A new great-grandaughter for Mavis

Today we received some wonderful news from my nephew Nicholas Smith & his lovely wife Carla. They are the proud parents of a very healthy Eloise Joan ; born today ; 51cm ; 7lb 6oz ; lots of dark hair & dark eyes.

There will be photos to follow.

Congratulations to Nick & Carla and to Graham & Anne who are grand parents for the first time. Well Done!

Golf - Tuesday 31st July 2007

Today it was lovely on the golf course once the weather warmed up. It was a stableford game with a veterans in conjunction with chances to qualify for the Fisher & Paykel classic.

My playing partners today were Frances Maclean, Joyce Bosley and Linda Rankin.

Linda was not well and did not complete the game however the rest of us had our moments of glory and were not too far behind the pace.

The highlights of the day were for Fran : scoring one point on the 10th (5 par) after putting her drive into the water; for Joyce a 3/3 on the 14th( 3 par); for Jan a 4/4 on the 7th (4 par) and winning nearest the pin on the 14th. In my case it was good golf, but a pity about the putting. I ended up in the buffer zone & won three golf balls so that is enough to get me back next week.

Pictured are Frances Maclean & Joyce Bosley at the 3rd tee.

Visit from Tony and Marie - 30th July 2007

Today we had a visit from Tony & Marie Michell from Moree. Tony is my cousin from both my mother & my father's side. Tony's father was my mothers brother. Tony's mother was my fathers sister (if you can work all that out). Either way we are certainly first cousins.

Tony & Marie were on their way to Sydney & called in to see Mum. We had a good chat for a couple of hours over morning tea. It was a good to see them and a great opportunity to catch up with all the family news.

Golf - Sunday 29th July 2007

Today was the first game of the team series which is being played over a three month period on the last Sunday of each month. Our team (pictured above) Iris Talbot & Ian Mitchell, Pete & myself. We had a very respectable score of 101 points with all of us scoring in the 30's. Ian was the champion with 36 points. Our playing partners for today were Bev & Paul Way (Paul picured above with his team). Also pictured is George Foster & Des Wilson. George's only claim to fame today was beating Peter by one point. We feel we are in striking distance for the overall series so we will be trying hard at the next match due the end of August.

A great year for Camelias-Friday 27th July

These images were taken in my garden this morning. The camelias have loved all the extra rain.

Golf - Thursday 26th July 2007

It was a beautiful sunny day today & the golf seemed to improve with the weather. Just goes to show I am definately a summer person. I came 3rd place in 1st Division with a score of 33 so I have got to be happy with that.

My playing partners were Carol Farrell, Rita Gilmour & Margaret Nichols.

The highlights of today were: for Carol a 4/4 on the 15th; for Rita a 5/3 on the 9th; for Margaret a 6/3 on the 18th and for Jan 4/4 on the 11th.

Photos attached : Rita, mysef & Carol on the 5th tee; Carol showing off her great drive from the 10th tee.

Dinner - Wednesday 25th July 2007

My good friends Des & Yvonne Wilson came over for dinner tonight to keep me company while Peter was a way fishing in the Northern Territory. Yvonne & Des brought a beautiful chicken loaf, salad & a good bottle of red. We somehow found room for sticky date pudding and icecream.

Samantha (our bride-to-be) came for dinner also & we talked about the wedding schedule due on 11th August. Great excitement & planning as Sam & Shane's wedding draws closer.

Golf - Tuesday 24th July 2007

Oh dear! Another medal round of stroke.

It was a day of mixed fortunes for all of us. My playing partners today were Lesley Gregory & Georgina Lamb. The weather was kind & we had a good day - especially when good fortune applied itself.

The highlights for us were : for Lesley - 4 strokes (1 putt) on the first(4 par); for Georgina - " a birdie" 2 strokes ( 1 putt) on the 12th(3 par); for Jan - "a birdie" 3 strokes ( 1 putt) on the 15th(4 par).

Images from my garden - 24th July 2007

Todays images from my garden - "Sutter's Gold" climbing rose (yellow); "Dublin Bay" climbing rose (red); Jonquils - all seemingly enjoying the winter cold.

Golf - Sunday 22nd July 2007

I had a great day at golf today. My personal score is not to be discussed. Although I played well down the fairways the greens gave me a lot of grief. I was also beaten for a nearest the pin on the 8th. Ray & Norma Presdee made our day with great company & good golf results especially from Ray who threw in all the three pointers at the appropriate time. The highlight of the day was Ray & Norma winning the mixed 2 ball team event. Another highlight was Des Wilson & Wally Johnston winning the men's 2 ball event.

The weather was kind to us & was actually quite pleasant in the middle of the day. A welcome change from the previous few weeks.

Photos attached - Ray & Norma at the 'Ladies Garden'.

Ray & Norma and Des & Wally being presented with their trophies by the Club Captain Mark Stimpson.

Dinner at Alexander's - Saturday 21st July 2007

Dinner at Alexander's Restaurant, Gosford with our good friends Garry & Carolyn Morris and George & Tosca Brand. A lovely evening, great food especially the desserts.

Golf - Thursday 19th July 2007

Another hard day at the office today. A lovely sunny day - but oh! those cold winds especially early in the day. The greens were very slick & are to blame for all of our "not happy Jan" scores. I have now cancelled out my bragging rights for the 10th as I put two balls, one after the other into the dam. Definately "not happy Jan".

Thankfully I had great company in my playing partners - from left to right - Bev Adams, Jan Walker & Cheryl Davison. They kept me smiling all day.

Mum - 18th July 2007

This is a photo of my mother Mavis, showing off her new 'electric' knee rug. This is a new product on the market and was spotted by my sister Lyn.

Mum loves it!

This image gives new meaning to 'snug as a bug in a rug'.

Golf - Tuesday 17th July 2007

Today was colder on the golf course than it has been any other day this year. It was a Monthly Medal Round - stroke. The course was quite challenging & the scores in general were not good with 75 net winning the day.

I managed to scrape in a ball with a 79 net. The only hole I want to mention is the 10th where I scored 5 strokes on a five par using only one putt. My playing partners today were (left to right) Lesley Gregory, Doon Jansen & Elizabeth McNamara. They were great company & we had a good day.

The 13th tee garden is now complete - photo attached. By Spring 2008 it should be a picture - that is if we can manage to keep it vandal free.

Golf garden - Monday 16th July 2007

Today was spent at the golf club working on the 13th & 6th gardens as part of the garden enhancement program. My son Rod, who is a concreting expert, offered his help in laying the concrete slabs to secure the garden seat & table which will "finish off" the 13th tee garden.

Photos attached are : Rod setting down the concrete; the 13th tee garden almost done ; The native garden on the 6th - which is my next challenge.

Golf - Sunday 15th July 2007

Today we had a lovely sunny day tepid by an icy wind that kept us alert to the task on hand at the golf course. The course has dried out a bit & made the workload a little easier, but not much. We had great company playing with Bev & Paul Way ( photo attached at the 3rd Tee of Gosford Golf Club.)

Paul was the top scorer on the day. Bev showed off her Driving skills with some magnificent drives during the day. The highlight of the day was my win for the nearest to the pin on the 8th hole (106cms) and "yes" I got the putt to score a 2/4. "Whoopie!!"

Christmas in July 14th July 2007 - part 2

Tonight we held our bi-annual get together of the "Gosford Townies" rugby league group.

This was held at the Dam Hotel at Wyong and organised by Margaret Redman & Sue Hodge.

Well done girls! We all enjoyed the night and are looking forward to our next reunion at the "Yellow Piano" restaurant at Gosford on the 3rd November 2007.

In attendance tonight we had Margaret & Peter Redman; Sue & Phil Hodge; Rhonda & Bruce Fenwick; Marj & Ron Payer; Margaret & Trevor Andrews; Carolyn & Garry Morris; Tosca & George Brand; Vicki & John Woods; Sue & Bub Wilkinson; Evelyn & Dennis O'toole; Lyn & John McMahon ; Jan & Peter Martin. The photos speak for themselves - everyone had a great time. The photo of the food was Lyn McMahons belated Lamb Pie - well worth waiting for according to Lyn. During the course of the night a girls day of golf was organised - to be held on Monday 10th September at a venue to be advised. - Watch this space for reports! Rhonda is in charge of prizes and surprises!

Christmas in July - 14th July 2007

Lunch - Friday 13th July 2007

Today we had lunch at the Gosford Sailing Club with Des & Yvonne Wilson (photos attached).

Yvonne (being the elected Social Secretary) selected the Sailing Club because it would be a lovely quite place for lunch. As it turned out there was a wake being held there for a well known local entity. 150 of the sailing club members were there which included a dozen or so Golf Club members well known to us. So a quite luncheon turned into quite a chatty affair.

We had a lovely lunch & thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere. The view from the Sailing Club is very beautiful in any weather.

Golf afternoon - Thursday 12th July 2007

Thursday afternoons are set aside for nine holes of social golf with my son Shane. Shane played well today. My results were on par with this mornings effort.

Golf - Thursday 12th July 2007

Today was a lovely sunny day but with a cold wind to keep us alert at golf. The course was still very wet in places & made hard work of golf. Pictured are three of my golf partners for today's match. From left to right : Margaret Mackie, Di Beechey, Bev Adams.

The golf results were : "Not happy Jan". The highlight of the day was a "nearest the pin" result for Di on the 14th hole.

Oh No, It is too wet to walk

The rain has set in and it is too wet to walk.

Problem solved. I have my gym set at home - an exercise bike & a treadmill. They are excellent pieces of equipment that have computers that read heart rate/body fat/speed/calories/distance etc and have a dozen or so different programs that can be set as easy or hard as you want. I enjoy that challenge.

Golf - Sunday 8th July 2007

Golf today was great except for the cold weather. It was the coldest day I have had on a golf course and we were lucky enough to finish our game before the serious rain set in. we had good company playing with Ron & Christine Dekker (photo attached - Gosford Clubhouse in the background). We did not win the team event but I scored 36 points and was pipped on a count back for third place in the ladies competition.

It's Camellia time

These images were taken in my garden this morning