AT THE CROSS...

Hello my lovelies!

This is the wee Presbyterian Church out at Geham which is just a bit further than Cabarlah where we used to live.  As you can see it's just a small church.  Our minister Andrew goes out there to take services about once a month.

Andrew asked Papa if he would make a cross for the church, so Papa has been busy in the shed this week.

Here's a couple of photographs of him working on the cross.  It's made from very heavy wood.  He has finished it and tomorrow he heads up to Geham with another man from church to install it.  I shall try and remind him to take a camera with him and show you what it looks like when it is put up.

HERE'S a link to a beautiful song about the cross.

Love Nanxxx

AMAZING AMIRA, AMAZING GRACE

Click HERE

Love Nanxx

READING, EATING AND CELEBRATING

Hellooo my looovlies...

I had a lovely brekfast on the back deck through the week and couldn't resist taking these photographs before I sat down.  All ready to eat one of my favourite meals of the day, have a read of my book, do my Bible Study and write a couple of birthday cards for Janet and Finn.

Well, today has been a busy day.  I was very naughty and slept in until after 8.00am.  This ment, of course, a mad dash to get ready for church.  I even managed to get a lode of washing on the line before we left...just!  Today was the dedication service for the grand piano that has been left to the church by a family here in Toowoomba.  It was originally the family's parents and grandparents paino. I'm not sure if I should have apostrophes after parents and grandparents?

We had a beautiful service with lots of singing and piano music.  HERE'S a link to one of the duet peices played on the piano.  It is beautiful.  I'm sure that Andrew said it was written by Mr Bach after his wife died.  The choire from Fairholme College were there too and sang Ubi Caritas.  And here's a link to that to.  

After the service, we went into the hall for a giant morning tea and caught up with lots of folk and ate a cake or too :)  Then it was the big clean-up and home.

Papa made a roast chicken with roast vegetibles for lunch and we are now about to sit down and have a rest.

Hope your weekend is going well.

Love Nanxxx  PS  Eight mistakes to find - after the hello bit...

BILLY GRAHAM

Hello my lovelies!

This photograph is of a very famous preacher called Billy Graham.  

I'm not sure if you have heard of him but this week he died at the grand old age of ninety nine.

These photographs below will give you an idea of how amazing his preaching was and how millions of people throughout the world have flocked to hear him preach on the love of God.

This photograph was taken in New York.

Here's a photograph taken with the Queen.

After hearing him preach on television, she contacted him and asked him to come and speak with her.

At the end of his huge meetings, he always ended with the hymn Just As I Am.  Before everyone started singing the song, he would ask that if there was anyone who felt they would like to commit their lives to Jesus to come out to the front where he could pray with them and while, often hundreds flocked out, the people would sing this song.

I never saw him preach but I know people who became Christians at his crusades.

HERE is the song being sung when he was in Brisbane in 1959.

And HERE is a tribute which has been put together highlighting some of his preaching throughout the years.

Love Nanxx

THE MICE ARE SINGING

Look what Kerrie's working on!

Isn't it just gorgeous?  This is one of nine blocks for a quilt that she is making for her new grandson James.

As you can see by the needle which is still in her work, it isn't finished yet.  I'll try and get photographs of some of the other blocks to send you.

Some photographs came through this morning of the beautiful powdery snow you are ski-ing and tobogganing on.  It looks wonderful.  The path that has been cut through the snow into the woods looks as though it would take you on a walk you would never forget.  And I loved the river too.

All well here.  We've had some rain and yesterday a cool change came through after three weeks of very, very hot weather.  We are all enjoying having a breather from the heat and seeing the town green up again.

Trust you are singing some wonderful songs such as this one too as you sail through the snow.

Love Nanxxx

SONG - IN CHRIST ALONE

This is a photograph of Keith and Kristyn Getty with their children.  They are the Irish couple who wrote the song IN CHRIST ALONE.

When we were at church on Sunday with Auntie Emma and Uncle Michael and the boys, we noticed that they sang a lot of their songs.

Here's a link to Krysten reading from the Bible and then singing the song.

Love Nanxx

ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH

Hello my lovelies!

Here's a wonderful rendition of the Christmas carol "Angels We Have Heard on High".  Watch to the end.

Love Nanxx

IMMANUEL

Hello my lovelies!

This was played at Church this morning.  Beautiful!

Love Nanxx

HOW SWEET AND AWEFUL IS THIS PLACE

Hello my lovelies

I listened to this hymn this morning at breakfast and because the words were so beautiful, I started singing along.  Papa heard me from his office and came and stood behind me and joined in.  We made a lovely duet together :)

It was written by Isaac Watts in the 17th century.

HERE'S a link to the song.

xxxxNan

IT WAS A BUMMER AND AV AT CHURCH

Hello my lovelies

I had the telephone right beside me until we went to bed.  Not to worry, we'll have heaps to talk about next weekend.  MAKE A LIST and then we won't forget anything.

As you know, I visited Auntie Emma and family last week.  I went down to Brisbane by bus which I love doing.  You sit really high up and you can see for miles and of course it's nice and relaxing too.  I even dozed off a few times.  I had my pillow with me and a book to read as well which I propped up on top of my pillow as we travelled along.   It was one of the buses that takes quite a detour off the main highway which again, I don't mind at all.  We stopped off at Gatton which is a lovely little town in the Lockyer Valley.

Also stopped off at the University in Gatton.

The  University is part of the University of Queensland.  The campus in Gatton is the agricultural/veterinary science part of the University.

Then it was onward to Brisbane where Auntie Emma and Fergus had arranged to pick me up.  I always get mixed up when I get to the Transit Centre in Brisbane.

The Transit Centre is where all the buses finish their journeys.  The building has four floors and Auntie Emma always meets me in the car park.  Well, into the lift I went with my pillow, suitcase and handbag.  I looked at the various buttons.  There were four buttons.  One said Ground and the other Levels 1, 2 and 3 had CAR PARK next to their numbers.  I had a look at the buttons and pressed 1. Down to Level 1 I went.  Toddled out and down into the car park.  No Emma!  I looked left and right and could tell this wasn't the place she normally picked me up from.  So it was back into the lift to try Level 2.  When the lift door opened there were two elderly ladies with suitcases in there.  "I can't find my daughter!" I said to them.  "Oh dear!" they replied.  "Perhaps she's out the front?"

"No!" I said.  "She often picks me up from here and I have this difficulty of finding her every time I come here."  Anyway before you could say "It's good to be in Brisbane." the three of us are careering up and down the lifts looking for the people that were picking us up.   "Right!" I said.  "We'll start again with each level."  One of the ladies' husband was on his mobile waiting for her in the car park. We started at Level 3.  Walked down and into the car park.  Back into the lift.  Pressed Level 2. Down into the car park.  No-one there but cars.  Back to the car park.  Pressed Level 1.  Same thing.  The three of us looked at each other and shook our heads.  Back to the car park and pressed GROUND which OF COURSE had no Car park next to its number.  Doors opened and out we tumbled.  Down the ramp and there was the husband holding a mobile to his ear and Auntie Emma.  Everyone laughed at the carry-on that had ensued after our bus trips.

I had a lovely time down in Brisbane.  One day Auntie Emma dropped Fergus and me at the Mount Cootha Botanic Gardens where we went for a lovely walk.

There has been some good rains recently, so the gardens looked amazing.  Unfortunately though, I didn't have much time to look at the flowers or sit and enjoy the view of the garden.  Fergus just led me to the various building sites that seem to abound the outskirts of the garden at the moment.  I was fair exhausted by the time Auntie Emma collected us:)

When Auntie Emma arrived to pick us up, she had packed a picnic which we took to a lovely park nearby.  At the park there were some Year 11 girls from a school in Brisbane.  They were students who were studying Art as one of their subjects.

Here's a photograph of what two girls were making on the ground from the autumn leaves and twigs in the park.  Isn't it beautiful?

Another day, we took Hamish to the dentist.  As Fergus has never been to the dentist before, Auntie Emma used the occasion to introduce Fergus to what goes on when you visit the dentist.  Rory the Dentist was more than happy to let Fergus 'help' him.  Fergus loved peering into Hamish's mouth, pressing the button to turn on the dentist's light and the button to make the chair go higher and lower. After the dentist had finished with Hamish he gave Fergus a wee tooth mirror for helping him.

When Papa picked me up at the bus station on Friday afternoon, he told me that he had finished painting his office and on Saturday, he finished making the shelf for his books.  He has moved his desk near the doorway.

I've still to put up some pictures, but here's a photograph of where we're up to.  Isn't it just lovely?

Can you see the lovely skirtings Papa has put on?

I'll see if I can get Papa to put up a couple of pictures today and take a more 'finished' photograph for you both.

Yesterday at church we watched an audio visual performance of the hymn Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing by the Las Vegas Academy conducted by Dr Cheryl Hill.  Here's a link to the choir singing it.  Watch it to the end as it has a wonderful finish.

Well my darlings I must away and have some breakfast.

Love Nanxxxx

SONG FOR SUNDAY

We watched Songs of Praise this morning and heard Noah Stewart singing I'LL WALK WITH GOD.

If you click here and scroll to 6.50 minutes, you will hear him sing.   Listen to the end.

PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DAY, CONCERT AND WHAT I DIDN'T DO

This looks fun Liliane.  Beautiful skies, beautiful mountains and beautiful girl.

Papa and I headed down to Brisbane yesterday morning.  When we arrived, Auntie Emma and wee Fergus were at the door to welcome us.  Fergus was so excited and became even more excited when he saw the cardboard box Papa was carrying.  In it were lots of pieces of roads that Papa had made for Fergus to play his cars on.  Papa had painted the roads black so that they looked like bitumen and had also painted the white dashes on the road to distinguish the right and left for the cars to drive on. Fergus was thrilled and went upstairs to gather his big collection of cars together.

Once we had brought everything in from the car, we took the tracks and cars outside and had a cuppa sitting in Auntie Emma's beautiful garden.  All the work has been finished now and Auntie Emma is really pleased with the outcome.

After lunch, Papa and Auntie Emma went to a timber yard that her architect had recommended her to go to.  At the yard were various types of timber and one especially that Auntie Emma was to look at. Papa and Auntie Emma brought the samples of the timber home, much to Fergus' delight as he added the timber pieces to his 'road' collection.  The timber looked lovely.  It was a type of oak and had been finished in a 'distressed' look to look a bit like driftwood.  Very soft colour, almost grey.  Papa felt though that Auntie Emma could probably buy something a bit better and a lot cheaper elsewhere.  I can't remember where the discussion finished but I think Auntie Emma is going to continue looking at different timbers.  These timbers are for flooring upstairs in Auntie Emma and Uncle Michael's new house at Mt Coolum.

Through the week, Auntie Emma sent us three photographs her architect had sent her.  They are just amazing.  Even though the building of the house hasn't started yet, the architect was able to send computer images of what the house will look like and has even included furniture in the images too.

After Papa and Auntie Emma arrived home from the timber place, Auntie Emma and I headed off to have a look at bathroom stuff in a gorgeous bathroom shop quite near where she lives.  The bathroom stuff was just gorgeous and I went round with Auntie Emma saying "I don't like that!"  and "I don't like that!"  I think this worked quite well as I was able to say why I didn't like something and Auntie Emma was able to narrow down her choices.  It is so hard when you are faced with two thousand hand basins and you have to make a choice of one.

Then it was home, dinner and time to get ready for the concert.  Auntie Emma had bought a ticket for me too which was a surprise.  I thought it was going to be a musical night out for Papa and Auntie Emma.  The concert was held in the Concert Hall at Southbank.  As we drove alongside the river to Southbank, the city looked quite spectacular all lit up.  The bridges too were all lit up and the one I especially like which resembles sails was lit up in a rose colour.

Once parked and into the concert hall area, Auntie Emma and Papa went off to get a drink and once they had bought them, they found me again and we wandered outside.  "Oh!  Look at that lovely view!" I said as I was looking over a balcony.  Auntie Emma said "Turn around Mum!" which I did and there to my surprise was the city on the other side.  "Oh my goodness!" I said.  What a surprise it was.  So beautiful.

Auntie Emma had managed to get good seats for the concert and not long after we were settled, Eddi Reader came on stage with her entourage.  There were two guitarists, a bass player, an accordion player, and five young people from the Queensland National Orchestra;  three violinists, a cellist and a bass player.

Eddi Reader is an amazing singer.  Just wonderful!   Every song she sang was wonderful.  A couple of highlights though...

She lived part of her life in Maryhill which was a very poor part of Glasgow when she was a girl. She talked about parties her family would hold where they and their friends would get together.  There was obviously quite a bit of drinking and smoking at the time and Eddi did an impersonation of her mother whose name was Jean.  Jean was a really good singer and at some point in these parties, the family and friends would call on Jean to sing her favourite song.  Jean was always a bit reticent about singing and would only sing after she was cajoled by everyone.  So Eddi pretended to be her mother with a pretend cigarette in one hand and a pretend drink in the other.  We the audience had to pretend to be the family and friends and cajole her into singing a song.  It was hilarious.  "Go on Jean!" we all shouted.  "Nah!" said Jean as she smoked her imaginary cigarette.  Finally she said "Oh! alright then!", placed her pretend drink on the pretend sideboard, pulled her jumper up to her neck and started to sing Moon River occasionally taking a smoke from her cigarette while she sang.

Although it was very funny and her singing just beautiful, as I watched and listened I imagined that Eddi's mind and heart were full of wonderful memories of her mother.

Another highlight was the last song;  Auld Lang Syne.  Apparently Robert Burns only wrote two verses of this famous song.  He was not only a poet but a collector of poems and songs and other verses were from his collection.

Here's a link to Eddi Reader singing Auld Lang Syne at the opening of the Scottish Parliament.  The Queen at the end doesn't look too enthusiastic!

As you can imagine Eddi Reader would like to see Scotland as an independent nation.   "To put it simply", she says "England takes five pounds from us and gives us back three.  They have been doing that for over three hundred years, but what makes it worse is the fact they tell us how to spend that three pounds."

I think the present leader in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon is going to ask again if the people of Scotland would like to be independent.

here she is singing another lovely song.

It was a great night.

Today after we drove home, I was supposed to go to my first garden club visit with my friend Carol. Unfortunately I was feeling really unwell with my tooth, headache, sore mouth, throat, and ear and telephoned Carol to cancel the visit.  I also telephoned the dentist and they asked me a few questions and told me to stop taking the Codeine/Paracetamol tablets, which I have.  I headed to bed and woke up around 1.00pm so had a lovely long sleep.

Hopefully I will feel a lot better tomorrow.  I have an appointment to see the dentist again on Monday and will cancel the appointment if I feel more improved by then.

Well my dears I shall away.  Looking forward to talking on Sunday.

xxxxNannyxxxx

AUNTIE EMMA, A CONCERT AND A GARDEN

What a gorgeous photograph Liliane.  And...look at those mountains behind you.  Are you sure they're not just a picture for the photograph?  You and mumma look very happy.   And in t-shirts too!  Spring is definitely on its way.

Freya!  Yoo! Hoo!  How are you going in THE GAME?  Have they given you an important position in the government?  Can't wait to hear how it all went.  Looking forward to chatting at the weekend.

Papa and I are heading down to Brisbane today.  Auntie Emma has bought tickets for her and Papa to see Eddi Reader in concert.

The concert is going to include her singing some of Robert Burns' songs.

By the look of all these guitars, I think Papa and Auntie Emma are going to have a wonderful time.

Tomorrow I am going with my friend Carol to visit a beautiful garden.  If you Google 4a Bridge Street, Toowoomba you will see a picture of it.  Carol invited me to join a garden club she is in and this will be my first visit.  After visiting the lady's garden and probably have some morning tea, we are all heading down the hill to visit Pohlman's Nursery.

Wow!  This should be interesting.

Well, must run and get myself organised for the trip down the hill.

Love Nannyxxxxx

I'M HOME AGAIN!

Hello my lovlies

I'm home again!  As you know I went down to Brisbane on the bus on Tuesday.  I booked to come back to Toowoomba on the bus on Friday but on Thursday, after Auntie Emma and I came back from picking up the boys from school, I got a big surprise as I was climbing the stairs from the garage.

There at the top of the stairs was Molly!   "Molly!" I shouted.  And then Papa popped his head around the corner!  "David!" I shouted again.  Papa had decided to come down and surprise us all.  We were all so pleased to see him, especially Fergus.  "Papa!" he said and Papa gave him a big hug.

It was lovely visiting Auntie Emma.  We didn't do anything terribly special, just the day to day stuff, taking the boys to school, taking Fergus to his new Kindy, shopping, cooking and all the other jobs that need to be done each day.

Fergus has started at a new Kindy.  It is the one I sent photographs of the rainforest at the bottom of the garden and the bridge.

Fergus has been finding it a bit difficult settling in as everything there is new - new teachers, new friends and a huge new garden to play in.  To help him settle in, Auntie Emma and I had along chats about ways we could help him.  We thought up lots and lots of ideas such as taking him a bit later in the morning and bringing home a bit earlier.   This means that in the morning Auntie Emma takes the boys to school and then comes home again with Fergus and has a nice quiet hour or two with him before he heads to Kindy for a couple of hours.  He is nice and fresh and enjoys his time with his Mumma.

When it's time for Kindy, Auntie Emma packs him a yummy morning tea and off they set for Kindy.  Once there Auntie Emma stays with Fergus for most of the time, helping him and other children who are new to the Kindy.  After the indoor play, Fergus usually goes outside to play in the sand-pit and that is when Auntie Emma leaves him, but not for long, only an hour.

When it's time for lunch and an afternoon rest, Auntie Emma picks Fergus up and brings him home where he has a lovely bath to wash all the sand off.  Then he lies under a wee blanket with his lunch and watches Play School.  Once Play School is finished, Auntie Emma takes him upstairs for a wee rest.  He calls his time on the couch his 'relax time' and his sleep upstairs his 'rest time'.

Auntie Emma and Fergus have a rest for about an hour when it's time to pick up the big boys.  This seems to be working very well and no doubt this new routine will change as he gets a bit bigger.

This week Auntie Emma bought a vitamiser thingy so the boys could make themselves smoothies.  Each morning and when they come home from school, out comes all the ingredients for their smoothies.  They use milk, yoghurt, and fruit - if I liked milk and yoghurt I would make some too!

The painters were working at Auntie Emma's.  She was having some walls painted and the back fence.  The walls were painted in a cream colour and the back fence a lovely bluey grey.

Andrew, the man who helps Auntie Emma with her garden popped in during the week for a chat about planting.  Auntie Emma has just about finished the main work in her garden and is ready to finish off with plants now.  It looks as though she and Andrew have picked some gorgeous tropical plants for the garden which, once they are planted and established will create a lush landscape for sitting in.

On Friday, after dropping the boys off at school, Auntie Emma, Fergus and I popped into Bunnings to see if we could find a swing for Fergus.  A visit to Bunnings is probably Fergus's favourite outing.

When we arrived, he grabbed his wee trolly and skooted up and down the aisles.  He was most disappointed that he couldn't buy the sign which said AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY which he had been pushing around while Auntie Emma and I were looking at swings and screws.

There was a bit of a three year old tantrum when we were leaving, when he threw himself on the ground and cried but Auntie Emma and I just wandered off and looked at something and he decided he wasn't achieving much so lifted himself up and came to see what we were looking at.

Once home, Papa got busy and hung the swing from Auntie Emma's new pergola.  Fergus just loves it and because it has a baby seat, he can give his teddies a swing too without them falling off.

Here's a photograph of Fergus washing his bike.

You can see his new swing hanging from the pergola.

Friday night Uncle Michael's office had a big party to celebrate the renovations to their offices.  Michael's company decided to extend their office space to the floor below and have created a beautiful staircase connecting the two floors.  As you can imagine, this involved a huge renovation and the party was to celebrate the official opening of the new offices.  Over four hundred people attended including judges too!

Auntie Emma was supposed to meet Uncle Michael at the office in all her party clothes but because she had a terrible cold she decided to stay home.  She had been taking cold and flu tablets but was still feeling pretty sick.  It's a good job she didn't go because Uncle Michael didn't get home until nearly midnight.

For dinner that night, Auntie Emma ordered some fish and chips and Papa went to collect them.  We set up a wee table and chairs in the garden and had a fish and chips picnic!  Fergus is getting to the age where he loves to be asked to do things.  "Fergus!" we would say.  "Would you mind getting me some tomato sauce?"  He would down his plate, climb off his chair and run to get the tomato sauce and with great care squeeze some on to each of our plates.

In the evening we all cosied up to watch a movie in the front room with wee Fergus between Auntie Emma and me.  The boys kept us all in the cinema atmosphere with a steady supply of Smarties and Maltesers from the fridge.  Because Fergus had had a wee 'rest' in the afternoon he was quite OK to sit through the movie.

The movie we watched was THE COMMITMENTS which is just hilarious.  It is about a band in Dublin around 1990.  There's quite a lot of bad language but it fits in with the story, and  Auntie Emma felt the boys would handle the language OK - and they did.  They were laughing and laughing through the film.

While we were watching the movie, we recognized one of the band members who is in one of Auntie Emma's favourite films which is called ONCE.

If you click here you can hear Glen Hansard singing one of his songs from ONCE.

The doggie picture is nothing to do with the film ONCE.  I can't remember where I saw the painting, but I thought it was just gorgeous and that you would like it too.

Will away.

Love Nanxxxxx