Choppter

Jase got a phonecall yesterday morning (Sunday) from a helicopter pilot who needed some chemical, apparently a mix up meant he was at the farm to do some spraying and it wasnt there. So Jase organised to get it from the local shop for him and he flew into town to get it.

We took Sam and Charlie with us (the older kids stayed with grandpa) and Lucas and Gruff who had just stopped in. The wee kids thought it was great and Charlie loved seeing the Choppter as he called it. There was a couple of local residents having a wee look see at the chopper landed in a vacant subdivision plot too! Quick way to come and pick up the chemical though.

Jock

Here is the father of the new progeny. Quietude Goldrush or commonly known as 'Jock.' He is an American Morgan. The old fella (the horse that is not the father in law ;-) is getting on a bit now and was kept at hooves length during and after the birth. Not allowed to get too close to his new son yet by a rather over protective mother!

Charlie getting aquinted with Georginas foals from last year and the year before, known as Shannon and Foaly (Axel!)

Charlie was getting a bit tired after walking down the farm so Jase popped him up on his shoulders for a ride.

The new addition

At 6am this morning one of Peters (Jasons dad) brood mares, Georgina gave birth to a healthy little colt. He is yet to be named but takes after his father 'Jock' in his colouring. We took the kids around for a wee look see and to get a few pics of the new addition.

Found my crafty mojo

I finally admitted to myself that getting the house done so I could have my machines out again was going to take a while so I have set up a temporary table in the new lounge area with my sewing machines on it. I have to unplug either the tv/internet or the water pump to be able to run the machines but during the day (no lights at night) I can actually get some sewing done.

So I made a little merino cross over singlet for Leobump and have another one cut out. I am awaiting some cute wee cow snaps for the second one so have put it to one side for now until they arrive. Then I finished a blanket for Charlie that I started before he was born. All I had to do was finish the edges but didnt know what I wanted to do until I found this satin binding on special in spotlight the other day. Charlie loves it and now doesnt have to borrow one from a sibling to be just like them, he has one of his own. I have also cut out and started a pair of corded jeans for Laura but one of my overlocker needles bent and when I found the needle case I realised there was no needles left in it (murphys law huh!) So I had to put them on hold until I got some more yesterday. However with today being such a gorgeous day we have spent most of it outside in the garden so no sewing done yet.

Charlie is 2

Its hard to believe that my baby is 2 already. He is such a big boy now, chattering away non stop (usually something about a motorbike or tractor lol) He is such a wee dude.

I cheated with his cake this year as trying to organise and decorate one means finding a kitchen to borrow and I just didnt have the time to do that this time.

So I took him to the bakery and he chose a yummy choc mud cake with little fish lollies on it. Then we went to the supermarket and bought merigues, brandy snaps and cream, fresh strawberries and raspberries and cream.

I have to say it was the easiest and yummiest birthday lunch I think we have done!

My new dump truck

Dad helping to extract the new toys from the box - darn things are strapped in so well they are just about impossible to get out!

Look at all my presents.

The birthday boy complete with bruise from a random fall, a cut cheek that appeared one morning, must have been a good dream! And a fat lip where he face planted first on the gravel on the drive and then in the house. Typical bumped up 2yr old!

We have had some nice days

Summer to speak of, has been a little on the reluctant side this year. But we have had a few nice days. The kids got a new waterslide for christmas so they got it out for a spin. I guess the upside to having lots of rain is that the tank is full so we didnt need to restrict the use of water for the slide.

Family time in the sandpit.

Shearing in the kitchen

So becuase we are using an old kitchen in the shed at the moment it just happens that the shearing stand is also in there. Actually worked out well, the kids had a table to sit at while we were busy shearing (Jase with the handpiece and me as the rousey) they coloured in their colouring books and drew pictures and watched what we were doing. Charlie personally greeted each sheep as Jase pulled them across the board with a 'hellu sheepy' he even patted a few on the head. Was handy for cups of tea and lunch was right there, no need to strip from greasey clothes to go into the house and eat.

This is one of the kids pet lambs from last year. I have kept the wool in preparation for this years learning project. I want to learn to spin the wool and then will dye and knit it too. The whole process from beginning to end. I was planning on doing the shearing aswell but my rather blooming belly means that if I bend over for too long I cant breath as well. I thought my baby might quite like an even dose of oxygen and let Jase do the honours for me.
Charlie in the wool pack pressing the wool

The audience

Daniel was up on the board all morning sweeping the bits into the fadge.

The garden

I have a lot more photos to blog but it is getting late so these will be the last for tonight. More to come though so watch this space.

After a slow start last year when we put the tunnel house in and dug the garden for the first time, I decided I would get organised and plant early. So I got a heap of seeds and sowed them. I germinated the first ones in the house but not having much bench space or childproof area to keep them meant they were transferred out to the tunnel house once it got a bit warmer. Here lies the first problem - apparently once mice get a taste for your seeds they are apt to dig them up and eat them all. Not to be disheartened I sowed more in a covered container.

This picture was taken about 10days ago. Everything in there has been grown from seed, apart from two capsicums (try as I may, I could not get any of the seeds to germinate past a tiny green stalk before they wilted and died)

At the end you can see my corn, which now has several cobs on and is flowering in earnest. Along the right I have tomatoes - not sure if these are going to grow as they self germinated from last years crop and although they are flowering they have yet to bear anything resembling a tomato. Then capsicums and lettuces. On the left I have more tomatoes, a zucchini and then brassicas - cauli, broccoli and cabbage. These have born well, we have eaten and replanted several and they are big, full and delicious. Then to the bottom left, not on the picture I have carrots and parsnips. These were out of date seed from two years ago that I planted to see what would happen. Tonight we ate the three parsnips that were brave enough to grow and several carrots. There are more carrots there but they seem to be a bit 'woody' so we will see. Some were lovely and some were a bit hard.

Just before christmas my lovely children kept sneaking off outside and telling me not to look, they were secret squirreling away at making my christmas present.

A scarecrow for my strawberry patch (there may have been a slight ulterior motive that they didnt want the birds to keep eating the strawberries before they got to them ;-)

So here is my scarecrow sitting between the strawbs and the spinach, silverbeet and brassicas that I planted just before christmas.

The hair shop

Brod got some new GHD's for christmas so she did my hair and the girls - then Lucas wanted his done too. So out went the tight curls and in came 'surfer boy' cute or what!

Christmas

So its been a while since I updated. The house is still pretty much the same. We had a few hold ups and have a new builder starting next week. So we are still living in the three bedrooms and using a kitchen in the shed. Which requires walking several times a day down the drive with kids in tow. Have to say it has been a tad tedious in the recent weather that seems to require it to rain everyday. Anyway it will sure make us appreciate it when we get it done!!

Jase and Gareth built this slide on xmas eve. Its Lucas's christmas present. Given we dont have much of a house we ventured down to thier place and put up the tent for the kids to sleep in. Not sure how good an idea it was. Tents have light coloured roofs and it gets light at 5.30am, hence several children were up at the crack of dawn wanting to open presents! Mean parents that we are (well actually it was me, Jase was still fast asleep!) told them that they had to wait to a more respectable hour before any opening would ensue! Thats the first and last time they get to sleep in a tent for xmas!

Gegen trying out Lucas's slide

Lucas new digger

Sams new train set

Charlies new tractor