How Grandad Did His Dash

This landed in my inbox this morning - one can't go past a good bit of Australian Bush Poetry.

For non-Australian's reading, a dunny is old Australian slang for an outside toilet or outhouse, in this case, one without plumbing - a deep hole dug in the ground (around 6-8ft deep, or perhaps deeper); with the toilet structure placed over the top. When one finished one's business, dirt or sand would be sprinkled down the hole to help keep the flies and smell at bay - a bucket would be left beside the toilet (along side the paper!) full of sand for this purpose.

Without further ado:

Poor old Grandpa's passed away, cut off in his prime,
He never had a day off crook - gone before his time,
We found him in the dunny, collapsed there on the seat,
A startled look upon his face, his trousers around his feet,
The doctor said his heart was good - fit as any trout,
The Constable he had his say, 'foul play' was not ruled out.

There were theories at the inquest of snakebite without trace,
Of redbacks quietly creeping and death from outer space,
No-one had a clue at all - the judge was in some doubt,
When Dad was called to have his say as to how it came about,

”I reckon I can clear it up,” said Dad with trembling breath,
'You see it's quite a story - but it could explain his death.'
'This here exploration mob had been looking at our soil,
And they reckoned that our farm was just the place for oil,

So they came and put a bore down and said they'd make some trials,
They drilled a hole as deep as hell, they said about three miles.
Well, they never found a trace of oil and off they went, post haste,
And I couldn't see a hole like that go to flamin' waste,
So I moved the dunny over it - real smart move I thought,

I'd never have to dig again - I'd never be 'caught short'.
The day I moved the dunny, it looked a proper sight,
But I didn't dream poor Grandpa would pass away that night,
Now I reckon what has happened - poor Grandpa didn't know,

The dunny was re-located when that night he had to go.
And you'll probably be wondering how poor Grandpa did his dash--
Well, he always used to hold his breath
Until he heard the splash!!

Nothing like a bit of class to kick the week along! ;-)

At Four

Here's my take on the sketch challenage set by Nicole last week. I've dived back into the pile of "old" photographs - I'm up to 2007! I've a plan to push through these a little quicker and be able to scrap more recent shots. Good thing I keep a note book and scribble down things that we get up to and what the kids are doing.

Sorry for the crappy photo. Wierd weather here - overcast day = bad lighting!

Used AC chipboard thickers (a nice new packet!) and some Basic Grey papers (that I had for another project that I've decided not to do) , and a tiny bit of swiss dotted Bazzil. I have a draw full of patterned papers, but its the same old story - nothing ever takes my fancy. I think I need to have a clean out and get some new, fresh paper. And win gold lotto perhaps?!

I think Ali E had a post about lightening the load? I think I should do that - one can never had too much cardstock, but keep less patterned paper stockpiled so new, fresh stuff can be purchased without guilt, when the small paper stash is diminished.

The journalling is nothing profound, just a list of things that Kate was doing and liked when she turned four, that I had written down at the time.

I also found, written at the same time, a plea for more sleep, and then a week later, a tenative note that maybe, just maybe, my boy was starting to sleep through the night. Its hard to believe that baby is nearly three, and that four year old in the picture above is now in Grade 1!

How things change in two short years!

What hasn't changed is the c-c-c-cold here.... need to get myself under a warm shower, in some flannelette jarmies, and into bed. Got some cattle work to do tomorrow, so hopefully I will have some photos to share of the kids and me on our horses (I plan to take the camera this time!).

Still here

I'm still here, alive and kicking. A little overwhelmed with what I should be doing, and what isn't getting done! I guess it's always like that in my world, it's just how much I stress about it on a daily basis that differs (sometimes I care, sometimes I just don't and go and look at my flowers - or go blog hopping!)

It has been and will be such a busy week... on Saturday the kids and I drove 2 hours to a Field Day at a neighbouring town, where Trevor had our concrete troughs on display. We caught up with some friends, I priced some new fancy-schmancy lawn mowers, and bought some plants. And icecreams for the kids. By crikey, for a mid-winter's day, it was WARM. Should have realised, happens every year!

On Monday and friend and I drove to the city and back (a four hour drive just to GET there) and ran around madly spending the funding money our P & C had been granted. Also managed to get a couple of things for myself that had been on the shopping list for awhile (like a new toilet seat!), plus a few things that weren't! ....like gorgeous DCWV "butterflies & blossums" paper that I have been drooling over for awhile, but I discovered $10 cheaper at Big W than anywhere else I'd seen it online.

This is what happen when a country living woman goes to the BIG town: she often gets things that she doesn't necessarily need right now, just because its there NOW and won't be when she gets back to town or its on sale at the time. And sometimes you might even buy multiple of a certain item, because you know, sure as eggs, if its PERFECT, you'll never see it again in six months time when you get to that shop again.

Anyhow, that was a loooong day, got home at 10:30pm after getting up at 4:30 that morning!]

This afternoon we have a little birthday smoko for my neice's 2nd birthday - only a 20 minute/30km drive this time!

Friday the kids have a day out at another school an hours drive away, so I am taking Kate + another little girl there, and continuing on to the bigger town another hours drive on, to do my grocery shopping. There was no room in the car on Monday to get any groceries, so seeing as I am half way there dropping the kids off, I might as well keep going!

On Saturday we are all off to my parent's place, to which a road-train of our steers will be journeying to on Friday afternoon. We have to walk them out to their paddock on Saturday morning, so the kids and I will get a ride on our horses.

After that - thank goodness its school holidays! I think we will all appreciate a sleep in on Sunday!

I'll leave you with this cute project I found somewhere online - isn't it cute? So easily doable, if one wasn't driving around the countryside all week!

I'm not sure how the dotted line behind the butterfly is done on this, whether by pen or stitched, but it's not even enough for my liking. I have a couple of square frames that I could do this to, for the girls room... again, only if I take a dislike to sleeping.

Which won't ever happen!

And this idea below is cute and simple too! Involves some work with a craft knife and working out the right placement of the shapes - but as long as they all touch, and the bottom of them touches the centre fold, she's sweet. Great place card idea! I must try this one day - though what for I'm not sure!

Here's a challenge for you: I want a name for my {non-existant at the moment} photography "business"... I would love to take photos for other people on a more "professional" basis, but right now it's unlikely to go far - but first things first - I need a catchy, appropriate name! Lots of people use their own names, but I really don't think my name has much of an out of the ordinary ring about it!

Put your thinking caps on ladies...I should offer a prize - I tell you what - if I ever get the camera straps that are in my head MADE, the name I like best will get one....I hope you won't mind waiting (especially since my sewing machine is staging a revolt and refusing to work!)

I'll be back with some photos one day, maybe after the weekend (I'll take my camera on the horse this time - the LITTLE one, not my precious DSLR!)