One World One Heart Giveaway 2009

****UPdate: On Feb 2nd 09: I justt found this blog which expressed the sentiments well
called 3rd Eye Muse I think as my list is nearing 100...if I get 110 I will add another (3rd) gift. Something similar to the 3rd Eye Muse so thanks for her inspiration of a box with treasure inside. Gosh, isnt it fun, we get to live/relive (as in childhood delight)the magic of surprises and fun and treasure and I love it!!!!



This idea has been started by Lisa over at OneWorldOneHeart


You may also like to check out her regular blog A Whimsical Bohemian

Sorry if my wording on this is not clear. Lisa has explained it at the One World One Heart site. I have also posted wording from a couple of other sites that have, like me, joined Lisa's One World One Heart Idea. I am giving away something, see below. Thankyou.



The idea of making something to share with someone (regardless if you know them yet or not) is wonderful, and I highly encourage all of you to sign on! Anyone can join, just click the picture at the top of this post to read the directions of how it works. And you don't have to have something to offer this time round in order to enter. If you are not able to offer something this year, I would still encourage you to take some time to visit the other artists that are a part of One World One Heart and spend sometime on their blogs. It is a great way to meet new friends and certainly to be inspired.

Please leave me a post (ADDD TO COMENTS ON THIS POSTING ONLY PLEASE) stating that you're interested in being on my list by Feb 11th at the latest, and make sure that I can contact you either via your blog or an email address so that I can let you know you are the winner!

A winner will be chosen (at random) on Feb 12th. If I'm not able to reach that person, I will then draw again, so be sure I know where to find you!

Enjoy meeting new artists and friends!

And Thanks again to Lisa who is the glue that holds us all together!


I copied the above comment from Living In the Light I find blog

I have only just found the One World One Heart (I am up not feeling well and cant sleep). I would hardly classify myself as an artist. Anyway I am going to join in. I will put up pic of what I am giving away hopefuly by the weekend but will be a collection of things handy for those into scrapbooking. Am thinking I will give away a smaller second draw giveaway of something similar. Watch this space over the next few days for pic, however giveaway will consist of pretty backing paper, ribbons andother decorations for your scrapbooking. (plus a special surprise 'book' prize included as well. Make sure when you leave your comment ON THIS POST ONLY FOR GIVEAWAY that I can contact you either via your blog or email.


A Fanciful twist expresses the sentiments well and I love the pictures of The Gypsy Caravan. I am blown away by the creativity of many people on here. Puts my simple blog and stuff to shame. I look forward to having something 'made', rather than bought to give away next year as I am continually inspired by so many round the world.

Australia Day Long Weekend 2009

Summer has arrived! Happy Australia Day: Happy Chinese New Year!

Picture of yours truly fishing off rocks at Carlton, Tasmania and my son Peter doing the same thing with Andrew in the background (Peter's friend and his partner's brother)

On Saturday 24th as discussed in the previous entry a new alpaca was born. On Sunday my son Peter rang and asked if Kim and I would like to go to Carlton Beach as he and partner Kathryn were going, along with Kathryn's parents and her brother.

Kim declined as he had things he wanted to do around the house but I decided it sounded like a good idea. I am also thrilled that I have such a good relationship with my son. He often rings for a chat or drops in for a coffee or asks us to something and I feel lucky to have this. He appears to genuinely enjoy our company, as we do his. Peter picked me up and off we all went to Carlton. We also met Melanie, my eldest girl , her partner Aidan and their two daughters at Carlton. Melanie has a beach tent shade set up we got under and shared lunch. The boys went fishing off the rocks. Eventually it got too much for me and I walked round to do a spot of fishing.

I have a real tug of war with this. I was a vegetarian for eight years or more. My Dr was telling me I was not that well and I needed to consider adding something, like at least fish, to my diet. I was in Swansea and friend Tony had just cooked some freshly caught fish and I succumbed. As my husband has a boat (though only went out for the first time yesterday in nearly two years)I have gone out with him and done a spot of fishing. One part of me feels bad that I am taking a life of another species and the other part gets excited as to how many fish I can catch, how much money I can save from having my own, rather than buying etc. I also enjoy eating fish now that I have for a few years. I don't eat it regularly, it is a now and again thing. I still go through the I feel bad scenario and wish I could get past it. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know :)

None of us caught anything! I ended up sunburnt as the sun was quite intense and I should have reapplied sunscreen. We did have a lovely day. I invited Kathryn's mum and dad over for a BBQ but he was not feeling the best so they headed home. Peter, Kathryn and Andrew accepted the invite. Andrew is Kathryn's brother. About six months ago he accepted a promotion in his job and is now working in Brisbane, so has come down for his Christmas break. Whilst we were in Carlton, Kim got the boat out and checked it all and put the battery on charge but was dubious about whether it was any good. Monday, Australia Day he bought a new battery at Supercheap and checked it. Peter and Andrew arrived over to go out on the boat. Kathryn had to work but is not into boats or catching fish , though loves to eat fish! She also only eats veggies and fish. We tried to get hold of Aidan as he had wanted to go out but as he was not answering his phone (turned out he had gone out without it) I went instead. Kim eats meat and fish and is not a big veg eater. Melanie and Aidan eat most things and are big meat eaters. Peter eats both meat and fish though tends to eat more fish and veggies, partly due to Kathryn's choice in cooking and due to his braces which have made it difficult to eat certain foods. As for Luke and Krystal, Luke eats meat, fish and veg whilst Krystal enjoys chichen, some fish and veg. She only cooks chicken so Luke gets various chicken dishes. You can imagine what it is like to cater when everyone is over!

We launched the boat at Carlton which is the first time from there. We were only out around an hour as it was too choppy and Andrew ended up getting seasick. Andrew caught one flathead that he could keep. He had caught another one as had Peter and Kim but they were all under size so threw them back. The law says 300mm and we keep a ruler in the boat but could clearly see the little flatties were too small. I caught nothing but seaweed! We headed back in and home to our place. Kim filleted the one fish for Andrew to take home to his parents to cook!! A bite each, I would say. They actually stayed and watched the cricket till it was time to pick up Kathryn from work at 5.30pm.

We fed the pacas and got ready to head off to an Australia Day Pool party. Our friends, Roger and Thelma were hosting it. They are a just little older than us, though have some children younger than ours as their youngest (twin boys) are soon to turn 16. As you can imagine there were a number of teens enjoying themselves in the pool. Rog and Thelma have six sons and are wonderful parents. As Rog is also a muso they often have great parties, complete with band! Rog and band are going to play at Melanie's wedding next October.

They have a HUGE backyard and all I could picture was plenty of places for chook pens, veggie patches and so on. After seeing mine Roger is thinking of doing something about getting chooks. He is a great bloke but is one of those people who starts a project then starts another one before finishing the last so I have Thel's permission to get on his case! I brought a salad to the BBQ and it had lettuce I had just picked from the garden, eggs I had boiled from my girls and alfalfa I had grown. Unfortunately lousy tomatoes this year so they were store bought (I Know, sad isn't it, having to buy store bought tomatoes that are not in the same league as home grown ones. I also missed out on cucumbers because the ones I put in were taken over by too many potato plants coming up everywhere. My son is now talking about starting a veggie patch so I am really pleased about that. Of course when it finally will happen is another thing.

The weather has been very warm. Though it has been wonderful to have such weather as I always feel better and happier when the sun is shining, we really need some rain. We have no growth in the paddocks and the ground is parched and cracking.

Ciao

New Baby (cria)

I have had several people asking to see a pic of the latest arrival. Here is SerenityView 'Mystic Raven' born on Jan 24th with her mother (dam)Murralyn 'Mai Tai'. Her father (sire) is Canchones 'Hallmark' and both parents are solid black, as is the new baby. The other pic was taken in the nursery paddock.


I am very happy to have got a girl. Last year Mai Tai gave birth to SerenityView 'Bacardi', a little boy. I had just missed the actual birth as when I went to check in the 'nursery' paddock Mai Tai had just had her baby which was still covered in membrane. Usually within 30 minutes or so the alpaca manages to stand. I never interfere unless it is absolutely necessary. It was a warm and windy day so I was impressed with Mai Tai as she had the good sense to go into the shed. I had left the gate ajar in case any of the girls in the nursery wanted to shelter in there. She is a really good mum and is never far from her baby. I did check that the cria was breathing properly and had nothing blocking in its mouth and then let mum take the reins. Later I watched and made sure that Raven was sucking and getting milk. There were still a couple of wax tips on Mai Tai's teats so I pulled them off and then Raven was able to have a godd drink. She was weighed and was eight and a half kilos, so a very good weight. I will weigh her tomorrow to make sure she is putting on weight.

Some information about alpacas


Cria - an alpaca baby born after a gestation of eleven months or 335 days. Crias usually weigh approximately 6-10 kilos at birth. Crias can usually stand and nurse within the first hour after birth and often frolic around the mother’s side within that time. They are born during daylight hours. Infant mortality is very low and birthing problems are few. Alpaca mothers are usually devoted and protective.

Dam - An alpaca's mother.

Female - In Spanish, the females are known as hembras.

Male - In Spanish, the males are known as machos.

Weanlings or tuis - An alpaca 6 to 12 months old.

What is an Alpaca?

The Alpaca (Lama pocos), are camelids, members of the South American camel family Camelidae; cousins to camels, llamas, guanacos, and vicunas. Alpacas are about half the size of llamas and have proportionally smaller ears than their llama cousins who have "banana" shaped ears.

Alpacas are slender-bodied animals with a long neck and legs, a short tail, a small head and pointed ears. They have a life span of 15 - 20 years, and grow to a height of approximately 1 metre at the shoulder, and can weigh up to 70 kg. The female alpaca gestates for a period which averages 335 days, after which time she gives birth to a young or cria with a birth-weight of 6 - 8 kg. Alpacas are the most important of the lamoids for wool production.

Alpacas are alert, curious, calm and predictable. They need the companionship of other camelids, and will huddle together or move en masse when frightened or wary.


Alpacas make a variety of sounds such as clicks and snorts but are best known and loved for their humming. They make this humming sound in a variety of situations such as when separated from their herd, when one female gives birth, the other pregnant mothers may hum to the delivering mother and new cria, and when grazing, they hum in different tones.Alpacas rarely spit at people unless frightened or abused, but will use this form of communication with each other to register a complaint.


Will do a run down on my Australia Day weekend soon.

Premio Dardos Award

Premio Dardos Award


I am ticked pink to have been nominated for this award by Tamara at Thyme For Tea The Dardos Award is in appreciation of the merits - cultural, literary and individual- of every blogger who expresses him/herself on his/her blog. The conditions are

to be tickled pink

copy & paste the award picture to your blog

write down the regulations

link to the blog who bestowed you the award

and finally nominate 15 blogs for the award.

Now, I am truly tickled pink that Tamara has expressed her appreciation of my blog and how I express myself through it. Here are my 15 blogs. Not sure if I am 'allowed' to nominate the one who nominated me but I want to as I enjoy Tamara's blog but will nominate it as the final one.

Here goes in no particular order.


1. The Blue Mountains Menagerie

2. Scarecrow's Garden

3. Postcards from Cairo

4. One Green Generation

5. Down to Earth

6. Footprint reduction in the burbs

7. Life in the Slow Lane

8. Life on Sandy Point

9. It's not all flowers and sausages

10. Mareniko Bunnies

11. Life in the dome

12. marley & lockyer

13. Sunny Corner Farm

14. Melrose Place

15. Thyme for Tea


To all those I nominated, I love your blogs and the way you express individuality, cultural awareness, and literary interests. I challenge you to find 15 to pass this on to -

Footnote:
Guess what : a new baby alpaca born today!! I am so excited as Mai Tai had a gorgeous black girl and she weighed Eight and a half kilos which is a good weight. Pictures will be posted soon

Love Fridays!

This is my first 'Love Fridays' blog! I began the day burning the toast for Kim and the positive note is ,I know the fire alarm works really well!!!! I took him toast and coffee in bed this morning and we watched some of Sunrise on television before getting ready for the day. I am so going to miss starting the day at a leisurely pace when I have to return to work :(

My friend Maree arrived around 9.40 am and we had a chat before heading off in my car to South Hobart. We have been meaning to go and have coffee for awhile now. The weather was lovely and sunny, much better than the horrid gale winds of yesterday which caused havoc in some areas. We began by walking up the road in Macquarie St and looking at the gardens and houses. I showed Maree the sunflowers (see previous entry) and we looked in Flourish where Maree bought sunflower seeds ( I was only there a couple days ago,see previous entry) Then it was to St Vincent de Paul, hereafter referred to as Vinnies for a look see and I ended up with a little ceramic holder that says 'rings and things' for the princely sum of $2 and a little trinket tray for $3. After walking a bit further, we did an about turn and headed to The Foodstore We were lucky to get a seat as it is a popular hangout for locals with good food and excellent coffee. Maree and I were meeting for morning tea so as it was now 11am we both ended up choosing a lemon and orange tart (very yummy) and whilst Maree had a tall skinny cappuccino I had a hot apple juice with cinnamon. Some time later we both followed that up with a tall skinny cappuccino. The coffee is made strong and is quite good. There were quite a few by now having lunch and a group were glad to grab our table when we left. One can ask to use the loo (there are 2) out the back then it was off across the road and down the other side.

We went into Merryland which sells vintage, retro, contemporary clothing and accessories. Recycled clothing stores like Merryland have become very popular in recent years, both here in Australia and overseas. I have been in Merryland before and purchased a dress sometime ago. Maree had not checked it out previously. We had a great time and enjoyed chatting with the Owner/Manager Mary, a most delightful lady with an eye for fashion! Maree ended up with a lovely Harry Who cardi,in shades of blue and bone. This was teamed with a handbag, blue string of beads, hair scrunchies and a gorgeous watch that is set in a silver bracelet and has a blue back behind the actual watch face. Not sure if the watch actually works but hey it is a gorgeous accessory and if it does work, then that is a bonus. Did I mention that Merryland was busy with everything in the store selling at half price. I think there is only one more day to go. Now, as for me, I bought a gorgeous 20's style black dress which was made for me! I followed it with a very nice smart pink stripe long sleeve shirt that I am sure has never been worn, then a lovely long sleeve top with cami, black with silver edging, very glam! I also got a smart black jacket, though pity the matching skirt was a little tight on my hips, so the skirt remains in the shop for another discerning buying.


After a considerable amount of time trying on items, chatting and so on we finally left and made a bee line for Roses Cupboard. This is a lovely gift and decor shop. Although neither of us bought there today we certainly enjoyed browsing. I did spy a gorgeous pink and black parasol that I took a pic of in order to show Mel ,so must find out the price. Melanie, my girl being married in October is having a pink and black theme.

When I moved to where I now live I needed canisters for tea, coffee and sugar. I wanted Port Meirion design ones and got them through Roses Cupboard who sourced them for me. I believe the girls, or at least one of them who own the shop, was once a teacher. They have a small selection of goods for children and in the past I have purchased an Ancient Egyptian game there for use with grade eight students.
This pic shows the canisters. The first three are the ones I was referring to and contain coffee, tea bags and sugar. The smaller one at the end contains tea leaves and was given to me by my friend Marilyn for my birthday in 2007. The little figurine was bought in an Austrian roadside shop and as for the 2 small vase type glasses they come also from when I was overseas in 07. The blue one from Paris, France and the yellow one from Pompeii, Italy. Pompeii was amazing by the way. I didn't expect it to be so big and for there to be so much detail uncovered. Will have to write about it another time. Behind them is a small flower pot ornament, a gift one Christmas from friend, Marion. Have you noticed the theme, girls all mentioned, including yours truly all begin with M! Maybe I should start an M group , for all of us lovely M's out there. M people all seem to be so nice :) I have known both Marion and Marilyn for well over 20 odd years, though only met Maree, last October at The Hobart Show as we both have alpacas. I must say though, I feel like I have known her for years! There is of course my kind hearted daughter, Melanie...might need to devote an entry and continue this another time as I digress, as per usual!

Above the shelf on which these canisters stand is a framed apple label. These are popular but we did not have to buy it. Kim was raised on apple orchards as was his father and his father before him etc and this is where the labels came from. In those days people did all the packing and sorting as well. Kim said he made the boxes and was paid 2cents per box. He saved up for a small TV when he was a teen so you can imagine at the time just how many boxes he made. One of the labels would be slapped on and the apples sorted and packed into them. Those days are long gone now. Although his mother remains on the property the apple trees have all been removed. Tasmanian apples are disease free and still excellent quality. The bottom fell out of the market when trade was opened to other countries , so those importing Tasmanian apples could then get them cheaper as Tasmania is also so far away and freight costs are high. (We have several of the labels, will take pics another day) and have just put them in frames from Chickenfeed which look fine on the kitchen walls.

To finish my day , I took Maree for a drive to show her some past homes I have lived in before we had a walk round Howrah GrowMaster Garden Centre, where I was only a couple of days ago. After browsing there we headed back to my place as we needed to have a bite to eat. We would have had lunch out if we knew we were going to be that long!

Maree headed back to her home : Her website is http://marenikobunnies.com/. Maree has the most adorable bunnies. These can be pets, as well as for breeding and one can use their beautiful angora fleece for craft purposes. I am seriously considering one just as a pet. I haven't decided though if I really have enough time on my hands for extra animals . Well, actually I don't have enough time, but then that is beside the point. Like me Maree and husband Nick have alpacas, though she also has Suris and I only specialise in breeding huacaya. Suris have fleece which one could liken to dreadlocks, I guess you could say. Maree's top Suri girl got Supreme Champion Suri both at The Royal Hobart Show and The Ulverstone Show. My boy got first in his class at The Royal Hobart and Supreme Champion Huacaya at The Ulverstone Show
Will see if I can find a better pic later on but right now I am getting rather tired. I will just add that as Maree left my son Peter and his fiancee Kathryn arrived with dog Chloe in tow. We are dogsitting tonight and this is her first sleep over. Here is Chloe, Angus and Kali out the back. Chloe is asleep at my feet at the moment. Angus has gone to bed with Kim and Kali is asleep in the kennel in her penned area for the night.

Gee all that walking and my pedometer tells me I have done only .6 of a kilometre today and that is just under ten thousand steps. Thought I would have done more.
What a Love Fridays, kind of day. Great company, coffee and cake, shopping, shop owners etc. I cant wait to do this again, in the not to distant future with Maree.

Ciao

Traditions and Sunflowers

Tradition : Inauguration in the USA:

On a global note Obama is on everyone's lips. Tradition was followed only in the way the inauguration was carried out. Many in the world rejoice in the changing of tradition. This is not a white man in the latter stages of his middle age, and of conservative thinking, but a man of black origins in the prime of his life with a modern outlook. He shows he is a real person in the small things such as by the way he admires his wife, for all the world to see. He is a family man, a person who came from humble beginnings and knows what it is like to be rejected, to be raised by someone other than his birth mother. His wife, Michelle (must be the name!!) is intelligent and a style icon. America has their royalty! I wish them well and hope the pressure is not too much for this man to make a difference in the lives of so many.

Tradition : Honeymoons

On a personal note my newly married daughter Krystal and husband Luke have gone on holidays from work and are going to ' have the time of their lives' to quote my grand daughter, Jasmine. Yes, they are on their honeymoon. They are currently in Hamilton island, off the coast of Queensland and will be staying there for some days before spending some time in Brisbane and then heading back home. Last night Krystal and Luke joined us for dinner, along with our middle child Peter, his fiancee Kathryn and their dog, Chloe. Chloe is a purebred golden lab. She was thrilled to be visiting Angus and Kali! Krystal and Luke stayed over as we were taking them to the airport early this morning. Weather was warm and neither Kim nor I slept very much before the alarm went off at 4.30am. We spent most of the time after the airport drop off watching the inauguration of Obama in Washington. Note to myself: Add Pennsylvania Drive to my bucket list as must walk it and visit Washington one day!

Tradition Three: Weddings

My eldest girl has every second Wednesday off from work at the moment. Mel and I, along with her daughter Jasmine went to Brookfield Vineyard for lunch and to meet the owner/manager to organise the menus and other arrangements for Melanie's wedding to Aidan, who is her fiancee and father of her two daughters. Brookfield has a rustic country feel and I quite liked it. It is laid back and casual so perhaps not everone's cup of tea for a wedding but for many ,it would be an enjoyable experience. Melanie hopes to be married out the back in the garden/vineyard area and inside for the reception.It has a comfortable at home feeling and is very welcoming. Lunch today, Mel and I both chose brunch style meals which are available all day. Krystal was married in the catholic church but as Mel has had children before marriage this would pose a problem so therefore has decided to have the ceremony and reception at the one place, which of course will be very convenient. Krystal's reception was at Newlands House, an entirely different style of setting, yet both are lovely places and ones in which I certainly can enjoy myself and feel right at home in! The traditional wedding has long since been replaced to be what a bride wants it to be, yet the tradition of wanting to be married , to celebrate it with family and friends and to let the world know you love this person have remained the same. Both of my girls have wanted the tradition that equates to Mr and Mrs. One has had children beforehand , making sure that marriage to this young man was what she really wanted over a considerable length of time. The younger one, met someone, fell in love, became engaged some months later and after fourteen months was married in a church as this is the way she had wanted to be married. Either way, they have taken, or in Melanie's case will take part in a tradition that has been happening in society for many centuries. As for me, ..big anniversary in October this year so I will wait to tell the story then, or will I? maybe next blog perhaps,,,,I will see :)

Traditions : Gifts

On my birthday, November 12Th, Melanie and family gave me a voucher for a pedicure at Lustre Hair and Beauty in South Hobart I finally made an appointment and went yesterday afternoon. I certainly am like a kid and love gifts. It is very relaxing to receive something at a beauty salon and I love having my feet feel so good and look good too! Nail polish colour I got was coral which matched the top I was wearing. Naomi who did the pedicure is lovely and I have known her for quite some time. Receiving gifts for one's birthday is , I feel , an acknowledgement that I am special to someone, or have contributed in some special way to the life of another. Gifts at Christmas seem to be done because it is a tradition to give gifts but should we be doing so? Krystal has suggested that this year we all put the names in the hat , names being of myself, Kim , our three children and their three partners. We draw one out and buy for that person only, with a limit to cut back on the commercialism and as well as personal cost at Christmas time. It is supposed to be the celebration of the birth of Jesus, so perhaps we should be doing acts of kindness for one another, rather than buying gifts. On the other hand, as gift, as i said for a birthday, is supposed to signify a bond or special something between the gift giver and the gift receiver. What do others think? We are going to try this for Christmas 2009. The children, Jasmine and Lily will receive gifts from all of us though perhaps rather than lots of things we could all put in for something like the cost of a cubby with Kim building it as he is so good at that kind of thing.




As I am trying to increase my fitness levels I parked my car right at the end of the street (well a fair way down) in order to walk back to the beauty salon. After which I enjoyed wandering along, looking at the beautiful flowers in the window of the florist called Magnolias,buying alfalfa seeds at LiveLife health Shop browsing the shop called Flourish and introducing myself to the owner, Tracy. I bought a gorgeous frame there with a cute pic in it to hang in my chandelier room plus sunflower seeds. Sth Hobart has some lovely old terraces and cottages, as well as larger homes. I enjoy checking out the little gardens, or lack thereof, and I just had to take a picture of this dear front garden. The sunflowers took my breath away, talk about stunning!! Flourish had the seeds for sale, by the young daughter of a local. I cant wait to have sunflowers in bloom at my place. Sometimes it is the simple things that give so much pleasure and yesterday for me it was sunflowers and just enjoying some special time out 'just for me to smell the roses'!

Footnote: On Monday Krystal began her holidays and took me for lunch at Sails, Waterfront Hotel She had said she would take me to lunch as a Mother's Day gift. I had actually forgotten till she reminded me. The meal was very nice and the outlook us always pleasant there. We had a walk and back home for chat and coffee so very pleasant indeed. Nice to see Krystal relaxed as she was rather stressed before the wedding took place.

Ciao

Early Morning Ramblings

Cant sleep so here I am. Went to a birthday party earlier and drinking included Bacardi and coke. Think the sugar buzz is keeping me awake! She is a hard person to buy for, so, as they have just renovated their bathroom, I bought her a lovely thick cream bath sheet, with a matching washer, some soap and bath wash. I just love the bath sheet size towels. I took a potato and egg salad, eggs laid by my chooks and potatoes grown in my veggie patch! They are so so much better than store bought ones.

Mind you , today I went to the Woolworths Store at Eastlands. It has been ages since I have been there and the produce section was looking very good, which is a rarity these days. The whole store has been revamped and there were new products I had not seen before. Sad, isnt it when you enjoy being in a supermarket! When I first came to live in Hobart, Tasmania I was told about a 'really big' shopping centre called Eastlands on the eastern shore. I went to it and I said to Kim ( who is from Tas) that I must have gone to the wrong place because I was told it was a big shopping centre! He said ,well it is a big shopping centre to Tasmanians! Oh, I was used to going to Westfields in Sydney, now they are big! One thing I think that lacks though is so many people dont take the trouble to dress up a little. Some do , and of course, many of us are in a rush these days! Still, there are a lot of people who go to Eastlands looking like,,well let's just say If I was dead in a box I wouldnt want to be seen/dressed as if I dont give a damn about myself. Then there are children to consider, we are their role models. I was having a quiet moment with an ice coffee outside Gloria Jeans, trying not to breathe in the smoke being exhaled by smokers seated at the outdoor tables and watching the passing people traffic. Anyway, I guess we have to be true to ourselves and if that is who you are, well who am I to make comments on others? Ok, this is getting too deep for this time of the morning!

Gosh, there are some clever people around. Was reading some of the blogs I enjoy and found a site called marley & lockyer I just love what Ness has done with her hallway. Talk about some clever ideas!

OK, well here is a pic of a new baby

She has been named White Socks but will hereafter be known as Socks for obvious reasons! She made a timely appearance as we had a family visiting with their daughter and her friend (around upper primary age) and Socks decided to enter the world right in front of them. They were visiting as are contemplating buying a couple of little boys for pets and to keep their grass down. Crias wear a cria jacket/coat which come in varying sizes just to give them some extra warmth when newly born. If the sun is out and it is good weather in summer I will only put it on in the evening, at least for the first week. In cooler months it will be on all the time though one avoids having crias born in winter.

"What is that noise'? I have suddenly realised it is my cat snoring! He is asleep in the cat basket. I have always loved cats and Tommy (such an original name for a ginger tom cat, NOT!) was the only animal we had when moving from our previous home to one with some land. Much and all as I love them , I doubt I would get another one, although Tommy does not bother the birds here at all. I think they are too big for him. I know the magpies gave him a bit of a fright when we first arrived! We have the most beautiful native birds, the parrots are just stunning and Tommy seems to take no interest in them which is a good thing. He does not venture very far outside and we have not had any misadventures with chooks when they are out free ranging. He has brought a baby rabbit into the house which I saved, of course! Mind you they eat the grass and I would much prefer if they partook of their meals elsewhere!


This is a pic taken a couple days ago ( I lose track of time when at home on holidays) as promised of my sad tomato plants in the pots. Mind you, they do have some tomatoes growing on them. Has anyone else grown tomatoes in these pots? I bought them from either K and D or Bunnings. Think it was K and D to try them out this season. It is only my second year as a 'gardener' so I can be forgiven for errors at this stage! I love the cup and saucer pot nearby. I went to Stonemans Garden Centre to have a look there and picked up the parsley as well as some lettuce, spinach and strawberry plants which have all been planted in the veg patch, aside from the parsley. I put radish previously in the cup/saucer but oh dear, I forgot to water them and so they withered away. I will say the radish planted straight into the veggie garden beds did very well and were tasty!



This is more of a focus on the cup/saucer pot now. Out the back we have a covered verandah area which houses a big glass /wicker table and chairs and BBQ etc(used to be on our entertaining balcony at the last place as we had no real yard to speak of) then a paved area and the gazebo etc. The conifer nearby to the green stand is a little worse for wear. Should one trim browned edges off or not?




You know I had more of a minimalist style at the last place but here has so many nooks and crannies and spots of all kinds for things. I certainly am not into clutter for the sake of it though. I change objects around regularly. Here on part of the window sill , well I can stand at the sink and look out at part of the front garden area for a start. I just love and adore roses! This rose is from Peter and Kathryn's place (son and his girl) and is the only rose bush there. Peter wanted to take it out as it is on a corner section near where one walks up the front steps so needs to be kept cut back. Kathryn said no way as she loves roses too and this one has such a fragrant smell. It is sitting in a teapot bought long ago from an auction (love auctions!!!) but on moving here the lid was broken. Thought it could make a good vase. The little 'pink house' has a story behind it.

Last March I went to Bream Creek show and took my grand daughter, Jasmine. (I ran into students I teach who thought she was my daughter and when I told them who she was they made the comment that they didn't know I was that old to be a Nana. One would think, one had to be about, oh maybe 100. I recall thinking 30 was old once upon a time so I guess from their viewpoint one can understand it.) Jasmine found this little house and it was $15.00. She was desperate to have it and so she put in her money and I added the rest. When we got home and she was to be collected to go back to her place she gave me the house. I told her it was hers as she so wanted it. She told me that she wanted it because she wanted to buy me a present and she thought it might look pretty on my windowsill! How cute is that? She is about the same age as her mother Melanie, my eldest was, when making and giving me the 'pet rock' recently mentioned in a previous rambling, which sits on the laundry windowsill and has in every house I have had!

Next is the little purple fairy ornament given to me by my friend Marion, for my birthday two years ago. When I moved here she was thrilled as she commented on all the places one could put things and said it gave her so many more ideas for gifts. We have known each other since our sons started prep together aged five , so getting on for 21 years now,,,ouch, time flies! She is nine years older than me, and keeps saying she cant wait till Kim's next 'big birthday' as she has plans.His is before mine.. Think she forgets that means she is closer to an even bigger birthday we wont even mention figures on., you wouldn't know of course, she is young and 'with it' and smart, associates with me , so hey, what else can I say!!!! Last thing on view on the sill is a small cactus plant. I have another one as well in a tiny tin can! Very cute, bought them at Salamanca markets awhile back. Kathryn and I went there one day and we both ended up buying these little plants. Of course since then I have found out how easy it is to propagate succulents!

I have told Tamara from Thyme for Tea
and anyone esle reading my ramblings,that I must post us some some teacups and stories so will get round to that shortly. I want to see more pics of your teacups , Tamara! The one from India was very pretty!

Well am feeling tired and it is getting late or should I say early. If I waited up another hour I could go and pick up Sunday's paper. Nope, am back to bed.
Ciao

Special Moments and Special 'People'

I have just done the usual with my chooks and alpacas and then did some pruning and tidying in the garden. I sat down to write but thought I would read a couple of the blogs I follow. I went to Mariah Hill which is as far as I got and ended up with tears streaming down my face. Earlier, when I was in the garden I placed some flowers on the grave of SerenityView April who died back on the 22nd July at only three months of age. The other flowers, placed when she was buried have well since dried out,and I pondered how one can be touched by the life of another, and that said other, does not need to be human to feel a connection. Then I sit down here in my lounge room at my laptop (with one dog at my feet and the other one trying to squash on my lap) and read the most beautiful life story of a much older alpaca, than my April. One who has brought not just financial rewards, but given the gift of love, trust and faith.

Jolimont Stefano was a quality stud animal and obviously valuable in a business sense and he has left his mark on the alpaca world with quality offspring. However, it is the sense of understanding and connection between humans and this alpaca that was most touching. There are people in this world who have not contributed to the lives of others, in the way that Stefano has. For those of you who don't know of Rainbow Bridge please read the following. I must say I do find the word 'Pet' inadequate. Alpacas can make good pets but for business owners we do not consider them as such. Then, I don't think of my dogs and cat as just 'pets'. Maybe the pet rock I have on my windowsill in the laundry is what I could class as a pet. ( I might add that pet rock has special significance, having been made and given to me by my eldest daughter, Melanie, when she was around six years old.) OK, enough here is Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...


Next:

A couple of nights ago my husband, Kim and I watched a movie called The Bucket List. I had bought it well before Christmas after younger daughter, Krystal, had told me that she and Luke had gone to see it at the pictures. Krystal and Luke are big movie buffs and she recommended the movie. I actually find it hard to find the time to watch movies and one night was disappointed when we finally went to watch it upstairs in our bedroom and the DVD did not work properly. We have an older style TV, set top and DVD player etc in that room. As it has been hot here and the house is designed, especially upstairs, primarily to keep warm ,we used the actual main bedroom which is on the ground level. My visitors love it as they get the use of an en suite and the room has a pleasant outlook onto the back patio. It also has a nice 80cm plasma Television (helped when a family member worked at an electrical place and so got us good deals!) I was well aware that the movie was about two men, played by Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson who both got cancer which is how they met. One gets to thinking and starts a bucket list. I note that Jacki on her blog, Life in the Slow Lane, has made a bucket list and I think we should all take a leaf from her book and follow suit. Watch the movie for a start!!!

Now in this bedroom is a Queen size bed and the one we sleep in upstairs is a King. I have to say a King can be great(especially as one of our dogs sleeps on the bed) but we often seem 'miles' apart from each other. This has been the case anyway in the last year or so. So we cosied up and watched the movie. Naturally, after it was over I had to ask the deep question "So, what would be on your bucket list?" His answer went something like this:

I don't have the desire to jump out of a plane (they do in the movie )

I have had moments such as walking through and having lunch in a medieval town in France (St Paul de Vence when we finally went overseas together in 2007) (They travel in the movie)

Then he blows me away by saying " I don't need a bucket list, my life is content with you". I laughed and said yeah , right..you are joking and the reply was 'No, I am not. I am content in my life with you."

Well there is my special moment of late. I also felt guilty as I haven't been content. I loved my previous home and agreed to sell it because I got tired of him being unhappy. He had said it was my place and didn't feel he belonged there, plus as he was unhappy at work, we would not be able to afford to stay there (electricity bills and other things like you wouldn't believe) and he earnt more than me. So we find where we are now and I agree because I usually do. I throw myself into it, hook, line and sinker. Alpaca business, getting chooks, blah blah. He resigns from work (last March) and told me the day after doing so. I thought , OK. We raised our kids for a good part on much less than what I earn now so it is no big deal. He works full time at home and is an excellent handy man. He should have been a builder! It would be too hard to manage all the animals otherwise , though a part time casual job would have been good as it is getting on for a year now and the finances are not looking so good, helped along by the drought and constant need to buy feed and a daughter's wedding. Anyway ,driving into Bunnings, a favourite place of his, a job working there in the tool section etc was on the chalk board and we both saw it. I have brought it up a couple of times since and although he had said previously about considering a job at Bunnings he obviously is not ready to go back into the workforce. He has no desire to return to the computing networking field.I know he is fitter and happier here and does not have the 'social' need that I do so I would need (money considerations aside)to be working , even if on a casual basis. I am guilty of not being able to accept exactly who he is as a person, yet he accepts me as I am. Well, this is how I analyse it.

I enjoy aspects of living here and of late have really enjoyed seeing produce from the garden and exploring more about how to be self sufficient. I do cringe when I think of some of the things I did in my previous life, such as using an insinkerator instead of composting and giving to the chooks as happens now. Wasting electricity and things like gel nails. Hell, who needs gel nails when you can get fresh garden dirt for free !!! I still look after my nails to a point,(have you seen the blog with the room complete with chandelier and egg incubator?) though they just don't have length for long. I still enjoy getting dressed up, though I wear jeans so much more at home and my favourite shoes at home are 'blunnies'. Most of all I enjoy being able to read what others do, especially in being as self sufficient as possible and enjoying the fruits of one's labour in the garden. I will miss having this time when I have to go back to work so will have to make some time for blog reading and blog writing.

Oh and my bucket list..

Be grateful for what I have.

Don't live in the past, look to the future.

I have to add this..I want to go back to Paris and London! Oh and Venice. (but, at least I have been there!)

Be happy that I have tried and not to stress out when I cant change things or attitudes (this refers to work)

Live, Love, laugh!!!!!
Ciao

Krystal's Wedding

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Literary Meme

Literary Meme: This is taken from Lucy's site over at The Blue Mountains Menagerie.

Here's how it works:
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read
2) Italicize those you intend to read
3) Underline (or mark in a different color) the books you LOVE
4) Reprint this list in your blog

The premise of this exercise is that the National Endowment for the Arts apparently believes that the average American(Not sure about the average Aussie?) has only read 6 books from the list below.How many have you read?


1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy -
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hossein
i38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Neville Shute
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hug

New Baby Alpaca (Cria)

On Sunday last, the 11th Jan

we went down the Huon to collect hay from the paddock to buy it from the owner. Sometimes I feel it is like throwing money down a well as because of the drought we have no growth in the paddocks so we are handfeeding. Anyway, when we got back home I went to check the pregnant girls and there was a dear little chocolate newborn. He is a dear little fellow and have named him Cocoa. He will be registered as SerenityView (our herd prefix) Cocoa. One pic shows me (Michelle) with Cocoa and his mum, Minuet watching closely. The other one shows Cocoa having a drink from mum. The white alpaca behind them is called Bantiarna. Her baby was due on Jan 6th but no sign of it yet, yet Minuet was due on Jan 24th and has arrived a little early, though weighed a healthy six and a half kilos.

The last one, Nicholas , a little white boy, was born on Dec 23rd and he has really grown and is not fond of being close to human contact, whereas this new one loves it.

On Saturday Kim had picked up a load of hay already whilst I had some time out and went to the hair salon and changed my hair colour. Saturday night we went to my son's place as Peter asked us over for a barbecue. Had a pleasant time with Peter, fiancee Kathryn and friend Adam. Then it was off to friends for a couple of hours with a bottle of red. This is something I haven't done in some time because I am usually always tired and with so much to do had not been in the mood to sit back and smell the roses. It is so good to now feel relaxed and enjoying life once again.

Yesterday began nicely with a phone call from my good friend, Deb. I also met my eldest girl for lunch. I picked her up from her workplace in town and we went to The Metz, in Sandy Bay. Mind you, I had only seen her on Sunday when she called round late in the day for a couple of hours to talk about her wedding plans and to take a break from her household. The weather was lovely and warm so when I dropped Melanie back at work I drove towards home and then decided to go to the Howrah Garden Centre. Have been there a couple times with my other half but not on my own. I really enjoyed looking around and felt like pulling up a chair and just enjoying the peace and tranquility surrounded by beautiful plants in a lovely setting. I bought 2 white muscat grape plants, a succulent to put in the rockery out the back and a block that has strawberry plants in it. Will take some pics tomorrow and post them on here next time. The chap , Greg, whom I believe is the owner was very helpful with advice and nothing was too much trouble. The sign offered layby. Cant say I have ever put on a layby at a garden place before. I only had two laybys on last year. One was to pay off youngest daughter's wedding dress and the other was for a doll from the teddy bear shop. I put a nice advanced tree on layby (I might add I am new to being a gardener as I have only lived where I am now for just under 2 years and before that gardening was confined to indoor plants and a few balcony pots.)I cant recall the name of the tree variety now but the leaves on it turn bright red. Added to that on laybyI have an outdoor bonsai style tree. When they are collected I will post pics! I am also going to get something for the garden when I am paid each fortnight. Next pay I want to get a pot with some succulents in it to put out the back patio area.

Today it ended up being around 35 which is very hot for us in Tas. After attending to chooks, dogs and alpacas I left Kim to complete some tidying up on the new fence.

These pics were taken a couple of days ago before the fence was completed. The first pic shows the side fence of the backyard. The paddock on the other side is one used by some of our alpacas. The middle pic shows where the gate is to separate the fence from the front garden. It goes around the pines. The other pic shows opposite the back side fence and now gives us a proper backyard for the dogs to run around in. It will also stop the wallabies from getting in and eating the garden. This afternoon we had some of the pregnant alpacas in the back garden so they could mow the lawn for us and I don't want to waste any grass when they could eat it. In the pic on the right we have left enough room if we need to reverse cars there etc. This is next to one of the sheds. You can see a car port and that is where I want to put in the grape vines bought yesterday.

Picked up Jasmine (Melanie's eldest girl and my grand daughter) around lunch time and brought her back here for the afternoon. Melanie has a Commerce degree and worked at an Accountants' office for some years and is now a credit analyst for a big company. She went back to work in December after having Lily at the end of August. Her fiancee and the girls father cares for them whilst she is at work. I invited Mel and family to tea when they came to collect Jasmine, once Mel had finished work.

I made a pavlova using eggs from my girls.

A potato and egg salad and yes, you guessed it, the eggs are from my chooks and the potatoes from my vegie garden! See pic

of pav before adding cream and fruit.

Also a green salad : Lettuce and eggs ours. Unfortunatley havent done well with tomatoes this year. Will post a pic tomorrow of the sad ones I have in three pots out the back. Last year I had cherry tomatoes in the veg garden and they did well but didnt put them in again this year.

Just saw and ad on TV for a show called The Unteachables. It is on the ABC next Thursday at 8.30pm so I must watch it. In my experience one needs to find the chink in the armour and break through..anyway I am on holidays so I wont think work, well at least not till I watch that show. Just changed the channel over and Australia needs three wins to win, ooh nice hit by White, so game over!

I used to watch the cricket as a kid as I was brought up with it. In my first career in the bank in a small country town in NSW we even had the cricket on at work and watched it and would chat to the customers who also discussed the cricket with us,most of them we all knew anyway! That bank was called the Rural Bank of NSW and is long gone now having merged with another one many moons ago. I stopped watching cricket some years ago (partly because of time contraints)but have since rekindled an interest with the 20/20 games. My youngest girl, Krystal and her new husband are going to see a match at Bellerive next Sunday. My son is also going, though not sure if his fiancee is as well.

Oh well, think it is time to call it a day! Plus I want to read some of my favourite blogs before bed :) There are some great people out there with ideas, and suggestions and lots of wonderful thought provoking words...and in some cases also inspirational. Thank you one and all!

Ciao

Frogs and Fences

This is just a quick post to share this pic I took today.
Look closely and you will see a small greyish coloured frog in the centre of the zucchini plant. I had gone to pick some lettuce leaves near this plant for my silkies and pekins (the bigger egg laying types prefer my spinach) when I saw the frog. Anyone know what kind it is?

I am about to head off to bed, been a long day which has included doing my BAS for the alpaca business and having my grand daughters for awhile, as well as the usual with the chooks and alpacas.

Kim has had a big day removing a fence , an old wire one with heavy wooden posts at side and back. At the side it seperates the house garden from the next door paddock (had to move alpacas into another one) and at back the house garden from what I call the 'nursery paddock' where mums due to have crias or who have just had them hang out. It also houses my chook pens, storage shed for chook gear(see an earlier post as it was bought second hand, dismantled and then reassembled here) plus three barns which are joined together and are used for cold winter nights for the alpacas or for sick bays. The paddock sometimes sees wild rabbits running acrosss it. This morning, Nicholas , a white male alpaca born on Dec 23rd 08 was madly chasing bunnies! Native hens sometimes pop in to see if there is any chook seed or leftovers around and then there is often parrots and one day we even had black cockatoos in the trees. Often see the white cockatoos but have only seen black ones a couple of times. Kookaburras have dropped in as well , then there is the magpies when they visit and I forgot to mention wallabies. Anyway, nursery inhabitants(just the alpacas) were moved to another small paddock nearby to the house as now the fences are all down and a chap has been coming the past couple of days to put in posts and cement them in. We are having the fence replaced with a paling fence and then wire fence and gate across two sections , one near front and the other near back. This then enables the dogs to have free running space without fear of them getting out or in with the alpacas. It also stops wallabies
getting into my garden area as well. Plus we can have alpacas and their babies in there if necessary (minus the dogs of course) I had a couple in the other day so they could chew down the grass though I had to stay out there with them and supervise for fear they might get out and wander onto the road. Will take some pics of it in next few days.

Well supposed to be short..so I had better go!
Ciao

Babies and Veggies

Here is a (not so clear) pic taken on mobile phone
of me on Sunday arvo visiting my mother in law. The baby on my knee is my grand daughter Lily. Yes, I know, go on , say it, she could be mine. Thank you so much, now I do not feel so old!!!! Lily: see previous posts 25August last year which is when Lily was born. Connie had not been to see her (she is not into leaving home very much) so daughter Melanie and family went to visit and met us there. What a dear little pet, she just kept smiling the whole time we were there. Note , I am wearing a sundress which is the first time this summer. Well ,we have had one hot day which got to around 30 and that was it.

This pic was taken yesterday and is produce from my veggie patch. It contains
zucchini, pontiac potatoes and in there ,but not on view are pinkeye potatoes.
Aside from me, the only other family member who eats zucchini is my son's fiancee, Kathryn who just loves nothing better than a big bowl of veggies. What a sensible girl! She also regularly cooks them which for many young people seems to be a thing of the past these days.


I did some weeding as well and enjoyed spending time
in the garden. Today I got a call from a very nice chap, to buy some alpaca poo to fertilise his veggie garden. Sometimes when you speak to people one can get a good feeling about them and he sounded very nice on the phone. We ended up chatting about chooks as well and then later in the day he arrived with his two teenage children in tow (seemed lovely kids also ) to collect the poo. He wanted ten bags. I charged him for nine and gave him three more for free. Plenty more where that came from! I was telling him that instead of paying gym fees to keep fit I go out and fill up bags of alpaca poo from the heap we have right down the far back paddock! He suggested I charge people to come and do a workout with me!! What a good idea, somehow I cant see it taking off though! While I am here I will add that alpaca poo does not burn plants so unlike other manures can be put on or dug straight into the garden. Anyway, I hope I get a few more calls, let me see just how many bags do I need to sell to pay a dentist account that arrived today (my son needed braces and really shouldve had them done when he was younger but he has finally had them done so this was the third and final payment..this one being $1600..gulp) Speaking of him he has not been well and has a viral thing happening and his lung capacity is down. Unfortunately, he is a smoker and has tried several times to give up. He rang to say the Dr said he has to give it up so he is going to try again, along with the lovely Kathryn who I think smokes more heavily than he does. He is a terrific young man and I treasure his friendship. He rings for chats, drops in for coffee and so on.

The young honeymooners dropped in after they finished work today. Younger daughter (married Dec 6th) is counting down the days till she and hubby go on their honey moon. I believe the flight is at 6am...I said to her that perhaps they should stay with us the night before as we are not far from the airport and she said she had already planned to do that!!!! I had not seen them since Christmas Day. They came over to drop back in the hedge trimmer borrowed from us which we want to use tomorrow. They left with one dozen eggs, plenty of potatoes and a handbag! (Bought it in Greece and have used it several times but has so many compartments I find it annoying and I knew she had her eye on it. Funny thing was when I gave it to her (she was quite pleased) but said "what about that Guess bag, havent seen you use that for awhile." Good try but NO, I dont think so, am keeping that one.

I made scones today (I was quite the busy bee). This is because I got a new mixmaster at Xmas that I wanted/needed. It is made by Kenwood and called a Patisserie and is in bright red. I had a basic Sunbeam mixmaster before that. So today I used a dough hook for the first time and it does make dough come out so much lighter! For people who do not know you can do it, go to Hrvey Norman and ask them what is the best deal they can do for you. I always get a discount (though I know they cant discount on some things, such as Miele )I also did a big spring clean as well as the usual cleaning/feeding chooks and checking and feeding alpacas. We have one due to have her baby today but we are still waiting. Did you know alpaca babies (called crias) usually arrive in the mornings? Babies that don't come till late in the day is often because mother is having difficulties.

Well I am off to bed. Need the rest as supposed to be babysitting tomorrow!
Ciao

Today, Tea and Tamara

These pics taken by me in Paris, 07

Before I talk about today I want to mention Tamara who left a comment on my blog. Tonight I went to read her blog and loved it. She has an interest in pretty teacups..I just went to take a pic of some of mine with my mobile phone but the light is too dull so will do so tomorrow and write something more about them then. She also loves all things French, so do I and has an interest in India as well. I would love to go and do some volunteer work over there at some stage but right now I am not in the position to do so.

Blogging is not only my record but a wonderful way to learn about and add to one's own world by reading the blogs of others with similar interests (or not so similar depending on what you like to read). Like Thyme for Tea blog http://thyme-for-tea.blogspot.com/ I also enjoy reading, though Tamara puts me to shame with her interesting list of books. I seriously am just getting into relax mode as I am on holidays and the only thing I have read of late is Burke's Backyard January magazine. After reading T's blog I might consider e books as honestly I had never thought of that before.

My difficulty is that the past year has been one long year of work and more work, despite some of the things I like doing so when it just becomes work then what is the point? It has also detracted from my relationship with my husband so we had a big chat and decided to start off a fresh year and work towards what we really want. I decided I would cut right back on breeding with poultry but have what I really enjoy. I will still get to incubate at some stage, as I will do that with my students in the animal studies option course I am taking this year.
I guess I am one of those people who just decides to do something and then runs with it, full on. With the alpacas I am waiting for the fleece sample testing results to arrive. I am planning on keeping my very best animals and selling some of the others off. One of the reasons being is the cost involved in hand feeding. We have no grass left, barely any , and rarely get any rain. Yet this arvo we were down the Huon Valley and saw lots of lovely grass some of which is on my mother in law's property , though she has declined for us to put any alpacas on the land to eat it! Kim's (my other half) dad passed away around 16 years ago now and she has remained on the property. We bought some lucerne hay yesterday and I put the money I got from the birds I sold as mentioned below into that. We will be getting grass some time next week to have available all the time in paddock as they have nothing to eat in them. It is cheaper for us to buy the hay from Northern Tasmania (where the grass is green and lush and rainfall is abundant)and pay for it to be delivered to us, than to buy it locally.

Yesterday I sold my 2 Belgian De Watermaels. I bought them for myself and they were delivered to me on my birthday (Nov 12). I was warned that the male whom I named Gomez could be somewhat aggressive at times. Let's just say Gomez does not care for me one little bit. His mate, Morticia is a sweet little thing, not that Gomez would care to let me near her. He could feel that I was uncomfortable with him, I am sure. I went in to clean area and feed etc and he flew at me again and I thought this is it. He has also had a go at my grand daughter, Jasmine. I cant breed with them when this is a problem for me as I was not 'connecting' with Gomez. I put an ad on and sold them straight away. The young chap who bought them from me yesterday loves his chooks and he was holding Gomez and I believe Gomez nuzzled right into his arms so I think Gomez and females dont mix perhaps. The buyer has messaged me advising that Gomez and Morticia are happily settled into their new home. Breeding with them would also be time consuming and right now things have changed in that direction for me. I also sold to the same buyer a pair of wyandottes I had hatched (well of course the incubator did that, not me..though I do prefer using a broody hen as the best one to hatch!) I recently sold a silky pair as well and then one of my girls passed away. She had seemed fine when last I 'spoke' with her. I have a large chook pen that has my ordinary egg layers as well as some geriatric ones living out their retirement in chook heaven. They do often come out of the enclosure to free range as well. One side of this chook yard/house has a wall that divides for the silkies but as I am now not having so many my other half is going to remove a section of the wall and let the other chooks have the extra room. I moved the girls to one of the three room suites in a seperate chook house. The girls meaning five silkies, three black and two partridge. I am giving them a break from the rooster so Buffy (named so cos of his colour) has been put into a seperate run. I also have a white silky roo and I alternate the boys in with the girls but there is not going to be such a need to do that now.

I also have a trio of blue pekins that I love. I wont put them in shows now as they have won first prizes already and I think it must be stressful to a point for them in sheds with lots of noise and kids no doubt poking at them. Hamish is the most beautiful rooster and he is lovely to watch with his girls, Henrietta and Harriet. He is always looking out for them. In the middle of the three suites I have four young Rhode island Red chicks. Looks like three pullets and one cockeral I think so that will work out ok as I do need some new blood in with some of the old girls. Will be quite some time before they are moved but at least with less birds I can spend more time with each of them as well!

Last night at dinner we had a lovely meal. It was nothing special as meals go but the pinkeye potatoes had just been dug from my vegie garden, washed and cooked. Yummo! Had eggs as well, fresh and free range from my girls! Delicious! My son and his fiancee were over yesterday as they bought a new bed, chest of drawers and side tables (though have to wait for side tables) and needed us to pick them up in the ute to save delivery costs and waiting for the bed. I gave Kathryn a dozen eggs and we dropped off the new furniture for Peter (son) to put together. Last night I get a call to say he went to put in the slats and had been given the wrong size! How often does that happen today!!! Today it was back again to pick up the slats and deliver them so we also dug up and took over a bag of potatoes for them. Peter was very happy now that he has finally got the bed put together. They were sleeping in a basic double one we had bought for him as a teen. Peter is now over six feet tall and his feet have been hanging well over the edge of that bed for some years! He and fiancee also share the bed with a very spoilt lab by the name of Chloe so they wont know themselves with a king size bed now!

Time for me to get to bed as it is after the bewitching hour..hey, who used to watch 'Bewitched'? I loved that show when I was a kid.

au revoir (I hope that's correct, Tamara?)

Happy New Year

New Year's Eve was a pleasant day, had my hair done (always bound to make one feel good) and bought a new dress! (I know Kim went and got his new chainsaw he wanted for Christmas) Visited my eldest daughter Melanie and family for New Year and did the usual at home including feeding the alpacas. We dropped by at friend Deb's house with a bottle of wine for her and hubby to have a drink in remembrance of Deb's sister who passed away nine years ago from breast cancer in her 30's on New Year's Eve. Deb is a lovely friend as well as work colleague.

I wore my new pretty dress, a pale green with spots and has a scarf to wrap around one's neck. (bought from Papergrass in Sandy Bay)The skirt flares a little, I guess one could say it was very 1950's aside from the cleavage showing (had to make my husband's day, somehow!!) Later when it was cooler I covered up with a lovely bronze cardigan with flecks of gold. The shoes I wore were bronze and gold and very high. I bought them when in Greece. Mind you it has been some time since I have worn heels as I have a knee problem caused by all the steps at the place where I work. For jewellery I wore a pair of earrings that I got recently (for my birthday in Nov younger daughter Krystal gave me a $50 voucher to Portmans and I bought several pairs earrings and neckalce with it) plus my new bracelet. I asked Kim for a pandora bracelet for Christmas and he got me one with a green coloured murano glass bead (because we have been to Murano glass factory in Venice in 07) plus a celtic bead and a star sign one. Ronnie got jazzed up in leather! She wore leather trousers, pink top with leather zip up front vest, wore her silver shoes from Greece and her new pandora bracelet. Hers had a white murano glass bead and then some very flash glittery beads, very pretty indeed. Rose dressed in black and white, sporting her new ring she bought when on a recent holiday with a friend in Thailand. It is so nice to dress up. I often think Hobart has some of the worst dressed people I have ever seen. Of course, at times I would be one of them!

Pandora bracelets seem to be very popular. My eldest , Melanie asked for one as well and yes, Aidan got her a pandora bracelet with a sterling silver bead of a pram as they have not long had baby Lily. The other day I went to Rural Solutions at Sorell for stock feed supplies etc and the girl at the counter had a pandora bracelt on filed with beads which she showed me. I believe Hubby gave her a necklace this Christmas and she got a dog too!! Kim's comment was they he wont have to think about future presents as will buy bead (s) for it so problem solved!

Back to New Year's Eve : We then went to the town of New Norfolk just past Hobart where our friends have a lovely place right on the river. http://www.theshingles.com.au/ They have 2 cottages in the grounds with a third one being built. John is an avid gardener and the lawn is very lush! I will have to find out what he does. Pre dinner drinks were shared with friends of theirs who then left to head to a BBQ. We were joined by Ian and Rose who have three thousand (currently rather dry)acres at Nugent http://www.twinlakes.com.au/ and have a cottage one can stay in on the property. It was great to catch up with them as it has been some time! I canhighly recommend the hosts of both places so am sure anyone choosing to stay would enjoy it.

We went to Tynwald House for dinner http://www.tynwaldtasmania.com/ and had a lovely evening, though unfortunately Rose was feeling a little off colour. The meal was excellent (it certainly isn't cheap but it is an exceptional meal and well worth it for a special occasion). My only problem was I found the chair a little uncomfortable for sitting for long periods of time. John and Ronnie (Veronica) were married at Tynwald House nine years ago today! So Happy Anniversary to them...we went back to John and Ronnie's for coffees etc and looked at photos (Ronnie is also a photographer) that she took when we went overseas together in 2007. We all saw the New Year in and eventually the others retired to bed leaving just Kim, Ronnie and I to check out more photos. We decided not to stay and came back home. There was a little rain on the way but dry in our area, which is often the way. We really need to see some growth in the paddocks.

Today we managed to have a sleep in which was very pleasant and I got up to get the morning drinks (it is often the other way round) and checked the animals. Aside from some tidying up outside and in the house we spent most of the day looking at the videos I had taken on our overseas trip in 07. We have NEVER looked at them before as we had just not gotten around to it. Last night Ronnie gave us a copy of the pics she had taken overseas and it just brought back memories , hence getting out the videos. Some of our photos we had lost as they were overwritten on the memory card somehow. We were disappointed not to have ones of us on Mt Pilatus in Switzerland. When we were at the very top we were the only ones there so was thrilling to see it on video! I still have to pinch myself sometimes to think I have seen these places.

My friend Dee rang me which was a good excuse for a coffee break as we were right in the middle of reliving our time in Paris! Dee is my friend who I have known for over thirty years and introduced me to Kim in Sydney when we worked together and her boyfriend (later to be husband and ex) was a mate of Kim's when they were in the navy together. She now lives in Brisbane and is twice divorced with a daughter from each marriage. I attended her eldest girl's wedding last Feb in QLD. I was sorry I couldn't just jump in the car and go and have coffee with her as she sounded like she needed a friend. I felt quite lucky to have someone to be here at home with, though it has been somewhat of a struggle over the past 12months. I guess sometimes it hits home one does take certain things for granted at times. We have talked and decided to start a fresh year off and make sure we have quality time together. We will also sell some of the alpacas and keep the better quality ones to ensure we cut costs as well as work. As for Dee she has a lovely villa unit she has bought and redecorated. Dee works as a child carer at a child care centre. This is such a valued job in the community yet does not pay very well. She has done the relevant qualifications (though her years as a mother does not seem to count). I always find that hard to comprehend as a person could do the course required and although I am sure be quite competent, someone who has raised or is in the process of raising children really does have that experience gained at the coal face but it does not get any recognition. Let's hear it for all the mums out there!

My son Peter is not too well, been in bed sick with flu and sore throat so not a great way to see in the New Year for him or his fiancee, Kathryn. Not sure what Krystal and Luke did for New Year, their first as a married couple!

Last year we were at Swansea and the year before we spent it with John and Ronnie. Prior to that most years for about six at least have been spent in Swansea with a bunch of great people! I know the year 2000 Kim worked because of the so called millenium bug. He was paid very well for it though not much happened!!!

Well must go to bed. Happy New Year....
Ciao