Random Stuff

It is time for a post of rather random bits and bobs that we have been up to over the last little while.

I’ll start with the weather.  I mentioned recently that we were experiencing a little bit of autumnal weather and were waiting to see how much rain we would receive from Cyclone Alfred.  Well, that cooler weather only lasted for a couple of days, before getting back into summer mode with several day in the mid 30s C.  Oh, and the predicted rain…….we didn’t get a drop.  That was particularly disappointing for the farmers who had planted crops in anticipation of getting them off to a good start.  A system came through on Friday and gave us 12mm of nice gentle rain, which was very much appreciated.  It’s amazing how quickly things dry out. Now that we have passed the autumn equinox, hopefully we have seen the last of the intense heat for this season.

I decided that I would make a Steak and Guinness pie for St Patrick’s Day on Monday. A nice and easy recipe, but one I haven’t made before.  The plan was to make them in the little individual pie pots that I have had for years, like the ones you get in English pubs.  Well, the pots are larger than I realised, which made me also realise how large the meals are that you receive in the pubs.  Anyway, the amount of the meat mix that I wanted to serve up to us only half filled the pie pots, so rather than a pastry top, we had a rather rustic mashed potato top.  Either way, they were delicious.

Last weekend was church fete.  Mick and I have been helping with this for many years and this was another successful event.  Mick worked on “Bargains for Blokes” and me on the “White Elephant” stall.

Mick bought me a surprise from the stall he was on.  A retractable projector screen.  He figured I could use it to hold a quilt for a photo.  Good thinking.  I reckon we could also have a slide night with the family slides that are stashed in the garage. In the meantime, it fits nicely behind the sewing room door for storage.

At our Wednesday patchwork group we have been making a group quilt.  It has now been made into a top and quilted.  One of the ladies is going to hand stitch the binding down. My three blocks are the hexy flower, the one in the second top row on the extreme left (green, aqua and coral) and second bottom row on the extreme right (white squares on pinwheel). The quilt turned out so very well.

It’s also been a rather social time, with me having lunch with Susan last week and Mick and I having lunch with Jennifer on Friday, as they have been passing through town.

Yesterday saw another event for the bicentenary celebrations of Holy Trinity.  This time it was an open day at the old church hall, which was built in 1842 and sold in the mid 1990s to help fund the current parish community centre.  The parish had outgrown it, much maintenance was required and it was flood prone prior to the levee banks being built.  It is now a private home and we are very appreciative of the opportunity for the public to revisit the building.

There are lots of memories for many of us from that buildings. This is how I remember the building up until it was sold.

Initially, this was the local church school, before the Department of Education was established and the new Kelso Public School was opened in 1871.  After then, it was solely the church hall, used for so many events over the years, from fetes, Sunday School, JAs (Junior Anglicans), meetings, and so many more.  

I went through our photo albums and will share just a couple I have found.  The AWA (Anglican Women of Australia) was the main women’s group and each year they held a couple of events.  In 1984 my Mum arranged an exhibition “Aprons Through the Ages”, giving a talk about them, complete with modelled items, as well as a display of so many different versions around the hall walls.  Yes, that is Mum and me.  I am wearing the apron my Grandma wore at Dairy School in the Lakes District of England in 1912.

They had some rather creative events.  In this one from 1987, they are apparently dancing the can can.  Notice that the stage has been carpeted with some beeeeautiful carpet.

One of their more humorous was the “Miss World Pageant”.  They did have fun with this one.

This end of the hall looks quite different now, with the stage remove and having been turned into a comfy lounge area.  The way the hall has been furnished really suits it.

The kitchen was originally very basic, so funds were raised to purchase and install the one that is there now.  One of the main fund raisers were my parents and another couple going to the local racecourse and collecting all the cans and bottles after each race meet.  The cans were then crushed and the glass sorted by colour and smashed into 44 gallon drums to be taken to the recyclers.  They used to absolutely stink when they got home.  The things you do.

I can’t put my finger on the photo at the moment, but Mum and Dad and the same other couple relaid this section of  flooring, as the old one was rotting.

There was a nice steady stream of people visiting throughout the afternoon, rekindling so many memories.

Meanwhile, Mick has been busy down at the bowling club, helping with the greens and grounds as well as playing twice a week at club level and this year now taking part in the Pennants competition between surrounding clubs.  He is really enjoying it.

And that about has me caught up.  As you can see, it has been rather a busy time, but lots of fun.