Sunday, August 4, 2019

FLYING ABOUT



Perhaps in preparation for our forthcoming long trip, we cardinals have been flitting here and there of late..


On a recent trip to the Granite Belt, south-west of Brisbane, we spent our first night in a grand B&B...

The Abbey of the Roses was a former convent school...
where my late mother was a boarder during her high school years, a very long time ago.  Our accommodation was in a room adjacent to the former large dormitory where 80 girls slept in narrow beds, guarded by the nun/nurse whose room was firmly outside their door, at the top of the stairs!


The dormitory is on the upper level, with all the windows along the side.


and this is the only photo I have of my mother in her school uniform, aged about 14.  She had never had a haircut.


The beautiful old convent building is heritage listed..
I saw the music room, where my mother had her piano lessons and examinations.

Sadly, the sweet Chapel has been deconsecrated, but is preserved.

Along with other guests, we had a delicious hot breakfast served in the former nuns' dining room.


We drove further south through the town of Stanthorpe, and on to the cool region of wineries and apple orchards.
It seemed wrong not to visit a place with a Red Bird logo...

Their lunch of rustic pumpkin soup and bread was just right..

Four vineyards and wineries later, we retreated to a motel for the night.


Next day, at the Jam Factory..
buying Apple Strudel jam, Boozy Plum and Shiraz jam, and a few other treats.


We made our way south to Wallangarra, a town lost in the mists of the past..
Back in the 1800s, Queensland and New South Wales each decided on different gauge railway networks.  I know, how silly and what poor planning.
Wallangarra is on the border of the two states, and became the connection point of the rail traffic between Brisbane and Sydney.
This old Station was a bustling place before road and air links replaced the era of railroad dominance.  Travellers stepped off their train on one side, could eat in the long dining room inside, and then go out the other side to connect to the different gauge train to continue the journey.

A museum of the town's history and a quiet cafe now occupy the building.


Kangaroos were jumping about on the lines when we visited.  Apart from the occasional steam train excursion, the line is rarely used now.



Last weekend we flew off to Sydney with Little Aussie..


At the Powerhouse Museum, to see their exhibition celebrating the anniversary of the Moon landings..

This Moon sculpture was beautiful...


An old Women's Weekly... Mr Cardinal still has an original Life Magazine from the day...


1969 fashion and decor..


lunar toys and child's space suit..


Aussie and his Dad inspect a rocket..


Aussie attempts to land Apollo 11 on a simulator..
(he was adopting a Darth Vader look that day)


A look at the landscape of Mars...


Moon buggy..

Meanwhile, over in Canada, our other two grandsons were attending similar exhibitions in Ottawa..



Canada boy No 2 is showing the same artistic talent as his older brother, producing his own take on the Moon landings...


Yes, another Moon sculpture..



The Red Cardinal garden of Neglect struggles on,
confused by the weather as are we all.


We had a burst of very cold days in June, a warmest average July ever recorded, about 2 deg higher most days.
Lots of heavy fog in the mornings.

Cold minimum today, 5 deg, but up to 25 in the afternoon.


The Iris seem happy enough..

But the pansies I have always grown through Winter are dying despite my ministrations..

And several ferns have developed strange white parasite infestation..


Poinsettias seem to think it is Christmas...

I think it is Global Warming.
What do you think?

Have a great week

XXXX








33 comments:

  1. This is a great post but for me the most fascinating part is when you stayed in your mother's old school. That must have been such a strange and interesting experience. It sounds as if your mother had told you a lot about the place - how incredible to be somewhere that was such a big part of her life before you were even thought of! (and isn't it funny, how hard we find it to imagine our parents having lives before we came on the scene. I am sorry that your plants are reacting so badly to global warming, it is of great concern to everyone, but the iris really is beautiful! I hope you enjoy your trip and look forward to your posts.

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    1. It was indeed strange to be in that old convent, Jenny. Mum told me a little bit, but our hosts were the ones who showed me the various rooms and how they were used. They love owning the building and finding out more history so were interested in my photo and history too. They joked I might see her ghost, so of course, I did dream about her that night! We love the iris too, and are so thankful they seem to be coping well this year. HOpe I can find time to post en route!

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  2. That is fascinating seeing the old school. Great photos.

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    1. Thank you and welcome to my blog. Off to look at yours now :)

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  3. I agree with Jenny - it must have been so nostalgic for you to stay in the very school that your mother attended all of those years ago. Lovely to see her as a teenager too with those lovely long plaits.
    I agree with you that it must be global warming - I was saying to my husband just yesterday how frightening it must be for our young twenty something grandchildren to think of what might be lying ahead for them in the future. Whatever will the world be like when they are our age? I plead to anyone out there who has some authority, please do something about it now.

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    1. It was so much fun and interesting to stay in the old convent. I have been wanting to do it for a long time and it did not disappoint. During WWII they brought students and sisters from the Mother Convent in Brisbane and housed them as well, going up into the attic and enclosing some verandahs. There were 160 girls in that dorm!! Global warming is a big concern, and how will they grow crops in future. Australia was a dry country to begin with - vast but mostly desert. Much farming land is now becoming unusable, and there are very serious problems with the inland water systems. What a world to leave to our dear grandchildren.

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  4. Hi Patricia great post,love the pictures especially the one of your mum,hope you have a lovely evening my friend xx

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    1. Hi Sheryl, I like Mum’s picture too, look at those Mary Jane shoes 🥿🥿ha e a great week xx

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  5. You’ve had some wonderful trips, Patricia. There is so much of interest to see, isn’t there? Australia has some beautiful historic buildings and Koos would love those old railways too. Your mum looks as if she was a sweetie!

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    1. Australia is vast indeed: we will never see all of it. Mum used to talk about Wallangarra, it was a big deal with the trains back in her day. Almost deserted now. Mum looks cute then, she became a teacher at 17!

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    2. Wow, a teacher at 17! She’d barely learnt about life herself then, bless her xx

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  6. I enjoy flying about with you, Trish. Fun trip and lovely treats to eat. I can imagine your mother as a girl attending school. Glad your son and Aussie got to go too and hear about their great/grandmother too!

    We have similar towns here in the USA also, which makes our planet seem like a small world. I love visiting such places.

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    1. Old Wallangarra reminded me of old West towns seen in movies, with the railway the centre of their life. Strange now with kangaroos hopping around. There is concern in Australia about the number of dying towns. It is like history is in reverse!

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  7. Four vineyards and wineries later... I like your style.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Just practicing for our trip to the South of France :)) xo

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  8. Such an interesting story about your mum's school etc. She was lovely with the long plaits - I had those too once - and wearing a gym slip! Did you wear those? We did the first two years at grammar school in the UK - navy blue with white blouse and tie. Now my hair is getting thin - not to mention grey, grrrrr!!!!!

    Farming in the future concerns us all - worrisome for the younger generations. In all honesty makes me somewhat glad I'm the age I am!

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    1. Yes Mary, I also wore the navy gym slip uniform, all through primary school. But not it’s Mary Jane shoes; we wore brown lace-ups 😍

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  9. Love that pic f your mom!!!
    How nice that you get around to see everything...I envy that...
    Your Iris are beautiful!!
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. That is the best pic! In fact, the only one I have of her in uniform with plaits. Iris say Hi! We are getting ourselves together to go on our biggest ever trip, right around the globe. Hope our old bones can hold up for it, but Canada will be a nice relaxation when we get there :) Cheers P.

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  10. I always enjoy reading about your adventures. What fun it must have been to visit the convent where your mother was a student. The history of the moon landing was in all the news here. Can't believe it was so long ago.

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    1. I loved visiting the old convent, Darla. It was even more interesting than I imagined, and had beautiful woodwork and fixtures from the 1800s. I bet you remember the moon landing day too, just as I do :)

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  11. What a treasured photo of your mother in her school uniform. That Convent looks so old and beautiful. How nice that you had breakfast there. I bet the apple orchards were so lovely. They always remind me of Autumn. The biscuits and jam look Yummy that you had at the Jam Factory. What a sight to see the kangaroos jumping near the tracks.

    I can't believe you will soon be taking a journey around the world with seven different flights. I wish you a safe time, and wonderful adventures are awaiting you, Patricia. : )

    ~Sheri

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    1. Mum's photo is so special, and everyone loves it! There were Autumn coloured trees in the area, which I enjoy too. Can't wait to get to Canada and see Fall in all its glory. That will be a feast for the camera :)

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  12. Long pigtails, white blouse, tie and a navy gymslip - yes, that was my winter school outfit as well! What a long list of clothing my parents had to buy; navy velour winter hat, summer straw hat with ribbon and badge, white cotton sun hat for the garden, blazer, mac, coat, summer dress, white speech day dress, the list goes on......

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    1. Gosh, I suppose Mum also had a lot of those things for boarding school. I remember her talking about a dress for Sunday - maybe it was the white one. I had the navy gymslip too, but was never a boarder.

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  13. Hello Dear Trish!
    I'm so sorry I've been so overdue for a visit. I was catching up on both of your posts I missed. Love all of your memories about the moon landing. I wasn't around just yet so I loved all the info that's been out there about it more recently. You were quite a hot Mama too! 🔥
    I loved this post and seeing the photo of your Mom and the old covent photos. How special you got to tour all of your Mom's old haunts. And I love seeing the different towns you've visited and the fun time with your sweet grands. You must be so excited to get ready for your big trip!!
    Sending prayers for safe travels and look forward to hearing details later. 😉 Blessings 🙏

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    1. Dear Carrie, Thank you for visiting, I know you are so busy. I will tell Mr C I was a hot Mama - he will love that! It was special going to that old convent school, I would never have imagined it as a hotel. Yes, getting ready for travel, tricky to plan for hot and cold weather all in one bag, but I'll figure it out. Thank you for thinking of us, I am praying for safe travel too. The world is a bit scary at times. Have a lovely weekend. xo

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  14. It is amazing how many idiosyncratic things one can find, like the different gauges in the railway tracks. I guess that planning is not always well coordinated!

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  15. Good Morning Patricia. That is very special that you have collected Rosaries from your travels, and have one from Ireland and Canada. I also have several Rosaries, one from Mexico. I have a beautiful gold and pearl one that I love too. I have been saying the Rosary every day now for awhile, and it does this woman good. : )

    I hope you are enjoying these wonderful October days.

    ~Sheri

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