Crazy days with the Mabbotts

Things have been happening in threes here. All our children having big
life-altering events in their lives.

We have had a wedding, a relationship split, family illness, several family
members relocating and a house purchase.

Family members coming and going, and coming back again. Meals shared,
late meals, sometimes two at the table sometimes seven.

It's just a crazy whirl at the moment. I don't know when it will stop.

Here are some of the stories beyond the photos.

A wonderful wedding day, and here all the sibling from both families together, 

however in a short time Rebecca will be seriously ill. A couple of days later, 

Elliot will leave to live on the other side of the world. 

Ben will return home and leave home again. 

Weddings are lots of work for lots of people, family and professionals. Before, during, and after, many tasks like clearing up after the wedding. Here Mama Bear takes down the 

wedding flower arrangement from the ceremony bower. This pic was requested 

because to date I have not been sighted in any photos, just a worker behind the scenes.

Bec and Mike had house minding to do just before the wedding, and then I also 

relieved them for a few days, dogs included. This is Bec's bag with llamas, 

which travels with her often. It was her grandmother's. 

While I house minded, there were wedding jobs to do like hand paint on glass signs. 

Tashie and Jett, the young and the old. Nap time. 

This is a running sheet for the wedding, can't survive without a list! The management
at the venue didn't clear out the public in time so we had the most frantic time
getting the decor ready in time. Too much stress. 

Then the day after the wedding, a dawn beach walk and photos of local wildlife, 

a salty breath in before back to life. 

I can find art anywhere, street art on doors near hotel. 

Hubby finally gives his speech. 

The girls get ready with the bride, unfortunately the makeup will react violently with Bec, 

she will only just get through the main festivities and procedures, before falling very ill 

and being nursed behind the scenes by a team of family and her boyfriend. 

She just quietly soldiered on until it was too much. 

Boxing Day

A bit late, but things have been unexpectedly crazy around here.

Here is Boxing Day.

Captions to come.

The pool repair

We've lived at this property 36 years. In that time we have had lots
of renovating done, new home additions built, yard work etc.

The problem though, with so much time passing, is that things are
sometimes replaced more than once, or at the very least repaired.
Equipment just gets worn out.

The pool, when we first bought the property, was unfenced, the deck
incomplete. It had no fencing, which now is mandatory.

It was only partially full and black as a swamp, Full of tadpoles too.
The tadpoles were relocated by bucket to the local creek.

Since then: we have replaced the liner, once maybe twice, replaced the whole
pool, a foot deeper, rebuilt the deck, and fenced it off.

There was additional land behind the pool, so we built a pavilion for extra
space, shade and entertaining. It has power and lights.

As the neighbouring trees got higher and higher, and overhanging, we lost
a lot of warmth in the pool making it virtually unuseable. Not to mention
the mass of green waste constantly falling in the pool, clogging the equiment,
and all over the deck.

So major tree trimming was done, and then Mike (daughter Bec's beau)
decided to install a second-hand solar pool heating tube system. After replacing
the old filter and pump recently with new, we used the old pump to pull water
up to the roof.

Additionally the pool coping rusted out, and this was a difficult job to do. Our
green trim is no longer produced, so sandstone is the only colour.

What a job! After searching for where to get a new trim, and at a good price, I
disassembled the old. Like opening a can of worms - under the trim it was much
more rusted out than anticipated.

After I had been defeated, Bec and Mike and Gordon all beat away at it. Eventually,
it all came together Xmas Eve. The solar tubes are making a difference too. Next job,
cleaning and oiling the deck.

The final farewell

I had some residue left after scattering our parent's ashes with my brother. I had
an uncomfortable feeling about just throwing this out.

I imagined them wandering in the afterworld with a body part missing...

Silly I know, but although not religious a little spiritual. I had been told you need to
treat these ashes with dignity.

The majority of their remains are at 2 sites up the Central Coast. My brother, who
lives up there, originally wanted them here at our home in Hornsby, but as the future
may mean us leaving here and also new development, it wasn't suitable.

A nearby park which all the family have attended, including my parents, has a lovely
forest behind it.

It is a critically endangered Turpentine forest with some gums as well. Appropriate I
thought for two environmental people.

Summer 2018 continued.

This season: Reading books, a swim, a bushwalk, a holiday at home. 
Some light entertaining and catering.