Nostalgia: Tears, Smiles and Open Gardens

I made a trip to Rufffy today, where Bradley and Stacy went to primary school. Though it was far from my first trip back to the area since we left there 10 years ago, such trips can still arouse feelings of nostalgia for what were, in retrospect, happy (most of the time) years. The school is still there, though not as a school any longer; it is now a community centre. Still there, too, are the bricks with Bradley's and Stacy's names on them in a little paved area, and if they were looked at through a teary haze, no one was there to notice.

The reason for the trip was an art show, held in the Ruffy Hall, scene of many an excruciatingly long and uncomfortable school concert, where the children of this small, isolated community gained confidence and showed off their developing skills through public performances. The hall has changed significantly, but it was not too hard to replace (in my imagination) the works of art that were displayed with smiling, expectant faces and the buzz of excited youngsters who knew that, after the performance, there would be food and a visit from Santa.

Part of the attraction today was the fact that there were several open gardens in the district to visit. These were all large gardens, set around impressive homestead buildings. I was able to take numerous photos and enjoy the ambience of gardens that were themselves works of art, lovingly tended by their proud owners who generously opened them today to raise money for improvements to the hall. There were so many photo opportunities that it is hard to choose a few to share with you, maybe there'll be some more another day. I hope they make you smile.

The cattle, at the top, watched me as I admired the irises, below.