Posted in 1 Guildford Rd, 10 Reserve St, Penrith Infants, Penrith Primary, Penrith South Primary, Pre School, tagged Camden, Christmas Day, Elderslie, plum pudding, Roast Dinner, threepence on December 25, 2012| 3 Comments »
Threepence – most desired prize at Christmas
Camden Nana’s baking dish,
Flavours of years released into
The great Christmas Day roast.
In this little house in Elderslie
Everything feels just …
Well, … just right!!
Excitement mounts for the piece-de-resistance.
The plum pudding, where threepences hide
And discovery invokes little feet to run to Mum:
“Mum, I found one!”
Posted in 1 Guildford Rd, 10 Reserve St, Penrith Infants, Penrith Primary, tagged christmas, Christmas Presents, hidden presents, searching on December 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Anticipation fires up impatience.
Every passing day urgency intensifies.
Four brothers alone
While parents on social trail
And the hunt is on …
Christmas presents? Where? What?
Through cupboards, wardrobes,
Between clothes, in drawers.
Standing on chairs, crawling under beds.
We love the hunt,
Secretly hope for failure.
Don’t spoil Christmas.
Posted in 10 Reserve St, 138 Station St, tagged Lightning Ridge, night sky, opal fields, sleeping under the stars on November 1, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Opal Fields – mounds concealing shafts
Desolate fields,
Mounds concealing shafts
Dug by early fortune-hunters
Hopefully, quitting their stake within
Whiskers of wealth.
Opals, the elusive prey.*
Lightning Ridge.
Hour upon hour
We sieve dusty fields.
Nightfall, open camp,
Laying side-by-side, looking up,
Amazing sky, stunning show
Shooting, sparkling.
Together we gather
A most remarkable treasure.
Daytime: Labouring in the dust for gems. Nighttime: Lying in the dust being gifted them.
Posted in 1 Guildford Rd, 10 Reserve St, Penrith Primary, Penrith South Primary, tagged Coca-Cola, Yoyo on October 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »
The school hosts
Visiting troupe of professionals
Sportsmen? Entertainers? Educators?
Uniforms clearly identifying
Coca-Cola
Generous contributor to a new, essential
Life skill.
They provide tools,
Show the fun,
Teach the skills of …
YoYo!!
Wondrous tricks with spinning discs
They make them whistle, sleep, walk, almost talk, certainly bite.
We’re hooked.
Note:
This entry was prompted by a picnic yesterday with old Penrith buddies Ian Elliott, Paul Kenny, Bill Joyner, & Merril Worrad.
Bill (of course) produced a couple of yoyos and away we went. It was like riding a bike, the skills passed on by those representatives of the ubiquitous Cola company emerged from the depths, perhaps a little rusty but largely unscathed by the passage of time.
Posted in 10 Reserve St, 138 Station St, tagged family home, family lodgings, own room, teenage haven, workshop on August 24, 2012| 3 Comments »
The garage workshop.
A big room annexed
To its southern side,
Running almost its length.
We aren’t a family of DIY’s
(except for Stephen’s tinkerings
and Poppy, when he visits).
With temporary lodgers (1 adult, 3 kids)
Soon moving in,
Decision easier.
Hurrah!
Teenage boy haven,
Heaven.
My own “flat”.
Posted in 1 Guildford Rd, 10 Reserve St, 138 Station St, Nepean High School, Penrith South Primary, tagged football, football socks, hookers, props, scrums, shin pads on May 30, 2012| Leave a Comment »
We are wearing the jerseys with the white band across the middle. From left to right is: Paul Bardon, Max Cowan, Steve Cameron, Greg Mobbs, Mick Harpley (bending)
“I just like ’em rolled down,
Dunno why.”
Not good footy etiquette
And being practical
Socks “up” would hold shinpads
To protect shins from
Kicking, raking, & threshing
Of hookers and props
In scrums that are contests.
I don’t like shinpads, either!
Coach & parents reluctantly sigh:
“Just win the scrums, Max.”
Posted in 1 Guildford Rd, 10 Reserve St, 138 Station St, Nepean High School, Penrith Primary, Penrith South Primary, tagged football boots, polished boots, ritual, Rugby League, school shoes on May 29, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Friday ritual
Football boot preparation
Clean, polish, shine.
Thick white cotton tape wrapped ankles & bridges.
Respectful of the game, teammates, opposition.
Shiny black boots laced with thick white cotton tape
Extra lengths wrapped around ankles & bridges.
Ready for fields dusty … or muddy.
A ritual loved.
Contrasting school shoes
Scuffed by kicking the can
And reluctance to polish.
Posted in 1 Guildford Rd, 10 Reserve St, 138 Station St, Nepean High School, Penrith Primary, Penrith South Primary, tagged bowling alley, misspent youth, pinball machines on May 9, 2012| Leave a Comment »
The Bowling Alley has
The real magnet for boys developing a misspent youth
Pinball Machines!
“Pinnies”.
Play the silver ball with crazy flipper fingers.
Unspent school lunch-money, odd-jobs, bottle redemptions, pocket money.
Finances lights, sounds, action,
Silver balls, flippers, bumpers & bells.
Fast hands,
Shake don’t tilt.
Striving for …
POP!
Yes!
Free game.
Addictive,
Don’t leave until pockets are empty.
Extra:
How could I not insert this here?
Posted in 10 Reserve St, Penrith South Primary, tagged collecting, Go-Set Magazine, No. 1 Singles., pop music on April 27, 2012| 2 Comments »
Pop magazine.
G0-Set!
Every week published a Top 40’s Chart.
A collection to build.
We should collect every No 1 single.
It is a slice of history.
And so begins the next collection.
Great songs & trash, it doesn’t matter.
Just needs to be #1 and it’s in
The Cowan #1 Singles Collection.
Note:
* Here’s one of the number ones that was in the collection. This was the #1 single for 5 weeks in early March 1967.
365 Short Memories 