled book to work in.

Birds are all good although the two young'ns died, lice... I have put my hand-reared young'n out with the others but the father keeps attacking him and he's become a bit snakey being out there in the open. Too 'nippy'. I will bring him in tonight for a week or so to quieten him down again.

Cats are still crazy. Fish had another lot of fry then the mother promptly died, phew! Dogs are good enough. Bruce is still a Houdini, he gets out no matter how fortified the place is made. He's a funny dog.

Aunty Kell, how are things going for you? I think of you always and hope a place comes up in the nursing home soon. You need a break yourself, while you can still enjoy it.

Aunt' Mona, so this means you are both able to perform the service's at church? I wish our church had a permanent minister. I was thinking of both you and Aunty Cook on your birthdays.

I am heading back up to Mum in the school hol's. She says she's feeling much better, almost back to her old self but still has some rough spots where she gets real tired and breathless quite easily.

Wend', that's great about Lenice. They already have a house don't they? How are Terese and family and Carol?

Lyn, how was the wedding? I look forward to seeing all the beautiful pic's.

Jane, I might have to take you up on that offer to come see Patrick to get my eyes tested. Long way to go for a checkup but at least I will know what I'm getting. Last time I had a test I got glasses but after purchasing them the people (Asians) told me I didn't really need them. Bloody typical money grabbing. Cannot find Anglo Saxon medical of any sort here in Sydney, all Indian (they own all the medical centres) and Asians. The Injuns are Indian trained and bloody useless. I hate it...

I have to get off and do the banking etc. I should be sending Mark an email but will have to get on top of everything else first. Hope everyone is well,

Love always, Sara xxxxx

Anna Bay

Hello all
Hey Wendy whats this about your house being looked at? You planning on moving down south? Photos are great, very national geographic looking. Congrats to Lenice and fiancee.
All is pretty much the same here. Mum has to have a needle biopsy under CT this coming Tuesday. Its the test that was originally booked and cancelled due to risks the first week the tumour was found on CT? all this mucking around and we are back to square one again and no further ahead. She is ok at present, poking around doing the basics. Gets tired very easily and trying to put on weight with no luck. She still weighs in at 38kg. I just hope that they give us some answers soon.
Jacob has a job at Jaycar electronics building antenna's. He is enjoying the work and is suppose to be going fishing with a co worker this afternoon in his boat. I hope they still go because he really needs to find a few mates here and establish a social life away from his xbox and the internet. He does miss his mates in NZ and there is a bit of a pull there for him to leave and go back to the island. So I really want him to fit in here.
Marcus is Marcus very social and rarely at home. Always off with his mates somewhere.
I have scored a couple of night shifts at the hospital this week which is great. They are very limited at the moment and I have not worked since early January. Its good to be back in the thick of it. I just hope that it keeps coming.
Beautiful day here today, sunny with a very slight breeze. Aunty Cook is coping the wet weather up there she said. And it was great to hear on the news last night that there is 25% less of the country now not drought affected.

Well Aunt Mona and Uncle Bill, I guess the ordination is over by now, I hope it was wonderful for you and having Aunty Kell there would have made it that much more special for you. I was thinking of you both.
Hope everyone is well, happy birthday for tomorrow Aunty Cook and to you Aunt Mona for Saturday. Lyn I know the wedding will be beautiful on Saturday. Please post some photos for us all out here in cyber land.

I miss my little brother, he has phoned a couple of times. Said Jett was excited to have him home but it was short lived as he is a typical teenager. Well we all know what that is like bless him.

Lissa how are the studies going? have not been in touch out west for awhile but I think of you all all the time.

Lots of love Meg

Hi all,

I am not sure who I have told and who I haven't, so I will just let every one know who reads this.

Lenice got engaged to Andrew Heffernan on 3rd Feb.

They will be married on 25th Sept this year. It will be a reasonably small wedding, mainly immediate family and a few friends. She has it all organised already. Now they can sit back and enjoy.

Nothing much is happening here. We have had a couple of lookers at the house but nothing serious yet. Just have to be patient and someone will come along and love it (I hope).

Len and I had two days at the Gold Coast, we both are NOT Gold Coast people but we went to the RM Williams Outback Spectacular Show again, I wanted to see the new show- The Light Horsemen, We both thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone.

I also wanted to see the Polar Bears at Sea World so we stayed at the Nara Resort and had a two day pass into Sea World. They were worth putting up with all the crowds.

anna bay update

Hello all,
A quicki to let you know how the day transpired. But firstly I loved the photo too Lyn and the permewans paper I discovered after I had ripped it off the photo. None the less I took the lot up to mum to show her. Aunt Mona is crouching taking the photo. Jane at the back, the Tullys Neals Paytons and Myers. You pick them out now Sarie, guess who's nappies are being hung out???

Nat Wendy and Toni and families we were thinking of you all yesterday. Mum still goes to say at times "I'll ask Junie ..... "then pulls herself up. A great poem posted thank you.

Lisa lovely to talk to you as always and baby Zappa extending his heart felt greetings in the background.

Now to our day today. We started off at 7:50am to head to Belmont for the respiratory function tests. The results were good, the gas exchange not too hot but not bad either. Then back to the Mater Hospital for the PET CT scan. I waited in the car for 2& 1/2 hours while that was being done and read my book. (11am she went in and had been fasting, feeling rather peckish at this stage) She got out of there at 1:45 and then we had to wait another 45 minutes to see Dr Arnold. No other hot spots showed up on the scan, only the lung so that was a good thing. Mum is so emaciated that you can see her subclavian artery pulsating. UGGh. So now we have gone the full circle and guess what. She now has to have the needle biopsy under CT that was booked and cancelled the first week that the tumour was discovered. Talk about frustrating to no end. Poor darling couldnt hear what the Dr was saying. ( She just kept nodding then said she didnt hear him when we got to the car). So we wait until we get notified of when the biopsy is to be, and that will be within the next 3 weeks before we see Dr Arnold again. That is where we are up to now.
Mum is tired of course and is at home having a bit of a rest. I will cook tea and drop it up to her.

Marcus came home with a new friend yesterday, of the reptile family, 21cm long legless and thinner than a pencil. Yes a bloody snake. He and Jacob searched the internet and concluded that it was a baby yellow whipped tail snake. A snake is a snake to me. HE is suppose to let the thing go today but its still here and Marcus is not. I think he thinks he is Steve Irwins protegee. Yeah right.

Must get to the kitchen now so I will say cheerio now.
Love Meg

10/30/10 Belmore

Hello Fam', sorry I haven't been on but as you all know, one thing or another insists on taking our time. Belinda, love the pics but the only one I recognise is Mum hanging the washing (anyone surprised?)...

Big Girl, I'm glad Mum handled her first night alone ok. We will be back up at Easter though, not sure if one or two weeks yet...

It's nigh on 5pm and I should be organising dinner but have decided to blogon instead b/c the house can 'wait', as poor old Mark got to see first hand :o/

It was wonderful to have Mark home even for such a short time and less than favourable circumstances but at least he got to see Mum well enough to sit up and talk. It was very sad to see him go, I think we all shed a few tears. I received a message at around 5:30ish yeasterday arv' (although I didn't see the message 'til around 10ish) to say "the eagle has landed" and he was back in good ol' London Town. Only 26hrs, I thought it'd take longer. At least he arrived home safely. I bet young Jetts nightly X-Box games with Jacob will be coming to an abrupt halt now that Dad's home and he'll be studying hard :o)

I have been trying to de-clutter the house but am going the wrong way about it. I really must go one room at a time. SO SO much to do. I'd best start by getting dinner on now :o/ Take care family and love to all,

Sara xxxxx

Around the Boree Log

A favourite of

June

28/06/1928 - 10/03/2009

AROUND THE BOREE LOG

by John O'Brien

Oh, stick me in the old caboose this night of wind and rain,
And let the doves of fancy loose to bill and coo again.
I want to feel the pulse of love that warmed the blood like wine;
I want to see the smile above this kind old land of mine.

So come you by your parted ways that wind the wide world through,
And make a ring around the blaze the way we used to do;
The "fountain" on the sooted crane will sing the old, old song
Of common joys in homely vein forgotten, ah, too long.

The years have turned the rusted key, and time is on the jog,
Yet spend another night with me around the boree log.

Now someone driving through the rain will happen in, I bet;
So fill the fountain up again, and leave the table set.
For this was ours with pride to say - and all the world defy -
No stranger ever turned away, no neighbour passed us by.

Bedad, he'll have to stay the night; the rain is going to pour -
So make the rattling windows tight, and close the kitchen door,
And bring the old lopsided chair, the tattered cushion, too -
We'll make the stranger happy there, the way we used to do.

The years have turned the rusted key, and time is on the jog,
Yet spend another night with me around the boree log.


He'll fill his pipe, and good and well, and all aglow within
We'll hear the news he has to tell, the yarns he has to spin;
Yarns - yes, and super-yarns, forsooth, to set the eyes agog,
And freeze the blood of trusting youth around the boree log.

Then stir it up and make it burn; the poker's next to you;
Come, let us poke it all in turn, the way we used to do.
There's many a memory bright and fair will tingle at a name -
But leave unstirred the embers there we cannot fan to flame.


The years have turned the rusted key, and time is on the jog;
Still, spend this fleeting night with me around the boree log.


Boree (sometimes accented on the last syllable) is the aboriginal name for the Weeping Myall - the best firewood in Australia except Gidgee.

A quick hello and photo

Hope everyone is well and having a good 2010.
Today in the post I received a photo from mum and I knew everyone would love it. Best of all was the paper it was wrapped in, paper I am sure you will all recognize.

Hope everyone is well and I don't have any news wedding plans well under way Hannah has done every thing and I am just a spectator. She is so organized, it is a small wedding but should be beautiful.

Love to the Myers family and will try and call Meg again. I know what its like to be looking after an ill family member so love to you all.
Belinda

Yes Meg!

Hello all,
Yes Meg, I still read the blog when I get time. I just tried to phone Meg, no answer. I went to write the other day, but when I went on, there was the fastastic photo of the Myers. I did not want to move it from the first blog when you open it, so I waited until another blog entry.
It was great to chat to Mark on the phone, and I had a good chat with Aunty Tom last week too. Keep us posted please.
All well here, and Ronny's dad is doing well. Had his second cataract removed on Friday, so once the recovery is over, he will be able to read again, which is what he is looking forward to. We still manage to see him every day at the Nursing Home, and nearly every day I wish Aunty Wyn was still there!
Mum and Dad are doing well. Stewart and neice Anthea are in Canberra for the weekend, they caught up with Belinda last night, heard they were not feeling so fresh this morning!
Love to all,
Lisa

Thanks Meg

Hi All.
Please Meg continue to write on the blog, I look at it regularly for updates on Tom.
I was so pleased to hear that Mark came home. I had emailed him just after Mum passed away but he said he just didn't have the time.
The photo of you all was fantastic and something you will always have, will you get a copy printed out for Tom?
Even though I don't phone I do constantly think of you all.
Love Wendy

Anna Bay

Hello all

I don't know if anyone else is reading this blog or not. Or am I wasting my time here? For those that may be interested in whats going on in Anna Bay here goes......

Just arrived at Gregs 10:50am, Went down to mums at 7:30am, she had a good sleep and slept through to 4am. She had been up and had her breakfast and went back to bed until 9:30am and read the paper. Good to see her feeling well enough to take an interest in the paper and to be eating again. Last night was her first night on her own in over 4 weeks. The last time I tried it she called me at 2:30am because she didnt feel right. So it was a success. I enjoyed sleeping in my bed and had a restful night.

Sara and Angie caught the bus back to Sydney yesterday am and Mark caught a train to Sydney last night. He is bunking down at Sara's and spending his last 3 days with Alex, his step son who is now a whopping 22yrs old!!!

It was so hard waking up this morning and not having Mark in the house. It has been a wonderful 3 weeks in the sense that we have been able to reconnect as siblings. It was very difficult saying goodbye to him yesterday as you can well imagine. I shed a tear or two. But now that we are reconnected I will not let our communication across the miles lapse as I have done in the past 10 years.

After spending time with Mark and listening to his busy schedule over there in London I can well appreciate why he didnt get on the blog. This year will be his 20th year of studing and he said he hopes this will be the last of it. At the end of it all he will have the title of a financial engineer. Please dont ask me to explain his career as its all above my little ol head. He will have to go into that one day.

Johno I know that you dont get on the blog but for everyone else out there, Johno rang here the other night and had a great chat to Mark. Now Johno is not known for being big in the conversation department and Mark is known to hold his own with the best of them when it comes to chatting. But there were long silences on the phone this end while Johno was chatting on and Mark got off the phone and said. Wow, that was the most I have ever heard Johno talk!!!!

Good luck with your results Fulla when they give them to you that is.

Uncle Ray I hope things are progressing in your department too and that you have had word from the surgeon. Mandy if you get this can you pass it on to your Mum that I will give her a call.

NOW, those of you who have phoned mum and found that she cant hear you on the phone and hands in over to who ever is there at the time to take the call for her. I have put another phone in the house now for her. the ring tone is not so hot so she needs to be near the phone to actually hear it ring. But she has no trouble hearing now with the new phone installed.

I must sign off now and go and hang out the washing and pick up a few groceries. Ive finished vaccuming and mopping down at mums and generally tiding up now its time to tackle gregs house!!!!!!!!! No end to it is there.

Hannah all the best for your wedding, I'm sure it will be a special day for you all. Word has it that the Canadians are coming over for the wedding!! How nice for you all, have a lovely day and all the best for the future.

Peter T. happy birthday for the 2nd, wish could have been there for tea.

Love Meg

Anna Bay

Hello all

Just a quick note to update everyone. Mum is coasting along at present, her food intake has picked up but she has not put on any weight. She is still breathless with exertion but that is part and parcel of the process and the enlarged heart does not help any.

This Thursday she has to see the oncologist again with the results of the bronchoscopy. Then the plan of care will begin. The waiting for results is very frustrating as you can imagine.

Kenny and Bernice came up on the weekend. it was only a small margin of time that we were all together as a family since I dont know when. But it was lovely to be together. Kenny and Bernice went home yesterday and Greg and Jacob went to Bourke last night to get a motor for his ute. Why!! well Greg in all his wisdom blew his up and needs his vehicle for work and play so had to go. Mark will head to Sydney on Thursday to spend a few days with Alex before he flies home on Monday. Then we will be fractured again.

Last night Mark and I got Dads slide projector up and running. It was great to go through some!!! of his slides but we needed Mum and Kenny with us to point out who was who and where places that we didnt recognise may be. I will up load some photos for you all when we sort through them all and get them converted from slides to photos.

Jacob will have to use photoshop then to remove shadows from faces in some slides to improve the pics. You should see Nans yard with all the flowers and roses. You can tell you dont have a green thumb Johno.

Marcus is off to the fish farm today on a school excursion, something to do with his ag class at school. He has probably missed the bus again by the sound of the dog next door barking. So I will close now and go and drive him to school then go to Mums.

Love to all

Meg