The Project Must Begin

We had a couple of good storms at the farm this week that delivered 3 inches. The paddock grass has really responded and everything is looking green. We've got another wagyu calf, this one a heifer.

These are the 8 oldest girls, separated from the others so that we can keep a close eye on them as a group.

While Gibbo ran barb I spent a couple of hours drawing a floor plan of the house and measuring EVERY wall, doorway, ceiling, verandah and slab. The Project now has to start in earnest; we have a deadline date which makes everything more real. We start next weekend; first job is to paint the kids bedrooms and we'll see how we progress from there.

Boxing Day Number 9

We worked out that this is the ninth Boxing Day in a row that Gibbo's family have celebrated here. Throw in a couple of Easters as well and that's quite a list. The mothers of the littlies told Megan that they look forward to this holiday all year because they feel like their children are safe and they can easily keep an eye on them - and there's no traffic and no strangers to worry about like there is when they go to a public caravan park. We have our very own caravan park right here.

Everyone was surprised and delighted with the home-made goods hampers, my family included. We made 10 in total; these 6 were for Gibbo's family.

Meg's Boutique was open for business.

I have a soft spot for Jazz; she's a daughter of my black staffy, Tilly, who was killed by a brown snake 4 years ago.

Great nana (Gibbo's Mum) made little quilts for her 9 great grandchildren. She personalised them all with squares and pictures of things they like.

Organised chaos! Lucky we have a very long and wide verandah.

Ethan got up close and personal with Moochos.

Meg set the timer  for the group shot just before everyone packed up and left (Nana had already gone). Here, the crazies are looking normal. Check out Poofy reclining in Gibbo's arms like he's in a lounge chair. What a spoilt dog.

Here - it's just the crazies!

12 Months Later

This time last year Drew was in the air heading for Argentina then this.....

27

There's 27 of us here at present (18 adults and 9 littlies under 6) and 6 dogs; there is organised chaos although it may not immediately appear that way.

I went back to work this morning. A small crew came and picked me up mid morning and we went to the farm to discuss painting and remodelling. There were too many opinions; I'm now more confused than I was before.

Meg was reading her 2013 horoscope; I asked her to read mine. She burst out laughing and kept it up until she had tears in her eyes. "Tell me, tell me", I said; but she couldn't talk through the laughter. Finally.....You tend to overanalyse every detail of your life (more tearful laughter). "It does not say that", I said. She showed me. It did.

You tend to overanalyse every detail of your life, but this month's full moon helps you let go of suspicions about someone else's motives. The result? The chance for a new take on romance. (Hello)?! Your career goes stellar now, too. My career? I don't have one!

Work puts you in the public eye, bringing rewards. By June you might adopt a group matriarchal role. Beware of being too honest, so sugar-coat those barbs.

All a bit of fun and good for a laugh.

Another Great Christmas Day

As per every other year Christmas Day started early. Age has nothing to do with how early you rise in our household on this day. The kids sit on the end of our bed and Mum sits on a chair to the side; we watch as the kids go through their sacks; you're not allowed to look inside - you just put your hand in and see what comes out!

I had some very nice surprises this year. I cried when I opened this one. It was a piece of paper placed inside a rather large box. Now this is something to REALLY look forward to! I reckon by the middle of March (which is moving deadline) I'll be looking for something fun to do. The concert on March 14 should fit the bill perfectly. Not everyone in my household is as big a fan as I am; whoever gets to come with me will have to put up with a crying, laughing, singing, happy middle aged groupie, dancing in her seat and flinging her arms about!!

Other gifts - a new cow calendar. I had one of these many years ago; it's time for another one.

 A chooky door stop, filled with sand.

A camel embroidered bag.

A large candle holder.

An Indian banner - that's G leading the cow; I'm herding the ducks.

A soft scarf/shawl.

A tin chook for the garden.

A pretty bracelet.

I also got a subscription to Earth Garden magazine to go with the continuing Organic Gardener mag from last year. I think a subscription is a fantastic gift; it's a gift that keeps on giving, all year round! We gave the kids one each this year - Real Living for Meg and National Geographic for Drew.

After the exchanging of presents and the quick trip to the farm we set about getting organised for the day. Meg made a fresh wreath from garden greenery and pretties.

We peeled, mixed, tasted, cooked and carved. The food was delicious and plentiful. A new treat this year was prawn cocktails for entree.

Here's the "turducken"; it had a quite strong flavour. An interesting concept; not sure it's one we'll repeat next year.

Perennial favourites - honey soy chicken wings.

Pork, turducken and ham.

Coleslaw, made by Peter.

Wombok salad. There were other salads and dressings and the stuffed eggs as well. Sticky date puddings with ice-cream, custard, cream and caramel sauce rounded out the meal.

My three faves.

With lunch over we all sat around talking, then had the regulation photo shoot. With Meg's camera on the tripod and set on timer there were some shenanigans. Here's a few half normal ones. Mate and Gundi had already left by this time.

After photos and cleaning up I cooked another batch of chicken wings and eggs. The rest of my family left (Mum stayed). Not long after, our 6 other guests arrived. Our Filipino friends came on their pushbikes; they'd ridden up the airstrip to get here. Rachel drove. We played Articulate which provided plenty of laughter and good natured ribbing.

Another Christmas down! They sure come around fast. There's storms nearby and the occasional scud races loudly across the roof but nothing of significance falls. We'd love to see some rain. Steeling myself for tomorrow when our numbers swell by 23!!

A Christmas Baby

We went to check the cows this morning and found a Christmas baby - our first little wagyu calf. His (her) mum kept him well away from us and we let them be - you can just make out the top of his back through the grass.

We met these girls in the laneway on their way to the trough.

Christmas is nearly here - again. At least this year we're all in the same country. We've been busy, preparing. I went to Moonie on Thursday with my brother. Meg has been back and forward to Twba for different reasons. Drew has been catching up on sleep and cleaning out his room. My week off flew by. I actually missed not having our annual week at the coast. I missed the opportunity it provides to look at things from a little distance and to unwind away from the demands of feedlot life.

We've slowly been assembling the hampers. The Twba crew get the farming tea-towels; my family gets plain ones - we've lived the farming life since the late 1800's, way way back when, so don't need reminding.

The minimalist tree in the daytime. My mother is responsible for most of the gifts under it. She loves Christmas more than anyone I know.

The extra felt decorations Meg bought from Spotlight; they are perfect.

Here's my little bear friend. I don't know where he came from and I can't remember how long I've had him. He lives in the pantry all year long. He's tiny.

Hello Canada. Merry Christmas. Instead of sending gifts to Drew's Canadian family I bought them a farm - well sort of. I bought them an Oxfam farm - 2 ducks, a goat and a pig for a family in need of a little help in a country not as lucky as ours.

Gibbo decided this year, when ordering the staff hams, to buy a "turducken" - a chicken stuffed inside a duck that is stuffed inside a turkey - all deboned and wrapped in mesh. He cooked it outside in the bbq for nearly 7 hours on a very low heat.

I went to town early this morning and was on the supermarket doorstep at opening time. I didn't have a whole lot left to get but I wanted to make sure I got the prawns for the prawn cocktail entree for tomorrow. I also bought the initial supplies for the Boxing Day crowd; have I mentioned that 23 of G's family are coming - 9 of them under 6?

We cooked the pork loin inside; I marinated 4kg of chicken wings and boiled 2 dozen eggs for Ma-Ma's Stuffed Eggs. Tradition. I made the sticky date puddings on Saturday. Tomorrow I'll cook the wings, stuff the eggs and make the mini quiches and caramel sauce. Peter will arrive and sample a chicken wing (or two) and an egg (or two). That's Tradition too. Mate will arrive with Gundi, make us all laugh, then leave by 2pm. Tradition.

Yesterday Meg cooked these gingerbread cookies and they look and taste fantastic (she made 41 - we only needed 40 for the hampers)!

Bagging up.

The macarons are bagged too. Now we just need to assemble the hampers; they're going to look great.

We spent the afternoon together, just pottering. Cleaning the pool, checking the cooking, welcoming the goat, delivering macarons, listening to a bit of music, watching the back half of a movie, teaching Drew to cook lasagne, Meg colouring my hair (and her own), icing macarons, seeing the photos from India on the big tv screen and admiring the carpet that arrived from India today!

I unravelled the fairy lights and strung them in The Minimalist. They look beautiful.

And for the 25th year in a row I have waited for my children to go to sleep so that I can place their present sack at the end of their beds. Merry Christmas my babies. Your Momma loves you both very much.