...You Did What???

"I leaked in my socks," said Miss 5.

"What??" says me...looking at her sideways.

"I took my socks off and they were wet. I leaked," explained Miss 5.

"Ohhhh," the light dawns at last,"your feet were sweating?" I say, trying not to laugh.

"Yes mum, I leaked," responds Miss 5 with a roll of the eyes in a tone that says mum you have no idea.

One day I might be able to read her mind - or at least be able to interpret the little gems she comes out with.

...Is There Something In the Water??

Wednesday. Shopping day.

Headed into town this morning....not a bad 1/2 hour drive. 50kms on the Newell Highway.

Wednesday also one of the busiest days on the road for semis - we are about halfway between Melbourne and Brisbane so the trucks tend to cross over middle of the week. (Apparently there are 1400 trucks a day on average that go through town...*note* every single one of them past my front door*...so Wednesdays are pretty busy.)

Just out of town had to pull over...not a problem...3 escort vehicles and 2 police cars with flashing lights are pretty convincing. Not quite sure what was travelling through but the 2 lanes only just wide enough to accommodate. Couple of minutes wait...all sorted. (I don't argue with the big ones.)

And then (we are talking 110km/h speed limit folks) a semi travelling on 70km/h...hmmmm. Strange. Just an ordinary semi.....he was stuck behind a Qlder (no offence Qlders) and couldn't overtake.

By rough calculations, we had added almost 10 minutes to the trip by the time we could both get past.

Now farmers...we love you, we really do...after all, you keep this country running...BUT if you decide you need to potter along the highway sitting on 65 with a ute stacked full of firewood and a cattle dog on top of that firewood NOT restrained at all you are only asking for trouble. A semi sitting on 110 will come up behind you rather fast and, if your indicators aren't working and you slow down even more to try to turn off the highway that poor dog is not going to last too many more trips out in the ute. Common sense please....if it's not too much to ask!!

And the other farmer....(maybe farmers think they are exempt from speed limits - or hitting anywhere near the speed limit) again travelling about 40 under the speed limit, thinking he is doing everyone else a favour by hanging to the left lane as long as possible in the one overtaking lane section. You had nothing on your ute: your accelerator is the pedal under your right foot, your indicator should be attached to the column of your steering wheel - use them both please. Oh, and use them before you run out of lane and end up in the gravel.

*deep breath*

Then the overloaded ute - I think he was carrying doors -  driving on the hard shoulder with a truck sitting right up his butt. You were on a bend heading over a hill - he couldn't have overtaken you. I bet you were having to concentrate on not hitting the guide posts on edge of the road and I can only imagine the truckie wasn't in the least bit pleased as you wove left and right avoiding them.

Methinks there are some folk out there who are wholly intent on becoming statistics....there are certainly some who make great efforts to do so anyway.

...to Hedgehog

The rain we have had over the last couple of weeks has meant the yard has suddenly taken on a new lease of life...all the weeds are doing superbly - and the grass which was brown has started turning green...YAY.

Have spent the morning out the front (not daring trying to tackle the back yet...1/4 acre block here so the front yard, being the smaller of the two, the lesser of two evils.) Have mowed - quick and simple..and pulled out all the weeds from the 4 garden beds...mainly milk thistles and umbrella grass. The umbrella grass has been in abundance over the last few months...quite bizarre to be driving along and seeing masses of it blowing across paddocks and the roads. Anyway I digress...

Farmer's friends. Argh. A lovely contribution of ma nature's that is anything but friendly. I had a few prime specimens growing - each about 4 foot tall - each "branch" with numerous little bunches on the ends. These bunches - black, burr-type things.....about 1/2 inch long...which attach themselves to anything that brushes past. ie the dog, the kids..you get the picture.

Rather clever really..they attach and the "host" carries them somewhere else , drops them and they grow there.....very clever.

Got hold of heavy garden gloves...and was able to pull the plants out by the roots. Thankfully not so firmly planted that I ended up on my butt at all with the effort..the soft ground made it relatively easy. Out of teh ground..into the wheelbarrow.

Now I have Miss 6 home from school today - she has a bad cold and sore throat - nice dose of laryngitis with it (never known her to be so quiet). She heard me at the back door...came out..and started laughing in her rather croaky voice. her was I..covered literally head to foot with these flaming burrs!! Through my hair...front and back of jumper and jeans...my gloves (they are mainly leather so the buggeers will attach to anything)...in my socks. I was attempting to pull them all out one by one and throw them in bin...alas...would still be sitting out there now if I carried on.

Sent madam in the house....glad she was here she could fetch a change of clothes for me..save me walking in...*great idea*

*Not so great idea*....getting changed on back patio. (Don't worry, no way any of the neighbours could see anything)

There is a wind blowing and I swear it must be blowing straight off some snow somewhere...holy cow!! Is bloomin' hard to get dressed when you are trying really hard to do it fast. Something about jeans - they always manage to get twisted. My hands were frozen.....making the job even harder. One leg in..and for the life of me could not get my foot through the other - only superb balance  (and the rather fortunate positioning of the wheelie bin saved me from ending up flat on my back at one point)

And Madam was almost crying from laughing so much. Angel, well, she just sat and watched me with her head cocked to one side and ears pricked up....guess she found it rather entertaining too.

The discarded burr-covered clothes..sitting out the back on a chair.....will offer the child who wants to remove every burr an extra bonus in their pocket money cos I'm not going anywhere near those again!!

...Brrrrr

Winter out in the central west is so different to being close to the coast. Brrrrr!

And it hasn't even got as cold as it will yet...only had the one frost so far.

Woke up this morning and it was bitterly cold - someone has had snow and we are getting the rather refreshing winds from that.....the air is constantly damp...the rain of the last few days still hanging around even though only one small shower this afternoon.

Have now got washing lines strung up under the back patio and carport - not sure if the washing out there is actually drying very much but at least it won't get wet if it rains again. Should be well-aired by the time I can bring it in. (The mundane things are so exciting huh? Wow..new washing lines.....hardly breaking news LOL It's the little things...)

Has been another great weekend - washing lines aside. Plenty of adult time (no details necessary lol) and plenty of laughs and carry on with the kids. Mark spoils the kidlets rotten...well, not rotten.....but brings them treats that mum is just far too mean to buy for them*rolls eyes*. He spends a lot of time with them....has certainly accepted them and they get along really well. (Lot of brownie points there lol) He's a keeper!! *grins*

Time to get some more wood on the fire...love open fires despite the grottiness that comes along with them...and settle down for the evening in front of it..ahhhhhh.

...Time Out

Chaotic morning! Think I have achieved everything I need to...I think.

Washing done - on airer. (Rained all day yesterday...raining again today...lounge room resembles a chinese laundry)

Vacuuming done....oh the joy of having an open fire and a puppy in the house who insists on using the logs beside fire to teethe on. Wee bits of bark and wood all over the place.

Vegies cooking down on stove to go into vege lasagne for dinner tonight. Just got to get bechamel sauce made in a little while.

Bathroom cleaned - enough said there.

Cuppa time.

Now just to wait for "the man" to show up.

*shock horror*

Yep...figured I would have to mention it sooner or later....CC has a man!! A real live man!! (Just another positive to having moved out here - had we stayed in Sydney we'd never have met.)

For so long I was adamant I never wanted anything to do on any "deep" level with a man again. But it's a woman's perogative to change her mind after all. I had also been adamant that there would not be a man on the planet willing to take on me and the 4 kidlets. (I think he must be a little bit crazy at least to do it...but am not telling him that LOL)

Well...he is just lovely....and even better...he's a chef by trade.

WOOOHOOOO...a man who can cook!!! (Yes it also means that I feel a certain amount of pressure when it is my turn to produce something edible but so far so good *phew*)

He's back home (not from Peak Hill.....but nearby) having a break from the stresses of cheffing (is that a legit word??) working on his family's property. He's an arty bloke - paints, plays guitar...all good.

Only "major" fault - he's a Souths supporter and hates Manly - but I can forgive him that as long as he doesn;t bag me too much. The mere fact I actually like footy must mean something....to quote him: "Is good to finally meet someone who is amrt, attractive ...and even likes footy!" (Think he needs glasses and it might have been a couple of bottles of red doing the talking there LOL)

So anyway...had better finished getting organised...still got to get the legs done....got a good weekend coming up!!   

...new additions, new places

A couple of photos (so I can work out how they work on this site. I have no idea what sizes are appropriate so pages load properly...here goes).

Miss 5 is now Miss 6 - she is growing up. Though not a lot changes - still loves posing as soon as I get my camera out.

Maddy

We have a new addition to our family. Angel is a border collie x kelpie and now 11 weeks old. I have high hopes for her - given the fact both her parents are good working dogs I figure in time I will just be able to whistle and she will round the kids up and bring them home for me.

Angel

One of the "tourist" attractions (ok, basically the only tourist attraction) here at home is the Open Cut. The area is a big gold area and the original mines were dug during the late 1800's. In the early 1990's the mine was reopened and over the following few years produced a lot of gold - as well as some mighty big holes.  This is the main pit (or a section of it)...must remember to get a few facts about it all at some stage.

Mine

...and new beginnings

Time has a habit of disappearing - turn around and suddenly months have disappeared. Trying to account for those is often difficult - trying to sum them up without writing an epic nigh impossible.

I know I have let people down and I know I have been so extremely selfish in so many ways and I have no valid excuse for doing that. My life is no more important than anyone else's and my attempts to try to get mine sorted out into something that resembles a balanced and normal existence have meant that people I should have been there for have suffered. I can only apologise and ask for understanding. Guilt isn't a feeling I like but it is there and has been present so often during the last 12 months or so. Ironically it seems that our being forced to move has actually proven to be the most healing thing that could have happened to me - things happen for a reason. As much as I fought it and tried to stop it happening it was a battle I was never going to win. And you know what? I'm glad I lost that one.

At this point in time I am more in touch with myself and more comfortable with my own being than I have been for as long as I can remember - certainly 100% better than I was 2 years ago when I first started blogging. I can quite easily say "life is good". Life isn't perfect - if I started thinking that alarm bells should start ringing very loudly - but life is good!

Decidedly male moment happening...

I'm not really lost...

I know exactly where I am going...

I don't need to ask for directions...

Relax, trust me, I know what I am doing...

*snaps out of it*

(thank god I am female)

HELP!!!!

I have no idea what I am supposed to be doing over here.

I am totally lost - how on earth do I navigate Vox???

Yes, I realise it is probably very simple and straightforward but, well, I have been having minimal PC time for the last few months and have grown decidedly rusty in that time. Went back to BN and was lucky to be able to recall exactly what I needed to do there - though it did take a bit of time and a lot of stretching and straining of the grey matter.

And now to Vox...rumour has it (well, not just rumour...do believe it to be fact) that a number of BNers lurk over here these days. Where are you guys hanging out? How do I find you?

Oh dear....

*takes deep breath...hits post...crosses fingers...waits...and hopes*