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RuthsArc

~ Looking forward, looking back & enjoying now.

RuthsArc

Tag Archives: family

A new car -1960’s style

17 Wednesday Nov 2021

Posted by RuthsArc in photography, remembering / musing

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Cars, family, Sydney

I’ve been looking through old family photo albums and came across this photo of me with my granddad and his new car.

I’m linking this to Jude’s “Life in Colour” challenge for black or grey transportation.

Another photo is this view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Celebrating New Life & End of Life

18 Saturday Sep 2021

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, remembering / musing

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

family, Life with Covid-19

Our granddaughter was 8 months old when we met her for the first time. In normal times I would have been in Sydney for her birth, just a 2 hour flight away, but Covid-19 changed everything.

In November last year, when Australia’s internal borders finally opened, we visited our family and celebrated all the events we had missed – my 60th, our daughter’s 30th birthday, two other birthdays plus our grandson’s 3rd. And the birth of our gorgeous granddaughter. We had a big party, with all the banners. We enjoyed days out and the ordinary times at home.

Then I got “the call”. My Mum was seriously ill in the UK and I needed to get there. She’d been unwell with a short cancer diagnosis, she had support locally, with UK lockdown, no hospital visitors, it was a tough decision when to travel. I had already requested a “Travel Restriction Exemption” from the Australian Government which had been granted. Fortunately, I had taken my passports to Sydney so I booked a one way ticket online and was on a flight within ours. 

My daughter CM met me at Heathrow with a spare winter coat. Mum passed away peacefully. Despite the sadness there were many things to celebrate.

CM stayed with me at Mum’s house and helped with all the tasks required to wind up a person’s life. Even with UK lockdown we were able to have twenty five family and friends at her funeral to commemorate her 87 years, her independent and generous spirit. God Bless you Mum, thanks for all the memories.

Human Connections

13 Monday Apr 2020

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, photography

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

family, me

How have you connected with family and friends during the current social distance restrictions?

I’ve had spontaneous calls with our toddler grandson, shared matching Easter Eggs, compared items in our fruit bowls.
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I’ve had regular “coffee meetings” with my Mum for five years. I arranged similar online Skype chats with UK girlfriends this weekend.
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Our London based daughter called on Face Time for a “breakfast chat”. She was so happy that she’d been able to buy a tin of Milo. Her dinner was cereal with Milo. I had my usual porridge with blueberries and we had a lovely catch up.
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I’ve had “afternoon tea” online chats and phone conversations with friends.
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I’ve shared emails and Facebook comments and messages.
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I’ve been able to share everyday moments with our two week old granddaughter, see her safe in her mother’s arms, see photos of her older brother interacting with her. My daughter even took her phone for a nappy change and continued chatting to us. It felt as though we were there in the room, just without the smell.
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And I’ve enjoyed creating photos to reflect all these different connections.

Waiting for the Bruny ferry

05 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by RuthsArc in days out, photography

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

family, Tasmania

What do you do when you race for the ferry with four minutes to spare, but it’s already full so you wait an hour for the next one. You take random photos and let the grandson drive!IMG_5402IMG_5404IMG_5383IMG_5386IMG_5395IMG_5376IMG_5380

We’d had a lovely Monday exploring Bruny Island, a twenty-minute ferry ride from the mainland of Tasmania. An island off and island off the island continent of Australia.IMG_5345IMG_5340IMG_5353IMG_5360

Leaves

30 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by RuthsArc in one with nature

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

family, flowers

One of my photo prompts this week, was “leaves”. Perfect timing, as we visited the Botanical Gardens with our daughter and grandson, before they headed home.IMG_3492IMG_3510IMG_3471

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Baby, animals.

27 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, one with nature

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

animals, family

We had a fun day today, introducing our grandson to some local Aussie animals at “Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary”.

Wombats

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Tasmanian Devils

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Kangaroos

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Our daughter also enjoyed meeting kangaroos when she was a few months older than her son is now …Version 2

Favorite Place

Favourite person, favourite place

26 Monday Mar 2018

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, weekly photo challenge

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

family, me

Right now, my favourite place is being at home, watching our grandson, as he practices his crawling and standing skills.IMG_3200IMG_E3076 (1)IMG_3079IMG_E3179IMG_3209

This week’s photo challenge is Favorite Place

Visit of a VIP

21 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by RuthsArc in 100 word challenge, all about me

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

family, me

Later today, a very important visitor will arrive, to spend a week with us.

He is travelling more than one thousand kilometres, taking his first ever flight.

This visit has required some additional preparations, some specific equipment.

A travel cot and high chair have been borrowed, a baby car seat hired.

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Supplies have been purchased, including a few small toys and books.

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Our apartment is now “baby proof”, ornaments and books moved out of reach, our driftwood tree relegated to the communal hallway.

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Yes, our seven month old grandson is coming to stay 🙂27993549_10212774089282025_193070082974216348_o

Happy Mother’s Day

11 Sunday Mar 2018

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

family, me

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As I have one daughter in Australia and one in the UK, I get to celebrate two Mother’s Days.

This is the fabulous card I received from my younger girl in London. As well as the # on the card, there have been numerous other hash tags in conversations and messages …
#youturnedoutamazing
#properadult
#arrivedintime
#putitinyourdiary
#proudmum
#mykidsmakemesmile

Also a message from my Sydney girl this morning… “Happy UK Mother’s Day !!! 😘 your card’ll arrive in May 😉”

Love you girls!!! xxx

Story

#babylife

14 Wednesday Feb 2018

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, remembering / musing

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

family

This is a “guest post” written by my daughter.

As background, our first grandchild is almost six months old and he is now on the move! Since birth, he has thrown back some of every feed, just like his mother, his auntie and apparently, his NanR!

I had a message the other day, “I now have a mobile spewing machine!!!”

Then she posted this ….
You know those mornings when the only option is to cry or write a poem…
#babylife
#poeticgenius
#thiswasbefore9am
#pleaseletmefinishmyteatoday

Version 2

He spewed with the sparrows
In the bed, on the floor
He spewed while she weed
And then twenty times more

He spewed while she cleaned,
Spewing and smearing
Then looked in her eyes
Somehow endearing

He spewed while she changed him,
Once then again,
He spews with a dummy,
Still comes out all the same

But there she thought
“How lucky am I?
To have this little boy”,
With a tear in her eye

How he laughs and smiles,
Cuddles in for a pat,
And watched as he…
Shat on her thrice cleaned yoga mat!

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She’d placed him on his play mat, facing the opposite direction. Oh the memories, I’ve been there, done that, worn that t shirt. But I don’t remember writing a poem about it. Love my kids!! xxx

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