I can't help you on that. I can confirm that Mary stayed at the family home at Hornsby until her death (it may have been a month or so beforehand). She farmed the property and was largely self-sufficient for food, killing her own chickens and taking lambs to a local butcher. She had a reputation of being "different". I don't know what happened to have stopped what started as very sound studies.
Truly fascinating; thank you all. I have friends who lived just north of Hornsby (now live just south) and passed Edgeware David Avenue many times. The name rang a bell with Antarctica, but I had no recollection re coal. Thank you all.
Will start re-reading the book in the next few days. Such a lot has happened in the months since I first read it that I am hazy on some details. If you happen to find a copy in secondhand shop, don’t put aside till a better copy turns up. It has been very poorly bound and both mine and my sister’s copy fell apart.
Just checked the book, BarnabasAus. It does not mention actual place, just called Maitland. First daughter was Margaret and they were in a tent then. Mary arrives 17 months later and a boy some time later and they were in a house. The family lived in Ashfield for some time, in Church Street and then on corner of Church and Alt. I lived in Alt for some years so knew the area. St Johns in Church street is no longer the church it used to be not so long ago.
Indeed re St John's. I worked with the late wife, who died untimely of cancer, of the former rector. He was an honorary associate priest in our parish after his retirement from a small parish to the north of us, but relinquished his licence after her passing. We've lost contact, much to our regret.
I'm feeling a bit shaken. My next door neighbour's body has just been taken from her house. On Sunday when I walked past I noticed her letterbox was fairly full and meant to check on her, but didn't because it slipped my mind.
Today my neighbour across the road called and we both went and knocked on the door, apparently she has been successful in getting S to answer it, but I hadn't - even straight after the 6.2 earthquake.
We visited the neighbour on the other side who is frail and elderly but he hadn't seen her either. We discussed a plan of action and called the Police who broke in and found her.
It has been cold here today, leading i to winter, made worse by a very strong, icy wind which has blown all day. A dead branch put our power out till we discovered problem and shifted it.
We lit the Jotul stove in lounge room and it is beginning to warm the whole house. Son, with memories of his grandmother’s slow combustion stove on which she cooked all winter, is now cooking spag bol as it is known down here, on the side of the Jotul.
Probably full of salt like a lot of that type of food. There was some leftover and I will add some chopped olives and use it to stuff capsicums. More Reggiano on top.
Yesterday was cold too. Today has cold winds from the Alps bringing cold air and rain.
This place had ducted aircon in the roof. Yesterday was start of replacing that and upgrading. All morning three men were carrying ducting in weird shapes downstairs and outside to our carpark. We have five doors downstairs to outside and at one point, all were open. Talk about cross winds!
In response to my neighbour's death, and seeing the impact it had on F, the neighbour across the road, I have decided to give F contact numbers for a friend here in Christchurch and my brother and nephew up north. That way she doesn't have to worry about dealing with the Police and can just contact someone else to do this and deal with the situation.
Also I popped some relaxing bath salts in her letterbox this morning.
Are you like me having to hit the mute button (even on the ABC) due to the constant bombardment of political ads. We face yet another week of such garbage. I've already voted and think I might just warm up the DVD player over the coming week.
There are clearly advantages to being overseas... A DVD extravaganza sounds like a great solution -- best wishes for the next week.
Can any green thumbs identify this majestic specimen which is proving quite popular for photos at the moment? It does catch my eye as I walk to my office...or uni library as is the case today so as to complete an assignment.
@rhubarb i don’t watch TV here. We have one but grandson plays games on it. I could watch on iview but never think of it. I loathe, really loathe the phone calls. If I don’t know the number and it has Australia written as well on number showing, I don’t answer.
I think I should know - but I don't, GG may be able to help.
Today I lit 2 candles at church, one for my neighbour and one for Rachel Held-Evans. I also repeated the story of Rachel turning her hate mail into origami, (thanks Loth) to give some flavour of her approach for those who had never heard of her (and if I hadn't read about her in a post on the Ship several years ago, I wouldn't know who she was).
We sang the 23rd Psalm (Crimmond-?Sp), which was one of my mother's favourite hymns - I swear I could hear her singing descant beside me.
There was also mention of it being Mother's Day - and I thought of the man leading the prayers on Mothering Sunday in the Church where I grew up, who muddled his words and prayed for "our mothers who neutered us".
Can any green thumbs identify this majestic specimen which is proving quite popular for photos at the moment? It does catch my eye as I walk to my office...or uni library as is the case today so as to complete an assignment.
Does that mean I could start an absinthe lab at work?
It is a bit wet today so I didn't get closer on the walk in; I will. Looks very similar. Thank you, Dennis. Most distinctive flora around the campus have a sign; unless its was hidden under leaves. Thanks again.
Climacus, absinthe makes the heart grow fonder, or something like that.
I had always been fascinated by absinthe after being told that in the past it was banned in some countries because of it's high alcohol content and the bad effects it had on people's heath - blindness, death and all that. It's weird how romantic it sounded when I was a rebellious teenager. I guess anything forbidden by adults automatically became attractive because it was forbidden.
Having realised that, I now feel very old because the thought of trying it is so far in the past. Where's my Zimmer frame.
Climacus, absinthe makes the heart grow fonder, or something like that. .
Ha ha.
What intriguing thoughts; thanks Huia. It had a pull, though never enough to try it, on me as I wished to live in Paris with Toulouse-Lautrec (this was a fantasy...I could time travel -- perhaps the green fairy could've helped! ) and others, and "enjoy" that time. Strange how the mind works.
Though I fear with my wide shot I led us down this tangent. Here are the leaves . Changed thoughts?
I found an encouraging report today, a bright light in much of the electioneering news. helping refugees with jobs
The owners of this company growing fresh vegetables have been employing refugees who often arrive with no English. They conduct English classes for them over Skype and several have now been promoted to management positions, despite arriving with only half a dozen words of it.
It is too easy to get caught up in allegations, sneers and smears and fake news. The report was on SBS. One refugee is now a manager of thirty staff.
Wormwood?
"I think I should know - but I don't, GG may be able to help."
Totally unfamiliar to me but now I want to find some.
Enjoyed my Mothers Day. Son took me out to lunch; we ended up at Chocolate Dayz at Day's Bay, where I enjoyed a superior Eggs Benedict and felt cherished. His wife took her Mum to High Tea.
And I had a reply to an email I'd sent off to a pupil from the sixties. I suspected he'd have had an interesting life and I was not wrong: he's spent much his time in Perth teaching meditation, writing books — I'd googled him and he looked in great shape. Retired now, of course. Before I moved on from his college he'd given me a record of the Emperor Quartet. I'd had another student from the same era I'd also looked up but it was a couple of years ago and in the meantime his web page had disappeared so maybe he was gone.
Sounds like a lovely Mother's Day, GG. A fellow student who is not in my block course (he's with me in the distance one) took me out to Day's Bay a few Sundays ago when I was in Wellington for the block course; we also went to Lower Hutt and had a great breakfast at a place by the harbour.
I think Zappa warned me about the wind when I got the job here. From yesterday it has certainly begun to howl a gale...
Climacus, I used to enjoy reading your travelogues back in the lamented days of the wiblog. Clambering around harbour side rocks, mountain views, bush walks , along with overseas trips. I think it was a monastery in Georgia, certainly well off the beaten track for most Aussies. It is good to read your rambles as you settle in to NZ
There's a Katherine Mansfield short story called,At The Bay.
.
I still want to take the ferry across from Days Bay or Eastbourne to Wellington and may do so when I am up there in August.
The ferry trip to Matiu Somes Island is great too. I think you might come across a tuatara there nowadays; it has a fascinating history but now it's a wildlife reserve.
My youngest brother, the fitness fanatic, kayaked over to Matiu a few years ago. He was met by a friendly Ranger checking he wasn't going to do anything anti-social and they apparently had a good chat.
MaryLouise our family often went to Days Bay, which was one of the nearest beaches for swimming. At The Bay was the first story I read that mentioned a place that I knew, as when I was growing up all our books came from England.
Happy voting today Australia. Hope the sausage sizzles go well.
And sorry for my appalling sentence above...I meant "Most of my colleagues have heard of her". I am on some rather strong medication currently; given I did a quiz this morning for my Masters I'm rather concerned what I wrote! :help:
Thanks for the kind remembrances of my travel musings, Loth; I am enjoying settling in and exploring here.
Comments
Today my neighbour across the road called and we both went and knocked on the door, apparently she has been successful in getting S to answer it, but I hadn't - even straight after the 6.2 earthquake.
We visited the neighbour on the other side who is frail and elderly but he hadn't seen her either. We discussed a plan of action and called the Police who broke in and found her.
Peaceful dawn on Election Day in South Africa, will have breakfast and head out to vote. Hoping for peaceful and fair elections.
We lit the Jotul stove in lounge room and it is beginning to warm the whole house. Son, with memories of his grandmother’s slow combustion stove on which she cooked all winter, is now cooking spag bol as it is known down here, on the side of the Jotul.
May she rest in peace and rise in glory.
And all affected.
I noticed spag bol chips (crisps) in the supermarket aisle the other day.
Yesterday was cold too. Today has cold winds from the Alps bringing cold air and rain.
This place had ducted aircon in the roof. Yesterday was start of replacing that and upgrading. All morning three men were carrying ducting in weird shapes downstairs and outside to our carpark. We have five doors downstairs to outside and at one point, all were open. Talk about cross winds!
Also I popped some relaxing bath salts in her letterbox this morning.
Can any green thumbs identify this majestic specimen which is proving quite popular for photos at the moment? It does catch my eye as I walk to my office...or uni library as is the case today so as to complete an assignment.
@rhubarb i don’t watch TV here. We have one but grandson plays games on it. I could watch on iview but never think of it. I loathe, really loathe the phone calls. If I don’t know the number and it has Australia written as well on number showing, I don’t answer.
Today I lit 2 candles at church, one for my neighbour and one for Rachel Held-Evans. I also repeated the story of Rachel turning her hate mail into origami, (thanks Loth) to give some flavour of her approach for those who had never heard of her (and if I hadn't read about her in a post on the Ship several years ago, I wouldn't know who she was).
We sang the 23rd Psalm (Crimmond-?Sp), which was one of my mother's favourite hymns - I swear I could hear her singing descant beside me.
There was also mention of it being Mother's Day - and I thought of the man leading the prayers on Mothering Sunday in the Church where I grew up, who muddled his words and prayed for "our mothers who neutered us".
Could be wormwood?
It is a bit wet today so I didn't get closer on the walk in; I will. Looks very similar. Thank you, Dennis. Most distinctive flora around the campus have a sign; unless its was hidden under leaves. Thanks again.
I had always been fascinated by absinthe after being told that in the past it was banned in some countries because of it's high alcohol content and the bad effects it had on people's heath - blindness, death and all that. It's weird how romantic it sounded when I was a rebellious teenager. I guess anything forbidden by adults automatically became attractive because it was forbidden.
Having realised that, I now feel very old because the thought of trying it is so far in the past. Where's my Zimmer frame.
What intriguing thoughts; thanks Huia. It had a pull, though never enough to try it, on me as I wished to live in Paris with Toulouse-Lautrec (this was a fantasy...I could time travel -- perhaps the green fairy could've helped!
Though I fear with my wide shot I led us down this tangent. Here are the leaves . Changed thoughts?
And if you need a dash of autumn colour in your life, a photo from my walk on to the campus. Why on earth did I move here; a most unpleasant place.
Now I see it up close I don't think it is wormwood
gettyimages.com.au/photos/wormwood-plant
helping refugees with jobs
The owners of this company growing fresh vegetables have been employing refugees who often arrive with no English. They conduct English classes for them over Skype and several have now been promoted to management positions, despite arriving with only half a dozen words of it.
It is too easy to get caught up in allegations, sneers and smears and fake news. The report was on SBS. One refugee is now a manager of thirty staff.
"I think I should know - but I don't, GG may be able to help."
Totally unfamiliar to me but now I want to find some.
Enjoyed my Mothers Day. Son took me out to lunch; we ended up at Chocolate Dayz at Day's Bay, where I enjoyed a superior Eggs Benedict and felt cherished. His wife took her Mum to High Tea.
And I had a reply to an email I'd sent off to a pupil from the sixties. I suspected he'd have had an interesting life and I was not wrong: he's spent much his time in Perth teaching meditation, writing books — I'd googled him and he looked in great shape. Retired now, of course. Before I moved on from his college he'd given me a record of the Emperor Quartet. I'd had another student from the same era I'd also looked up but it was a couple of years ago and in the meantime his web page had disappeared so maybe he was gone.
I think Zappa warned me about the wind when I got the job here. From yesterday it has certainly begun to howl a gale...
There's a Katherine Mansfield short story called,At The Bay.
.
I still want to take the ferry across from Days Bay or Eastbourne to Wellington and may do so when I am up there in August.
MaryLouise our family often went to Days Bay, which was one of the nearest beaches for swimming. At The Bay was the first story I read that mentioned a place that I knew, as when I was growing up all our books came from England.
Happy voting today Australia. Hope the sausage sizzles go well.
(I know the square root of zilch about Aussie politics, so I'm not sure what a "desirable outcome" will be).
And sorry for my appalling sentence above...I meant "Most of my colleagues have heard of her". I am on some rather strong medication currently; given I did a quiz this morning for my Masters I'm rather concerned what I wrote! :help:
Thanks for the kind remembrances of my travel musings, Loth; I am enjoying settling in and exploring here.