All eyes are on Master Oliver Jack Cameron, our third grandchild, who arrived in the world on March 23rd and is the cutest little bundle of sweetness. Just 3kg and with a head of dark curly hair and a calm personality (so far anyway!) Big brother Cooper was very intrigued with the new arrival wanting to “hug Oviler” and “pat it”! He has been very gentle and loving and seeing him “help’ Sam bring him home from the hospital made my heart melt. Seems like just yesterday that Sam was helping his own Dad bring his baby sister home…..how the circle turns!
It has been a very busy few weeks as we hopped up to Sydney to see the newest addition and I stayed to help with Cooper and be there while Sam and Liv spent some time in hospital with Oliver and shared some time with family and friends basking in the euphoria that envelops you for those first few days. There was a post partum hiccup involving a hospital stay for Liv but now she is home and well and they are starting their next phase of life as a family of four. As those of us who have multiple children know it is a whole new ball game with the 2nd child. You can’t spend hours just gazing at them, cuddling them and sleeping when they do…there is a toddler in the house! Sam takes Cooper as much as he can when he’s not working and Liv’s Mum lives nearby which is a godsend! I’m looking forward to some newborn cuddles when I make a quick visit this week. He has already changed with his little folds of skin plumping out nicely and those cheeks are just gorgeous!!
Easter, which previously was going to be spent home alone, turned into a great weekend with our long term friends and Toms godparents coming down for the weekend and Tom was also able to get away for a few days. The weather was fantastic and we literally ate breakfast and lunch outdoors which was a plus this far into the year! A golf red letter day where Little Bear finally beat Big Bear, some nice meals and some good wines (the cellar is finally being raided for these events) beach walks, a quiz night and a bonfire and we were all happy bunnies! With no small people here this year there were no decorations or egg hunts but that will make it even more special for when they do come! The Tassie Crew made it by the skin of their teeth to Queensland, flying the day after the lockdown ended and are enjoying some lovely beach weather and catching up with their family for the 1st time in 18 months! Special times all round.
The Hen House is confused. Just before Easter we decided our Rooster Boris had to go. He hadn’t been at all aggressive to us but he had a huge fetish for our two oldest chooks and gave them the rounds of the kitchen morning, noon and night. The poor girls would run as fast as their little legs could carry them to get away from him – literally getting air and launching themselves at the fences in a feeble attempt to escape him. They had lost 3/4 of their feathers due to stress and were looking severely bedraggled. They are our two oldest Australorps, not even laying anymore and I had no idea why he picked on them so. They are my fond favourites as they always come up to me wherever I am gardening and “talk” to me through the fence! They have always been very social and gentle and we couldn’t let Boris beat them up like that so he has been let go. It breaks my heart every time I have to let a chook go and we just don’t need the guilt so that’s it – NO MORE ROOSTERS!! Having said that our smallest hen Peaches has been sitting on 6 eggs now for about 3 weeks. She started just before he left so we presumed that some of them would be fertilised and she has been so patient sitting on her clutch of eggs through heatwaves and now a cold snap. She only gets up for a few minutes morning and evening to eat and drink and have a quick preen and then she’s back to her box. Sadly we can see no activity at all and by now you would expect to see a pipped egg where the chick has had a tentative peck for freedom. In another 24 hours if she hasn’t given up we will have to remove the eggs as it means they are not viable. It’s a tough life one way and another in the hen house.
We had a lovely catch-up last Saturday with my sister-in-law who has been really enjoying being out and about in Sydney after doing her 2 weeks in quarantine. She lives in Switzerland but her two sons live here so she has been missing them plus her 94 year old Dad and her siblings and the 2 weeks were worth it to now be able to see everyone. Luckily the weather has been beautiful since she escaped and after a LONG winter in the northern hemisphere and a bout of Covid she has immersed herself in coastal walks and beach swims and is thoroughly loving the blue skies and sunshine. Rightly or wrongly somehow all is well with the world when the sun shines! We had a great day, and a rather adventurous kick of the rugby ball gave Jason an opportunity to see the world from our roof – it all looks so different from another angle! Hopefully she will come back down for a day or two soon before heading back to her other life.
This is really one of the most beautiful times of the year with cool nights conducive to snuggling under the doona but with days that are still too hot to sit on the veranda for your mid morning cuppa! The leaves are starting to turn colour and the fruit trees are already bare, new views have opened up where once there were thick leaves and it won’t be long until we will see in the big trees all the birds nests built in summer that were so well hidden, like a little town we never knew existed. Once again it is a pleasure to walk the dog, with no flies and bugs to spoil the party and cooler temperatures mean we don’t have to be up and at it by 6.30am to walk before it gets too hot. Autumn is a gentle time of the year before the hibernation of winter, a last hurrah of golden sunlight and outdoor dining before we turn our thoughts towards firewood, electric blankets and more robust food. As I prepare the veggie patch for it’s first season off in 6 years I feel as if I am tucking it into bed for a few months, allowing it to rest and regenerate and giving us time to nurture it’s soil until next Spring when hopefully it will have appreciated our care and will give us bounteous crops of tomatoes and summer veg in return.
My Move To The Meadow 