Friday 8 January 2016

Balls for Christmas



Push ball isn't a game I know, so I thought I'd stick with the simpler kind. Here's one of our boys on his first Xmas Day, 1982, spent in Canberra with family and grandparents. It was a big ball for a small  person, and at 8 months old he thought this present was pretty good. So did his cousin, when she tested it for bounciness on a hard surface.


He could take his ball for a walk, or perhaps try playng cricket with a smaller ball. In later life he became adept at numerous ball sports such as soccer, tennis, baseball, volleyball and juggling, just to name a few. I've blogged about the latter for example, in a previous post.


His big sister got a ball you could hang on to, known as a Happy Hopper. Her father and uncle probably had a go of it  too.



33 years later and here's a very big shining ball: the full moon settng on a fine Boxing Day morning while we were once agan visiting the city of Canberra. Both the grandparents and the children's aunt who I believe must have taken the group photograph are now gone, but photos like these above keep them shining and alive in our memories.



For more balls and ball players big and little, just bounce over to Sepia Saturday # 312

10 comments:

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Such lovely memories and pictures. Remember the happy hopper, everybody wanted one, it was fun.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Great memories. Love the moon shot- I can't take a decent photo of the moon, though I keep trying. I do remember the hopping ball. It was quite a disaster with my kids- they kept running into things. I believe I finally cut the thing up and threw it out!

Kristin said...

Nice. I was thinking recently that it's about time to give my youngest grandchildren balls and teach them the rolling game. And the moon!

Helen Killeen Bauch McHargue said...

Lovely photos of the moon. And your adorable children.

Anonymous said...

Lovely family photos, linked by a ball.

La Nightingail said...

Wonderful pictures of have of the family. The moon shots are amazing! Like Terri, I've tried taking pictures of the moon at various times, & some have actually come out fairly well - but nothing like your shots. You must have quite the camera (& please don't tell me you took them with your iPhone.

Jofeath said...

Thanks Gail. I took the moon shots with my new Pentax DSLR. I didn't have my tripod with me, but managed to balance it on the bough of a tree. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to capture the kangaroo that had been in view a few minutes beforehand.

Mike Brubaker said...

Very nice. A ball seems like a universal prop in family photos around the world. As for your last photo, a jumping kangaroo silhouetted against the full moon would make a prize winning photo. Keep trying.

Jofeath said...

Yes, rather unlikely to get the chance again though. Kangaroos are not uncommon in and around Canberra these days but not so much in Melbourne where we live.

Little Nell said...

Lovely photos, and that closing remark about memories is so true.