India 3

Leo's Style

Gibbo asked me what the hand signals mean. I said it's a Gen Y thing. He said, "Oh". 

News from India 2

Drew was on fb chat on Friday night so Meg and I had a quick catch up. It costs him about 20c an hour for internet in a place across the road from the Mother House.

• 4.15am starts knock him out
• no-one has been sick (yet)
• the volunteer work is tough
• he had an incident with a gaping knee wound, maggots, tweezers, antiseptic...and tears

"I miss you a lot. This country really makes me appreciate family".

We miss you too Drewy. 

Post Post-Op Visit

Last Thursday I went back to the specialist for my post post-op visit. I had a hearing test at the clinic before seeing him. In a nutshell - hearing has improved although not as much as he would like to have seen at the 2000 level (speaking voice). It is better by 10 points; some of the other frequencies improved by 20, the really high ones by less. There is still room for improvement and swelling is still evident in the ear; another month will tell another story. The tinnitus remains as does the pulsing sound (which is what I was REALLY hoping was going to be eliminated). I think at times one could go a little crazy if one wasn't in tight control of one's mind. I still can't ride my bike; another week maybe. How about a run? No thanks, I'd rather ride.

I met Meg for lunch and she took the afternoon off. There she is.

Here she comes.

She's here!

We lunched then did a bit of Christmas shopping before and after the doctor visits.

Ride 'Em Cowboy

Another year, another work Christmas party. They've come a long way since the very first one I attended 26 years ago. They were damn wild affairs back then; we're a much more cultured bunch now (cough).

This year the bull was back. There were lots of spills and a lot of laughs and plenty of abuse, especially when Gibbo got on. He couldn't believe he didn't do better than 15 seconds each ride; bearing in mind that he rode his last steer about 30 years ago I'd say that probably explains it. There was also hours of karaoke inspired by our enthusiastic Filipino friends. Gibbo couldn't believe he wasn't better at that too, channeling Mick Jagger and Freddie Mercury. He is, absolutely, the eternal optimist.

Gone in 15 seconds!!

10 Years!

You will realise my indifference to housework when I tell you that I found a calendar from 2003 still hanging on the back of the pantry door when I was having a bit of a walk around clean out yesterday in preliminary preparation for our move! In my defence, it was hidden behind a hanging plaque that Gibbo's mother gave me a long time ago (10 years maybe)!

We moved to this house in March 2003 after DHC sold the feedlot to The Company (in late 2002). Meg was 14 and in Grade 10 and Drew was 9 and in Grade 5. I had turned 40 and Gibbo was 35. At that stage I was working 3 days a week in town and was still executive officer/secretary of the local cotton growers association. Not long after moving, I started working back at the feedlot after having a two year break (down); for a while there I had 3 jobs until I was able to give the town job and cotton away.

Reading over the calendar pages took me back  and reminded of how busy those days were and why I felt like I was always in the car - it's because I actually was!! Netball, dance 3 times a week, musical (Fame), debating, swim club, eisteddfod, kinesiology and literacy care weekly, communion, baptism (Drew, in the classroom, the priests phone rang right in the middle of proceedings), tuckshop, deb ball (Drew was a pageboy), athletics for Meg including state titles, cotton meetings and dinners, working bees, junior rugby every Saturday....no wonder I was tired.

Can I just point out that the only events that are written on the calendar in Gibbo's handwriting are for football, cricket and fishing! Therein lies the story of my life.

Word from India

Today was a free day for volunteers; somehow, somewhere the boys found an internet cafe/connection. These two messages appeared on fb (it's useful for something at least).

MUM!
Nothing could have ever prepared me for India! It is absolute chaos over here and I bloody love it! Kolkata is crazy but I'm enjoying all the traffic and people. I've taken lots of photos! Each day we pass through one train station that moves the population of Australia on trains in one day!

I'm working in a place called Prem Dahm. It takes me about an hour with Casey and Ben to get there. Its a bit confronting but its really rewarding work. I love it so much.

We are keeping safe sort of haha and I haven't got sick yet which is good. I've tried some pretty interesting food and drank some pretty good stuff ;)

Love you loads. Will talk soon when I get more time for internet.
♥

And this one was for Meg.

Meg! In Kolkata. You won't believe it! I can buy two meals of Delhi style butter chicken with rice and garlic nan bread and drinks for abut $2.00 AUD. SO TASTY! Haha Miss you like crazy

I'm not sure what the "we are keeping safe sort of haha" bit means but I hope it's a positive.

The boys were able to choose one of five places to work. Drew chose Prem Dham. Check it out.

India 2012 Flying Away

We made it to the airport just on time, we weren't the last ones there. The boys lined up, booked in, had a quick farewell and off they went, all pretty excited. A quick goodbye is a good goodbye! It wasn't as traumatic as the Canada goodbye; at least he'll be home in a month, not 12.

Here's some not very good phone photos.

India Bound

The big storm last night dropped 120 points of rain at home and at the farm. It was windy but not damaging. Poofy slept just inside the door, sheltered from the elements.

Meg had a great time at Roma Races with friends from school and college. They backed their two cars together, strung a tarp over the raised boots and camped.

We picked Mum up mid-morning and headed for Bris. We packed Drew's bag until the fire alarm went off and forced us outside to the assembly area. We had to go to Mass over at Bardon for "commissioning" of the trip. The boys received a little wooden cross which actually looks like a stylish "T"; we all agreed they look pretty cool. It's been two years since I've set foot in a church for mass, the booming thunder and lightning as a huge storm raged outside testament to that! There's not a lot of religion amongst us but it was nice to sit peacefully in a beautiful church and watch the familiar rituals again. One of the female singers was almost trance like when she sang the hymns; we all noticed it. I watched her a lot; I'm a little in awe of someone who obviously has such a strong faith in something that I sometimes struggle to understand.

After Mass we were going to go for dinner at the same Chinese restaurant where we went the day I finished my bike ride, but Drew decided he should have one last steak before he braved the delights of Indian cuisine so we ended up at the Regatta. We took one of the other boys along and enjoyed steak, fish and chicken. Drew took his first malaria tablet and will continue to take them for a while.

So now it's only a few hours until he leaves Australia again. There are some challenges that lay ahead and some hard decisions to be made but I think that what he learns about himself (and others) during the course of this trip will change his life.

Look out India, here they come.

It Flowered!!

The poinciana tree that my Dad bought me 8 or 9 years ago has flowered!! I only noticed it when we pulled up in the round driveway after being at the farm this morning. It was a tiny plant when he gave it to me - it cost him $2 from the hardware shop in Howard (I think that's where he got it). It decides to flower just as we decide to leave! This is actually the tree that Gibbo wanted to buy me for my Birthday Tree but he couldn't remember the name of it so he got an Australia frangipani instead.

Standing inside the roundabout garden, looking towards the house. The chinese star jasmine hedge has filled in beautifully and I'll definitely plant one at the farm.

Still inside the roundabout garden looking the other way. The arch on this side has an orange trumpet vine and a Cecil Brunner climbing rose on it. Andrew put me onto the rose years ago.

Beautiful colours and fragrance - honeysuckle, chinese star jasmine, jacaranda and poinciana.

Cricket was over in no time today; the opposition were bowled out for 46! Gibbo is still in town, I'm waiting for a supercell storm to hit (I think it's on its' way, I can hear thunder), Meg is at the Roma Races in the rain and Drew is in Brisbane recovering from two heavy nights of post Uni partying.

Well That Went Better Than I Expected!

Back to the farm early this morning to get the wagyu girls in for some treatments. It hasn't always gone well in the past when we've worked together. I have been known to tell him, impolitely, to shove it and gone home. This time he was pre-warned. At the first sign of a shake of the head or a raised voice, I was out of there. Somehow, it all went quite smoothly. The girls didn't want to leave their paddock but once they were out, I walked in front of the mob down the laneway and Gibbo rode behind.

Counting cows.

It was a really smoky, hazy morning but we couldn't smell smoke on the air.

Once they were treated Gibbo rode in front and I walked behind, back up the laneway to a new paddock of grass.

I hope all future cattle ventures run as smoothly as this morning's did. But I doubt it.

Chair 2, Chair 3 and Chair 4

Here they are, the new girls, Chair 2 and Chair 3.

This is Chair 4, the one that JR bought for me.