Update

We've been back from Tasmania for a week already; last week disappeared as quickly as the rest! I went to my website design course on Tuesday and picked up an extra lesson on Wednesday night - the course finishes tomorrow so I needed to get a few extra hours in.

I rode on Saturday morning, around 20km. It was very windy, so was invigorating. Then Gibbo and I went to Brisbane for the Reds game at Suncorp in the work box. I wasn't allowed to take my book. I don't know why I go. I sit there, not really following the game, listening to the banter going on around me and watching the clock make its' way to 40mins and then to 80 mins. Sometimes I think it's never going to get there and then I'll be stuck watching football for the rest of my life. What a thought. On Saturday night the clock got to 58 minutes and I thought, ugh there's still 22 minutes to go. A man two boxes up was mildly amusing; he was furious with the Reds and the ref, and he let them know. I sound a bit ungrateful as there's plenty of people who would love to go to the footy and watch the game from up high; but it's not really my thing. I like going to the test matches just to listen to the crowd sing the national anthem and then Waltzing Matilda - but once I've had a little emotional cry over all that, I'm ready to leave. If I had a book, I'd be happy.............

We stayed the night with Megan and I went for a quick walk along the river the next morning and met up with Gibbo, Meg and Chris at the Coffee Club at Milton. We were home by lunchtime.

Random shots from Tasmania

Climbing Marions Lookout at Cradle Mountain

Pictures from Tasmania

Cradle Mountain and Woolnorth Wind Farm

Good Intentions

So much for wanting to blog every day................it's 11 days since my last entry and I haven't written a word in between although I have been to Tasmania and back in that time. We left here last Wednesday and got back last night and had a very busy 5 days in between. Heaps of photos to come...........

Time Flies

Another week is nearly over – where do they go when they’re done? The days fly by and I get nothing done (well it feels that way). The garden needs work (doesn’t it always) and I hope to get into it this weekend. I want to put out some dynamic lifter and plant a few new shrubs around the place. Meg’s 21st is on at the end of May so I want to have it all looking nice for that. We just had a new sprinkler system controller installed after the last one gave up the ghost two weeks ago. Now at least, all 18 stations work automatically, instead of three having to be switched on manually. Somehow I manage to keep on top of everything but only just although Doug told me that he thinks the garden is looking good, especially the top corner. That’s probably the thickest and wildest part of the garden; my favourite part at the moment is the western corner near the driveway grid. There’s some especially striking Goldmine duranta planted there; they really stand out and there’s quite a mix of ferns and cordylines too; plus I need to mulch and trim and tidy up – the list is endless.

I’m trying to finish my book, one I’m really enjoying. It’s the second book by the same author and it fills me with a wanderlust and a hankering for a different lifestyle, even if it’s just for a couple of months. Thoughts like that can be dangerous though, so I try not to entertain them too often. Be careful what you wish for – you just might get it.

I came home this afternoon and made 36 patty cakes for a school fundraiser tomorrow. The boys went off to Thursday night tennis.
I want to try to post a blog every day for a week and see what I come up with – even if I write something down every night and post the results once a week. I want to blog more often but by choosing to do it undercover, it’s not that easy.

Ewe make a run for it.................

and then you get caught! Gibbo and I took our show team on the road to Pittsworth Show on March 7. We were up at 5.30, packing the group up. We had spent hours over the previous days washing the white ones and checking and cutting toenails. I even gave Drew, the silkie rooster, a head shampoo to clean his crest feathers.

We pulled up at the exhibitor entrance, paid our money, got our pass outs and drove on in. There were cars and floats and 4wd’s and trailers – and cattle and sheep and goats and pigeons and chooks. It was organised chaos. Gibbo collected our pen sheet and as I pulled each pullet or cockerel from its’ travelling box, Gibbo took them inside to pen them up.

There was a real feeling of activity in the air. Pittsworth is one of the most popular agricultural shows. The morning was fresh, the sky was blue and all around, there were people, busy with the jobs they had to do - reversing floats, putting halters on sheep and goats and penning them up and stewards ensuring all was in readiness for the day ahead. Little kids on ponies were in the ring, the announcer encouraging them all. Sideshow alley was gearing up. The famous Shannons chip van was parked nearby. The ambulance man was in attendance. A sheep escaped as she was being led to her pen – she took off one way and got hunted back; she ran around a couple of cars, back past the ambulance and took off up sideshow alley with a bunch of kids and adults in hot pursuit. Not long after, I saw her coming back, rather reluctantly, being pushed from behind and pulled from in front. I couldn’t resist a couple of photos. She must have been pretty spun out by this stage; I wonder how the rest of her day went and whether she won a ribbon?

We left Pittsworth and went to Toowoomba to visit the M’s and then had lunch with Gibbo’s mum and Viv; the H’s were away in Brisbane.

Back at Pittsworth we found we’d won a first, 2 seconds and 2 thirds. There were some really magnificent looking birds there and we picked up a few pointers from some of the other exhibitors. We think our chooks look quite good when they’re at home here – but when you put them up against some others, they’re really quite ordinary. However, they all have potential and will improve as they grow.
I went for a walk and took some photos in the cattle section. We arrived home around 5.30. It was a long day but I had a good time.

More New Car Photos..............

Happiness is a new red car

Well at last, after weeks of frustration and to-ing and fro-ing with paperwork and figures, Megan finally has her new car. She and Chris drove home on Friday afternoon; we went to pick up the loan papers, she signed them, then we drove to pick up THE CAR. How very exciting for her. It took us half an hour to finalise everything at the car yard - and the three of us drove away to pick up Drew from musical rehearsal. Then we went to Gma's to show her and she and Meg went for a spin around the block. Of course by then, we had three cars in town so I drove mine and Chris drove the old one home while Megan drove the shiny new red one!

Next morning, we went back to town to buy some floor mats and seat covers. Gibbo wanted to drive but Megan wouldn't let him (he did eventually get to have a drive in town). Then we went around to Gma's again to show Gdad - who also went for a spin around the block.

After a mixup with house keys left behind on the old keyring and a quick dash home, Megan and Chris drove back to Brisbane then on to Warwick to a 21st. By the time the weekend was over, she had driven nearly 700km.

Riding to the Tennis

A couple of weeks ago Gibbo had one of the City V Country tennis matches on in town. We had a busy morning and I went to town to do the shopping and pick Drew up. When I got home I made 60 baby patty cakes to take to mass the next morning as the school P&F was on morning tea duty. Gibbo left for town about 2-30 but I wasn't quite ready to go then so I rode in later in the afternoon. It took about 50 minutes. There was quite a lot of traffic going to and from the Bell Show - plenty of horse floats and horse trucks passed me; only one came a bit close. I struck two red lights once I got to town - typical. I'm the queen of red lights, even on a pushbike.

The tennis was it's usual jokey, blokey event - plenty of sledging and good hearted banter. The home-made pizzas were delicious and the desserts were especially nice. The company was great too of course. I had a quick dip in the pool in my riding clothes then had a nice warm shower.

Last week I rode every second day but this week I haven't ridden at all. Cyclone Hamish has been bothering the Queensland coast and we've had some strong winds here. If I go out on my bike I'm sure to get buffeted and blown around - I even joked that I'd probably get blown backwards, trying to get home up the hill or blown off course into a table drain.

The Mickey Miner

Andrew took these brilliant photos of a mickey miner, using his new camera and magnifier lens.