Lola Williams Franich

Lola Williams Franich
aged 69 years

Late of Woy Woy, Central Coast NSW

Mother and Grandmother

Dear Lola,
I first met you at Megan and Mark's wedding in 1993. What a pleasant day that was. You looked beautiful in your suit and cut a fine figure on the dance floor at the reception. This was all the more amazing becasuse Megan's parents had not come to her wedding and you had to be both Mother and Mother in Law of the bride.
Later I met you at Hugo, Holly and Lewis birthday parties, of which there were many.
Once in Megan's kitchen in late Summer I remember you saying that motherhood is tough , no one thanks you for it.

You raised your sons in the south of Sydney and saw them into adulthood and their life partners arms.

Danny your husband was your staunch ally helping you through the years and acting as a buffer to family members when you needed time on your own.

I will remember you as a woman who made it through the parenting years and lived to see the birth of her grandchildren. You raised four sons and now have several grand daughters and grand sons.

In Memoriam

26th July 2009

"She saw in the rainbow the earth's new architecture, the old, brittle corruption of houses and factories swept away, the world built up in a living fabric of Truth, fitting to the overarching heaven." D H LAWRENCE

Holiday Ice Skating

Medecins Sans Frontieres Doctors without Borders

The kids and I are field partners with Medicins Sans Fontieres. It makes us feel that we are contributing to the work of those who make a difference.

Their website is
www.msf.org.au

In February 2009, Medecins Sans Frontieres started a massive measles vaccination campaign in the district of Adre in Eastern Chad, along the Sudanese border. MSF teams aimed to vaccinate 90,000 children between 6 months and 15 years against measles by the end of April 2009. Difficult roads spread out population and high security risks made the campaign a rather challenging undertaking.

In the Crag July Hols

High places
Nicky

Sail boats

View from the track

Ochre hand pits

scribbly bark

sandstone iron deposit

ship wrecks

Low tide

Here we are going on bushwalks and taking photos of the flora and fauna. Today we ventured into Sailors Bay to spy the shipwrecks at low tide. We went to the lookout above the marina. We surfed at Freshwater. And in the middle of the day we watched a kids movie called Aquamarine on dvd. It was the perfect winter holiday day.

Freddie Hill

Birthday girl and band

Freddie Hill played at our birthday party in May with his qunitet. It was the best music the house has felt for decades. His musicians are so vibrant and you will swing and remember the notes for ever.

Freddie Hill (1948- )

Jazz Trumpeter

He is arguably Australia's best jazz trumpeter and can be booked with his musicians

by e-mail freddiehill@dodo.com.au

Broken Hill in Winter

The living sculptures in the desert outside Broken Hill - this is the Georgian Horse. A group of sculptors from around the world came to this landmark site and created the interesting and diverse sandstone sculptures that can now be viewed on this site.
The path from the car park up to the sculptures takes detours across the landscape

It was very windy and cold on the day I visited with Michael McKeon a fellow teacher and resident at the YHA.


Trees are not a big feature of this landscape

Pro Hart was also a sculptor - this one is very good and cheerful

Into the world of Pro Hart's Gallery, where you will see the breadth of his work across his life

This is a painting of the steel works and the brushwork is so complex I had to look twice

One of Pro's self portraits

A result of his paint blasting gun

Pro was always looking for new ways to create art - just another form of self expression

Pro Hart's palette and brushes - pretty much as he left them

The painting studio in the gallery with easel - one of his dragonfly pictures

Pro's organ in the gallery

The Gallipoli landing

The Line of Lode at sunset - as beautiful as Uluru

Tateralls House

The Theatre Royal Hotel

Gargoyle on the bluestone facade - one of Broken Hill's unfinished great pieces of architecture

Lori's Karioke Show at The Musician's Club - the highlight of any Saturday night in the Hill

The memorial to the Titanic - errected by the Bands of the Hill in memory of the band onboard

Watch out this is as busy as the traffic gets at the weekend in Broken Hill

Old Pub with iron lace verandah -

A note about the Art in Broken Hill - there are over 35 Galleries that you can visit run by artists and attached to their studios. The artists are often present and extremely friendly, be prepared for cups of tea and cake and conversations that will last in your memory for the rest of your life.

Scouthike 09

Tom has finally set off on Scouthike 09. He is in a group called the Hungry Bunnies and they will spend the next two days trekking through a pine forest in the Southern Highlands notching up points for navigating, participating in activities, and making it on time to the sleep points. He is hiking with an Edge 60 litre backpack from Mountain Designs and he has to wear all poly propylene clothing so that if it gets wet it will dry out while active. He can't take photos while he's out there so I only have tonight's departure shot to share with you. Of Tom our intrepid adventurer.