Of Balls and Baking

Our local show ball is this weekend.  Not so much a ball, as a gathering of the community for laughs, drinks and conversation, while a band plays in the background and skylarking children slide up and down the length of the hall, much to the consternation of those trying to dance. 

The kids are super-excited, me not quite so much.  A new dress arrived in the mail this week.  The girls thought it looked very green, Wallace thought it looked tight.  Tight green dresses might work on Jennifer Lopez.

But me?  Not so much.
It may or may not make it to the ball.

We've been busy with hall decorating and of course a little supper baking.

Layered sandwiches,

mini bacon and egg pies,

and for dessert,

some old fashioned cheesecake slice.  (Ainsley, I've made four times my usual mix, so some of these will be headed your way ... hope that's okay).

And so by the end of the night, the tight green dress could well be a whole lot tighter.

In my own Mind

Despite a slackening off period over Christmas, I'm still chipping away at this running gig.  A niggling lower leg injury coupled with my desire to enjoy rum balls, white christmas and choc-hazelnut pavlova saw my ability to cover over 9K slip back to the 5K range early this year. 

Now back at around the 7K mark, in my own mind I look very much like this.

A post-run image captured by Jessie just yesterday tells a far different story.

I don't know where I'm going wrong.

Book 'em

From an early age, reading has been one of my great loves, a passion I'm pleased to share with all four of my children.  It's because of them, and only them, I'm about to embark on the second of the Harry Potter series, not my usual focus.  It's been several months since I breezed through the first, may even need a refresher or possibly have Wallace bring me up to speed, he seems to have them all memorised, as do many other nine year old boys I'm sure.  I've recently enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird again, having read it now three times, first in Year 11 English, at the time a refreshing change from the heavy-going Macbeth.

Most nights I steal a few pages before the battle to keep my eyes open is lost. This bundle is currently sitting at my bedside, some of them just finished, others a work in progress, some needing to be re-started.
If anybody out there has conquered War & Peace, be sure to let me know.  I've read the first nineteen pages approximately seven times.  I will prevail.
The e-book reader atop the pile will eventually replace the pile I guess. I've read three books on it so far, including Pride & Prejudice which came already loaded and was much enjoyed.  The reader itself is somewhat of an acquired taste, it taking some time to replace the feel of the page with a screen.  Though with bookshelves already overflowing, I can see it becoming a wonderful tool.
I'm not quite sure where Dear Dumb Diary came from, though the 'just like you, only better' quip makes me think immediately of Jessie.
As Matthew likes to bawl at the kids almost daily (tongue firmly in cheek ... I think):  "Reading books will get you nowhere ... get outside and do some work".  I hope they know he's joking.

2012: Year of the Pot Plant

I've been so focused on 2012 being Year of the Farmer, that it took a friend's recent blog post to realign my focus to what this year is really all about.

I guess it slipped under my radar, with my pot plant collection currently not looking its best.

I like to call it "Death by Terracotta".

(Sharon, do you really still want a garden tour?)

But it's My Turn

With Matthew's paid employment taking him away from home most days of the week, our weekends are usually fairly full of the jobs that require more than one set of hands.  This past weekend, amongst other things, saw our old truck readied for a roadworthy inspection under the watchful eye of a full crew.

As well as a fair amount

of cleaning, scrubbing and hosing,

there seemed to be quite a deal of discussion

over whose turn it was to use the power-washer.  Dad, apparently nominated to ambush Sally and shoulder her out of the way.

Fortunately for Sal,

slow and steady doesn't always win the race,

sometimes youthful speed and a drop-shouldered side-step helps.

Tangled

While some may look at this image and see two loving sisters, each missing the other dreadfully during these early boarding school days.

All I see is the challenge ahead removing knots from that Rapunzel-like mane of hair. 
Why is it that the child with the longest hair also has the most sensitive scalp?

The Day After the Night Before

Saturday mornings that start with an alarm blaring at 4 am would be best not preceeded by the annual school meet'n'greet and a post midnight bedtime.  A quick executive discussion at alarm time determined that the children would be best left sleeping another hour.  Keeping in mind ... we're all about the kids.

The plus side of the two and a half hour early trip to Bottle Tree

is passing the golden arches.

Horses were run

and given a thorough inspection after what seemed a long break since last saddle up.

Wal looking exactly as I felt, though at least I had the sense to don appropriate riding apparel.  Fortunately jeans had been packed for both he and Sal, also resplendant in beach attire.  Who's to argue with a barely awake child pre-dawn.

Sarah's day started better than it ended

with her old bronc obviously feeling the affects of a recent inch of rain and flush of green feed.  Dropping his head and fully 'putting it to her', Sarah rather unceremoniously was planted in the dirt.  Unenthusiastically re-mounting, the silent tears that continued to flow for the next half hour resulted in Mum and Sarah undertaking a mid-paddock steed-swap.

I now have serious doubts of ever re-claiming my beloved Black Bob.

Although Wallace didn't remember his strides, he did bring a gun.  Priorities.

Another load gone to the meatworks.  Very little rain to report, 24 mm at Rock Wallaby for the week, 37 at Bottle Tree.  We'll try not to let it worry us yet.