what day is it?

its been a bit like that around here lately, nothing greatly exciting but enough happenings to throw daily routines out, and have my little boy say this morning "can we stay at home today please mum?" (and then promptly hared off down the shed all bright eyed when he realised one of his grown up mates was in the shed doing boy stuff).

Still, its been crazy enough, with more crazy to come, so much so The Husband told me to be like Sam Jam Bulu (I'm A-1 efficient, I know what to do!!) anyone familiar with that Lynley Dodd story will realise that Sam Jam Bulu did not get too far despite his running about being all very efficient. Hmm, maybe I am already like Sam Jam Bulu. Sigh.

So, a recap, it has been noted by eagle eyed readers that the boy seems to be now castless. YES HE IS! We slipped into town one afternoon and with a buzz of the plaster saw and a few snips, it was off. He spent the weekend reluctantly bandaged for support and hasn't looked back. He then went and lost a very wobbly tooth, properly lost on the lawn whilst eating a crunchy pear. A letter had to be written to the tooth fairy so we could tell her it was his tooth if she happened to find it.

We went for a drive to Richmond to collect a stray steer and a horse (long story), which loaded backwards. A first for everything. The road was that rough he came off that truck with far more excitement than he went on!

We had the boy's 6th birthday, which I posted about last week. Still can't believe he is six. Good thing he still likes to sneak in and give his mum a cuddle in bed.

Then, after all of that running about and cake making, we were busy packing bags, writing names on everything, finding togs and sneakers, the girls were off on school camp to North Keppell Island! They left at 10am on Saturday.

One lonely truck driver dad with 5 women and 15 kids...I texted wondering how he was going the next morning. His reply, just fine thanks, but gee, I think I need to get my nails done. ;-)

They were all just a wee bit excited...ten minutes after the bus departed, Angus asked me how many sleeps before they got back.

Since then, we have taken the horse from Richmond and delivered it to The Oasis, some 250kms to our north, swapping it for a lovely sweet natured little KIDS HORSE! That took care of another day, the best part of it over by the time we got home. The next day, I took the new pony down to my parents place to go in the paddock with the rest of the kids horses, and then back to the inlaws place to help bag meat and make sausages. Was a bit weary come bed time last night.

and if that isn't enough action and excitement, we are off to the Gold Coast next week! Only away for four days, plus two for travel, but we plan to fill in our four days with theme parks, swimming and wee bit of shopping. We are meeting up with friends down there. Kids are excited about the plane rides, mum is a bit twitchy about the short time between plane landing and catching trains, all late at night, and all with a spare kid in tow. (yes, the same spare kid as usual).

We leave here on Sunday, so madly watering the garden and organising care-takers and the like. Counting socks and undies...

So comes the packing of suitable clothing into small carry-on bags (not seasoned travellers here in the slightest, so that could be interesting) charging of cameras and wondering is it worth taking the dSLR or just the light and portable point and shoot. Tips and hints on theme park dos don'ts and ettiquitte would also be appreciated. Deep breath....I'm A1 efficient, I know what to do.....

tales of dodgy birthday cakes, volume 3, 2012 {Final Edition}

I was barely over the trauma of the last birthday cake, when it rolled around far too quickly, the birthday of my little baby boy. Who turned SIX on Thursday (but still has to stop, and count to himself, on his fingers, the number that comes after five, as he forgets his new number!). He woke up Thursday morning, and as soon as his eyes popped open rolled out of bed and came flying out "ITS MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!"

I was already well and truly up, baking his cake before breakfast as our adventures the day before (nothing too exciting, just requiring us to be out far later than expected) meant no cake got baked.

We did presents before breakfast....

Lego and a grader being well received. And look at that gappy toothed smile. That tooth had been hanging on by the slimmest of threads for days, and he lost it, literally, on the lawn, eating a pear.

Again, I made an attempt to get all fancy like with my cake decorating. A small attempt.

100's and 1000's cover a multitude of sins, including no crumb layer of icing, however half an hour in the freezer tends to help sort the crumbs out. This time I went for a plain old chocolate cake, with a liberal application of chocolate butter cream, and heavy handed application of sprinkles, as you can tell. Floor is also looking very colourful, despite my best efforts to control the flow and direction.   Cake of course was inhaled by the school kids, with just enough to bring home for afternoon smoko. And I think my newly six year old boy had a pretty good day.  

this time last year

Do you remember what you were doing this time last year, around this date? I do. And then I found myself, yesterday afternoon, doing pretty much the same thing. I do hope this isn't going to become a bad habit!

Yesterday my FIL was working on his bulldozer at the back of his property, clearing a fenceline. We've had a long, frosty winter, and the grass is as dry as a chip potato, and so when he sent off a spark from driving over a rock, a fire started, about lunchtime.

Calls were made, arrangements sorted, and at around 230pm I headed off in our new-to-us rural fire board fire truck, following The Husband. I had my phone in my pocket and was able to snap this as I drove along.

After getting to the paddock where the fire was (which sort of felt like going to Townsville via Cairns, winding my way there around the back paddocks) we found the inlaws and the neighbour, with FIL putting in fire brakes on the bulldozer to try and contain the fire to the one paddock.

(having a meeting to discuss attack plans)

The Husband and I drove about for a bit, studying the fire and where it was, and where it wasn't meant to be, the fire truck getting some action. I drove, he hosed. Me and my little yellow truck get along just fine, I don't think there is anywhere that little truck can't go. But ROUGH. My aching kidneys. Actually, my aching everything!

We did a little back burning:

to stop the rest of the fire from jumping the break in front of it...below here it comes to meet the break.

  We drove around some more, filled up our water tank again.

(nice looking trough there. Better than filling out of a dam)

lacking a chain saw, hosed down a tree that would fall over the graded track and ignite the other side if left to burn unchecked.

Did a bit of bush bashing and hosing down bits that had ventured into the next paddock. Repeat. And repeat again.

   Tried to take a photo of the sun setting through the smoke, the colours were glorious.

Started another back burn while the wind was in our favour, and then around and around, and up and down, back and forward...and hey, that's not meant to be there. In the dark, The Husband decreed he would drive, so hanging on by tooth and nail on the back of the truck, pointing a high pressured hose, we scrambled over some pulled country to stop the fire from burning into the buffell country. Thankfully, buffell grass is slow burning and reasonably easy to put out, so with a bit of extreme 4WD-ing in the dark, and of course, rather handy water hose wielding, the outbreak was brought under control.

I didn't take any photos after dark, as it really was a dark dark night. About 8pm I found a sweet spot with some phone coverage and organised my brothers (neighbours-once-removed to my inlaws, to come over and help patrol the breaks for a couple of hours). My FIL is a diabetic (type 2), and hadn't had anything to eat since morning smoko, and had been on the bulldozer since the fire broke out, til dark.  He was absolutely exhausted, so when the fresh troops arrived, we sent him and my MIL home. I was sent with my BIL, who had just arrived home after a 10 hour drive from a bull sale (bought his bull at a bargain price, he tells me) to pick up his tractor-towed-grader-thingy from a dam nearby, so graded breaks could be reinforced (tractor has lights, bull dozer did not!) After which time, at around 11:40 pm I was sent home.  I arrived back at home at about 12:30 and into bed, after faffing about  and showering off layers of dirt, dust and smoke grime, at 1.40am.

The kids, during all of those, were calmly taken over by the teacher-aide (they played around the back streets of town all afternoon with the rest of the town kids, and then were fed) after which our indomitable Miss Mac took over, bringing them home for bath (and apparently great quantities of icecream, whipped cream and strawberries?!!) and bed, and set up camp on the couch for the evening. She wandered home when I got home. Got to love small communities and good friends who don't blink an eyelid about this sort of thing. (kids so not bothered and quite excited about the change in routine and getting away with blue murder!)

Don't know why, but I'm a bit tired today. Although exceptionally pleased I did not have to perform leg origami sleeping in the front of a ute this time. Although, after the pounding that my dear little truck gave me, I'm not sure I'm all that much better off!

feels like yesterday

when I took these photos, but in fact its over TWO years ago....

Its true, the older one gets, the faster time goes. Even the now eight year old reckoned just the other day, it was more fun being younger.

One thing that hasn't changed, is the boy's interpretation of the English language. Which is often pretty darned clever, when you think about it. Fence posting pretty much summed up our day perfectly!