New Growth & Family Farewells
There's a perfectly good reason why there has been a lack of crochet related posts from me lately.
That is the reason.
When Spring fully hits, I am out in the garden planting all of the things and smelling the glorious flowers.
This Spring has been particularly busy as I have finally been able to landscape the front garden which was an eyesore. Every time I stepped outside and looked at the red gravel and weeds, my soul wept.
Last blog post I showed you a pic of the plans I drew up for the front garden.
They have mostly been executed but with some changes.
We moved back the front line of sleepers by about 80cm. The garden was on a slope which was 50cm lower then the front porch. We moved the sleepers back from their planned edge, planted a row of hedging plants along the front of the sleeper edge, then used the sleepers as a retaining wall behind them. The idea is they will grow into a nice hedge that will hide the retaining wall and grow around the mailbox into a nice green wall. 3 cubic metres of premium topsoil, 1.5 cubic metres of mulch, and a few plants later....
The original size of the grass area which has yet to be planted is smaller than I intended but less grass means more garden!
Because the front garden bed on the house side of the retaining wall is now narrower, I decided not to plant the small trees along the front. As they grew, their roots would push out the wall. But I've left in the tree plantings on the left and right to try and cut out the wind that howls down the street.
It was also my birthday! Yes, I am an October baby. And I was spoilt by my lovely family. Amongst all the things, my Nana gave me a lovely card and some money so I raced down to the garden centre and bought this beautiful flowering crabapple tree for the front yard.
My gorgeous Bear found these rather unique garden statues for me!
My lovely Best Bloggy Buddy Vicki from Off The Hook For You sent me some amazing pressies in the post all the way from Jolly Old England!
The big tea towel with all the UK waterways looks too special to dry pots and pans. So the Bear and I decided we would find a frame for it and hang it on the wall!
Did you see those beautiful skeins from West Yorkshire Spinners? And lovely UK Sausage recipe book. We were drooling!
We've also had a couple of weeks of school holidays but instead of spending the time at home crocheting, I was busy landscaping and also spent some time at Wilsons Promontory.
We travelled to Waratah Bay at Wilsons Promontory for 4 days to meet up with family and spend time catching up, laughing, drinking and remembering.
We met up with my parentals, my sister and her kids, my Uncle and Aunts and cousins from my dads side of the family.
Wilsons Promontory is in Victorias' Gippsland region, east of Melbourne. It is beautiful. Green fields, black and white cows, country lanes lined with flowers. We stayed in cabins at the Waratah Bay Caravan Park.
Lots of BBQs, catching up, drinking, laughing and hugs were happening. We have gathered there once before when I was pregnant with Sonofagun No.2 about 10 years ago.
The story is that when my Fatherdom and his 4 brothers were kids growing up in Melbourne, they used to spends weeks over the summer holidays camping there with their parents and grandmother. They loved it and many of them would travel back often with their own families.
10 years ago when one of his brothers, my Uncle Peter passed away, we gathered there and scattered his ashes on the beach at Waratah Bay.
As you can see of this photo of me back then, very pregnant under a yellow plastic disposable raincoat, it can get kind of windy.
So windy in fact that when Petes family walked all the way down to the oceans edge to do the scattering of the ashes, the wind blew them out to sea. Then decided to change direction and blew them all back in again.
Into our faces.
So this time we gathered to scattered the ashes of my Uncle David who passed away very suddenly last year. My aunt Libby (whom I Wuthered with in July) thought it would be lovely to also scatter the ashes of my uncle Davo at Waratah Bay as well, but wisely decided that we didn't want Davo to potentially be blowing all over us, so had his ashes placed in a lovely biodegradable box. It is specially designed to be placed in water, then 'disperse' in a tasteful and organic way.
Ok. So on the occasion we decided to do this, it wasn't particularly windy. But the water was icy cold.
Sonofagun No.2 thought it would be fun to go and wade in the water. Around where my Aunt and cousins were carrying the little blue box.
Therefore I followed discreetly saying, "Sonofagun No.2! Come back here please."
Then I'd kind of grab his hand, mutter kind of sternly but in that voice parents use in public:
"DARLING (in a lovely but growling undertone). I told you we're here to scatter ashes. Please stop running around like a lunatic!"
"Yes Mum." Then off he'd go again! Prancing and frolicking in the waves around everyone who were about to cast the box into the water.
And because I had to follow, wearing normal clothes, I was now saturated up to my waist in the icy sea.
My Aunt and cousins cast the box into the waves. It floated gently on the surface. We said our goodbyes to our much loved Uncle David. It was so special to be together as a family on this day. His beautiful wife Libby, his 3 sons, daughter in law and grandson, his brothers, sisters in law, nieces, great nieces and great nephews all together to say farewell.
I don't recall my Uncle Davo ever surfing. Or knowing how to surf. But surf he did. Back towards the shore.
Numerous efforts were made to encourage Uncle Davo to surf out to sea. But the lightness of the box, and its' resistance to immediately dissolving and dissipating in the water meant he happily floated and bobbed back in.
For about 10 minutes the blue box bobbed up and down on the surface, surfed the waves back into shore where it was 'encouraged' back out again by my aunt and cousins.
Finally his eldest son waded out, pushing the box in front of him, then after gingerly attempting to push it down did the only sensible thing.
He pushed it down and stepped on it.
It soaked up the water and stopped surfing.
We stood by the oceans' shore for a good 20-30 mins afterwards. Some passersby might have thought we were reflecting on the wonderous life of my Uncle David.
And we were.
Vietnam Veteran of the 161 (Indep) Recce Flight in 1967 and in Malaya from 1969-71.
Father to 3 beautiful sons. World traveller. Acquirer of classic vinyls. Volunteer guide at the Australian War Memorial.
A Legend of Eccentricity who was never afraid to wear a good Tintin t-shirt or rainbow helicopter hat, who took me to my first opera and always called me Fred.
But we were also watching to make sure that the two old ladies in bathers who had wandered up didn't decide to go swimming in that general area.
Spring.
That is the reason.
When Spring fully hits, I am out in the garden planting all of the things and smelling the glorious flowers.
This Spring has been particularly busy as I have finally been able to landscape the front garden which was an eyesore. Every time I stepped outside and looked at the red gravel and weeds, my soul wept.
Last blog post I showed you a pic of the plans I drew up for the front garden.
We moved back the front line of sleepers by about 80cm. The garden was on a slope which was 50cm lower then the front porch. We moved the sleepers back from their planned edge, planted a row of hedging plants along the front of the sleeper edge, then used the sleepers as a retaining wall behind them. The idea is they will grow into a nice hedge that will hide the retaining wall and grow around the mailbox into a nice green wall. 3 cubic metres of premium topsoil, 1.5 cubic metres of mulch, and a few plants later....
 |
| The hedging plants are New Zealand Mini Xmas bush (Metrosideros excelsa Dwarf Mini Christmas) |
Because the front garden bed on the house side of the retaining wall is now narrower, I decided not to plant the small trees along the front. As they grew, their roots would push out the wall. But I've left in the tree plantings on the left and right to try and cut out the wind that howls down the street.
It was also my birthday! Yes, I am an October baby. And I was spoilt by my lovely family. Amongst all the things, my Nana gave me a lovely card and some money so I raced down to the garden centre and bought this beautiful flowering crabapple tree for the front yard.
My gorgeous Bear found these rather unique garden statues for me!
 |
| "I find your lack of fertiliser disturbing..." |
 |
| "These aren't the tomato plants we were looking for..." |
 |
| "Patience you must have, my young foxgloves..." |
 |
| "Beep bloop bop bleep boop weeeeee..." |
 |
| "I am fluent in over 6 million forms of communication...including the secret language of flowers..." |
The big tea towel with all the UK waterways looks too special to dry pots and pans. So the Bear and I decided we would find a frame for it and hang it on the wall!
We've also had a couple of weeks of school holidays but instead of spending the time at home crocheting, I was busy landscaping and also spent some time at Wilsons Promontory.
We travelled to Waratah Bay at Wilsons Promontory for 4 days to meet up with family and spend time catching up, laughing, drinking and remembering.
We met up with my parentals, my sister and her kids, my Uncle and Aunts and cousins from my dads side of the family.
Wilsons Promontory is in Victorias' Gippsland region, east of Melbourne. It is beautiful. Green fields, black and white cows, country lanes lined with flowers. We stayed in cabins at the Waratah Bay Caravan Park.
Lots of BBQs, catching up, drinking, laughing and hugs were happening. We have gathered there once before when I was pregnant with Sonofagun No.2 about 10 years ago.
The story is that when my Fatherdom and his 4 brothers were kids growing up in Melbourne, they used to spends weeks over the summer holidays camping there with their parents and grandmother. They loved it and many of them would travel back often with their own families.
10 years ago when one of his brothers, my Uncle Peter passed away, we gathered there and scattered his ashes on the beach at Waratah Bay.
As you can see of this photo of me back then, very pregnant under a yellow plastic disposable raincoat, it can get kind of windy.
So windy in fact that when Petes family walked all the way down to the oceans edge to do the scattering of the ashes, the wind blew them out to sea. Then decided to change direction and blew them all back in again.
Into our faces.
So this time we gathered to scattered the ashes of my Uncle David who passed away very suddenly last year. My aunt Libby (whom I Wuthered with in July) thought it would be lovely to also scatter the ashes of my uncle Davo at Waratah Bay as well, but wisely decided that we didn't want Davo to potentially be blowing all over us, so had his ashes placed in a lovely biodegradable box. It is specially designed to be placed in water, then 'disperse' in a tasteful and organic way.
Ok. So on the occasion we decided to do this, it wasn't particularly windy. But the water was icy cold.
Sonofagun No.2 thought it would be fun to go and wade in the water. Around where my Aunt and cousins were carrying the little blue box.
Therefore I followed discreetly saying, "Sonofagun No.2! Come back here please."
Then I'd kind of grab his hand, mutter kind of sternly but in that voice parents use in public:
"DARLING (in a lovely but growling undertone). I told you we're here to scatter ashes. Please stop running around like a lunatic!"
"Yes Mum." Then off he'd go again! Prancing and frolicking in the waves around everyone who were about to cast the box into the water.
 |
| "Darling precious cherub! Please stop frolicking in water that's fresh from Antarctica whilst your 2nd cousin is trying to discourage Uncle Davo from surfing." (photo taken by Auntie Marg) |
And because I had to follow, wearing normal clothes, I was now saturated up to my waist in the icy sea.
My Aunt and cousins cast the box into the waves. It floated gently on the surface. We said our goodbyes to our much loved Uncle David. It was so special to be together as a family on this day. His beautiful wife Libby, his 3 sons, daughter in law and grandson, his brothers, sisters in law, nieces, great nieces and great nephews all together to say farewell.
I don't recall my Uncle Davo ever surfing. Or knowing how to surf. But surf he did. Back towards the shore.
Numerous efforts were made to encourage Uncle Davo to surf out to sea. But the lightness of the box, and its' resistance to immediately dissolving and dissipating in the water meant he happily floated and bobbed back in.
For about 10 minutes the blue box bobbed up and down on the surface, surfed the waves back into shore where it was 'encouraged' back out again by my aunt and cousins.
Finally his eldest son waded out, pushing the box in front of him, then after gingerly attempting to push it down did the only sensible thing.
He pushed it down and stepped on it.
It soaked up the water and stopped surfing.
We stood by the oceans' shore for a good 20-30 mins afterwards. Some passersby might have thought we were reflecting on the wonderous life of my Uncle David.
And we were.
Vietnam Veteran of the 161 (Indep) Recce Flight in 1967 and in Malaya from 1969-71.
Father to 3 beautiful sons. World traveller. Acquirer of classic vinyls. Volunteer guide at the Australian War Memorial.
A Legend of Eccentricity who was never afraid to wear a good Tintin t-shirt or rainbow helicopter hat, who took me to my first opera and always called me Fred.
But we were also watching to make sure that the two old ladies in bathers who had wandered up didn't decide to go swimming in that general area.
xox
Louise
The Red Haired Amazona
Your garden is looking lush and colorful! The story of the blue box was quite something.. your uncle sounded like a wonderful family member. Cute photo of the two of you. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteI didn’t know if I should laugh or cry. Your uncle sounds like a great guy and I’m sure he would have appreciated the effort that went into making the box stay in the sea. The garden is looking really good, looking forward to seeing it develop.
ReplyDeleteThanks FB. One thing I do know. David would have been looking down from whereever he is, roaring with laughter!
Delete