Christmas 2014

So we found ourselves back on the coast again, for Christmas this year. Dr decreed that Mum wasn’t allowed home yet, so we and the family took ourselves to her (not Dad, he thought some one might steal the place  - eyeroll – so he stayed home to ensure everything was secured). Initially I tried to book a nice big air-conditioned holiday house with a pool but none wanted us for  short stay. So instead I booked into Seagulls “resort” which did have aircon, a very nice pool and didn’t care how many nights we stayed.I suppose if we are going to have a coastal holiday it should look proper tropical.

And yes, I did take a (skinny drought ridden but sparkly!)  tree with us.

Noisy toys were given with glee to small nieces that like to press buttons. Kids were spoilt and got lots of lovely things. Much food was eaten. The aircon was set at artic and full blast. A Pommie friend of my sister in law was part of the family, and a cousin dropped in for lunch as well. Full house.

After lunch had subsided it was decreed that we needed to retire to the fancy pool that we were paying a bomb for. Water guns were dragged to the pool. Uncles that thought they were going to blast small nephews away were sadly disappointed when it appeared his newly purchased water canon had some plumbing issues.

After swims and more food, super tired kids were sent to bed and the rest wandered off to their own accommodation slowly. Mum was taken home (albeit reluctantly, even though she was drooping) and The Husband and I were left clutching our overfed selves, and wondering how doing very little for a day can be so exhausting.

And so that was Christmas.

So much to tell you

Oh my, how can it be over a month since I last posted. As I type we have rapidly sped through the school holidays, with less than two short weeks left of the lazy mornings, evenings outside and dinner being late on the table.  AND NO LUNCH BOXES. Anyhow, the last few weeks of 2014 were certainly quite jam packed, so lets catch up shall we? So much to tell you.

School Breakup

The last time we shall have THREE children at our tiny school’s school breakup concert. Kate reached the end of year six. Doesn’t time fly, it really is true.

The Husband’s brother and wife (Kate’s godparents) and their kids travelled from the coast to celebrate Kate’s “graduation”.  The kids had a wonderful evening with their cousins.

Santa of course arrived in style.

The kids put on a short musical concert showing off their skills. To be honest, I didn’t really get to enjoy the night as I spent it flat out either serving drinks or food, or clearing away food.

And then school was over, with a last day pool party to celebrate.

McKenzie’s birthday

We also celebrated little cousin McKenzie’s birthday. She likes Peppa Pig. Her mum can ice a mean cake too.

City “break”

Mum has been in the city having treatment, staying in the wonderful Leukaemia Foundation units near the hospital. We went and “cared” for her during the first week of the holidays. We took her out for some fresh air most afternoons, and to run some energy off the kids.

Our shift staying with mum came to its end, and thankfully she was feeling a lot better by the time we left (the tail end of treatment week has her feeling unwell we have discovered) and we departed, fully loaded, handing back over to my aunt.  Kids wondered how we would fit the load of groceries in amongst the other shopping, but hey, like someone else said, if you don’t have to unpack the beer carton and stick them in one by one, you have heaps of room.

RAIN!

It rained whilst we were in the city, the biggest fall in how long. Very excited phone calls were received.  It feels so old news now, but the elation when it does finally rain, puts you on a natural high. Sadly, now some weeks after the event and little other than random showers since, has meant that elation was short lived. Concern that we won’t get any more still sits in our minds.

My sister in law took these photos.

Georgie FINALLY got her ears pierced 4 long months after her 10th birthday. As expected, she didn’t even blink.

And that catches us up  - until Christmas at least!

Between 8am and 230pm

That’s the hours that The Husband has me available on a school day at the moment. So he booked me in to give him a hand the other day, to get some fresh air in the searing heat and dust that is “spring” in north west Queensland (I think we had two days of spring like weather in mid August!).  Of course I got to do my favourite thing in the world, drive the tractor.

Apparently I was driving said tractor like it was an off road rally car, however one doesn’t have all day to muck around.

Task of the day was to add aprons around troughs so that calves could get a drink, and so that the cows didn’t continually gouge out the soil around the troughs, making a big depression around each and making getting a drink impossible for small calves.

These heifers – which were trucked to LC in January (robbing Peter to pay Paul so to speak) as it had more grass. As it pans out, where they came from still hasn’t grown any grass (it hasn’t rained of course) and the grass is getting in short supply here as well. They are bright and strong and shiny but on the lean side, and have started calving.  We are helping them out as much as we can nutritionally, with lick and molasses that has a high level of protein included in the mix.

After the aprons are laid into place, dirt is backfilled around them and the trough for the cows to pack down nice and tight. This of course involved a bit of a boys-and-their-toys moment, requiring the digging of a hole to get sufficient dirt. (I kept my mouth shut about that hole being a smidge close to the trough, he had to do a few three point turns to deposit the dirt correctly).

We then repeated the process at two more troughs. 

This one I was quite happy to empty and clean out.  The Husband told me it wasn’t necessary for me to remove my boots and get IN the trough in order to do so. But it was hot and I was quite happy to splash around sweeping out the rubbish.

And then we went home where these two little fellows were not so patiently waiting for their lunch. On the left is Megsie and on the right is Monty. Both are a bit cheeky.   On the far right of the image is some fantastic creation of the kids, built over a small water trough. You may be mistaken in thinking that its part of the rubbish tip, however NO, apparently is a SPA.

I haven’t the mental energy to argue with them.

Actually an outdoor spa sounds quite nice. Bring me a cocktail please?!