A Hound Comes to Stay..........

Look who’s come to live at our house! Isn’t she beautiful? I didn’t think I was ready for another mouth to feed (since we lost Tilly and Clarabelle in July) but it didn’t take long for me to love her. She has wormed her way into our hearts and is fierce like a tiger and gentle like a lamb. We call her CoCo.

Animals add another dimension to family life and to the way you live your life. They love you even when you’re not feeling very loveable and they can pick you up when you need a lift; and they very rarely let you down or disappoint you (well maybe a cat might, now and again). You can’t beat a dog as a companion, they’re always grinning! Camels are great too except they sometimes look down their noses at you with a look of “pursed lips disdain”. Fabulous, intriguing creatures.

A Graduate in the Family

Yes, she did it – Megs got her results on Nov 26 and the news was all good – her final semester yielded a distinction, 2 credits and a pass – her best results from all 6 semesters (probably because she actually put some effort in!). She checked the results on line at 2-30 that morning and promptly sent us a text message.

On December 3 at 2pm, Megan GRADUATED with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Criminology and Psychology from the University of Queensland. We were so proud of her and she was pretty pleased with herself too! A bigger grin I’ve never seen! We picked Mum up in the morning and travelled to Brisbane, met up with Megs and Chris, drove to the Uni and took a bunch of photos at The Lake with the fountain in the background. Then we sat and waited for the ceremony to begin. Drew thought it was all very Hogwarts, especially when the Academic Procession began. When the graduates marched in, it was to the theme from Babe. A very nice man with a wonderfully expressive voice announced the BA graduates – Megan strode across the stage, grinning madly, and shook the hand of the UQ Chancellor and received her scroll. Again, they marched out to the strains of a very rousing piece of music and once outside we took some more photos, this time with her certificate. My favourite photos are the ones taken inside the Great Court.

We drove to Sizzlers for a celebratory meal and all squeezed into a booth. I really like sitting in a booth, I don’t know why. We laughed and ate and drank and laughed some more; it was a really happy day. We left Meg and Chris and drove home, hitting a fierce storm on the Minden Range. It produced a spectacular sky with the greens of the grass and trees on the hills contrasting with the light and dark grey of the clouds. Awesome.

We also spent most of the trip down and back tossing up names for the new puppy that turned up yesterday. Many names got shot down in flames; only a couple passed muster – and “CoCo” won.

Losing Friends

I think I've lost a very close friend due to circumstances I couldn't control. The company we all worked for made some changes to its' management structure and in the fallout, our friends were let go while we stayed on. After it happened they went away for two weeks during which we didn't hear a word from them despite trying to contact them and leaving text messages. We heard on the grape/gossip vine that they were coming back to pack up the house and leave. It was a very sad time and my heart wept for my friend because I knew what she'd be thinking and feeling and that she would have had to be the strong one for her husband and children while not having support for herself. I assumed the lack of response from them meant that they didn't want any contact with us.

Then my friend rang a couple of days ago but it was an awkward and stilted conversation that left me feeling like we'd both misunderstood each other. I'll ring her in another few days and see if I can't begin to resurrect what we once had but it all feels messy. I can only assume from their reaction that they somehow hold us partly responsible for what happened but it was something that we could not prevent.

Since then, G and I have moved from working from home, back to working from the office. Now at least I have some structure to my days but it's at the expense of a friendship that I thought was indestructable and would last forever. When I spoke to her on the day it happened, I thought that she and I would help each other through the turmoil and that we could all at least talk about it but I don't think that will happen now.

I used to look forward to her kids being old enough for the two of us to be able to travel together and go walking and riding but I think things will never be quite the same again and I find that incredible.

House Captain

Drew's school awards presentations were held on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Two weeks ago he nominated himelf for House Captain and had to write a letter, address a set of selection criteria points and write and deliver a speech. Then he had to wait until yesterday to find out the result. He was pretty nervous and then very relieved when his name was called out and he wore a grin a mile wide as he walked up to the stage. He also received a silver cultural award.

Japanese Style Eating

We've had a couple of Japanese style
meals lately. When the boys came back from Japan last year they were full of stories about the meals they had enjoyed, especially the ones in the homes of their hosts. The tepanyaki and shabu shabu styles of cooking were the ones they raved about the most. We bought a small camping hotplate that works off a gas canister last year but only tried it out for the first time a few weeks ago. It worked adequately for the shabu shabu but I think a proper steam boat cooker would have been better as the liquid took a long time to heat up. Shabu shabu is a Japanese hotpot where thinly sliced meat and other ingredients are cooked in a boiling soup. The action of swishing the meat in the liquid actually cooks it and is also where the dish gets its' name - from the swishing action. It only needs to be cooked for a few seconds, saying "shabu shabu". We had some paper thin slices of marble score 8 wagyu that a Japanese butcher had cut up. The soup was made from water and chicken stock and we also cooked cabbage, spring onions, carrots, shitake mushrooms and tofu. I cooked a batch of rice and made a sesame seed dipping sauce.

We cooked the other meal on an
electric hotplate, loosely styled on a tepanyaki meal without the food acrobatics. Again, we had highly marbled meat prepared by a Japanese chef and we cooked in the middle of the table. We had bok choy, carrots, zucchini, cauli, broccolini and enormous field mushrooms.

The table was set in a Japanese style and Drew provided ornaments and utensils including a lovely sake jar and shot glasses. The 'shorshu' had another outing - it's a Japanese white spirit that doesn't appear to have any taste or any effect until it suddenly hits you after you think you've finished drinking and escaped unscathed (apparently). We have to ring our friend Tak each time it's offered as we can never remember its' correct pronunciation and I'm sure that's not how you spell it. In fact, for the shabu shabu we rang Tak 3 or 4 times, mostly from the supermarket, while we searched for the necessary ingredients and proper cooking method.

I'm not sure how traditionally Japanese our meals have really been but they've been fun and achieved the desired outcome which is to have some friends over and enjoy their company while we sit, talk, eat and drink. You can't ask for much more than that.

Spring Fair, Glowsticks, Cricket and Storms

Drew and I went to the Spring Fair on Sunday. We worked at the Eagle Rock Cafe (on our shift we made one cup of tea and one cup of coffee and Drew ate a scone with jam and cream and a plate of sandwiches). Here we are working hard. Then we worked on the Spring into Books 2nd Hand Book Stall (well I did, Drew stayed in the Cafe where it was cool). I didn't sell any books but I talked a lot while the other ladies sold books. I saw a lot of my books get sold and the convener told me to keep on reading so they could have my books again next year. Then we just hung around talking and watching the action.

Drew went with Katrina and they took a box of Glowstick Stall merchandise around all the rides, trying to sell the last of the goods on offer.

Gibbo played in the annual six a side cricket competition. He played three pool games and the semi. His team made the final but it was washed out when a summer storm hit after the first over so the two teams split the winnings and retired to the clubhouse for a few beers.

The afternoon was really hot and the storms hit all around. Drew and I sat outside on the verandah for a while and watched them come across the paddock. It was really beautiful, sitting quietly, watching the rain and it broke the sweltering heat.

After a while the sun came out and shone through the trees and it was magical. Everything was shining and clean and fresh and the raindrops on the trees sparkled in the sunlight.

Moving

I've just been to Brisbane to help Megan move out of College and into the apartment she will share with her friend A. I jumped on the internet when I got to her room and bought two tickets to the Buddy Holly Musical for the Mothers Day weekend next year so Drew and I will see the show on the Saturday and do the MD run on the Sunday. That will be a special weekend. I managed to get tickets in C row so it’s going to be fantastic.

Our first stop was Indro, where we did a couple of quick jobs that needed attending to then we started shopping. Megs decided she would like a solid silver bangle as a graduation present so we chose one at The Silver Shop. At the kitchen shop she bought a pizza stone and a non stick frypan and some utensils. I bought a set of cutters for Gibbo for when we have our Japanese meals. We will be able to cut some fancy vegetable shapes. We checked out the manchester shops and Megs found the style of doona cover she really liked but it wasn’t the right size.

Then we made our way to DFO at the airport. After cutting across two lanes of traffic we found a handy park and started shopping. At the Sheridan shop Megan found exactly the doona cover that she wanted as well as new towels. Then we went to Jacqui E to find some new work clothes. We both squeezed into the smallest change cubicle in the world while Megs tried on the clothes. It was very cosy. She chose 2 skirts and a shirt. When we left DFO we took a wrong turn and ended up at the roundabout at the international airport and cut across another two lanes of traffic. We drove half way to the Gold Coast to the Ikea store. What a great concept. You walk through the showroom and admire all the different room layouts, write down the relevant code then make your way to the warehouse to find the item you want. Smaller items can be purchased on the way through. Megs picked up a few things she’d seen in a catalogue – wooden coat hangers, a scarf hanger, a very cool lamp and a moveable wooden artist model.

Then we headed back to the apartment to drop off the purchases and the gear that she had packed up over the previous few days and did three trips up 4 flights of stairs to deposit it all in her new room. Then we raced over to Indro again to track down some red sheets.

We finally got back to College at 5pm and had roast beef and veges for tea and the tastiest dessert I’ve had in a long time. Then we met up with Gibbo over at the CClub and had a thirst quenching cappuccino. Megs went back to Women’s while Gibbo and I stayed at the Cosmo.

Next morning, Megs picked me up at 8-30 and we went to the unit to unpack another carload of gear and set her room up –another three trips up 4 flights of stairs. We decided that she needed a bookcase so off to Indro again we went. We picked up a slimline one that fitted perfectly in the alcove in her room. I put it together with a screwdriver.

Gibbo picked me up just after lunch and we headed over to Chefs to pick up meat then came home.

It was good to be able to help Megs move, not just the physical side of it but the symbolic and emotional side too. She’s moving on from the second phase of her life, Uni and College, into the third phase, the “this is real life” phase where she will take on more responsibility for herself and learn more about life and living. She is great company and we had fun, we joked and we laughed and it was a happy two days spent together.

So this is the end result. Megan is very happy with her room and just needs one or two more things to finish it off, mainly a triptych for the big expanse of wall above her bed and some red decorative pillows. Here is the end result, a haven to come home to.

After 3 Years it's OVER!

Megan had her final Uni exam last evening; it started at 5.45pm and was all over by 6.45pm. She rang just as she got out of the room. I can't believe that three years have passed in the blink of an eye. She didn't quite know what to do with herself either - whether to laugh, cry, scream, go out and celebrate or just go home to bed. She ended up going out for Italian with her boyfriend. He went out and she went home to College and was asleep by 8.30pm! It was a bit of an anti-climax in the end. This is the moment she's been working towards since February 2006 when she first moved to Brisbane - and now it's all over. Then she rang today and felt like she should do something to celebrate but didn't quite know what. I gave a few suggestions - climb the Story Bridge, go to lunch on your own and savour the moment, go shopping and choose a special ring or bracelet or necklace - something special that symbolises all that she has achieved - but none of those suggestions appealed and she's not sure what to do. I think she's a bit lost as there has always been something that needs doing - and now there isn't.

She is really excited to be moving out of residential college and into a beautiful apartment with a girlfriend. It's on the Brisbane River and only a two minute walk to the City Cat and a one minute walk to an iconic pub, where I spent many a Thursday night in the early 80's with the bunch of girls I lived with. She's excited to have some real money of her own to have to manage, budget, spend and save (for a car). She's looking forward to making a real home and to going shopping to buy sheets and towels and bedside tables and pizza stones and rice cookers and all the other things that will seem so necessary! It's an exciting time in her life.

She officially has one week left at College but I will go down next week and help her move. By Saturday the 15th she will have left the place that has looked after her for the last three years and be out "on her own" in the real world. There's a lot to miss but there's a lot to look forward to as well.

Gibbo and I went to the College Valedictory Dinner on Oct 21.

The Governor presented the Valedicts and Graduands with their

leaving certificates. We took some photos of course although we're not sure what Gibbo was doing when he took his (see below). We sat at a table not far from where we were sitting on the very first night in Feb 06. At that dinner I willed myself to stare intently and with purpose at my bread roll in an attempt to prevent a very public meltdown while the Principal talked about "loving and leaving". It's a wonder the bread roll didn't spontaneously combust or shoot around the room, pinging off the stained glass windows and portraits of principals long gone, such was the level of scrutiny and concentration given it. Unfortunately, I didn't quite hold it together through to the end of the dinner and ended up eating the bread roll with more force than really necessary while rueing the fact that I hadn't brought enough tissues.

This time around I was slightly more composed, although not much. I realised as I sat there that I had never really imagined this point, that one day we would sit down for a "leaving" dinner and that Megs would actually leave College. I had enough tissues this time and there weren't as many tears.

The three of us had a huge laugh when we saw the photo that Gibbo had taken (he prides himself on being an excellent photographer). Angela thinks it looks like we're at Hogwarts and he's captured a wizards cloak and broomstick. He's actually photographed the shoe, cane and lower robes of the very interesting and nice 84 year old botanist who sat next to him.

It was a lovely night and jolted me into realising that the end was nigh.

More Chickens

We had another two batches of chickens hatch last Sunday morning, a day early.

Kym hatched 7 from 7, an excellent result and O hatched 6 from 8. They're both excellent mothers and cluck urgently, calling their chicks to them for food and water. The little chicks burrow furiously into the mass of silkiness and then turn around and peek out at the world from the safety of their mothers' feathers. Watching a mother hen look after her brood is just gorgeous and seeing how the chicks respond to the different calls is delightful. The mothers are very protective too.

I'm really keen to see what this little fellow on the left turns out like. He's from Tom's pen so must have come out of either a black, silver or splash hen. He's the second one we've had with this colouring; the first one hatched over at Tom O's place on Oct 31.

Cinderella

Cinderella came to stay on Sunday Oct 26th. She's an Angus Charolais, born at our farm. Her mother had great difficulty giving birth and didn't survive. Her father is a bull that wandered in from next door. Megan became very attached to her and was eager to feed her but didn't like being slobbered on. Sally, the dog, is happy to have something to round up again now that the camels have gone. St John, the cat, is also happy that Cinderella came to stay because now he gets drops of milk straight from the bottle.

Morning Tea

Sunday was such a beautiful day that Drew and I thought we'd go to Jimbour for morning tea. It took me ages to finish the regular morning jobs so by the time we got there it was close to lunchtime. We ordered a Water Tower Burger between us and a milkshake and cappuccino. The flies were bad but the food was good.

It was very peaceful sitting under the jacaranda tree, talking to my 15-year old son. Here he is, perusing the menu. Mickey miners and a butcher bird kept us company too.

Gib and I rode early, his first ride back in 3 months. It was a breeze going out but tough work coming back (isn't it always?).

Anway, it felt good to be out there again blowing away the winter cobwebs.