What a Difference the Right Weather Makes

This year I will have been living on the farm for 7 years, I've been visiting for longer, but actually living, breathing farm life for 7 years. 7 of the best years, with ups and downs and big events, four babies, lots of love and laughter. The thing that still amazes me and makes my heart sing is the first flush of green across the paddocks, those first few weeks when the seed shoots and the crops start to grow.

With just the right weather (not too much rain, but not too little, warm days but not too hot and not too cold) those seeds push their way up and out into the sunshine to test their fate with what the weather has to offer. I never thought when I was growing up that my life would revolve so much around the weather, it can mean the difference between a happy Muddy Hubby or a sad Muddy Family, money in the bank or a tight, tight budget. On days that it rains the businesses in town are busy, busy as farmers can't do much around the farm and head into town for 'town jobs'. It's often these days that throw the week into disarray as Muddy Hubby says 'let's go and get this job done' as opposed to the long to do list I had planned for the day.

Just before the weekend's rain, Muddy Bubby and I did a little crop tour while delivering chemical down to one of the blocks for Muddy Hubby. We checked on the Canola and the Lupins and it had been a few weeks since we'd checked them and my how they'd grown! They were starting to power ahead which was a lovely sight to see and cheered me up lots on a down day.

Does your life revolve around the weather like mine?

What's your favourite bit about where you live?

Canola, just shooting through

Canola starting to 'cabbage' out

Lupins just out of the ground

Lupins looking good

A Muddy Weekend in Instagram

Do you ever feel like you're just treading water, like you are busy, busy, but when someone asks you, you have trouble remembering what's been keeping you so busy. I get very forgetful when I'm in this state, forgetting appointments, jobs to do and worst of all groceries when I'm shopping and left the list at home. I hate this state, it makes me feel like I'm not accomplishing much and worse still my house is in a total state of disarray.

This weekend was one of those weekend, a not much, but lots happening kind of weekend. We did lots of baking, for gifts and to take to a party. We made a cool cubby house using the sheets and chairs, which was fun til Muddy Bubby came and pulled it all down. We did have fun rebuilding it though!

We checked on the bathroom renovations at 'Mummy's old house' as the Muddy Girls call it, and I'm feeling a little better as it's almost done (thank goodness). While Muddy Hubby painted I started the big clean up and some of the 'to do's' to be done before new tenants can move in.

Then we finished up with a big birthday party for a very cute 2 year old. My Muddy Tribe had a ball, playing in the big shed and getting dirty, making new friends and reacquainting themselves with cousins. It was so nice though to drive home watching a beautiful sunset, snuggle up on the couch to watch 'The Block' and then have an early night. It's the simple things I love the most.

Having newly discovered Instagram and LOVING IT, I'm keeping track of what we've been doing and reminding myself of why I feel so tired and want to be in bed early!

How was your weekend? Do you tread water like me, feeling like you're going nowhere?

Cranky at Black and White

So I'm a little bit cranky at the local council. About 12 months ago, before my Muddy Organiser started school, we started talking to the chief engineer at council about whacking a load of gravel opposite the end of our road so that the bus could pull off the road safely and not get bogged (it would also save our shoes from getting too sandy or muddy when it's wet, but you can't use that excuse with council). The engineer said just tell me what the bus company needs and I'll make it happen. The bus company said 'we need not to get bogged and to have enough room to pull fully off the highway'. The engineer said, yes, no problem, there's a few we need to do so we'll put it on the list, it's important especially as you'll be using it each day.

The start of school came and went (and it was WET), and still no gravel. The bus has slowly been wearing tracks in the dirt and sand, when it's wet it will spin it's wheels a few times before grabbing traction and pulling away, much to my relief. By the time the bus gets to us it's pretty much full, there's about 30-40 kids on it, and it needs a tractor to pull it out if it gets bogged (yes it's happened the Muddy Pa has pulled it out once before). I have recurring nightmares of having to ferry kids down in my car to where the crossroads are and they change to the next bus into town.

Yesterday morning on my way to town I got a little excited as I approached our bus stop, the council workers were there, I started to do my little happy dance, then realised they weren't there for the gravel. They were replacing a perfectly good black and white sign with a new bigger black and white sign. Given our road only has two houses at the end of it and we are the only people (other than visitors and the postman) who use the road in my opinion it's a waste of time and money. Maybe there's a new law I don't know about that says the black and white signs must be a certain size, maybe it's an RTA thing, but for 2 council workers to come out, remove the old (perfectly good) sign and bang in an extra 2 new posts and hang up the new sign, to me it's a waste. I'd rather have my load of gravel! My preference (if council cared to ask) is to do everything possible to avoid getting the school bus bogged, to help get the kids to school and to avoid me being a taxi for those 40 kids when it does get bogged so they don't miss the next bus! I know if it does get bogged it won't be council workers pulling it out it will be Muddy Hubby on the tractor!

I know it's a small issue, I know I shouldn't get so worked up about it. However when you have a council that is continually crying poor and telling us they need to up our rates by 50% (I kid you not) then it really makes me wonder why they would spend money doing something like this. I can cope with muddy shoes and the fear of the bus getting bogged and go without the gravel, but did they really have to make me cranky by replacing a perfectly good sign.

Our flash new sign

View from the bus stop on a warm summer morning

Did you have similar issues with your local council? How do you tackle your council problems?

Wordless Wednesday - Let me out!

For some reason I get the feeling my Muddy Bubby is desperate to get up and walking and out into the big wide world! He is happiest outside and out and about on the farm.

Linking up with Trish at My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday

Smoked Paprika Chicken and Lemon Bake

I struggle in the kitchen, I tend to get into a rut and stick to what I know Muddy Hubby and the kids will eat. Every so often though I am handed a recipe that I think 'that will work in our house' and I give it a go. Mostly it's my lovely neighbour over the back paddock handing me a recipe she's already test drove with her two cherubs, and occasionally it's a find on blogs or the net.

This particular one was handed over the back paddock (Thank You Neighbour). It is super easy and there's never much left on the plate.

Ingredients:
1.5kg chicken pieces
1 lemon sliced
1 cup black olives*
2 chorizo sausages sliced
4 cloves garlic
1 cup chicken stock
50g unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika**
sea salt and cracked black pepper

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Place the chicken, lemon, olives, chorizo, garlic, stock and butter in a baking dish and sprinkle with the paprika, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Only photo I have before it went into the oven. By the time it comes out it's a rush to the table to keep everyone happy!

I serve it up with rice and steamed greens, my neighbour serves it up with cous cous and steamed greens, whatever takes your fancy!

*I am the only one in my family who eats olives so I left them out rather than have to pick them out of everyone's meals
**I couldn't get smoked paprika in town, so substituted paprika, still very tasty

Good Excuse for A Party and Cake!

We had a little party around here on the weekend, we got our Muddy Bubby Baptised. It was a short notice kind of thing, it had been scheduled for August with a big First Birthday Celebration, but the Reverend is leaving town and agreed to do it before he goes. Just to double the fun my Muddy Sister-in-law had her youngest Baptised at the same time. We spread the news of the party via phone and text with very little time to get ourselves ready, and pulled together a great day.

I am pleased to say Muddy Bubby behaved and didn't cry through the whole thing, only beforehand trying to crawl around and stand up in his Christening Gown. All of my Muddy Kids have now been christened in this gown, it was my Mum's and then mine. In all his enthusiasm to get to the front of the church Muddy Bubby ripped the gown, not sure that it will last til my Grandchildren (man, that's a scary thing to think about).

We had lots of good food, good friends and family and a mountain of desserts to accompany the big blue cake. It's kind of sad to think that this is my last Muddy Baby to be Baptised, the last one of mine to wear the gown. Now I need to find other excuses for throwing a big party, somehow I don't think that will be too hard.

The best bit about the day was the weather, it was spectacular, we had been worried because we were having it outside, but the sun shone and everyone was looking for the shade to cool down. Now today it's back to the same old, same old, a bit cold and lots of washing!

Hope your long weekend has been a good one.

Putting on 'The Christening Gown' definitely not impressed!







Grateful for Family

At the end of last week I had a rushed trip to Brisbane for a family funeral, it was one of those times where I was thinking 'do I go or do I stay at home' and at the last minute I decided to go. Muddy Hubby stepped up to the plate and took care of the Muddy tribe with a little help from family and friends and I spent 24 hours with some family I hadn't seen in a loooooong time.

So long actually that I had some of my cousins saying 'gee the last time I saw you, you were only this big' or 'I haven't seen you since you were a kid'. The best thing about it though was other than the conversations about 'what do you do with yourself' and 'Really, you've got Four kids' things were so comfortable and comforting at such a sad time.

We talked and reminisced and shared photos and stories. This is what I love, love, love about family getting together, particularly family that used to do so much together, is the story telling, the remembering and the sharing of favourite memories. This is so special, we talked about my Grandma and her two sisters, about their growing up and their courtships during and after the war, then the growing up and family gatherings.

Since I've been back my family has been emailing me lots of photos, and I have been sent a recording of my Grandma's youngest sister sharing her memories (turns out my grandmother was dating two men at the same time when she first met my grandfather, scandalous!). My favourite thing from family has been the photo below taken at my Mum and Dad's wedding, outside the church, the same church where I was married, and that lamppost, it's still there!

So this week I am grateful for family, family spread far and wide, family sharing stories and memories and reminiscing. I hope my kids have the same comfort and love of family as they get older.

Linking up with Maxabella at Village Voices for 52 Weeks of Grateful