Yeah! Photos

Thanks to the wonderful explanation of my wonderful husband, I can now upload photos to this blog. Yippee!

So, make sure you go back over all the postings as I will be uploading lots of photos over the next week or so.

Continuing to Look at the Clan

Jessica Ann

3 Years and 2 months

Jessica is unique! Perhaps a little bossy at times, perhaps even a little overly bossy, but really the sweetest little three year old you could find. She has the biggest smile and a great sense of humour. She's taken to Daddy's side of the bed - sorry Daddy - and often I have to rummage through the blankets to find her.

Jess talks. Jess talks nearly non stop. No matter the situation Jessica can find something to talk about. She likes to tell the children 'what's what', and likes to suggest alternative ways of doing things. Perhaps you could call her opinionated; don't know where she gets that!

Drawing is her new thing. She enjoys using blackboards, whiteboards, paper, colouring books. It really doesn't worry her as long as she is drawing. This is her latest phase of people drawing...

Flowers and houses also feature in her repertoire of pictures.

All in all, Jessica is a delightful, energetic, funloving, lovable, talkative little three year old. She has a special place in our family.

A Look at the Clan

Willem John 16 and a half months old

My first look is at the youngest Gutty. Although Willem is only in his second year, he believes he is no different from all the others. He expects the same treatment, food, jobs, games, and privileges as the older children. He is extremely confident in his abilities, and is self assured in his position in the family.

My little man would be outside all the time if permitted. Not possible, unfortunately. His biggest brother enjoys taking him for walks around 'The Common', and big sister Beth let him help collect kindling this morning.

Willem is by nature a helper. He loves to join in the work of the household. Carting wood from the verandah to the wood bin and sweeping the floor would be two of his favourites. He enjoys colouring with his two littlest sisters; colouring books, paper, his sisters and himself. He has quite a fixation with textas and whiteboard markers.

He has discovered Milo. The children have one cold Milo a day (that way the Milo lasts a few days). Willem goes from cup to cup and probably has more than any of them. He's got them all around his little finger.

When I sew or am sitting at the laptop, Willem likes to climb up onto my lap. He fiddles with things, points and "Ooooh's" at interesting noises and pictures, and rocks to the rythmic turning of the sewing machine. Ooops, here he comes now....up on my lap...uhoh!...I think I need to change something.

The fire is glowing its warmth into the kitchen, a couple of the children are watching a DVD about Ireland, the littler ones are setting up their mattresses. Willem has taken up his favourite position and it won't be long before Wallaby Scrub lies silent until the winter sun shines on it again.

Watch Your Brass Monkeys Mateys!

Brrrrrrrrrr! I had forgotten how cold it gets here. The children didn't suffer for they all slept in the kitchen next to the fire. Like a litter of puppies sprawled over two mattress; feet, legs, arms and heads every which way. But they were warm. I, however, was not. I'll be spreading yet another blanket or two tonight on my bed.

I remember talking to Diana about this particular saying, and I feel it is not indecent to use it. Apparently, according to Di, cannon balls were stored on triangular metal frames known as brass monkeys. The metal of the balls was different to the metal of the frame, and when the cold weather hit, the metals would contract at different rates. Hence, the brass monkey became too small to hold the cannon balls which ended up rolling all over the deck. It indicated that it was extremely cold, and a sailor should watch his toes lest his balls squash them. :-)

However, Wallaby Scrub looks beautiful with its white covering of frost, and centimetre thick ice on any still water. It is the last day of May, and winter starts tomorrow. We all hope for snow this season, and with the weather as it is now, I think we have a pretty good chance.

Off to the Big Smoke

You wouldn't believe how long it took us to get ready for town yesterday. We didn't drive out the gate until 11.30. How does that happen? Well, such a big event needs the right clothes; that could mean 2 or 3 changes until one looks just right. But finally we were in the car, engine idling... Oh! I forgot something... Back to the house... This happened 3 times. No wonder the kid's have little hope for punctuality.

We enjoyed 'Charlie's Chicken' and chips in the park. Sitting around the park table, surrounded by dry brown oakleaves up to our ankles, wind swirling around us, and our coat collars pulled up as far as they would go, we must have been a sight. But with our tummies full I knew we could shop till we dropped. We walked Church Street at least 5 times to get all our errands and shopping completed.

And then we visited the library. Bad move! Elsie and I logged on to ... broadband. What kind of creature is this??? Speedy internet connection. My head was whirling. We've got to get that satellite in place.

Everyone was dragging their feet by 6pm when we arrived home. In fact dinner consisted of apples and milos. We all flopped onto the mattresses in my room and read until we fell asleep. All except Josiah. I agreed to him sleeping next to the fire in the kitchen. We may just be joining him there tonight. The frost is getting whiter here on Wallaby Scrub.

Oh! What a beautiful morning!

Waking up to such a beautiful morning in such a beautiful place set the mood for a beautiful day.

I have some outstanding photos to upload (when I work out how to resize them). The mist was rising slowly from the frost covered grass. The dew was beginning to melt and drip from the bare apple tree in the yard. Drips lazily fell from the awning with little thuds. Then this perfect scene was made even more perfect by the distant call of a lyre bird; it's very distinctive call echoing through our little valley.

As Billy and I took in "the view" a little later, the winter sun was shining warmly from a cloudless sky. There was quite a heavy silence still sitting in the valley, and I couldn't imagine anywhere I'd rather be.

The older children spent some time fishing out yabbies from the dam. They believe there are hundreds of them in there. And fish, too. The fish are not as big as I was led to believe... they started off as foot long-ers, but have now been reduced to inch long-ers. A dam full of yabbies, guppies and taddies...

After laundry was done, Billy and I went for our daily constitutional. This time I took a chair, a cuppa and a book down to my favourite clearing near the old bus. We sat in complete silence, with the sun beaming down and the wind barely moving the leaves on the gums.

Right now I can smell dinner slowly stewing on the fire, the children have come inside to watch a DVD, Billy is sound asleep in his usual position, and all is well on Wallaby Scrub.