The Major Mitchell cockatoos arrived and started eating all our persimmons. The tree is too big to net, so we picked about eighty of the best. The tree looks like a large orange tree covered in oranges, but they are persimmons. They will go through their final ripening inside without trouble. Continue reading →

When Beverley and I were married, we were given a few pieces of crystal which were highly prized for times when we would be entertaining guests. That would be a regular part of our lives during fifty years of ministry, of which more than half of that time was spent leading Wesley Mission where entertaining visitors was the norm. Over the years, other pieces of crystal were added as gifts. I came to know something about crystal from a most unusual source. Continue reading →

A few months ago I wrote on the theme “A Cup of Tea” about fine bone china. Nearly everyone who spoke to me told me the same thing – that that article meant so much to them because it reminded them of their dear old mother, now deceased who valued so highly the dinner set/tea set/cup, saucer and plate set that she was given for her wedding. This fine china was used at every important family occasion, celebration, anniversary and funeral, and for important visitors. The fine china, which had been left in mother’s estate, was now still in the owner’s crystal cabinet. Fine bone china reminded them of their dear mother. Continue reading →

I was named after the four surnames of my four grandparents, all descended from Scottish clans. My first Christian name, Gordon, was to honour my maternal grandfather Robert James Gordon. He was the son and grandson of Scots shepherds who lived and worked in the area of Donnybrook north of Melbourne. A local cemetery there marks the burial site of scores of my ancestors. I have guessed that the early arrivals in Victoria from Scotland came about as a result of the shameful enclosures in the highlands. Continue reading →

One man’s pet is another man’s pest. I have known people to keep pet snakes, but in another context snakes are feared. Spiders can be both pets and pests. So are pit bull terriers, rats and cats. It is all in the eye of the beholder. A pest is an organism that is unwanted. So an animal may be a pest in one setting but a pet in another. At different times, ants, spiders, fleas, cockroaches and mosquitoes have also made the top of the list of pests but quick action and they are eradicated. These will always be pests. Continue reading →

In 1971, our family made one of its most important decisions. We would purchase our own home. In spite of having only one very limited salary, four children less than eight years of age, a minimum deposit and all the financial pressures of a young family, we went ahead in faith. Continue reading →

Apples you buy in the supermarket do not taste as good as they used to. Conclusively, it has now been shown that this is because they have been subjected to gas and kept in storage for up to a year or more before reaching the supermarket shelves. Hence, they are stale. But not only that, they form a limited range of commercial fruit varieties. Continue reading →

The late spring rains have done wonders for our garden. Our program to drought proof our garden works brilliantly. See “Practising What I Preach.) http://www.gordonmoyes.com/2007/08/23/practising-what-i-preach/ We harvest, reuse, recycle and drip our water on the gardens. On Sunday I walked around the garden to smell the roses. The lawns are flourishing. They should. This winter, eldest son Peter rotary hoed the front lawn, we levelled it, top dressed it, manured it and then returfed it. 500 metres of Sir Walter, delivered on a packed semi-trailer with fifty rolls on each pallet, each roll weighing 50 kilos. Peter carried each roll to its spot, Beverley and I unrolled them, joined them, watered them, rolled and cut them. Today the lushest lawns you could imagine.