Thanks for the Help :)

What is that black thing anyway?

The offending tyre

My lovely helpers. :)

Last Monday I was out and about and ended up with a blown tyre... I went to find the jack and couldn't. The manual finally told me that it was under the front seat??? So got everything ready to do the tyre and two lovely people from RoadTek came and asked if I was OK. Told them that I had not done the changing of a tyre before but that I was fine. They got out and took everything out of my hands and had the tyre changed in about three minutes flat... Amazing team work :)

Found out that they were both working on The Gap where there is allot of roadworks going on at the moment and will be for some time to come... Again thanks so much to the wonderful people that stopped and helped... Couldn't have been on my way as quickly without your help :)

Then had to change my other three tyres as apparently you are supposed to check your air pressure in your tyres about once a month. Well no one has ever told me that so had no idea. Russell and I have bought allot of cars over the years and have only ever had one go out of warranty... This was my first flat ever... Things you learn... Am glad that the people that I bought my tyres from will check that for me from now on whenever I want them to :) One place I went to wanted $520 for four new tyres. Top of the range was all they had apparently. Then I went to Ryanie in Warwick and got the three for $295 with a balance and alignment. Gotta be happy with that :) :)

So Brad my lovely Blue Yaris is off for his 40000km service next week and then all will be good again :) Now if only I could remember to refill the water bottle for the wipers... Still have not done that after about two months of running out... Oh dear...

PS. 30.1.11, found out from my baby sister that that black thing in the first picture would be something to attach to the car in case it needs a tow??? Duh!!! lol

Cheers Damaris

New Babies...

Our two newest babies...

This morning I was drying the sink in the bathroom when I heard this high pitched yelling noise. I knew straight away that it was a duckling. Wondered why it was making so much noise so went to investigate... Remember I mentioned earlier that our cages outside are now covered with snake wire??? Well this little duckling had wedged itself in between both wires and was stuck. So much so that mummy duck was very upset and the duckling had worn a little patch of feathers off its head...

Poor darling. I gave it some help and out it came. Moved all water containers to the middle so that it couldn't get stuck behind any of them either. Mummy Duck bobbed her head up and down a couple of times and with that she took her TWO babies with her back to the nest box. One egg she rejected last week and it was dead in the shell. The other two both hatched. :) They are sooooo cute and needless to say the boys are beside themselves... Love baby animals. :)

Cheers Damaris

First day of school for 2011...

Joshua and Timothy...

Have to have the silly shot...

Uno was played...

My pile of books waiting for me...

Well the boys are at school... Over the weekend, Timothy kept on insisting that school only started back on Thursday. I told him different each time... He was not happy to go back. He was really struggling with it. The bell noise annoys him as it is so loud. The kids annoy him... He even asked if he could stay home this year...

This morning he was up bright and early just after 6am and presented himself to me completely dressed and ready to go... He had his breakfast and then went back to bed. Normal routine. :) When it was about 15 minutes to go before he would have to leave, I started talking to him about what lay ahead to prepare him a little. He knows he won't be changing subjects like last year. He said he looked forward to doing Ag Studies. I mentioned that I was looking forward to finding out what he would be doing in Manual Arts and that maybe he would be apart of a band or orchestra this year in Music... Just light hearted but something for him to think about... He was very happy to leave in the end. He was busting to tell people about his new pet, Bud... He actually ran and skipped down the driveway. :) Was wonderful to see :)

Joshua also presented himself just after Timothy, fully dressed with bed made (as usual :)) and ready to go... Now Timothy leaves at 7am as he has the bus to catch. Joshua can't leave till after 8am as he isn't supposed to get to school before 8:15am. So once Timothy left this morning we played a round of pool... He had five balls to pocket, me only two and he still whipped the pants off me. :)

Then he played a heap of Uno with me. I love that game. We take 14 cards each in our version so it lasts a bit longer seeing it is only two of us playing. Has been a while since we have played that game. :) Chess tomorrow I reckon. :)

I must admit there are a few things very, very different this year. All of last year Timothy wore his yellow hat with Cunningham written on it. It is the house that he is in at school. Today he said that he wasn't wearing it anymore as he was the one and he didn't want to stand out in the crowd... Now that it growing up... Amazing, he has never said anything like that before... This year is also Joshua's last year at Primary school. He is in Grade 7... The other thing was that for the first time he didn't want me to come to school for the first day. He wanted to ride to school as normal... Felt strange... But also shows just how much he has grown up in the last year. He longer hangs off me giving me lots of hugs and kisses... Though I still always get the one when he leaves. Yep my boys are growing up :) Which is a good thing I know but a little sad on the other hand as well... As parents we really need to enjoy our kids while we can because it really does go ever so fast...

Everyone has gone now... Russell is at work for another week and the housework was done by 8:45am. Clothes have been hung on the line and dinner has been organised. Love to monthly menu plan... makes things so much easier.

Oh the Serenity. Oh the Quiet... I am loving today already :)

So after finishing here I am off to have some Me Time... Reading, with coffee off course... something that I have not done really for the whole holidays... And am missing it...

Cheers Damaris

So it does get used...

We have a wonderfully large cricket oval here in Maryvale. We are very, very lucky... It though doesn't get used very often at all...

Yesterday we spied a cricket match out there and I had to take a photo as evidence. :)

Cheers Damaris

Custard Mess...

The possessed custard... lol

So we had a lovely Chicken Risotto for dinner. Even had three meals left over for Russell to take to work this week. So then Russell gets an idea... I will make custard... Sounded yummmm. He is great at making if from scratch and the way we do it, it is failsafe...

Anyway, I try hard to not be in the kitchen when he is preparing stuff as he is a little too messy for my liking. I like to clean up as I go, straight into the dishwasher. He doesn't... Need I say more.

So what happens... On this occasion I was in the kitchen turning the guinea fowl and ducks eggs in the incubator and this is what happened. Truly, I lie not!!!

Goes to put the milk in the jug, and splashes it everywhere...

Then realises he should have done the egg first, puts that in and splats it all over the place, more milk on the counter and his shirt...

He adds the sugar and again splats milk over the edge of the container...

He mixes the concoction and there is more and more splatter...

After it being in the microwave for a bit he takes it out and again twice more splatters it places, including his shirt again, this time burning himself on the hand, twice...

Joshua and I stand back and laugh. Our sides are just about hurting... Russell suggests that I can always finish up if I like and I politely say "Oh I couldn't, why mess with perfection..." lol

The end result was fabulous off course and he did clean up after himself as well which I do really appreciate... :)

Was so fun to watch though...

Cheers Damaris

Seeing Friends...

Joshua was very excited about spotting Kailum at the shops :)

This morning Russell and I took the boys to see 'Tangled'. Was a lovely movie to see :) After that we went shopping and while there Joshua saw one of his close friends that has moved from our village...

Was nice to see him... Good luck this year with school Kailum. :)

Cheers Damaris

Timothy's stay at Blue Care...

Timothy feeding the birds at Queen Mary Falls. :)

This week Timothy has spent four nights at Cooinda in Warwick... Boy do they do an excellent job there. I so appreciate this place as I know that I would not be able to get this sort of service if we still lived in Springfield... It just isn't there. There is just too a high a demand for it and not enough beds, so to speak... This house has three clients a night and carers that take shifts during the night. He has matured over the time that he has spent there and is really good with the rules. If he knows them he is fine... As long as he knows them... This time again he was a very good boy and is always welcome back...

They did some excursions... Allora Pool, Queen Mary Falls, Killarney, Bush Walking and WIRAC (swimming at Warwick Public Pool). He even came home with the pictures above so prove he had a good time... Some show and tell :)

He said he had a great time... And Joshua and I can say that we had a great time as well. Lazy days, no stress, no fuss, no timetable and no stringent schedule to stick too. It was pure heaven. :)

And also must mention that without Commonwealth Respite these little breaks that we get 3 or 4 times a year would not be possible without them. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.

Saw someone today that had not seen me since before the holidays and he couldn't believe just how relaxed I was. Radiant, he called it :) Yes, this break has been wonderful...

Joshua was busting to get to him though. He had missed him terribly in the end. Never the first couple of days but by the fourth you know they are hankering for each other...

Timothy called out "Home, sweet home" as we drove up the driveway... We had missed him and he had missed us. Made the reunion all the better. :)

They are now happily playing on RuneScape. They love playing that computer game online together... :)

Am optimistic the peace will last a while... One can hope anyway lol.

Cheers Damaris

Getting there...

Loving my little bit of bling :)

Here is an updated photo of my Dermal Piercing... Am loving it :) Have soooo many ask me about it...

The people that I always get my nose ring studs from where in Warwick this week again. They travel around to different shopping centres... I asked them if they had coloured tops for my finger and sure enough they did :) :) :) So I got a pink and blue one. Can't wait to be able to change the top on it... Have to be patient though. Be another five months or so...

Cheers Damaris

Can't see, Mum...

Joshua getting his eyesight checked...

For the last little while, Joshua has been having problems with his sight. He got new lenses last April but now he was watching movies with them all slanted so that he could focus...

Went and saw his optometrist this morning and guess what??? Out of eight lines of letters he could only see five... No wonder he felt like he was going blind...

So now on Tuesday we have to get the new lenses fitted. The frame got a straighten up too at the same time and a screw needed replacing so that was great to have done at the same time. Glad he will be able to see properly soon...

He has had growth spurts this last year allot so that also explains as to why his eyes have deteriorated... Poor little man... All ok soon though :)

Cheers Damaris

Just a little proud...

The offending bowl and spoon...

For a while now I have been going a little OCD about the way the house looks. I am still this way most of the time but did let my hair down while Russell was on holidays. I tried really hard...

Since he has been back at work this week, it has gone back to how it used to be of sorts... I have decided to leave the wiping down of furniture till tomorrow instead of freaking about it and doing it today. :) Yes, big step... Even writing about it now is bothering me but I am staying here. :)

The other thing I did last night too was... Dishwasher was finished... Sink was cleared and dried off... Then I find a bowl (in Joshua's room even though he has a sign on his door saying 'Please don't eat in my room'... What the???) So normally I would clean that bowl and spoon and then put it away and then dry the sink again. Didn't do that this time. I filled it with water and left it... Big moment I must admit... Not that I could look at it. I had to do it in the dark. I know... Sad...

I realise that I have a tiny problem in this area. It should be alright and there is nothing wrong with some stuff being out... I just happen to like it very, very neat and tidy and cleared off... I can also say that I am working on this issue...

Did some more decluttering from my plastics and Tupperware drawers last week and that... Felt great. :) Thanks Fiona for taking so much off my hands. The rest will go to Charity on Friday :)

Anyway this morning the bowl and spoon was still there. hehe Needless to say now it is gone. :)

Cheers Damaris

Fiona's new babies...

Eyes are still closed...

My friend Fiona and her hubby Dave are proud new Grandpareents. :) Their dog Roxy has had another lot of puppies... They are one week old and still have their eyes closed... Sooooo cute :) This lot has two males and two females. Sooooo adorable. :) :) :)

Cheers Damaris

500th Post...

Joshua and Nick playing this morning

I just saw that this will be my 500th post... Boy have we come a long way from the beginning :)

And so far to go too... Each day is a little step in the right direction... We are slowly getting there and that is what matters most. :)

Cheers Damaris

New foods added to our diet...

Apples are back on the menu, as long as they are peeled. :)

Well this family being failsafe has not been without its challenges but these holidays we were able to try out some more foods and this is what we found:

Mangoes are fine for all of us to eat, no reactions

Watermelon is fine for all of us to eat, except Joshua

Timothy is fine with peeled Red Delicious Apples

No brand cheap bread from Woolies, Coles and Aldi are fine for us to eat. The vinegar in the bread (amines) is not reacting with us. :)

Joshua taught Timothy how to peel the apples. Was so cute to watch. I was willing but he wanted to do it so I let him... Timothy is very slow as his coordination is not there yet but as he really wants that apple he perseveres... :)

So now we have a few more things in our diet and has made it a little easier for Blue Care as well for when they have Timothy as they cater for his needs really well. :)

Cheers Damaris

This morning...

Both beds were made first thing this morning. :)

Joshua and Nick playing 'Stock Market'

Bailey was invited to also play. lol

Nova watching carefully, from the couch. lol

For the last four nights I have not slept well. Don't know what is going on... Might be the frogs keeping me up. Hope tonight is better...

Joshua had a little friend over for a sleepover last night and in the morning they got up really quietly so that I could keep snoozing... I heard them but left them to it. :)

Today is Wednesday, I know I shouldn't be on here but as Joshua is just with me I made an exception to the normal rule... That is that today we don't practice Low Electricity Wednesday. He didn't know that first thing in the morning though...

So they got up and make both their beds :) And then they proceeded and played a really old game of Russell's - Stock Market... It is from the early 70's. Russell taught Joshua during the holidays while cooped up with all the rain and now Joshua has taught Nick as well. :) Was so lovely to come out and see them playing so nicely together.

I got them their breakfast and then they continued playing. Joshua was so gracious and let Nick win... What a wonderful morning it was. :)

Cheers Damaris

Joshua's find...

Mum and lots of babies...

Some of our current visitors :)

He was out in the garden this morning and there he found a container with water in it from last week's downpour...

A frog has laid her eggs and she was still in there. We put a large stick in there so she could get out if she wanted to... Can't wait to see them as tadpoles and then as little frogs... :)

We have had lots of frogs visiting us of late. All this moist soil is bring them out from all sorts of places. :) Loving it :)

Cheers Damaris

Where did she come from???

Joshua holding up the returning chook :)

When we went away to camp on 1 January we didn't end up doing that. We ended up at my brother Markus and SIL Sandra's place for the four days. Upon our return home we found that a fox must have gotten into the chooks as about five of our baby roosters where missing but no carcases so we knew it wasn't from Nova on the times that she escaped...

We were also missing one of our purebred Leghorns. Beautiful girls that they are and was rather upset about it. Well this morning as we went to take Timothy to Bluecare for the week, I asked Timothy to throw out some seed for the chooks and low and behold there were two Leghorns and not just one as we had had for the last two weeks...

Sure enough the other one has come home, from where we will never know... All I know is that she will have to shed those feathers as her underbelly is not dirty with mud but some sort of oil that has now set hard...

One lucky chook and one clever chook to find its way back. Sooooo happy this end. :)

Cheers Damaris

If only Timothy would read the sign...

He tries soooo hard... Poor darling...

Found this on Joshua's door just a minute ago... Had to share... Now, I realise that this is directed at Timothy as he does this without thinking... He is in his own little world. Joshua realises that he is very visual and has tried, once again...

If only he actually read the sign... and get the hint... Lol

Cheers Damaris

Target...

This year this is what I am working of getting rid of... We don't have too many of this prickly plant but enough for me to get out the pesticide. Not what I want to do as I love to garden organically wherever possible especially when Landcare and Land for Wildlife are helping us.

This weed is just not giving in... So the big guns are coming out. Literally, the spray gun...

Cheers Damaris

Plants getting there...

Went out to the greenhouse yesterday afternoon to check on how things where going in there and found that all of them had actually grown quite a bit... All of the four cuttings of Russell's Mum's Rosebush have taken and are budding. Yay!!! For some reason have always been able to do that :) A couple will go into our garden because they are from Mum but the others will become presents. :)

Quite a few of Lisa's plants are ready to go out and will be relocated in the next week or so. Might do that with Joshua's help this week. Timothy is off to Bluecare for the week and is really looking forward to tomorrow when he goes... :)

Cheers Damaris

Two of my cuties...

Joshua and Bailey :)

Here is Joshua cuddling up to my Bailey... Bailey is such a teddy bear. :) Lets you do anything with him... well within reason anyway. :)

Cheers Damaris

Mulberries...

Lots of new growth :)

Went and checked on our trees today and found that one of the mulberries has grown heaps since I last checked on it. Thought I would share. :)

Cheers Damaris

Never ending...

Russell on the tractor making mince meat of Thorn Valley...

In need of a clean...

Just about ready for the incubator :)

One thing I have found with having 8 acres that are not yet full of trees and shrubs is that there is always an awful lot of mowing... Thank goodness we have a tractor...

Russell was out there again today now that the ground was a little firmer. Thorn Valley, as the boys call it, being down the front near the recycle water hoses, was just wild... And amongst it all Russell mowed the nest of our Guinea Fowls... I still can't believe he didn't hit it with the blade or drove over it. They they were just in a big pile. They boys loved helping me get them inside :)

And I thought they weren't laying... When we picked up the 20 eggs there were imprints like they had been wet. I took them all inside and cleaned them off. Out came the incubator again... Didn't realise it would be out again so soon. :)

Here is hoping a couple will hatch at least... I am not too optimistic about the ones that have been there for three weeks but maybe ones laid since the rains might just make it??? And now I know that they do lay eggs. :) :) :)

So will update in a month or so with numbers. lol

Cheers Damaris

Being taught by your child...

We have had a terrible time lately with all the flooding going on around the place. Nothing like Ipswich and Brisbane and Toowoomba and many other places but we have been cut off from the rest of the village for days at a time.

Joshua and Russell have been going through the whole lot of board games that we have. What a lovely stash...

This one Joshua taught me one day when Russell was busy in the shed. :) Thanks for taking the time, darling... And thanks for letting me beat the pants off ya :) hehe

Cheers Damaris

Humps will help???

Hope they hold...

We have been having a terrible time with all this rain and our driveway is really suffering... Every time Russell puts down the gravel with concrete mixed in with it it ends up out the farm gate...

These little humps that he has made will hopefully help with keeping the tracks in better shape. They are doing a great job so far. :) Let's hope it stays that way. hehe

Cheers Damaris

5yrs old and still Yummmm...

Lis preparing the cake for demolition :)

Cake anyone???

My baby sister Lis and her hubby Phil got married nearly six years ago... Their wedding cake was a heavy mud cake... Yummmm at the time :)

Now they had to go back overseas to teach and work and then they came back to Australia and then Lis taught up in Boigu Island... No use for a top tier of the cake there either...

I have been taking it with me to three different houses over that time. :) My dear friend Margaret even had it for about a year while we were renting and building out here in Maryvale. :) What a treasure.

When we had Christmas at Lis and Phil's place few weeks ago, I took the opportunity to return it :) So it was defrosted and enjoyed by all. :) We all even got to take a slab home with us.

Was just as beautiful as the day they got married. Amazing. My other sister Tina did a fantastic job with the cake. I remember the days and days that it took. Such a perfectionist and what credit she is owed... I have a very clever family. :)

Cheers Damaris

Silly me...

One of the three wrecked blades...

The dint visible from the outside...

A definite cut in the lid...

So there Russell and I were using up as much of our potatoes as possible as we had found some rotten ones in two of our bags... Was a great time to make a few pots of mashed potatoes... Great stuff to freeze... I make two lots in our wonderful Thermomix...

The third one was never finished. I don't know what I was thinking but I picked up a large knife and put it into the Thermomix to burst the air bubble in it... So needless to say I went down too far and busted up the blade, made a dint in the bowl and cut the lid. How silly can one be...

Glad I had the pocket money to replace it and should arrive soon in the post but wishing I didn't have to spend it on that... The lid and bowl is still usable so will have them as spares. Will be good backup... Have learnt my lesson, I can only hope... :(

Cheers Damaris

Plums, plums and more plums

A lovely lady in our village gave me some the other week and I made sure that what was not eaten was water bathed... I wanted to ensure that it didn't go to waste.

They have gone on holidays and I was supposed to go down to her place and get the others that would have been ripe by now... That was last Friday... I totally forgot about it in the afternoon when I was supposed to get down there and then we went on holidays.

Since coming back I have not had a chance as we have either been in town restocking or it has been pouring rain... What a pity. Will try again tomorrow and maybe there are some fallen plumbs that at least the chooks can feast on... Oh what a shame...

Cheers Damaris

Love specials...

The other week, we found Coles had Kettle Chips for sale. At half price!!! What a bargain. We can only have those and the ones from Aldi so we bought out two shops worth... We ended up with about 24 packet of chips. hehe All at $1.82 each. Yep half price... They will off course last forever but good to have them as they are really good quality as well. :)

Love a bargain. :)

Cheers Damaris

What to do???

Joshua having fun in the sun :)

So what does a young boy do when it is really hot and the bucket under the tank overflow is full???

Get in it off course. :)

Cheers Damaris

Our Camping Trip (Not)

Lots of German Rummy was played :)

Markus and his beloved Mustang...

Timothy feeding banana skins to a baby goat. :)

Lots of room for everyone. :)

Marshmallow time :)

We were all geared up and ready to go. It was 1.1.11 and we were on our way. Animals at home were kindly looked after by our lovely neighbour Garry...

We got through Brisbane and as soon as we hit the Bruce Highway to get to our camp site, it started pouring. This had been going on since 6am that morning, not that we knew as at home it was warm and sunny.

We went where the GPS told us to go, which ended up being the back way. Had no luck getting in there as there was a road closed due to flooding. We had allot of trouble backing up the trailer and car back up a hill so that we could turn around at a flat area and then go back. By this time my brother called and said that they had been to the campsite and it was way too boggy. The creek was way too swollen and there was debris coming down it. Way too dangerous for kids. All the sites were slippery as well.

He had been in contact with the park management for days prior and all was apparently fine up until the day that we were to arrive. Needless to say due to us cancelling on the day we didn't get a cent back. Keeping the 50% deposit was fine. I understand that they are running a business but for them to not even offer the other half for a future trip there was terrible. They end up making 100% of our money and then just resell the site. When I asked about the chance of getting the balance for a future visit I was chuckled at... Not nice. :(

The boys were so disappointed and needless to say I will not be attempting to go there again. Shame as apparently if dry it is a great site. My brother and his band of at least six families will not be back either. Shame on them...

Anyway a good outcome was had though as my brother and his lovely wife offered for us to backtrack to their place about 45 mins and stay with them for the time instead. We had a ball. They have a pool so that is where you mostly found the boys. All five of them. :) We went to a local waterhole as well. All the boys went to Redcliffe to a seaside pool on one of the days and my SIL, little sister and I went and visited my other sister in Hospital. Everyone had a great time and everyone flung themselves happily and tiredly into bed each night.

It was so nice to know that the boys had grown enough to not have to be supervised every two minutes as well. Gave us adults more room and a great time of relaxation...

We made our trip home on Tuesday and just missed another shower. Since last night though it has set in once again. One of our exits was still not crossable yesterday so will be up again now, well and truly. Won't take much for the other two exits to be under either...

We did get into Warwick yesterday to stock up on bread as well as milk and fruit so we are fine till we go in again on Tuesday hopefully. Russell's car is in for a service and a movie will be caught while we wait.

Cheers Damaris