You can imagine how happy we were as children in 1948 when our father Eric returned home one evening with a white sulphur-crested cockatoo. One of the farmers had found the bird on his property, and as it was obvious the young bird was unable to fly took it home to look after. Not having much to do of an evening the farmer spent considerable … Continue reading Joe
Beth studied her index finger pointed toward the ceiling. There was a long silence as she tried to remember why she was doing this. Her daughter Ellen glanced up from her knitting and frowned. “What are you doing Mum?” Beth lowered her finger and glanced toward the doorway. The cleaning crew were giving the corridor a once over and the racket diverted her from her … Continue reading The Activity Room
She exits freeway weary from her day, The traffic fumes hang heavy in the air She wonders what her waiting spouse will say; Would greeting cold come from his favourite chair? The trauma of last evening comes to mind, When late she came, impatiently he said That she should seek another job to find! Then rigid silence as they went to bed. But as she … Continue reading Vows Renewed (Poem)
July 4 1776 was the birth of this great nation. An association of diverse communities banded together to form a political entity which eventually evolved into the United States we know today. Here we were on July 4 2006, two citizens from “Down Under” who were there to celebrate our daughter Gina’s first Independence Day as an American citizen. Naturally she wanted us to be … Continue reading Independence Day in the USA
The above image copyright to http://www.featurepics.com It’s funny how things seem to hide in the deep dark recesses of memory to be triggered long afterward by a ‘happening now’ event. Now I’m aware the further you get from early childhood events the recalled scene is sugar coated with an added element of mythology. However there are things which are so seminal in one’s experience they … Continue reading Brotherhood of Mankind
Graceful movement down the aisle, Father’s pride and Mother’s joy, On her lips the bridal smile Dazzles now the waiting boy Father grasps her tighter still Loathe is he to lose his girl, Dove chirps on the window sill Waits to see the veil unfurl Mother sobs with silent tear Joy and sadness mingled there, Sobered with a silent fear Wonders how the loss she’ll … Continue reading Bonnie
It was Father’s Day in the USA, June 18 2006. We had departed early in the morning for our date with the whales in Puget Sound off the coast of Bellingham, Washington State. The day was doing its summer thing switching from hot to cold as the sun occasionally peeped through the clouds, and a relatively calm sea beckoned to us with the white tips … Continue reading Father’s Day in the USA
August 6, 1965 we were on our way to Port Adelaide, Australia to join the Italian passenger liner Marconi for our first overseas adventure. There was an air of excitement mingled with apprehension as we negotiated the swaying gangplank with our carry on luggage. Down in the bowels of the ship were our earthly possessions, a modest collection of furnishings and household bits and pieces. … Continue reading Passage to India
Thursday February 12, 1942 dawned a pleasant summer day and this five year old climbed out of bed and headed for Eric and Maude’s bedroom as usual, to be tucked in for a few moments and enjoy parental conversation before all emerged to greet the day together. For some time now little boy Ian had been rescheduled to Eric’s side of the bed, a source … Continue reading The Day the Stork Arrived
A shaft of light penetrated the bedroom gloom. It was 6.15 am and Georgine was already up and about. She was anxious to get on with our morning routine and thought that manipulating the Venetian blinds was the best device for waking Ian up. Alarm clocks did not seem to work effectively since his hearing began its slow decline a few years back, so Georgine … Continue reading The Morning Walk
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