Cow Paddocks Patchwork

Yummies from the Kitchen

Also while Claire was here we did a little playing in the kitchen and i remembered seeing this recipe somewhere and managed to remember the ingredients - well at least I THINK so.

It is basically a lemon butter/cream thing with berries & sponge fingers and YES IT WAS DIVINE!!!

It was great to catch up with LOTS of you over the holidays both at Injune, visitors here and running into people in obscure places! It is always great to see pics from past workshops of projects FINISHED - YAY!!!! So keep at it and hopefully we will see YOUR finished project for SHOW N TELL at WHK Craft in the Country 2012!!!

Family Stuff

Well as you can imagine with small children this time of year seems to become even busier - if that is possible. We survived bull sale season with  Jeff tripping off to who knows where - Rocky to Goondi to Boonah and everywhere in between. The kids have had end of year school concerts, trip to the cinema and maccas at Roma, Pony Club break up, making of costumes for school concert etc etc.

We have had a the new cabin arrive and Jeff has been busy extending the deck and the roof area. Then we had a pony club day here with kids mustering - oooh did I have a migraine after that - they were great but me being the worry wort and being on the horse and mustering 2 paddocks, organising stuff and helping brand and vaccinate all on the one day and hoping no one fell off - I was exhausted the next day - BUT the kids had a ball!

Then we have had workshops in between of course, clover clubs at the shop, shop visits, branding a few calves in between the rain. AND

We went to the coast - and somehow we fluked the most beautiful weather - it was sooooo nice - I love the sunshine coast! But apparently it was quiet when we went there - I thought it was busy. I don't think there is any financial pressure down there as we went to Sunshine Plaza and unless they are only there for the air con - the place was PACKED!

We have had some rain but could do with some more - not as much as many parts further west of hear.

My father as we speak (who has sort of retired) gets pulled out of retirement by an old friend who has trucks to do the most obscure carting trips. The last time was to pull a road train (3 trailers in this case) out of the Northern Territory to Caboolture in South East Qld. Carting CAMELS!! Yes camels - we took the kids in to see them when he came through and of course they are on single decks not double.

Not his was a few months ago but he got a call the other day to go again - this time via the Territory but into South Australia - so off he went again all keen. HOWEVER he is at present in the Alice Springs Hospital. On Friday he had a bit of an accident - we don't know whether the bull camel busted the gate and that smashed his hand or whether the camel bit it - apparently they Bull camels bite each other's family jewels - now bet you didn't know that bit of useless trivia!

Anyway one came back off the truck very angry hit a gate etc etc - 500km from Alice Springs dad's hand is not great. So they got him back to Alice on Friday but they couldn't clean it up until Saturday afternoon as he is a diabetic and his sugar went sky high. So cleaned up etc, but between it not being overly good, sugar etc and looking rather gross he is not allowed to leave before Wednesday (tomorrow) Now of course the camels had to leave and so Dad has been left in Alice by himself since then. Apparently he will be flown home all being well tomorrow - Dad being the story teller he is no doubt will have another tale to tell now! It includes at least 20 stitches in the hand!

Luckily mum is pretty used to this sort of thing and doesn't phase her much. As kids it was always dad in the panic if we got hurt! 

So now we are looking at motorbikes, wondering what on earth to get people for christmas presents, visiting family, mustering and branding more calves, updating blogs, trying to set up a proper internet newsletter system, creating my own website on my own with a shopping cart for you lovely people (so time consuming) and organising a portable EFTPOS/Credit Card Facility - Yay!!!! AND starting to get sorted for the Toomba Ladies Day - oh and I cooked 4 xmas cakes so far!

So must go and hang out washing, and start packing to go to Injune this weekend.

Hopefully by now everyone on my email list would have received their Xmas newsletter from us.

Thankyou again for your support and we look forward to bigger and brighter things in 2012 with much creativity!

 

The Campdraft

 
Yes it did happen even though it looked like we were only going to be able to make it as "workers" as after 3 inches the weekend I was at Moonie and then 60 points on the Friday before the draft - the chance of getting the truck and horses out looked pretty grim. BUT due to the AWFUL wind it dried out enough for us to get out. So it turned out really well with DH WINNING his draft on the ever special "Lynx" - who is the king of the horses at our place. He is getting on in age and still thinks he is about 8! This gelding really is a special part of the family and is full of personality and is just a big sook.  For those interested his grandfather is Docs Spinifex and he was broken and trained by Ian Francis - so not only is he a lovely kind horse - he is VERY handy!

And Jeff LOVES riding him - Lynx LOVES cattle and so they make a pretty good combination. Needless to say I didn't get to ride my recent purchase "Stylish" which was in fact one of the main reasons in buying her - so I could DRAFT her but after a recent contract mustering day with DH she came home lame! Not happy Jan! So DH is still trying to make up for that one and seems genuinely remorse that my good horse was not able to be drafted. BUT I did take old reliable Jessie - who is lots of fun on but not much good in the camp - but considering everything we did quite well to get around first peg but blew it on the second - there were in fact only 4 rounds completed out of all of the nominations!

Then the kids had fun in the beginners with Little L getting 2nd and Miss H getting 4th!

So guess what after all the lack of enthusiasm in packing gear, getting horses ready and 2 of them suffering with Man Flu, me doing a "raw prawn" to get them all organised - THEY all had a ball and really enjoyed the draft - AND they bought home TROPHIES - I enjoyed the DRAFT, did LOTS of the work and came home with NOTHING!!!! Oh the joy of motherhood!

Anyway it was a great local draft with lots of time for the kids and a real sense of community and a happy spirit within the competitors throughout the day with some friendly rivalry.

Thankyou to Alana Williams of SPADE AW Photography for these proofs which she kindly at the draft - I can't wait for my order of the "real" ones to arrive.

Jeff's big coat makes him look even musclier - is that a word - LOL!!!!

 

And the little darlings - ours are at each end! Still not quite sure where Little Master L gets his long legs from!!

OH AND YES STILL LOOKING FOR KIDS HORSES!!!!

 

This steer was a little excited and was lining me up in the camp!

Oh and by the way - Yes I'm wearing one of those gorgeous shirts that I'm addicted to - made from 100% cotton - PATCHWORK FABRIC - and they are from What2Ware - Jen Geddes has these fantastic shirts made and they are comfortable, practial and wash up sooo well. I wear mine all the time and they still look like new. Her website is www.what2ware.com.au and by the way - I have a new on coming in the Caitlyn which is part of the Gypsy Bandana series of fabric that I have in store - just gorgeous!!! So let Jen know where you saw them - its great to support another country person in their business!!!

 

Thankyou to everyone who helped out at the draft - it never ceases to amaze me the community spirit of the Wallumbilla area - people who didn't ride, didn't have kids that rode but turned up happily to help - with our little group we could not have done it without you all. THANKYOU. To our cattle donors - Selwyn & Jocelyn Maller, Steve & Grace Gray & Colin & Shauny Maunder, our announcer Neville Maunder, Judge Nathan Maller and to EVERYONE that helped in someway THANKYOU!

I must admit - we had a BALL just LOVED IT!

 

 

A Toomba Tanty! - you really don't have to read it!

Yes its true - I'm throwing a Tanty - well why not - my kids do and so for me to be able to throw a tanty - I need an audience - so it will have to be here!!! Jokes!!!

But seriously I think I am having a tanty - since returning from Quilpie workshop and then onto Tambo I am feeling old & tired - I'm suddenly realising that perhaps I don't "bounce" like I used to - literally and figuratively.

I have had 2 busters off a horse and a huge stack on the bike within about the last 6 weeks and while the horse ones I did "bounce" the  bike one hurt! I even got bruises -- I had a huge one on my thigh where the bark busters on the bike had me pinned and then on my ankles, knees etc and no one was home and I had ALOT of trouble lifting the so and so thing off me and then having to actually lift it up was like psyching myself up for a mammoth task - only just got it up.  See in our house it always pays to have a bruise as you are more likely to get at least a miniscule amount of sympathy compared to being hurt and nothing to show for it!

Anyway at the fear of being called old and useless (yes I am saying it clear for those of you that don't know I am all of 37!!!) but I seem to be having a run of things of late - I now hoping I have overcome my run - see it always comes in 3's.

But then after skiting that I rarely get the flu and if I do I don't get it as bad blah blah blah - I have come down with the mother of all flus. And so kharma has caught me for saying I'm so tough!!!

The clothes have been breeding I swear as I put them in the folding pile, the horses are pooing twice as much in their stables for me to clean out, the kids are fighting and making a huge mess and the paperwork is multiplying during the night! So there I am having a tanty!

And why do we have to shop for groceries, spend hours doing so and getting through the checkout at Woolies! come home cook, make more mess, eat, more mess and then have to clean up and start all over again- we would have soooooo much more money for CRAFT if we didn't have to eat and we would have soooo much more time!

In between this we have mustered and mouthed and weighed cattle for the feedlot and trucked those - and guess what - halfway through the hydraulic ram on the headbail lost all it's oil and wouldn't work - now I'm not mechanical but basically that means that you can shut the head bail on the steers head but it won't stay closed - very handy especially when putting NLIS tags in and mouthing!!! NOT! So we got them loaded and away although slower and with much more chance of being hurt to DH and self!

Then we have had the kids helping??? in the yards too - even Little L decided to sit down and tip some dirt out of his boots in the middle of the yard totally unawares of the 500kg steers ready to run over the top of him at any minutes - Dah!!!

No wonder I'm going grey....... more hair colour needed - even got a splash of bright red this time - it will probably be faded by the time most of you see me - but is it different - I'm expressing my "arty" side!!!!

Speaking of which I have beeen working on a few items to be put up for selection for the upcoming Local Artists Exhibition at Dogwood Gallery. My initial proposal for the exhibition was accepted etc so now I have to submit my actual works. The theme is "Quintessential" and it opens on the 28th July!

DH has been busy extending the outdoor entertaining area in front of the shop and so I will be in debt yet again! AND something exciting - well for me is I'm getting a custom made saddle - my previous "new" saddle some ten years ago was huge - I think a ploy from DH as he thought it would be perfect for him - which it was size wise but he just didn't like it - so I have ordered one that will fit me - not me the water bottle and the lead rope! Don't figure why it seemed big???

So I will have to show you a pic - it is a newly "invented" saddle by Rod Bond and crew at Roma Saddlery - the Ladies Diamantina and it will even have cubic zirconias' in the brass badge plate on the back! bling!!!

I have had a huge sort out in the office today and will move onto the shop tomorrow but have to do some cooking for our club's gymkhana and campdraft school on the weekend, so cooking, washing saddle cloths, washing horses, going to Roma on Thursday to do jobs and pick up new saddle, setting up gymkhana on Friday, gymkhana on Saturday, campdraft school on Sunday with the loveliest man Mr Robert Ryan from Wandoan and then thankfully the kids have a pupil free day on Monday to recover and so then I soak jodphurs in Napisan, clean out truck, unpack swags, etc etc, clover club on Wednesday & Thursday, pack car on Friday and go to Injune for workshops!!!

Yay - think I will need some "creative" time by then!

Oh and when we had a lovely visit the other day from Gail and her husband Brendan on their way back home to Tambo - DH came home with a finger that was so close to being broken it wasn't funny - the whole tip of it got squashed between the floor of the trailer and a log - and talk about swell up and go purple - not pretty! Our ever faithful nurse next door told me that the best thing I could do besides ice it was that if the pain got too bad was to stick a needle that had been heated up in a flame through the nail into his finger to release the pressure - I can't print here what DH's response to that was!!!

Did I mention how cold it's been and how short the days are - It's just that I feel I have lost at least 2 hours a day to get my jobs done ! - yes I have told myself after my big tanty above and recently that I just need to swallow a huge cement pill and harden up!

So there you have it the what's been happening and my tanty of the year - they don't come often but now that I have taken my cement pill, and ibruprofen and codral cold tablets etc etc - did I mention the odd rum??? So I am toughening up and not being such a lazy woose- is that how you spell it - you know what I mean.

so enough waffling from me - that is us in a nutshell - oh yes and football and pony club too -

Now lets get down to some patchwork news next!

 

 

Toomba Update

Well as usual between the non fun things of housework, bookwork and the like we have been attending football games on Saturday mornings, a campdraft, clover clubs, more bookwork, seeing LOTS of new Accuquilt bits coming in including lot of new dies, cooking for school things, working at sports days etc etc.

We have pony club on Sunday, seeing the accountant in Dalby on Tuesday - (Jeff says it's like going to the principals office) - even if you don't get a huge tax bill you will get a huge accountants bill!

Wednesday footy/netball training,

Thursday packing the car,

Friday leaving for Quilpie,

 Sat/Sun teaching at Quilpie &

 Monday travelling back from Quilpie (with a lovely friend to keep me company)

then unpacking on Tuesday,

 Wednesday clover club and tupperware party,

 then a day in Roma on Thursday,

Cleaning  and Washing - no doubt on Friday

and football on Saturday - and that has me up to the 29th May - where has the month gone!!!

Thought I would share a photo of you from the Condamine Campdraft a couple of weekends ago - Miss H used the digital camera and so did well to get any of me in the pic but she did however miss the steer - however as you will see from the dust as we went "flat stick" across the arena there wasn't much I was going to do with the darn thing!  I think I was considering pulling up just about at this time as we were not going to have much success on this one! The only consolation was that I was about of another 85 people that had them coming out straight across the arena too!!! They just would not be bent! They were large frame shorthorn steers and I think there were about 5 rounds out of 90 odd participants!

 

This was on my new mare "Sylish" that I had ridden about twice before the day - so my number one aim was not to fall off - so that at least was accomplished and we got a 20 cut out which wasn't too bad considering I wasn't letting her do as much as her capabilities would allow as I was so new to her!

But we had a bit of fun - and there is nothing like going absolutely flat out that gate - it is a real buzz - sorry Mum!!!!

Toomba Bits

Yes we are getting back to the daily grind after Craft in the country so I hope to have some updates of new "stuff" that has come in on the blog today - Yes Easter Sunday. The reasons being is we have no visitors coming, the kids have been visited by the easter bunny and I am suffering from one of those lovely 24 hour bugs and all that entails. So I dearly hope it is only 24 hours as it started mid afternoon at my friend Mel's house - poor girl I do hope I haven't "germed" her place.

So while the vomiting has eased somewhat I am feeling rather ordinary - so am dressed, tidied the kitchen, made beds and unrugged the horses and swept the kitchen but that is about it. Not feeling very enthused - so I thought would vegetate here and blog. Plus I just couldn't put up with "can we have friends over - please..............????" from the little darlings - "No I'm sick" So DH has gone cutting posts  and the kids are making a cubby on the roof of the old weatherboard garden shed in the houseyard - yes they have a matress, sheets and a ladder to get up and down - and you are right - NO I am not looking!!! Better not to I think - they have done this before and I think it is better than trying to make one in the tree. The tree ended up with a matress in the fork with shovel handles poked up into it to hold it up - so you can see why the roof seems much more safe?????

Yesterday the kids and I took the horses for a ride out the front road - as it is too wet here at the moment to take them anywhere else - especially when their horses have the ability in putting it over them and not walking through water etc. So we went down the road and on the way back we thought that we would go back past the front gate into the property and head the other way - big mistake - I should have known One little so and so of a pony decided to head for home - if I had had a rifle I would have shot the little b.....d. So Little Miss H had her first buster at age 7! I must admit the whole feeling of helplessness - I contemplated... and tried to get closer to her on my horse but I pulled up as I could see if could make matters worse - which then allowed  my new horse to throw in a few pig roots which then had me hanging on - perhaps a little too tightly with spurs which she didn't appreciate and continued on until I somewhat relaxed on her and then she stopped - all the while worrying where little Miss had ended up as last I saw was her turning the house yard fence .

So now that I have oodle more grey hairs, she fell off near the fuel tanks and luckily the you beaut breakaway stirrups did their job and she came off quite well - if there is such a thing when you fall off and the darling little so and so pony was standing at the yard quite content and eating - and no I haven't shot it - yet! I don't think I could ever do it but mother bear instincts make you really want to when they put your little darlings at risk. Strange thing is we have mustered with her many times and she has never tried it but this was the first time we had gone out the front gate - so I know not to do that again.

Meanwhile the horse of the year of Master L's just poked along behind us and trotted up to us all without any dramas - thank goodness!

So that was the morming and then the bug in the afternoon so I guess you could say I have had an eventful couple of days - which mind you I would swap. So now I have today, Anzac day ceremony tomorrow and pony club meeting hopefully back to ride my horse, Tuckshop wednesday and football & Netball training on Wednesday in Miles Thursday I MUST ride my horse as we are going in a draft on Saturday at Condamine and Friday going to Roma to put the car in and hopefully look at a paddock. So Saturday of course is the draft and the kids will go in to Football firstly in the morniing at Miles. So that's about it really a fairly full on week.

Oh and of course Tuesday we have the lovely ladies coming for a "catch up" clover club!

Am feeling rather sluggish so don't quite know how this is all going to happen but no doubt I will take a cement pill and all will be fine!

Here are some pics - prior to the "adventure" yesterday

 

 

 

Toomba Update

Yes we are getting back into the swing of things with school well and truly back into the routine, Swimming Lessons once a week where we drive 60km each way for a half hour lesson, and rugby league starting very soon for Little L and Netball for Little H (apparently) this is all new to me but they are on the same day so the 120km round trip for training is a little more do-able.  DH has started training with the Condamine Codgers (they are the local rugby union "old fellas" team) you have to be over 35 to qualify!

And in between DH has been doing some contract mustering, building a roof extension off the front of the shop as a dual purpose outside entertaining area/shop usage space. Plus of course the never ending housework, book work and feeding the orphan calf, supplementing the twin calves, sprinkling in garden, ordering lots of new fabrics (more on this later), having the car booked in for a warranty job, visiting the Roma Patchworkers and Kathy Adams visit (more on this later), teaching at Hannaford (more on this later too!)

We have done another bull!!! This is now 4 bulls in 4 months!!! Quite an expensive exercise I can assure you - we had the one that just "died", one that nearly cut his leg off that we have been treating (as is nearly better but will have to be sold as he won't be able to do "the job"), one that has done his stifle and now one that his done his rather important working tool! I must say I would hate to be a bull and that happen - for those of you that haven't witnessed this somewhat embarassing experience (for the bull anyway) it is when they have damaged or had a seed lodge or something like that in the bull's "working" bit and it swells to that of around the size of a saucer at the end and so therefore cannot retract and hangs out and is ulcerated and pretty gross really.

So this is what his problem is/was - he has been sent to Roma last week - after taking nearly an hour to load him as with his "personal" problem he also had an attitude problem! He also took a few of his heifer friends that weren't in calf and were rather fat - nearly over fat that I had the pleasure of preg testing before they went - one I swear I could have done from the house - she also had a slight attitude problem and "definately" had to be empty!!!!!

So that is about the last week and a half! This week isn't quite so hectic, - I think - unpacked the car from Hannaford yesterday, housework, washing, etc etc as above today - blogging, and hopefully somewhere I will get some sewing done - but ususally when I start to think that the whole week goes pear shaped and I don't get near the machine! So don't tell anyone!!! I bet DH will plan to go and look at more bulls this week - that was another job we did last week - looked at Santas - this week Charolais!

So here is a pic of my new beautiful roof that my clever husband built! Yes serious debt is involved now - I can't get over how much cooler it makes the shop and the lovely breeze that seems to have been created under it now!

 

And a special thankyou to the ladies who kindly put up with his banging and clanging on clover club day trying to get it finished! Now just the finishing touches!

Oh Farming Life...........

Yes now if any of you see me before it gets a chance to grow - I have short hair for I think just about the first time in my life - oh and I mean short - I am not exagerating - clippers up the back short - and I must admit - I'm not quite sure about it. I mentioned to the hair dresser that I think I might go "short" just so I wasn't tempted to put it in a pony tale - but wasn't sure on the style - well she said - lets cut some of the length off and go from there - well let me tell you there was no length to "play" with once that was done - so short it is. And while I think (with a hairdressers hand) it could look very stylish and modern - little L - reaction to  it was - gee mum you look like a boy!!!! Does have me in some concern!

Anyways the problem was that I was so long overdue for a hair cut and colour mainly due to the following daily antics of life on the farm.

 Now I am not taking away from the devastation of the floods - but here is definately a tongue in cheek version of life at "Toomba" of late.

Grey hair seems to be multiplying especially after the following

Mustering with darling children that cannot ride horses and horses that have no idea (Apparently!) of what mud, melon holes (they are little round like puddles with water and grass in them but can be from a puddle whole size to that of a house in width and up to 4ft deep), and of course any wet soil that seems to be boggy!

So after convincing pleading and nearly getting cranky with horses and their riders about "making" them walk through it - we mustered 2 paddocks with the little darlings. Oh and I swear I need a medal for patients. Not to mention a wine - or the bottle!

Then me having to tear around after uneducated weaners (due to not being in the yards enough because of the wet) while DH minded the children on their horses. And yes I have to go through the melon holes and at a  fast speed while being reminded NOT TO FALL OFF because you won't get to a hospital becuase the roads are cut and there are no choppers/planes available to get me there!!! - So ENCOURAGING - NOT!!!!!

And then my favourite (ONLY) horse kicked Little Miss H's pony and there was tears, from little one and she wasn't holding horses and not riding etc etc and then we had a mob of cattle that wouldn't go in the yard as the bull was standing in the gateway and wouldn't let the cows in - Now don't get me wrong this is no big drama usually but when you have 2 children in the mix that can't ride with cows coming out at them willy nilly and them on reasonably smart horses you just wonder where everyone is going to end up!!!

Then of course the frustration of the horse and pony not wanting to walk through the mud and Mum - "I CAN'T MAKE IT DO IT - WINGE WINGE WINGE ..............

Meanwhile a half day job is going to take at least all day!!!!

And then there is the TOO HOT, TOO TIRED, CAN'T POSSIBLY HELP PUT MY SADDLE CLOTH BACK OR HOLD THE HORSE!!!!!

Why is it again that we want our children to learn to ride????????????

But I must admit other than their horses/pony not wanting to go through any sort of wetness - well in their defence we have had drought since the kids were born - and one of the horses isn't much older so maybe they don't know what mud is!!!

The horse did behave themselves other than being able to put it over the kids that they didn't really need to go through the mud. But other than that they were pretty good - much to the benefit of mum's stress levels as you go off in a canter to block cattle while looking over your shoulder to see that both children are together walking along safely with horses behaving - while husband is who knows where!!!!!!

 Then we have had 2 cows die due to 3 day - what you get when inundated with mozzies after rain - 3 days down and they get better - or DIE!!! that's about it really . So now I have the rankest craziest calf in the world to rear on the bottle - It has taken since XMas eve til last week to get it to suck - and who said I"m not patient! I can even feed it in the yard now - not having to catch it in the head bail - it was so mad that it would hit gates, throw itself down etc etc.

Then we had the bull that got caught in the fence and nearly chopped his leg off - the 6" x 3" x 3" deep hole is nearly fixed - he was happy about our medicinal assistance too!

Then we have the "quiet" cow that suddenly went troppo and helped Jeff right over the top rail in the yard - he was up there already - just in the nick of time as she hit the rail below him but she decided he needed helping right over.

Then we had the cow that was going to calve and would also rear "crazy calf" - we bought her in the other day - SHE HAS TWINS!!! So she won't be rearing any extras - and of course then she got mastitis in her teat - stripped it out but now it won't produce milk. So we have a cow with 3 teats and 2 calves. So I have been scruffing the 2 little darling calves - oh and yes they are     SO CUTE!!! And giving them extra as one in particular is missing out on his share of milk - he is the bull calf - does this explain anything - his sister beats him to it everytime!.

And Then we have our favourite Charolais bull the other day who had been fighting with the bull in the next paddock and looks like he has broken his leg up in the stifle.

Then we had 2 dingoes, and a dead calf and the list seems to go on at the moment - oh and yes they are predicting a heat wave - 40 degrees in the shade!!!! OH YEAH!!!

But in all this you know what - I can look on the bright side - my darling brother and his family are mustering at their place this week at "Trinidad" Quilpie (and my parents are going out to help) and they are predicting 45 DEGREES - so that is starting to get seriously HOT!!!

So there you go - we have it really easy!!!

Today the little darlings went back to school - and are already asking when are we going to have the week off so we can have our real holiday at the coast!! And I am SOOOOOO Looking forward to homework this afternoon. ............. I really do think I would rather scruff calves........

So in between the fun and laughter and watering the garden - I have done a tiny bit of sewing - sew I just MUST SHOW YOU!!!

 

Exciting Huh?

Here is a bit - but technically it isn't sewed yet just fused

 

This is the first block in the William Morris BOM

So til next time - just keep stitchin!!!

Rain Beautiful Rain and Green Green Grass and Fat Cows - Oh the Joy!

Yes I must admit that I can't complain about 1 drop of rain - I just loooove it. We don't have grain crops to worry about - we don't have major creeks/rivers to flood us or create erosion, we do have melon holes full of water, long thick green grass, fat cud chewing contented cows, bursting out of their skins sappy calves, full dams and just that wonderful feeling that goes with it all. I love the sound of rain on the roof and slushing in the mud boots to get to the yards. I am a little bit paddock deprived at the moment however as I'm probably not the best 2 wheel motorbike rider in the wet so I have been only looking across the paddock from the house paddock and the roads around 2 sides of "Toomba"

But we do feel for those who have had rain at inconvenient times.

But weeeeee have no worries with more rain. DH even is thinking he is suddenly a great farmer (tongue in cheek) with his recent success of oats crop and now planting the paddock back to buffel and silk with it growing dailly (apparently!!!)

So I have included lots of photos of the paddocks (from only a couple of view as it is tooo wet to drive anywhere) and the garden - The garden and I have had a love/hate relationship with over the years. It has only been started since Little L was born some 9 years ago - and all the time during the worst drought ever! So I have killed so many plants - some with kindness, most through a lack of water (that didn't leave a scum of mud on everything at least). Heat, cracked  dry ground that let the water run a mile away without wetting the garden bed and so much more. I love the garden but used to get so frustrated that it all seemed so so hard.

Oh and did I mention the house yard is on the worst few acres of the whole property? - you know hard hard clay - that when you dig a crow bar into it - it bounces back up and hits you in the jaw!

And yes the experts advise - add gypsum - well how many so and so pallets of it do you have to add before it works and how often - and mulch - again we seem to mulch about 4 times a year. Yes build up the soil - yes just so you get tricked into thinking the plants will survive for a year and then once the roots hit the clay - bye bye sister!!!!

I would hate to work out how much money I have killed in plants - did I mention 12 gorgeous standard roses - no I think I had better not mention that one, did I mention my beautiful Pierre de Ronsard climber - no I think I will stop there or it could be detrimental for my mental health!!!!

But I have perservered and seen others "walk into" gorgeous established gardens and just maintained and added here and there - so unfair!!! but no I am jsut envious! And my long suffering sickenling ( if that's a word) green thumbed mother - who lovingly and patiently would resend me plants that she had propogated telling me - this one really is "tough" - yes sorry mum killed a few of those sort too. But alas finally I am getting some lawn and my plants are filling the gaps and I have colour and it all seems worthwhile now. Isn't it amazing what rain can do? Now I wish I had planned the garden a little differnelty - now who is kidding who - in the end there was NO PLAN - it was just for goodnes sake please don't die plant - and if you didn't I had to plant more of YOU!

So there you have it - now I know why there is no one close by to me with a garden, and if you want to know what is REALLY TOUGH     - NOT THE TOUGH COASTAL GARDEN SHOWS RECOMMEND Then you are welcome to look at my garden!!!! And as my darling mother stated  - if it can grow in my soil - it can grow anywhere!

So here are a few more pics of the garden and the paddock. The garden may not be up to a standard good enough for garden days but it sure beats brown dry prickles and no shade and no colour!

Enjoy!

 
 

 
 

And it is even green in the paddocks!

 

 
 

 
 
Little Miss H's weaner heifer - I'm sure you can see why she picked this one!

 
More Weaners - bet they're glad they were born in the last 12 months!

 

I love this area of the paddock where it looks like the brigalow trees have been standardised!

 
This is just her second calf - this is the best season this cow has seen by far!

 

Family Bits

OK now I just had to share this. This morning I got up early - and yes my friend Mel is quite concerned as when I mentioned getting up at "sparrow" to head off somewhere - she wants to know in my vocabulary what is exactly "sparrow" if my normal time is 5am????? Apparently I have now convinced her (although she already had suspicions) that I am totally mad!!!

So got up, had brekky, checked emails, lined 2 cake tins, washed up, picked up a few bits and pieces, planted a new bouganvillea (one of the bi colour kind - very excited!!!) then I decided to fertilize the entire lawn with dynamic lifter.

By this time darling little L had been out with his sister off siding Dad over at the shed saying hello to their ponies and etc and had made it back to the houseyard. At this point Little L who is well known in the family for having the ability to leave as what I would describe as long lasting evil smells - and thinking it hilarious!!! expressed his displeasure as to the smell of the fertiliser and in particular the smell of his favourite mother!!!!

Apparently from throwing out the stuff and having it drifting back onto me along with some water from the sprinkler I was regarded as very very stinky!!! While I assured him that I would have a shower once I was finished he was so disgusted with my smell that he went inside and brought out deoderant for me  - now I truly was insulted!!! Surely I couldn't have smelt that bad - well ...... maybe I did but coming from him I was truly shocked!!

But in my defence I did have a shower immediately and the garden is looking great for my rather pongy additions of late.

 

Stay tuned for more soon!