Caves

I was scared.  We were going way too fast.  And getting faster.  One wrong move..........

It was a road of loose blue stones.  The truck was bearing down on us.  There was nowhere to get off.  As we got quicker so did the truck.  The truck's bull bar filled the back window.  The corners seemed sharper than they probably were.  It felt as if we we on the verge of losing control.

It seemed a long time until we started going up a hill and finally the truck backed off.  Relief.  We managed to find a place to pullover and relax, letting the truck go past.

We were on holidays and on our way to Wombeyan caves, NSW.  It was 1988, the year I met my husband.  It was also the first time that I visited Canberra and Sydney.

The drive to Wombeyan caves made more of an impression than the caves themselves, which unfortunately I don't remember.  The battery in my camera must have been flat as there are no photos of the cave.   Or maybe because I was using a film camera back then, I didn't want to waste film?  Or maybe any photos were out of focus and did not make it to the album?

However I did find this souvenir of our visit in December 1988;

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

We then continued on to Jenolan caves, about 120 kms further north, which were a lot more memorable and spectacular.

Jenolan caves 1988

Jenolan caves 1988

We must have had a fascination with caves at the time as on our way home we also stopped at Buchan caves.

Buchan caves 1988

How do you remember the difference between stalagmites and stalactites?

My mother told me; "mites run up your tights, which you can pull down"  

(ie stalagmites go up and stalactites go down)

For regular readers, you may notice that this is the first Sepia Saturday where I have gone away from old photos.  Jill at Geniaus recently made a good point - sharing some stories about ourselves was creating "Future Family History" records.

However,  I do have a photo taken by my grandmother, which immediately came to mind.  I am not sure where "The Caves" are.  The closest "caves" that I could locate are at Naracoorte, which is nearly 150kms away.  This would be nothing today but in 1929 it would have taken most of the day to get there.  A long way (too far?) to go for a day out.  There is nothing else to identify where the photo was taken.

Pilgrim Family
"Ready for Home - At the Caves - April 1929"

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Farming at the Creek's

This weeks Sepia Saturday photo, immediately reminded me of this photo of my grandfather, who was a farmer in his younger years;

Allan Scott on Old Bluey
Winiam

"During the Depression Allan worked with 2 bachelor brothers, Jeff and Ralph Creek for his keep and when things came good they paid him 10 shillings ($1) for each week, which was good pay for those times.  They didn't have to, but that was the sort of men they were." Eva Scott

Jeff & Ralph Creek's
Winiam

Haystack on Jeff Creeks property
1934

Reference from Henry "Jeff" Creek about my grandfather, Allan Scott.
Click to enlarge

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Aunty Mavis remembers

"We had 8 to 10 cows to milk morning and night then separate the milk to get the cream for Mum to make butter and for us to put cream in the sponges which we made to take to dances etc and also to have for weekends as there was always lots of people at our place". 

1928
My Great Aunties, milking Rosie the cow.

 "The Cream-man as we called him used to call each week to collect the cream;   but this day a new one came and he was nice and tall with dark curly hair, and Rita and I were outside when he came and Dorrie and Marj were inside.   He asked if Mum was about so I said I would get her,   Rita and I went inside and shut the door and I got Mum.    We were telling Dorrie and Marj how nice he was;  so after Mum had been out there awhile Dorrie said to Marj,"Come on we will sneak into Grandfather's bedroom and have a look thro the window"  as it faces the front door.   Well the boards used to squeak and the old iron bed had brass knobs on it that used to rattle.    When I thought they were in there looking thro the window I called out "Can you see him Dorrie"?.   They ran out and the boards squeaked, the bed rattled as they bumped into it and the door slammed.  Dorrie was livid, and Rita and I were laughing and Rita fell off the end of the couch laughing ,  then in burst Mum;   well Dorrie's  fury was nothing to Mum's and it ended our laughing ,  but Dorrie and I still got a ride with him each week to the school"
Great Aunty Mavis Pilgrim
 

Click for more Sepia Saturday postsThis weeks feature photo is titled "Off to the creamery"

Something Old

It was the start of Winter and the rain didn't stop all day.   On a normal day, I would have found the cold weather, gray clouds and rain depressing. But not on this day.  

My grandmother told me that the rain was good luck.  I don't think that my (soon to be) husband would have agreed at the time.  Little did I know that he and my brother were walking down a country road, soaking wet, looking for a petrol station.  Their frantic gestures for a ride were being ignored. 

That was 22 years ago today.  Our wedding day.

Although we did not have a traditional wedding and instead opted for a small gathering of close family members, I did follow one tradition:

Something Old

Something New

Something Borrowed

Something Blue

And a sixpence in my shoe

My grandmother provided me with the "something old", being the oldest piece of jewellery (we spell it differently in Australia) that she owned; a hand carved cameo, pictured below.

Something old

My grandmother had told me that the cameo had previously belonged to her grandmother and it had been given to her as she was the first granddaughter.  She gave it to me on my wedding day, as I was her first granddaughter.  I shall pass the cameo to my first granddaughter.

Wearing the cameo on my wedding day

I now think my grandmother may have been confused about the tradition of passing the cameo to the first granddaughter as I have since located a photo showing my Grandmothers mother (not grandmother) wearing the same cameo.  Is it a coincidence that the cameo is being worn in a photo with the first grandchild (a boy) & great grandchild?

1960 - 4 generations
My Great Grandmother, Grandmother, Aunty & Cousin
My Great Grandmother, Mabel Pilgrim is wearing the cameo

Can anyone help me to identify the age of the cameo?  

It is one piece, hand carved into shell and not very pretty (sorry Gran).  The crown symbol is also stamped into the gold on the reverse.  The lady is facing left, which is considered rarer.  I haven't seen a cameo with the same hair style, although shorter hair is more likely 20th century?  

How would you describe the cameo's nose?  A long elegant nose indicates a date prior to 1850 (no I don't think so), an upturned nose became more popular in the mid 19th century and a "pert" nose appeared in the  early 20th century.   

It would be interesting to date the cameo.  Maybe not? The tradition of passing the cameo to the first granddaughter is so lovely, it would be a shame to disprove it.

You may also be interested in my prior post about wedding presents, which also features this cameo.

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Wagons

This weeks Sepia Saturday prompt, immediately made me think of the photo, which makes up the background for my blog. It is a picture that has always appealed to me.  

Take a closer look - what do you see?  How does it make you feel?

This photo came from my Great Aunty Mavis' photo album.  She wasn't sure about the photo but thought that it was a "traveller".  She wrote:  "Dad used to bring in the travellers for a meal,  and we had lots of swaggies call in for a place to sleep (Dad would put them in a shed)  and Mum would always give them a meal and sandwiches to take on their way as well as a big billy of tea.   We never had them inside tho".

Going through my grandmother's photos revealed that I have many photos of wagons.

January 1933 - A family outing/holiday
 Bubbling Springs Port MacDonnell, South Australia

Wagons were commonly used on the farm and there are many photos in my grandmothers albums.  It was hard to choose just a few.

She wrote: " Dad would drive Kit and Tammy in the buggy and the fruit van (before he got a motor vehicle) and they were a flighty pair.   In the van, we all sat on a board across the width of it and no back.  It used to take us over an hour to trot into Nhill – 10 miles – with a load and under the hour to go home.  The horses were always in a hurry to get home.  I love horses and working dogs, but not lap dogs. 

 

1930 - Kinimakatka
Ray Muller Driving and Jim Muller on load
(My grandmother's cousins)

1928 - Winiam - Load of Chaff
Great Grand Uncle Bert Pilgrim

Great Grand Uncle Perce Pilgrim on a load of hay
Winiam

1930 - Almond Dale
Grand Uncle Lloyd Pilgrim

1928 - Almond Dale, Winiam, Victoria
Lloyd & James Pilgrim spraying fruit trees

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