Upside-down-under

I have only now had time with a computer at Suzanne Ingleton's (Roxi's Mum) in Castlemaine, to actually post these photos that I took before Christmas when I went for 3 glorious days to my favourite place in the world...Wilson's Promontory National Park.

I went with my wonderful sister and my sisters in all but biology, Mardi and Sally and their extended and very precious families. Here is Mard, leading the way for me with her beautiful liquorice allsort towelling back pack on that she made.
Blue sky anyone?
Here we are walking on a cool morning to Tidal overlook.
THE GIRLS
It's been wonderful to be surrounded by people who all sew and are as obsessed by fabric as much as me. One of the reasons I snapped Richard up so swiftly was that he could sew.
These guys are seasoned campers and even brought.......the Christmas decorations.

It was quite cold though for the first night or two and I wore every piece of clothing I brought with me, including my showerproof coat to bed each night. (Thanks Clarribelle for the lend of your MOST beautiful soft, warm and comforting scarf)

How's this for camping perfection?

Richard's funeral details

Dear friends, family and blogreaders all. Richard's funeral will be this Friday. The details are as follows.

Friday October the 8th @ 4pm
Church of St Peter & St Paul
Church Rd, East Harling NR16 2NB Norfolk, United Kingdom.
www.walkingwithyou.org.uk
Parking opposite the church

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made at the church (or online) for charities: The Big C (www.big-c.co.uk), Macmillan Cancer Support (www.macmillan.org.uk), and for the Church Bell fund.
In the true spirit of Richard's life, please come dressed to celebrate such a wonderful person. The last thing he would want to see in the church is a sea of black and grey, so please add a dash of colour to your outfit, as he added a dash of colour to our lives.The wake will follow on after the service,in the next village along at Bridgham.

The wake will be from 6pm
Please bring a bottle and a nibble type dish.x

We received a lovely message the other day in amongst the many from our friend Lizzie who wrote..."Richard lives on in us all. I can't believe that his humour, musicality, love and sharp suits have not in some way impacted on us and changed us in some subtle (or not!) way."

Farewell Ricardo the Magnificent

Roxi made this beautiful compilation of images and music.
The song is the one that her Dad Richard used to sing to her to send her off to sleep and the one she sang to him to send him on his next adventure.

Richard Ludbrook Ave atque vale

Our Darling Richard passed away last night at 9.30 at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital with Roxi and I by his side. I knew it would be hard but I don't think I realised he really would never be coming home again. Here are some beautiful words from a suprising source.
"We can never lose anything that is good, never lose love or the memories of great happiness because they are true. I've come to the conclusion that only the eternal is real! And that means qualities that one loves in people - their humour, generosity, honour, kindness, gentleness etc are the reality: and can never die. They are the identity of the one one loves." Joyce Grenfell.
All my love to you my darlings reading this.
Joey x

En Famille

A lot has happened and yet nothing has happened lately. Richard is home with us again thank God. Maudie has been for 6 days and now it's time for Sue Thomas to go back to Melbourne and change with Richard's niece, Louisa who has come to visit for a week or so from Melbourne too.
Here are some photos from Maudie's visit and our morning rambles across Harling Heath, listening for Sky Larks.
I know, I know, no comments now about the apparel/umbrellas and the fact that it is meant to be summer.
Here is a rather lovely photo of Ricardo with Maudie at the hospital before he came back home.Here we are with Richard's brother Ray and sister-in-law Mary and Roxi in our remarkably suburban looking lounge room.
at the hospital sharing a "moment"
Back home with the other family, Clarry, Yusuf and Roxi looking at the inevitable and hard to resist; facebook (even though I'm trying to).
and one of me that Sue took when we managed to get a rare sisters moment together. Luckily it's in sepia and thus doesn't make me look as old as I am feeling at the moment.
I'll try and think of something more intelligent to talk to you all about when I get my act back together.

Coming home!

HE'S COMING HOME TODAY.

He's been in hospital for 4 weeks and I never thought he'd come home. It's been horrible trying to talk with him intimately while the other patients in the ward beep and groan and snore. There's been the odd episode of explosive diarrhoea (not Richard's I might ad) and codes blue when the guy in the next bed has a bad fit which is usually once or twice a day. Then there was the episode when Richard went off to go to the toilet and all hell broke loose in the corridor where I'd last seen him. Doctors came running from everywhere, they closed the doors to our ward and pulled screens around the doors and the patient on the floor and I was left silently and terrifyingly alone - only to see him shuffle out the door of the toilets blinking at all the noise that was going on around him. I've never been so glad to see him upright in all my life.
In other news to hand... the beautiful Maude has arrived from cold old Melbourne. Here she is in the English Bush with Sue Thomas and Roxi ready for our morning walk with the "poo machines", Carryll's dogs. (Yes it was raining)

Sisters and sisters is very very nice.
MY sister Suze and I managed to get an afternoon off and go to Wiveton café for scones and jam and cream........
....and a walk round the spectacular walled garden there.
yes there was some wildlife action too.

Zebedee turns 4

For those of you new to the blog, I must tell you about our beautiful Godson Zebedee. Zeb was born very premature at 23 and a half weeks and was an absolute miracle baby that weighed 450grams.
He turned 4 on Monday and we had a birthday celebration for him on the weekend.
It was even hot...
Every year we take photos at this tree on the forest walk on the way to the river. Say CHEESE.

What more could a 4 year old want than a cupcake and his willy?
Often I'm here in the UK wishing my friends and family from Australia could see my life here in the UK and for once what do you know....they were. Sue Thomas sitting in the hammock with Clarissa's niece Florence
Roxi and Sue on the forest walk....
There were a few tears however.......
and yes it is a huge emotional time at the moment. Even apart from birthdays.
Here is the photo that always makes me sob....Zebedee the tiny and miraculous
Here he is with Ricardo two years ago at the river.
...and here getting to know each other when Zebbie was one.

Love and support

Well, Love and Support (yes they are CAPITALS) have been flooding in as things have taken a bit of a turn here. Richard went back into hospital last weekend in a lot of pain. He is now in Guist ward at the Norfolk and Norwich with a lot of fluid accumulatingand an infection in his abdomen. He's thin and scared but still very much Richard.
Dylan, Ricardo's stepson, and Roxi, Richard's daughter have both come from the other side of the world to see their Dad. (Dyl will be furious that I have put this not-so-attractive photo of him up but we are all looking a bit ragged). But he and Roxi have been unbelievably amazing.
This is what Richard looked like last week...when he and Roxi shared the "Commonwealth-heads-of-government" shorty pyjamas...

and this is what he looked like yesterday with Roxi trying to get rid of her double chins.
Dyl is an architect in Melbourne so we took him to see some of the sites of that Fine city of Norwich.


Here is a beautiful photo of Richard and Dylan and Maudie with their Mum, Sue Ingleton. (Maudie is trying to get here too but life keeps getting in the way).
As you can see Richard is in good hands....

Royal Norfolk Show

Today Roxi and I went to the Royal Norfolk show!
I'd never been before.
It was an amazingly English experience. I had no idea there would be blokes dressed in bowler hats "stewarding" people, nor riding girls dressed in immaculately fitting tweed on a VERY hot day. The only rides available were a wonderful collection of antique merry-go-rounds and helter skelters.
We had a wonderful time looking at incredibly cute bunnies....
This one a Belgian Hare....
Some wonderful and bizarre chickens.
Check out this one's comb!
and this perfect lace wing.
Here's a close up of the perfect speckled hen.
We were amazed that they would go to these lengths to judge eggs. Something about cracking eggs to make an omelette came to mind.
We both loved the heavy horses there all dressed up and very proud of themselves. Check out this star.And here is Roxi with a huge and beautiful Percheron.
These pigs were too cute to miss.
and luckily we weren't sexually harrassed by any "Loose Sheep"