Meg Goes Shopping

(and so do Gibbo, Mare and Grandma).

Yesterday we set off early to go furniture shopping for Meg; now that she is moving permanently to her new job she needs to furnish the house. She had a list (of course). We tried out lots of lounges; this one was nice; I could have stayed here for a while.

G liked it too.

He tried out quite a few.....

...and had quite a few nanna naps along the way.

Here's Granny testing one.

Success at last. After visiting 3 shops and having a coffee break to discuss the finer details Meg decided  on a black lounge and a timber matching set of coffee table, sideboard, entertainment unit and two smaller side tables. Lovely.

This is the lounge, coffee table and one of the small side tables.

Lounging on the Lounge! Nice handbag Meg!

#putoutyourbats

#63notout     #408

These Little (Big) Piggies Went to Market

Well not quite to market but after a comedy of errors and the usual circus, they went to the local abattoir, half an hour down the road, and will return in boxes as xmas ham, pork roasts, real bacon and chops.

Goodbye Jazz

We lost little Jazz this morning; she suffered some sort of neurological event last Monday morning, almost like a stroke; her behaviour indicated she wasn't "all there". We took her to the local vet and they discovered that she had also gone blind. She spent a couple of days in the infirmary, her sight coming and going. None of the 3 vets could quite determine what was wrong. We brought her home on Thursday and it was obvious that she was going downhill. She died this morning. I think she enjoyed her time being a farm dog; it wasn't long, but it was fun. She didn't ever meet Poofy but she'll be buried beside him.

This Week With The Kids (and Kid Brother)

Meg received some good news; she found out that the role that she has been acting in since July and for which she applied to fill permanently is now hers. Congratulations Meg! We sent flowers.

she rode to work on the new speedster.

She went to the races.

She even managed to see a horse.

Drew spent yesterday morning at a coffee shop reading the paper and trying to work out how he/we can take advantage of the FTA between China and Australia taking into consideration the recent opening of a new airport within 45 minutes drive of us (being flagged in some quarters as The New Gateway to Asia).

His vege growing attempts are progressing well.

My little brother has always been the one in the family to suffer injury after injury; if anything is going to happen to one of us, it will be Andrew who suffers. From being bitten by a redback spider and spending several days in hospital - "am I going to die Mum?" (I handed him the beanie that the spider was in on our way out the door to visit my dog that had just had 7 pups) to dropping a bowie knife on the top of his foot and taking a big chunk of flesh off to being shot in the head by Peter while playing War in the machinery shed (wow, didn't that one cause a ruckus, especially when they ran home from the shed with Peter saying, "Don't Tell Mum What Happened"; duh) it's always been poor Andrew. Therefore, I wasn't surprised to wake up to these images earlier in the week; through my bleary 5am eyes (no glasses) I thought he'd chopped the top off one of his fingers. In fact, it's his big toe - a horse stood on it. Ouch. He cleaned it up in the shower, pushed it back into shape and wrapped it in gauze and bandaids. As you do. (When I re-read the above it sounds like Peter and I were trying to get rid of our baby brother all those years ago; it wasn't really like that - we really were quite fond of him. Even when I bent his little finger backwards I wasn't really trying to break it....anyway, I paid for it when the surcingle strap from the saddle (deftly wielded by Mum) connected with my legs).

I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself...

It's Sunday. I'm sitting in the back room of the little cafe in our nearby small town (pop 400). This weekend is the first time in over 3 months that I haven't gone into the office to work. I've worked at least one, often both, weekend days (even after the surgery) for so long now that I can't even remember the last time I didn't. I keep feeling like I should be there. I feel a bit lost.

This morning before I left home I made some mini-quiches and cinnamon cupcakes and polished the wooden furniture with o-cedar and set the sprinkler going. When I go home I'm going to make lemon butter and mop the floor and clean the bathroom. Maybe.

We went to Bris earlier in the week and handed over another slice of my job; now I'm back to having a normal full-time job instead of a job and a half. It will take another week or two to catch up on the things that have fallen to the wayside lately. I don't really know what's normal anymore.

This is where I'm sitting. In the air-con!

I'll have to leave here soon; there's a lunch-time function in the room; I can relocate to the lounge in the front room if I want to.

I ran into Peter, my older brother, when I did the grocery shop yesterday; we were discussing Meg's penchant for expensive handbags; we sent her this photo. At the checkout I ran into my little brother.  How wonderful to be able to just run into your siblings and kiss and hug them.

The makings of the new fenceline up at the tanks; I had to help G lift the post on the right into the trailer then off the trailer and into the post hole. Heaviest one yet! This pic was taken on dusk.

Starting the pump in the dark.

The first of the Grosse Lisse tomatoes are nearly ready; this is the plant I bought when we went to visit Meg during September.

The Roma toms are coming along; these are my favourite.

I plant lettuce around the toms and pick a few leaves when needed.

240

This is what 240 bales of wheat stubble hay look like. We unloaded the first 120 on Thursday night and the second load on Friday night.

The Tree Line.

Yesterday morning I neatened the lines and filled in the middle.

The house garden bales have to wait until we spread manure; the soil is in need of a refresh.

The orchard trees got 6 each.

The avocado is still limping along; I think it will survive