I took my Great Grandmother some flowers.

I managed to exchange the  photos for some from my fathers side of the family on Saturday, there were not many, some how an album has gone missing along with a fabulous photo of his dad in his flying gear from WW1.  Thankfully I had a few photos already, but now I have loads of photos to add to my ever growing album of gone but not forgotten to me relatives.  I started dabbling in my Family tree over 30 years ago which seems impossible to me because I was sure I was only about 25!!  It is so interesting getting back into it and so much easy with all the internet do-hicky thingymajigs.

Sunday was a gorgeous day so I picked some flowers from my garden and decided to go visit my great grandmother Minnie.  She is buried in one of if not the oldest cemetery in Hamilton.  Armed with my little map off I went.

Even tho there is a motorway nearby it was surprisingly quiet, well apart from a Rooster crowing and a bunch of Native birds having a good old conversation high up in some big old trees.

There is something lovely about a picket fence and a wide open gate inviting you in to wander up the hill and around.

Minnie was my dads Grandmother and lived most of her life as far as I know over at Thames. 

 

She was married to Charles Kerby who died very young leaving her with a big family to raise on her own in 1901 when my Nana was only 9 months old.  Some years later she re married a Mr Holden.

Following my map I found the section she rests in but a bird landed on a tall headstone next to her grave as if telling me where she was.

Minnie is right at the very back of the Cemetery and the graves are mostly covered in flowering plants, but I would have to say reasonably well maintained due to the age of them all.

It isn't flat land so it must have been a hard slog back in the day to bury someone. Imagine the ladies dressed in their heavy black mourning dress on a hot summer day or a wet and wild winter day.

Some of the headstones are very ornate.  Do we still do this for our loved ones? Most of my family have been cremated so there is no where to sit with them quietly and think.

The Children's Lawn, not a place I could wander being a mother myself I find it hard to see young ones laid to rest too soon.

Likewise with the soldiers section.  I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it must have been to send a husband, father, brother or son off to a war that wasn't even in our own country.

The fence line to the cemetery has this row of strong tall old trees guarding over land.

Opposite the Cemetery is this lovely gate with Hardy Centre on it. I wasn't sure what that was but have since discovered it is to do with the Girl Guides.  "Hello, look at the clue Sue, the guide symbol either side, you were a guide once upon a time remember!!"

At the end of the road there were these wild daisies doing their thing on the fence line, so pretty.  The paddocks here are for some horse riding group, pity there weren't any nags for me to photograph.

Tagging alive and well on a fence! HBHS stands for Hamilton Boy's High School, where my lads went.  Rather see tagging on a fence than on a head stone.

I did an exchange, leaving flowers for Minnie but taking a slip of the plant growing on her grave to plant in my garden.  My Minnie plant!  I have a Daphne bush I planted for my dad.

 

I love this old photo. Back row is my Aunt, Great Grandmother Minnie and my Nana.  Front row is my Uncle, Mr Holden and my dad.  Seeing this photo of dad just shows how strong our family resemblance is, as many of the offspring have his look.

On Sunday night the dogs were causing a fuss rather loudly  out the back so I went to investigate.  I found this poor Hedgehog rolled up in a tight ball probably wishing they would bugger off and leave it alone.  So I scooped it into a bucket and put it out the front safely away from the barking mad dogs.

This blackbird is a resident of the front garden.  Every morning it sits on the roof of our garage waiting for Tex to turn away from his bowl of breakfast.  Then it swoops down and helps it's self to Tex's food.  Twice a day, every day.  I have noticed a second bird has decided being regularly fed is perfect so it has joined in as well.

Something else happening out the front is the flowering of my Fuchsia plants, flax bush, and Yesterday Today Tomorrow shrub.

 The Fuchsia reminds me of a dress with underskirts peeping out.

Oh look at my new to me sandles that arrived in the post yesterday, they match my eyes!!  Super gorgeous and will definitely be getting an outing this week.

Today when I got home from work I got stuck in and gathered up all the last of the pruning and loaded them onto our little red trailer.  TOF will be pleased with me! 

 

And because it is the first day of December I have put up our tree.  The decoration will happen tonight.

 

It has been confirmed, I am not 25 as this was taken of me in the early 1960's.  Bugger!!!

PS: In the photo of me and my sisters at the tram in my last post you all guessed wrong, I was the small child with the boy hair cut wearing shorts!!