Photographers

I love it when Chrish comes home as we get to hang out together and do what we love doing - take photos! Last week we headed to the Gorge with Kobe who was excited to have Uncle Chrish out and about with us.



The funniest thing was comparing my photos to Chrish's photos - he got so many shots of me taking photos, and vice versa. Kobe loves it when I take photos and always wants to see the photo afterwards.




We lost Chrish for a bit, and then spotted him hanging out in the trees taking photos.

This photo was taken by Chrish

I usually hate photos of myself, but I love these ones of me and Kobe that Chrish took.


Thanks for the fun morning Chrish. Can't wait to do it again when you come down in the next couple of weeks!

My Crazy Boys

Today was 'Crazy Day' at the boys school. They got to wear crazy clothes and/or crazy hair and had to donate a gold coin which goes towards the school. They were VERY excited! Check out Kobe copying them being 'crazy' sticking out their tongues!

Jalen wore all of his clothes inside out, and undies on his head. I thought he looked bad, until I saw one of his (guy) friends dressed in his sister's school dress! The kids at school were very hyped this morning. I doubt they got much work done.

My brother, the photographer!

A lovely thing about Nan passing away is that we got to see lots of the family again who live on the mainland. It was great to have Chrish come down for the third time this year already! On Monday we had lots of fun hanging out together, up at the Gorge, taking photos. Chrish took some beautiful photos of me and Kobe. I usually HATE photos of myself but I like the ones he took as they are of the two of us just being natural together. This was one of my favourites that he took, that I had fun editing.

Goodbye Nan

Today was Nan's funeral which was really lovely. We got there early so we could go and view Nan's body. Aaron chose not to, but the boys and I went in to say goodbye. She actually looked really beautiful laying in her white coffin, with her white dress on. She would've been really happy as she even had her nails done and her lipstick on :) Nan always liked to look nice.

The boys were really good about seeing her and Kobe even wanted to go back in after we left. He kept crying and I asked him if he wanted to go back and see Nan and he kept saying yes. Just before the funeral started, Jalen came up to me and said he had been in to see Nan three times - twice he went in on his own, and one time he was in there by himself for a couple of minutes with her. He had tears in his eyes as he told me he felt the spirit in there and really wanted to go back in there with me again to see her one more time. We quickly went back in and Jay said goodbye one last time. Aunty Marilyn told me she walked in there and Jay was just standing there staring at Nan on his own, deep in thought.

The service was really nice with Uncle Chayne and Uncle Howard sharing lots about Nan's life and memories that they had of her. Nan wanted all of us grandchildren and great grandchildren to sing 'I am a Child of God' which we did. It was pretty emotional as I stood up there with 26 of my cousins and all their kids singing together, knowing that Nan had asked us to do it and would be listening. There were lots of tears as we sang, but also lots of smiles as I could hear Simone's girls singing really loud right next to me as they sang the chorus.

In true Deloraine style it started spitting just as the service was ending. Chrish and I were saying on the way to the cemetery that Nan actually wouldn't have minded the rain but would've said it would be good for the gardens.

It's hard to believe that it was only four months ago that Nan was sitting next to Uncle Arn saying goodbye to Pop at the same spot.

Nan's coffin looked beautiful and Aunty Wanda even put some butterfly and flower stickers on the side. Nan would've loved it.

Harri and Jay kept asking where Nan was going to be buried and we told them that she was going to be buried in the same grave as Pop. Harri couldn't get over that Nan would go in the same place and kept saying 'she's going to squash Pop!'. When we got to the graveside Harri looked down into the grave and said 'Pop's not in there!!'.

Dad dedicated the grave and then the coffin was lowered down.

When it was finished lowering Kobe let out this big 'yay!' and gave it a clap! I don't think Nan would've minded as she always said she would be happy when she died.



The great grandkids threw in flower petals and flowers into the grave, just like we did with Pop.




The boys wrote Nan a letter each to put in the grave with her, like they did with Pop. I told Harri it would be nice if he could draw a nice picture of Nan while she was alive, but he insisted on drawing Nan in her coffin with the flowers on the top. He made it a brown coffin as Pop's coffin was brown, so he was quite upset when he saw Nan in a white one!

Jalen wrote her a lovely note saying he hopes she has a good time with Pop and drew her walking up the stairs to Heaven to meet Pop.


By the end of the graveside service everyone was very wet, but it was still a really lovely time and I know Nan would've loved seeing everyone with the flowers and being together again.

Afterwards we headed back to the chapel for food and to mix with everyone. It was so nice to have the whole family there again. It's rare to get a photo of Dad and all his brothers and Aunty Wanda together, so everyone took the opportunity to get one.

I think Nan would've really loved the whole day. We love you Nan and can't believe you aren't here anymore. We were really sad when Pop passed away but now it feels so much more final with both of you gone. It's hard to believe that we can't visit you whenever we want. We are glad that we know where you are though, and that we will see you again one day.

In the meantime we will keep making your sponges and remembering all the great times that we had together and will keep telling our boys all the great stories of growing up with you. Jalen even asked me to make some carrot jelly for him today, and I think I may just do that!

Nan's Tribute Clip

The last few days I have been going through Nan's old photos that I scanned a long time ago, to put together a tribute video to be shown today after her funeral. I love seeing the old photos and remembering all the funny things Nan told me about them. It was hard to narrow it down to just a few photos.

I had a few tears as I was making it - not really because I'm sad that Nan and Pop are gone as I know they are really happy right now, but more because I miss the Nan and Pop that I knew when I was growing up. The Nan and Pop that used to have lots of energy and would jump in the landrover and take us down to the river for a swim. The Pop that used to want to arm wrestle everyone to prove that he was stronger than them. The Pop that used to punch Aaron and tell him 'he had better be looking after Janey' (Jane is my middle name).

The Nan that used to jump in the freezing river going 'oh, oh, oh!!!' the whole time and would make us laugh as she screamed as she would dive under the water. The Nan that used to scream for Pop whenever she saw a snake in the bushes. The Nan that used to hum all day long. The Nan that used to jump on her scooter to go and collect the mail at the end of their long driveway. The Nan that used to make us laugh as she would give us the funniest Christmas presents every year - no Christmas was complete without a new hankie from Nan. I remember one year Aaron got a hankie with 'K' on it and she told us it was meant to be for Uncle Kim but realised she didn't have anything for Aaron so she wrapped it for him. We then just pretended that she meant it for him all along as the 'K' could've stood for 'King'.

My boys never knew the Nan and Pop that I knew, as they were a lot older and frailer the past 10 years or so, but I know they loved them just as much as I did.

Oh to be young again

On Thursday after I found out that Nan had passed away, Kobe and I went to the park to meet Bec and Lynne and the kids. We had planned it before, and I was glad that it was a nice day so I could meet them and the kids could have a play, even though I heard the news about Nan.

It was nice to be able to be with good friends and talk to them about Nan and tell them that although it was sad that we were happy that she was with Pop. Of course the kids were oblivious to anything going on, and were just happy to be at the park for a play.







The swings were the hit of the day. Oh how nice it would be to be young again and not have a care in the world, and get such joy from just swinging on the swing in the autumn sun.

Cake for Nan

Yesterday morning my beautiful Nan passed away suddenly after having another stroke. In February we were wondering how long she would last without having Pop around and hated to think of her being alone without him, for too many years.

Nan suprised us just after Pop passed away and seemed to be doing really well. We knew she missed Pop so much though and every time you would mention Pop's name she would have tears well up in her eyes. She hasn't been able to communicate very well since her first stroke, but it was obvious how much she loved and missed Pop. Whenever they were together they would be holding each other's hands.

The way I remember Nan the best is when she lived at their house in Dunorlan. She absolutely loved her garden and we would often go up there to say hi and to play in the yard, picking and eating all their fresh vegies straight out of the garden, and popping Nan's flowers (which she hated us doing!).

I'm actually really happy for Nan and Pop as they are now together again and no longer in their frail old bodies. When Dad told me yesterday morning I felt sad that I won't see Nan again for a little while, but so happy that she is again with Pop. They are amazing examples to me and I love and will miss them both so much. My boys are so blessed to have known their great grandparents and to know what amazing people they both are.

Chrish reminded me yesterday of Nan's carrot jelly which we weren't too keen on, but one thing which we did LOVE was her sponge cakes. She usually had a sponge cake on hand and if you came to visit she would pull it out. There were many times when we would visit just to have a piece of Nan's famous sponge! :) When I told Harri yesterday that Nan had died he said straight away 'oh she's in Heaven with Pop now!'. When I told Jalen he had a few tears and after school he told me that he had to go to the toilet during class time to have a bit of a cry. When he got back his friends asked him what was wrong and he told them about Nan. They were lovely to him and he said to them 'just don't mention the words 'Nan', 'sponge cake' or 'biscuits' or I will get upset again!'. The boys used to love visiting Nan and Pop at their home in Deloraine and having a piece of sponge cake and raiding Nan's biscuit container.

While the boys were at school yesterday I decided that we should do something to celebrate Nan's life, so I whipped up a sponge cake using Nan's recipe. It was no where near as good as Nan's would've been but the boys were very excited to come home to have a piece of cake for Nan.