Meeting G

Drew and I went to town to meet the Italian exchange student that I am local co-ordinator for. We had coffee and cake with him and his host family. They are lovely people; G has a very quiet nature. We brought him home and went through his arrival orientation then Gibbo and I took him for a drive to the feedlot to see the many cattle; we went via the dump paddock and found a kookaburra and 2 kangaroos with joey; he liked those. Then we took him to the farm to show him around then back to his host family.

Drew and Meg put another coat on the worst wall in Meg's room. That's it now; no more. It is finished. We pulled off the plastic coverings. I did two more levels of the pantry with top coat. Three more to go. Drew put the colour on his window trim and his door trim.

Joey has finished and gone (except for when he comes back to fit the glossy basin). He has been an absolute machine and has done an amazing job over the last two weekends. No other tradesmen came near the place; he did it all himself. We have ended up with a beautiful brand new bathroom and toilet for a fraction of the cost that would have been charged if we had to pay commercial rates. Thanks Joey; we appreciate you and the work you have done very much.

Now I'm sitting on the couch. The cricket is on TV and the boys are watching Survivor on Drew's laptop. Meg is back in Twba (at the movies). I have submitted my report from today's visit with student G; now I'm about to do my 365 which is a couple of days behind.

Trying to work full-time and work at the new house has thrown our daily routine into disarray. I don't like disarray. It upsets my keel. This week will be full on at work; Drew will pack up his room here and head back to College next weekend. Next time he comes home he won't come here - he'll be coming home to the farm! I hope to start packing up some gear this week, ready to start moving on the weekend of March 2/3 (as long as the sanding man doesn't postpone again).

True Story

You wouldn't believe it. I was painting in the pantry; Joey came to me and said he was out of tiles. He was one tile short. No way. Yes. I went and had a look. We weren't ONE tile short - we were HALF A TILE short. Absolute true story....and there were 4 broken tiles in the boxes I picked up on Thursday!! So we bought another box of 16 (in case we ever need to match them in the future). Half a tile.

The final piece.

Here's the almost finished bathroom. What's left to do? Install the wash basin (in Twba being glossed up for an exorbitant fee); paint the bath; attach the spout for the bath; sand and paint the ceiling; wash the walls.

Painting the pantry. I was only going to paint the bottom three shelf walls but once I started I couldn't stop so went all the way to the ceiling (which had never been painted anyway).

We decided to use up the last of the mosaic on a feature row in the separate toilet...then had to go and buy 2 more sheets of the stuff. The white tiles look different in this photo but they're not; bottom half grouted, top half not - makes quite a difference. I'm searching for a free standing toilet roll holder. If I can't find one, I'll make one. Somehow.

The kids put another layer on Meg's wall; one more coat might just hide the mess left behind by the wallpaper glue.

Man and dog.

This is what happens to you when you have a big night out after finishing work. It makes you thirsty.

Away

With Gibbo away I had a handsome substitute as a dinner companion (the guy in the foreground that is)!

Drew had pork belly and veges; I had thai beef salad (with extra beef); we shared chips and gravy and had no room for the fruit salad dessert.

I think a couple of these would look just right in the lounge room at the farm. The price might not be right though. A couple of wagyu cows I think?

I went to the farm this morning to check the water and cows; while I was there I painted another wall in the pantry. Now that I've started I think I might need to do the whole thing instead of just 3 shelves. I then went to work for a couple of hours to get on top of things in readiness for next week's onslaught of new budgets (new financial year again) along with January monthly reports and February end of month on the 24th. Drew and I spent the afternoon in town. I paid for the tiles (and picked up some more). We bought more supplies from the hardware store.What a money pit that department is; there seems to be no end to the bits and pieces that we need. We shopped for Drew's return to Uni. Then I had coffee with Kat and a few other girls for her birthday. Then Drewy and I had dinner, came home, locked up the chooks and checked the goats. We no longer have to hold Pepper down for the kids to get a drink from the troublesome teat. She/they must have got the message last night as I cursed them in the misty rain; this morning when I went over to them the teat was sucked out, same as tonight. Sometimes swearing at something does work.

I finally finished the 2012 tax last night and dropped it to the accountant today. It took me 7 months to get around to doing about 4 hours work to finalise the year. Duh. Every year I say it will be different but it never is (except this year IT WILL BE!!!!!!!)!

Our deadline is approaching. I look around and wonder how we're ever going to move all this stuff. In 4 weeks we have to be out of here. Gasp.

The Tie-Wire Girl

Back to the farm this morning, early, to avoid the 37 degree heat later in the day. I finished off the tie-wiring, my thumbs recovering overnight. When I finished I went back to the house and watered the very dry gardens and sat quietly on the steps, watching the water and thinking about Meg and Drew; Gibbo dug strainer post holes in numerous locations with the post hole digger, ready for the next fencing job/s. This photo is not well compositioned (I know Megan, I know) - I don't really have a tree growing out of my head.

I was also the map girl. I'm so versatile. I drew this ages ago, from memory, and today drove slowly and pulled up here and there, got out and walked around to make sure I had it right, with gates, tanks, fences and troughs in the right places. It's funny how you imagine something then realise it's not quite how it looks in yours mind's eye.

Drew gets on a plane tonight in Chennai, 11.15pm local time (3.45am our time) and lands in Singapore at 6am local time (8am our time). He's inching his way home again.

This Afternoon

After Meg went back to Twba, Gibbo and I went to the farm. He has been there for a day and a half, pulling down the old back boundary fence, ramming in 50 steel posts and running 4 rows of barb. I was the tie wire girl. Tonight, my thumbs don't work so well. Tonight, G doesn't work so well either. He's absolutely shattered. That's what happens when you spend your days in a car, driving, or in a chair in front of a computer. A bit of physical work wears you out pretty quickly (although he does love being a farmer)!

The neighbour's cattle were very inquisitive all day. Coco kept rounding them up.

The Birthday Tree

Gibbo bought me a tree for my birthday to plant at the new farm to mark this important milestone. He chose an Australian Frangipani (fast growing, evergreen tree with glossy foliage. In spring, clusters of very fragrant, cream flowers that age to a golden yellow are displayed. Ideal for large gardens, parks and street trees).

After he returned this afternoon from his travels 2 hours north of Charleville we ducked to the farm and planted the tree. Now that the sticks, bushes and debris from our clean out are gone from the back of the garden I'm amazed at how open and bare it looks - and there's still a couple more that need to come out.

I have colour - without even trying!!!

More Pruning

and a bit of tidying up in preparation for a party that may or may not happen in a few weeks.

Once (as in yesterday morning) there were three palm trees growing right here. We've lived with palm trees for the last 10 years and found them to be nothing but trouble - so they've gone. A second reason to move them is that we want to put a second tank in next to the existing one.

Gibbo borrowed a nifty machine - a stump grinder. Nasty bit of gear. Grinds so that there's nothing at all left.

Drew mowed and Poofy helped.

We made four trips to the dump and have at least another four to go.

Meg stayed home and made yummies for dessert.

This Weekend

The last weekend of Winter, phew; it wasn't so bad. A heater, an electric blanket and a fluffy dressing gown (and special green blanket) kept me warm throughout.

The weekend has flown by. Meg came home Friday night and went for a new hair arrangement on Sat morning.

Poofy likes it so much he kissed her.

She arrived bearing gifts from Melbourne, purchased from two of my favourite shops - kikki k and typo. These will be put to good use in this year's 365 journal.

Peppie went to a goat farm to "get in kid". She has lots of new friends - 12 sheep, 15 goats and a calf. She's in a paddock of oats. We figure she's probably forgotten us already as she lies lazily on her side, nibbling the oats and wondering who those creatures were that she used to live with who never gave her food like this.

My car came home with an unbuckled door and a new ugly racing stripe. I'll be looking out for beasts more carefully from now on.

We went to a little party last night for an 8 year old boy. We had fondue for dessert. Actually, Meg had a lot of fondue for dessert. We spent half the night texting pictures to Drew.

I rode today after a 3 day enforced layover. I hurt my left foot last Thursday whilst interval training a little too enthusiastically. I woke up very early Friday morning with a throbbing foot that I could hardly dare to put weight on. I took myself off to the doctor who told me that no, I didn't have a stress fracture, I'd probably just burst some blood vessels in the ball of my foot and to "leave the interval training to the 20 year olds". Harumph! I may have over-reacted been overly worried about the injury bruising but I was terrified pretty worried that my bike ride was in jeopardy. However, after today's ride I know that I'll be on the start line on the 8th.

It was a brilliant day to ride. There were wedgetail eagles, protective plovers, cockatoos, kookaburras, magpies, peewees, cross, wild cats, dead roos, bruce springsteen, jimmy barnes and lots of sunshine. I rode along singing and thinking and totally enjoyed it, even the 5 quarry hills. 

After my ride we went to the farm and did some pruning, Gibbo style. 

Upon our arrival we discovered that he had lit the bonfire of previously pruned trees that Drew had dragged to the pile. I asked him why he'd lit it up - "because boys men like to burn things and blow shit up" (but that last bit is another story best kept for another time).

We now have the main garden cleaned out of old woody and dead trees and plants. It sure has opened it up. Next weekend we will grind the stumps and hopefully mulch; then I'll start to plan out the garden setting. Megan helped. Sort of.

Here's Meg helping again.

Meg made more macaroons, this time to celebrate the eventual arrival of new baby Brayden Carter F. He sure took his time getting here.

And so the weekend is done. It was busy, we did lots of things but there was someone missing. I'll eat a macaron for you Drewy. Maybe I'll even have two.