jubilee

6.6.2012

Everything is about the diamond jubilee on TV this week. I do not think that the weather for the English summer is any better than our winter. It was beautifully sunny today and the Eaton vehicle group sent up another team of workers who enjoyed being outside. There is still a lot of old fences to be removed, and burnt trees to clear, so a team of workers really makes a difference.

But back to the jubilee, I enjoy watching the horses in the parades and the old buildings and traditions. If you had asked me about ten years ago I would have been indignant that Australia was not independent from royalty, but today I am so disgusted with the behaviour of our political leaders that I rather think that a dignified monarch might have the edge!

India stayed last night and she has been here looking after the horses tonight before heading off to her boy friends. It is less than two weeks before she is due to set off on her ride so she has a lot to organise. The hafflingers seem to love the extra attention. Al has got people building a tiny dwelling on his new block for India, and he has now stripped everything out of the old house. In fact this week we have been burning wood from the partition walls in our stove.

We went over at the week end and helped take up the floor boards so that new stumps could be put in and a better version get put back. I just hope that a huge wind does not come and blow the rest of the house down whilst it is in a nude state. Pia and her parents are real workers and are all helping with the physical work, so at least Al is not tackling everything on his own.

His kids arrived home safely on Sunday night after the funeral in Townsville. Apparently everything went as well as could be expected for such an event. Except everyone was very tired when they got home. India is back at school and trying to catch up with her work. It is a bit daunting to think that really she now only has a few months left before she starts work.

Bo has started a new career as a sales person for Simon’s beer. She started in Melbourne this week and is now trying to work out a strategy for Sydney. So far she sounds as if it is a welcome change from working hours in the restaurant. She has also been helping Josh with the spelling in his final assignment. I just pray that some how this time he can finally get to finish his education too. Then our own life enters a new post student-parenting phase too.

On the farm I ate the last strawberry today and cooked soup from one of the pumpkins. I have dug up a capsicum plant and moved it into the polyhouse to see if it can survive the transition. If it lives I will move the others too and gain the bed space for other things. The goats are swelling as their pregnancies advance and only Maggie, Imogen and Cindy are giving much milk. Edd has put new collars on them using the strapping we brought in town last week. They look pretty flash in their bright new colours.