A wonderful week coming to a close...

The view from our table...left side
Right side... just beautiful...

As I have written before my friend Adam has been staying with us all of this week. That comes to an end unfortunately tonight...

Yesterday, Russell, Adam and I went to Queen Mary Falls just past Killarney near the NSW border. We did the 2km round walk taking lots of photos. Russell took some beautiful ones. We have new screen savers now. :) As it had been raining there earlier in the week things looked allot greener then when I was there a few weeks ago with Angela so that difference was really lovely to see.

After our walk we went past the falls and kept driving another 7km to the Spring Creek Lodges and Cafe. What a wonderful view! I was amazed at how close to the edge we could sit. The restaurant was built so that you could see it all. What an amazing achievement. It was wonderful to sit down there. The view, oh soooo refreshing for the soul.

We were only going to have the Traditional Devonshire Tea there but Russell and I ended up taking Adam out for lunch. We all agreed that it was wonderful food and will be back. Adam even mentioned taking his mum there as she would love it there, not just for the wonderful food but for that spectacular view.

We were also very fortunate that it was overcast so we could see it all. Had the sun been out we would have cooked and would possibly not have sat so close to the edge. But it was cloudy and we enjoyed it all.

Coming home was a lovely drive in Adam's hybrid car. Her name is Pippa. I loved watching the gauge to see when the electric battery was fully charged. Rather addictive... :) We ended up finishing the night with a couple of games of Canasta. Have not played that in a long time and was great to do. Off course I lost big time... The boys beat the pants off me, figuratively speaking.

It truly has been an absolute pleasure to have Adam here this week. I am currently so relaxed and know that I have him to thank for that.

This morning he took Joshua to the movies in Toowoomba to see 'Astro Boy'. Timothy is in respite with Bluecare this weekend and will be home tomorrow afternoon. Russell and I took this opportunity to plant out some plants that I had kindly been given by my youngest brother and his lovely wife. They were getting rid of a whole heap of Mulberry trees and I got to get one. Other lovely bushes with flowers and grasses were also donated. Thank you again Chris and Mary.

We are still looking at our options for green and shade houses. We have realised, finally, that we also need a shed for tools that are kept outside. The weather is taking its toll on them and this way we don't have things blowing all over the property when it gets windy, which is alot around here.

I also watered our orchard this morning and found that most of what Sausage and Chloe and the hares and wallabies have been chewing on has still some shoots on it. The fig is doing exceptionally well. Both apples are with shoots, same with the fijoa. I did lose an olive tree and the Mango tree which I am not happy about. Will have to replace those. But all in all not bad.

Russell and I had decided that when we first got here that we gave ourselves five years to get things going well. Well that timeline has started again from when the cows left really. So from now we still have our five years. Forget the last two. Shame about that but better going forward then dreaming of something that is not real.

So for the next year we are going to be planting like mad and ensuring that everything gets water when it needs it. I even have it in my diary so I don't forget. That will give everything a good fighting chance.

Off now to enjoy some more time with Russell before Joshua and Adam get back. lol

Cheers Damaris

Adam what have you done???

My Little Helper this week, Adam...

All of this week, I have had a friend of mine stay with me. Adam got here on Sunday night just in time to say good-night to Russell and then Russell was off Monday morning 4am as usual. I have loved the way he has just fitted in and adapted so easily. He is soooo understanding of Timothy as well and is a great friend for Joshua as well. He has a heart of gold and I am so proud to have him in our family's life.

Since then Adam has done 7 loads of washing, numerous dishes, cooked dinner twice, swept floors, vacuumed my house and mopped the whole house. He even did my windows for me...

He has been so generous with his help and I could not have asked for a more lovely friend to help me out when my hand has been so out of action. And trust me he didn't let me get away with anything.

Last night he made Pate, from Chicken Liver which now just needs blending and mixing with Creme Cheese and putting into containers. I will use some of it for Christmas presents I think.

Yes I have been very blessed this week. I have been very spoiled that is for sure and there is more to come. On Saturday he is taking Joshua out for a movie and as Timothy will be in respite for the weekend, Russell and I will be able to have some Couple Time. Tomorrow night also he is doing a mud mask on me as well as giving my feet a massage. He is truly very thoughtful and very giving. That I think you have already guessed. :) If only I could keep him...

Cheers Damaris

Hard afternoon's work...

Thick layer of paper nearly all down...
Barley Hay all in... Oh forgot the black plastic...

With plastic, now we are ready for the soil...

Soil is in and plants are in as well. Can't wait for the end result...

Over the last couple of days, Russell and I have been researching a better way to garden with our veggies in particular. We came across 'Square Foot Gardening' again and again. So we have given it a try.

Time will tell how it will turn out but is supposed to be 80% more productive then compared to the conventional way of planting in rows. That is what we had been doing and getting nowhere really...

Russell made the box and to show up the squares he drilled holes in the tops of the wood and pulled through string. Very effective I must say. Squares even looked bigger than on video footage that we had seen.

Russell oiled it with Linseed oil inside and out and reinforced the corners as well. It was old wood he was not using for making boomerangs. They broke too easily so we used it here instead.

Then Russell leveled the ground and got rid of weeds. We placed the box on top and put plenty of paper down to discourage any future weeds. Then the height of one biscuit of barley hay went on top of that. I then remembered that we had not put the black plastic between the hay and the sides of the walls. So that went in and was not as difficult after the fact after all. Then came our special blend around 15cm deep on top. It consists of 1/3 peat moss/coconut fibre, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 composted manure. Our manure was made up of chook, cow and sheep manure. There was also some Blood and Bone and Fish Meal in it also.

Then we planted out... We put in Rockmelons, Cherry Tomatoes, Marigolds, Baby Carrots, Variety of Lettuces and a Rosemary.

That well and truly filled up the first bed. We are making another one next weekend and will leave it at two for now and see how we go. I took photos of the process. Hope you enjoy them.

Cheers Damaris

The World Beckons...

Ducklings having fun in the water. You wouldn't think I had just changed the water...

This morning was the first morning that I let all the 7 ducklings out from their safety haven. They were very cautious at first and then found a little wading pool. Well that was it, in there they were and splashing around like there was no tomorrow...

I threw out some chook seed as well as chick grower to get them used to the difference and to get them to forage for their own food as well. Until now they have always had it provided for them in a feeder and since they don't have a Mum Duck to teach them how to get their own, I will have to do that job...

One duckling, the youngest and smallest must have been too close to the edge of the cage a couple of weeks ago as a fox or something got ahold of it and ripped some of it skin off. When I found it the next morning flies were attaching the wound already. I quickly made up a sick bay in the bathroom with food and water and lots of wood shavings. Cleaned the wound with Detol twice and kept it inside until it all healed over.

That duckling was funny to watch as it seems to remember me fussing over it inside. Whenever I was near it with the hose changing water this morning it would come and try to eat my toes and shoe. Soooooo Cute! It follows me around a bit too which is kind of cute too. I just hope it is a female. Have one male and that is enough.

I will be checking on them quite often today to ensure that they don't wander too far or get into trouble. Though mind you one of the ducklings is already quite good at keeping other chooks away from its food. It sure knows how to stick up for itself...

I hope you enjoy your weekend as I know I will. :)

Cheers Damaris

Just plodding along...

Bailey keeping me company while I was feeling sad earlier this week...

It is now our third day without the cows and things are slowly going back to the way things were before. The front gate is still open and nothing has escaped. lol

The kids don't like to talk about them and neither do I. I have found out through email that they all arrived safely at Magrita Dexter Stud and that they are settling in very well. I was really glad to hear that.

We have now moved the bales of leftover hay out of the shed so that we can make a start on the cubby for the boys. The leftover bales will be used around the gardens and also help set up our new veggie gardens. They will certainly come in handy that is for sure. We are moving the veggie gardens down beside the shed at this point. We are starting with just one bed of 1.2m x 2.4m. It is rather late in the spring season now to start too much all at once. This way we can get some crops in and start from scratch really.

We are investigating about getting a hothouse and shade house as well. They will probably go down the side of the eastern side of the house so that the westerly sun in the afternoon doesn't hit it. They will not go against the house though rather against the retaining wall that goes down the whole length of that side of the house and then some.

Being inside the house area will also ensure that they don't get pecked at by the chooks. The fence around the veggie garden will be going up soon too to ensure hares, wallabies and chooks don't get anything before us humans do. lol

It has been a rather sad week for us here but you know what, things are looking up. We are making tracks on our plans to be self reliant and that is what is really important to us as a family. We all want this to work, not just Russell and myself.

So this weekend we are off to the Toowoomba Gem Fest. Timothy has been looking forward to it off course. Then Adam, a friend from Brisbane is staying from Sunday for a whole week. Can't wait for that either.

I joined Simple Savings a while ago now and just recently joined Flylady. Boy am I glad I did. I love her. Simple Savings has been a wealth of information for me and has helped me with things like: Monthly Meal Planner, decluttering, being more organised, cleaning more greener... The flylady has done her bit with her 15 minutes a day doing particular tasks. It has been fantastic and now I love to shine my sink. hehe

Anyway am off to put some washing away that my lovely husband brought in for me before the thunderstorm got too close, not that it came as it is now silent and still hot... Here is hoping. :)

Cheers Damaris

Closing of one window and opening of another...

Time to go to their old home...
Even hay and the milking machine went as well...

Rooster crowing on top of Sausage yesterday morning...

Today has been a tough day. After going into town early this morning and getting some fruit and other things I quickly raced home again, doing only the speed limit off course. I was waiting for some very important and lovely people to come to my place.

These lovely two people, Judith and Terry have taught Russell and I so much over the last 1.5 years. So much about care for bovine and how to look after them. When we got the two girls, Lavender and Lorray, Lorray was pregnant and Lavender was still on her mum, Lilly.

Now nearly two years later we have had bloat here that Lorray survived thank goodness, Sausage had the runs twice, we have two births and I milked. Today we said Good bye to our cows...

It has taken a while to come to this conclusion and it was not made lightly. It took me a long time to get to this stage and actually talk about it out loud. I still can't believe that they are gone.

We will visit off course as they are only 1.5hrs drive away. We are part of the Magrita Dexter Stud family now. Who knows one day we may have some back again but for now we have to look forward to the future.

When we first got here we knew that we had to plant alot of trees, bushes and shrubs. There are still none here. Sausage and now also Chloe got into them any chance that they got and unfortunately currently we don't have the money to upgrade the infra structure in order to keep them out properly. The electric fencing was not doing its job either. The mums were fine but the calves were a problem for us.

We will still have Sausage for the freezer and another one in exchange for Chloe when the time comes. Russell was not here but the boys and I certainly have had our crys good bye.

I will miss them all... I will always have a very soft spot for them. We though needed to do the right thing by them. That was most important. I still do feel like a failure but as Judith said: "At least you tried". Better than not trying at all.

On a brighter note, tonight our front gate is open for the first time in about a year. Oh how nice it is not to have to get in and out of the car all the time for the gate. :)

Cheers Damaris

Off to the Big Smoke...

Dawn at our house, about a month ago...

Today I am off to Brisbane and will be staying with two different friends for tonight and Saturday Night. That will also mean no posts till either Sunday night or Tuesday as Monday is No Technology Day. That will be interesting as the boys both have Pupil Free Day on Monday...

Where to go, what to do... There will be the animals to catch up on... Yes they have their chores but for the next three days they have to do mine as well. Hope all is still alive when I get back. lol

So this is like a little holiday for me. I can't wait. Have a great weekend, I know I will. :)

Cheers Damaris

Award Time...

Russ and Lisa doing their thing at the recent HOG's day at Maryvale Hall

Got a really wonderful phone call yesterday at lunchtime. This is how it goes... from the beginning off course...

A few months ago I nominated my bosses for Carer's Qld Employer of the Year awards. I had not done this before but felt that because of all the help and kindness that they had shown me and my family over the last couple of years while working there, it was something that I wanted to do. I wanted them to know that I appreciated being able to change days I work or sometimes not being able to get there due to something or rather...

Last month when I was in Toowoomba for the monthly Family Collective meeting, the whole group was asked to nominate organisations/employers/service providers for the Darling Downs region. This was being done by all regions within the State of Queensland.

The nominations then were sent to Carer's Qld Head Office in Holland Park and they then chose the winning entries for the whole state...

Well guess what: My bosses won the award for Carer's Qld Employer of the Year for the WHOLE STATE... woohoo. I am so wrapped for them as they so deserve it.

Russ has to work next week but Lisa, Carly and I are going to the Awards Luncheon next Thursday for Carer's Week at South Brisbane. All fancy three course lunch and big awards ceremony. I can't wait. Here I was wanting to show them how I appreciated them being in my life and for their ongoing support and then they take out the State Award. I couldn't be more happy right now...

Cheers Damaris

Another Visitor...

Our lovely visitor...

Last weekend, our little family had a visitor from Brisbane for Saturday night. Joshua was all excited as he loves cooking with him. They cooked up a storm for dinner that's for sure. It was yummy as well...

He came over in the afternoon on Saturday and after we made Carrot Cake together he cut up 5kg of yearling rump. YUMMMMM. We had it marinating for a good 14 hours before it was put on the BBQ on the Sunday. To say it was delicious is an absolute understatement...

We also played cards and Monopoly which the boys really enjoyed. It is always nice to have him with us as he is such a pleasure to have around. I must admit that I did get in trouble a few times for lifting things or doing stuff with my sore hand that I shouldn't have been doing. Happy to have him tell me off... Not so much fun feeling useless... Can't wait till he comes back in his holidays... :)

Cheers Damaris

Pretend dead Calf...

Chloe pretending to be dead...

Went outside during the week to see what was going on when I couldn't see Chloe. Imagine my surprise when I saw her lying down totally flat and not moving...

She did end up moving but I was still able to get a quick photo of her lying down. So here is how cows sleep... If not with their legs tucked in under themselves and their head turned towards their belly they actually sleep with their whole body stretched out...

Quite funny to watch...

Cheers Damaris

Dilema...

Lavender feeding this morning...

Russell and I have been talking for a while now about the damage that the cows are doing to our futile attempts at growing trees. We have been wanting to plant lots of shade trees for a while now and attempt it with tube stock but they always end up eaten somehow...

We have realised that we got the cows too early... When we first got here we should have gotten that part of the planting over and done with straight away and gotten shade growing so that in a few years we could have the cows and they could enjoy the shade rather than the tree. :)

We have about 35 bales of hay left in the shed for them at this point in time. Once that is gone we have made the decision that we will sell them. I will give first option to the breeder that we got them from off course but we can no longer keep them.

This will make way for a new era at our little piece of heaven. We will be joining Land for Wildlife. It is something that I really wanted to do to begin with but couldn't do off course as I didn't want to take away the area from the cattle. They need all the space that they can get and I realise that.

It will be hard to go without the raw milk but will try and find someone to barter with. There are many local diaries around here so I am hoping that I will be successful. As for meat, there is a really good butcher in Allora that I will get organic grass fed carcases from. Can't wait to try that out. Will still want Sausage though July next year so am really hoping that the breeder will be able to take them back. Time will tell...

To new beginnings... I will be very sad to see them go as they are part of the family but I finally have a chance to do what is right for our little family and for the soil here that we have bought. I need to do the right thing... Maybe we will have cattle here again one day. I don't know at this point I doubt it. At least I can say that we did it, we milked, we saw two births, we nurtured...

Cheers Damaris

New Arrivals...

Mum and babies...

This one is a keeper as far as the family is concerned...

Two days ago when we went to get the guinea pigs inside, there was a little surprise waiting for us...

We brought in three more than we took our that morning. Yes, we have had more babies. Unfortunately one passed away last night but the other two are feeding off mum really well and growing. Mum also has a growth of some sort from under the chin to her belly but still very well and eating and drinking so hope it is nothing... She is a very attentive mum as well which is lovely to see.

It is amazing to watch the two of them compared to the first and second babies. Three of the first litter have found new homes and are doing very well I hear. From the first litter I only have a boy left now and as soon as he grows a little more I will give him away as well. To a good home though.

The advertisement will read something like this: Male Guinea Pig waiting for adoption. Family pet only, not used as food... Poor little mite. Don't want him going to someone with a snake that wants a good feed...

Anyway at this point we still have a few girls that are pregnant but that run will soon be over. The boys are over taking them out and in all the time so now it is up to me really... I enjoy them but we will only end up keeping two of the girls. At the moment we have 10 and it is just too much hassle. Something I don't need with the state of my right hand...

On a sunny note, I am off to a lunch today in Warwick to meet some new ladies. I am really looking forward to it. One of the ladies that invited me, I met through Freecycle and it ends up that we have quite a bit in common... Can't wait to meet the other six or so ladies.

Cheers Damaris

Renewing the Soul...

Queen Mary Falls
My friend being silly...

This week I have been truly blessed by an old friend coming and visiting since Monday lunch. She has been in my life for about 13 years now and she was spending some of her precious time with me.

Needless to say I cracked the whip and got her to help me out where I couldn't do things. No that is not what happened at all. I am always ready to help others but one thing that I don't do very well is accept help from others. I always feel that there are others out there that need it more. Well having my hand in a splint, due to overworking the hand last week and getting in trouble from the surgeon last Friday, taught me that I do need to accept help when it is offered.

And that is one thing that my friend is really good at. She loves to help. I am very blessed to have her in my life. I truly am. She has hung out washing and brought it all back in, she has done dishes, fed animals and helped the boys with theirs. I am very blessed. I know I have said that already but I am. I am thankful to her for showing me that I am blessing her with accepting her help and that when it is given with love it is a beautiful thing. Today she tackles my fridge. Good luck with that. lol

She has been visiting the Gap while here and did all the walks on Tuesday and then had lunch at Fisher Park Truck Stop with my boss. Again they had something to talk about as they both knew me... Hmmmm wonder should my ears have been burning????

Yesterday, I saw the kids off to school and then with my friend we drove to the Killarney Falls and Queen Mary Falls. Oh what a day. It was so nice to just walk along the track and take in the beautiful breezes as well as the views. My friend kept running off ahead of me but I was happy to take it easy and just enjoy. I don't get the chance to just walk very often, just for the heck of it so I was taking advantage of it all. Saw some lizards along the way as well. We took some pictures and I hope you enjoy my day with my very special friend.

Cheers Damaris

Chooks Galore...

Chooks having a drink from the house's overflow pipe...

When we first moved here two years ago today, we always intended to have our chooks. We had had them at our last place and some of our girls were waiting at my brother's place to come home.

I love having chooks. Their antics are an amusement to us all and I also love the eggs that they lay. Currently we have six chicks, two of which are definitely roosters as they keep facing off at one another and 38 other chooks. They may be normal brown and white layers, black layers and a whole heap of bantams as well. Mind you half of them are roosters...

In the coming weeks I am cutting down to two large roosters, one that is Bruce, he has to stay and the white one as Timothy has laid claim to that one. From the bantam roosters I am only keeping two of three of them as well. I need to stop feeding the ones that don't lay. hehe

A joint family decision has also been that we can't eat our own roosters. The boys refuse to eat them. So they will be going to the Pig and Calf on a Wednesday to see what we can get for them. Alot of them are really lovely coloured and all are gentle. I hope we get something for them. More than the $1 each that I got for my last two duck drakes I sent off to the Pig and Calf...

Currently we are getting 10 eggs a day. Half of them are bantam eggs and Timothy takes great delight in measuring them to see what the smallest egg is. The record to beat at the moment is 4.5cm. We will see what today brings. He loves the chooks as much if not more than I do. Thought I had a fetish but he is just obsessed with them. I love to see him interacting with them. He spent hours out there with them, feeding them and talking to them yesterday. He does this most days.

I hope he never grows out of that habit. I love watching him and the chooks. It is sooo cute!

Cheers Damaris

Duckies update...

Our seven ducklings
The three mums sunbaking without a care in the world...

The drake, looking through Daisy's nest...

Was asked yesterday to put some pictures of the latest batch of ducklings on Facebook and so I thought I would blog about the babies today as well. They are certainly growing up very quickly...

They will be six weeks old this week. Amazing how they are growing up. A few of the bigger ones are actually already losing their baby feathers. It looks like they are moulting but they are not off course. They are just growing their adult feathers.

They have been outside for a whole week now and have not suffered for it either. I was worried at first as we had a bit of wind here and it was rather cold couple of nights ago but the shelter has a good windbreak on the windy side so that helps them.

The ducks that would be their mums are not paying any attention to them whatsoever, which I find rather curious. The two geese are always near the cage and seem to talk to them. They don't try to nip them, not that they could as the gaps are not large enough for anything to get through, except a fly maybe :) The geese sleep near the cage as well. I don't know if that is because none of Daisy's eggs hatched maybe? They are not aggressive towards them at all though. Rather a mystery for me...

Has been funny to see them develop and all of the seven are gray looking but one. It has stripey feet even. The neck is white and I think it is a product of the gander that we ate recently. I hope it is a female that is all... Not intending on keeping ganders anymore. Just get one in for when I want the eggs and ducklings in spring and eat them other than that...

Yes, Daisy's eggs where taken off her. In the end as the left over drake still kept annoying her and getting her off her eggs she only ended up with two eggs. One was a dud and the other only had a 1/2 formed goose in it. That was after leaving her for six weeks on her eggs. She should have been done after four. Never mind. She will end up in the pot at this stage and we will replace her with another as Chucky is a producer of babies but she is not a producer of goslings. She will make a nice dinner.

Anyway am off to feed the little chicks that are still in my bathroom. Enjoy your Sunday!

Cheers Damaris

Dishcloths galore...

My first dishcloth ever...

Over the last week I have been making some dishcloths. I am wanting to make them in pure cotton for Christmas presents as well as for little presents here and there. I will make some more cakes of soap as well to go with them I think...

I had my Mum and Stepdad over yesterday. This was a very nice visit and Mum organised dinner which was even better. I showed her the dishcloths and immediately she started talking about when she was a child and a young adult in Austria. Was so nice to hear. Even my menu plan reminds her of what she used to do. I like that and am rather sad though that I don't remember her doing any of those things.

The picture above is a dishcloth that is made from acrylic. I will use them to experiment with. I did get some cotton, 660 metres from Big W as have not been able to find any in any of the op shops around town but it was only 4 ply. I realised that it was too thin and will take it back. Originally I was going to double the ply but this will be too much hassle I reckon.

Mum is going to look for me in her shops up where she lives and see what she can find. She will then post them to me which means I will have plenty of time to make the dishcloths before Christmas. Happy Days!!!

Cheers Damaris

Spring Time in Warwick...

Timothy in a tree, again...

My boy with his earmuffs on, was a noisy day out for him...

Joshua has been attending Summer School in Warwick this week. He is enjoying it but is rather bored with it all. It is too easy for him... He was only invited to attend because when we moved schools two years ago, no Year 3, 5, 7 test results where in his file. I loved the extra tuition though as I believe that if there is any help that I can give my children than it is my duty to do so.

While Joshua has been attending Summer School, Timothy and I have been spending 3 hours each day killing time. This involves everything from picking up grain for the cows and chooks to grocery shopping. As all of this was basically done on the first day most of the rest of the time has been spent in various parks around the city. There are quite a few to choose from and Timothy will just tell me which one he wants to go and play at.

Lesley Park has been a park we have been visiting every day and it has been lovely to see its changes since Autumn and then Winter, not that you can call this last season winter really as has been very milk, and now Spring. The new growth in the trees, shrubs and new plants being planted by Council staff has been wonderful to see and photograph.

Hope you enjoy the journey.

Cheers Damaris