Childhood memories.

 

So for something different, my photos have decided to upload in chronological order this time. 

This vine is a native Australian vine called Pandorea pandorana (botanists were so creative weren't they), AKA wonga-wonga vine. Anyhow, bit of trivia. I just thought it was pretty. I must get an image that's actually in focus. 

They won't stop growing! 

Or being complete ferals! 

School holidays started a bit slow for us. We were planning to go mustering, but the weatherman forecast us for 1-2 inches of rain. So we decided to postpone. Unfortunately, the rain was postponed as well. So the 8mm of rain that we did get in the first week; delayed the work that we couldn't leave any longer, that we had to get done with the two showers of 12mm that we had back to back in the second week. It also meant the my cousin visiting from Brisbane with her family, just had to come to work with the rest of us.  

Miss Evy who seems to have caught the generational horse bug was rather reluctant to get off Saint Bobby. 

Daughter and Mother

And son!

Mustering team. I'm so grateful that Jess can just fit in with our motley crew and that I have Carlos in my plant who can just be pulled out of the paddock and throw her straight on after he's been spelled for I don't know how long! 

Red shirt brigade. 

Would've been funny to look into a crystal ball back when we were kids and see this picture. I wonder what we would have thought. To be honest, I feel like it's absolutely perfect! 

I hope that these holidays become the stuff that my kids, childhood memories are made of; hopefully a little bit less traumatic than some of mine lol.. although maybe when they're a bit older and start playing with buggies and fire and swimming horses through the dam, they will be in similar strife that I seemed to find myself in.  

Poor Jess, when kaka is on a horse she doesn't stop talking and Jess copped the most of it lol. 

Louie got to have a ride too. I don't know that he was quite as smitten as his sister, but I think he liked it too! 

Possum has decided that she doesn't want to smile in photos now.

Oue weaners. Sad to think that a couple of years ago they were making over $2,000 and now only a bit over $800, even though they are probably an even better article now in comparison. I wonder if we will ever see something like that again. And I wonder if it will be countered by everyone destocking while the prices are high to await the downturn to rebuy. 

I love this, these cows were so happy!!

With our sand sitting out the front of the house, waiting the new lawn to go in, it made for the perfect play zone all week for the kids! They hardly left it alone and I don't know how many times mum and Jess had to sweep out the house! 

More mustering. This time on our agistment block to get the heifers off and bring them home to pregtest. 

Hanging with aunty Jess. 

Such pretty country! 

The buggy crew with Dad, Nashy, Louie and Evie. 

Nice to ride a horse that I'm not training. Not that he doesn't need training, I just couldn't be bothered. 

Such polite, happy heifers.

Even uncle Nash hopped on for a stint. Gotta love his faith in us. "Yeh, I'll get on, I won't hold you accountable". Just had a knee reconstruction mind you! 

It's love! 

Husband and Wife team. Least we both have bays now. Taking "Stella" for her maiden muster. 

Like a pro! 

Nash even had a crack.... pun intended. 

Calfy! 

Bit of a reach for the big fella! He managed to preg test all 76 of them which I thought was a pretty fair effort, considering he hardly ever does it. I'm sure if I was to try and do that my arm would fall off! 

Kids had a go too! 

Finally on the last day, we got half a day off to have a bit of a look around. Went down to a spot in the creek where this beautiful seam of red rock runs through it. The photos don't really do it justice. So pretty!

Omg trying to get everyone looking AND smiling for a photo was near impossible! 

Isn't miss Evy just the cutest little button!! Looks exactly like her mumma here! 

And just like that on our last afternoon sunset, it was all over. Nashy and Jess left at some ungodly hour in the morning to make the 10 hour journey home. 

And then mum left me too.... all alone... with my kids... and my husband! 

We did make some really yummy rosella jam before she left though. Although there was only two very small jars. 

A new family member was discovered. Let's hope we have better luck with "chook chook" (named because she ran into the chook house when she was found) than we did with Gremlin. 

And just like that, the school holidays were over. We had a swap day at Bogantungan where I was given a massive sweet potato and some spinach. So I made a "swap day special" bake for dinner. 

Despite the rain, we had a rather productive holidays. With the help of mum and Jess doing most of the housework, endless baking and babysitting while I was out and about. Eric and Marina to come and help with the mustering, pregtesting and drafting. Then we had to do some trucking to sell our weaners, more trucking to move cattle between paddocks and mustering our agistment country and trucking them home to be pregtested. Was a bit full on, but I was so grateful for all the help, as there was no way we would have managed on our own, well maybe, but we certainly wouldn't have had any scones or piklets! 

Back to school means, back to our afternoon rides. G man clocking up a few more hours on Rosie. I think they are getting along pretty well.

Check out these honeycomb clouds! Aren't they cool. Lacunosus is the technical term. I had not seen them like this before though. 

The hibiscus mum gave me has its first flower! Isn't it lovely. 

Justin and I had to attend a gathering for some producers and so mum was able to come out for a long weekend to babysit for us. She had to teach school on the Friday while we were away and then we were back for the weekend. I finally got to take her to one of our paddocks that she hadn't been to yet. Seems that every time she has been out here, she has been too busy babysitting or the weather has been fowl to go anywhere. So it was nice to be able to get out and about and show her around. 

Trekking up the mountain. Then once again, mum had to go home and it was a bit sadder this time as it would be another 3 weeks before we see her again. 

Taking care of my growing orchid. Jess gave me a fig and a guava to add to my collection and now I have the whole bank covered. I'm so content with it all. They all seem pretty happy. All except my rosella, which we raided before I believe it may die. I don't know if you're supposed to replant them every year or not. It got a very bad scale, so I'm not sure if it will survive. 

Sunsets are so pretty at the moment with the colder weather. Boy was it a bit chilly today! I heard that QLD was going to get some snow soon! So I daresay it will be even chillier! 

And that's a wrap. I don't know what wrong with my family at the moment. Despite the fact that we all spent the holidays with a lingering cold that wasn't really bad enough to keep you in bed (not that, that was an option), but it was just there to be a nuisance. The big fella and I both have sore backs, might be a bit like that cake we made my girlfriend Sheree in my last post, 40 'n' fucked. I have a feeling we are both starting to reap the rewards of a lifetime of lifting things that are too heavy YAY! 

Hope you are all well. I’m still battling my way through “5am club”! It has some good concepts but the storey line is terrible!! I’ve also started reading “What do you do with them on Sundays?” Which is about a guy who did some droving back in the 1950s. So it’s interesting. 

Till next time. 

With Love x