Playing...

The camera does panorama shots automatically - you select the setting, then just sweep the camera and it stitches it together into one photo!

(This is the view from our front verandah btw - I was just playing.)

Blowing Bubbles

Blowing Bubbles - Poem by Ericka Northrop

Come with me; forget your troubles.
We'll take some soap and make some bubbles!
We can make them big or small;
It isn't very hard at all.
I can't be angry, sad or blue
When blowing bubbles-now, can you?
Just blow your blues into each one.
We'll watch them sparkle in the sun.
We'll send them out into the sky.
There go your troubles!
Poof!
Bye-bye.

Photos from Pete's party

A couple of photos from the party. Use your imagination on the cake - it's supposed to be a glass of dark beer, and the candles are in the shape of 40 :) Go on - really stretch your imagination lol. (I had to persuade Billy that Daddy wouldn't be able to blow 40 candles out even if we had that many!). It did taste a lot better than it looked anyway!

A few people commented previously on the nice view we have from our back deck. Here are a couple of better photos.

You may be able to distantly see a house & barn in the centre of the photo towards the back. Apparently (I'm not a local, but I've been told) that's called "Dunmore House" and was built in the 1820s.

I just found this on the net - fascinating! I must see if it's open to the public, or a residence or what! I have a mission :)

This land was a grant of 1000 acres that was selected by George Lang in 1822. George Lang had arrived in Van Dieman's Land in August of 1821 and proceeded to Sydney soon after. He applied for the position of Principal Clerk at Newcastle in 1822, however was appointed Storekeeper at the Commissariat Department at Liverpool instead. 13
A slab hut was erected on the grant. When George died in 1825 aged 23 the 1000 acre grant, named 'Dunmore' after George's mother, passed to George's brother Andrew. Andrew had followed George and their eldest brother John Dunmore Lang to Australia. Andrew and his father William worked hard to establish Dunmore however William drowned in 1830 when the vessel he was sailing to Sydney was wrecked in a squall. Andrew continued on at the Estate and a mill, Presbyterian Church and school were completed. Dunmore House, built before the death of William was a two story stone building facing towards the river.
Andrew Lang was involved in the community and on many committees such as the Maitland District Pastoral Association, Committee to collect subscription for the distressed in Ireland; Hunter River Vineyard Association; Committee for Maitland Hospital; Judge at Hunter River Agricultural Society show.14
In August 1844 Andrew's mother Mary Dunmore died at his residence 'Dunmore' aged 75. It was written of her -
' Mrs. Lang has been long and extensively known, both in this district and in Sydney, as a person of a remarkably vigorous mind, of great decision of character, of unbending religious principle, and of warm active and untiring benevolence. She will be long and deeply regretted.'26
On the 8th November 1849 Andrew Lang married Emily, the eldest daughter of Lieutenant William Caswell at Balickerra, Williams River (http://www.jenwilletts.com/early_settler2.htm)

Here's a closer look at it.

He's back..

Our blue tongue is back! Actually more than likely a descendant of last year's but good to see him/her back anyway.. We usually start to see him around the garden at this time of year.

I was coming back in from hanging the clothes out, and heard a scrabbling in the ag pipe - I guessed it was the bluey so kept an eye out for him and the camera handy. He came out of the pipe and just sat there posing for ages. I'd put the rest of Muffin's (our cat) tea out for the birds to pick at (minced chicken) - after he sat in the sun for half an hour or so he wandered across to the bowl and started eating it. It was really cool watching his blue tongue flicking out to eat! I didn't get a photo though as I'd shut the door by then and didn't want to disturb him by opening it.

You can click on the photo to get a bigger image. You can find out more about the blue tongue lizard here - http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/blue-tongue-lizard.html - I just found out heaps of stuff I didn't know!

Aftermath of the Floods

It's been over 2 months since the storms & floods of June, and the aftermath continues. I know several people who are still displaced while their houses are being repaired, or who have moved back in even though they are still waiting on repairs. Many businesses are still closed, some permanently, especially in Wallsend which was worst hit. Maitland's New Year's Eve fireworks have been cancelled as the river bank is still too unstable.


I take a back road to drop Billy at preschool normally - it goes over a wonderful little ricketty bridge - it's only been re-opened for a few weeks, it took that long for the water to subside. I took my new camera and risked life & limb taking some photos on Thursday :) It breaks my heart every time I go over the bridge to see all of the debris and destruction of such a pretty area.

You can click on any of the photos for a larger view.

This sign is at least 10m above the bridge - the debris that has collected against the road sign shows how high the river got.


Looking downstream - the "clumps" in the tree are more debris washed downstream.

Yet more debris :) Looking upstream.

The far side of the river - the road was all silted up and still has sand piled up along the sides.

A cute pelican who decided to pose so I could play with the zoom lens :)