mitabruce's Xanga

From the weekend

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:31:57 GMT

Big excitement with little Grace's first visit to our home today. It is hard to believe she is only 21/2 weeks old.

Friday night at Prospect House with the family. Great to have Mark and Cal and James in town.

Last night at Forcett Lakes at the Rotary Changeover. Keith, Andrew and Gemma. Andrew proudly sporting an Angle Grinder he won on the night. The hat came with the tool.
It was a good night with 60 people in attendance. Gemma was a "hit" opening the night singing the National Anthem unaccompanied.

Customers

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:56:26 GMT

Mike and Stewart were both in the shop today. I thought a photo would bring back a few memories for some!

Our Visitor

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:53:57 GMT

Our lone White faced heron has been our frequent visitor this week. He is a delight to have about the place but he could do with some voice training.

The Laser Beam

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:51:50 GMT

Well here she is; off to school in her new machine. It's a great little car in great condition and hopefully capable of many safe kilometers. I think someone is very happy.

Farewell Jim

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:44:42 GMT

On friday night I went around to the ambulance station to say farewell to Jim, our local Ambulance officer who has worked in the service for the past 35 years. Jim is just the most delightful guy who has served the community so faithfully and with distinction.

I thought that a pic with Dr Mike and Sue and Jim with Pam was a good option. They have worked together for so long and been such an intergral part of the community.

Jim has stayed around longer than the usual retirement age. I really hope he has a long and happy retirement.

The problem of creativity

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:36:02 GMT

This month we have been busy selling several hundred fruit trees. To create some interest our Garden Manager, Sharon, designed and created this amazing window display. All very clever, material wrapped around branches and brightly painted gumboots adorning the tree to capture the imagination of what might bloom in the summer season. Well you might think that, but the outcome has been... lots of customers asking for the coloured gumboots in the window.

When we offer them black boots and some paint they seem to lose their enthusiasm.

I will send this pic to the gumboot company. I think they are on a winner.

Never the less we have still sold lots of fruit trees.

The street where we live.

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:31:27 GMT

Amy's street

Nat's street

Sal's street

A guess it's just another street in another place, one with gum trees, one with houses all joined together and one with no fences and a community back yard. All different and in different countries, but go inside and its home for each one.

I dont think I could have seriously imagined a time when our four girls would live so far apart; one in America, one in England and two in Australia, both in different states, but that's how it is. Nothing stays the same and more changes of address are to happen this year for each one. Sal has already moved on.

I think I will stay where I am.

Some things I have noticed in Europe

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:39:37 GMT

1. Far too many people smoke. Eating in a restaurant with others smoking is extremely unpleasant.

2. Cobblestones are not the best to walk on when I have a sore foot.

3. So much of the art in the Tate Modern Art Gallery is a reflection of the polital situations in the past 100 years.

4. England does have sunshine and days without rain. We had 5..

5. Theatre on the West End in London is extremely professional.

6. I could not get a good hot coffee in Italy. The best coffee I had was in France.

7. Italy was very dirty and dirtier the further south we went. People are dumping their rubbish by the bagful on the side of the roads. This is apparently because the public are objecting to paying the Maffia for rubbish disposal.

8. Italian drivers are not as crazy as those in China, but still crazy. Their parking is crazy.

9. There are a lot of "Smart Cars" in Europe.

10. People like it when you try talking their language.

11. The people in the shops are not very friendly and especially so when you are part of a tour group.

12. The extravagance and greed of the past seems to be the tourist attractions of today. eg Hampton Court,, Henry V111's home and Versailles.

13. Everyone wants to come to Australia one day. They all think it is a long way away.

14. There are lots of pretty flower pots and hanging baskets in London.

15. The Aussie dollar being only worth half the Euro and the English pound, does not mean that everything costs twice as much.

16. Mcdonalds seem to be everywhere and their signs spoil the landscape.

17. It is much more fun discovering England and Europe than walking around the Hardware Fair in Cologne.

18. No one we spoke to at the Fair had heard of Mitre10 or Bunnings.

19. Most people speak in German at the Fair.

20. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from one end of the Exhibition centre to the other. There are over 3000 exhibitors.

21. The coldweather doesn't stop people riding their bikes.

22. Stealing someones bike is a national sport in Holland.

23. People live very close to each other.

24. There are far less queues when visiting Europe at this time of the year than when it is warmer. This is a great time to come.

25. Only 8% of the worlds population speak English as their first language.

26. The trains in the central zones in London come every couple of minutes.

27. Europeans are extremely passionate about soccer.

28. BBC World and CNN and Sky News repeat their news with regular monotony.

29. There are many steps going up the spiral staircase in the Bell Tower in the Cologne Cathedral.

30. Walking around the exterior of Colosseum has a similar feeling to walking around the exterior of the MCG in Melbourne.

31. Travelling through 10 countries in 16 days is a big program.

32. Post Offices are hard to find.

33. There are thousands of masks in Venice.

34. There are a lot of concrete courtyards in Italy.

35. It is quicker walking down a tower than going up.

36. There are lots of little Eiffel Towers sold in Paris. (b) The French and the English dont like each other.

37. Snails and Frogs legs taste quite ok although the snails have a slight grass flavor. Frogs legs are like chicken. Brenda thought the duck liver was better.

38. The story of Romeo and Juliet is based on fact.

39. There is an amazing church in Florence, very ornate and symbolic on the outside but simple inside.

40. The people in Manaco are generally extremely wealthy.

41. The Sistine Chapel is smaller than I expected. There is so much art in the Vatican.

42. Michaelangelo's "Last Judgement" has an unusual twist in it.

43. The Swiss Guards are extremely loyal.

44. It can be warmer on top of the Mt Titlis than down in Lucerne.

45. There is a diamond factory in Amsterdam. Diamonds are girls best friend.

46. Italian waiters enjoy flirting and the girls don't mind.

47. A mini bus ride in Capris can be a tad scary.

48. Europeans seem to like walking the streets at night and they eat very late at night.

49. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was leaning after having only been built to 3 levels. The Tower was built as a Bell Tower for the church.

50. Australian plumbing is better than any plumbing we have seen here. There is no place like home.

51. 2 of our daughters live a long way from home.

Still doing things together

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:11:10 GMT

For any parent there has to some strange feelings when their children choose to marry the man they love. Perfectly natural and all good of course. Daddy's little girl and all that. Maybe when one daughter gets engaged her dad comes to terms with that but what are the feelings when another daughter does the same thing and within 2 months.

Well there we have it. Both Nat and Amy are now engaged. Having shared most of life together, played together, rode on their bikes together, made music together, celebrated together, here they are both now wearing a ring on their third fingers.

They will have more common ground.

We will have a number of family reunions this year!

And I will have 2 sons!

Amy's first birthday celebration with her Mum, Nat and Aunty Heather.

Note the wall hanging which was given to us by the Bornemans after we were married.

"My grace is sufficient for you" 2 Cor 12:9

God Bless! xxxxxxxx

The Question of the Family Farm

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 11:02:07 GMT

I can remember some discussion in the classroom from my school days in Northern Victoria, (I am not sure of the subject) about the changes that farming might need to take in the future. Farmers will not be able to do things the same way their fathers did the teacher said; if they don't change then that could be their undoing. I remember thinking that we who farmed in our district, while many farmers did make subtle changes in the way they did things,we would not be affected by the need to make big changes. Afterall, everyone seemed to be doing quite well. The dairy farmers seemed to easily eek out a comfortable living milking just 80 cows and those who had more land and produced beef cattle seemed very comfortable. I guess while the teacher was espousing such prophetic words, they probably didn't fully appreciate the truths they spoke.

On the occasional visit to my brother's place at Nyah West, north of Swan Hill (the birth place of my dad) I was shocked to see how so many farmers in that district seemed to really struggle. It was interesting to see my Dad's reaction to the condition of the farm houses and farms in the area as he, David and I drove around the farm blocks; small and old houses in a state of disrepair, poor fencing and very little sign of any new developments. Most of the farmers at that time would have loved to have changed direction.

Several years ago on a visit to my birth state I enjoyed our family trip through some familiar farming districts. Changes were sure evident and I wouldn't know just how much things have changed. With milk subsidies withdrawn from the dairy industry, drought, worsening salt issues, farmers selling their water rights, round bales adorning the paddocks, larger farms, canola crops, it is a different world out there than 30 years ago. I didn't see young 18 year old lads in the mallee who worked on the family farm driving the latest holden utes as they did when I was young. My Grandfather used to repeat a saying, "Up horn, down corn" and this related to the incredible patten of the wheat market and the animal stock market, how they were never strong at the same time. If one was up the other would be down. The mallee had some good years when I was growing up.

It was interesting to go with our Rotary Club out to Lindsay White's farm at Nugent a few weeks ago where many of the memories listed above were aroused. Lindsay grew up on the family farm and on completing his schooling, did an apprenticeship in plumbing. Taking the boy out of the country but not the country out of the boy, Lindsay yearned to own a farm of his own. He bought some good land 20k from Sorell, worked hard and improved the property and developed a good herd of beef cattle. The farm only being 400 acres it was becoming increasingly difficult to get suficient reward for the effort. In some conversations with various people from around the world Lindsay discovered a new direction. "Redbanks Game farm" was about to be born.

Lindsay dredged out the water holes and created a large fishing site and stocked it with trout. He bred pheasants and planned for shooting experiences. He also set up an archery facility. He developed a restaurant and made arrangements with a very English looking establishment, the Blue Bell Inn in Sorell to host his guests. After a day of shooting pheasants and fishing for trout, the guests could enjoy fine dining with Barry and Marlene in the town.

It is amazing to see how successful Lindsay's venture has been. He attracts some of the wealthiest people in our country as well as many from New Zealand and America. At a cost of $10,000.00 you can enjoy a few days pretending you are part of the aristocracy shooting pheasants and catching trout. There has been a big change in attitude from some of these people who have come to Redbanks. No longer are they interested in 5 star accomodation at the Casino; instead they come and stay at our humble little town where life is more personal, where there is something to do and more connections with people are made.

Lindsay does have some challenges ahead. With the decline in the Tasmanian Devil population, the native cat population has increased and as such the pheasants have become fodder for the cats making the pheasant population difficult to maintain. Not to be beaten, Lindsay is looking at developing other opportunities. He recently featured in an article in the city newspaper where he was offering weekend training in archery for young people, with a view for prospective talent to eventually compete in the Olympic games.

Lindsay Gemma with a new resident Rotary Dinner at Redbanks

Scenes across the property

We enjoyed a "game' meal of Wallaby kebabs, Trout and Pheasant, together with pinkeye potatoes and salad.

Redbanks has had more changes than most.