We had a lovely Christmas. Christmas Day was at the farm with Himself's aunt cooking a traditional baked lunch followed by home cooked Christmas pudding with custard and cream. Yummy.
Boxing Day we went into town to a cousins place and her sister also came which meant we also had several children of various ages. They were wonderful kids. They got along well with each other, no fighting, played all sorts of games, were well mannered and generally helpful. The house had a lively buzz to it all day.
Left the farm yesterday. We were up early to wave to the Christmas visitors who also left yesterday to return to Queensland. We got away just after morning tea. Only travelled as far as town where we have stopped at the local caravan park. The good people here let us wash both the van and the car which has made us all sparkly clean again. The big dust storms sure make our home look shabby and unloved!
Last night we went to the club for dinner as usual and said our goodbyes to the friendly folk we have been seeing most Friday nights and today we set off again and head to my sister's in Victoria for the New Year. Its sad to leave but we will be back. This is the home of Himself's favourite relative. We will miss the daily activity and district news and occasional visitors dropping in for a chat and a cup of tea and slice of home made cake but most of all we will miss the people.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
Monday...24 December 2012
Much excitement yesterday.
All the expected visitors arrived. Then while sitting outside in the late afternoon the same visitors found themselves next to a six foot black snake amongst the pot plants! That makes three snakes in the house yard in the last few weeks. Might be time to consider moving on!
We are due to continue our travels once Christmas is over and have plans to head south into Victoria.
Last night there was a spectacular storm. All noisy thunder and cracking lightning and eventually some very heavy rain. We even had a power outage.
Today is a trip into town for last minute shopping and dinner at the club.
All the expected visitors arrived. Then while sitting outside in the late afternoon the same visitors found themselves next to a six foot black snake amongst the pot plants! That makes three snakes in the house yard in the last few weeks. Might be time to consider moving on!
We are due to continue our travels once Christmas is over and have plans to head south into Victoria.
Last night there was a spectacular storm. All noisy thunder and cracking lightning and eventually some very heavy rain. We even had a power outage.
Today is a trip into town for last minute shopping and dinner at the club.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Saturday...22 December 2012
Grrr.
Most unhappy. For some reason I cannot access this blog without jumping through a million hoops. Might be time to bury the blog! And hey Google, what's with this new toolbar you have added to my screen that I cannot delete? It is covering the access buttons attached to the blog. I do not care how bright and clever you folk are, we chose this particular blog programme for the simplicity of use and you have now made it so hard. How many times do you people have to be told, if it is not broken then do not fix it!!!!!!!
Our eldest grandson turned 18 yesterday. He is probably over the moon about that. I am pleased for him but shudder at how old that makes us! Do hope his first legal beer was nice and cold after a hard day at work.
The house cats bought us a 'present' two days ago. So good of them but golly I wish they had told me it was at the front door before I opened it and had one foot in the air. Fair did give me a fright. There it was nicely laid out, how was I to know at first glance it was dead? Still I made a point of finding all three cats and giving them a good rub down and scratch to show them I appreciate their gift. That is now two snakes in the house yard so far this year. Heaven knows how many more we have NOT seen!
Got woken at 3am a couple of nights ago by something that sounded sort of like a dog barking. The farm dogs were sound asleep. The Aunt tells me it was probably a fox. Guess he went home hungry as we have all chooks in the hen house accounted for still. Himself tells me he has seen groups of emus in the outer paddocks and yesterday coming home from town I spotted several kangaroos around the rapidly drying water holes along the road verge. It is nearly as warm here as that place up north we used to live in. The temperature range for the time of year is very similar.
The Aunt is expecting her daughter home for Christmas so there will be much merriment and laughter to brighten her festive season. The folk at the second house are also expecting visitors that include three small children so I guess we had better watch out for low flying reindeer.
Ok, bring it on, we are ready.
Merry Christmas to one and all.
Most unhappy. For some reason I cannot access this blog without jumping through a million hoops. Might be time to bury the blog! And hey Google, what's with this new toolbar you have added to my screen that I cannot delete? It is covering the access buttons attached to the blog. I do not care how bright and clever you folk are, we chose this particular blog programme for the simplicity of use and you have now made it so hard. How many times do you people have to be told, if it is not broken then do not fix it!!!!!!!
Our eldest grandson turned 18 yesterday. He is probably over the moon about that. I am pleased for him but shudder at how old that makes us! Do hope his first legal beer was nice and cold after a hard day at work.
The house cats bought us a 'present' two days ago. So good of them but golly I wish they had told me it was at the front door before I opened it and had one foot in the air. Fair did give me a fright. There it was nicely laid out, how was I to know at first glance it was dead? Still I made a point of finding all three cats and giving them a good rub down and scratch to show them I appreciate their gift. That is now two snakes in the house yard so far this year. Heaven knows how many more we have NOT seen!
Got woken at 3am a couple of nights ago by something that sounded sort of like a dog barking. The farm dogs were sound asleep. The Aunt tells me it was probably a fox. Guess he went home hungry as we have all chooks in the hen house accounted for still. Himself tells me he has seen groups of emus in the outer paddocks and yesterday coming home from town I spotted several kangaroos around the rapidly drying water holes along the road verge. It is nearly as warm here as that place up north we used to live in. The temperature range for the time of year is very similar.
The Aunt is expecting her daughter home for Christmas so there will be much merriment and laughter to brighten her festive season. The folk at the second house are also expecting visitors that include three small children so I guess we had better watch out for low flying reindeer.
Ok, bring it on, we are ready.
Merry Christmas to one and all.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Monday...17 December 2012
At last!
I have been trying to update this blog for a few days but my computer would not let me open my own blog!
Still on the farm. Still hit and miss reception, but heaven bless the broom stick that is allowing me to keep in contact with the world. I am way too old and creaky to be climbing to the top of a silo to access the internet. Work around the farm continues. Current project is laying new water pipes in some paddocks.The supply of water to the stock is a priority. When you have to pump water for kilometres it is important that evaporation and loss is minimized and the most effective way to do that is with troughs rather than dams.
Most of the Christmas preparations are done. Just the last minute shopping and all will be ready. Starting to get excited.
I have been trying to update this blog for a few days but my computer would not let me open my own blog!
Still on the farm. Still hit and miss reception, but heaven bless the broom stick that is allowing me to keep in contact with the world. I am way too old and creaky to be climbing to the top of a silo to access the internet. Work around the farm continues. Current project is laying new water pipes in some paddocks.The supply of water to the stock is a priority. When you have to pump water for kilometres it is important that evaporation and loss is minimized and the most effective way to do that is with troughs rather than dams.
Most of the Christmas preparations are done. Just the last minute shopping and all will be ready. Starting to get excited.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Saturday...8 December 2012
Life continues on with nothing exciting happening.
The Aunt and Uncle have returned from Sydney which is pleasing. They have ticks on their report cards which is even better. They will need to go back in a few months for follow ups but for now all is well.
This means we can all relax and enjoy the festive season.
Did I mention that while they were away we had a snake in the house paddock? Himself saw it crossing the path that leads from the house to our caravan just after afternoon tea one day. By the time he found a shovel it had slithered out of sight in the general area of the woodpile. He rattled and banged and moved wood but no sighting so here is hoping that it was merely passing through and not a resident! For now we walk along that path with eyes in overdrive. The funny thing is that the three house cats usually sit and sun themselves in that section of the garden but of course on that particular day they were nowhere to be seen.
Yesterday we drove 250kms to Orange to do a spot of shopping.
Must say that Orange is a very pretty place. So after taking 20 minutes to travel one town block in busy traffic while looking for a parking spot and dealing with dawdling pedestrians that have the right of way but were so slow crossing the road at the lights it was only allowing one maybe two cars to turn the corner for each light change (took us four light changes to turn the corner!) we finally found a park right outside the local police station!
I got very frustrated trying to find things and came home disgruntled with only a couple of bags of shopping. We only had the one day and it took five hours of that in travel time. Think I will stick with sending cards stuffed with money. I know that is not very original but at least the recipients get something!
When we got back to our town it was late so we had dinner at the Club before coming back to the farm. Today I ache all over and feel like I could go back to bed and sleep for a week.
The Aunt and Uncle have returned from Sydney which is pleasing. They have ticks on their report cards which is even better. They will need to go back in a few months for follow ups but for now all is well.
This means we can all relax and enjoy the festive season.
Did I mention that while they were away we had a snake in the house paddock? Himself saw it crossing the path that leads from the house to our caravan just after afternoon tea one day. By the time he found a shovel it had slithered out of sight in the general area of the woodpile. He rattled and banged and moved wood but no sighting so here is hoping that it was merely passing through and not a resident! For now we walk along that path with eyes in overdrive. The funny thing is that the three house cats usually sit and sun themselves in that section of the garden but of course on that particular day they were nowhere to be seen.
Yesterday we drove 250kms to Orange to do a spot of shopping.
Must say that Orange is a very pretty place. So after taking 20 minutes to travel one town block in busy traffic while looking for a parking spot and dealing with dawdling pedestrians that have the right of way but were so slow crossing the road at the lights it was only allowing one maybe two cars to turn the corner for each light change (took us four light changes to turn the corner!) we finally found a park right outside the local police station!
I got very frustrated trying to find things and came home disgruntled with only a couple of bags of shopping. We only had the one day and it took five hours of that in travel time. Think I will stick with sending cards stuffed with money. I know that is not very original but at least the recipients get something!
When we got back to our town it was late so we had dinner at the Club before coming back to the farm. Today I ache all over and feel like I could go back to bed and sleep for a week.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Monday...3 December 2012
Up early today to wave the Aunt & Uncle off as they take the long drive to Sydney for medical treatment, It is an all day drive culminating in battling peak hour traffic on arrival. Hardly fair to the aged or infirm but their daughter helps with the driving. Fingers crossed for a positive outcome. They are due back in four days time if all goes well.
As I was up early I did the washing and got it out in the stiff breeze that was blowing. Then I did a spot of baking and finished off a novel I had started.
The weather has been contrary. Seriously hot with strong dry winds for days and then last night it was freezing cold and I had cramps in my feet. Then today it was hot and windy again.
Himself helped in the shearing shed as the shearers came to shear the rams. They were in and out by lunchtime, very efficient. Not many rams but the next job is crutching the 1000 ewes!
While the owners are away we are to feed and water the household animals. We have 12 chooks, 2 dogs, 3 cats, 2 goldfish and 1 cockatoo. This is on top of daily checks on the livestock in the paddocks, making sure they too have feed and water. I am also to watch and water the pot plants. The Aunt has a collection of tomato plants in pots which she is hoping to keep alive. It is hard to grow things here with the lack of water and the high temperatures.
As I was up early I did the washing and got it out in the stiff breeze that was blowing. Then I did a spot of baking and finished off a novel I had started.
The weather has been contrary. Seriously hot with strong dry winds for days and then last night it was freezing cold and I had cramps in my feet. Then today it was hot and windy again.
Himself helped in the shearing shed as the shearers came to shear the rams. They were in and out by lunchtime, very efficient. Not many rams but the next job is crutching the 1000 ewes!
While the owners are away we are to feed and water the household animals. We have 12 chooks, 2 dogs, 3 cats, 2 goldfish and 1 cockatoo. This is on top of daily checks on the livestock in the paddocks, making sure they too have feed and water. I am also to watch and water the pot plants. The Aunt has a collection of tomato plants in pots which she is hoping to keep alive. It is hard to grow things here with the lack of water and the high temperatures.
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