Golden Memories

Here is a link to the original post from yesterdays picture.

That was the view from my bedroom window for about the first twelve years of my life. This is the front of the house as it looked in my childhood. It looks very different now.

The brilliant red soil is quite stark in that photograph. It was taken over twenty years ago. Apparently after the Summer rain which fell this year the grass is knee deep and every thing is just gorgeous though they didn't get enough to run water in the creeks and dams. There is something stunning about the vividness of the Aussie colours. As Jeanne commented yesterday, quoting the Dorethea Mckellar poem, we love our sun burnt country.

I love where I am in life at the moment but I have to say that I still refer to this piece of the country as my home! There's no place like it. I loved the comments readers left yesterday expressing their appreciation for the beauty of it as well.

Heart's Ease

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

A True Confession

Last week Jillian posted some excellent thoughts about the attitude we should have towards all our mundane tasks, namely ironing. This post received a surprising number of comments. Obviously, ironing is a subject very close to all of our hearts!
Some more serious subjects were covered as well, like...er..the return of the Lord Jesus Christ! Pop over if you are interested to read what everyone had to say. It was a good example of encouraging one another in doing well and being ready for that great day.
.

Now I am quite open that I do not particularly like to iron. I do it. We have good garments which need pressing. For the most part we are all at home most of the time and I endeavour to buy house/ work clothing which needs little or no ironing. When it needs to be done I try to do it with a good attitude.
"Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. "
I have even on occasions done ironing for friends when they are unwell or have new babies etc. This was something I always appreciated myself. My lovely mother ironed here once a week when my boys were little and we had school and a lot happening. She didn't much like it either but she figured it was a big help and something she could do out of the way. A labour of love♥

Two Things I Confess
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#1 I have, in periods of extreme pressure/ over whelmedness/ illness PAID a lady to do ironing.

#2 I have in situations where a friend has been under extreme pressure/ overwhelmed/ unwell/ snowed under with school/ many children/ a new baby, SUGGESTED that they PAY someone to do their ironing.

There, I said it. Am I lazy? A bad housekeeper? a poor friend? (okay, I openly admit I am not a good house keeper:-) Most of us who are homeschooling and one income families cannot really justify this long term, but sometimes it is worth the budgeting sacrifice to keep on top. Ironing ladies usually work fairly cheaply and it is amazing what a lift it can give a girl to have that wretched job out of the way. Also allows her to get the family out of the house looking good when she needs to and have hubby nicely dressed for work.

As with my blog and friends on the net, my real life friends and I try to build up and encourage one another. We can do this in practical ways as well as discussing deep theological issues. It is often our practical coming along beside a friend which helps us and them to deal with life and in turn devote more time and energy to the more important spiritual matters. Faith without works is dead.

Mary chose the good part. She sat at the Lord's feet and was not hindered by cares and cumbrances. She did the one thing needful. While I struggle to keep up with my household chores, I like to think that the priorities are in place. I'm plugging away at it!

My home is clean enough to be healthy

and dirty enough to be happy!

For the Fallen

Here is a link to another of last year's ANZAC Day posts.

The Ode comes from For the Fallen, a poem by the English poet and writer Laurence Binyon and was published in London in the Winnowing Fan; Poems of the Great War in 1914. The verse, which became the League Ode was already used in association with commemoration services in Australia in 1921.

FOR THE FALLEN

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children

England mourns for her dead across the sea,

Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,

Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal

Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,

There is music in the midst of desolation

And glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow,

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again,

They sit no more at familiar tables of home,

They have no lot in our labour of the daytime,

They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires and hopes profound,

Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known

As the stars are known to the night.

As the stars shall be bright when we are dust,

Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,

As the stars that are stary in the time of our darkness,

To the end, to the end, they remain.

"LEST WE FORGET"

Me un Craig uv Queensland

Last year on Anzac Day I posted a little about my Grandad here.

Below is the poem Sari Bair by C.J. Dennis which is taken from The Moods of Ginger Mick. "Craig uv Queensland" refers to Bob Craig whose family were locals in my home town. Craig served with the author C/J. Dennis in the 26th Battalion, training in Egypt and serving on Gallipoli. Craig is mentioned also in Dennis's poem The Push from the same collection.

SARI BAIR

So, they've struck their streak o' trouble, an' they got it in the neck,
An' there's more than one ole pal o' mine 'as 'anded in 'is check;
But Ginger still takes nourishment; 'e's well, but breathin' 'ard.
An' so 'e sends the strength uv it scrawled on a chunk uv card.

"On the day we 'it the transport there wus cheerin' on the pier,
An' the girls wus wavin' hankies as they dropped a partin' tear,
An' we felt like little 'eroes as we watched the crowd recede,
Fer we sailed to prove Australia, an' our boastin' uv the breed.

"There wus Trent, ex~toff, uv England; there wus Green, ex-pug, uv 'Loo;
There wus me, an' Craig uv Queensland, wiv 'is 'ulkin' six-foot-two:
An' little Smith uv Collin'wood, 'oo 'owled a rag-time air.
On the day we left the Leeuwin, bound nor'-west for .........-knows-where.

"On the day we come to Cairo wiv its niggers an' its din,
To fill our eyes wiv desert sand, our souls wiv Eastern sin,
There wus cursin' an' complainin'; we wus 'ungerin' fer fight
Little imertation soljers full uv vanity an' skite.

"Then they worked us - ......... they worked us, till we knoo wot drillin' meant;
Till men begun to feel like men, an' wasters to repent,
Till we grew to 'ate all Egyp', an' its desert, an' its stinks:
On the days we drilled at Mena in the shadder uv the Sphinx.

"Then Green uv Sydney swore an oath they meant to 'old us tight,
A crowd uv flarnin' ornaments wivout a chance to fight;
But little Smith uv Collin'wood, he whistled 'im a toon,An' sez,
'Aw, take a pull. lad, there'll be whips o' stoushin' soom.

"Then the waitin', weary waitin', while we itched to meet the foe!
But we'd done wiv fancy skitin' an' the comic op'ra show.
We wus soljers - finished soljers, an' we felt it in our veins
On the day we trod the desert on ole Egyp's sandy plains.

"An' Trent 'e said it wus a bore, an' all uv us wus blue,
An' Craig, the giant, never joked the way 'e used to do.
But little Smith uv Collin'wood 'e 'ummed a little song,
An' said, 'You leave it to the 'eads. O now we sha'n't be long!'

"Then Sari Bair, O Sari Bair, 'twus you wot seen it done,
The day the transports rode yer bay beneath a smilin' sun.
We boasted much, an' toasted much; but where yer tide line creeps,
'Twus you, me dainty Sari Bair, that seen us play fer keeps.

"We wus full uv savage skitin' while they kep' us on the shelf
(Now I tell yeh, square an' 'onest, I wus doubtin' us meself);
But we proved it, good an' plenty, that our lads can do an' dare,
On the day we walloped Abdul o'er the sands o' Sari Bair.

"Luck wus out wiv Green uv Sydney, where 'e stood at my right 'and,
Fer they plunked 'im on the transport 'fore 'e got a chance to land.
Then I saw 'em kill a feller wot I knoo in Camberwell,
Somethin' sort o' went inside me - an' the rest wus bloody 'ell.

"Thro' the smoke I seen 'im strivin', Craig uv Queensland, tall an' strong,
Like an 'arvester at 'ay-time singin', swingin' to the song.
An' little Smith uv Collin'wood, 'e 'owled a fightin' tune,
On the day we chased Mahomet over Sari's sandy dune.

"An' Sari Bair, O Sari Bair, you seen 'ow it wus done,
The transports dancin' in yer bay beneath the bonzer sun;
An' speckled o'er yer gleamin' shore the little 'uddled 'eaps
That showed at last the Southern breed could play the game fer keeps.

"We found 'im, Craig uv Queensland, stark, 'is 'and still on 'is gun.
We found too many more besides, when that fierce scrap wus done.
An' little Smith uv Collin'wood, he crooned a mournful air,
The night we planted 'em beneath the sands uv Sari Bair.

"On the day we took the transport there wus cheerin' on the pier,
An' we wus little chiner gawds; an' now we're sittin' 'ere,
Wiv the taste uv blood an' battle on the lips uv ev'ry man
An' ev'ry man jist 'opin' fer to end as we began.

"Fer Green is gone, an' Craig is gone, an' ....... 'ow many more!
Who sleep the sleep at Sari Bair beside that sunny shore!
An' little Smith uv Collin'wood, a bandage 'round 'is 'ead,
He 'ums a savage song an' vows quick vengeance fer the dead.

"But Sari Bair, me Sari Bair, the secrets that you 'old
Will shake the 'earts uv Southern men when all the tale is told;
An' when they git the strength uv it, there'll never be the need
To call too loud fer fightin' men among the Southern breed."

This poem was originally published in The Bulletin, 20 May 1915, p6.

"Lest we forget"

Reclaiming Fridays

During the Summer terms our Home Schooling group joins for swimming lessons on Friday mornings.
That's up and out and down to the pool by 8am every Friday during 1st and 4th terms.
These are great sessions for the children. Our boys have come through from the Learn to Swim class about 7 years ago, through the Stroke Training and on to Squads. We get the same price as a school group and a whole hour of tuition which makes it a very worthwhile activity.

The mothers get to catch up too and for some time a group of us had our Art sessions in the park across the road after morning tea each Friday when swimming was over. It was often late morning or even lunch time before we got home and into the rest of our day and sometimes Fridays tended to become "socialization" days. We know how poorly socialized the deprived home schooled children are, right?
So swimming is over now until next Summer.Two whole terms with a "normal" start on Friday.

My younger son has just graduated to Division 3 at Basketball. Both my boys will play their basketball fixtures now on a Thursday evening. For the last three years we've traipsed down to Basketball on Friday nights for the younger age groups. Oh joy!
 Friday nights are free. We can now go to other activities, invitations, or what's more, enjoy a leisurely evening at home or have someone over. Dad will still do tea on Friday nights. (Oh yes he will!)

I am just revelling in the fact that Fridays will be nice, slow paced days without the hectic start, the late finish and the feeling of not quite having achieved everything we should have school-wise during the week. Now we can have a normal school day, visit the library more, finish the to-do list....

I just might get the time to visit with a friend occasionally, too :-)

The New Blogging Routine

Early this year in this post, I said, "So again, I am considering my schedule and trying to be moderate in all things. Perhaps I will post a little less, read God's Word a little more, be of more edification to others."
I have posted a little less. It has been good for me. I was spending way too much time and brain energy, which I can ill afford, thinking up and editing posts. I used to post 5 or 6 times most weeks. I am managing to post only 3 or 4 times a week now. One of those is usually the WordlessWednesday post which is not time or energy sapping.
I am trying to be faithful in my reading of God's Word and trying to meditate on it more.
I still read at all of your blogs and try to comment regularly to let you know! I am trying to post less and with less waffle and more substance. I am still working on some posts which I have been chewing over but I limit my computer time A LOT MORE.

Lest we forget, I have a couple of posts set to publish over the weekend. As we remember the ANZACS and all our service men and women from all conflicts, let us  praise God for Australia, "young and free" and commit her to Him.

Take My Hand

Wordless Wednesday

Worldly Cares are Great Hindrances

Matthew Henry

"Worldly cares are a great hindrance to our profiting by the word of God., and our proficiency in religion.  They eat up that vigour of soul which should be spent in divine things, divert us from duty, distract us in duty and do us most mischief of all afterwards, quenching the sparks of good affection and bursting the cords of good resolution; those who are careful and cumbered about many things commonly neglect the one thing needful.

Psalm 119

15 I will thy holy precepts make
my meditation;
And carefully I'll have respect
unto thy ways each one.

16 Upon thy statutes my delight
shall constantly be set:
And, by thy grace, I never will
thy holy word forget.

(Scottish Metrical Version)

That's a Wrap!

Return to School Work

We began the second term of school on Tuesday and now, Friday afternoon, I can say the week went fairly well. My younger son particularly is really showing improvement in the reading department and this is carrying over into all his work. This is a long awaited break through. I cannot put it down to one particular thing but certainly the one on one sessions with Rae on top of the many years of line upon line learning are paying off. I hope and pray this is the beginning of a whole new learning experience for him.

S1 is going slowly and steadily. Because the progress is much less noticeable he has had some attitude problems to deal with as well. He sees his younger brother taking off and this is a new challenge on top of the actual reading difficulties.

It is one of the greatest challenges to us as parents homeschooling our children, to deal with and fine tune the attitudes behind the students behaviours. He is such a great kid! He is good at a lot of things. He is not a good reader and of course that is what he wants most at present.
Remember he wanted to read Indiana Jones a while back. I am afraid it was really just too much for him. We handled it well though. My sister who comes to read to them regularly has been reading through the exciting and rather flowery pages of Indiana's adventures and S1 has settled for a book a little closer to his abilities. Yes, he was disappointed but he didn't crumble the way I thought he might. He is learning to deal with disappointment.... He is still needing to learn to be happy for the achievements of others. That is a big hurdle for him with his brother.
Thankfully both boys love their sport and I am pleased to say are good sports toward each other and their team mates there. One characteristic at time...

Holiday Happenings
I have really enjoyed the opportunities I've had in that week or two to meet with family and friends. We've been making special time to meet with our friends who leave shortly for new pastures . This has been a great memory making time for the boys. I don;t think they really know what it will be like when their friends leave as they have not had that experience before, but they are enjoying the more regular play times. Tonight they are staying over at their house for the first time ever so they are very excited about that! A good night's sleep and some unusual quite for us here, no doubt two tired and hyped up boys tomorrow when they arrive home.

I was pleased to have a couple of coffee dates with my friends too as our busy lives don't leave a lot of time for girly social chats.
Of course, every opportunity I get we spend time with our older girls and the little grandchildren. Not a week goes by at their ages when there is not some new, clever trick to delight us with. The four month old is rolling, trying to crawl and sit and smiling and laughing cheekily. He is a very healthy, happy little man!

Update from India
This is the latest pic from my nephew in India. The beautiful Taj Mahal. He is experiencing both the extreme poverty, volunteering in a Sisters of Charity house, and the phenomenal wealth enjoyed by the elite few.

I have re posted this last pic from a few weeks ago. I cannot get over the extremes of living standards that are in one country, one city, almost one street, in India. There false religions and caste system leave many people homeless, starving and without hope.

Once again, I am thankful for our rich and free country. Lord have mercy on the people of India and bring many souls to know your mercy and grace.


*I am loving the new blogger in draft! Especially positioning photos and pics and them publishing exactly the way I drafted them! WooHoo...this was always a problem for me before. I am having trouble working out how to get photos from My Pictures onto the new post though. Any Blogger users able to help me there?
Also, are any of you Blogger users able to tell me how to back up my blog in case of failure at any stage?

Have a good weekend one and all!

Stolen No-nos!

Wordless Wednesday

Roots and Wings

"Good parents give their children Roots and Wings."



Roots, to be firmly established and grounded in love. and wings to fly and reach heights beyond your expectations.

Psalm 1 tells us that the man is blessed who does not walk in the council of the ungodly, nor stands with sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But rather delights in and meditates on the law of the Lord.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

The roots of a strong faith, a loving family, parents committed to one another,
enable a child to grow into a grounded and confident adult. To dare to dream dreams and know that the home team is cheering. Always supporting and encouraging. This child reaches for goals that we as parents may have never dreamed of.
WingsSee how the Eagle soars! Such grace, such freedom, such confidence! He has trust in his abilities, his skill and he knows he has a firm and protected base to return to. He dares to soar out beyond the line of vision and try new pastures.

As parents, though we have invested many years, many tears, many prayers into the raising of our children, our job is not done until we have rooted and grounded them firmly enough to let them go. They are going to make mistakes, they are going to make decisions we do not agree with. They know what we believe on things. that our life and faith is grounded in the Word of God, yet they will at times make contrary choices. But if they know that we are behind them, upholding them in prayer, loving them, then they will spread their wings and fly!

Ah, there are reams that could be written about the does and don'ts of child rearing. From catechizing to spanking, not supporting our children in sinful lifestyles, not holding on, not letting go,..... but just for now think of

Roots and Wings!

Young at Heart! ♥

Lest my last post, on the Signs of Aging, gave the impression that I am throwing in the towel on life, let me tell you how life really is for me at the moment.
This season of life is turning out to be very happy, fulfilling , interesting and challenging!
Marriage is always hard work, but after almost twenty five years of ups and downs, we know one another so well that much of life has that comfy slipper familiarity about it.
The babies, that I so adored having, are all grown now. While this was a difficult reality to accept back then, one cannot deny that getting an entire night of sleep has some attraction! No nappies to wash, no childhood illness to cope with and long crying sessions for no apparent reason.....all long ago and strangely fond memories now!

I love having my boys still at home. I still get all the pleasures of being Mum. I also benefit from their youth and dawning maturity. They will be men and out in the world soon enough. I am just trying to jam in every possible learning opportunity and every bonding moment I can.

My daughters are young women! Still my little girls but also my companions and friends. I honestly marvel that I have managed to produce such beautiful girls! My girls are not walking with the Lord and this is heartbreaking, but you know, it causes me to cling to Him very close. To cry out, to plead for them. If our lives were too cushy we might take our eyes off the Lord?

And of course the Grandchildren! Who ever thought these children could enrich and excite my life the way they have? My love for my own children was/ is so great, so deep, so committed. It never really dawned on me that being a grandmother could be all that. What a blessing in older age. I should have known for my own grandmother was one of my dearest people of youth. I took it for granted.

Age is just a number. It is the joy of the Lord, redeeming the time for Him, enjoying the blessing he has bestowed which frame us. A merry heart and a cheerful countenance are a youthful approach to life.
Today, my heart is sooooo full ♥
While my physical body exhibits all those signs of impending old age, my heart and soul joy in the wonderful life I have just now and the anticipation of all that lies ahead.
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Surely as a young bride my head was full of idealistic ideas, hopes and dreams. God has never let me down. The trials of life, I hope, have wised me up but not worn me down. I still look at life from that rosy side. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over!

This is a rather pointless little waffle! but how can I express it any other way? I haven't even touched on spiritual life, friends etc...etc...
As your hair begins to grey, and your joints begin to groan, perhaps your memory is becoming addled, rejoice in the blessings of your youth and the new found joys of maturity. Praise God!




*A humorous afterthought. This "young at heart" writer has had two minor heart attacks and a triple bypass! Take heart♥

S.O.S. Clever Bloggers

Can someone with more smarts than me help me out?
I am trying to post a document from my computer onto a blog. How can one do that? Usually I type everything myself or it is from material already on the net eg Bible verses. I know it must be able to be done but when I try to edit the document I get the paint page.
This is a long poem which I would prerfer not to have to retype. It is not on Wordpad. It has been scanned from a very old book of my own poems.

Any ideas?

A Special Birthday

Wordless Wednesday

Click Here

for words.

The Seven Signs of Aging

1. Grey hair ~ yes, I have it! I have been going grey for about ten years but I usually disguise that with a fairly natural looking brown. When I had my hair cut the other day the lovely girl told me that I now had grey roots right across my head and not just in the part :- ( Thanks love!


2. Deafness/ blindness ~ yep, afraid so. I have been deaf in one ear since 1996 and eventually when the other one goes I'll get a hearing aide. I have reasonable vision considering my age and health issues but am very impaired at present with a cataract causing blurriness.

While lack of sight and hearing sound rather drastic I have found there are advantages. I still respond to every call of "Muuummmmmm!" in the supermarket . I love the sounds of children playing and can hear a jar of coffee being opened at quite long range. However, I am very adept at blocking out the sounds of squabbling, babies bawling (the perfect baby sitter) and requests for more food.

3. Resigned to my weight ~ This must surely be a mark of a mature woman? For the past 30 plus years I have been chubby and I always resolved to DO SOMETHING about it. From time to time I have dropped a little weight but always managed to end up back roughly where I am now. I am built for comfort and not for speed. I am finally becoming contented in my own skin.


4. Jumbling names ~ I have one husband, four children, two of them have partners, four grandies. I have six siblings all with spouses and many children of there own. I have oodles of friends with gazoodles of children. I cannot be expected to instantly remember every name right, every time, can I? I often go into a time warp and call my own sons the names of my two younger brothers. My dear eighty year old Mum grieves because she cannot keep up with all her family, particularly the great grand children. Hold up Mum, I am right behind you ♥

5. Aches, pains and other joys ~ yes, yes and yes! Hubby and I chuckle when we get out of bed or try to straighten out of a chair and hear all the joints cracking. It is quite symphonic! Sagging bits and lumpy bits, wrinkles and dodgy teeth are fun aren't they. (This is where loss of eye sight comes into its own! I may be in for a shock when my eye is fixed :-)

6. The good old days ~ Reminiscing about the past is a sure sign of aging. How golden and wonderful life was as a child. How much better behaved we were than this generation. Life was simpler, living was cheaper, fun was both simple and cheap and kids were much happier. TV may have been black and white but the world was rosy. This is also back in the days when I was slim, blonde and energetic! (Pre numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

7. Uummm? ~ Now what was that other thing I was going to list??....
It's here somewhere, I know there was another thing?

My Feet are set upon a Rock!

Psalm 40

1 I waited for the Lord my God,
and patiently did bear;
At length to me he did incline
my voice and cry to hear.

2 He took me from a fearful pit,
and from the miry clay,
And on a rock he set my feet,
establishing my way.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,
our God to magnify:
Many shall see it, and shall fear,
and on the Lord rely.

.

(Scottish Metrical Version)

.

This beautiful Psalm is the favourite of my husband and since it is his birthday, I am posting it. Happy Birthday, Hubby!

It is marvellous to think upon our Saviour, who puts a new song in the once stony hearts of His people and causes us to praise and rejoice in his wonderful love and salvation.

The Geebung Polo Club

by A.B. "Banjo" Paterson

It was somewhere up the country in a land of rock and scrub,
That they formed an institution called the Geebung Polo Club.
They were long and wiry natives of the rugged mountainside,
And the horse was never saddled that the Geebungs couldn't ride;
But their style of playing polo was irregular and rash -
They had mighty little science, but a mighty lot of dash:
And they played on mountain ponies that were muscular and strong,
Though their coats were quite unpolished, and their manes and tails were long.
And they used to train those ponies wheeling cattle in the scrub:
They were demons, were the members of the Geebung Polo Club.

It was somewhere down the country, in a city's smoke and steam,
That a polo club existed, called the Cuff and Collar Team.
As a social institution 'twas a marvellous success,
For the members were distinguished by exclusiveness and dress.
They had natty little ponies that were nice, and smooth, and sleek,
For their cultivated owners only rode 'em once a week.
So they started up the country in pursuit of sport and fame,
For they meant to show the Geebungs how they ought to play the game;
And they took their valets with them - just to give their boots a rub
Ere they started operations on the Geebung Polo Club.

Now my readers can imagine how the contest ebbed and flowed,
When the Geebung boys got going it was time to clear the road;
And the game was so terrific that ere half the time was gone
A spectator's leg was broken - just from merely looking on.
For they waddied one another till the plain was strewn with dead,
While the score was kept so even that they neither got ahead.
And the Cuff and Collar captain, when he tumbled off to die,
Was the last surviving player - so the game was called a tie.

Then the captain of the Geebungs raised him slowly from the ground,
Though his wounds were mostly mortal, yet he fiercely gazed around;
There was no one to oppose him - all the rest were in a trance,
So he scrambled on his pony for his last expiring chance,
For he meant to make an effort to get victory to his side;
So he struck at goal - and missed it - then he tumbled off and died.

By the old Campaspe River, where the breezes shake the grass,
There's a row of little gravestones that the stockmen never pass,
For they bear a crude inscription saying, "Stranger, drop a tear,
For the Cuff and Collar players and the Geebung boys lie here."
And on misty moonlit evenings, while the dingoes howl around,
You can see their shadows flitting down that phantom polo ground;
You can hear the loud collisions as the flying players meet,
And the rattle of the mallets, and the rush of ponies' feet,
Till the terrified spectator rides like blazes to the pub -
He's been haunted by the spectres of the Geebung Polo Club.

The Antipodean, 1893

Illustrated by Pro Hart