Stroud Parade

ABOVE: View from Silo Hill

 

Today was the first day of my annual leave allottment (technically it starts Monday) and so I decided to get out and do something. The Stroud International Brick and Rolling Pin Throwing Competition seeemed to be the thing to do today. So I decided I would offer my mother and her husband a seat in the car and head off to Stroud. Turned out only my mother would be coming. Disappointingly the day was wet and miserable – a typical Australian winter’s day I guess. Still, we thought we would go and have a look anyway.

 

ABOVE: Stroud House

 

We arrived at Stroud just as the main street was being closed for the parade. So we got our park and headed into the centre of town to gain a reasonable vantage point, with the option of some shelter should the weather turn especially bad. We got our place easy enough. Stroud was fairly packed for the event, but not as much as I thought it may have been – the weather probably kept many away. Still, a pretty good turn out.

So off they went, a whole menagerie of marchers in the big parade. It was an odd bunch, some seemingly out of tune with the country in which they marched and the context of the town. Everyone was having a ball, particularly the kids who seemed to be the targets of the often thrown lollies and sweets that were being hurled from the floats and marching rag tag line of marchers. There were North American Indians, whip crackers, witches and wizards, some rather fat ballerina types (pictured) and many other odd characters. There were also the police (representing 150 years of police work), firemen, SES and other services – even church floats, a debutante ball float, school groups – as it went on and on for some time. There were musical groups, including a couple of groups of Scottish bands and a ukulele group.

 

ABOVE: The Ballerinas BELOW: Marching Police

ABOVE: Debutante Float

 

Having attended the march we decided to not stay as the weather was rolling in again. We took a quick trip up to Silo Hill to enjoy the view and headed back to Gloucester.

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Warrumbungle National Park: Timor Rock

Today’s photo is of Timor Rock, which is located on the road to Warrumbungle National Park from Coonabarabran. Timor Rock is actually within the national park and can be accessed from a park in front of the rock.

Plane in the Park

This is yet another image that was salvaged from my grandfather’s slide collection. It shows my cousin and I having a look at a plane.

Picnic in the Park

This is another image from the slides I salvaged from my grandfather’s collection. It shows my cousin Michael on the right and me on the left. It looks like we are having a picnic in the park somewhere.

Inflatable Football

This photo was taken at Speers Point Park in New South Wales, Australia, I believe. It would have been back in the 1970’s and shows my cousin Michael in the foreground and me in the background. It would appear as though a rather strange game of football is underway – being played with an inflateable ball of some description.

Once again the photo was salvaged from slides my grandfather had taken back in the day.

Newcastle – Custom’s House

Here is a beautiful old building in Newcastle – Custom’s House. Across the road from the Newcastle Railway Station, this wonderful building is a landmark in it’s own right. Sadly, another old building in Newcastle that could be considered beautiful has been run into the ground so to speak – the Post Office.

Custom’s House is now occupied by a restaurant and what a beautiful location – right on the foreshore of Newcastle’s picturesque parkland area.

Whenever I catch a bus to Newcastle – I spend a bit of time here in the park in front of Custom’s House. The bus stop for the return trip (and the arrival stop) is right next to the train station and opposite this magnificent building and parkland area. It is a great little spot to pass the time while waiting for the bus.

MY DEAR FRIEND – I MISS YOU GREATLY

 

I have missed a day’s photo along the way somewhere and so I have been posting for the day before for a couple of days now. So for today only I intend to post two photos, one for yesterday and one for today – but not only for that reason.

The other reason I want to post two photos today is because two people I have counted as important to me have died in the past two years and today I visited the grave/memorial of each of them.

The first memorial I visited was that of my dearest and most important friend, Rebecca. My dear friend – I miss you greatly. It was a hard, hard thing to do today – to visit your memorial at Beresfield. I felt I was unable to say goodbye today and will need to visit again soon. The memorial park was packed with people because it was ‘Father’s Day’ here in Australia and I just found it too difficult to do with so many people about. I will come again soon, but I will also visit often.

I have never forgotten you and I never will. I remain forever your friend and I hold you dearly in my heart. I miss you so much and wish you were still here.

I also visited the grave of another good friend’s sister, someone who I regarded as a good friend in the past and someone I have always held dear – my friend Heidi.