Michelle's Musings.

The year is ending and I am soon to leave for Indonesia!

2011-12-27T23:57:00.006+11:00

Pictured is my grandson Campbell at St Mary's Cathedral here in Hobart on the 18 Dec 2011 when he was baptised. The other one is the Christmas elf on Christmas day. How cute is he? As well I am pictured with dear little grand daughter Lily (Campbell's 3yr old cousin)

In brief:
Celebrated my birthday in Nov in style
School reports and end of year done and dusted
Will miss my Mondays off next year from work as going back in 2012 full time. I will also be doing Uni.
Campbell was baptised on Dec 18.
Finished work for the year on Dec 22. Had to bring home the fish tank from my Animal Studies classroom!
Daughter Melanie and her partner Ben announced engagement. Marriage to be next May.
Applied for and recieved a UTAS scholarship valued at $750 to assist in my studies in Lombok. Got visa, had typhoid shot, bought some lightweight clothing. Reasonably organised.
Shearing done for another year with alpacas. Could be our last as dispersing the herd and house on the market. See what the New Year brings!
Disappointed Ozzie didnt win Survivor 2011!

Off to Lombok on Dec 31!

Halloween, Lombok and the latest goss

2011-11-06T18:50:00.003+11:00

Two exciting pieces of news , though one cannot compare them. My cockatiel "Billy" bought as a male from a breeder 12months ago is actually a girl! How do I know this? She laid an egg 2 days ago and has laid another tiny egg today. I have left them there for her as it will take some time for her to realise they are 'dud' eggs and will not produce little babies because I only have one cockatiel. I used to have Bobby who flew away months ago but for all I know he could have been a she as well!!

The excitng news is that I applied for an in country program, after being accepted into UTAS to do a diploma of Languages to learn Indonesian and have been accepted. I have now booked flights and leave on the morning of December 31st from Hobart to Melbourne bound for Denpasar. Once there I wait awhile before getting on a plane for a short half hour flight to the island of Lombok. I arrive in Lombok in the evening so I imagine I will be having a rather quiet New Years Eve!

The course starts at the University in Mataram on January 2nd. I am doing 2 units of study so will finish the second unit on Feb 17th, flying overnight to Australia on the 18th and arriving in Hobart around lunch time on the 19th Feb. I have to take a few days of unpaid leave from work as the school year starts in Tasmania before I return home. Although I will miss my family, fur family and friends I am excited about the prospect of a new challenge. The study process will include 2 field trips per week which will be paid for by the host university. Hopefully, I will find the language relatively easy to learn. Part of the reason is just because I love the place, its culture and people and partly because as a teacher I would like to branch out into a different area. I am currently waiting for my passport to be returned complete with social visa from the consulate in Darwin. The admin for the program is being handed by the Charles Darwin University in Darwin, NT.

Late October we took four of our young alpacas to the show and have sold three of them. We picked up a couple of second place ribbons but were really there for some of my students who came along to help and learn about handing alpacas. We also met a lovely chap who has toggenburg goats so students helped to feed and walk them. I also bought hand made goat soap. I believe it helps those with skin rashes and as my 3yr old grand daughter Lily suffers from a form of eczema thought I could see if the goat soap will help. Unfortunatlely I picked up a bug at the show and ended up havng two days off work sick. I went back still a little under the weather.

The week prior to the show I had a big week at work which included workng at school on a Saturday. This was to celebrate or schools 50th anniversary. My option classes (Animal Studies for grades 9 and 10)had a terrific display which included student posters and booklets on units of study we have done. We also had model animals and habitats as well as chickens in incubator and brooder. The rabbits which are dwarf mini lop were a hit and the fish tanks looked great. One tank is cold water and one tropical which were set up by some grade ten boys who have an interest in this area.

Halloween has been and gone. Lily's older sister turned 9 and had a halloween themed party. I went as a black fairy, Jasmine and her mum (my daughter Melanie) were both witches as was Jasmine's other grandmother. Lily was the cutest little pumpkin! This was Saturday of last week and so the weather decided to let us down and rain, meaning the children's party had to be inside. It went well and then it was a dash off to get ready for the grown ups halloween party in the evening.

These pictures are taken at the home of my eldest daughter Melanie and her partner Ben at Jasmine's 9th birthday party with Halloween theme. I cant really post other pictures as it would not be right to do so as parents may not want images of their kids on here and I dont have the time to chase up on permission. Most children were dressed up and parents had gone to a lot of effort. I was able to finally ooh and aah over Melanie's new ring. Ben proposed to her the previous weekend.

The grown up party was a great deal of fun. I was dressed as the Devil's Mistress!

The punch was made from wine, rumba, lemonade and something else plus green food colouring. Looks and tasted amazing!

I love dressing up and am a great believer of enjoying life and sharing with friends! Other costumes included devils, witches, skeletons etc as well as a few sexier outfits complete with real whalebone corsets! Decorations included the usual spiders, webs, skeletons and so on. Halloween does have a meaning but these days means nothing more to us than dressing up and having fun!

Eating Out:
Last night Kim (my husband) and I ,along with friends, Thel and Rog and a couple of their friends went to the Queens Head for dinner in North Hobart. The food was excellent.., I had battered ling, with delicious vegetables, cooked just the way I like them. Must take a pic next time. Kim enjoyed his chicken snitzel. Food was excellent value though I found the drinks expensive. I had a black smirnoff and Kim had a large light beer. Those two drinks cost around $18. Needless to say we sipped the drinks! We then headed off to help a friend celebrate his birthday at home with he and his wife and a small group of friends. Very pleasant evening!

It has been a month since we have eaten at The Queens Head in Nth Hobart. Last time was with a group of friends before heading to the Polish Club to help a friend celebrate the big 50!

The Melbourne Cup was run as usual on the first Tuesday in November. As usual I dressed up though instead of a hat wore a balck and red fascinator this year. Ok I have to work but why cant everyone dress up! Most at work did not which I always find disappointing! I won the $1 sweep which made me the princely sum of $11. One of my work colleagues organised that but instead of takng a few mins out to watch the cup I was stuck in a subject meeting. Despite the fact I recognise and acknowledge the importance of work I also think morale in the work place canbe fostered by small things,such as a few minutes to watch the cup. Perhaps, as time moves on the race no longer stops a nation! As a child when the race was run a bit earlier all classes at school (in NSW) stopped to watch it. Traditions were discussed and I always enjoyed that and still do! Mind yu, I do not bet and am not fan of horseracing per se but I do like some Australian traditions! Why not, life is here to be enjoyed. Stop and smell the roses as one day that opportunity will be gone whe either I am too incapacitated (lets hope that does not happen) or I am dead.

My friends Marion and Tony return today from a trip to Vietnam. I have yet to visit there. Have enjoyed reading their emails which have provided interesting information on the people, sights, culture etc. Matiion just rangme so am lookng forwrd to seeing the pictures and hearing all about their travel tales. I love hearing about travel stories and looking at photos. If I have been there I can share a deeper understanding of the experience with friends and If I havent been there I can put iit on my bucket list!

Until next time take care and Live! Love! Laugh!

A new family member: Campbell has arrived. Visit from Helen: Highlights of her Tassie trip!

2011-09-27T16:05:00.013+10:00

On September 7th at 11.07pm my first grandson Campbell James was born weighing in at 8lbs 15ozs. Pictures above include me holding him for the first time and also with his dad, Sam. The mum is my youngest daughter, Krystal. Am so proud of them and all are well. Campbell was born on the Wednesday night and came home on the Sunday morning. Krystal and Sam have done his room in a lovely powder blue with clouds on the wall and he even has sheets to match. The rocking chair in the picture has been sanded back and done up by my husband Kim, otherwise known as Poppy. The idea behind that belongs to Sam as he asked Kim about it. Just seems the other day we were the ones having babies!

Campbell's other grandmother is Oma from Holland. She flew out here for a holiday spending her time between Melbourne and Sydney. Her other children (2 daughters) and her other grandchild (who is 8) live in Melbourne so she could visit them, attend her daughter's wedding in Melbourne, a baby shower here, meet all of us, catch up with her sister and family who live here in Hobart and meet Campbell. She is a lovely lady and shared some interesting Dutch traditions with us for when babies are born. She has since returned home to Holland and I look forward to getting to know /203.
her better, thanks to today's technology.

On the Sunday Campbell came out of hospital we had all our children and grandchildren including Campbell over for tea. The other two are the gorgeous girls, Jasmine 8 and Lily 3 who are my eldest daughter's two. It is quite busy when this happens but then I think of my dear friend Thel who has six sons plus partners and children so really my tribe are small fry compared to hers! We put the dogs outside as Campbell is just too little and all Angus (spoodle) will want to do is try and lick him!

Thursday Sept 8th which was the first day of Campbell's life I picked up friend Helen from the airport. I met Helen in recent times at my friend Dee's big birthday bash in Queensland. Dee introduced me to my husband well over 30 odd years ago now and Helen is her friend but technically her ex sister-in-law. We both stayed with Dee and as neither of us are ballroom dancers and most at the party were we did quite a bit of talking together. Turns out Helen is not a fan of flying so has only flown to Brisbane twice from Melbourne and that has been her limit. Well we cant have that, so having never visited Tasmania before, Helen decided to fly over and despite not being a fan of the air, she managed and enjoyed her trip! After resting whilst we visited our daughter and new born grandson I took Helen down to Sandy Bay so she could have a walk around the area and then a drive through our city. That night friends Rog and Thel came over for dinner and we had a pleasant evening.

On Friday it was off to visit Richmond which is a lovely historic town just out of Hobart. It is delightful to walk through the main street and browse the little shops but also to just wander and admire old homes and the new builds which have been sympathetic to the era. Prior to rules changing some homes that belong in suburbia were built and should never have been approved. One wonders what was torn down in order for some of these to be built. Check out this link to see what Richmond has to offer http://www.richmondvillage.com.au/

The stone buildings are a delight and as one wanders I imagine ladies of yesteryear swishing along in their long dresses holding a parasol to protect their English skin from the sun. One could also imagine those who had life much harder and were convicts who worked on some of the buildings or maids who scrubbed their hands red raw..no such thing as disposable nappies in those days. Who today can imagine scrubbing nappies on a washing board? Or on hands and knees waxing and polishing floors..once again thanks heaven for modern technology!
Pic of Helen taken outside one of the delightful little shops. We had lunch at Ashmores,
http://www.ashmoreonbridge.com.au/
Helen kindly shouted and we used a discount voucher from the Entertainment Book. I had a very yummy smoked salmon dish and annoyingly now, I cant recall what Helen chose. I have eaten there several times and always enjoy the atmosphere. I have only been disappointed once and that was by battered fish (which could happen anywhere and I admit to be being particular when it comes to fish) I have had there. I had it at another place as well in Richmond and felt the same diappointment though I do recommend the pub for their fish as well as various other choices. http://www.richmondarmshotel.com.au/

After feeling refreshed we continued with our browsing and Helen was able to purchase some souvenirs before heading to the very popular lolly shop, decorated in a traditional manner with lots of lolly jars! Dinner that night was Kim's famous pizzas. He uses pita bread to make them as I cant eat much bread and so they are nice and thin and once can add toppings of choice. Fast, easy, cheap and yummy!
Saturday was off to Salamanca, world famous market
http://www.salamanca.com.au/ and a place every one must visit. I have been countless times over the years since moving to this state and always enjoy it. One can buy everything from art and craft, to food, clothing, wood and leather craft, jewellery, fruit and veg, plants, books..you name it and Salamanca has it! Lunch with Helen and Thel was http://www.agfg.com.au/guide/tas/hobart/hobart/hobart-city/bars-entertainment/barcelona-bar-loungearcelona Barcelona which has a New York style long bar and is a restaurant as well. Helen had beef burger which was huge, Thel had a duck dish and I had fish. We all enjoyed our meals. The rest of the day was spent browsing and walking through town to spend time listening to Irish music at The New Sydney Hotel. A group of people just come in and play Irish music every Saturday, making it a popular pub. It also has an ambience that many Australian pubs do not.http://www.newsydneyhotel.com.au/Home.html We were later joined by Kim and Rog and as new Sydney was fully booked we ended up at The Duke. http://www.theduke.com.au/

We were lucky to get a table. It has a nice atmosphere and is a good venue for a drink or function. I found the menu lacking , well for my taste. Seafood dishes had chilli so no good for me. Anyway, after lunch out and not being a big eater I was not that hungry. After a big lunch Helen was not that hungry either so thought a salad and a bowl of fries would suffice. We were all surprised by the size of the bowl of fries so everyone helped her with eating them! Not shown is Thel's dish which was duck (she loves duck if you cant guess that!) Kim had pork ribs which he enjoyed and as you can see they are generous serves, as was Rog's steak. I dont eat red meat and there really wasn't anything on the menu for me except the mushroom risotta. I didnt care for it but Rog said it was yummy and having run more than one restaurant in a past life he should know! Even though I like mushrooms, it was just too much mushrooms for me! Oh well, was a good night just the same and the service was outstanding! I do not say that often here as the service is generally lacking and many are doing casual jobs but not trained in the industry, whereas service in mainland states I have found to be much better. I recall once being at what was considered silver service in a restaurant in Swansea on our east coast and I asked what the fish of the day was. The reply was "buggered if I know"! I have never forgotten that. It was quite amusing for us but what if we had been with people from the mainland or overseas, then it would have been downright embarrassing. Now, if I was at the local pub (which has since sadly burned down in Swansea a few years back now)
I would not be bothered by that answer. There is etiquette for a pub and one for silver service and they are both quite different. I digress..back to Helen's holiday.
Sunday was watching football and a visit to see Maree's rabbits from Mareniko Angora rabbit Stud. Maree breeds them and this has been discussed elsewhere on this blog. She had some lovely little new babies and should you be interested she does send them interstate.
Sunday night my three children, their partners and children all came for tea and to meet Helen. Had a lovely evening, though the dogs to their disgust had to be left outside!

The following couple of days was a trip to MONA which is the Museum of Old anfd Modern Art, Cadburys Chocolate Factory etc so I will leave this and write a part two. MONA is amazing so please come back to read about it. I feel like I am showcasing Tasmania, we certainly have much to offer.
Cheerio
M x

Bali: JUne 2011 (Part One)

2011-08-28T14:33:00.025+10:00

Photo
Sunset at Tanah Lot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanah_Lot

Photo: Myself and Thel outside a silver and gold store near Ubud. We did some bartering and bought ourselves an anklet and ring each in silver, though Thel's preference is gold and I like both but lean towards silver (just as well because it is less expensive

Bali is an amazing place to visit. I am an avid sunlover so Bali is a great spot to visit if you love the sun! It is also quite casual which suits me on a holiday. The people were friendly and despite the occasional annoyance by street hawkers, I have no complaints at all. One has to remember that selling your wares and being persistent can sometimes pay off and this may mean extra cash in the pocket. One can hardly blame anyone for doing that. Cannot be any worse than people here in Australia ringing on my home phone trying to sell me goods I have no interest in buying. I do recommend that if you are not interested DO NOT engage eye contact or conversation or even look or touch goods. If you are interested be prepared to barter. This can be fun for both you and the seller and everyone should be happy with the outcome! Decide when you get in a cab whether you want to go with the meter or set a price before heading off, either way it wont take you long to work out which is the best way to go once you have been in Bali a few days.

I went to Bali with husband Kim and good friends Rog and Thel. Our friends had been there before some years previously. This was our first visit to Bali and certainly wont be our last. I cannot wait to go again! It was my first time flying out of the country on a budget airline. I have flown on Qantas, United, Emirates etc but never Jetstar outside of the country. The down side was one has to buy any drinks/food on board and luggage is only moved to the next stop. It cannot be put through to the final destination as is done with other airlines. We left Hobart, stopping at Sydney for some hours. I had planned to visit my cousin who lives in inner city Sydney but she was bedridden with a bad flu. My cousin Elizabeth and her husband Stephen are just beautiful people, love them to bits as I do Rog and Thel.

We arrived in Bali and at our fantastic villa. This was in Seminyak and we were able to get it half price. http://www.amadeabali.com/ We were in one of the 2 bedroom villas. Absolutely gorgeous with our own pool and private courtyard plus shared kitchen, dining and lounge rooms. Each couple had their own bedroom and very well appointed bathroom. My only comment was I would have liked to have spent half my holiday here and perhaps half in a larger resort where one gets to meet and talk to other people. Next time we are thinking of staying in Legian.

We hired a driver and would highly recommend Wayan (a common name there as it refers to the first born son). He was polite and considerate, spoke English well, knew the area and made good suggestions for us and was willing to answer questions. Wayan ended up taking us to his village and we met his family. Photos show his family, a couple of pigs on their farm, his village and Kim with Thel and Wayan walking in the village. It cost us on average of $30 (Aus dollars) a day for Wayan in an air conditioned van. We paid him extra and shouted a meal for one day as it was a very long day and quite late when we got back to the villa. Unfortunately, whilst on this particular day trip when walking round Tanah Lot, Thel slipped and sprained her ankle. If you wish to contact Wayun please leave me a message and can pass on details.

A highlight for me was visiting Bali Safari Park. It took around two or so hours to get there from Seminyak. On arrival we paid for entry and Wayan, our driver, waited around for us. We spent at least four hours in the park and had a fantastic time. I loved the opportunity of holding a baby oran-utang. We saw many other animals including the most beautiful macaws.

The day after we arrived Thel and I went and had our hair braided which included hair extensions. It took around 4hrs. Here are some pics of us having it done in a Tshirt shop! Whilst having our hair braided the girls encouraged us to buy some goods and we nursed their children and learnt more about the culture of the Balinese.

As Rog is a musician he ended up being invited on stage at two different restaurants we went to which had live music. We all had a great time and Rog's rendition of Johnny Be Good and Mustang Sally are now famous in Seminyak!

We had some good days and evenings out in Bali. Loved the food, music, people and the weather!

We went to the Bali arts festival in Denpasar http://www.baliartsfestival.com/ and found ourselves directed to sit in the VIP section. It seems not many westerners come to the festival. Kim had a great long chat with a police chief. The costumes were colourful and the festival was most entertaining. I wish I had been more dressed up as I just went casual, not expecting it to be such a large event, nor did I expect to be moved from the side of the street to the VIP seating!

More good times in Bali: At the beach, eating, drinking, good conversation with friends, babysitting for Aussies at a restaurant so they could eat (no, we did not know them!!)Going to different markets, did I mention eating and drinking!

Part Two coming soon!!!

Houses, Having a whinge, The movie Australia

2011-08-27T15:45:00.013+10:00

The sun came out and so I spent the morning in the veggie garden. Should have taken a before and after photo! Veg patch had been sadly neglected, just as this blog has been also. I weeded and mulched and it is looking good. Sowed some seed potatoes, other than that, the patch only has some spinach in it at the moment.

Now it is later in the afternoon and the sun has lost any warmth in it. Kim got a fit into his head and did some cooking, making some lovely big scones. So here I am with a milo and scones with jam and cream. Yummo! He hasn't made any for ages. He has also made a curried scallop dish and will turn them into pies later.

This place is on the market. though with the way property is at the moment,I expect it will take some time to sell. It is sad in a way but the alpaca business has really hit rock bottom here and we have lost thousands of dollars, using house equity line of credit to fund ongoing costs. There comes a time when one has to say enough is enough. I work four days a week and on a reasonable income as a secondary school teacher. Kim ..well sore point with me..as I want him to get some casual work. He says he has no plans to do so until the place is sold as it requires ongoing upkeep. That is true to a point, but we only have a few acres, not hundreds or thousands of acres or animals.

He resigned from a high pressured job in the computing industry back in March 2008. He was kept busy with the alpacas and setting up with suitable fences and so on. Now that we have sold much of the herd and only have a relative few animals left there is not that much work involved. He admits he resents me for getting into and buying alpacas which has led to the money loss. I will say I regret not calling a halt to it when he told me that the previous day he had resigned. He said he had been talking about it for ages, but of course I took it with a grain of salt as we all talk about leaving work at some stage, so I never took it seriously. I should have sold the alpacas there and then and returned any money to the house equity and been done with it. Instead, I kept going trying to build up a business...silly me. I will say though, we had previously for seven years lived in a beautiful home, the house of my dreams. Kim said it was my house, not his as he did not feel the same way and that as he eventually wanted to leave work we could not continue to live there. I agreed to sell as a happy husband was worth more to me than the house. He also struggled with living in suburbia and wanted land as he grew up on the land. Ahhh..one has to look forward not back. In my case I need to deal with the past so I can move on into the future.

We began in a small weatherboard home and worked our way up which at times, included having to rent. We had a nice family home in Lindisfarne and probably should have stayed there but when the opportunity came along which was prior to the property boom we bought a home I fell in love with, with water views. I know some will never have that opportunity so I feel lucky in some ways. It was incredibly difficult for me to leave. Despite the fact we bought another nice, but very different home, which I liked and Kim loved I really missed the water outlook which I found very peaceful. Living in my dream house is the longest we have stayed in one place, seven years!
One pic is taken out the back here. The cockatiel is usually out of its cage and in it for the night. Brought it outside for some fresh air. Other pic is view from balcony of my last home.

Having moved here though, I have been able to get dogs and just love them. I have been able to learn more about the garden, grow veggies, compost instead of using an insinkerator and been more appreciative of doing things with a more sustainable outlook on life. I have got chooks and learnt more about them as well as breeding. In 2009 I introduced a new option subject Animal Studies which so for grades nine and ten students. Have incubated both chickens and ducks, had students involved in alpaca handling and stewarding at the Show plus much more. So there have been plenty of positives here. I do know I felt lost for six months when I moved here and then thought well if we must have land, then we must have animals! I feel I was/am very flexible with fitting in wherever life found me living.

Last night I watched the movie Australia which stars the lovely Nicole Kidman. Her pale skin and delightful figure and style ensuring she encapsulated the epitome of the English Lady. Hugh Jackman, played the drover and what a dashing figure he cuts. The movie was a little long but I enjoyed it. I heard when it came out on the big screen that many didn't like it. I imagine this may be because Australians may not like to be reminded of the atrocities committed against the Aboriginal people, such as removing children from their families. Having grown up in a small country NSW town in the 70's I do still recall some bigotry. It always amazed me that this often came from church going people. I know the government of the day and the church truly believed they were doing the right thing. Hard to imagine though that people thought an aboriginal mother would soon forget her child and that 'they' think differently. Absurd really, a loving mother, regardless of her country, culture or background will grieve for her child, especially when others have taken it away from her. Many of the children removed had aborginal mothers and white fathers. I love some of the Dreamtime stories and singing in the film reminded me of the book called The Songlines written by Bruce Chatwin. I must reread it soon!

For all the travelling I have done it has not included the Northern Territory where this film takes place.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_(2008_film)#Plot
This link provides information about the film, plot and characters. http://en.travelnt.com/australia-the-movie.aspx This link also includes in formation about the Northern Territory, Australia where the film was set.

Will write again soon as want to document my Bali trip.

A quote from the film: "Just because that is how it is, does not mean that is how it should be."

I Love Bali: Very Briefly

2011-06-23T21:00:00.004+10:00

This pic was taken of me with my 'baby' at Bali Safari Park early June 2011. Yes, had my hair braided there! This is just a brief post but will come back soon to add more pics and details.

Went to Bali, Indonesia during the recent Tasmanian school holidays. I went with my husband Kim and our friends, Rog and Thel. They had been to Bali back in 2005 but it was our first visit and I can assure you it wont be our last.

Love the weather, the people, the culture and the food!

Yep: Thanks for asking I am still in the land of the living!

2011-05-28T21:43:00.007+10:00

I will write here in detail soon..but just to let those who do read this I am still in the land of the living!

Updates soon of

Son's wedding : This beautiful pic was taken by photographer and friend Veronica. Pic taken in South Hobart with the Cascade Brewery in the background.

Visit to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

Dinner out

The fur and feathered babies

Cooking

gardening (veg patch looks sad..only have spinach in it)

off on a holiday soon :)..

Empty nesters again..

A sleep over...

a nervous rabbit....

Friend Helen (hello Helen!!) has booked her visit to Tas in Sept

WATCH THIS SPACE :)

going to bed to watch some Tele...been a busy week ...

last Saturday went to the New Sydney Hotel for drinks, listen to Irish music and farewell friends who were heading off on an extended overseas holiday to Thailand and the UK.
Stayed for a meal with friends,Marion and Tony and were joined by son Peter, his best mate Adam and Peter's wife, Kathryn.
Been a vegie today, aside from taking the dogs for a walk with Kim and spending some time with Billy, my cockatiel.
Ciao

Budgies, Babies, Babysitting and Bali

2011-02-07T16:29:00.004+11:00

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Budgies:

I decided to purchase three aviary budgies. My family gave me the aviary for my birthday last November, thinking it would be ideal for my hand raised cockatiel. I sometimes have my cockatiel outside in a cage(his home) with me, otherwise he has his home in a room and has free access out of it during the day. A hand tamed bird would not be suitable in such an aviary. The thought was great but I think these types of aviaries look good and are therefore a good sale product for stores but they are impractical. Tall ones do not really suit birds who need the width more so they can spread wings and move about etc. It will have to suffice for the moment so any thoughts on improving what I have done for budgies so far is appreciated.

Thought budgies would be great for a beginner and I have happy memories of family having budgies such as my Great Aunty Nella who was 96 last November. Bought them from a breeder who owns a local pet store. Only had them a couple days and when putting in a wattle to the aviary, the little girl named Olivia flew off. My grand daughter Jasmine aged 8 whom I currently have 2 days and one night each week during school holidays had named her Olivia.

The other 2, are a deeper blue male (I hope) I named Bluey (so original NOT) and the greeny one is named Blossom. I had no idea there were so many variety of colours and if experienced breeders can inform me on the correct names for my coloured birds I would appreciate it. I am hoping they are a male and female as stated.
I have moved the feed bowls up higher as was concerned the budgies were not eating. I put in tiny pieces of apple cut up (no apple seed which is toxic for them) and some broccoli but they do not appear to have eaten any. As I was worried I got a small container of seed and sat it above the box that is in the aviary which my husband made for me. They seem (well I have seen Bluey) there and both of them fly to the bottom of the aviary and pick, though not sure if that is too good health wise for them? I have done a lot of research but have so much to learn. Found a great Budgie forum
so that has been helpful. Be better once I can post pics there. The cockatiel forum is much easier for posting pics(for dummies like me, anyway :) Both forums have great people on them and is very informative. I also Love looking at pics of birds and their housing. Would eventually love to breed. I have not put in a nest box because I believe it is best to do that once they are at least one year old. These ones I think ar eonly a couple of months old. Opinions please?

Babies:
We have had two more alpacas give birth. Vanilla Ice, a white female had her first baby, a son I named Harry. He is quite a small boy for his age, though quite healty and will make a good pet. Harry's dad (sire) is Iceman, our multiple show winner white stud male. He also fathered the female cria (alpaca baby is a cria) born recently to Mai Tai, a solid black girl. Kim picked the name of Ice Lass for her. Her colour is light fawn. ">
The colour on the top of the alpaca is fawn, though she just looks like she has rolled in the dirt! She is looking like a terrific little girl and will eventually be part of our breeding program as will Ice Star. We are currently waiting for a couple more cria due any day now.

Babysitting: I pick Jasmine up from her mum's (My daughter Melanie) work on a Monday and Melanie collects her after work Tuesday. Last Tuesday we went ten pin bowling, thanks to a voucher Melanie gave me. Forgot to take any pics but here are a couple pics from the previous week when Jasmine and I went to the local mini golf.
Jas and I have also flown a kite, made a cake, done gardening and done some craft. Today we cleaned the rabbit cage, Jas helped with topping up drinking water for alpacas , we made chocolate truffles and polished nails! Right now I am having the chance to write whilst she is playing lego. The other half is down in the shed making parts for his wooden toys. He used to make them years ago and is now doing it again, as well as a few other things but that is another story.
See pics of Goldie, the sateen rabbit. She goes in her litter tray and is a well behaved rabbit! My friend Maree breeds angora rabbits and has sold them here in Tasmania and sent them to the mainland as well. She did a few sateens but decided against continuing the breeding program with them and gave this one to me.

Bali: Well the good news is we have booked flights, along with our friends Rog and Thel to Bali in June for ten days. We got a cheap Jetstar flight so probably wont be that much fun travelling with them internationally but beats staying home in the school hols when it is freezing cold here in Tasmania. Our friends have been to Bali, though that was back in 204 and we have never been there. We will have someone looking after the animals, though Maree will probably rabbit sit at her place and I will ask a friend who has cockatiels to bird sit mine at their place. Anyway, that is a little while down the track. So now have to save for the accommodation and some spending money for the trip!

In brief: We hosted a small wedding reception here at our place. My son is being married in April and has known Kathryn since they were 15. They both turn 28 late this year. Her family have always made us feel part of theirs and so when I heard Andrew, Kathryn's brother was looking for somewhere to have a small wedding reception I offered and they accepted. Andrew and his Chinese born (now wife) met in Tas as she is studying here and they married some time ago in China. They then decided to have a civil service here and a small get together afterwards.
Pictured are Andrew and Emma cutting the cake (no budgies in the aviary then) and a lovely photo of my grand daughters all dressed up at the wedding reception, Jasmine and her little sister Lily.

Baby: This time human one..Andrew and Emma are expecting a baby in March so yesterday I was at Emma's baby show which was organised by Kathryn. They didnt want Chloe in the way, their golden lab so son Peter arrives at our place and leaves Chloe with Kim (his dad, my hubby) whilst he, Andrew, Adam (mate of Peter and other son to us) and Sam (younger daughter's partner) all went and played tennis. Kim was left with three dogs. Our two dogs certainly were tired after having Chloe visit for most of the day! Pictured is Lily at the baby shower with all the pretty presents!

Saturday before last we went to Launceston as we were invited to a 'shed' warming party. Friend Al and his fiancee had bought a house and then put up a very nice shed to be mostly used as an entertainment area. The theme was Hawaii, see us dressed for the event. It turned out to be a surprise wedding but we had a secret suspicion this may be the case. We are very happy for them both. (They are both a widow and widower: Ange, Als' wife who lost her cancer battle is mentioned in previous ramblings on here.

Better dash and tend to the animals:)

Shell

2011: A new year begins...

2011-01-03T16:04:00.008+11:00

Work finished for me on Dec 17th (friday). Unfortunately this day was tinged with sadness as I attended the funeral of a 14yr old boy, one of my students. His unexpected death the previous Sunday was a shock to all. Two of his favorite songs were played at the funeral , both are by Nickelback. Here are the lyrics to one of those songs. Thinking of you, Nathan.

"If Today Was Your Last Day"

My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
If today was your last day

Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the prize is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you'll never live it twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day

If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are
So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothin' stand in your way
Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?

Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day

RIP Nathan

Pic of me with baby pekin ducks I incubated as part of a program at school. They then came to live at my place.

Pic: new baby alpaca born on Dec 8th: Mother is Bantiarna and father is Iceman. White female though looking rather dirty in the pic. Check out the pic of 'Icestar' in the paddock with huge mushrooms. They all grew in a semi-circle!

The days leading to Christmas and New Year were a whirl of cooking, buying and wrapping of gifts, housecleaning and catching up on those must do jobs and errands. I have babysat 8yr old Jasmine (grand daughter) on one Monday and Tuesday (she stayed over on the Mon evening)Lily is only 2 so is in care each day, whilst Jasmine is at school. Now the holidays are here she goes to vacation care and then 2 days per week with me. Today is a public holiday for New Year so I was not getting her till tonight but she has mild sunstroke so is home with mum (my eldest daughter, Melanie) and I will pick her up before Mel goes to work tomorrow. Hopefully Jasmine will be feeling better as have planned to go to my friend Maree's house and take Jasmine with me.(especially to see Maree's angora rabbits)Plus picking up "Goldie' a sateen rabbit Maree has given to me.

This was the first Christmas without all our children present. Krystal, my youngest, has always wanted a white Christmas so she and partner Sam went to the USA. They went to LA then hired a mustang and drove to Las Vegas. From there it was off to Chicago, Washington and finished in New York. They were caught up in the biggest snow storm in years in NYC and were snowed in! Looking forward to seeing some of their photos on the big TV screen tonight. They brought back a Las Vegas Tshirt for me, M and M's socks and a bling phone cover. (Late 2010 saw me upgrade quite an old nokia phone to the new iphone 4 and I love it!) Chrismtas lunch for them was at the Waldorf Astoria so how swish is that! Other comments about these places and the USA in general:
* Shopping is great and cheaper than here (she bought a to die for Guess handbag)
* Loved New York: Felt safe though amazed by the amount of people everywhere.
* Enjoyed seeing the historical monuments in Washington but didnt like the city.
* Found it hard to find food they liked..felt there were not that many healty options.
* Loved going to see an icehockey game as well as NBA game.

Sounds like it must go onto my bucket list! Christmas here saw our son Peter, his fiancee Kathryn and best mate (other son to us) stay over with us on Christmas Eve. Also, let's not forget their labrador, Chloe. We watched carols together and talked and it was very peaceful. Kim made pizzas for tea. He makes good pizzas using pita bread for the base. I like very thin bases and these come out really crispy and thin. On the day Melanie and children, Jasmine and Lily plus Mel's partner Ben arrived to open gifts and share lunch. The weather was reasonable though not warm enough to eat outside. We have had such cool weather and I am so grateful for the sunny weather of the past few days. Last year was a secret Santa and the first time we had done something different. This year we all exchanged gifts and next year will again be secret santa, though this does not include the 2 children. I was totally amazed that the alpacas, chooks and ducks gave me a large box of chocolates! I have a small collection of rubber ducks which include one from Britain and one from Ireland. My two dogs had kindly bought me a 'punk duck'. Kim gave me a white diamonds perfume set as well as a beautiful pandora bracelet: pink leather which supports the cancer council. Peter and Kathryn gave me a 'teddy bear' pandora bead as well as a lovely dish and planter pot. Melanie gave me elizabeth arden creams.

After dinner Melanie and family headed off as the children go to their other grandparents and to see their father. Peter, Kat, Adam and ourselves then went to a bbq held at the home of Kathryn's parents. More food,,more drinks,,,and good company.

Pics show Christmas at our place. Sadly Jasmine has only one of my cockatiels on her shoulder as the other one flew away a few days prior to Christmas. Billy is really missing his mate.

Good friend Ralph arrived over from Melbourne (capital city of Victoria) to stay with us on Dec 30th till Jan 9th. He came over for a short holiday as well as to attend a 21st birthday party on New Year's eve. Apparently Ellyn was the first baby born just after midnight 21 years ago.

New Years eve Krystal and Sam arrived back from New York. They were supposed to arrive several days earlier but JFK airport had ground to a halt due to severe blizzard/snow storms. The pictures of the deep snow were amazing. They had planned to attend a friend's party that evening but that ideas was soon shelved in favour of an early night after an exhausting flight home. We went to friends John and Ronnie in New Norfolk for a meal with friends though decided not to stay overnight as originally planned as Kim did not drink much so no problem to drive the forty or so minutes home.

New Years Day was great weather, very sunny and hot! Just the way I like it! Ralph and I went to Salamanca markets and then to the Taste of Tasmania, held on the waterfront. Too many people for Kim. We had Indian food there, bought a glass each and drank some wine in the sun before heading to the New Sydney Hotel. This pub has locals who come in and play Irish music every Saturday arvo. Kim, our son Peter and mate Adam met Ralph and I there for a couple of ales before heading back to our place. We were joined by Peter's fiancee Kathryn, Sam and Krystal as well as friends Rog and Thel. Had a BBQ, played pool, chatted and enjoyed the company. A great start to the year!!

Babies, Bath and Birthdays

2010-11-27T16:23:00.013+11:00

What a gorgeous baby alpaca (cria)! It was born on November 12 2010: my 50th birthday. It isn't mine as we sold her mother along with 2 others earlier in the year to a lovely family. They called to check and get some advice and we were only too happy to go and see the newborn. They are both doing well and am waiting to hear what she has been named. I really love where they are as the home is situated in a beautiful spot. The type of place where I can picture fairies living at the bottom of the garden!

As soon as I walk in somewhere I get a strong sense of 'place' and the people there. This was not only a lovely spot, but a strong sense of kind, caring people came across to me and I knew my alpacas had come to a lovely home. Who else experiences this feeling? You can walk in and feel great, good, OK, not so good, awful or indifferent. I once pulled up somewhere and knew immediately I was going to feel uncomfortable both about the 'place' and in turn the people. Regardless of the type of home or setting it still is about the people. A beautiful place does not give off a 'warm' and 'peaceful' feeling unless it is inhabited by special people. So the bricks, mortar, garden surrounds etc are not so important as the people who live there.

I have also felt it about places I have visited. Some cities and towns give off such a nice feeling, though of course this can relate to the architecture. Bath is a fantastic town and I would love to explore more in the area whereas Leeds..ooh got a bad feeling (no offence to any readers from the area) I just didn't feel comfortable or particularly safe.

These photos were taken In Bath, September 2010. One pics shows Kim and I having a cuppa at a nice little cafe. I had a slice of Victorian sponge just because it felt so English!

My younger daughter Krystal, has also been to Bath around 12months ago and she loved it also. It will be some time before I get back over there as looking at travelling closer to home as it is cheaper and will also offer a different experience. Hoping to go to Bali next May with some friends of ours. They have been there but we have not. If I won the lottery I would be back overseas in a flash, though would also love to do a road trip to explore more of my own country.

It is pouring with rain outside right now. Although the rain is welcome I know of a wedding today and earlier the sun was out so such a shame for the wedding that it didn't remain so. My youngest daughter and 2 of her friends whom I have known since they were children all left from our place as it is not that far to the vineyard where the marriage ceremony(another friend of theirs) and photos were to take place. My daughter Krystal looked stunning in a bright orange satin dress from Cue. The other 2 girls also looked gorgeous in their dresses and bling. Here they are (pic taken on my phone) Kat, Jocelyn (royal blue dress) and my daughter Krystal in the orange. This morning I met my eldest girl Melanie and her eldest daughter Jasmine at Say Cheese at Salamanca. After that we walked through the market and headed into town to do a spot of shopping. I got a pair of 3/4 trousers on sale at Laura Ashley and went to Darts to have the clip on my pandora bracelet fixed. I did some Christmas shopping and picked up some marzipan before coming back home. I told 8 year old Jasmine that when I was pregnant with her mummy (My now 30yr old daughter Melanie)I was in Tasmania for Christmas (we lived in Sydney at the time) and had a craving for marzipan. I bought it from this same shop from the same man who is running it today. Of course, no such cravings today I just like to buy some marzipan once in a blue moon.

Last night we went to La Porchetta in North Hobart for dinner. This was Kathryn's choice and we were there to celebrate her 27th birthday which is today. She is my son's fiancee and I have known her since she was 15. We had 3 tables out the back so it was not so noisy. Drinks we each bought from the bar. There is nothing worse at a group meal trying to sort out the bill, so easier when drinks are paid for seperately. My son Peter and friend Adam thought their chicken pizza was excellent. My husband had the american pizza and thought it was average (he prefers, as do I, the pizzas he makes at home) Although I do remember having a wonderful pizza in Venice back in 2007. The food was great there, everyone else had wine with their meal and I had a coke. The wine was cheap and the coke was incredibly expensive! Anyway, I digress as per usual. I had the entree size marinara, fettucine pasta. It was Ok. I do have to say the serving was generous for an entree. My eldest girl's partner had the same meal as a main. Jasmine, my 8 year old grand daughter had calamari which is her favourite. I tried them and wish I had it instead! The child's meal came with a small softdrink and icecream so good value for family meals but nothing outstanding as far as memorable food goes. Anyway there were no complants re food though coffee orders took forever and we were told they had a new barista. Must get back here soon to talk about some other recent meals out.

Update on the animal front: We have had once sick alpaca, Mai Tai. We have been giving her vitamins drench and wormed her and she has now picked up which is great. Had some chickens hatch(did a program at school) and currently have 12 chicks. Two have passed away as they had splayed legs and just were not strong enough with another one possibly heading the same way. They were all little pekin bantam chicks. 11 chicks are doing very well, one silkie, 2 salmon faverolles and the rest are pekin bantams. We had 8 salmon faverolles that didnt hatch, a silkie egg and 3 pekin bantam eggs as well.

Pics show hatching process and chicks in an icecream container when I was cleaning their brooder. Also for a school project we have 8 eggs due to hatch round Dec 4th which are pekin ducks. Hopefully that will go well as I have only ever done chickens before. I brought the eggs home to turn over the weekend (need to be turned regularly). Last weekend one of my Animal Study option class students took them home and has been looking after them at school which is great. He cant this weekend as he is over in Western Australia involved in the National Solar car challenge (Science). The students wjo are often willing to be involved are usually those who are busy with numerous other things. Some of course like the idea of it but only want to cuddle fluffy animals but not do any actual work.

Will write some more later..tata for now :)

So much to share and so little time :)

2010-11-10T17:53:00.011+11:00

Been getting behind on blogging. I enjoy writing but tend to read other blogs when I should be writing my own but then I always learn something or just enjoy the process of reading and sharing in the lives of others. Right now I was going to do some work (starting to write school reports) but will continue with that a little later. I still have my holiday overseas to share and so much has happened isnce.

In brief here and more in detail next time: (No particular order)

1. Overseas trip in August for around five weeks returned Sept 18th.
2. We went to Dubai (four days) London (8days) Paris on the Eurostar for the day, Uk tour (8days)Bangkok (five days) Pattaya (seven days)
3. Birthdays: Son Peter, daughter Krystal who were both in September and grand daughter Jasmine turned 8 in October. Lily was 2 on Aug 25th which was the day we were in Paris.
4. Alpacas won a first and third at the Burnie Show
5. At Royal Hobart Show animals got one first, four seconds and a third ribbon placings.
6. At Royal Hobart Show I took students who acted as stewards and took part in the junior alpaca handling. They all did a great job.
7. Took students to Brightside Animal Sanctuary for a day excursion
8. At Ulverstone show we took friend Maree and her 2 alpacas with us. We ended up with several including champion adult female and reserve champion adult male as well as reserve adult champion female.
9. Sold a stud male and delivered him to his new owners at Middleton. Lovely people who also breed birds.
10: Visited friend Deb in hospital. She lost her battle with cancer at the age of 52 on October 31st. We went to her funeral on Nov 4th. Met her through my son's partner. Kathryn's parents and Deb and Angus all went to school together. They introduced Deb to Angus. Deb became 'aunty to Kathryn and her brother Andrew. In turn, they became friends with us and included us in all their family functions. 11. Bought 2 hand raised baby cockatiels and have named them Billy and Bobby.
12. Currently have both duck eggs (pekin) and chicken eggs (silkies, salmon faverolles and pekin bantams) incubating. This is being shared with my Animal Study Option students at school.
13. I went to Brisbane for my friend Dee's 50th birthday. She had a 'butterfly ball'. Most of those attending are all ballroom dancers, as Dee herself is.
14. Been looking at my scrapbooking things and thinking about what I will be able to do in the holidays.
15. Planning to go to Gold Coast for a few days next August with Dee and her sister-in-law(who is now a new friend of mine: Helen) and another friend. So a girls holiday which will be nice.
16. The light sussex in the picture below ended up having a ruptured eye and the vet had to euthanase. Brought her home and buried her here. She was 12months old. 17. Still trying to finish reading Eat, Pray, Love. Find it interesting to a point and then it just rattles on too much for me.
18. Andrew, Kathryn's brother announced to us all on facebook that he has just got married in China. His partner is a Chinese girl in her last year of medicine at our University. She is now expecting a baby and she and Andrew went to China to meet her family. They will be back home soon and will have a party here.
19. Younger daughter is in the throes of buying a house and is back living at home. Older daughter and partner Ben have bought land and intend to build.
20. We have planted veggies in the garden and so far have put in tomatoes, basil, chives, strawberries, sweet corn, pumpkin, potatoes, snow peas, lettuce, zucchini and cucumber. 2
21. Attended friend Ronnie's 50th on the night we got back from our trip!
22. Caught up with cousin Elizabeth and hubby Stephen and her beautiful eclectus parrots. (They live in Sydney, spent the day there on our way home from os trip)
23. Took friend Maree clothes shopping and boy did she have fun spending some cash!
24. Found a dress at a shop called "Flower" at Chermside shopping centre in Brisbane
25. Got a tattoo in Thailand of a baby tiger cub. Boy, tattoos really do hurt ,,,been thinking about it for years and now the mid life crisis is here..but seriously it is a reminder of a wonderful time spent feeding baby tiger cubs in Thailand.
and last but not least this weekend I have my 'big; birthday celebrations!
Ciao for now :)

Light sussex Hen 12mths old with sore eye: Help needed

2010-10-18T18:05:00.006+11:00

This is just a quick post to ask if anyone can help with suggestions for my bird. Other eye is fine. I have given saline solution but eye is now worsening, weeping 'clear tears' and side of head swollen so no doubt infection.

Thanks to any BYP's for checking this pic as I couldnt upload to the poultry site

Michelle

Overseas Travel Tales Coming Soon! Sneak Preview :)

2010-10-01T17:21:00.006+10:00

Pictures of me having one of the best times of my life at the Tiger Temple in Thailand and out in the desert in Dubai.

Animals, Apples and 8 sleeps to go!

2010-08-08T20:58:00.017+10:00

Late this afternoon after feeding the animals, being chooks, ducks and alpacas and 'tucking'them into bed we drove into town to the waterfront. Took the dogs for a walk round the waterfront including the marina, as pictured. Angus (black spoodle) is put on a shorter lead when we go to areas where more people are likely to be wandering about. He LOVES people though some, of course, do not like dogs. Angus cannot understand this and frankly, neither can I!

This marina used to be a working area, whereas now it is purely to berth leisure boats. If you like boats it is a pleasant place to walk around, especially in the summer months and imagine which one you would like to own! My husband Kim, tells me that it was always very busy loading apples for export in the days when apples was a big industry in Tasmania. Kim's father and his father before him were apple orchardists and heavily involved in the industry. As a child Kim was paid 2cents a box by his parents which were used for packing of the apples. It was all done on the farm. Kim said he saved up and bought a small television, black and white in those days with the money from those boxes. He did his homework on the school bus because he was always too busy working on the farm. Mind you, he still got straight A's. To this day he never eats apples!

These days apple labels are sold at the markets, antique stores, vintage stores and garage sales. Kim said one mixed the glue to put on the back of the label and then rollered it onto the box. They are now collectable. We have a pile of unused labels that were left over from those days. They were stored in a drawer till we moved to our current 'country style' abode. Several have now been framed and adorn walls in the kitchen. I will take some pics of them and upload on here tomorrow.

These pics show Windward Bound. Must go out on it one day. One tends to often take their local attractions for granted.

Anyway, after walking the dogs we got takeaway from 'flippers' which is a fish punt at Constitution Dock. Bought scallops, beer battered flathead, chips, crumbed blue grenadier and a couple of potato cakes. The food was nice, especially the flathead though the potato cakes were terrible as they were the commercial type 'plastic' food and after one bite we threw them out. We do not eat a lot of fried food and two pieces of fish with one serve of chips is generally all that we need. I eat about three chips and that is about it and I like them overcooked so they are crunchy! We were going to cook up veggies etc for tea but one of our children and partner will be over for a meal tomorrow night so will cook then.

Eight sleeps to go till we head off overseas. When getting the food tonight I kept thinking how much I enjoy fish , chips and mushy peas at a London pub.(I was actually a vegetarian for around 8 years and did you know someone who only eats fish and veggies is a pescetarian) Actually, Kim has chips and I ask them to give me mash (mashed potato as they usually have that to go with bangers (aka sausages) on a pub menu. Although we have been to London before we have not been around the Uk so looking forward to that. Our housesitters are arriving next Sunday morning to learn the routine with the animals (they came here for a cuppa last week as are holidaying round Tasmania from their home in Queensland at present)They will meet our kids when we have a bbq lunch on the Sunday. We fly out on the Monday afternoon though do not arrive to Dubai until 4.50am the next day. have just found it it is the month of Ramadan when we arrive in Dubai. This means that moslems do not eat from dawn to dusk. I believe it may be difficult for us to get food and if we do, we cannot eat it in public. I cannnot see myself getting up to eat breakfast before dawn. I have not been to Dubai before and am looking forward to it. We will be going from one extreme to the other in regards to the weather. I believe it will be quite hot there.

On Friday I took my Animal Studies students to ZooDoo for the day. I hugged a camel and got excited thinking I will soon see them in the desert in Dubai. We had a good day despite it being rather cool. All I could think was that the next time I see a camel I will be no doubt feeling the heat! This one was trying to get her head into the food bucket. Her name was Clementine! Pic of Tasmanian Devils which live in the wild here in Tas.
How adorable is this? They are part of a breeding program.

Pics of a lovely new shop called Blue Illusions which has opened in Magnet Court, Sandy Bay. I love the french feel of the decor inside. I bought the dress I wore to Kim's 50th from this store.

Check out Tamara's blog at Thyme For Tea. She ran a "French" theme in July though I left it too late to post over at her place. Take a look, well worth a read :) Although our trip this time does not include Europe I will say that whilst we have 8 days just in London, one of them will be spent in Paris, France. We have booked seats on the Eurostar train to go from London over to Paris for the day. How cool is that!!!! I cannot wait! I have only been to Paris once before. This was in 2007 when Kim and I did a Trafalgar European Supreme Tour which was 31 days across Europe. In Paris we enjoyed a cruise at night on the river and saw the Eiffel tower twinkling prettily. It was magical the way the tower is lit up at night. During the day we went up on the Eiffel tower and what a magificent view. We also visted the Louvre museum and went to a show in the evening to the Nouvelle Eve, I think it is called. Some of the others on the tour went to the Moulin Rouge but that was on the same night as the river cruise which we had opted for instead. We were only there about three days or so and it was not long enough. I would recommend to anyone considering that tour to end it in Paris, rather than heading back from Paris to London to end the tour as we did. Taken us years to get there whereas both our daaughters have been there, going in 2009. I imagine one day our son will take Kathryn there. Right now they are concentrating on organising a wedding!

I just phoned friends of mine to wish them a happy and safe trip as they are off to London tomorrow. Rose is from England originally and is going to celebrate her 50th birthday at a pub in her local area. Ronnie (Veronica) is going with her (we went to Europe in 07 with Ronnie and her husband). The husbands are staying behind to look after homes and business whilst the girls head off. I could have been going with them but am happy to be heading off in a week with Kim. The only trouble is Ronnie is having her 50th birthday party in September, on the day we get back home. We arrive into Hobart at 4.30pm. Our housesitters will pick us up and after flying all night and getting into Sydney that morning we will have considerable delay there before our flight home to Hobart. I am hoping that we will be able to attend her party but will have to wait and see. I expect we will want to hug our dogs , check my chooks and our alpacas and fall into bed after a hot shower. The following day, on the Sunday is our son's birthday.

Until next time : take care

Never enough time!

2010-07-28T17:34:00.013+10:00

Hello again : Please note when changing designs I lost my followers so please add
yourself again :)

I am sure we can all agree that there is never enough time: Time to clear my desk at work,(which I did this arvo I am pleased to report) read all the wonderful blogs I enjoy, forums, catch up on my own blog (hey,I am doing that now!)and the list goes on....

Have been enjoying reading on a new forum. The address is http://www.gourmetbackyard.com/forum/. It provides info on gardening, livestock, using your own produce and so on so go and check it out. It is run by Cai whom I came across on my all time favourite chooky site BYP (Backyard poultry)The more I read, the more I learn and the more I realise how little I know :)

Been busy at work. I had a line off today but had to spend it organising for the relief teacher who will take my classes on Friday whilst I am at a course. Highlight this week was a presentation by a colleague teacher who gave up his spare time to visit my Animal Studies class. The presentation was on the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
I ran into him at the photocopier, asked about his holiday and then of course once I had heard, I just had to ask if he would do a presentation for me. In the last school holidays Greg and his partner visited Malaysia and stayed at the resort and went to the Sepilok Centre. I must put this place on my bucket list: places to visit before I die! Greg was saying that years ago when he had been in Malaysia one saw many rubber plantations and now that has been replaced by palm trees for the oil as there is more money in it. Trouble is the trees are not a suitable habitat for the orangutans and so many are orphaned when their habit is destroyed.

Time has passed more quickly than one would like as two weeks ago we celebrated Kim's (my other half) 50th birthday. For his 21st I gave him a surprise party at a flat we lived in, In Sydney. For his 40th I put on a big bash, money over the bar and nibbles etc plus a band (helps to have friends in a band). Once again it was a surprise. This one was pay your own way so people were asked to join us for drinks at The New Sydney Hotel. We then had a private function room upstairs where we shared a meal together, people just ordering and paying for their own which was nice and easy. In the arvo Irish music was on and in the evening a popular music band. It just so happened that two of the band members were in the same band that had played ten years before (though that time I had paid them!)Was a good night. The highlight was being on the dance floor with our kids and their partners! Another highlight was the attendance of my cousin Elizabeth and her husband Stephen. We had lost contact quite some years ago and we have facebook to thank as that is where Elizabeth found me. They were down from Sydney for the weekend and we all got on like a house on fire! Pic below was taken upstairs at the hotel of Kim and I by friend Leeanne whom I met when we were both training to be teachers. Mind you, I ordered a cake and organised my friend to pick it, which she kindly did. She never really looked at it so when the kitchen brought it in, instead of wishing Kim a happy birthday it was Tim! Cake was yummy but pity about the wrong name. The evening was great with six friends staying overnight at our place. In the morning served up hot breakfast, with lovely fresh eggs from my chookie girls. Later in the day our friends Marion and Tony C came for an afternoon cuppa and to drop off gifts that Kim had been given. Old school mate of Kim's Tony B also popped in with his 13 yr old son after they had been at football. In the evening Krystal (younger daughter) was with us for tea, along with a friend so quite a social weekend.

Recently we sold these alpacas. I always take pics before and then afterwards at their new home. I had to be at work so helped Kim load them but could not go with him and he did not think to take a pic afterwards. He said he had a cuppa with the new owners and one could sit and watch the alpacas, whilst sipping and chatting! I hate selling them but we have sold quite a few lately to cut down costs.
The names of these ones are Titan (guardian wether) Queenie and her young cria Princess, Mary, Cocoa and Black Pepper. Cocoa and Black Pepper are young wethers and Mary was born on Christmas Day last year. A cria is a baby alpaca. A wether has been castrated and therefore unable to produce offspring. If one leaves them intact they can become agressive and it is unfair to an animal that you will not be using as a stud male. Cocoa won second prize at the Huon Show last year in his division. Although he had won ribbons he was not good enough for a blue (first). Black Pepper is the cutest ittle boy. He is very small for his age and will be a good pet and lawnmower. I would have loved to have kept him but if I kept every cute alpaca...

Over recent weekends we have found the time to go to a dinner party with friends, move our eldest daughter Melanie and partner into a new place as well as last Sunday helping youngest daughter move her furniture. Her house has been sold and will soon settle so she and her ex can move on with their lives. Only son is finally getting married! He and Kathryn have been going out together since they were 15. At 21 they became engaged. They have since bought a house together and have three fur babes, one dog and two cats. This year they turn 27. The wedding is in April next year.

Lost an Isa brown hen recently. She went downhill quickly and was one of the older girls I have for egg laying. She had a happy life here.

Having withdrawals from MasterChef The show finished on Sunday with Adam taking the title. He did a great job, as did runner up Callum who at 20 is an amazing cook. I believe they took it up a few notches from what was done last year.

Happy Chooking, Cooking, Caring or whatever it is that you do :)
Michelle

Cornelian Bay, Cemeteries, Crematoriums and Other Stuff

2010-06-07T16:04:00.020+10:00

Pic of my dog Angus (spoodle) resting! Since this was taken Angus has been to Dog's Business for the salon treatment as he was becoming too shaggy. He and Kali (terrier x adopted from Dog's Home) also went to my vet, Mayfair in Sandy Bay for a checkup and booster shots. As we are going away later in August and housesitters will be responsible I also filled out a permission form should they need it. Got a bit of a surprise, re the section on permission to euthanase and disposal of body. I hope that does not happen and I asked for dogs/cat (Tommy) be cremated should this arise. Something I had not even considered.

I am currently on holidays for 2 weeks. School finished on Friday May 28th with student free day. Friday morning workshop with colleagues at work was very productive though found the afternoon Pd to be of little use, aside from the fact that I had not realised the 'clever people' working on the National Curriculum are not considering a uniform assessment, leaving it to each state. What is the point of that? Anyway, I am in holidays so do not want to talk work.

Now you may be wondering, especially about the cemeteries?? I was reading the local paper and it had a very interesting article by Millington Funerals on the Cornelian Bay Cemetery. My interest was piqued as I love old gravestones and am a bit of a history buff. Millingtons were offering free tours inclusive of their crematorium. I was reading it out and sharing this information with my husband, Kim. A few days later he mentioned he had made a call and booked us into the tour, seeing I was so fascinated by the article.

Saturday May 29th : First day of my two week break and I am looking forward to the tour! We arrived at Cornelian Bay Cemetery at 11am. We joined a rather large diverse group of people, complete with jackets and umbrellas as it was raining. Seems apt, doesn't it? Walking through a cemetery in the misty rain.
I also took a pic of one of the rose gardens. It looked very peaceful and though I do not like the idea of being cremated, I think it would be a very serene spot to be put in the rose garden, especially as I love roses.

The headstone in the pic holds the remains of the first person buried in the cemetery, a 12 year old girl. Other family members were later buried with her. Unfortunately, the headstone had virtually disintegrated so was replaced around 10 years ago.

We were shown the paupers section. The last burial in that area was in 1946,who was also the last person hung in Tasmania. One did feel sad for the fact that those who had no money or family were buried in this section, often without recognition. Having said that, we also stopped at a rather large parcel of land, which had some headstones but many without. I had thought these were vacant spots but we were informed that the entire section was full.

Of interest was the old chapel and crematorium. These were in use from the 1930's when cremation was finally allowed in Tasmania, until 1994.

Pictured next to the old cremulator is the new one, installed in 1994 at a cost of over $250,000. This is run by computers. The person in the pic is one of the funeral directors. I found them to be very professional and able to answer all questions directed towards them. I asked that if I was to be cremated could I have my dogs ashes in with me..the answer was yes. Another lady commented that she was glad she was not the only one who wondered about that! The director said they have had to say no to some requests, such as putting in a can of beer. Anything that could explode whilst cremation is in process is declined for obvious safety reasons.
This looks like a dryer! It has granite balls inside. Once the body is cremated, the remains are removed and put into this machine. The machine grinds down bones etc. The ashes are then put into a labelled box to either be put into a purchased spot or given to the family member to dispose of as they see fit. So do you find this interesting? The tour ended with coffee and biscuits (yummy bikkies!) all provided free of charge. One could look at the urns, plaques, headstones, coffins, candles and all the 'goods' associated with the industry. I picked out a gloss white coffin which I think I would like lined with either pale pink or purple inside!

Death is a part of life and we do not tend to ask questions or want to know about it. Why? I certainly admit I find history and how things work fascinating but do not care for the fact that I or my family will have to make a choice about what happens to my human remains one day. Once burnt that is it, but then do I want to be food for worms?
Another pic of a pleasant outlook of the cemetery. As I love water views I could see myself here...one day...far far off in the future. Did you also know you can make your own coffin if you wish!

Saturday evening we had a pleasant evening with friends, R and T at their home and I enjoyed telling my day out at the cemetery story! We also recently went out to dinner to celebrate kathryn's promotion as store manager. Kathryn has been a part of our family since she started going out with son Peter at the age of 15. They became engaged on Kath's 21st..six years later...still engaged. Her family and ours all went to Mures Upperdeck for a meal. I really enjoy their seafood and they provde the extras, like bread rolls, as part of the service. I shouted Kathryn a 'toblerone'cocktail. Certainly dont need desssert after one of those!

What else? Well we took the dogs for a walk at Cornelian Bay. We had planned to take them into the cemetery but saw 'no dogs' signs outside entranceways so there went that idea. Mind you, the chap that showed us the Jewish section of the cemetery on the tour had his dog with him. Beautiful old dog, not on a lead..very well behaved which made me think we would take our dogs there for a walk!

Here are some pictures taken at Cornelian Bay. One can walk round and even doggy do bags are supplied. Pity some people still dump them in the bush. We always pick up after our dogs. Not far from this area is a restaurant called The Boat House which I have eaten at and mentioned previously. Has a nice outlook as you can see!

Over the past month we have met friends twice at C-Bar. One friday night we met friends J and J for drinks but ended up staying for a meal and enjoyed listening to music. Then, on a recent Sunday afternoon, we had lunch there with friends J and R (went to Europe with them )and I and R. Lovely day, which was supposed to end with coffee at our house but we ended up getting takeaway to share for tea as well. Here is a pic taken in 2007 of Ronnie (Veronica) and I cruising on the Rhine river in Germany. In August though, Ronnie and Rose are off to the UK. I was asked to go with them but Kim and I are already going over together and I thought possibly three could be a crowd! Rose will be celebrating her 50th birthday in England (where she is originally from). This will be on August 16th, the day we fly out of Hobart bound for Dubai. Wish we could have been there for her birthday so will have to celebrate beforehand. She is leaving her other half Ian at home as is Ronnie to keep the home fires burning as they both have accommodation business to run. J and R have The Shingles which is in a very pretty area and I and R have Twin Lakes..if you are into trout and pheasants then that is for you (Ian was a gamekeeper in England :)They are delightful friends and I have done some clay pidgeon shooting there. Due to my feelings on the shooting of birds (being raised for this actual purpose) I decline to attend their pheasant shoots and we do not discuss that at the table, bit like those who choose not to discuss politics etc.

On May 18th Melanie celebrated her 30th birthday. Talk about years flying by! We went to The Ball and Chain to celebrate for dinner. Food was good..disappointing though that I had a cake which they agreed to bring out and then I could cut up and put in containers but we were not allowed to eat the cake on the premises.

Last friday I met my daughter Melanie for lunch at Drifters in Salamanca. It is a nice cosy cafe where one can get a light homecooked meal at very reasonable prices. There is also a section for those who wish to use the internet. I had all day breakfast, poached eggs with smoked salmon, baby spinach and hollandaise sauce. I can also recommend their pumpkin soup! Mel had to head back to work but I didnt! In my line of work meeting people at lunchtime is out of the question. Before going home I headed to Darts Jewellers where I had put my pandora bracelet in for cleaning. Really like the excellent service at this store!

Unfortunately, my daughter Krystal is going through a marriage breakup. I cant discuss it as it is another adults' private business. It is sad but obviously was not meant to be and as they had no children , one hopes it wont be as stressful. Krystal currently is living here with us whilst all is sorted. She says she is putting on weight due to our cooking (mostly her father's!)

Cheers for now and take care :)

Upgrading Blog and today's news

2010-05-17T19:26:00.004+10:00

I am trying to upgrade and update my blog. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. I do have a couple of questions,if anyone can help? One goes to Settings, then scrolls down to Global Settings and I am still using the old editor. I tried the new one but when doing my typing for my post I couldnt see any icon to click on to add a pic, though there was a new one there called strikout and the bold, links etc were the same. I had to go back to using old editor until I work out where on the new to add a pic? I also see many people placing pictures obviously exactly how they want them to appear and I seem to have a problem with this. Once downloading the pic, the html for it goes to the top of the page and I do a copy and paste to move it to an area where ai want it but then when I hit the publish button it doesnt always appear with the text as I want it. See an example of this on previous post at the end where I have put pics of Angie. Would have rathered them next to each other, rather then in a line, one under the other.

Looks like I have lost my counter with its' stats so that is disappointing. Some of the blog designs out there are amazing..still learning skills as I go along to improve mine. If any one has suggestions or ideas please feel free to share them. PLEASE :)

No eggs today so my chookies are very naughty! Haven't had any duck eggs in awhile but that is to be expected at this time of year.

Today was my day off as I do not work Mondays, though offered to do some relief when needed on a Monday this term as want the extra money for my upcoming trip. I am working next Monday and then at the end of that week term one ends and I have a two week break. DH works at home caring for the alpacas, dogs and house(well cooking, vaccuming and some dusting usually) and has done so since he resigned from his IT job back in March 2008. I did rib him today "Is this what you do when I am not here?" as he was sitting on a laptop playing arachnid this afternoon when I sat down to check e-mail. He says I ruin his routine when I am at home..hey I am not stopping him!!!

Nothing exciting, paid some bills,did some housework ( I was very happy to get the washing and some tidying done), took dogs for a walk, had a look at mobile phones at HarveyNorman as mine is on the way out and I seem to be having to charge it all too often. I should have completed the last BAS for our alpaca business but...and am now watching MasterChef
.

I did pick up some cheap mince for my chookies so I can add it to a treat for them and posted a baby gift to little Alexis who lives in Sydney. It is always a good feeling to tick off the "things I must do today' and know you actually did get them done. See pic of Alexis. Photo came from her mum Robyn's facebook page though I have had some pics emailed to me by the proud grandparents.

Exciting news just in : My son's fiancee got the Managers job at the department store she works in. She works very hard and it is well deserved. She actually has an arts degree and a teaching degree from the University but decided teaching high school students was not for her. I can understand that, hard enough for me on some days :) Looking forward to a meal out to celebrate the new job.

Bye for now :)

Musings...

2010-05-16T12:34:00.017+10:00

I am feeling somewhat bored (not actually a fan of the word bored as kids tend to use it too frequently at school). I had planned to go to a scrapbooking workshop with my grandaughter Jasmine but younger daughter was spending the weekend here and so spent time with her..plus she styled my hair once I washed it today ..that was a bonus! She did a great job , better than what I would. She has now headed off as she is working in the north of the state for the next few days.

Younger daughter also picked me up after work on Friday (poor me was on the roster for after school detention) and we were later joined for tea by son as well, whilst he waited for his other half to finish work. Luckily, I had phoned Kim and informed him our baby girl was visiting and to make sure we had some chicken snitzel for her. This is a favourite of hers..she did inform us she really enjoyed her meal as it had been some time since she had homecooked food.

Friends phoned earlier today thinking we could go to the local pub for a meal tonight ..after several calls it seems none of the pubs around do meals on a Sunday..too bad if you were travelling through and wanted a meal. Anyway, we are going to catch up next week instead.

Friday, friend Angie would have turned 50. Her last birthday was four years ago when she turned 46. We had been invited to a 21st but decided we needed to go to Launceston for Angie's birthday just in case she never saw another one. Ange passed away later that year in December from ovarian cancer. Here is to you, Ange.

Pics of Ange on her 46th birthday in 2006 and "yes, how clever am I: Check out the tongue :) Pic of Ange and her husband Allan round New years eve 2004 in Swansea...good times:) I certainly miss those times, sometimes one wishes time would stand still. Allan and Ange were child hood sweethearts and had one daughter. Their daughter has since had a little son, Ange would have been a doting nan.

This pic was taken late in Feb one day after work. I had not even changed out of my skirt before I went to 'sit and chat' with the animals! I am already missing out on this as by the time I finish work it is too cold for me(to spend time with them other than feeding) and the nights are drawing in much earlier. I love sitting by a wood fire but I dont really like winter at all. My husband says I am like a flower, reacting positively with the sun and well you get the drift...In summer I dress up for work and in winter I try sometimes but often it is hard enough to get dressed at all,let alone dressed up! I must say though I do have some great winter boots to wear!

This time last week the tribe were here for Mothers Day. Kim gave me a box of favourites chocolates and I know it is the thought that counts..but seriously how much thought went into a box of chocolates? Last year I got a couple of pandora beads. Told him when we go on our holiday I will shout myself something very nice for Mothers Day from him!!! Youngest daughter arrived empty handed(well I am doing your tax mum! This is quite true as I finally bought the MYOB package and she is entering everything in when she can make the time)Eldest girl used to do the tax but with 2 small children and a fulltime job it was all a bit much. Youngest daughter was also supposed to bring a cooked chicken and you guessed it she forgot! She did an about turn and went to pick one up. She had only gotten back from Melbourne for work late the previous night so she is forgiven! She sees cards and things as a waste of money and special times for gift giving as too commercial. However, it isnt that long since we went out for lunch one weekend and she shouted! Sometimes, it can be the unexpected 'gifts' that count. I very much enjoy spending one on one time with each of my children.

On Mothers Day I had gotten up early and made a curry, tuna casserole and a pavlova. DH (dear husband) did say that I shouldnt be having to do that but I wanted to...sometimes I miss my 'babies'.I might add dear son informs me the best pavs he has ever had are made by his nan (my mother-in-law) and my dear friend, Marion. I have been told to get Marion's recipe! So the perfect pav alludes me still. Eldest daughter and her litte ones arrived, a litle put out, as her partner had decided to go and play soccer. Bet there were a few boys not too popular with families for playing soccer on Mothers Day. She had to bring herb bread (was yummy and I rarely eat bread)) but instead of the pasta salad she brought cherry tomatoes. Son and his partner were running late...Kathryn did make a very nice potato bake and gave me a lovely purple mosaic type candleholder, purple candle, purple hair clip and purple socks! I had to throw 2pairs of socks out during week as they were very worn out so new socks were handy. Eldest daughter had a tatts pack for me,chocolates and nice gel soap. It was for last night's draw so must check and see if I have won!!!! Some of my friends went out for lunch but with 2children, aged 7 and nearly 2(grand daughters Jasmine and Lily) they need to be somewhere they can play and I am quite happy to have it at home.

Recent football game between Carlton(My team) and St Kilda was exciting..we won by over 60 points. One of the people I share an office with is a Saints supporter..she said' we are not talking about the football'. We didn't..but I wore a Carlton jacket to work!!!

Some grade eight boys at school let off stink bombs last friday. Whilst this might sound funny and typical of kids,,it was not so good for me. Friday mornings of pay week we have a morning tea(though one misses out if on playground duty)Each section take turns in providing it..I went down (my office is several flights of stairs from the main staff room) for morning tea(I dont often eat at morning tea either)and I enjoyed some savoury food, topping it off with timtams! Was walking back through the corridor, smelt something strange and the next thing I know I am vomiting and my temp rose very quickly. I had a grade seven girl trying to speak to me whilst I am throwing up. Anyway, had to get someone to supervise my class whilst I finished vomiting, sipped some water and waited for my temp to go down. What a strange reaction..didnt help to have just eaten.

http://sowingseedswithchristinemilne.wordpress.com/2010/05/12/don%E2%80%99t-you-love-alpacas-and-collingwood-cows/ This link was sent to me via email from Christine's media person. It appears to have been sent out to all AAA (Australian Alpaca Association) members so thought I would share it here. Unfortunately I was unable to attend Agfest this year. According to one of my students they had alpaca both dried and otherwise to eat as well at Agfest..you would think we have enough food choices already..

Well it is getting cooler now and it is time to put the chooks and ducks to bed..
bye for now and take care
PS: Fed them and closed up chook pens. Picture me running round chasing one chook. A couple weeks ago I bought four chooks of 16weeks of age just to add to my laying girls. It was one of them that was not obliging, usually they go in of their own choosing as soon as it starts to get a bit late or come running to the sound of my voice. Finally got her in but took a little while. Some of the young alpacas were mildly amused and 'Snowy' who was born early Feb came and rubbed noses with me, so cute!

I guess the chook helped me add a few steps to my pedometer. I bought one(a pedometer, not a chook) after work last Thursday. On Friday I did 7455 steps, though had thought I might have done more at work. On Saturday I increased this to 9574 steps. This was boosted by going into town for part of the day. I needed to buy gifts for the new baby, Alexis and also for eldest daughter who has a birthday next Tuesday. I went to Artery to buy some supplies for one of my classes (must remember to claim the money back). All I did for me was buy a black sparkly headband and get a lip and brow wax. I usually do that myself but now and then go to a salon. I stopped in at Just Cuts, your basic kind of hairsalon and they told me for a wash and blowdry they would charge me $55. My hairdressing salon is in Sandy Bay and they only charge me $35 when I have that done, in preference to doing it myself. On principle I decided against having it done ..cost me nothing today to do it at home. One imagines their price has to be high enough to cover the increasing rents in the city shopping area. A Number of shops have closed down because of rising rents.

As for today's steps am only on around 3420 steps so far and have been rather lazy though I did take one of my dogs (Angus, the spoodle) for a walk up and around the road near our place this arvo.

Carlton won the footy against Port by around 26 points..yippee :)

bye bye :)

Some more pics with Angie Pangie..miss ya babe

Feb, March and April 2010

2010-05-03T17:38:00.017+10:00

Slack! Yes, I have been slack and I have been doing too much facebooking and not spending time writing here on my blog but have been keeping up with the blogs I enjoy reading.

Here I am once again and I will try and keep to more regular writing from now on:) Pic here is of three girls (Mum Carlotta and her 2 daughters, Chiquitta and Missy) on their way to their new home: to a very lovely couple at Ferntree, here in Tasmania.

The good news: Travel
We have booked and paid a deposit for a holiday in August/September. I have taken the last three weeks of the term off from work plus will have the two weeks school holidays so five weeks all up. The only down side is I get back just before I have to go back to work and wont have the last week of the school holidays to plan for the next term so I will need to be super organised in advance.

Kim and I are going to Dubai, the UK and Thailand. In Dubai a highlight will be a dinner in the desert, whilst in the UK we are booked onto an 8 day Trafalgar tour and in Thailand lots of relaxation I hope. I haven't been to any of these places, aside from London itself. This year I work four days a week but today I did a relief today to add to the trip piggy bank.

Whilst away we will have house sitters here. We found them using this site Aussie House sitters where we placed an ad and waited for replies. We have chatted and emailed each other and the retired couple from QLD will be house sitting for us and caring for our animals.

Other Good News
My nephew Brian and his partner Robyn have become first time parents of a beautiful little girl they called Alexis Ann. New Grandparents Roger and Sharon are thrilled. Sharon is a skilled seamstress so I can just imagine the wardrobe full she will make for Alexis! Pity they all live in Sydney so I have yet to see baby in the flesh. I did see her before she was born : ultrasounnd pics on facebook!

The Dogs Home celebrated their 60th year in operation. The good news is they organised a celebratory event at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens where dogs were allowed on leashes to help celebrate. This is the first and only time dogs have been allowed in the hallowed grounds of our gardens. Our dogs enjoyed it and Kali, who is a dog's home dog was given a special royal blue ribbon to wear on the day!

Here are some pics of fun times babysitting the grandchildren : Jasmine and little sister Lily. These are the daughters of my eldest girl Melanie. Jasmine is now in grade two this year and enjoys going to dance class on Saturday mornings. She also loves scrapbooking and cooking with me and helping to collect the eggs!

New Alpaca Babies (cria)

Very excited when our boy (male sire)Gunnamatta Iceman, affectionately called Icey became a father. He has produced a Gunnamatta baby (Gunnamatta breeders called her Icemaiden) and we couldn't wait for some SerenityView babies!
Feb 10Th saw the arrival of SerenityView Snowy, a solid white little boy.(His sire Iceman is a solid white boy) The only difficulty was his mother Duchess (light fawn) wouldn't feed him and so late in the day on which he was born we were running around trying to get hold of colostrum. Like a human baby alpacas need this first milk for their health and well being. Also had to get a milk supplement to feed Snowy for a couple of days. Thankfully, Duchess' hormones kicked in and she began to feed which was a great relief.

On the following day Feb 11th more excitement followed with another 2 alpacas giving birth to healthy cria. Valentino, a gorgeous little brown boy was born to Minuet (dark brown) and a female I named Sienna was born to Felicity. I was pleased for Felicity as she lost her last baby, a female I named April as she was born on April 30th. April passed away at three months of age and I have always made sure we don't have babies born in the cooler months now.

Our last cria for the season was born in the first week of march and she is a solid white girl I named Princess (her dam is named Queenie) This is Queenie's second cria. Her first was a beautiful boy Lewis. He was solid white and had fine fleece (low micron). We had him entered in the show in his age group as well as his first fleece which I had kept from the previous year. Sadly, two weeks before the show Lewis was brutally mauled and killed by wandering dogs. You can imagine how devastating this was for us and how it unnerved our alpacas. His fleece from the previous year which was at the Royal Hobart Show 2009 won first in his division and Best Light Fawn at show. We remember Lewis with love and pride.

Gardening:
Over Easter we cleared out this area which had a lot of overgrown very woody lavenders. Not sure what to put in there now so any suggestions? Possibly manferns perhaps? Now that the cooler weather is here there is not much in the veg patch, only spinach, lettuce and the very last of the zucchini as well as some cabbage.

Good Times

Night out with friends Rog and Thel which included an excellent meal with perfect service (and believe me this is rare in Hobart) at Mures Upperdeck on the waterfront. We then stopped in at the New Sydney Hotel and ended the evening at the Queens Head in Nth Hobart.

An evening with the girls at The Boathouse Restaurant on a recent Friday night was very pleasant. The girls (no not my chooks or my daughters LOL) but a group of ladies who all had children together in same classes at a primary school in past years. The food was excellent though the drinks service was on the slow side. Was nice to catch up despite feeling rather tired on a friday after work. A number of the women are retired now though.

As far as eating out goes I love it. I alos love dinner parties at home. I am a big MasterChef fan. I have the book and last week lined up waiting for Julie (Master Chef winner 2009) to sign her cookbook Our Family Table. Julie is delightful and a very down to earth person and it was a pleasure to meet her.

Sayonara for now :)

Holidays , Vegetables and Alpacas

2010-01-26T21:48:00.024+11:00

Here are some Christmas photos taken in the entrance foyer at my house. My two granddaughters, Lily and Jasmine particularly enjoyed the day. For 2009 we tried something different as a money saving venture and
to make a contribution to cutting back on the commercialisaton of the festive season! Us, our three children and their three partners each drew out a name, luckily no-one drew out their own name. We had a limit of $80 to buy for that person, however, each couple bought for Lily and Jas. I got my son-in-law Luke and as he likes the Twilight series I bought him the board game and a Coles-Myergift voucher. My husband Kim was very happy to get our son, Peter. He is always borrowing Kim's fishing rod so needless to say Kim bought Peter his own rod,reel and tackle box! Kathryn,Peter's partner gave me a gorgeous mask as I have a small collection of Venetian masks and I absolutely loved the Pandora bead which is of a dangling shoe. Hubby still gave me a gift: Chanel perfume set and a Pandora snowman bead. Krystal(younger daughter) was wearing her gorgeous red shoes which she had bought recently in London. They do fit me and are oh, so comfortable! Wonder if I can 'borrow' them, as she does mine. Melanie also has the same shoe size but prefers not to wear high heels so I guess most of her shoes are safe from being borrowed. Recently she gave me a couple very nice pairs as she found they were a little high for her.

The most exciting thing that happened on Christmas Day was the birth of a female cria. Cria is the word for a baby alpaca. Had to call her Mary of course! Our herd is SerenityView so her full name is SerenityView Mary. She was born in the morning. Other alpacas were huddled around her dam (mother) Claudia. Straightaway one knows the herd is welcoming a new member! Claudia is a solid blue/black female and the sire(father)is medium grey as I wanted to see what colour we might get. Mary is black with white face, very sturdy and looking very nice indeed!

The other alpaca pics are of Poppy on a halter. She was recently sold to a very nice couple who have quite a few acres in the Huon Valley region of Tasmania. Before you ask..yes,it is not easy to sell them. We can only keep so many and we have several babies due so need to sell others. The buyers already own other alpacas, otherwise I would not have sold only one to them. Alpacas are herd animals and one is not a herd. They can pine away and die without another to keep them company!

I have also put up a pic of my light sussex chickens. Here in Aus we refer to them as chooks. Australians love slang and shortening words. Aahh..now there is another blog post topic I will discuss shortly. My daughter Krystal recently came back from Hamo by the way. Hamo= Hamilton Island which is off the Queensland coast. I digress, back to chooks! The light sussex were incubated by me with my Animal Studies Option class at school mid October in 09. Unfortunately, we are unable to keep animals on site at school (my work place)

Also pictured are zucchini plants and potatoes. One only needs a plant unless you have a big household full who all love zucchini! I eat them and so does Kathryn (son's partner)but that is it so if someone visits they are not allowed out the door unless they take some zucchini. Actually, little Lily who was one last August, eats them also,whereas Jasmine (aged 7) avoids all vegetables, aside from potato. Lets hope that changes as she gets older. I like them steamed or cooked on the barbecue with salt, pepper and garlic..yummo!

You must agree though,there is nothing like fresh vegetables picked from one's own garden. I have also been picking cucumber, lettuce, spinach and potatoes. I have had a few strawberries and am waiting on tomatoes.

My holidays from teaching are drawing to a close and I return to work on Friday 5th Feb. I am working four days a week this year and therefore will have Mondays off. Monday 8th is a public holiday, here in Hobart, for the Hobart Regatta(yacht racing etc) as well as the Hobart Cup (horseracing). I have 'worked' at home though with alpacas which included catching up on paperwork, matings and halter training. There was also housecleaning, doing a really good cleanup! I have done some babysitting of my granddaughters (and no, I still cant believe I am old enough to be called Nana!)
Had a lovely day in Swansea, on the east coast of Tasmania with friends for lunch and managed to get sunburnt. Then there was a great party put on by Ian and Rose, English born friends of ours who live on 3000acres here in Tasmania, having moved from England some years ago. Ian and Rose run "Twin Lakes".

Went to a wedding and am sharing some pics here. Wedding was on January 23rd, a lovely summer day. Friends, Peter and Amanda were married at the Hobart Botanical Gardens, whilst the reception was held at The Old Woolstore. They then honeymooned in New Zealand.

Today is Australia Day. It is a public holiday and people celebrate in various ways,often with friends and a bbq. The problem is of course it is also the day our forefathers invaded the land so perhaps another day may be more suitable to celebrate our unity as Australians, in order for all people, including Aborignal people to feel as one and that they have something to celebrate.

We used to go to Swansea for quite some years and join in with others who had an onsite van at the caravan park for a barbie! (we sold ours in June08) The past couple of years we have gone to friends for a pool party. This year we took it quietly, went for a drive and took our dogs for walk around the historic township of New Norfolk. We then called in to visit friends who live there. They run a local accommodation business called The Shingles. It is a beautiful spot beside the river.

Adieu

Just to say...

2010-01-11T16:39:00.002+11:00

Yes, I am still around. Will be back here shortly , especially to share pics of new baby alpaca born on Christmas Day!

Expected high 30's here today, so very hot. Have just hosed down the alpacas and they loved it! Also fresh cold water in ducks pen and in they jumped!

In Brief

2009-12-12T23:43:00.004+11:00

Went to the Grade Ten Leavers dinner held at Wrest Point Casino on Wednesday evening. These students were in grade seven when I began at my current workplace. Four years has passed quickly.

I have one week to go at work and then holidays!

My daughter Krystal arrived back from her three week overseas trip yesterday. Luke picked her up from airport and his car broke down on way to our place. We towed the car off the highway. She had left her car at our place so...

Krystal came home with the flu and today I have a runny nose and sore throat, which is NOT the kind of gift I would have liked. She has to go back to work on Monday and is off to Melbourne for work on Wed for a few days. Might be too soon back on a plane for her!

Today I picked baby carrots from my veggie garden and the first zucchini of this season. I moved my light sussex chickens who are a couple of months old now to a new pen as they have been sharing with barnevelders hatched at the same time. Silly things cuddled up together in the outer part of the pen tonight. I thought they might do that so there I was moving them all and tucking them up in their bed!

Daughter Melanie called round this arvo with her 2 girls. Couldnt cuddle little Lily who is now walking quite a bit (she was one on Aug 25th) or Jasmine as my throat is sore and dont wish to pass bugs to them. Kim went to collect a ute load of hay and ended up doing 2 loads but at $2.50 a bale..quite a bargain and appears to be good quality and just been baled.

Going to bed..
Night :

Hottubs and other stuff...

2009-12-05T19:27:00.005+11:00

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Christmas is shortly to be upon us. Another year has flown by. This morning I woke up feeling very sore in the neck and shoulder region so got in the hot tub. Lovely, but the reason I am sharing this is I took a cup of milo with me and the mug said 'I survived Y2K at work'. This was nine years ago now..and so Kim and I talked about that year when he worked New Years. This was because as a computer network expert he was needed in case all hell broke loose. We all know of course, that nothing happened. I usually have a glass of red in the hot tub but then that would be later in the day or evening. I love the hottub! it is good for aches and pains, alone time, couple time, invite friends in for a dip, glass of wine and chat..

Spent some time in the garden today..it is looking good. We went Campania way with the ute to pick up a load of lucerne hay for the alpacas. The chap was on for a chat, one of those people you meet and wonder why you cant meet someone like that socially. He had good conversation skills and some interesting stories, ranging from the neighbours to driving the Hume Highway. Had to stop at the lolly shop (very naughty!)at the historic town of Richmond, on the way home to unload and stack the hay. We again spoke about the past. This time it was when we nearly bought a house in Richmond. One of the reasons we didn't was because it seemed to me like too far to drive at the time, which now, I know, it is not far at all! The other reason was younger daughter told me she would leave home then and there and would so not live at Richmond. Realistically, she would eventually leave home (which she has) and make her own choices but...and it was on acres and I wasn't ready to move from my then Sandy Bay home. Of course, I eventually did to where I now reside. The Richmond place was not on town water and I cant imagine how costly it would have been last year with such a bad drought. Luckily, this has changed and what was once dry dust and dirt has turned into lush pastures.

After hay stacking we did some mating.(no, not us, the alpacas)The stud males of which we have 2 have been getting a little toey lately and needed to 'work'. Put Iceman(white stud male) over a girl who is having trouble retaining a pregnancy. I bought her for a pretty penny, she has fine fleece which appealed and a lovely gentle nature..the deal was for her to be pregnant...so she came pregnant but she didn't hold it. We have then since mated her with our boy and she didn't hold that either so now trying for third time lucky. Her name is Bantiarna which literally means 'wife of a lord'. Heraldo got to do his job with one girl and the other one spat off. When an alpaca is pregnant she has no further interest in a male. She confirms her pregnancy by spitting at him and refusing to cush (sit) for him to do the deed. I must say Iceman has a nice way, gently playing and nuzzling beforehand whilst Heraldo goes in and it is wham, bam, thank you mam. For the human species this would not be looked upon kindly but in the alpaca world it makes him a very clever boy!

Pic of Krystal leaving from our place bound for Hobart airport and London.

Pic taken by me on a damp day in lucerne, Switzerland (when on Mt Pilatus, 2007)

Last night whilst I was playing scrabble online I received a text message and was so thrilled! It was from my younger daughter Krystal saying the bus was driving into Switzerland and it was snowing!! She is on a contikki tour and will be meeting up with her best girlfriend in Paris soon. Both girls flew to London together and did sightseeing and shopping there. Kat headed off on her tour which included Spain so she could visit family there so Krystal decided to fly over to visit Dublin, Ireland and then back to London and off on a contikki tour. I admire them for choosing to do their own thing and following their dreams. Some of my friends don't approve as they feel that as she is a young married woman she should be at home (and most likely having babies)but he didn't want to go and she did. She had already saved the money.

One of my friends asked how would I feel if my son's partner did the same thing..surely I wouldn't want her leaving him to travel off overseas. Well,if she wanted to do that..she is not joined at the hip with my son and any love will survive, if it is meant to do so. My son's partner is a go with the flow girl, whatever Peter wants really..so I would like to see her more assertive and move out of her comfort zone. She is a great girl..they have been together since they were 15, kids at school. They now live together in the house they bought, are 26, have good jobs, 2 cats and 1 dog! Actually Katheryn turned 26 and the day after, a Saturday, was planning a BBQ to celebrate. I got a call asking for a 'megafavour' to make an egg and potato salad as the BBQ was cancelled due to torrential rain. I suggested as it was a bit cool she may like something hot. Kathryn only eats fish or veggies, so a pescatarian and therefore I made a vegetarian lasagna. Easy to make and very yummy, using spinach (from my garden) mushrooms and tomatoes. I also made an egg and bacon quiche for others to have and as my husband eats that and not lasagna. Kim doesn't eat pasta at all...doesn't know what he is missing! Son Peter asked for my chocolate self saucing pudding recipe...I took the hint and made that as well. I enjoyed doing some cooking and despite the rain,we enjoyed our evening at their place. Though of course Krystal was missing..overseas is a good excuse..and Luke was at work.

I made the lasagna again recently to feed the troops when we had the alpacas shorn recently. This time I added extra spinach and mushrooms and this definitely improved the taste. It is good to see meat eating people eating a vegetarian dish. I also made the same quiche as mentioned above, a salmon mornay and an irish stew in the slow cooker. Shearing went well with the help of Maree (we helped at her shearing as well)along with Roger who helped us last year for the first time and friend John who hadnt done it before but was a great help, espeically when lifting alpacas onto the shearing table. Aside from shearing we also gave them a pedicure, and vitamins and worming as well. That day ended with a dip in the hottub and a very nice glass of red. Ahhh the hot tub...why am I here when I can be in it!
Must dash!!!! out to the hottub :)

Show Circuit 2009 and Latest Chick Pics

2009-11-15T20:13:00.018+11:00

The chicks are now four weeks old. I have them in a hutch that I move around each day. When the nights get somewhat warmer I will split them across 2 pens but for now they need to snuggle up at night. I will take some individual pics soon of some of them.

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Well, one has to boast a little. It has been an exciting, though tiring show circuit and we actually only went to three shows! We took Iceman (stud male) and three little boys, Lord Liquorice, Cocoa and White Pepper to all three shows and when going to Ulverstone Show we took an extra, Vanilla Spice, affectionately referred to as Spicie. Ribbons and trophies have been placed on the pool table till we work out where we want to place them.

The first show was The Royal Hobart and the Tasmanian map trophy was won there for Supreme Huacaya Fleece: entered fleece from previous shearing from Iceman and he won first in his age group (blue ribbon), overall best white(broad ribbon) and then from all the winners he was placed as Supreme (broad ribbon plus trophy. We have not entered fleece before so that was very exciting. Icey also won a blue ribbon for first in his age group and then broad ribbon for Best Mature Male at the Royal Hobart. What a clever boy! Also, in the fleece we entered the previous year's shorn fleece and his very first and only fleece of our little boy, Lewis. Lewis was killed by a dog attack(2 dogs wandering..not ours) around a month before the show. He had also been entered as he was a quality boy. I guess we have something to remember him by as he won a blue ribbon for first in the light fawn and then he won the broad ribbon for Best Light Fawn Fleece of show. We also picked up 2 seconds and a 3rd for the little boys at the show.
Footnote: Boys who are wethered are often sold to protect sheep and poultry from fox and dog attacks and do so very well, especially on the mainland. Unfortunately, I had Lewis in with 2 other young boys and no older one so they had no real protection. We now bring them up at night to paddocks close to the back of house which is a pain but we can sleep better and these are dog proof. I do not hold the dogs responsible. Dogs wandering form a pack and attack with that type of mentality. They may have been playing and it got out of hand. A neighbour down the road who has goats said he had chased an alsation and a terrier cross away that same night as they were bothering his goat and he heard them. It appears they then came to us.

Also at the show three of my Animal Study students from school entered the Junior Alpaca Handling section and picked up thirds in their respective age groups. This was also exciting and they did very well considering their limited experience. We were alo interviewed by the Tasmanian Country newspaper and appeared on the front page with interview and colour picture of myself and Kim, along with the three students and 2 of our alpacas. It was a positive outcome over two days at the show.

The following weekend we were off to the Ulverstone Show, taking our friend Maree and her 2 animals as well as ours. This meant a very early wakeup and heading off around 4.15am! We made it in good time and had our animals penned and ready for inspection before showing began. The weather was fantastic and I love the ambience of the country show in Ulverstone. The Huon Pine alpaca trophy in pic is a perpetual one started last year. We were somewhat surprised to win it this year for Supreme Champion Alpaca at the show with SerenityView White Pepper. He is a lovely boy but had thought Iceman was up for it. Iceman ended up with a ribbon and Reserve Champion in his section but Pepper won first, then Best Intermediate Male and then overall Champion of them all on the day so very exciting. Lord Liquorice got a 3rd ribbon with a second for Cocoa. Spicie ended up with a broad ribbon for Reserve Champion for Intermediate Female alpaca. Maree also took ribbons home, a first for one and a second for the other. Maree's website is http://www.marenikobunnies.com/
and her recent claim to fame is a first for her beautiful Angora rabbit at the Royal Hobart Show!

The Huon Show was on yesterday. We got 2 seconds and a third with the little boys and with Iceman we were very pleased to win first plus broad ribbon and trophy (the sasafras one) for Best Mature Male at show. While I was there I enjoyed looking at the dogs and finding out how the showing is done. A lovely lady called Alison was looking at the alpacas with her dog, a Bernese Mountain Dog. I fell in love instantly on the spot. I want one!!!!! Here I am pictured with Kiera.

Well that is it for now. Will try and get another instalment done in next few days so I can share my birthday and so on...
Until next time..live well, laugh long and take care :)

Help needed with breeds of chicks.

2009-10-18T17:46:00.012+11:00

Been so busy and in my spare time instead of blogging I have been playing online scrabble, something new I saw on facebook recently. I have new chicks hatched. I bought fertile eggs , 12 light sussex and 12 barnevalders from one person and 18 bantam frizzles and 6 welsummers from another. (2 eggs were broken on arrival) Am pretty sure these are the light sussex chicks on the right(pale yellow fluffballs) What about the ones above? I believe so far I have 9 light sussex, 4 black frizzles and then there are 5 light gold chicks with little dark bits on them plus there are 6 multi coloured brown chicks. Any help appreciated please. I have not had any of these breeds before.

I incubated these at work (school) for students to learn about. I used my Brinsea auto which fits 24 eggs and ended up buying a hexbator which is manual. It was reasonably priced and seems to work well. I did come in one morning and found the lid off the auto incubator and the eggs were cold so the hatch rate has been poor from that one. On friday 6 chicks had hatched at work. By that evening I had 8 and Saturday morning saw 22!!

Will update more later on: including
dog attack /death of an alpaca
getting ready for the shows with alpacas
school excursion
daughter's travels (both girls)
Jas and Lily oh and scrapbooking..and vegie plantings

bye M x

Ponderings on Life

2009-09-16T06:48:00.010+10:00

Finshed writing this and had no pics so here is one which is my desktop background at the moment. I regularly change them. This one was taken by a relative, either Roger or Sharon D when they visited from NSW last year. The alpacas were recently shorn and how was this, getting these ones all lined up. From left to right is our white stud male Iceman,)more affectionately known as Icey) Gustavo, a pet wether (Gussie), Titan , a guardian wether and Heraldo, grey stud male. Please note: if wishing to use pictures please ask for permssion first.

As I write this, I am yawning. I ask myself, why am I awake when I am on holidays and am not really a morning person? I actually enjoy it if I am up early and doing things with my animals when the weather is good , but I do find it hard to get up. Oh yes, I know why I am awake, because my other half has been SNORING HIS HEAD OFF! I have been awake listening to it, or more to the point, trying not to listen to it and after a couple hours, thought I may as well get up. Thankfully, it is not a regular occurrence.

Hopefully, I wont be feeling too tired as my friend Maree is coming round later and we are going to Richmond for a stroll and lunch. Ann, friend and work colleague will also be popping round later in the day for coffee. Let's do a quick run down of the week starting with eggs!

From Monday Sept 7 through to last Sunday Sept 13 the egg total was

28 eggs: from my 5 Isa brown girls and 2 white leghorns.

(Used to have more but they have gone on to chooky heaven and the same can be said for my silkies as well)

2 eggs: from 3 silkie girls (they haven't been laying much for awhile)

9 DUCK eggs: from my 2 Elizabeth ducks, Lizzie and Lucy!

The duck eggs has been exciting as this was the first week for eggs from them. They are a happy little recently acquired trio. On Tuesday Sept 8 I got the first duck egg, with another egg each for the following 2 days. Since then it has been 2 eggs each day. What good girls! I had never even tried duck eggs before! I made some biscuits with them. Jasmine, my grand daughter loved the biscuits and she has gotten to try duck eggs at a much younger age than I!

Friend Rose phoned and we shared our exciting news, my duck eggs and her spring buds on trees at her place! Simple things, you say but sometimes life is about appreciating the little things. Ha, my husband likes to joke about loving the simple things in life if I wear a red skirt similar to the one in the Special K ad on Television!!!

RIP for Patrick Swayze: Actor best know for Dirty Damcing and Ghost (Love both movies) who has passed awsy aged 57 from pancreatic cancer. he and his wife Lisa have been married for over 34 years which is impressive for celebrities.

Something unexpected happened this week. A long lost cousin of mine Elizabeth (formerly known as Deidree)contacted me on facebook. I only recently decided to include my maiden name for this exact purpose. Re the change of name, I have another cusin who did the same thing. Let's face it, we have our christian name all our lives, Someone gave it to us, but we own it. If we do not like something given to us, we may change or adjust it. Hence, changing to her middle name. I have another cousin whose given name was Mary. She changed it to her middle name of Christine.
Anyway, we got along just fine as kids and havent seen each other, losing contact when living in Sydney over 20 odd years ago. Elizabeth and her husband still live in Sydney. So we will pick up, where we left off :)

Had lunch on Monday with eldest daughter at The Metz in Sandy Bay. Easier when daughter works in town to pick her up and go somewhere not too far away. I had fish as per usual and she had a Thai beef salad. I don't eat meat , but 2 out of my 3 children do. I asked Laura from World in a pan for duck egg recipes. Thanks, if you are reading this Laura, though I only eat duck eggs, not ducks. I feel bad enough that I eat fish, but I do and I really enjoy it but have the guilt trip about eating a species. Sounds crazy I guess to people who don't understand it. As this was a Bon Voyage (she is off shortly overseas for 2 weeks) we both had afrogato for dessert, which normally we would not have. For those who do not know this is espresso coffee, ice cream and if you wish a shot of liqueur. I always have frangelico and she had kalua. Some places serve it together which I believe is the incorrect way. The Metz does it, as I like it, with each ingredient in an individual utensil. Then one can mix it or have it as you wish.

I have done some babysitting. Poor Lily had a cold but she still slept through the night and is such an easy baby. She recently turned one. We watched a kids movie on Saturday night with Jasmine and when she went to bed I read a book to her. The book had been given to my youngest girl on her 5th birthday. On grand final day this year, Sept 26th Krystal will be 25! Don't the years fly by! In the flea market ( $100 and under free ads in Monday's Mercury newspaper) this week I found a playpen and baby high chair quite cheaply. The playpen is in excellent condition whereas the high chair is basic but will do for our needs. We already have a folding cot so are prepared grandparents. Gosh, I have to say no one did that for us. My family lived in NSW, so miles away and his parents (Mother is still alive and father passed away around 15 years ago or so now) were not the babysitting kind. "We have raised ours already, why would we want to" was the comment I recall.I can understand it, if it is all the time. I often see grandparents being constantly used, forgetting that if they, the parents are tired, well how do the grandparents feel? In many cases the grandparents are much older than me. Each to their own, though it was hard for us with no support. Maybe, that is why things worked as we only had each other to rely on. When the kids were little we were in a babysitting club which worked well. Hours would be in credit or debit accoridng to how much sitting one had done or used. We had to use it if we both wanted to go to parent teach interviews together. In those days we certainly couldn't afford to go out much.

Anyway, we do not have the grandchildren that much and we are not used.

Decided to add in these pics, hey having Jas around means she and I can both play in the cubby house! In fact my daughter is very considerate and hates to ask. I have said , ask away. If I can, I will and if not , I will say so. Mind you since we moved to 'the farm' I am not as social as I used to be..too busy with work , alpacas and chickens!!! Then, we have our own babies, the dogs! Angus suffers separation anxiety. He and Kali were thrilled to go out for a car ride yesterday and help run some errands. We sold our car, an io pajero as we had bought a larger four wheel drive in order to tow. I will miss the little io as it was great to zip round town and had nothing wrong with it. banked the money, cancelled insurance, blah blah!

Speaking of insurance we are waiting for the hot house. We got a quote from a local chap for insurance rather than the mainland one the company had told us about. Try and support small local business when we can. The imsurance company are going to speak to them and see about ordering it for us. I do hope the next gale force winds don't blow this one down. It has also put me behind on my seedling raising. Lost most of what I had planted.

Must go..this is a bit dull with no pictures!!!
Ciao

Life and Ducks

2009-09-09T18:11:00.020+10:00

****NEWSFLASH**** I now have Ducks!!!!

Today is one of those days where you count your blessings and wonder why life deals a raw hand to some. I went to the funeral this afternoon of a woman who has been battling ovarian cancer. I don't know her, only through what her son has said, as I am one of his high school teachers. He is a lovely boy, though very shy and often overwhelmed by class mates who are loud and boisterous. His primary school aged sister spoke at the funeral...seems like a beautiful family who should not have to suffer so. It certainly made me think about my own children and how blessed I am to see them grow up. I do hope this mum is in a place where she can watch over her family from above. I am sure she is. Life is so short, make the most of it.

I am on 2 weeks holiday, end of term 2. Unlike other Australian states Tassie still has 3 terms, whereas other states have four. I share an office with three colleagues, 2 were on flights to the mainland and another to the United States last Friday after work. Me, well I had drinks with some other work colleagues which isn't something I do very often. I may be able to rattle on here, and can be the life of a party, but there are times when I feel really uncomfortable in a group of people. Work(socially, not work relationships)tends to be one of those places, however on this occasion I enjoyed chatting and getting to know others better. It was a mad rush though afterwards to get home, feed animals and head out. Went to friends for a drink and nibbles and then off to Segretos, in North Hobart. Every time I have been there the meal has been good and I was not let down, In fact, it was just perfect, very enjoyable as was the company of good friends, Marion and Tony. Dessert was back at their place as Marion had made sticky date pudding,one of Tony's favourites for his birthday. Lovely way to start the holiday break!

I do have exciting news! I have ducks:) A couple of weekends ago I went to the rare breeds poultry show at the Hobart poultry shed at the showgrounds. The following day I went back for the auction. Wow, it was impressive! Very well supported, especially by mainland breeders and backyard enthusiasts.(for those who don't know:people who live in the island state of Tasmania refer to the rest of Australia as the mainland and people who live there as mainlanders). Great birds there but 3 Elizabeth ducks took my eye. Dr Harry had some great ducks in the auction but as I am new at ducks, they looked way too big for me to start with! The Elizabeth ducks are a trio of 2 ducklings and 1 drakling. They are quite pretty! My dear darling husband had told me not to come home with ducks(they make a mess etc etc) as I had been talking about them for awhile. Ha, once upon a time maybe but not now. I figure if ducks is something I want to try, then try I will and if I don't like it there are plenty of loving homes for them elsewhere. I also remind him he was the one who wanted land and so what can I say? Just call me Mrs McDonald!

I did bid on some chooks but the prices on some were more than I wanted to pay and I had set a limit, so just got my trio of ducks. I have named them Levi, Lizzie and Lucy. I am pleased to report that yesterday I got the first egg. Got another one today which is a better shaped egg! I need a better nesting area for them. I have asked Kim , using some existing structure ,to make a duck enclosure with pond. 30Th wedding anniversary is on the horizon and so he cant really refuse! He is quite the handyman. Keep posted for details on that when it happens.

We had high winds last week (Tuesday) and the result was my hothouse is no more and we lost several trees. Picture of intact structure was in April this year and then end of August shows what is left which Kim strapped to avoid any more flying debris. Once I got home from work I helped him dismantle and move what was left of the hothouse. The insurance company have been out to assess and I will update when I hear from them. I had only planted seeds in the last week or 2 prior to losing the hothouse. The seeds that were saved are in the shed and some of the lettuce are sprouting.

What else? well one afternoon we went for a walk round Lauderdale canal. Lauderdale is a suburb on the eastern shore of Hobart. We took the dogs for a walk and saw ducks on the canal and really enjoyed the peace and serenity.

August saw cupcake day, a fundraising day for the RSPCA. I made some cupcakes (they really look better than the picture)! Made about five and a half dozen all up and I really enjoyed it. Didnt enjoy the cleaning up side though :(

Recently took Angus, our spoodle child to Dogs Business in Sandy Bay for grooming as he had gotten way out of control and looke dlike he had dreadlocks. See the before and after pictures. Mind you, the girl put ribbons in his ears but we took them out after this pic! Well, he didnt mind, but he is a boy! Also shown before grooming is Angus having a cuddle with Kali (terrier cross adopted from Dogs home.

Lily turned one in August. We had a family dinner at our place (Nana and Poppy) gee I am not even that old..but makes me feel old:)! Trouble was Lily had eaten a bit of this and a bit of that and then had a bottle and up it all came, like a torrent. Yes, you guessed it, of course it was all over Nana! She felt much better after that! (Lily is the younger of 2 girls..her mum is Melanie, my eldest)

Fathers Day on Sunday was at son Peter's place which was great cos we didnt have any cooking or cleaning to do! Well I took over an egg and potato salad and something for the bbq. Kathryn, my son's lovely partner of ten years (since they were 15) gave me yummy treats for the chooks! Our dogs came also so they could play with Chloe, Peter and kathryn's 'baby' who is a gorgeous purebred golden labrador. They also have Willow (white) and Giles (brown) cats who are brother and sister.

The night before we met with friends for a great meal and also talked about our upcoming 30th wedding anniversary party which some friends are helping to organise.
Younger daughter Krystal has made and organised all the party invites! Good news there as she has a new job and starts next week. She is nearly finished her business degree and has been working at an accountancy firm. She is now moving on to work for a large travel agency. She is off to Melbourne for training to start with and she is looking forward to the new challenge.

Yesterday Rog and Thel came over to talk more about the party as they are helping with organsing and cooking. When they arrrived I had just finished cleaning out the ducks pen and as it was wet and muddy I was dressed accordingly, not the best look :) Anyway we made plans and had a great afternoon. The party is going to be so much more than the wedding (5 people at a registry office, ahh will tell it another time,,,)
Ciao

Escaping into other worlds: JOY of BOOKS

2009-08-12T18:27:00.006+10:00

Yesterday after I finished work we took the dogs for a walk in Bellerive, a beachside suburb on the eastern shore of Hobart. We parked the car at the beach and walked around the nearby streets. It was too cool and breezy to walk directly along the beach. I enjoyed it as much as the dogs, Angus and Kali. Unfortunately, with wet weather today the dogs missed out. I was in too much of a rush to get home and help Kim put the alpacas into sheds for the night. We rarely do that but as it has been wet of late with a sheep graziers alert and wind expected it is best to be safe than sorry. Alpacas can get chilled if they dont dry out as unlike sheep they do not have lanolin in their fleece.

I have just finished reading 2 very different books. Finally..got time toread orshould I say, made the time. I found Year of Wonders written by Geraldine Brooks fascinating. It was recommended to me by our school librarian. It isnt what I would normally read and it is quite some time since I read any historical fiction. I also do not tend to read books that make me feel sad. For instance I get distressed if I read stories of people or animals being mistreated or just very tragic events. When I read I put myself there as a bystander and I have such a good imagination I can envisage the scenes before me as the books unfolds. Believe me, I am there.

This book is set during the time of the plague in a village in England. Despite the bleakness there were rays of light and illumination at times. I also learnt a few things. It was obvious that a sennight was measuring of time but I had not heard of it. Turns out a sennight is the seven phases of the moon, so in essence one week. The term fell into disuse with the word week being easier to use. I didnt know that. I appreciate learning new things, even something so small. The more I learn , the more I realise how little I know. Where does it matter in the scheme of things...it just fascinates me. Do you know what a purl is and I am not referring to a style of knitting or a ewer or a brank? The same author has written another book I have read called Nine Parts of Desire which is about Islamic women. I bought that book and read it some tme ago but didnt click it was by the same author till today. Duh! Year of Wonders was borrowed but because I was fascinated by it I may need to consider buying it.

The other book I have recently read is Seven Seasons in Aurukun. I read an article on it in The Sunday Tasmanian (The Mercury newspaper) and so, as it took my fancy, bought the book. It is about teaching in a remote aborginal community in far north Queensland. As a teacher I thought it would be interesting to read. Nothing really surprised me in the book but I admire those who try to make a difference and despair at how much work still needs to be done. Alcohol seems to be such a problem and the issue of hungry dogs roaming the street keep poppping into my mind. The excursion into the bush was successful because kids love hands on practical opportunities. When I read that I felt so limited with what I can offer, especially for my Animal Studies classes, due to finances.

Actually, while I think of it another book I loved reading is called The Historian written by Elizabeth Kostova. One could call it an Historical thriller. Want to know mroe then read about it at Wikipedia but do not read too much if you are interested as it gives away the entire story! Same for Year of Wonders I so wish I could time travel, on the other hand, why on earth would I want to travel to a village beset with the plague.

Anyway, nice to have finally been able to escape into a book. TIme..time,...need more time...
Ciao

Where did July go?

2009-08-10T18:47:00.014+10:00

Been spending too much time on work. Now reports are done and parent teacher interviews are over and this week it is exams for the senior students. Then there will be marking the exams and count down to a 2 week holiday break before the last term of the year. Then there is Facebook, which at times, I get on, read what friends/family are doing and play a word challenge game. So, sadly I have neglected my blog. I have just spent some time catching up on the blogs of others..

Now to mine: The pictures shown were taken on Saturday afternoon on my mobile phone in a suburb called Lindisfarne which is on the eastern shore of Hobart. The weather was balmy, well I was wearing jeans and boots but NO coat so it was balmy and I was happy! I suggested to my other half that a walk with the dogs would be in order. They get taken to different areas, though get excited if going in a direction they have gotten to know. We decided on walking around this area which we havent done with the dogs before. They were in heaven, all those new smells! I felt happy seeing the blossoms and look forward to spring being on its way. Winter with snow on the mountain is pretty and there are great fashions to wear ( I have some nice selections of boots and coats in particular) but I am NOT a winter girl. I prefer the warm sun on my skin, gives a spring to my step and a smile on my face. Walking past one house I spied 2 ducks, one of which was making a nice little nest in the sun. Across the road is Lindisfarne Bay which is where the ducks are usually!

After returning with the dogs eldest daughter dropped in with her 2 little ones for a short visit. Whilst Mel had a coffee , Jasmine was out playing in the cubby and Lily who is nearly one showed us how mobile she now is!

Saturday night we went out to dinner to Waxed, a nice restaurant in Gregory St, Sandy Bay. Caught up with some friends,..,at one stage we all had vans onsite at Swansea, on the East Coast of Tasmania. Things changed, as they do, but the memories I will always cherish of great times in Swansea with friends, some past, some still present and one special one who has passed away. Glad we went out, have been getting into the habit this winter of staying in and watching Rock Wizz on SBS and then Foyle's War on the ABC. Taped Foyle's war, still have that to watch.

What else since I last wrote
I flew over to the mainland and went to a PINK concert. She was amazing...would turn gay for her ;) She is quite an entertainer. I went to the concert with my sister Monika and her daughter Zoe.

Monika took me into her favourite vintage store. She had some great buys from there including a gorgeous black fake fur coat. There in the window on a mannequin was the most amazing cream coloured long coat. I dont have to tell you I bought it. I was told the lady who brought it in had been a dancer, was getting on in years etc and had brought in some really amazing one off pieces. Whether that is true or not I like it:) Monika and I felt like a million dollars sitting in our coats on the train travelling across the city! It doesnt sound like a big deal but it was for me, a really good experience. We did not grow up together, in fact we grew up on opposite sides of the world for the best part of our chilhood and young adulthood. Has only been in recent years we have bridged the gap. Anyway,I have since worn the coat when on duty at lunch time on the oval and after I assured students I would never wear animal fur one asked me was I a millionaire as I looked like one! I said the coat makes me feel good and I was imagining I was walking along the street in Paris instead of being at work! Last time I wore the coat was Saturday night out at dinner, as mentioned above. Best $150 ever spent! Whilst visiting Monika,I enjoyed seeing her portfolio of work. She is a talented artist and has sketched/painted some of my alpacas.

Speaking of Vintage stores I have also visited the one I frequent in South Hobart. Mary is thinking of changing the name of the store from Merrylands to Boho in Soho My eye was drawn to a mannequin dressed in a very bohemian style dress with short jacket over the top. I bought them and have been referred to as a gypsy girl when wearing the outift. I bring in the waist with a wide band. Will take a pic sometime.

Also took 2 alpacas we sold to a lovely family in Launceston. We sold katrine who is pregnant to Heraldo, our grey boy, and her female cria born earlier this year whom we named White Socks. We need to at least halve our herd. They travelled up well and have joined a family who have a few alpacas already as pets. The couple have six children aged from 17 to 5 and I know Katrine and White Socks will enjoy their life with them. The photos show them leaving in our alpaca trailer then after arrival in Launceston. After chatting with the new owners and waving goodbye to our babies, well theirs now, we went around the street and had lunch with friends, Ray and Yvonne. It was a pleasant afternoon and I enjoyed some of Ray's tales and checking out all the beautiful birds that Yvonne keeps, not to mention the lovely lunch.

These are pics of a recently built alpaca shelter. The alpaca in shot is known as Gus or Gussie though his official name is Morning Star Gustavo. Morning Star is the herd prefix of his breeders and they named him Gustavo. He is a wether and one of the first alpacas we bought. He is kept as a pet and is in with another wether and one of our male sires.

We went out for Kim's birthday which is a tradition with some friends of ours, though we were sorry to miss Maree's big birthday bash which was on the same night and must catch up with her soon. On the Sunday we had a lunch/afternoon tea at home with our kids and their partners.

Am now in the process of organising a big wedding anniversary bash in October. Sent Krystal (youngest daughter) the list on excel and she is going to write them up and get them out which is great, otherwise it might never happen. We were at her place yesterday as Kim did his usual dad thing and hung her new wooden blinds in their loungeroom. She and Luke were then off to choose a nice rug for their floor to set the room off which looks great after they have painted it.

Son Peter has been very ill. First it was a pneumothorax (spelling?) which caused a lot of chest pain for him. As it cleared he got a chest infection and this was followed by more pain and sore throat etc. He had two weeks sick leave then had to take a week of annual leave. Who wants to take annual leave and be so sick? Also had the worry of waiting for results on a lump in his neck but thankfully it was all gland related. At least the doctor was taking no chances. He is back at work this week but it will take some time for him to feel 100%.

Lost a black silky hen yesterday, she was getting old but had a happy life. I am about to go and check th eothr one that was in with her and make sure she is ok.
Ciao

I need more TIME

2009-07-11T17:56:00.006+10:00

It has been awhile! Time flies by, events happen and I want to get on here and blog but then something else happens or as is the case at the moment, I have been too busy writing reports for work.

Last night I was at work proofreading class teacher reports so I didnt leave till around 5.15pm, along with friend and work colleague Chris. We had planned to go out for a bite to eat but as we arrived back at her place and her son was cooking, we stayed in for a meal. He is one great cook! He works at a restaurant called Segrettos in North Hobart. His food was excellent and I didnt have to pay for it! After a couple glasses of red Chris and I headed to the backspace theatre to support one of our fellow teachers (dance and drama) who is quite a theatrical expert. He has been involved with production and direction of several plays and shows. This one he directed was called The Christian Brothers. Whilst it was not really my cup of tea and brought back some memories which belong in the past, I appreciated the work and effort that had gone into it. Chris then came back to my place for coffee and more chat. A very pleasant evening indeed!

I had an interesting experience this morning. I went 'tracking'in the bush with an expert. We werent far from the city but I felt like I was in a different world. Birds called and they were identified for me, scats were seen and I was told from what animal they came from..it never ceases to amaze me how little I know and how much information we all can share with each other.

Last week I met Tony, introduced to me as TC by a couple of my grade ten Animal Study students. He met the Principal, had a chat with me..quite a long chat... and his knowledge of wildlife just blows me away. The downside, well there isnt one aside from the fact the man is a Collingwood supporter. I have several good friends..another chap also named Tony , John Y, Ralph, my son's girl Kathryn,..and they are all Collingwood supporters. For those who do not know AFL (Aussie Rules Football)is what I am talking about and my team Carlton are arch rivals of Collingwood!

I really enjoyed the trek. We found frogs but being in the depths of winter there were no snakes in sight. We found evidence of devils, echnidas, wallabies, possums and skinks. Trek went for about three hours and then Tony visited my place. I am going to organise an invitation only for students to visit. A group of girls are interested in learning how to halter train alpacas so they can do that, others can enjoy the opportunity to see a variety of animals, including wild rabbits, native hens, wallabies and eastern rosellas. Will also be doing an inventory of what can be found on the land at my place. Tony saw evidence of Bettongs in the bush section, which I was unaware of.

He is currently involved in setting up a Wildlife Centre and is offering 2 of my students a traineeship. These boys are passionate about it and their knowledge is quite good. One of them is not suited to mainstream schooling and has some issues, yet in my class he enjoys the subject and behaviour is not an issue. Maybe this is because I treat him, as I treat all people I meet, with respect. It is clearly returned and yet he continually fails to have success in some other classes. I have had difficulties with students also and sometimes no matter how hard one tries we cant all be successful. Two girls, a couple of years ago in their final week of high school came and said goodbye to me. They told me they liked me because I treated them like real people. My reply to them was "Well, you are real people." I have to say, it makes one think though, doesnt it? It is a tough job teaching and not everyone is suited to it. Like everyone else I am still learning, as we all do, every day. Then, there are some, who do not want to listen to others, to look at how it could be done a different way, because at the end of the day teaching is one heck of a role and we need to be open to learning too. Why? Teachers are the facilitators and it is our job to engage a student in wanting to learn. A good start is the proverb
A harsh word stirs up anger, a soft word turns away wrath. Encouragement, praise and above all, respect. We cant teach it, if we dont model it. Well, that's my opionion anyway.

Last weekend I had some friends over, good party, good fun. Down side: A friend leant on my dining table which is marble topped and the table snapped right across. Our insurance company would have covered it, if it was made from glass or wood but nope, you guessed it, NOT marble because of its natural flaws. So the table remains propped up with two stools and books holding up the broken end. It has also put pressure on the other end and that is cracking. It remains to be seen as to what can be done about it.

Weekend before I went out on the Saturday and did a spot of shopping and met up with my girls. Sunday we visited friends for afternoon tea and admired their part finished kitchen reno. I made date and lemon scones; recipe fromm master chef website.

Previous to that was placing the cubby house bought at an auction. it is adorable and Jasmine and I enjoyed playing in it.

Other news: Hot tub, only recently purchased has got a leak so the part is being replaced. I really miss not being able to de stress in it. They were supposed to ring about it yesterday, but of course that didnt happen. Hopefully, wont have to wait too long.

Krystal did very well in her uni exams and is about to hit the town to celebrate!

I won the footy tipping at work last week. Still waiting for my winnings, all of five bucks! I have won before and am second on the ladder at this stage.

Last week I went out for dinner with five other girls for a birthday.We have been meeting for birthdays for quite some time.Usually it is afternoon tea out but for a special birthday we go to a restaurant. Mind you, every birthday should be special! We all had kids at primary school in the same class. I might add I am the youngest in the group! Went to an Indian place which is not my favourite by any means. I dont eat a lot of spicy food but I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the meal. I also enjoyed listening to Rae share her recent exploits on holiday to South America. She then informs me she ate alpaca and it was quite nice, a cross she said between beef and lamb. She also went to one place in Peru where one could enter a room full of guinea pigs and choose which one you would like to eat. All I could think about was the guinea pigs we have with my Animal Study classes and how much the kids love them. The mother Ruby had six babies. Three have gone to their homes with another one going on Tuesday. I am keeping Ruby and a little female guinea pig Jasmine named Lucy. We have one baby guinea pig to find a home for as well as the dad, named Jaffa.

Ciao

Cooking and Produce

2009-06-08T20:15:00.012+10:00

Today I made the yummiest pumpkin soup ever! Click for the recipe I left out
the onion. I find in some dishes it doesn't pose a problem and in others I get an upset tummy and cant be too far away from the bathroom (yep, I know , too much information!!!) I wish I could work out how to know when I can use onion and when I cant in recipes. One assumes some ingredients will offset the acidity but these days I just avoid onion most of the time. The recipe is so simple and I have to say it was delicious due to the pumpkin used. I grew it in our garden so need I say more! I have several more pumpkins and my next recipe to try is Roasted Pumpkin and Spinach Risotto I also have spinach growing in my garden!

I am a fan of Master Chef and I believe it has revived an interest for me in cooking, actually for both of us. A blog I love has also revived interest in cooking for me..check out A World in a Pan which is well worth reading, recipes aside.

On Friday I spent a good part of the day with my younger daughter who is unwell. On the way home I rang Kim suggesting I pick up something at a favourite Italian pizza and pasta place (Napoletana in Bellerive) Hubby informed me as it had been pouring rain and he could not work outside he had been cooking. He had homemade chicken soup, curried scallop mornay (which Kim put into pie pastry bases but no lid,,using a piemaker) .and had also made some jam drop biscuits. Wow, how about that! This was just as well because friend Roger rang and suggested he and Thel might pop in for a drink and a bite to eat,,,they had some vegetarian quiche with them and some wine! Turned into a lovely evening all round.

On Sunday I popped round to visit younger daughter and see how she was and also had a coffee with my son and his partner before heading back home. While I was gone, Kim made a bench I had asked for to put in the green house using items we had. So great to be able to reuse and recycle! I was able to put some of my indoor plants that are looking a bit sad on it plus am growing some succulents which one can do from using their leaves.

On the opposite side I have planted mini broccoli and mini cauliflower: have never grown the mini variety before. I think they are looking pretty good! It is handy in the greenhouse to have one section to plant veggies etc and then use the rest for pots. Still learning as so new at all of this(any suggestions for what I can grow in the greenhouse would be most welcome.) Kim, of course, was the handyman who made the bed for me and erected the greenhouse. A previous post elsewhere talks about the greenhouse and why I bought it. Came from ebay and quite a lot cheaper than any other place. Kim did have to reinforce parts of it as we nearly lost some of the sheets when we had strong winds. He also added the door latch as the door used to come ajar due to wind. I didn't want to see wallabies getting in there or the chooks when they are free ranging and having a field day with my plants!

The outdoor veg garden has only got several varieties of lettuce and silverbeet/spinach growing in it at the moment. Look forward to spring when one can put in more veggies. Kim doesn't even eat spinach..I love it and so do my chooks!
Ciao

Guinea Pigs and Wine

2009-06-01T18:46:00.011+10:00

I apologise for the underlining and highlighting of part of this text. Cant seem to fix it..any suggestions?

What do Guinea pigs (cavies) and wine have in common? Well, nothing but I enjoyed a visit to a winery and six baby guinea pigs were born on the same day!

I finished work on Friday, end of term one in Tasmania, for a 2 week break. I started off with a positive lesson using the lyrics of Caught Up In the Crowd which won the International Songwriters competition for Kate Miller-Heidke. She is the first Australian to win this award and her lyrics may help students at school think about how they treat others. We had morning tea at recess for staff as part of the cancer Council fundraiser The Biggest Morning Tea. I just made it towards the end but I was meant to be elsewhere. A student, who has a family member with cancer, wanted to talk. His eyes filled with tears, I was fighting mine back and wanted to give him a hug but I couldnt. All those Bast***s out there who do the wrong thing have made it very difficult to show compassion as a human being would, by giving someone who needs it, a hug. Had I been in a crowded hallway or in an area with other teachers and people about I would have done so but as I was in an empty classroom and all the other students had left I couldnt, in case someone might think the wrong thing. I find it very difficult, in fact impossible to forgive someone who takes advantage of a child. It also makes my job harder.

Anyway, that is not what I started to write about..I digress which as bloggers know, is very easily done! I am on holidays, did I mention that? Saturday was a very quiet one. It rained on and off and was rather cool. I did one thing and that was rip out an old pumpkin vine and weed the remainder of the veggie patch.

Sunday, our dear friends Marion and Tony, arrived over and we headed off to Richmond for lunch. We went to Ashmores as Marion had a voucher from The Entertainment Book to use there. The place has changed since I was there last and has some impressive artwork on the walls. Marion had a mushroom, spinach and parmesan risotto and I wish I had it also. I sampled hers and it was delicious! I wish I could say the same for the fish which the three of us had. For just under $20 it was overpriced. I got 2 very tiny pieces of fish that were heavily battered. The chips were fine..I dont tend to eat many chips anyway. Marion ordered a slice of date and zucchini cake and it looked very nice and quite a generous slice on the plate. She and Tony struggled to share it. I sat back sipping a nice cup of tea (pleased to say it was made with real tea leaves, not a bag). Unfortunately, the oily batter had left me feeling a bit yuck so the tea settled my tummy. Maybe I am too used to the very lightly battered fish I always have at The Metz (Sandy Bay). It is always spot on.

Once leaving Ashmores, Marion and I were sorry we didnt have time to browse the quaint shops in Richmond. We know the boys were happy we didnt have the time! Tony drove to Stefano Lubiano's winery in Granton. I was surprised by the lack of ambience on approach to the cellar door but obviously that is not a priority for the owners. Everyone knows how good their wine is and most of their sales are via distributors, which include overseas markets. Sunday was the last day before closing for part of the winter. It certainly was a tad chilly in the shed! We enjoyed a look at the workings of the winery and the subsequent tastings. Kim and I bought three bottles, two of the primavera pinot noir which is a very smooth red plus one bottle of alfresco which and I quote "Alfresco is an exciting new style of riesling that I have pioneered using pristine Tasmanian fruit grow in in our vineyard. Drawing inspiration from the famous Moscato wines from Italy..." We also bought 2 wine glasses. M and T did the same , purchasing a pair of glasses and half a dozen bottles. Think we will all be back next summer for another tasting! Perhaps we should aim to check out as many Tasmanian wineries as we can!

It was then back to our place for coffee and afternoon tea. No, we didnt open any wine! The talk kept coming back to a favourite topic of mine, holidays to faraway places. We plan to help Tony celebrate a big birthday next year, hopefully in London or Paris. Better start saving those pennies now!

Once M and T headed off Kim and I were off outside to feed and 'put animals to bed'. The light fails early as winter draws in. I checked Ruby, the female guinea pig and found she had given birth to six babies, all happy and healthy! The guinea pigs were given to me by a friend of a student at work. She came in and did a presentation on her guinea pigs during an Animal Studies class and as she had too many gave me Ruby and a male named Jaffa. I really wanted to keep them at work but couldnt so home they came. Kim was not too impressed but he learns to live with it! He has the respsonsibility of checking re dry food and water in the mornings when I am going to work as I have enough trouble getting up for work as it is when the weather gets cooler. I do chop up fresh food for them which they enjoy and need for their health requirements. When Ruby was obviously pregnant I moved Jaffa to a different hutch so she would have peace. I believe it is best to keep same sex pairs together unless the male has been desexed. For anyone reading this who knows about guinea pigs feel free to offer any advice/comments. Was thinking of offering for adoption to students but maybe I might keep one or two. Not sure as yet....

Today I slept in instead of getting up for work so that was pleasant! Had some visitors who are considering buying some alpacas and sold my blue pekin pair. They have gone to a real chook lover so they will be fine and Hamish, a show winning rooster, will be able to make some babies as he is now with a young keen breeder. I will miss him and his mate Harriet (Henrietta died earlier this year) but will be kept informed as to how they go.

These pics were taken in October 2008 of the pekins.
Ciao

Books and Dogs

2009-05-18T18:55:00.006+10:00

Saturday May 16 was cold and wet and one of those days where one lazes around. In the end I went to town and bought 2 books. These ones were bought at Fullers Bookstore which has comfortable seats if one wishes to read a little as well as a cafe upstairs. I was not sure what I wanted but these are what I ended up with. Thought I should read Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father as he is the name on everyone's lips and it looks interesting. As for the other one books on houses, decorating and changing things interest me and it was on sale!

Son Peter and his fiancee Kathryn were suppposed to arrive back after a week holidaying in Brisbane. It seems Virgin notified them via a home phone and email but as they were not at home and did not check email they did not receive notification of flight change. Their flight was moved to an earlier time so as you can imagine they were upset when discovering they had missed that flight and were unable to get on another one bound for Hobart or which had a connecting flight through Melbourne until the following day.

We had Chloe, their 2 year old 'baby' golden labrador. She is a sweetie but boy can she shed and bark! She barks if she knows you are there and she is not with you (in the house or elsewhere on the property). She also sleeps on their bed so had to sleep on ours (believe me she has stayed over before for a couple of days and she will not sleep eslewhere because she will bark hereself hoarse! It took two days of sleeplessness before Chloe (lab) and our Angus (spoodle) worked out where they would sleep on the bed that suited everyone! Much and all as I love Chloe it was nice to see them arrive back to collect her. She and my Kali (terrier cross adopted from dogs home)got on very well together so no doubt Chloe missed her on returning home.

Peter and Kathryn enjoyed their Brisbane visit staying with Kathryn's brother. They spent time at places like Movie World and tried out local restaurants. Chloe enjoyed her week holidaying with us! Will put up a pic of me trying to take them all for a walk!!!!

Today is my eldest girl's birthday. As it is my day off(have every second Monday off) I am taking her to lunch at The Metz in Sandy Bay. We both enjoy going there though hard to leave as I usually have to drop Mel back at work. Bought her 2 pandora beads, one with a green bead and the other her star sign taurus, plus some money in a card. These birthdays come round too quickly! Jasmine (Mel's 6yr old) and I have been doing a scrapbook together so am sure Mel will love that. Next weekend I am babysitting the girls for Mel as she and friends are going to a concert and so I will keep the girls overnight. The next day Mel will pick them up and stay for lunch. The others will join us to celebrate her birthday then.

For F***'s Sake!

2009-05-11T16:52:00.007+10:00

The above is a comment from a student made to me this afternoon. Whilst this isnt the first time it has been said I am purely and utterly over it! I am over the lack of respect shown. I understand as a professional that there are many with underlying problems and issues but I am tired of the lack of responsibility being taken for one's own actions. Am I wrong? Am I alone in this? Am I not understanding enough?

Believe me when I say I have tried. I am not agressive, I speak quietly,,,I do not like to embarrass students. I went and quietly spoke to this particular boy who is around the age of 15 and made a reasonable request. He tends to constantly prevent those around him from working. Today he was coloring his student planner with a thick black marker and somehow managed to make a racket in the process. His reply was the above when asked to refrain from doing this and try to make an effort with his work. Work..err he does not know the meaning of that word! I tried various approaches with him last year. At the end of the year I suggested that he would be best to be in another class, away from certain students. So ..surprise..he gets put into another class..yep mine again!

Now I like a challenge but I dont think I can crack this one. They say you can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink. During the rest of the week we have National Testing. This kid wont do so well. At the end of the day I still get paid. I wonder what he will end up doing for a living? Somewhere though I have to draw a line. I cant keep worrying about it and yet I feel like I should be able to make a difference. I guess I should accept the fact I cant do this with every student. There also is no reason why he cant at least show some respect, and if he does not have any, at least pretend! There were some other boys being disrespectful as well but it seems to be par for the course these days. Why? Manners are not old fashioned but seem to be seen as such of late.

Ok, enough! Saturday I went to an Adult Ed course on First Response in the caring of injured and orphaned wildlife. Was quite interesting and the information was very comprehensive. Turned out the person taking the course is a parent of a girl I teach at work so talk about a small world. Met my older daughter afterwards, had a bite to eat and did a spot of shopping. I got the most comfortable shoes for work made by air flex. Mel paid the rest of the money for her overseas trip which is happening later the year. I am excited for her! Mel also bought me a lovely warm R.M. Williams long sleeve jumper for Mothers Day.

Mothers Day: Will write about that next time,
Ciao

For the love of France

2009-04-26T17:02:00.009+10:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to a hair appointment. I was a bit early so went for a walk. I ask you, was this a bad or good move? A shop was closing nearby and the flavour of interest with me at the present moment is anything French. So I bought the 2 French books, one on French women and the other on various homes and families in France. Would be an interesting experience to live there or maybe it is a case of the grass is greener perhaps? I never would, too far away from my children and little grand daughters. I enjoy reading Laura's Cooking Blog as well as The Paris Apartment and then for something really different the blog, Travelling but not in love It is written by a chap who is gay and living in Paris ..I quite enjoy the way he writes. I also like to read From Here to Eternity This is by the lady who has started out life again, left the UK and living in France on 27 acres. I quite admire her (she also has alpacas!) and wonder if I could do that..on my own,,,probably not.

Back to one of the books ; Parisiennes A Celebration of French Women
The Chapters are Love, Motherhood, Appetite , Work and Play , Out and About , Rebellion , (did you know it took till 1944 for French Women to get the right to vote? Australian women 1901 (earlier in South Aus) and American Women in 1920) Elegance and Flirtation Pictures are in black and white and amongst the pictures and blocks of text can be found comments that make one (well me anyway) think. Maybe, I think too much at times?

My favourite pastime is letting time pass, having the time, taking my time, wasting my time, living out of time-against the current.

(Francoise Sagan, Reponses)

I need to remind myself to waste some time, to take my time etc. My husband has said that he thinks blogging is a total waste of time.He is, of course, entitled to his opinion..each to their own. Right now, this minute, I am enjoying 'wasting my time'. I havent enjoyed much of late. I have had an incredibly difficult week, so difficult that it was a case of one foot in front of the other, after all what choice do I have? People and Animals depend on me. I am not ready to discuss this further, people dont understand...some people do. A friend of mine picked it up on Friday but then he understands perfectly, one has to experience it.

Another quote from the book

Take Chocolate: it will make the most evil company seem pleasant.

Marquise De Sevigne

Now this is oh, so true! No more needs to be said! I am a lover of chocolate...

Coco Chanel said

I dont understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little, if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny. And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny.

I looked like I was ready for a day in the garden last friday or at least, ready to clean the house..instead there I was out in public. Ms Beautiful Shoes, a colleague at my work is always, always, always a style icon. I think Coco Chanel would have been impressed. She wears tailored outfits of impeccable quality and the most beautiful shoes. Carrie Bradshaw eat your heart out! I must say I do believe I have style, when I feel inclined. Dressing up makes me feel good, too. There are those days though when it is just all too hard. I stand accused Coco. I will try to do better! A smart young relief teacher (younger version of Ms Beautiful Shoes) was in at work last week. Friday's shoes were stunning, matching her smile, and she was totally surprised that state school teachers were 'allowed' to wear jeans. Her previous permanent work was at a private school with work wear 'rules'. Mrs Organised did point out it was friday so ok for jeans! I do see teachers as role models but on some days it can alspo depend on the job. If one is moving boxes of gear and running up and down to the photocopier, inbetween duty on the oval (I once wore nice shoes that sunk into the damp grass as I walked when on oval duty,,Blunnies are so much better !)one really needs to consider what suits the day! I also remember numerous comments on my dress when I was doing relief. I enjoyed dressing up each day..the daily grind can change all that. Once again, I will have to keep in mind Coco Chanel's words. And on what we are allowed to wear: I was on a prac sharing duty with a teacher, who later became a friend, along with his wife. He is one of those men with grey/silver hair that looks dashing and has a conservative, yet smart style. I asked him about dress code because there is 'this girl at uni who has the brightest pink hair'. His answer was "that girl is my wife"! She and I went to Canberra with a group some years back, she has a real passion for life and I enjoy her company,,,not that I have seen much of her or many other people of late.

Another weekend is over! We got plenty of rain and the ground is nice and green and muddy...sold my four Rhode Island Red birds. They are excellent for breeding and showing but although I feel sorry to part with them I dont have the time for it..I sold them to people with 25 acres who will free range them and have promised the birds (2 pullets and 2 cockerals) the cockerals will not end up in a pot.

Lost a black silkie girl yesterday so that was a bit sad. Dont know why, one of her counterparts has had issues with her feet (scaly mite) so have treated them all. The one that was found passed away yesterday morning had appeared to be fine.

Good friend just phoned so nice to have a chat. Last night had my babies for the night. I asked for Jasmine and Lily as all quiet at our place and thought Mel might like to go out. Today took the dogs for a walk round the waterfront..they just love all the different smells and people and spots to sniff,,,and other dogs to talk to,,or bark at,,, Oh and I have lost some more weight lately though not actually trying to(believe me when I say that is rare, usually I only have to look at something yummy and it jumps onto my hips) and jeans are literally falling off me so went to purchase a pair. Not the cheap variety either, for the first time in my life I have paid over $100 for a pair of jeans , RM Williams so a good aussie style icon. They fit very well too but the store RM Williams section of Les Lees are going to have the hems put up for me. NO, I know slack but I dont sew.

Ciao

Easter Holiday Break

2009-04-15T20:57:00.016+10:00

Thursday night:
Kim and Angus (our dog child) were both unwell. I was so glad to have finished at work for the break. Mind you, I still had to bring home 'Irish", the animal studies class rat. I have had three students offer/take him out of three classes of around 25 students in each class. One girl(grade nine)was very annoyed with me and made rather abrupt comments when I suggested that Irish be a term project and move on to a good home by the next school holidays. The girl who was upset(more like angry with me) does not even offer to come and help clean his cage or bring him an apple core at lunch times. Irish comes home with me on weekends and breaks and stays at school during the week. I cut up some goodies for him to eat before I go to work during the week. When I get to work in the mornings I clean his cage and talk to him, feed and water him etc. I don't have enough time to spend with him and he needs some kind of stability. He has only had 2 weekends away from me. Today, I dropped him off to a student who is taking him till Saturday so that is a nice break for Irish and myself and a good learning experience for the particular student.
Irish is in this cage as it is easy for transporting. I also have a large glass aquarium that I have had him in here at home though the mess he makes in it is a real drag to clean. If I had the time he could be 'house trained' as rats are very intelligent. I also have 2 guinea pigs that are part of the animal studies course. Don't have to ask, do you? Yes, they live here at my place, after their initial visit at school. As my husband says, I should have asked the school first if I was able to keep them at school. As the answer was no but I had already said yes to the kids..I felt I had no choice. I will have to take a pic of them.
Here is a pic of the two remaining chicks I incubated at school. I love chookies and the equipment is all my own and so I brought my incubator full of eggs to school but was disappointed to only get three chickens, two silkies and one rhode island white. The idea was to use some rhode island whites and cross them with my show quality rhode island reds but as I only got one,,,,. One silkie was born with a splayed leg and I really tried to help him/her survive but the chick only managed a few days. I took the brooder in for the four days of last week so the students could see them etc and then took them , along with Irish home on Thursday after work. The chickens will now remain here at home as they grow in the brooder. I also have a lower wattage bulb in there now.

Good Friday:
All the children came to our house for a fish meal though Luke had chicken! (children being our eldest Melanie and her 2 daughters, Jasmine and Lily plus son Peter and his fiancee Kathryn and their dog child, Chloe a 2 yr old golden lab plus newly married youngest daughter Krystal and husband Luke) Was lovely having them all round the table and I forgot to take a picture! Kim said to me later when we were talking that I am a mother hen. I wanted to have more children but he drew the line at three. I wanted a huge family. I am one of those kids who loved watching The Waltons and the Aussie show The Sullivans (they had four kids raising them through World War Two era). I was often with people much older than me when growing up, and it wasnt a childhood I would want my children to deal with. Although this has helped me in the fact I have friends of all ages and backgrounds and am a very flexible person...shut up Michelle, this is getting too deep :)

Saturday:
Kim starting to improve. His face was partially swollen and he thinks he was bitten by a spider. Angus had a very sore mouth so took him to the vet and a piece of bone was removed which had caught up in his teeth on top of palate.
We had breakfast at The Dome Cafe in Sandy Bay. Dogs are welcome so we sat on the covered verandah and attached leads to rings provided in the brickwork. Later I went into town as Target had a sale on and I bought a portable cot for $59.95. It is very solid and will be handy to have here at home. I also picked up a jumpsuit for Lily on sale plus a few stickers for scrapbooking.
Later in the day Jasmine and Lily arrived over to stay the night. Mel had asked,if I wasn't busy, maybe a couple hours babysitting? As I haven't had the girls for some time and Lily was looking at me on Friday 'Who is this person?" I was keen to have them stay over. Lily went to sleep round 7-7.30ish and slept through till 6.30ish. Jasmine and I did some scrapbooking together inbetween watching the football. We wont discuss it as my team Carlton lost by only four points. There was some questionable umpiring decisions as well.

Jasmine and I spent some time in the hot tub which was fun. This is a relatively new purchase. Mem (see post sept 2008 when she passed away) left me a small sum in her will. We put it on the mortgage (equity manager account we run) but in the end thought I would buy something with it...hence the greenhouse which she would really have approved of as she had a green thumb...and the hot tub.I guess I could say she bought Zanthe (my new doll, see previous entry)as well. Not sure what she would think of the spa purchase. It has pretty lights at night which look really good. We use the water when we empty it for the garden. This is fine as we don't use chemicals because I break out in a nasty rash. Therefore, we do need to clean and fill the hot tub more often because we do not use chemicals in it however I don't consider we are wasting water. We don't have it switched on all the time so we consider the energy we use. I do find it very relaxing! Yes, it does have a cover that is lockable. It is off for the picture!

Sunday:
Fairly quiet. I was feeling a bit down. I sometimes miss having family living at home. It was also strange not having anything on Easter Sunday. For quite a few years we used to go to the caravan we had in the park at Swansea on the East Coast of Tasmania. We don't have that any longer, though of course can still visit there. In fact as I write I know weather permitting we will be going there for the day this coming Friday and having lunch with friends, Marion and Tony at their van. Today we took our dogs for a walk. It was along the car yards strip so Kim had a wander, though they were closed and I was not particularly interested. The dogs loved their walk! We detoured on the way home to stop in and say hi to son Peter and his girl Kathryn.

Easter Monday: Today we went to Sorell market,not that I picked up much. Supported the district school raffle. We weren't gone that long, the dogs naturally behaved like we had been gone for days when we returned. One isn't allowed to take them into the markets and I don't like to leave them in the car for too long.

Tuesday and Wednesday: Tuesday morning we spent working outside. Kim was cleaning up paca poo while I swept out chook pens etc and fiddled in the veg garden. We went to a funeral at 2.30pm. My friend and work colleague has had to watch her mother in law slowly deteriorate over the past few months. Her husband Warren is very close to his mum so it has been a stressful time for them. Sadly Deb sent me a text on Saturday to advise that Lois had passed away. The funeral was very nice and the picture montage showed an incredibly smart and fashionable lady who lived a good life, helping with the red cross and raising two lovely children. She and her husband who pre deceased her ten years ago were married for forty five years so that is something to celebrate, so rare these days! The cremation was to be private so after the funeral everyone moved into an adjoining room where a very nice spread was served. I gather Lois would have liked it as she was very much into cooking and decorating the table. Kim said afterwards that he was thinking he should write down what he wants for his own funeral. Let's hope that is way down the track somewhere. Friend Maree had phoned to see if I would be home later in the day, she arrived just as we got back from the funeral so was lovely catching up with her. Maree also breeds alpacas which is how I met her(she has been mentioned in earlier posts) and has angora rabbits. She has kindly shared her expertise and brought along some of her rabbits to my animal studies classes which were very much enjoyed by the students.

These pictures were taken when Maree came to the class. Pic on right shows Maree and one of her rabbits (what a beauty!) and the next one is of me 'learning'how to use a spinning wheel. I have one but the difference is Maree actually knows how to use hers! I might add this class room is in an area that is to be redeveloped later this year.

We also had a visit from the Guide Dogs. The pictured dogs, Felix and Oscar are NOT Guide Dogs but are Stacey's own and are public relations dogs. They are aged four and a half years and five years old. I have included a not so good pic of me(veins standing out, reckon I was tired)with one of our special visitors! I have better pictures but they have students in them so cant use them on here. At school on our intranet we have a folder for this subject and students (for whom permission is given to have photos taken) can check out the pics taken during this course. The intranet is only available for perusal when at school and for school people only. One has to be so careful to protect and keep safe these days. Anyway, I gave the students a quiz I devised on this topic and associated questions in general about dogs, most of them did very well! Guide Dogs began in Tasmania in 1956 and did you know that it costs $25,000 to train a dog but there is no government funding and so the Guide Dogs raise all their own funds and have some corporate sponsorship, from places like Aurora( electricity supplier here in Tas). Hey, I got an invite for friends of Aurora to join their footy tipping..guess who is currently second on the ladder out of 815 people. Has some great prizes for the end of the season :)

I just saw on TV that Midsommer murders is starting back on channel 2 later this week. For those who do not know it, it is set in a village in England. The local detective solves muders so I dont want to liv ein the Village but I love the architecture and history behind it.

Jasmine came over for tea and stayed last night and spent the day with me today. Lily went to daycare, Mel has to pay whether she goes or not. We did some scrapbooking last night, fed animals today (we had some rain this morning , so that was exciting too!!) and I took her to Eastlands for awhile. She picked herself a few things from Chickenfeed (equivalent of a $2 shop) plus a library bag bought at the post office. Nothing for me, unless you count cough lollies because I have developed a sore throat this afternoon.

I also want to mention that yesterday I went to the local butcher as suggested by people on Backyard Poultry and got some bandsaw dust.I might add for free. It looks much like fine mince and the chooks love it.For those who are puzzled it is the dust from the bandsaw that contains the bits of meat and bone etc and is waste from the butcher. I have issues with some things involving meat however I also love to recycle. Their trash is my chooks treasure! I also asked a lady on the forum some questions about how she cares for her chooks using organic methods. I was so pleased to receive , via email, very detailed information, so if you do find the time to read this, thanks so much to Judy M.

I left a profile and joined a pen pal swap and have recieved some letters in the mail. One was a lovely which included a postcard from Seattle and some stickers. I checked out the website and blog she has. We are both animal lovers and here is a link to her fur balls page : http://evergreenrefuge.org/furballs.html We have several things in common, including collecting teddy bears. Well, I dont have a huge collection, just a small one but when I get the chance will take some pictures and post them along with some stories. I have not been in there this year but love to look at the bears at The Teddy Bear Shop which is in the city. I have several I have bought from there. Hence, too dangerous to visit!

PS I love Obama's new dog Bo. The portuguese water dog looks a lot like my Angus (a spoodle)..that is the spaniel in both dogs. I LOVE DOGS!
a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qpKnbmGh-ss/SfbavqG4P2I/AAAAAAAAAcI/8CN5R3XqXj4/s1600-h/0417091629-01-01.jpg">

PS: Earlier happenings
Friday after Easter Kim and I went to Swansea for the day. We had a lovely day sitting in the sun with friends, Marion and Tony outside their van. Lunch was a fish barbecue and we enjoyed it whilst sipping wine. We were joined by Vickii and and her four month old son Cooper. Vickii is the daughter of Al who has a nearby van. His wife and her mum , Ange passed away from ovarian cancer (aged 46, just over 2 years ago) Ange would have loved the opportunity to hold Cooper but I am sure she watches over him from above. Pic (taken on mobile phone and into the sun) of Vic and her son and Kim (my other half). The dogs pictured are Smoky who is Vic's and my dog Kali. Smoky is getting on in years and is a lovely sweet natured dog.

The good thing is, on this day, I felt alive again. With close friends and our dog companions (there were five altogether as M and T had their 2 as well) and the sun shining brightly, with food and wine to share what more could one ask for? I also felt like I was able to have a break, because with our animals home to me often means work and then there is my place of work and I fnd time relaxing is something I once did in the past (lucky I get to blog which is a form of relaxation for me!)

Here are also a couple of pics taken earlier in the month. I met my eldest Melanie down at the Onyx Bar at the casino after work one day. She was there for business (very cleverbusiness woman, my Mel) and I had a drink admiring the view whilst waiting for her. It is a big improvement on the old sports bar. I enjoyed the view, water views always have been a provider of a feeling of peace for me.

Ciao

Updating!

2009-04-10T13:39:00.015+10:00

Greenhouse:

The greenhouse was bought via ebay. I did check out all the local places but the price was double, if not triple in some cases. This one arrived and Kim put it together. Since it has been put up we did have some heavy winds and so Kim screwed in extra screws in the base and extra bracing on the inside as at one stage we lost a sheet from it and were starting to panic. It has been fine since. One side as you can see has an inground bed. Got a load of veggie mix soil from Totally Organic and have planted mini cauliflower and broccoli in it. On the other side have moved 3 tomato plants in pots into the greenhouse as well as a capsicum plant and a couple of indoor plants that were looking the worse for wear. I havent had time to do anything really substantial at the moment but am looking forward to lots of produce eventually from both the greenhouse and the vegetable garden.

Railton (end of March)

One weekend we headed off to Railton first thing in the morning. Had never been there before. Railton is about three hours drive from Hobart.

Pictured are Bacardi and Robin Hood. The boys were wethered at the Kingston Animal Hospital and a week later delivered to their new owner, Kath in Railton. The boys are going to have a wonderful life with Kath and family. A new shelter had been built for them and some trees planted for extra shade. It is never easy saying farewell but as I only sell to good homes, one knows they will continue to have a happy Life. I have since heard from Kath and the boys have settled in well.

Latrobe:

After leaving Railton and saying a fond adieu to Bacardi and Robin Hood we headed to Latrobe. It has been a few years since we last visited and it certainly has grown. I LOVE Reliquaire it is a shop that goes and goes and goes. I suggest if you are making an enquiry it is better to contact via email as they find themsleves too busy to keep the website up to date. I bought Zanthe (the pictured doll). She was made by Jan McLean It was extravagant and very naughty but she is just so gorgeous. Can you imagine her in real life? I walked into one of the many rooms at Reliquaire and there she was! She stood out from the crowd. Last time we were in Reliquaire we bought some venetian masks and a small water fountain (which unfortunately broke when we moved last moved house) If you are into dolls, golf, betty boop, disney, science, glow in the dark, fancy dress, glamour gum boots...so you get the picture, there is something for everyone. NO, I dont personally know the owners , I just love their store. I must admit I am aware they are ex teachers and I am slighty envious of their dream come true, Reliquaire!

Off we went, heading back to Hobart. On arrival around 7ish it was a rush to feed and tend all the animals , shower, dress up and head off to a friend's big party bash. We arrived back home and fell into bed around 3ish! I was impressed with our stamina as it had been a big day!

Zanthe resides in 'the pool room'. It does have a pool table and is quite an eclectic style of room. We love to quote from the very Aussie movie, The Castle, if its special then it is off to the pool room! The painting on the wall is quite different. It is a love or hate type of painting. Friend Marion hates it and when we moved to this current home she was hoping it would end up in the shed! Friend Paul loves it and if we die has said he would be happy to have it!
I find the painting to be very thought provoking! (Just thinking I should add that we do have an alarm system ,,,...re art the way we spend, credit card gets a work out :) the art is the kids inheritance!) The Blues brothers were at one of the Harvey Norman Department stores. Kept our eye on them and was so excited when they had a sale due to moving stores and the boys went to half price so home they came! The red telephone box does have a real working phone inside though I have not plugged it in. I bought that in Sydney awhile back. Would love one of the full size old red telpehone boxes in the garden but they cost an arm and a leg if one ever does come on the market. There is a pile of games on the hearth. Battleships belongs to Kim and he has had it since childhood. We have all played it at one time or another. I have to say Dirty Minds has never been open, was given as a housewarming gift (when we moved into this current house)..same as Slam and Dare The basket of dried flowers was left here by the previous owners. Sonia and Frank had this house designed and built and then raised their three daughters here before selling to us and holidaying/working aorund the country. They are lovely people and visited here at Chrtistmas time when in the state to see their children. Um, what else? The cross/candle holders are from Portofino store here in Hobart. Bought themn when at our previous house. The mask/form on the wall was bought in Venice, Italy. Let me just pinch myself. Yes, I have really been there..such an amazing place! The Da Vinci code book was a past Mothers Day gift from my two daughters and the Thomas Hardy book I bought for myself. I enjoyed reading his novels and love the illustrations in this book. I LOVE books! (will have to do a blog entry on books at another time)

Have always loved art, though the first piece we ever bought was a print of tigers at the Sydney haymarket quite some years ago. We barely had enough money to survive in those days! I look back in fondness though because it was also a lot of fun in many ways. Am so glad our taste in art has developed since then! Mind you, still like pieces that are way out of our league. Art is not just paintings though, Zanthe is representative of art, as are our collection of masks etc. Art can be seen in many forms. I just wish I had the talent to be an artist. Pleased to say our children all love art, though their tastes vary. We introduced Krystal to Charles Billich and although we still do not own one, she does! She bought a limited edition sporting AFL print, unframed when she was 21 (cost her $1500 ) I wish I had her saving ability..she saved the money to pay for her car, deposit for a house etc. Krystal was married last December and is 24. Mind you, she was the last of our children we expected to get married. I still cannot get used to the fact that my baby is a Mrs!

Speaking of spending the other half wants a dual cab ute. Not sure we really need one, though he has got stuck in the paddock in our holden rodeo ute, single cab flat tray.

Had to take Angus to the vet today. He seemd to be troubled with a sore mouth on Thursday evening and it had not improved. Didnt take the vet long to move the offending piece of bone from his mouth. He was telling me what a well behaved dog Angus was and then Angus had to go and wee on the door to the surgery, something he would never do at home!

What a face! Cant help but love him :)

And Speaking of babies my little grand daughters are due to arrive any minute!

Ciao

Watch this space!

2009-04-01T19:18:00.004+11:00

I am back! Will write soon to update what has been happening:

This includes a new greenhouse: Just erected anbd quite a few other things!

New chick hatched today so that was exciting with some more piping!

Am going to spend some time with my other half now but will update soon.

ciao

I love Music (Draft I just found written early March)

2009-03-09T22:29:00.007+11:00

I had a great time today. We headed off to the Taste of the Huon at Ranelagh, deep in the heart of the Huon Valley. We followed the stream of traffic, parked with many others . paid our $6 each entry and walked in. The sun was out, the music was going with a great live band and there were plenty of people out enjoying themselves.

After looking at all the stalls I settled on buying from Cafe de Paris, or a similar name selling french style crepes. I have had a crepe purchased from a Paris stall on the street and this one was just as good. The crepe was as light as a feather. I hate heavy, stodgy food. One could choose from sweet or savoury. I also bought from the same stall, fritters with strawberries, cream and icecream to share with Kim. He cam eback with a roast chicken roll but said it was disappointing as was like supermarket chicken in a roll, so nothing special. We had a light cider each and enjoyed the music and the sun , not to mention the ambience. The only thing to have made it better would be the company of friends. However, we went with the plan of spending some quality time together so we managed to achieve this. I was really surprised not to see anyone I knew, apart from Kim's brother who had a stall there and is actually the Chairman of the organising committee. Having a last minute look we purchased good coffee and I bought four large succulents for my rockery out the back of the house. We stopped to call in to see Kim's mother and came away with huge carrots she had grown in her veg patch and some spinach. I only have new spinach in at the moment . much of which I share with the chookies!

Monday, today was a public holiday and with such good weather I hope everyone managed to extract the most from the day! Yesterday I met my grand daughter Jasmine and took her to see Hotel for Dogs, only to be told she had already seen it with her paternal grandmother. Oh we,, Jas didnt mind seeing it again and I LOVED this movie! Mind oyu, I wept a couple of times, for the kids who were unwanted in a foster home and for the beautiful dogs as well...go and see the movie or get the DVD when it comes out. I plan on buying it and will watch it with Kim,,and no doubt shed a tear all over again! I took Jas to KMart and bought her some new shoes and socks and then picked up her mum, my eldest girl, Melanie. Mel was doing overtime at work..we had a very late lunch at The Metz and totally enjoyed it.

One Heart One World Giveaway!

2009-02-12T20:43:00.002+11:00

This is now closed. It has been wonderful to have been part of it. I have enjoyed reading so many interesting blogs and I hope to keep up with a number of them.

I have just conducted my draw using a random generated number system. The winners are

1. http://thebellamodiste.blogspot.com/ From Florida, USA

2. http://jeanbernardv.blogspot.com/ Jean from Reno. USA

3.http://kathysfunnyfarm.blogspot.com/ Kathy from East Texas, USA

I have contacted all three so look forward to hearing from them in order to post off their goodies. If I dont hear within a week then I will redraw.

Thankyou to everyone who entered once again. I will take pics of what I have sent but wont post them on here until after the winners have received them!

Michelle

Back to work and a Family Visit

2009-02-11T20:05:00.013+11:00

The time has flown by and it has also been difficult to take one's mind from the heartache that is being suffered by those in Victoria, due to the bushfires.

I was back at work last Friday. Love Friday will be harder to write now that one is back at work but gives me the opportunity to look for positives. I hope that the positives will be easy to see and outweigh any negatives. The positive for Friday was Mrs Organised. This teacher is also a subject leader and ran the meeting like clockwork. I like it when a meeting achieves something. I walked away feeling like things were getting done. A down side is I now share a home group and I haven't had to have one for three years. This means taking them for a grade time lesson, dealing with issues and a grade meeting every second week...nnooooh not another meeting :(

Friday night my sister Monika and her daughter Zoe were arriving on Jetstar at 10.45pm. Monika advised me she had a call from the airline to say the flight was delayed. Yes, well it was nearly 2am by the time the flight got in. I showed her round the house as she hasn't been here before and then it was off to bed! (We didn't grow up together as when I was ten and she was eight we found out we had a different father to each other. Our mother who was married to her father (but not to mine...whom I have never met) divorced so Monika went to Austria with her Austrian born father where she grew up whilst I ended up with my great Aunt and Uncle. Monika is two years younger than I am. She is married to Jon, an Englishman she met on holiday and they now live in Melbourne and have a daughter, Zoe who will be 12 in April) Anyway, Jon was off on a golf weekend so she rang to see about visiting us. Even though we had a function (friend's BBQ birthday in Launceston on the Sat night) I didn't want to say no as it has been quite some time since we have seen each other.

Pic of Monika and Zoe at my place

Saturday morning was a lazy one and Kim kindly took care of both chook feeding and cleaning and alpacas whilst Monika and I looked at photos and talked, along with Zoe. My eldest girl, Melanie came over for awhile, along with her 2 little girls. Later in the day Kim dropped us off in town and we looked round at art and craft places. Monika is an artist. Zoe handled it well as she started to get bored but never really complained. We ended up for drinks and dessert for a late arvo tea at Maldinis at Salamanca Place. I guess it is our equivalent of The Rocks in Sydney.
We then walked round the waterfront and at 8pm (when entry was free) we went into the Wooden Boat Festival. Much of the displays were closed but food and drink was available for sale and a live band was very entertaining. We sat and ate and were joined by my son Peter and partner Kathryn. Later, we all had ice cream before Peter dropped us back home as Zoe was getting rather tired. She wasn't the only one!

Sunday we had a BBQ at lunch time with our kids. Three of them plus their partners as well as the two of us and Monika and Zoe makes ten, plus Jasmine and baby Lily so a small party! It was an opportunity for them to get to know Aunty Monika a little bit better, as well as for her to meet Luke, Krystal's husband (that is still so strange to say that.)The day before had been Luke's 27th birthday. Monika really enjoyed lunch . I made a pavlova (meringue) as Zoe had never tasted one. Monika doesn't really cook. Zoe, Monika and I along with the 2 dogs went for a long walk which was pleasant before returning home so we could take them to the airport. Although they do not have a dog and Monika thinks they wont get another one , she is very good at handling/training dogs. They had bought Zoe a golden retreiver some time back but when she was around 2 I think , they lost her. During the time of having their dog Monika had attended puppy school. The pet they have is a cockatiel named Billy.

Monday was a public holiday so was great to have another day at home. We actually headed out at lunch time and went for a drive down the Huon Valley. I had said to Kim that we needed to spend some quality time together that only involves us. This means not bringing the dogs as the tend to then take centre stage, thouygh we love them dealry. We stopped at Franklin and had lunch at The Creperie, which is where the above picture was taken of me standing at the front of it. They only had one picture on the wall and we instantly recognised it as being taken on the island of Burano , which is off Venice in Italy. The chap there is Italian and seemd pleased we knew of it though we pronounced it incorrectly. We enjoyed a browse in some antique shops before stopping in to visit Kim's mother and had afternoon tea with her.

Tuesday back at work and the weather was much cooler. By now we had all also been following the shocking tragedy of the bushfires in Victoria. Only grade sevens and new students were back today so aside from meetings I was able to do some planning as I am not teaching grade sevens.

It is now Friday as I complete writing this draft and I am exhausted! Wed began with housekeeping and organising lockers etc etc before classes began after recess. I started with a grade nine class , most of whom I taught last year. One of the boys we shall call Mr Jumping Jelly Bean was so good and tried really hard in class. When I commented to him when leaving class on his excellent behaviour and how he had obviously 'grown up' over the holidays he broke out in a smile from ear to ear!

I took two other classes, both in Animal Studies which are a mixed group of grades nine and ten who all picked the subject as an option. One class which has a hearing impaired student and an intellectually challenged student went very well. I had expected some issues, especially with an aide and an interpreter in the room as well but the class was terrific. The following one had a number of very chatty and " I am at school to be social only" students and there ended my day. Thursday was fine, though after having a grade time class I was exhausted, especially with dealing with boys and spitballs which I could have done without! Today was very busy but I got a lot done in my lines off. I met a grade 8 group for Society and History and the last lesson of the day was a grade 8 English class. (yes, I know my English is not always correct online but if I spent any more time here fixing up typos and writing in a formal manner I would be very unpopular with my other half!)I already spend too much tim eon the computer, whether it is blogging here or reaearching for work.

Having a core subject for the last lesson on a Friday is usually not the most pleasant prospect for the end of the week. I must say , so far so good! This is the second lesson with this class and despite being somewhat loud, I find them to be a great group of kids. They are eager , generally polite and make an effort to work to the best of their ability. I would have to say having that class to end the week could be part of the LOVE Fridays!! This Friday is also extra special just because I have next Monday off as I work a nine day fortnight! I am also happy as I have organised a guest for my animal study classes to do some presentations next week. I am looking forward to seeing the reactions to the information she provides them. More on that next week!

Kim picked me up after work as I had been too tired this morning to drive and had slept in! He wanted to go home via Eastlands Shopping Centre so while he went off to run errands I spent time in the bookstore. I was very disappointed to see it is closing down. I asked about it as I was concerned people are not reading enough. The chap told me that trade was doing well but their lease was due to be renewed and the owners of the Centre insisted they do a shop fittings upgrade and as that could be around $300,000 worth he decided against it. I was informed they will just be closing as he cannot afford the upgrade and it does not benefit them, only the centre owners. This is so disappointing but I benefited from the sale. I purchased a book on Dogs, one on animals which has the most amazing photography and another book on endangered animals and plants. I then had to run out of the store as it was too tempting!!! As these are resources I will use at school at least I can claim some of it on my tax.

Whilst in the store I ran into a delightful person who is an aideI work with at school. I advised her, as I am sure others have before me, to do a teaching degree as it was clear she would make a great teacher. She is now doing study part time whilst still working in education as an aide. Some people do a wonderful job as a teacher aide and it is a valued job. Having said that, it is what some are good at and is the position suitable to their qualifications and abilities. Sandra, although doing such a valued job, can offer so much more with her capabilities so I am glad she has decided to further her studies. Mind you, not that I told her, but I was about to pick up and buy a book on reptiles but she beat me to it! She was getting it for a reference at home as her son has an interest. I wanted it to use at school, especially as I have discovered a student, who has had some behaviour issues in the past is mad on reptiles and I thought it would encourage the student in their passion. The school library only has so much on those types of topics and from what I hear this particular student has exhausted their resources. Oh well, I really had spent enough already! On meeting Kim he had bought me a bunch of flowers as tomorrow is Valentines day! The flowers are three red roses and several pretty very deep pinkish coloured carnations.

I am so tired so should head off to bed. Kim is already in bed and my dog Angus is waiting patiently at my feet. Kali is already in bed and asleep.
Ciao

Fire and Flood

2009-02-08T19:30:00.003+11:00

I just wanted to extend my heartfelt sympathy, thoughts and prayers to those in Victoria who have lost loved ones, neighbours. beloved animals and /or property through the dreadful fires. The same sentiments are sent also to those in Queensland dealing with the extreme floods. It makes any problem we have at the moment pale into insignificance.

I also extend my thoughts to all Victorians and Queenslanders who , though not affected personally, are in pain because of the devastation caused to their fellow statespeople and their state.

France and Thankful Thursdays

2009-02-05T19:01:00.009+11:00

If you are looking for the One Heart One World giveaway please scroll down or else find it in my archive. Last post for January! Please note I am adding another separate gift, some alpaca fleece : skirted but that is it so you need to spin yourself! Decided to add it as some people had made comments about fleece.

I sat down to write here but ended up reading other blogs, specifically engrossed by some in France. I have often wondered what would it be like to live there, at least for awhile? I have been to Paris (love and adore this city) Nice, Cannes and explored a place called St Paul de Vence. I just loved it, small medieval type village. I could have just stayed there for quite some time.(I must take a pic and Put it up soon of a lovely choker on black velvet that I bought there.) One of the blogs is by Deborah who lives in France and has lost(as in died) some alpacas so I am hoping she finds out why and what can be done.

Today is my last day of holidays. Some of the things I have done include quite a bit of gardening, housecleaning, work with alpacas/chooks etc, some babysitting with grandchildren, Jasmine and Lily, socialising , fishing and plenty of blogging. Kim (my other half) got toast and coffee in bed ( i dont do that too often so he was happy) and also I dont eat breakfast.. around 9am so a pleasant and not too late sleep in. Chooks (fed, cleaned and watered) and alpacas were done feed bins topped up and water checked and animals) and then we went out. Re breakfast: I have never understood how people can wake up and be hungry as all my life, even as a child I never woke up hungry and had to be forced to eat something. On the other hand maybe I was put off breakfast as Mem (my great aunt who raised me) used to make me eat cornflakes that were soggy with hot milk. Some love it but me , YUCK! Mind you I tell kids at school, eat breakfast! I am more of a brunch person, that to me is the time to when I am ready to eat. Once work goes back I tend to have berooca for breakfast!

He was off to Bunnings whilst I went to run a few errands including sending an application at the post office for entry into a post graduate degree. It is a late application so depending on numbers already may be too late but thought I would still drop it in and see what happens. I had planned to slow down and did that by cutting back on my chooks and not breeding for buyers etc as I don't have the time and Kim has no interest in that. I also resigned regrettably from the Australian Alpaca Association Tasmanian Division committee although have offered some assistance when possible. Anyway ,the post grad course is a Graduate Certificate in Animal Studies. If I do get into it I have only applied to do one subject of 2 units for semester one. It is for students whose previous degrees do not include science.

I stopped at Medicare to collect money owed from a Dr bill I had paid. I have to have some physio done on my knee as the patella is not tracking back into place as it should. The lady serving me was dressed very smartly which is so nice to see and had some lovely pieces of jewellery on. I admired a bracelet and she informed me I was the second person to do so today. She also informed me it has been a secret Santa gift and she never did find out who gave it to her. Well, they have good taste! I also know that if someone makes a positive comment to me it makes my day so I try to do it when I can.

We did groceries and I try hard not to frown when he gets cigarettes. He started smoking in the navy (so cheap with no tax at the time) and then probably around early 30ish he gave up smoking the day he found out a chap he knew had lung cancer. Within a very short time frame, I think around 3 months or so the young chap was dead. He had been riddled with it, he had found the love of his life, bought land and life was then cut so short, so quickly. Kim didn't touch another cigarette for ten years. He also wanted to set a good example to the kids. Unfortunately he said he was stressed at work and took it up again. He promised when he left he would give up, well that will be 12months in March so I am still waiting. At the end of the day, it is his body and his choice. There is no smoking in cars or in the house so it is done outside. I digress, as per usual!

I headed off to have lunch with my friend, Marilyn. (met when my eldest and her second child started school so we are talking quite some time ago now) Should have taken a pic as the table was done so nicely and we definitely played ladies. I thought of Tamara who has Thyme for tea blog as she would have appreciated the drinking vessels!

Marilyn cooked atlantic salmon which she drizzled lime juice over and peppercorns and then wrapped each piece in foil individually and popped into the oven at 170 degrees Celsius. She said she hadn't heated the oven prior and the fish was cooked to perfection. She had also made a potato salad with her homegrown potatoes and had a salad, Greek style. Delicious!!! We had a lovely afternoon. We had french vanilla slices for dessert which I had provided. On leaving she gave me some rose blooms from her garden as I love roses so much plus 2 plants for my rockery (called dianthus , one is single white and the others mars (looks red). These she had bought but had decided not to put in plus five other plants diantes I think she said. They grow in big bunches like lillies and she had grown a heap from seed so I was very happy with them!

Then it was time to go home and make a mix for the alpacas. I give them a mix made with soaked cracked lupins. The mix has cracked lupins soaked with water and apple cider vinegar for at least two hours. It can be left overnight or all day soaking before adding it to the dry ingredients which consist of lucerne chaff, wheat chaff, oaten chaff, soy meal and bran. You can also choose to add seaweed meal and DCP Powder. Anyone interested can contact me for measurement amounts. Alternatively check flowerdale alpacas as a recipe which is much the same is on there and can be found in their library resources. Whilst I was doing that Kim gave them all some lucerne hay though really this is spoiling them. We give more of that to working boys and late pregnant and feeding mums. The chooks got some more of the silverbeet which has gone to seed. I give them pollard or a mash sometimes but that is more of a regular thing during the cold winter months. They get kitchen scraps and I grow extra lettuce for them. They also have a scratch mix.

Yesterday (Wed) friend Sally came over for awhile. Met her at an alpaca workshop and she is also a teacher, though at the other end of the spectrum as she has kinder children. Sally has two alpacas and and so we mainly talked about them and how quickly the holiday break had gone. I admire Sally who is a single mum with kids and a property to run.

Then it was off to pick up my daughter Mel who has every second Wed off (only since she has gone back to work after having Lily). We left Lily with her dad and off we went. Had lunch at Leo's at Eastlands. They were flat out and really I would prefer something that was less of a Coles cafeteria style. I will say they make a good banana smoothie though it took forever to come and I had to ask several times. Melanie ordered fried rice and was not happy as it didn't state it was vege (which would be my preference) as she expected ham and egg. It was a tiny bowl of rice with some onion, carrot and zucchini for $7.50 so certainly overpriced. Anyway, then I got Jasmine's school shoes (because no one ever bought our kids shoes but us and I know what a help it would have been) and Melanie did her grocery shopping. Jas and I had a look at clothing stores because I just cant help myself! Jas is learning fast as I was trying something on and Jas brought me in a skirt, top and scarf and they all matched and suggested I try them on. In the end I bought the white skirt Jas had chosen but put the rest back! O well, back to work soon so I will leave the grocery shopping for Kim and I will keep away from the shops!! I know one thing, I had to buy some cabbage today and said that next year I want to be able to say I don't have to buy any veggies at all as I grow all my own. I am getting there. OH yes, I joined the Diggers Club More on tha next entry!

It was then off to Sth Hobart so Mel and I could go to Lustre to get a brow wax and in my case a lip one as well. Damn hormones but what can one do but deal with it?
We went for a walk and I took her to Merryland, the vintage and recycled clothing store. Mary (Merry?) the owner and manager always makes changes in her shop displays and does it in an interesting way. She offered me 2 chihuahua dogs as her daughter, who owned them has left home and she already has a Collie dog. Unfortunately I cant help her there. Mel found a skirt and a dress and I got a dress and a long strand of faux pearls and then as she had groceries in car and it was quite warm I took her and Jas back home.

Ok, well time to dash. Work tomorrow and I have people arriving from Melbourne tomorrow evening: Better do some tidying up :)
au revoir

Love Fridays

2009-02-02T18:24:00.007+11:00

Looking for the One World One Heart Giveaway? Please go to my blog archive and it is the final post for January so not hard to find.

Haven't had a chance to blog for awhile. Why? Too busy reading the amazing blogs I have seen through the One World One Heart list. There are also the most amazing creative ideas. So much to learn, so little time!

Still haven't done a Thankful Thursday however I will make a small reference to it in the fact friends Tony and Marion came over for dinner and they are great friends so am thankful for them. They brought abalone which Tony had dived for so that was for entree. Some of the food we shared such as potatoes and lettuce were from my garden and eggs from my girls. Not only did we have the four of us but four canine friends as well! Angus and Kali enjoyed playing with their Sasha and Fen. Well , Fen is not the most social female but she behaved pretty well!

Now as for Love Fridays
which was started by TinnieGirl this is my second entry! Love Friday began with a sleep in! (cant believe a week went so quickly, Maree and I had such a good day last Friday)

After a slow morning it was off to friend Deb's house for a visit. Deb is a good friend and a work colleague as well. Seriously ,she makes my life at work so much more enjoyable. She has had her appendix out so is still needing some TLC. We had tuna casserole for lunch. It was not just your average casserole, it was the yummiest I have ever tasted. Deb's mum made it, talk about a delightful woman, not to mention a great cook! Deb takes after her :) I await the recipe! I am glad for Deb that she has a great mum, especially when one does not feel well and needs that extra TLC from another female. I am also just the tiniest bit envious,,I want a mum LOL...nahhh I have done this well so far...and my girls and boy and my menagerie have me ::)) Lucky devils, aren't they!!!!

Not only did I visit Deb but my dogs Angus and Kali visited her gorgeous boy Fev (named after Fevola of Carton Blues fame) Another good thing about Deb, she supports the same football team as I do! The woman is a legend, what can I say!!!

Here is a pic taken of Fev.

Kali and Angus (he is the black spoodle) They are on leads because they wanted to come inside and we had Lily baby, aged five months on the floor and they just want to lick her!

While I am on the subject of dogs poor Angus is not too well. He went to the vet this morning for a booster shot that was overdue. He was fine for a little while and then flopped. He has not had a drink nor eaten all day and barely moves. I spoke to the vet late today and they have said some dogs, about 1 in 200, can have a reaction to the injection and I am assured that Angus will deal with it in his own doggy way and will be fine tomorrow. Kali visited as well to have a check on a small lump on her leg. I am told it is a button tumour and usually within two months, they fall off ,and that is the end of the story. So, hopefully by the end of March the lump will have disappeared. if this is not the case, or the lump changes in any way ,then it will need to be removed.

Back to Love Friday! After leaving Deb's I headed back home to leave the dogs there whilst I went to Ofis( and we wonder why children find it hard to spell, words spelt that way must confuse them) at the new Cambridge Park shopping area. I had a number of photos that I made into a poster using their technology. This is going to go right in the centre of my pin board at work. It will be particularly helpful if I am having a bad moment! The poster contains pics of people/things most important to me.
Photos are:

Family pic taken at younger daughter Krystal's wedding on Dec 6th 08

Melanie (eldest girl) with her 2 daughters, Jasmine 6yrs and Lily five months. Jan 09

Peter (only son) and Kim (my other half and their dad) holding 2 big crays. I just like the pic of the boys together. Taken back on Christmas Day 2004

Kim sitting at a cafe with an amazing view in background , Santorini , Greece 2007

Me in Hungary , dressed like a local, and joining in with the guys in the band at the local restaurant. Pic taken 2007. Still cant believe I have been there.

My 2 dogs, Angus and Kali, plus my son's dog , Chloe (and their mate as well) because I love them

Some of the the alpacas because I need to work to make sure they eat lovely hay! And they are so cute and lovable!

My friend Deb because she is a lifesaver at work and a breath of fresh air

Me, taken with 3 other teachers at school. It was a really fun day at work(though very cold) at the sports carnival and we were the time keepers. It is also a fantastic pic taken by Lewis , a great budding photographer and a year ten leaver of 2008.

A pic of friends (Marion and Tony, Us, Mark, Al and Ange)in Swansea, taken a month before one of us passed away. This was Ange who lost her 2 year battle with ovarian cancer in 2006, aged 46. Al still has a van there as do Marion and Tony. Mark has sold his van and we have sold ours. I really loved the times I spent there.

A birthday pic of Krystal, Myself, Jasmine, and Kathryn (Son Peter's partner)taken at my previous home and one of my favourite places!

Me in Mykonos Greece enjoying a wonderful experience 2007

Me with my great Aunt Nella who is 94 years young and a lovely lady and the last surviving member of nine siblings. Photo taken September 08 in NSW. I need to remind myself to get back to visit her.

After tea I drove over to Mel's place and spent the evening there. Was great to catch up for a chat and talk about her wedding plans.

Wonderful Weekends:
Saturday included a walk with the dogs in Nth Hobart. Kim came with me as he needed to hold the dogs because I wanted to go into Sax Fashions as I had seen a dress I liked and they had a sale on. I got the dress, a bangle and necklace and thought :Oh, I should'nt have, but I did and hey I am not sorry! LOL.

People from up north arrived who own Unique topiary Back in May last year I bought myself a Mothers Day gift, seeing for some reason Kim did not get around to getting one for me, so what choice did I have? I bought 3 topiary, a small chicken, a small alpaca and a larger alpaca, seeing I have the real thing! Pics later on of these! As it was winter, and a big shed was being built here at the time, one can imagine the mess everywhere, including some fencing down, there was no rush for my delivery. I forgot about it for awhile and then remembered and rather than send them in the truck the owners brought it down as they had an appointment in Hobart. They are a really nice couple and their children enjoyed seeing the new baby alpacas as one had been born that morning. See pic...still haven't decided on a name for her. Suggestions welcome, let me know via comments!

Sunday was a satisfying peaceful day for me. Kim took son Peter and friend Adam out on the boat. I left a message (well my younger daughter Krystal who is very savvy with money said to do so) in the diary saying to use the boat or sell it seeing it had not seen the light of day for 2 years and I had just paid the insurance on it) This is the third time it has been out in the past week since then!! At least they got fish this time! (on the island bench in the kitchen I keep a diary open and it will list appts, work meetings, visitors, how many eggs that day, if jobs need doing etc.

I am pleased to say when they returned in the middle of the arvo they had caught 24 flathead. Trouble was Kim is the one who has to fillet/clean them all. The boys watched the cricket whilst he was cleaning fish! He made up three bags of fish , 16 fillets each. Adam lives with his sister and her partner so I also sent some potatoes with him so they could cook fish and chips! Did the same for Peter.

Veg Garden
As for me I spent the day in the garden after attending to cleaning and feeding etc with chooks and alpacas. I spent most of it in the veg garden and really enjoyed it. I think I have left it too late though to mulch the corn with pea straw. The corn are not doing so well. I dug up a bucket and a half of potatoes which consisted of dutch creams, kenebecs and pink eyes. I fiddled in other parts of the garden , did some watering and then spent some time with my alpacas and a nice family who arrived for their second visit to choose some alpacas as pets as well as to keep the grass down. They have decided on one boy, a sweet natured white wether and are considering what else they would like. If a buyer does not own alpacas they must at least buy 2. Alpacas are herd animals and would pine and die if alone. It isn't easy to sell as I know each one and have a good understanding of each alpaca's personality, but I cant afford to keep hand feeding at this rate and as I have 2 wethers that I began the herd with I have no need for others. I only sell to caring people who have a respect and love of animals. One gets a feeling about people and I know Ash, that I have come to love ,will be very happy and in good hands.

I seriously must go. Kim wanted to know what was for tea, as he had cooked some of the freshly caught fish for both of us last night which was great. I was going to cook but got on here, so he ended up doing chicken noodle soup (packet) and made himself salad and ham sandwiches. I am feeling hungry so I had better make my way to the kitchen. Been trying to share the cooking but he will do the majority of it when I go back to work.

On a final note: I had my grand daughters for the afternoon. Jasmine aged six and I made cupcakes and iced them pink with sprinkles whilst five month old lily slept!

Ciao!

One World One Heart Giveaway 2009

2009-01-29T04:31:00.014+11:00

****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

2009-01-27T12:43:00.009+11:00

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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)

2009-01-26T22:16:00.005+11:00

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

2009-01-24T16:17:00.006+11:00

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!

2009-01-23T21:12:00.009+11:00

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

2009-01-21T19:53:00.010+11:00

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.

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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

2009-01-18T03:25:00.011+11:00

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'

2009-01-16T13:26:00.009+11:00

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

2009-01-15T21:49:00.003+11:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook