Showing posts with label Historic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Historic. Show all posts

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Mum's Poems of Ballarat

This postcard was taken at The Cedars when Mum was a baby. She is held by her Mum, her Father standing in the garden. Her Grandfather is sitting on the porch. The cedar trees, one bough of which became her favorite swing are in the background. Ballarat is a gold mining town in the mountains outside of Melbourne and gets very cold in the winter.

CEDAR TREE SWING
Memories of Ballarat, Australia, 1933
By Coral J.P. Ayraud

When young I had a swinging tree
A cedar bough so supple
My Father swung the branch
As up and down I flew
As across the way a sky blue lake
Came sailing into view


WOOLEN STOCKINGS

The skeins of wool about two chairs
Were draped and round I ran
Winding up the dark brown balls
As fast as small legs can

Then in the evening, mother knits
Long stockings, warm as toast
When wind blew cold from artic shores
Legs needed heat the most

Little girls in nineteen twenties
Wore dresses in all weather
And ice would lie along our path
As we walked to school together

Our teacher had us jump about
Before we sat for classes
Singing, “Here we go gathering nuts in May”
A folk dance for lads and lasses

When out of breath and rosy cheeked
So glad to sit awhile
Our books came out and down we sat
To do our work in style

I don’t remember feeling cold
Tho’ winds blew off the lake
And all because of stockings
Mother knitted for my sake

By Coral J.P. Ayraud

Climbing the Cedars




Climbing the Cedars

She climbed up in these cedar trees
She climbed so high she felt the breeze
She felt so grand as she climbed higher
The view was a sight, she was inspired!

However when she looked around
She discovered that she couldn’t get down
A little voice from high above said,
“Help me for I’m filled with dread!”

“I’m up so high and I can’t get down.”
“Is anyone here or are you all in town?”
Mum came out and looked high above
“Hold on tight!” she said with love

“Where is Coral?” Grandfather asked
“When I find her, I’ll take her to task.
“I know that she is only ten”
“But she’s been in my tools again.”

Mum said, “Finding your tools will have to wait.”
“She’s up in the tree again, in quite a state!”
Brother Laurie helped her down, he saved the day
Coral dried her tears and ran off to play

By Carol A. Ayraud

Mum's Memories of Ballarat

This is a picture of Mum as a child in Ballarat. The picture below is of the "The Cedars" where she lived from age 3 months to 11 years in Ballarat. I will add some poetry, 2 written by Mom, one by myself about Mum's childhood. We visited Ballarat, but "The Cedars" has been replaced by a white modern monstrosity and Lake Wendouree is currently dry due to the drought. This was a little disappointing, however, we loved visiting with Mom's cousin Gwen and family.