It’s supposed to be Autumn and we have already seen glimpses of it. The days are drawing in and the leaves are turning red and gold but we are still having days of 30+ degrees in between the gentler days in the mid 20s so Summer hasn’t quite said goodbye just yet! We are looking forward to the change of season and an end to barbeques and salads and introducing some more robust food into the equation again! The footy has started but the cricket is still going so we are neither Arthur or Martha right now. It is nice to have cooler nights for sleeping and the sun is allowing us to sleep in until at least 6.30am as it pokes it’s head up later and later. A lovely time of the year to be sure.

We are making the most of these last days to go for lovely long beach walks. I’ve finally realised it’s much better if I look up the tides before I pack the choccy drop into the car and take off, thus insuring we can walk on hard flat sand if the tide is on the way out. She absolutely loves it, running through the water and investigating anything interesting that may have been washed up. The bonus is always meeting other dogs and seeing them all run around together like puppies. Our girl is fairly submissive and doesn’t seem to get into any trouble but she freaks out a bit if she bumps into any kelpies. These are the sheepdog of choice in Australia and they just can’t help themselves as soon as they see other animals. They stalk slowly and then drop down as Bailey approaches before suddenly jumping up and circling her in an attempt to “round her up” and she really doesn’t appreciate all the attention and the intrusion into her personal space! She is much happier fetching sticks or balls and running up the beach as if she owns the place!

We have some new arrivals in the chicken coop. Yesterday saw a delivery of 4 Sussex hens and 2 roosters! They are only 16 weeks old but already larger than our two existing Australorps so it has been an interesting introduction. This picture is pretty typical of the current standoff.  The older chooks always usually peck the living daylights out of the newbies but in this instance its just a little bit of argy-bargy to let them know who’s boss as their bigger size creates a slightly more even playing field! We are only keeping the 2 roosters for a couple of weeks until we decide which of them we prefer to keep (on what grounds you choose a better rooster I have no idea??) and as yet they are not old enough to crow so we’ll just see how things go in the chook yard as they get older, bigger and louder!

I whizzed up to Sydney for 24 hours for a flying visit to have cuddles with my new grandson who as you can see is totally gorgeous . He is three weeks old and is growing nicely. He hasn’t quite worked out what is night and day yet which makes for a couple of tired parents but they are doing a grand job and he really is a pretty good baby. There is nothing better than just snuggling up with him on the couch as he sleeps so comfy and contented. They are coming to The Meadow to stay at Easter and I can’t wait to spend more than just a couple of hours with him. Hopefully his Mum and Dad can go off and enjoy a nice lunch somewhere and have some adult time while we look after the little guy.

The Koonabulla Dairy

As I left my shoes behind in my hurry to have Cooper cuddles my friend kindly offered to bring them down for me as she was in her Kangaroo Valley house for the weekend and I drove up yesterday to collect them. It was a glorious day and I love the drive up there, winding up the mountain and passing through pockets of ancient rainforest as you climb to the top of the escarpment where you have views to the ocean on one side and down into the beautiful Kangaroo Valley on the other. The temperature drops at least 5 degrees at the top, there is little to no phone reception and you can totally imagine what it must have been like when the original explorers made their way up the mountain through thick vegetation on horseback or with bullocks and carts to discover that green valley perfect for farming on the other side. The first recorded European sighting of the valley was in April 1812, when surveyor-explorer George Evans passed through the area as he travelled north from his exploration of Jervis Bay. Evans reportedly claimed that the valley offered a view that “no painter could beautify.” and to this day it attracts artists and photographers and has a slightly bohemian feel with a charming little township servicing the 900 odd people that live permanently in the valley and the several hundred more that arrive every weekend! My friend lives in the Upper Kangaroo Valley and as I drove alongside the meandering Kangaroo River I saw little puffs of dust as farmers tended their fields, their tractors ruffling up the dry earth as they went. Despite the need for more rain (it is a constant catch cry wherever you go!) the huge variety of trees gives a lushness to the parched earth. The bird calls here are amazing and it is a wonderful peaceful place to while away a weekend.

Meanwhile in Ho Chi Minh City preparations are forging ahead for the imminent arrival of our little granddaughter (does life get any better folks????) She now has a little bedroom to call her own as they moved to a bigger three bed apartment last week which they LOVE! Loz has been having a lovely time decorating the nursery and getting as prepared as she can although the simplest of things have been hard to find over there (a clothes horse/airer is unheard of and the cot sheets are all nylon – eek!) Her lovely friends threw her an impromptu baby shower over the weekend which made her feel very special and with less than 6 weeks to go we are ready for another beautiful little bub to join the clan! These new little people have given us even more reason to stay fit, healthy and happy so we can be here to see them grow up and enjoy all the happiness that they bring. They also make me look at the world and wish I could make all the bad stuff go away so they can have the best life ever, but we all have the ability within ourselves to make every day count and live our best life, we just have to tap into all the amazing opportunities that life offers – big or small. Having these tiny little people is teaching me a lot about living life…