Stepping Back in Historic Hartley

 

At the foot of the mountain, and hidden at the end of a dirt track is the burial ground for many important settlers of the pocket of land I call home. I had visited this site in my university days when taking grave rubbings of a particular family for an assignment I was working on for my Australian history course. 

I recalled the excitement of this cemetery, the way it was just suddenly there, tucked away in the bushland with the birds song being the only sound. What a wonderful resting place. I returned to this place again last week with some friends. After the devastation of the bushfires last Christmas, the feeling of this place was much more eerie.

We got lost in the past for a few hours. Walking around, we wondered about the lives of some of these early settlers. One headstone caught our eye as it was a lot further away from the others

In Memory of TAMBO

Who Died January 23rd

1898

Faithful Servant of 

T H Neale 

Upon returning home, we did a little research to find out if there was anymore to learn about this lonely grave. 

Tambo was the Samoan servant of Thomas Henry Neale (b.1830) who was the last magistrate to sit in the Hartley Courthouse, from 1838 til its closure in 1887. Neale died just 11 months after Tambo. 

Thomas Neale was a man of generous disposition, Trove tells us. A man with a kindly nature. 'As a magistrate, his tendency was towards leniency rather than severity, and more than once he paid the fine in cases of apparent hardship.' 

Tambo must have been very special to Neale, for him to bury him and erect the headstone in Hartley Vale Cemetery. Though Tambo's death doesn't appear to be recorded, it is nice to see that he is still remembered.

The Grand Canyon - Blackheath

 Last week I visited the Grand Canyon Walk in Blackheath.
And it was amazing.

 From Neates' Glen we headed downward and watched the vegetation change and the lushness of the rainforest thicken. Equipted with a guide to the plants of the Blue Mountains, we had fun identifying the many, many different flowers and shrubs on the decent into the canyon. Learning some interesting facts about plants I've probably walked passed a billion times in the bush.

Soon the walls of the chasm we were entering stretched up all around us. It was truly impressive.
Once we arrived at the creek that flows through the canyon, we came upon 'The Rotunda', a lovely spot to stop for a little while. This big overhang was an Aboriginal occupation shelter in the past and sitting inside you can see what a great choice of a spot it was! I think sitting under here on a rainy day would be so calming and relaxing.. a beautiful space. I can definitely see myself coming back here to sit for a while in the future!

 It should not have come as a surprise when the track notes description of the grade was 'lots of steps'.. but boy there were a lot of steps! This is the walk that had my calves burning for days in the first week of the new year.. but I am looking forward to doing it again with a friend of mine in the next few weeks! So that's a pretty good sign.

This walk was magic. Such beauty in a few short hours.. If you are never going to get an opportunity to go canyoning in the Blue Mountains, this walk gets you deep down into a canyon (350 metres down to be precise) to experience it without all the abseiling, wet suit wearing and pool jumping. The guidebook we used said it would take about 3.5 hours but we managed it in 2.5 with lots of stopping, snacking, huffing and puffing..

The backdrop to my life

The Blue Mountains has always been home, despite leaving it for 15 years to see if something better was out there. Turns out there wasn't. I was born at the bottom of the mountains and now my little family has settled here. Nesting right at the very top.

Recently a friend came to visit and he has lit a fire in me to explore again. I met him when I began to truly wander the world and his enthusiasm for life was infectious. 8 years on and I have caught the bug from him again. He has left a real desire in me to explore, but this time, my own environment.
There are so many beautiful places to see and and places to discover. In the first 7 days of 2018 I think I have discovered more of my local area than I had in all of 2017! My calf muscles are hurting from walking but I can feel my heart starting to fill with the joy of adventuring I let fall to the wayside.

As you can no doubt tell, I am an occasional blogger. But I am also a reluctant exerciser. As I have recently said goodbye to my 30s, I feel I need to make a more concerted effort to leading a healthier lifestyle as youth is certainly not on my side anymore! So in order to get myself back into feeling healthier, I thought I'd blog about some of the local walks and highlight some of the beauty of where I live.

If you find yourself in these beautiful Blue Mountains, perhaps I can inspire you to visit these places too :)

21/52

 

A picture a week, every week, to watch our Harry grow :)

Watching the last of the Autumn leaves falling at Mt Wilson in the Blue Mountains. A camping spot where trees were climbed, possums searched for and stars wished upon.

6/52

A picture a week, every week, to watch our Harry grow :)

Splashing on a Summer's Day. Skipping stones and chasing skinks.
Being watched through the trees by wallabies .

Raiders of the Last Era

So I have made a decision and am going to keep my retro things seperate from my hand made.. especially as i may not be doing the retro thing forever! So with that.. I introduce you to my retro and vintage label:

I am however going to showcase here on this blog, certain things that will appear in 'Raiders'. As well as take a trip down memory lane and have a closer look at some of the things that made childhood so special. There is now an Etsy store as well as an instagram to follow!

you can find us on Etsy.....  here
and on Instagram.... here

5/52

A picture a week, every week, to watch our Harry grow :)

Waiting by the front door at the end of the week.
Eagerly awaiting Daddy's car pulling into the driveway.

Feeling like a kid again

I have a conundrum. And I'd like your advice.

But first let me set the scene...

It is coming up to Harry's Suitcase's first anniversary in a few months and I am thrilled at how far this little idea of breathing new life into things from my childhood has come. The comments and happiness that people have shared with me when remembering moments from their own childhood has been a special thing, and to share it with our new little generation and excite them with what we had, has been such a joy.

I loved everything about my childhood. Was very into the popular culture of the time.. Smurfs, Transformers, Garfield, My Little Pony, the Muppet Show, Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtles, Fraggle Rock, Gummi Bears, Masters of the Universe (And of course Sheera!) Cabbage Patch Kids, Viewmasters, All things Disney and Warner Bros... I could go on & on.. and most likely will in a little more detail in the future..

As I grew up my interests didn't wavier too much and when at the age of 13 I scored a part time job in the local video store, my love of film, movie memorabilia (and for the male actors of the time!) blossomed. I kept that job for 8 years, leaving it to take a job dressing up as Bugs Bunny at Warner Bros, but that's another post!
Throughout this childhood I hoarded collected. I loved to collect! I still do, but not as much as I used to (I have a husband who likes to get rid of stuff!).

My parents are in the middle of downsizing their home and have uncovered quite a lot of boxes containing my childhood favourites and the memories that are being evoked are so wonderful! The exact feelings are returning that I felt when I was 8.. and I love it!

So my questions to you, dear friends..
Is Harry's Suitcase big enough to hold retro toys to sell as well as my upcycled childrens book products? Do I create a side business? Sell it all on Ebay, or just in facebook and instagram posts? Add it to my Etsy store? Am I broadening my brand too much or is the general feeling of 'returning to childhood' enough of a common theme and by 'opening the suitcase' you can go back there and have all the 'feels' that go with the memories.

I'd love your thoughts.

4/52

A picture a week, every week, to watch our Harry grow :)

First Day of Preschool! Such an excited 'big boy'.
'You'll open the gate for me Mummy, and then you'll go, ok?'
I cried on the walk home, and proceeded to do nothing but think of him all day. Sigh.

3/52

A picture a week, every week, to watch our Harry grow :)

On a bushwalk, by a waterfall, chatting with Daddy over a couple of 'Pa Bikkies'
(named for Pa's love of scotch finger biscuits!)

2/52

A picture a week, every week, to watch our Harry grow :)

With one of his favourite people - Pa
On one of his favourite things - The Quad Bike

1/52

A picture a week, every week, to watch our Harry grow :)

Hot, hot, hot New Year's Day! At the farm saying 'hello 2016 - I think we are going to have fun'!!

I think of you often x

This little bunny sits on a shelf in the most vibrant room in our home. The room we spend the most time as a family. He was the first toy I spied in the window of the little family run toy store not far from my home in Melbourne when I first fell pregnant and he was what I imagined the whole nursery to be created around.. A room full of woodland creatures was to be the theme for whoever this little boy or girl was going to be.

I lost that little person a few weeks later.

I didn't allow it to effect me at the time. The statistics that I learnt at the hospital when they confirmed that I was miscarrying told me how common it was and that made me feel surprised and sad that it wasn't something people talked about. It made me determined to hold my head up high and feel comfortable to share that I was among an extremely large group of women to have gone through such disappointment.

My grieving didn't manifest until later. I experienced a handful of panic attacks when we got a puppy a little while later and found it very hard to leave her alone. I also think that my anxieties and tendency to worry ramped up at that point in my life.

As I acknowledged what I was finally going through, months later, I went back to that little toy store and bought the little bunny. It has helped having something tangible to hold whenever a pang of grief comes.

I am grateful for having this experience, without it I wouldn't have my Harry. And I couldn't imagine life without him.

Be Bigging Oneself!

Wow! What a week!
I opened my Etsy store a little while ago. I took some poorly composed pictures and listed my chalkboards, clocks and bunting. It was not an easy process for me and I spent a couple of days trying to get my head around it all and basically got quite stressed!

So I joined up to be a part of the 'Etsy Creative Challenge' on facebook which was going to be starting up offering a lesson a week, emailed to you to help with making your store a success and hopefully make sense! In my inbox on Monday morning was my first lesson. It talked about your inner critic and encouraging you to be proud of what you have in your store. 'Be Bigging" yourself, not belittling. There was homework attached to the lesson. 'Be big' yourself on the facebook page to all the other challenge goers! Pick a listing and be proud!
After reading the lesson and watching other people' s homework appear on my timeline, I almost didn't participate. Everyone looked so professional and truly artistic. I felt a bit like I didn't belong, that what I did was not in the same league at all!

Before I allowed myself to completely chicken out, I posted a link to my chalkboards.. Seeing my little Harry's happy face pop up, I felt proud :)
Before I knew it i was getting post likes and some truly wonderful and encouraging comments. By the end of the day I had made my first Etsy sale and sold 2 large chalkboards. The excitement I felt surprised me. How overwhelming the day was!

Later in the week, I was also plugged on an instagram site and asked to be featured on some body's blog! And went on to sell 4 more chalkboards! CRAZY!

I spent yesterday with my parents and Harry, having a lovely relaxed day and a bit of a celebratory lunch in one of our favourite teahouses.
It was a wonderful day with a little geocaching in local cemeteries and discovering historically significant convict graves, bush walking and bird spotting, discovering a MASSIVE op shop not far from home (squeal!) and indulging in a Chinese restaurant for dinner once Harry's Daddy knocked off work.

Harry's PaPa and I spotted a wonderful bird to add to the list while on a little bushwalk. He was a Powerful Owl. So big and silent! Sitting with his lunch in his claws. Not sure what it was that he had caught, but he certainly wasnt going to starve!

A great day :)

Market Day - September

Been a little tardy with my blog last week. Sorry about that my 3 faithful readers!! I was flat out getting all my new products ready for yesterday's market. Not to mention that this weekend was also Father's Day and Harry's Daddy's birthday! So, a busy, busy week leading up to a busy, busy weekend.
We had some lovely celebration though the weather turned a little cold and blustery. We spent a lot of the weekend blowing bubbles.

 The turn in the weather, however, was fortunate for my positioning at the Blackheath Community Markets. Due to some cancellations I nabbed a spot indoors! I went into this market not expecting much. Being as it was on Father's Day, and my product is not really for that audience, I was going to be happy to simply cover the cost of my stall. I was pleasantly surprised to find at the end of the day that I had made a little more than that :) My new bookmarks being the biggest seller of the day!

Because it was a quieter day, I managed to have a little browse of the other stalls and chat with the other vendors. I got some lovely comments on my products and a couple of customers from last month came to tell me how well my chalkboards had been received as gifts :) It's these sorts of lovely things that makes me excited to be giving this whole venture a go and I am already looking forward to next month :)

Fun at the Farm

Got back yesterday from a lovely visit to Harry's Grandparent's farm. The weather was beautiful and the wattle smelt amazing. Spring is definitely in the air and it was exciting! I had a lovely time wandering around the farm, just me and my camera, while the boys were off feeding horses and helping Pa with the daily tasks of being on the farm.

 Harry got to go out collecting firewood with the new toy chainsaw his Daddy brought home as a surprise recently. He pitched in, cutting and sawing, then collecting chopped up bits to go in the trailer. He looked so sweet with his little ear muffles on. He felt very special and just a little bit important I think!

It was also a weekend of wildlife. A new bird for the life list, The Double-barred Finch, a gorgeous little owl-faced bird. A Bearded Dragon that was accidentally woken from his hibernation inside one of the logs. Gave us all a bit of a fright when he popped out! Also a long necked turtle wandering across the road on our way home to the farm.. Harry was loving it!!

The evening was exciting too, with the largest moon I think I have ever seen rising up over the hill behind the farm. So beautiful! And soooo big!! Overall it was a wonderful weekend away and definitely recharged my batteries for the week ahead.. getting ready for market day on this Sunday!!