In the Garden this Morning

It doesn't take long to inspect the garden these days; there's not much in it thanks to the mice. These are the peas, planted in the terracotta pot at the top of the path.

He knows he's not allowed in here - he gets yelled at. He's a good boy.

My Poor Bike

Gibbo checked my bike for me this morning and pumped up the tires. The poor old girl hasn't seen any action for over twelve months. Disgraceful that I haven't ridden for that long. Even more disgraceful is the condition I've let her get into. I can't believe I've neglected her so much - these photos show the level to which I've ignored her. She has lived in the gauzed room, leaning up against the wall. I suspect she's been wee-d on by Poofy, a multitude of mice will have been all over her, spiders have nested in the crevices, there was a wasp nest in the tool bag, and she's rusty in places. How awful.

I've dragged her out because I'm contemplating doing a week long bike ride in September. I haven't entered yet; still waiting to see if a few other things come together but they're only minor speed bumps. This year there's really no excuse not to do it.

So off I went. It took me three goes to get my shoes in the pedals and get rolling. I couldn't remember which levers changed which gears; I had to experiment all the way up the hill. I only went out for twenty minutes on the road down the front of our driveway - and along came five cars and a truck! I got down to the highway to turn around just as it started spitting rain. I was only slightly damp when I made it back to the car but by the time I threw the bike and gear in the back and headed home it was bucketing down. I met Gibbo on the road - he was coming to find me, imagining that I'd been caught out in the downpour and stranded somewhere. I wondered if this was a sign of things to come in September; are the cycling Gods trying to tell me something? How much am I going to want to ride all day and erect and dismantle my own tent if the weather is like this!!!??!!

On a brighter note, I seem to have my sidebar back - well, sort of. It disappeared on me a couple of months ago. I've deleted it and re-set it but it doesn't really want to go where I want it to. If I look at sliprail on the laptop, the Archives are at the bottom of the page; if I look at it on the iPad, they're on the right hand side. I don't really mind where they sit, just as long as it it's somewhere.

In the shape of things to come, this week marks the beginning of my 4 and 1/2 day office working week. Let's see how long it lasts.

Dear Drewy

Here's the proof that I bought a Heaven and went to the beach to see if I could see you! I think I could. You were smiling at me!

A Week at the Coast

Last Sunday we went to the Gold Coast for Gibbo to play in the TT Festival of Cricket. Eleven (?) teams from Aus and NZ were involved. It poured and poured when we hit the coast. Monday's game was cancelled - the alternative field had been cut up by a bunch of rugby players the day before. I walked to Pacific Fair, calling in at all the little places I've been curious about during previous holiday visits. Gibbo went to the movies and we came home together via The Cave for a coffee. We went to the Casino for dinner, using the vouchers that the staff gave us for Christmas. I joined the Summit Club at Kathmandu in anticipation of some hiking/camping in the future.

Tuesday, Gibbo played poker and I walked back to a thrift shop and made a couple of purchases. Inspired by my visit to Jill, I searched out and found a sugar bowl "with age". If I'm reading the markings on the bottom correctly, this one was made in June 1928. It's not exactly what I was looking for but it's pretty close.

I also found nine of these for $30. Inspired by Jen. These won't be used until we move.

 I also found the perfect "new house" lounge - a second hand two seater with two massive footstools (sorry Meg, only room for two on this one). I didn't buy it - if we'd had the cruiser I think we might have fitted it in, with a squeeze. We had to take Meg's little Swift because the mice had had $1300 worth of partying in Gibbo's car and chewed six inches of wiring. We would have had to strap the lounge to the bonnet to get it home.

Tuesday night we met up with W&T for dinner then went to see "Stomp". Very clever, very entertaining but a little too repetitive and may have gone on a tad too long.

Wednesday, Gibbo finally got some cricket in with a Man of the Match performance - 39 runs (retired) and a catch as fill in wicket keeper.

What did I do all day? Very little. As little as possible. I read and slept. Walked to the stairs (86 of them). I had Beef Penang for dinner from Basil Thai. Gibbo went with five others to the State of Origin match at Lang Park. They went after the cricket, getting a lift up with a player from Brisbane and catching the train back. My interest was such that I didn't find out who won until he got home.

Thursday we took a long walk in the morning. Gibbo went back to the movies to see Hangover 2; I went to the Telstra shop and bought a broadband usb so now I'm completely mobile and oh so techy. We went back to the Casino for dinner and used up the last of the vouchers. I had a long skype chat with Drewy.

Friday was another day of cricket (which I skipped). I haven't managed to see any this week :) Another 36 runs (retired). Apparently he has his mojo back. We went to the farewell dinner at the Radisson Resort. It was another one of those cricket dinner where they tell funny stories. The guest speaker was roped in that afternoon because the original speaker pulled out. He talked for ages and then opened the floor to questions - and people wouldn't stop asking them. I wanted to get the microphone and ask could we all go home now but Gibbo wouldn't let me. Tiresome.

We packed up Saturday and headed home. Gibbo marvelled out how quick and easy the pack up was without the two kids! It ended up taking us seven hours to get home - we were caught up in the traffic jam caused by the horrific early morning accident on the motorway. Tragic.

It was good to get home and see Meg and Chris and the animals and garden. They (Meg and Chris, not the animals) cooked us dinner and made us cappucinos.

Today.........I went to work. The last Sunday in the month marks our end of month. After being away for a week I was dreading going in - but it was all much better than I expected and went reasonably smoothly. I came home and went for a quick bike ride before being chased home by an almighty storm...and here I am, catching up on a bit of blogging. Sitting at my desk. On the laptop. With the mobile broadband usb flashing blue. All so easy when you know how.

ALL ABOUT ME

Friday 20th, Meg and I went for a drive to visit Jill. I spent five hours with her. Talking about ME. It was all about ME. Others were mentioned to put things in context or perspective but it was all for ME. How strange it feels to write those words when it feels like forever that it's been about others.

I'm not ready to write about it yet. Snippets will come out but there may never be a complete blog post about the visit.

Meg amused herself by walking out on the jetty and having a little rest in her car. Thanks for taking me Meg.

On Top of the World

The fog was really thick in the valley the morning we left for the coast. It was beautiful. The tops of the trees were barely visible. It reminded me of NZ on the top of Coronet Peak (except it wasn't quite as cold and there wasn't any snow).

The eschallots have survived the mice; not much else has.

The kids were playing. Chloe had a mouse; she teased the other two with it. They're not allowed in the garden any more - they dig everything up in their never ending search for mice.

Can you see what's in her mouth?

She lost it in the bricks. One of the lucky ones to escape.
The potatoes are coming along.
The tomato bushes look very sad although the few tomatoes that have managed to grow look great.
The lemons! I'm very proud of the lemons!

Well, Where Do I Start?

It's been an interesting ten days since I last posted. I've worked, travelled, talked, thought, decided, laughed, cried, travelled again, walked, read, slept and eaten out.

At the beginning....

We go back a little to ten days ago - I modified Drew's Nolan House Captain cape for Teah. She had asked if we still had it and I thought that we'd passed it on. However, I found it hanging in Gibbo's wardrobe (has he been playing superheroes when I haven't been looking!?). So I cut 45cm off it, hemmed it and Meg delivered it. Teah was very proud to wear Drew's cape.

I finally felt that I was catching up at work after the demands of traveling to Surat for weeks.

Meg and I went to Brisbane so that I could catch up with JR, someone I met at the women's conference I attended last year. This visit could make a good blog post if I decide to do one.

Drew went on a trip to Toronto and Niagara Falls with 20 other STS international kids. They "planked" all over Toronto and had an amazing time.

We had a beautiful fog event last Sunday morning; it reminded me of New Zealand and I felt like I was on top of the world.

Gibbo and I are at the end of a week's holiday at the Gold Coast for the TT Cricket Carnival. It's been great (I haven't been to a game) but it's gone too quickly. I'll post about the week later and add a few photos.

And so, you're all caught up- exciting hey??!!?

Did I?

Yes I did. I got up at an ungodly hour and went to Kingaroy with Gibbo and 48 chooks. The car was packed to the brim. On the way, this young fellow thought he'd check out the scenery and proceeded to pop his head out of his box every few minutes and crow. He was just over my right shoulder.
We had so many chooks we had to take a trailer. We had a visitor - she came to check out what all the fuss was about. Backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards we went, from the car to the pavilion (for the show chooks) and the outside shed (for the sale chooks). We came back to the car at one stage and the young crower had managed to extricate himself from the box and was loose in the back of the car - and so was his female mate.

Gibbo got a little over-excited and dragged a rooster out of the small blue travelling cage and a silkie cockerel dropped out on the ground. I grabbed it. When I turned around, Gibbo was crawling along the ground like a commando - he'd lost control of the rooster and it got away. I don't quite know how he caught it again, but he did. Talk about a circus.

Judging is a very serious affair at these shows. People hover, attempting to hear what the judge is saying to the steward. He writes the placings on a small piece of blackboard nailed to each pen.

Luckily the canteen was open all day. Once the birds were all penned we had a hot breakfast. I went back later for tea and lamingtons.

What do they think about, sitting there all day, people walking past gawking at them? Poking them, prodding them.

This silkie came second, beaten by her sister.

Action - see the ribbon on the left? There was a lot of conjecture about the awarding of that particular ribbon. Some thought an inferior bird had won that category; others could justify the decision based on the slant of the tail and the hips being wider than the wings. It's very serious business, showing chooks.

At the end of the day I was sitting on the steps of a nearby building, sunning myself. I was talking to Drew on skype. I saw a man with a large net - and a chook, running wild. I said to Drew, "Oh no, someone's chook is out. They're going to catch it with a big net. Hahaha". Then I said to him, "I hope it's not one of ours, hahaha". To my horror, when they caught the bird in the net - they handed it to Gibbo. It was one of ours (well - one of his)!!!! How embarrassing.

So at the end of the day we won a few of our classes and Gibbo won Champion Wyandotte; no ribbons this time. I got up before it was light. I got windswept. I got pooped on. I got skwarked at. I got scratched. But I had a good day. A long hot shower and a dinner of grilled Millie chops and steamed veges and gravy finished the day off perfectly.