Croydon Market now and then.

Recently a friend and I got talking about Croydon Market and how it has changed over the years. So much so that it can hardly rightly claim to even be called a market any more, in my humble opinion.

Although it has been going for a long, long time, my memories of Croydon Market only go back to 1962, and specifically after the 62 January Bush fires, when a mate of dad's had some Sheep but no sheep dog, so I as a recently turned 11 year-old, often became his sheep dog and loved it. And as a perk, got to go to Croydon Market every Monday I had off from school for many years. Yes it was a whole different world back then. They had roughly 3 main Auctions going almost at once, as well as other more permanent stalls and such. Firstly there was the Junk auction; where all sorts of stuff, from tools to real junk was auctioned off. Then there was the poultry section; which also included pets such as dogs/pups, ferrets, guinea pigs etc. And finally the larger livestock action: such as pigs, sheep, cattle and even a few horses. A real fun place for a wide-eyed country boy to be, I can tell you.

Later, in the late 70's, when I had a home of my own and my own Chooks, I also used to go to the market and buy and sell chooks, and some Pheasants that I had hatched from eggs obtained from one of my Aunts. As well as some pigeons I had at one stage, (which I think most if not all, except the few I bred form captured stock, all came from the Alpha Laval factory over at Reservoir where I worked for a brief time before going to Safeway's Fruit and veggie departments).

However even in the late 70's, Croydon Market wasn't a patch on what it was in my earlier years as, apart from the Junk and Poultry sections; little other livestock was being sold there then and the face of the place was already changing as stalls and business started moving elsewhere.

Of course even what was there in the 70s & 80’s is long gone now and apart from a bit of Junk sold at auction on Mondays, it is just another Flea market on Sunday and Mondays and a car park the rest of the week for the small shopping centre now built on its former site, which also bears the name (But little else) of the original Croydon Market. Such is progress, I guess!

However what is true for Croydon Market, is also true for most things of our youth isn’t it? Very few things ever stay the same, do they? So how do we handle those changes? Moan and groan and complain over them? Or just get on with life and accept the changes and move on with our lives?

What about you today as you face a constantly changing world? Do you moan and groan and complain about it too? Or do you just get on with life, accept and adjust and live with these changes and live a happy and productive Life in the present ? Remember, much of a happy and successful life, is not in what is dealt out to you, but in how you respond to that which is dealt out to you!

Just to close, when life hands you lemons, do you moan and groan and put on a sour face? Or do you go out and make lemonade out of what life gives you? Again what say you?

Can you too not see the Stable Door?

Sometimes it is said of unobservant people that they are so blind that they wouldn’t see a stable door unless it hit them. I don’t know about you, but I am thinking that I too fit that Category. I can’t say that I am particularly happy to admit this but it turns out to be true in my case.
When in South Africa, particularly in the rural areas with the African people, they nearly all had normal-door size, two-piece Stable type doors on their Mud-brick homes. This was very practical as it allowed fresh air and light, into these smallish round huts that only had two small windows opposite each other and the door. It also allowed this light and fresh air to enter the huts, whilst at the same time restricting the chickens, dogs, pigs, and occasional goat, from entering their homes.
So in South Africa we were used to seeing these doors and even our last home there had a set on the Kitchen door. (Although I hasten to add we lived in a normal house and not a mud brick, grass roofed Hut! Occasionally slept in them, but never permanently lived in one!)
However here in Australia, they are not that common at all, particularly in the city and suburbs, like where we are now. However I did ‘notice “ one the other day. I say notice, because after living in this house for over 3 months, I suddenly discovered that a door I normally use at least once a day, if not more, was of this two–piece Stable–door type. It was the Garage side door. However it had been fixed in such a way that I never noticed that it was actually a 2-piece door, and only discovered by accident when I touched what I thought was a solid board only to find it was only fixed at the top and acted as the swing bar that either kept it all together or let each part go its separate way.
Apart from being rather embarrassing that I had been using it regularly, literally months, without recognising its true purpose and value, I also had to wonder how many other otherwise equally obvious things I was missing out on, perhaps even to my deprivation and loss?
What applies to me, may even apply to you too! Are there things around you that you see regularly but fail to fully recognise and appreciate? Maybe you too might need to make a new journey of discovery too? Not into the outside world, but just out, in and around where you are now? What say you? Are you prepared to make that journey and to try and see things through fresh eyes and recognise and give everything its true value, worth and due? Over to you for comment!

Changing Old Traditions.

For as far back as I can remember at Home, we always had a live Christmas Tree when possible. For as long as I lived at home it was the Boy’s job every year, to go down and around the paddocks somewhere and Cut down a native Cypress type of tree. I have no idea what its proper name was but in our family it was always call a “wild Cherry tree” although as I said it looked more like a Cypress than an actual cherry tree. In latter years when a decent “wild Cherry tree “ became too hard to find Mum went over to live Pine trees and only later when the kids moved out, she turned to an artificial tree.

When I married and moved out we started out with a live tree each year but with the various moves over the years as we prepared for Missionary service, we too went artificial for a while.

We did go back to a live trees for a while when we moved to Transkei (South Africa). Yes, we had live trees right at our first Christmas there. Even if our first Christmas tree there, within weeks of arriving, was only a live potted Philodendron, it was quite effective when lit up and decorated. Later we also progressed to live pines, and finally when they became too scarce over there, back to artificial.

Upon returning to Oz, 6 Christmases back with this one, our first-born demanded we go back to live trees, which we did, and she is still doing this year.

We however have gone over to artificial again, even though live trees are still readily available. But this year we were looking for a smaller, less messy tree and so settled on a Smallish artificial one. A cheap and nasty one at that too! However with a bit of fake snow, and just the lights on it is starting to look reasonably presentable.

As hinted in previous blogs my artistic skills when coming to decorate things, is pretty basic, and my part of decorating the tree, after setting it up has always been relegated to throwing a few strings of lights around it and leaving it to the Girls to hang the baubles and tinsel on it.

Well this year they have their own tree to do, and we ours. So there needs to be a change in our decorating traditions this year.

We are also having a luncheon fellowship from the Church here next Sunday with about 30+ men, women and children in attendance, plus a few blow ins before the event and so this year I have decided to let all our visitors have a part in decorating our “family “tree.

My intention is to ask everyone to put at least one decoration each on the tree. Both helping to decorate it and to symbolise them as part of our inner circle even if not immediate family.

How about you? Don’t worry about what type of tree you have but how are you decorating it?

How will you decorate your Tree this year and who will you include in your inner circle of Family? Christmas is supposed to be a time for family, so will you allow “family” even if in the broadest sense of the word, to be part of your Tree? Will you this year change Tradition to allow others into your inner “family” circle? Or will you keep others at arm’s length this Christmas? Over to you for your reflection.

Standout Or Middle Of The Range?

As stated in my article, “How Do You Like The Christmas lights”, I mentioned that after many years of desiring too, I finally achieved an ambition of mine to string up a few Christmas lights in the front yard and around the front of the house.

When I decided to start, only one neighbour in our street had his lights up. By the time I finished the neighbour on the other side had his up as well. Now nearly everyone has! (Not that I put that many up, just that I took my time doing it!) There are only 11 houses in our court and now only three don’t have lights up and ours just add to the scene on either side of us, and rather than looking inferior, look a whole lot better than being the only house in a string of 7 without lights.

As this is our first year in a home of our own, we have no decorations of our own and so are starting from scratch this year. So rather than spend a lot of money on a lot of lights and decorations, I brought only a few but of the cheaper type this year. This year I have gone for quantity over Quality just to get a few lights up and out there. Over the coming years it is my plan to by better and more specific types of lights and decorations. However for this year, just to get the show on the road I have settles for the rather bland and plain not flashing lights, just to get a “Show” out there.

So I have (and for only a few dollars) and even with little artistic flair, it will pass in the dark, particularly at the end of our court. Although Cheap, They are colourful and brighten up the place. Sometimes it pays to always buy the best and start out small, which is my normal philosophy but occasionally like here, one needs to throw their normal philosophy out the window, albeit ever so briefly. So this year at least we have an average display. Walking recently with my wife around our court after dark, we commented that although our lights weren’t the best in the street, they weren’t the worse either.

How about you? Are you sometimes happy to come middle of the range or are you only out for Number one spot and if you can’t get that, won’t even try? Are you even prepared to change your ways and thought patterns occasionally? Or are you so stuck in your old patterns that nothing can change without destroying you? How about considering things from a different perspective even if only once in a while? Or in this case, once a year! Over to you for your thoughts on the matter.

How Do You Like The Christmas lights?

In the distant past I was not really into Christmas decorations and lights outside of the house. And during our time in South Africa, or at least our part of it, Christmas was very low key and certainly no lights or decorations outside. So it was a bit of a surprise when we came back to Oz 5 years ago to find many Houses and their yards all lit up at Christmas Time. Also a bit of a surprise to find Christmas “stuff” and Lights so reasonably cheap and plentiful compared to when we left Oz in 1990.

Since then it has always been a bit of an ambition of mine to string up a few lights in a bush in the front yard and around the front of the house. However my first-born would not let me do it. Whether it was because, “a few lights in a bush in the front yard and around the front of the house,” would look just like “a few lights in a bush in the front yard and around the front of the house”, knowing my previous decorating skills? Or whether she knew, also from first hand experience, that it would probably end up with her doing most of it?

For what ever reason, I was politely but firmly told, “Dad you can do that when you get your own home but not here.” Well guess what? We have our own home again. (Well a rented one anyway.) So this year I decided I would string up “a few lights in a bush in the front yard and around the front of the house”.

So I have (and for only a few dollars) and even with little artistic flair, it will pass in the dark, particularly at the end of our court. There are only 11 houses in our court and over half have lights up so ours just add to the scene on either side of us, and rather than looking inferior, look a whole lot better than being the only house in a string of 7 without lights.

They are colourful and brighten up the place and even if no one else appreciates them I do. What about you? Are you often hindered by the opinions of others? Of course there are times, like when you are living with others, that you have to take cognisance of the thoughts of others

However if it is not illegal or immoral and adds to the neighbourhood atmosphere, don’t let the opinions of a few others stop you if you have the means and opportunity. And even if it is not up to the standards of some others, so what?

Not good enough for others? Who Cares? As long, as they are good enough for you and doesn’t infringe the rights of others! What say you?

Monastery Ridge Group.

In my previous Blog about, “Top Or End? You Decide”, I mentioned that we live towards the top of a slight rise on our side.

On the other side it is quite steep and overlooks the township Of Croydon. As such it was the perfect spot many, many years ago for a Catholic Monastery.

Over the years it has been slowly squeezed out by developments and rising land prices. So much so, that much of the land on the other side of the hill has been turned into a Retirement Development. With Land on this side being sold off, or in the process of being sold off to Developers. This latter process has not pleased all on our side of the Hill.

Not all agree with this new development, including some in our court who feel, that with the small size of the development blocks, right up against some of their fences, the new owners will have to build two story houses with resulting windows looking out on their backyards and pools etc.

Others just don’t want to see many of the big, old and significant trees on the sight chopped down. So a group calling itself the Monastery Ridge Group, was formed “ by local residents, who were concerned that the special features of the area were being eroded by inappropriate development.”

The special concern in our area is the block behind us. They have fought to have the number of proposed blocks on it reduced form 24 to 20 and now down to 17 for the latest proposal. They also claim some successes in saving local vegetation and trees. They appealed against a permit application to remove 63 trees from the property. After inspection by an independent Arborist, 32 of the trees were removed because they were in a poor state. So they have had a success with half the trees. I am not sure how long it will be before the remaining trees became unstable too, but for now they have had some success.

As hinted here, I am not sure how I feel about this group and their real motives behind this preservation move, but I do admire their zeal. They have found a cause that they believe in and are prepared to band together and do something about it.

How about us? You and Me? Do we have that same zeal for all that we do? Or are we just halfhearted in all that we do?

I don’t know what your particular cause is, but are you really committed to it? Are you prepared to give your all (within legal bounds) for your cause? Over to you for your reflection.

Top or End? You decide!

Ever since we have moved into our latest home, we have referred to it as being at the end of the court. And even instruct people to,” Just drive into our Court and you are already facing our place right at the end of the road.”

Recently we went to the Local Street Christmas Party and people kept referring to us as the people from the top of the street/Hill.

I guess technically we are at the top of the hill, but the slope on our side of this hill at least is not that steep that I have ever thought of us as living at the top of the Street, let alone at the top of the hill.

Thus it took me a while to adjust to what they were saying about us living at the top, as it wasn’t in our train of thought. However when we adjusted to their thinking, it did make sense and while we will still consider ourselves as living at the end rather than the top, we can now relate to their line of thinking.

Does that ever happen to you? That people use different words to you to talk about something near and dear or at least up close and personal, like where you live? How do you react to people who use different words and phraseology that you normally prefer? Do you try and force the majority to your view, Go with the majority, or stick with your own view come what may?

Just how do you react to people who think differently to you and why? Have you ever thought about how you act and react to others who differ in any way to you?

Over to you for some personal reflection time: Walter

All Cherries Aren’t “Cherry” Nice.

Although not a real orchard worker, I have worked on a few orchards doing casual work. Mostly fruit picking, even if only briefly. The briefest would have been one day, picking Grapes in Mildura. It was only ever going to be one day for which I was very grateful. For after 6 hours in the hot sun with a bent back, I could tell it was not an occupation I would like.

Since then I have picked apples, pears, nectarines, plums and a few lemons.

As well as that, for the first 28 years of my life my father had a fruit round and during that time for just under 3 years I had my own Green grocers shop, followed by another 6 years working in the fruit and veggie sections of Supermarkets. So much of my life I have been around fresh fruit one way or another and have a great appreciation of it.

As well I have also been around gardening most of my life and love that too, as a relaxation as much as anything.

Now despite these two great appreciations I have neve been attracted to the marriage of the two and growing Fruit trees for their fruit.

Apart from a couple of Feijoas at various places I can’t remember ever planting a fruit tree for myself, although I have planted a lot of peach and nectarine trees at one Orchard I worked at.

Me and fruit trees are only together if I move into a place that already has them, such as our new residence.

When we moved in, we found some grape vines along one side of the house and three fruit trees out the back. As they were dormient we had no idea what they were.

Watching them bud, flower and put out leaves and finally fruit, I was quickly able to identify the Apricot tree and a bit later the Plum tree from its fruit, but it took awhile to identify the final one.

Of all fruit, my all-time favourites would be Sultana Grapes (Known by some as Thompson’s Seedless) and big black cherries. And especially the Cherries because their season is so short.

So you can imagine my joy when I discovered the third tree was a cherry tree.

Recently I discovered that instead of being big and Black they were small and Red.

None the less I eagerly tried one, and was transported back in time to my childhood.

I don’t know if they were on the place when Grandfather bought it or whether he planted them but in my youth Dad had 5 or 6 small old Cherry trees in the back yard, and I still remember my first taste of them. It was the same as recently with those in our new back yard.

They were terrible. I won’t tell you the word my youngest used to describe the taste as you might wonder what we normally feed her. Lets just say both varieties are not eating varieties. MY father's were of the Jam making type and I suspect that that is all those in our back yard are good for too!

Isn’t that a bit like life? Whilst many things have the same name or of the same general type, they can be very, very different in reality and unless we are aware of this, we will be taken by surprise like I was with the taste of these cherries.

There is nothing really wrong with the Cherries other than that they are not the type I want. Sometime we don’t know or realize that there are different types of things like with the cherries, that are all suitable for their own specific purpose but not necessarily for our own desired purpose.

Now in my case there is nothing I can do as they belong to the Landlord. But if you are starting out to do something for the first time, do your homework first.

Don’t just rush out and buy the first "Cherry tree” or whatever you want, until you have checked out that it is the right type or variety for your need. For many things, like the Cherry tree, it will take many years of work and expense before you get your first fruit and you don’t want to waste all that time, effort and money on Jam Cherries when you want eating cherries or vice a versa, do you?

Before you rush into anything new check it all out very thoroughly and make sure you know as mush as possible or is needed to make the right choice.

Otherwise you may just have to live with the resulting problems and loose your investment.

Either that or make Cherry Jam! What say you?

Finally, Fully Moved Now.

Well here I am back again after a longer break than originally intended. We have officially been in this house for a month now, but as a couple of things, (mainly the fish Tanks and especially the Computer,) were still at the Children’s house, we have been flitting back and forth ever since, so that I could do my Computer generated work, (Correspondences, sermons preparation, Bulletins, etc.)

That and all the myriad of things to do in settling into a new home have also taken their toll on time and energy. Thus we tended to spend our time on the important and the urgent things, and the Blog site was not considered one of them. I had originally written the ‘Making Sausages’ Blog over 5 months ago but had not found a real need to send it until recently when I found doing everything and the blog was difficult, so I momentarily dropped the blog. First for just one day, which then became 3 days, then 4 and finally it is nearly 3 weeks now. Doesn’t time fly when you let it, hey?

Well that’s me! What about you? What is it in your life right now that is dominating all your time and energy? Is it something really worth all that you are missing out on, and hope will it soon come to a natural end or do you actually need to take control and end it now?

In other words I am asking you, what are the current priorities in your life right now? And are they the right ones? If so enjoy them.

If not, what can you do about it? See it to its brief and imminent end like I did with the move, or take more drastic steps to finish it? What say you? Walter

What would you do?

Today we went shopping to buy some things for the new house. Martha has had her eyes on a couple of stools for the breakfast Bar for a few days now. Although a little more expensive than I would normally go for, we had been generously given some money to spend on things for the house and as Martha really wanted them, we went for them. We also bought some other things there and as we went I mentally added up how much all this was going to cost.

So I was a little surprised, when going through the register to find that it was considerably less than I had reckoned. However as it would not have been the first time we have gone to a Register to find things had been marked down even further than the ticket, and so I didn’t say anything at the time.

After putting the things in the car and returning to the Shopping Centre I was still thinking about it and suddenly I thought I knew where the mistake laid. So returning to the car and getting the Docket I checked. Sure enough I was right. The Bar stools were $75 each or two for $150 and packed, unassembled, two per Box. Despite there being a large ticket almost 12 inches square on 3 of the four sides of the box, the Girl only charged me for one.

Now, I am not going to tell you what I did, but ask you, “what would you do under similar circumstances and how would you justify your actions?” Over to you: Walter

Nice House in a quirky way.

As part of our new job, we needed to move to a house of our own, after nearly 5 years of boarding with our kids in their home. Shortly after we did so, our son who is an Architectural Draftsman came over one night just before he left on his 3-week holiday, to help me with a couple of things. He has his own views on things but doesn’t normally volunteer these views unless asked, so you know that he is genuine when he comes out with comments of his own unprovoked.

Being architecturally minded he had a good look over the house. I can’t quite remember his exact quote, but it was something like, “It is a very nice house in a quirky way.” I thought the quirky comment was interesting for as I pointed out to him, many of the houses that we have lived in, particularly in South Africa, were quirky.

Having given it some thought however, I do have to agree that the new place does have its quirks but so do all of us. There is always something different about things, homes, or even people that we have to take recognition of and decide whether this quirkiness, is quaint or queer.

What about your own quirkiness? Do others see it as quaint and something desirable or unique? Or do they see your Quirks as queer, and to be avoided where possible and endured when not? Likewise in your turn, do you accept the quirkiness of others as being what makes them unique, or do you think that it just makes them queer? Over to you for comment: Walter

What a Difference A Phone call Makes!

For the past few weeks we have been looking for a suitable house for the church to rent for us, as both a residence and a part-time church Office come storage area. It has been more frustrating and stressful than I had originally expected. There were some that looked suitable on paper but location, accessibility, and parking, often crossed them off before even getting inside. Suitable houses in the area we wanted just weren’t there, and so very quickly we had to expand the search area.

Well, finally we looked at/in a house that looked suitable and found it quite acceptable although as I said, outside of our original desired area. Well, we saw it on a Tuesday afternoon along with a dozen or so, other potential renters. Liking it, we completed all the paperwork and submitted the application by noon of the next day. Upon asking when we could expect to hear if we had been accepted, I was told that we should know by Friday.

Well that week I had been laid very low by the flu bug currently going around here, and as such had spent as much of the week in bed as I could. I was back in bed on Thursday morning, feeling rather low with the flu and a headache, when the phone rang. It was the Rental agent ringing to say that they had had 5 applications from that showing, and the final selection came down to just two of us. At that stage I thought I was getting the polite brush-off and really wasn’t in the mood for a long explanation. However my mood quickly changed when he said that we had got it and that they wanted us to come in some time and fill out the paper work.

One moment I am in my sick bed resenting even the intrusion of even a phone call, and the next, I am ready to go down town straight away, but had to wait another hour and a half because they weren’t ready.

Thinking about it later I was amazed at the change in my attitude in such a quick time and later still wondered how often we perhaps suffer more than we need to, just because we let the circumstances of the time get us down and not look at things a little more positively.

True I was still sick and later had to rest to recover from the exertion of the trip down town, so physically I was still no better, but! But physiologically I was a heck of a lot better mentally and much more positive in outlook.

I now look forward to further opportunities to put this new theory to the test and look to being more positive, even in my more negative moments. What say you?