The Little Woman got baptised yesterday – a bush christening. If you know the
Banjo Paterson poem of this title, you will understand the potential for romantic settings and possible disaster.
My cousin had decided to have her two little girls “done” at their property, and was happy to include our Little Woman. I always feel a heap closer to God out here, in the wide open spaces, than in a church (a fallout from my boarding school days). The chosen location is about 40 minutes drive further west from Granite Glen. We only have a half hour drive to the nearest town – it always makes me feel like we’re in the ‘burbs when we visit them.
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My cousin is a woman of energy and action – tall, athletic and apparently able to survive on less than 5 hours broken sleep a night. (She has two littlies under 3, neither of whom sleep through). Nonetheless, she (and her hubby, with assistance from her parents) managed to paint the outside of their old weatherboard home, rip out an old house fence, re-create a park-like garden (complete with rustic hitching rails), have two areas paved, bake, clean, hostess and look glamorous for the event. If I didn’t love her so much, it would be easy to hate her! Makes one feel positively sloth-like…
She even baked (from scratch) a gorgeous butter cake with fabulous pink icing and marshmallow flowers for the christened ones. Sheeesh… (still love ya girlfriend!)
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We had had so much wet weather over the past few weeks that the event was almost cancelled, as roads became quagmires and creeks and rivers began to run.
However, the good Lord decided to give the green light to our little event and smiled down, allowed various godparents to escape their flooding locations, and even parted the clouds for a few hours to dry out roads and park-like lawns so mudboots were no longer essential footwear.
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Around 60 locals and various relatives parked 4WDs along the homestead’s driveway – all dressed in their Sunday best and delighted to catch up on rainfall measurements and “other news”. The wet weather had relaxed most of the cattlemen – paddocks of billowing grass and good prices will do that for them. It has been a long time since most have seen such a promising start to the season, and the conversations were easy and peppered with sun-creased grins. The women buzzed around with their various offerings for the food table. All had dressed carefully, and shone with excitement at the opportunity to share our special day and catch up with old friends.
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The Little Woman looked a treat – her mother had actually picked up a needle and thread and sewed the sweetest little pink and white cotton lace daisies onto a simple cotton dress for her to wear. (Indeed SSB had accused me of being a domestic goddess – oh, how we laughed!) We needed a look that was “sweet” but not “sickly” – and a 3-year-old looks a little odd in a traditional christening gown! Ribbons of the daisies in her hair, pale pink tights and her favourite pink “town shoes” completed the ensemble.
Our minister did a marvellous job of his bush christening – the crowd seated before him as he stood under a wide shady tree beside the hand-polished ironbark stump bowl, he reminded me impossibly of Friar Tuck. A generous girth, a jolly demeanor and genuine enthusiasm for the task at hand. It was perfect.
None of the girls even looked like crying as the water was sprinkled over their heads, indeed TLW was quite intrigued by the entire process. (As long as Dash kept the pretzels up to her at regular intervals, bless his little heart). We had joked in the lead up that this was really an exorcism (when the wilfulness of my darling daughter was beginning to get on my nerves) but no sizzling sounds emitted as she was blessed with the holy H2O – clearly the little devil in her was absent this day! Indeed she was quite a little angel…
After the service, the celebrations forged ahead. The crowd descended on the food table and consumed pikelets laden with jam and cream, iced buns, quiches, cheesey scones, crisp-cut sandwiches and cakes. Coffees were brewed, beers were cracked open, and the chardonnay poured as we partied in true Aussie fashion – the men huddling in conversation packs, while the women giggled and caught up on each other’s busy lives, offered food and mingled. Kids ran wild and free through the house and around the enormous yard, playing cowboys and horses, acrobats and aeroplanes.
It was wonderful. The best of the bush.
May your day offer a ray of sunshine on dampened plans.
Love
Bush Babe
6 Comments
debby
What a lovely glimpse of your life. God bless the little woman…and the rest of you as well!
jeanie
Lovely way of painting the pictures with words, darl.
The Brave
What a lovely bush christening indeed – very Aussie. Thanks for sharing some family snaps.
Pencil Writer
Lovely pictures and sweet moments as family. Precious Little Woman you have there.
Raising Country Kids
Beautiful post. Blessings to you all.
Anonymous
It does describe just how lovely the day was!
I think I’m a little red in the cheeks!!xx