Mini Olympics for Alex

Yesterday Alex's school held an Olympic Games afternoon. It was great fun and there were so many opportunities for the kids to just enjoy the Olympic ethos. After the opening ceremony that included performances by the teams (each with a designated country), security and volunteers (teachers), even the Queen was there with 007. And of course there was the last leg of the Torch Relay and the lighting of the Olympic Flame. Alex enjoyed the whole day.

Playing Ode to Joy in the recorder group for the opening ceremony.

His arm action in the Potato Shot Put landed him a "1000 m" throw.

He was a very helpful team member in the Royal Relay....

...and ran fabulously when it was his turn.

He made himself a Gold Medal.

Badminton was another sport in his round of games.

There was even an equestrian event - a Steeple Chase.

Then there was a Hoop Train Relay where the hoops were tied to one another sequentially at each end of the relay.

 The kids, staff and spectators all had a ball. I am so glad I had the opportunity to go.

Berry in July

On Friday I went by train to Berry and spent a lovely day there yesterday working on all sorts of little jobs. The garden is looking fabulous as per usual with roses blooming in July! (who would have thought!!) There is also a new "Edwardian ruin" around the water feature since the removal of the huge Camphor Laurel tree. Lots more light can now get in.

Another tree to go in all the rain has been a Murrayea from near the front door. A lot more light here as well and this light streams into the kitchen. The view of the pond is good and of course the ducks are happy.

 

The early morning sun streaming across the paddocks makes beautiful colours in the landscape but the pre-sunrise colours are fantastic too.

Geoff drove down Saturday morning and one of the first jobs  to be done was harvesting four bunches of bananas and cutting down their trunks. We now have lots of bananas ripening for Rauri and Janice, Ellen and Rod, Geoff and Jen, and me of course.

 

 

Other jobs included lighting a huge bonfire to burn off rubbish from the paddocks and another with garden waste. We visited the local tip with a load of metal and of course browsed the tip shop for 'good stuff' without luck. Geoff was able to scratch heads with Rauri over tractor issues and drive down to check the cows and we also tidied up the tractor shed area a little both with the removal of metal and sorting pallets.

Geoff and I drove back last night with very little traffic but now have some sorting of produce and planting of 'cuttings' to do today.

Thank you so much to Rauri and Janice for a short but fantastic time on the farm.

The trees have gone!

Thank you Terry and Ellie! The trees that were across our drive at Underhill have now been removed and taken for firewood. I do hope they keep you both warm.

Fun in the school holidays

Most weekdays during the school holidays I have had at least a few hours looking after the boys after Rod went to work for his late afternoon/evening shifts and Ellen got home after work. There were many rainy days but we filled the time.

All three boys loved playing the Wii and Nintendo and watching movies. 

There was time spent in the Japanese garden at Sutherland.

We found Bec and Bec and their girls at the Playschool concert. What a crowd we made.

We also visited Kobey and we all went for a walk to the shops to buy butter. Luke collected leaves and did some rubbings and of course the holiday started with a sleepover at Ma's and making the name cushions (see below).

I think I am completely boxed out and now have square eyes, as do the boys. But I think the opportunity to just opt out of their normally busy, time dependant life has does wonders for their recovery from the colds and flu that started the holidays. There have even been days were pyjamas were the dress of the day until quite late in the afternoon!

Visitors from all over

Last weekend I was joined by lots of botanical visitors for a Botanical Christmas in July. There were botanical friends from Sydney but also from Mareeba and Canberra. Geoff, Jen, Ellen, Rod, Alex and Luke also came as well as Surrey's sister Janice, also part of the botanical crowd. The two long distance couples stayed over as did Alex and Luke. We all had a great time and the weather cleared enough for a tour of the garden and the quilts upstairs.

Of course, the first question from Alex and Luke when they arrived was 'can we sew today?' and I had to delay the activity until Monday. They had been to Spotlight with Ellen who allowed them to choose a fabric each to bring along. They had also decided that they wanted their name letters as cushions just like their T and J cushions (for Thomas the Tank Engine and James, another engine). Below are some photos of the fun we had entertaining our long distance guests on Monday. Sarah took the photos and Marion sewed for the whole afternoon on my second machine. The boys helped draw the patterns for the letters, cut them out, sew them and stuff them. John and Roger chatted during the morning but after a bit of work in the afternoon John was set to the task of helping to stuff the rest of the letters...

It took a lot of hands to hold the letters in place while Ma did the cutting.

Alex is getting quite good at sewing 1/4" from the edge of the fabric.

Luke can now reach the foot pedal on the sewing machine so he was allowed to sew his L with help from Ma.

Each cushion took lots of stuffing.

Eventually the names were complete and we were all exhausted.

After the boys went home Marion, John and I decided that a Baileys was in order in front of a warm heater. We were all quite exhausted trying to get all 8 letters done by the time Ellen arrived for dinner. What a fun activity it was for the first day of the school holidays.

My advice to anyone else doing this activity is to limit it to one letter each per day. It would last longer and the kids can do most of the steps for all of them. But it was great to have a frantic activity when I had the help of Marion and John.

It's been windy at Underhill

Geoff and I went to Underhill yesterday and were greeted by two trees down across the drive. We spent a bit of time clearing some of the smaller debris so we could climb over it a bit easier. But we could not carry Geoff's old kitchen cupboards over it. This meant we had to contrive another way to get them up to the shed. Next time we will definitely carry the chainsaw with us.

 

It has been very wet over the last month and the top dam was absolutely full! Only one star picket showing above the surface now. Unfortunately we only had Geoff's phone for photos as I had forgotten my camera. We will definitely carry a camera with us next time we go.

Most of the day was spent digging holes for some fruit trees and berry plants that Geoff has ordered. We also had to check that we have enough wire and star pickets for the cages in which the trees will grow. Also had to check that we had what we need for irrigating the trees. All we have to remember are some washers and joiners next time we go.

A lot of time was spent weeding the berry yard tubs ready for the Medlar tree and some new berries. Of course we had to attempt to wombat proof the berry yard. They have found ways to get in. We have to remember to take some tent pegs down for that next time too.

In weeding we found some tiny potatoes so have brought those home to plant in our vegie gardens. They worked wonderfully for us both and at Underhill last year so here's hoping they work this year too.

We even had time for Geoff to light a fire and make a coffee and toast the sandwich we'd bought on the way that was a bit stale. What a great day! It was so productive. 

Bare tree trunks

 I didn't like the look of the pecan tree trunk in my bare lawn at the bottom of the ramp. I also thought a path would be a good idea leading from the ramp to the paved areas so that wheel bound people have better access to the house. So Kim and I worked very hard today to do a rough layout of bricks for the path and weed the grass from the garden area.

From this...

... to this.

Over the last few weeks we have also cleared the other corner of the back wall, using the large orchid and bird's nest fern to hide other unsightly parts of the garden. Soon I will move the roses that are growing along the back wall in the shade (and never really doing well of course) and revamp this paved area to be a bit more useable.

Thanks Kim, I love my new little bit of 'instant' garden.

In the garden this week

This minute creature was found by Kim in the woodpile this week It is a bug of some sort with two babies! If you know what it is please let me know.

Mabe it is one of these - Red Velvet Mite - but it is American

Perhaps it is a Red Spider Mite

They don't seem to be the Red Mite that affects chooks. I have seen those and they are certainly not bright red.

Underhill in May

Gang Gang - photo by Nathan

Last weekend I met Terry and Ellie down at Underhill. Geoff arrived with friends Nathan and Brad during the morning by which time Terry had injured his leg (later found out he'd actually broken it!).  He was not happy and eventually he and Ellie left to get home before dark. I am so sorry they had to leave and even more sorry that Terry got injured.

It was the first drive down in his new car for Geoff. He brought Brad and Nathan and three bikes. They all spent a lot of time creating a bike trail around the block and kept riding it to make it even more visible. Great entertainment!

Geoff had asked for makings of a camp oven meal. I brought meat and some hard veg. But Nathan also brought meat and Geoff brought hard vege he had grown himself. We had enough food to feed us all and bring home about 5 more meals. It was absolutely delicious!

We left Sunday morning after lots of washing up and clearing away. Nathan had taken some great photos of a group of Gang Gangs that came in during the day. We also saw Rose Robin and some White Cockatoos and heard a Yellow Robin. I was able to test out my new bird identification app and it is great. I would recommend it for all you bird watchers out there.

Thank you to Terry, Ellie, Nathan and Brad for coming and sharing Underhill with Geoff and I.

The Water Garden

 

You may remember that Surrey had lots of pots and buckets of water plants all huddled around a garden shed near the barbeque. This area is the 'last frontier' for Kim and I to organise. Progress will take a few sessions but I am documenting it here so that when you come to visit it is not too much of a shock.

First Geoff and his mates helped dismantle the barbeque that had rusted out anyway, then moved the garden shed to a more useful spot in the chook yard. This opened up the area a lot. Then Kim and I had to clear a path into the stump in the far corner.

'Bob and Ben the Tree Men' finished removing a stump that had regrown right in the back corner of the area. They could not get to it when they came two years ago so this time we cleared around the base so it could be ground out. This left a space! So Kim and I started clearing it of weeds and debris.

 

 Rod helped me move our large wooden recycling box out of the carport and into this space. This now shelters the cat cage and replaces the tiny metal storage shed that used to be there.

 

 

 After much back-breaking movement of rocks, water tubs and weeds we have now paved the area to make a more organised water garden that takes advantage of the sun that is now able to come into the area.

Our next space to work on is already paved and I will call it my rose garden when I pot up the struggling roses near the back wall of the house and add them to the 5 rose pots I already have there. 

Now Kim and I are finding it very difficult to move! I think a bit of TLC and RnR are in order.