old photos

Trip to Alaska with Marie and Lou

interesting weekends

May 25. 2014

We are having
interesting weekends. Last week our son in law organised an event on Puffing
Billy (the tourist train in the hills) for “good beer week”. He invited Edd to
go along with him, which was really nice. The chef from Bo’s restaurant used
really innovative methods to serve a three-course meal whilst the train was
running and the beer talks were going on. This was a challenge because the
train and station had no kitchen or preparation area. I think that the fact it
all went well and was booked out was a minor miracle!

This weekend we joined
the rest of the family at the other end of the valley because a friend of
theirs had organised a benefit concert to raise money to help our eldest
grandson who lost his swag and schoolbooks when his car was set alight. We all
gathered in the outdoor section of a café by the river and listened to live
music. Bo was the first act singing some of the songs she has written. It was a
big stretch for her because she has never performed them in public before and
she had no chance to practice on the gear.

She had to accompany
herself on something called a Wurlitzer that was not working at full capacity,
which added to the challenge. Some how she overcame all the difficulties in her
usual professional manner. We then had a very young kid with a double base
backed by an assortment of adults and then Bo’s boys did a song with the eldest
playing his ukulele and his brother singing. I was so happy to see the boys
working together and having the confidence to perform up front. They really
have come a long way since they started their new school.

The afternoon went on
with some locals putting together a band to play country music and a young girl
playing and singing covers. (She had all the same difficulties with the Wurlitzer
that Bo had). I am not sure much money was raised but it was a fun afternoon
and great for the younger members of the family to get a low-key place to start
public performance in. The only thing that went wrong was that my grandson’s
girl friend fell over and injured her hand badly enough to need a hospital
check up. We found out later that luckily she had not broken anything.

Back on the farm we
are trying to get the pregnant goats to dry off and get more vegetables
planted. Edd has been working on fences but we have had to confine the heifers in
one of the crofts because they managed to get out every week and it was wasting
time doing all the work needed to get them back with the older cows. We will
sell them as soon as possible.

Turkey 2013

2013 ends

January 2 2014

.

Today Edd took Wayne to the airport to catch his flight to the UK. He is off to meet the siblings he has never known. We knew when we adopted Wayne that he had four half siblings but we thought they were all adopted out as far as we knew. This was basically correct except that the eldest sister was rejected from her adopted home and the youngest I am not sure about. By the wonders of the internet they have all made contact and now Wayne is off to meet them in person. He is not allowing himself to get his hopes up too much in case it does not work out, but really he is very excited. Edd and I were not sure that he would really go until he set off! I half expected him to get cold feet.

Wayne has been very careful not to upset our feelings but actually all we feel is joy for him. We are also happy for JJ who is deeply in love with the girl who he met at an Audiological conference in Perth. The two of them have stayed with us for several weeks now and have survived living together. Next week JJ returns to WA and R heads back to Qld to do her PhD. JJ is trying to find work in the East so that they do not have to live so many thousands of miles apart.

This means that after months of having guests staying Edd and I will be alone again. We have a lot of work to do so this will probably be a good thing. The sheep are shorn and I am in the middle of the cheese making season. This year I am experimenting with an Italian style starter. I am really confident at making feta and cream cheese but the hard cheeses are hit and miss. The trouble is that they take so long to mature that it is difficult to assess the feed back from tasting and know what works. I suppose I should keep good notes.

It is a strange year. We have had so many cloudy days and the grass is still green. NT and Qld have heat waves but it was icy here this morning. Some how the weather is ominous and rather threatening. The UK and US are having terrible storms. A is there now looking after my mum whilst my sister is on holiday but P should be almost home. She says she might come over tomorrow. She needs to collect the dog from Bo.

I am still worried about Fukishima where the situation is getting worse by the day. The pollution that some people are talking about in the pacific ocean seems to horrific to contemplate. Will we have to stop eating all seafood? With the obvious climate changes and the pollution from radiation and oil spills humanity looks to be set on a course of self -destruction. Not a happy situation at all.

End of an Era

October 8 2013-10-08

This is the final chapter in my family story that covers the years after the 2009 bush fires. It is time to talk about the point we are now at and then move on. Edd and I are very happy with our new cave style home. It stays a very constant temperature and is small enough to be cosy and has spaces large enough for big parties. Edd is now making the internal doors from thick recycled Oregon. I have made the front hall into a workroom and am sewing the massive curtains for the windows. The idea is that they help damp down sound as well as provide privacy.

Josh has almost completed his intern year in Audiology in Albany. We phoned him a couple of weekends ago and he was quite thrown off balance because at that stage he was equal first in a new audiologist competition for Australia. Josh hates fuss and even refuses to celebrate his own birthday so he was horrified at the implications of winning anything. He never went to his own graduation ceremonies so you can see what he is like. On the other hand his boss was keen fort him to win and Josh was worried he would get stick if he failed to do well. It was better when he never knew that there was a competition!

Wayne has had a new romance but we fear it is not going well. We did get to meet the girl this time so this was a serious relationship. He has also had a problem moving house and got very depressed for a while. His job seems stable so at least that is a blessing. He even played football again and all his mates love him for that.

Bo is very busy at her restaurant which has a very good name and she is also writing and recording songs. This is her real passion. She seems to have regular singing engagements at weddings concerts and other events so altogether she is usually flat out. Her kids have moved to the Lutheran school and she is much happier about how their education is going now. Simon is keeping fit and even has a personal trainer. As far as we can make out the brewing business is going very well. Edd is off down there now to pick up more of the used barley to feed our stock.

Al has had a stormy year but he is now happier. His broken neck healed well and he is still working to make his tiny home more house like. The big news is that he and Pia are planning to get married next March, possibly at our farm so we have a big event to look forward to next year. India has nearly completed her training year up in the bush and will be back here at Xmas time. She visits us and phones regularly so we never feel out of touch.

Arden has turned a real corner and is working well at school.  His marks have sky rocketed and he is aiming to go on to university. Ti has had his first year at High school too. He is getting taller by the day and has just turned into a teenager. I took all the grandsons to a film in the school holidays but he sat with his own friends at one side of the cinema and the rest of us were in a group at the back.

On the farm we are really into spring. We have three lambs and the goat Mellissa looks about to kid any moment. Edd is putting out posts ready to be banged in for the next stay of refencing. The vegetables are growing at an amazing rate. We have lettuces galore, beetroot, broad beans, kale, silver beat, spinach and I planted out the first tomatoes today. The chooks are also laying well and Edd has returned to the market and did sold a lot of produce last week.

Our friend Beni is getting ready to move into the new house she has brought at the end of the month. A few weeks ago she seemed to be avoiding us but she later told me she was getting her head around the thought of living alone and away from other people. I was worried I had offended her! She has been a great help this year and has always been willing to feed animals if we are stuck. We will really miss having her around.

September 23 2013

We have had a great weekend; lots of visitors and grandkids all in laughing mode. It is just what we needed.  The paulownias trees are in flower and look spectacular with the bight purple of the native mint and the blue rosemary bushes. The warm wet weather has been great for the vegetables and even the lettuces are ready to eat. Some tomatoes have self-seeded, but how do I know what variety they are? The cherry types usually grow like weeds but I would love some of the large peri form type that was so delicious last year.

worries about Mum

September 6 2013

I am upset about being cut off from contact with my mother now that she is in a nursing home. No one is reading the letters I write to her and phone access is difficult as there is a shared line available to residents that cuts out after a few minutes and is bugged by interruptions. When my mother was in her old house I phoned her for a long talk every weekend and wrote her a long letter with photos once a month. Liz would read her the letters and Olivier would read her extracts from my blog. I do not think Mum is seeing these people so much now. I have started a new blog just in case Olivia is willing to pass on news.

There is not much I can do to help my elderly relatives in the UK but they have all said that they enjoy my letters and blog and they beg me to keep on writing and excuse them for being unable to reply.  I am wondering if I could learn how to read my own letters onto a CD and send that over. Al is also frustrated with the restrictions in communication and he is planning to send over a jar of marmalade. I suppose we are all searching for ways to let my mother know that we have not forgotten her.

Actually we did get a brief telephone conversation this week. It was difficult to hear anything but Mum said that at last a doctor has found a painkiller that has helped. She describes it as an epilepsy drug and on the Internet I have discovered that anti convulsant drugs can help stroke victims with pain and are relatively safe. She says now that she is in less pain she can sleep better and has more energy to try and sort out problems with her new life style. She wants me to ring Beatrix to check that the phone problem is being sorted. I am fighting an infection this week and have a fever and sore throat so I have not tackled this yet. I find my sister is very defensive and I have to be careful how I say things; I certainly don’t mean to sound unappreciative of her efforts.

Tomorrow we have an election and the general feeling is that the Abbott government will get in. I am sad about this because I think the Rudd government did a good job of managing the economy over difficult times. I will never forget that Howard committed this county into the war with Iraq without Parliament of the peoples backing. With the trouble in Syria very careful diplomacy is necessary. I fail to see how military intervention can help the people there be any safer.

On a happier not the rug we ordered in Turkey has arrived and it looks great in Edd’s room. I always worry when I have to guess the size and colour needed but in this case everything worked out OK.

LAST DAYS OF WINTER

Aug 29 2013

Last night we gathered at Bo’s place to celebrate Wayne’s birthday. The green-eyed monsters have changed a lot recently and were extremely civilised. Morgan played his ukulele and sang a song perfectly, which impressed us all. The boys are now at a new school and already Morgan is a different kid. Beth has him on a zero dairy and low gluten diet and she thinks that is really helping.

The sad thing was that Wayne looked so down. He has just helped his team get into the footy finals and is off on holiday next week but his life is bounding out of control again. He is cleaning out his last apartment but the guy he shared with will not come and move his stuff, his new house mate has an alcohol problem and his girl friend has reorganised his holiday into something he has no control over.

We just wish he would ask for help. Bo and I could have easily gone and cleaned out the old place for him. We all need help, but with a big group of us we usually cope.

Today Stevo came and helped Edd put up the doors Edd has made. It took ages because they are made of heavy recycled Oregon but they look great now they are up and replacing the cloth we had stapled up. 

There was a drying wind so I went out on the mower and cut down all the cape weed that takes over from grass at this time of year. If I keep it under control the grass grows and gets dominance soon.

I have also started cleaning up in the garden. It always amazes me how much dead and weedy growth there is to be moved every year.