Australia Day Celebrations

 Australia Day tomorrow and I have found the perfect dress to party in..........
In your dreams Sylvia. Do you want to be laughed at, pointed to or have Charlotte ashamed of you? No, I am going to a barbecue lunch and will wear something sensible and allow myself one glass of wine.
I bought the dress at one of those cheap $$$$ shops and thought it so special I had to buy it. I love sparkly sequins.

 Three old Australian houses. This one belonged to my maternal grandparents. All three houses were owner built around 1920 or before and remained in the family until pulled down by developers. All houses have a lot in common. In all three the toilet was outside even when the sewer came along. The first 2 had a sort of tacked on bathroom and I don't remember a bathroom at all in the last one. Must have been hidden in a shed. Two had a piano and the house below had a tennis court. Strictly for A grade players only so my siblings and cousins never played on it.

 My paternal grandparents owned this one. My father and his brothers slept on the side verandah as was common in those days. Boys and young men often slept outside somewhere. Under the house, in a shed or in this case the verandah. These photos are the only ones I have and taken just before the houses were pulled down.

 This one owned and built by Mr Linen's maternal grandparents and was still there and owned by his family last August. The house is almost walking distance to Sydney airport and is surrounded by flats and hotels and I think has already gone. The verandah on this house was closed in, once it is closed in it is then called a sleepout so the spare men and boys have a bit of shelter. Tough life in those early days. I have enclosed one end of my verandah but I call it a sunroom and only Charlotte sleeps there sometimes.

I love king tides, they come every January. Daughter S and family have just returned from a holiday at this pretty spot on the coast north of Sydney. The picture speaks for itself.

 An Australian cat. Charlotte likes to remind everyone she is descended from the temple cats of Burma but you are here now and have me for a servant, that makes you Australian. Charlotte is a thinker not a doer so she is thinking about going down the steps but maybe not doing it.

I know there are herons all over the world. This one must be Australian and he is spending a lot of time on my verandah lately. I leave out water but he/she looks around for a while then takes off.