The Next Stage

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

'Grand Designs Australia'...???

Time for an update on the building work next door...
Well last week was a bit of a washout...yes we had a number of rainy days...

A change in the plans to include a pool, perhaps!!!

A view from my sewing room...doesn't a building site look sad when there are puddles everywhere...

Brad was the only person who we saw come to the site during the week... and he got quite muddy by the end of each visit...

I noticed this tomato plant growing right where the new fence will go... obviously self sown from the compost bin which used to sit near there...

So no progress on that building site, but not so at my niece's place! Her daughter Lucy had been very busy on her building design...

This house included an area for some chooks (Aussie for hens), solar panels, a roof top garden, water tanks to catch rainwater, solar panels and 2 ponds, one for fish and the other for the frogs!! The young architect/designer had thought of just about everything, lol!!

Lucy stands behind her environmentally friendly house made of duplo...

Another view of the house...

My niece has been able to buy all this Duplo from op shops, and lucy has so much fun with it!

Monday, June 17, 2013

Sisters of Stitch 4th Birthday!

Since I retired in 2011, I have been attending a group called Sisters of Stitch who meet regularly at Chermside library. It is a group which is not run by a committee and no fees are charged other than the occasional collection for tea, coffee and milk money. Attendees bring whatever craft project that they wish to do, and as a result there is quite a variety of lovely items being worked on. Last Wednesday, we celebrated the group's 4th birthday.

The cake plus cupcakes...

A few of the ladies start taking the lids off food containers or gladwrap off plates of food....

Everyone (well almost everyone) is watching the cutting of the cake...

Judie, the organiser had asked people to bring in any examples of their earliest crafting work that they still had..

Like this school sampler...

And this embroidered apron made by one lady when she was in Grade 1 in a small one teacher school near Childers...

This was another sampler and sandwich plate doiley made by one member...her grandmother had taught her how to embroider...

Some of the group standing around chatting during afternoon tea time...

I'm disappointed that this photo came out a bit blurry...it is a tapestry done in fine threads. Glenda, one of our members has stitched away at this for months. She told us that working on it helped her through the tough time of losing her job 12 months ago... It is magnificent!

Here below, Judie is holding Glenda's work up and you can also see a pile of quilts on the table...some of the ladies brought along their early or first quilts.

Sisters of Stitch also become involved in the community and to celebrate our 4th birthday, Judie asked each of us to donate a picture book. The books have now been taken to the library at the Royal Childrens' Hospital ... we collected 2 boxes of books!

Another view of the books...

And last Wednesday I also took along some other items...yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, nappies (diapers) ...

One of our regular SOS ladies is the guide leader at Chermside. This guide group is collecting cloth nappies, baby clothes and personal items for female prisoners in PNG who have babies...

( My friend Olga passed away peacefully early this morning...

When I come to the end of the road, and the sun has set for me; I want no rites in a gloom filled room; why cry for a soul set free. Miss me a little...but not too long and not with your head bowed low. Remember the love that once we shared; miss me but let me go. For this is a journey we must all take and each must go alone; It's all a part of life's plan; A step on the road to home. When you feel lonely and sick of heart, go to the friends you know; And bury your tears in their loving arms. Miss me - but let me go. R.I.P Olga xx )

The author of the above passage seems to be Unknown, however I have noted how this text is often printed in funeral order of service booklets. it is very comforting to bereaved people.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Last Saturday afternoon...

In late March this year, I wrote a post about Olga, a former student of mine.

Olga, Year 7

Olga had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in early 2012 and despite a number of courses of chemo, the disease was particularly aggressive and not really responsive to treatments. Olga and Terry came back to Queensland to attend a clinic here which offered a different chemo treatment. But it was all too much for her body and the chemo treatment was discontinued. Instead, Olga visited friends, family and places around the Sunshine Coast and consulted with palliative care staff.

My lovely Olga organised a celebration now that she was back in Queensland... A Renewal of Wedding Vows, a Welcome Back to Queensland for the couple...and very sadly...A Wake. The date was set, June 8 and I had warned DH that nothing would stand in the way of us going. At the beginning of that week, Olga suffered a setback and was hospitalised... for a number of days things didn't look too promising that there would be a celebration on the Saturday. Then on Friday, Olga's husband announced that Olga had rallied and that the ceremony would definitely be on! On Saturday morning, this precious lady had to be hooked up to a morphine pump, as she was in such pain, but she would be allowed to leave the hospital to attend the ceremony. Hallelujah!

So it was that at 3.30 pm, friends and relatives gathered... the bride was due at 4pm. While we waited, I chatted with 2 former students who used to be shorter than me when I was their Grade 5 teacher, and in the case of Louise, Grade 7 teacher as well!!

Louise and Leanne who have grown quite a bit taller since I taught them

DH and I sat at a table of young people...except for the lady at the head of the table, these were all school friends of Olga :-)

Olga arrives in a wheelchair and with sheer determination stands up and walks towards Terry on her brother's arm...her other brother is videoing the ceremony.

No need for a caption on the next photo, as Terry greets his bride...

The Celebrant conducts the very moving ceremony...there were many of us reaching for our hankies/tissues...

After the ceremony we all lined up, ready to take our turn in congratulating this special couple...

Olga and Terry with her schoolmates...

Olga came round to all the tables; here she is at 'our' table..

It was a lovely afternoon to be part of. Olga is at present in palliative care and her friends and family continue to send her heaps of love, positive thoughts and prayers. She is so dignified and beautiful and I'm so glad that she 'found' me again via Facebook.
I must also mention that the Management and staff of Kawana Bowls Club were so understanding and accommodating and generally brilliant!

Monday, June 10, 2013

The progress on the building site...

Well another week has gone by and there's been quite a bit of progress next door...
Last week the plumbers were hard at work in some wet, muddy conditions...but finally all those pipes had been laid...

On Monday morning, a truck arrived with pallets of blocks...

The digger operator was still moving piles of soil around...I took some photos from the front veranda...he was to work on that throughout the day...

Meanwhile, those pallets were unloaded...

That night about 6pm, another truckload of bricks arrived and were unloaded in the dark...the little forklift has a headlight with a very strong beam!