It’s never hard coming back to The Meadow after a trip away. Sitting on the veranda watching the chooks meander around the property and listening to the birds squabble over territory grounds me in a way very few places can and we are soon back into the everyday routines. It has been a busy month with a couple of decade birthdays and a quick trip to Tassie to help out with the girls while Loz was away at a conference so the time has flown by.

We have had a habit over the years of buying the girls some winter boots but as we were away last year we never got around to it. We decided to buy them some Blundstones this year to make up for it. They were so excited to go into the city and be measured up. Apparently they have been asking for these for months as the cool kids at school have them and in Tassie you can literally wear them with anything including a skirt or shorts! They were equally fascinated with the polish that we bought to keep them looking nice – luckily one brown and one black pair kept things easy – and I keep meaning to ask if they have actually used any polish yet!!!! Funnily enough we saw Blunnies in all the shops when we were in Canada – they certainly have a fabulous reputation and are strong enough to withstand the playground antics of a couple of very active girls!

There was much excitement about the “silent disco” that was being held at their school one evening. Sequins and sparkly makeup were the order of the day and after the sausage sizzle in the playground we all moved to the gym where the kids were given headphones with 3 different channels of music that they could swap between to dance to. Despite being silent there was much laughing and chatting and they had a wonderful couple of hours with their friends. Walking home in the dark with a chocolate brownie was the icing on the cake! Oh how I love these simple days…..

On my return we booked a dinner at the newest venue in Berry – Sara Dining – to celebrate Sam getting engaged to the lovely Stacy while we were in Canada. We were excited to try this addition to the Berry culinary scene and had an enjoyable meal despite eating outside in the cold! They had braziers and blankets but I think lunch in the sunshine is a better option until the temps warm up! They cook a lot of the food over charcoal so it was nice to see them in action and I’m sure as they settle in the few wrinkles we experienced in their first week will be ironed out! I will certainly give it another go….

One of the joys of this time of year with all the blossom and fruit starting to appear on the trees is that the birds are everywhere and that includes the King Parrots. They are so cheeky and inquisitive and visit in pairs. The other day we had 8 birds here all flitting from our back deck to the garage roof and nearby trees before lining up in a row on our servery, heads cocked to one side trying to decide if we had anything worth hanging around for! The MOTH who is a lifelong birdlover has now invested in some parrot food and has enticed them to our back deck where they gather around the feeder making a dreadful mess which he immediately forgives them for (something us family members would never get away with) They look so beautiful in the garden with their bright colours drawing the eye – no blending in or attempt at any camouflage for these beauties!

We then enjoyed a fun weekend celebrating Sam’s 40th birthday in Sydney. How can I possibly have a 40 year old child?? Where have the years gone? It feels as if they go faster all the time! The birthday theme was Peaky Blinders and we all had fun getting into costume, madly borrowing things and buying op shop bargains to fulfill the brief. Our lovely long time friends John and Lyn joined us and Sam’s uni and school friends on a pub crawl of Balmain to celebrate. After living there for many years and Balmain being such a pub culture suburb with one on every corner, we were very surprised on the day that there was a distinct aversion to “pub crawls” by pub management which seems counterproductive to me! Every pub said the same – that they didn’t allow pub crawls which wouldn’t even have been apparent except for our outfits! Also we were all aged between 38 and 74 so not exactly the demographic for causing trouble – more one of spending good money I would have thought! In the end though we got away with it and it was lovely to see so many of the boys again, lots of them now Dads yet seemingly the same boys that we used to spend so much time with 20 years ago!

A lovely afternoon celebrating Phil in Milton was the next birthday outing. Held at The Altar Bar on their property it was a gorgeous afternoon with the most beautiful seafood and the best bubbles! It really is a marvellous location for a get together with great live music, fabulous food and gorgeous views all in the most unique setting. Lots of locals gathered, some of whom I haven’t seen in yonks and Bailey was given grace to join us as long as she was tied up. Those soulful eyes of hers soon attracted the softies of the group and she scored a few treats for being so good. We found out later that she had sidled off earlier to Phil and Karens feed shed where she overindulged and paid the price on the way home! The trials and tribulations of having a labrador!

We have come home to some maintenance issues around the property. Some of the original weatherboards on the west of the house were rotting from exposure to the weather and needed replacing. The builders were amazed when they removed them to find we had absolutely no insulation or sarking yet we had never had any leaks and everything was pretty warm and dry. They were bemused but it just goes to show that they knew how to build homes to last back in the day. We are now the proud owners of insulation in that wall which may help us stay cool or warm depending on the season! The pizza oven also got a new layer of paint render and we sealed a few hairline cracks that may have been leaking some heat as we have had issues getting our oven hot enough! My big project was to install some raised planter beds in the veggie patch. This meant I could control the soil a lot better, finally getting away from the onion weed and also not having to bend down constantly to weed and tend to the crops. I have loaded them up with seedlings – lots of heritage tomatoes, lettuce, beans, chillies, herbs and spinach – we should have homegrown veggies in another 6-8 weeks…I live in hope!

The other BIG birthday this month has been Mum turning 90! She is celebrating in two continents as she should for such a momentous occasion. The British side of the family gave her an amazing week around her actual birthday on September 2nd with 3 separate meals being held in her honour. My sister did a sterling job organising food, celebration cakes, gorgeous wines and a lovely lunch in a restaurant in Swansea with all the family members she could muster. Tom came up for the weekend from London and finally met his cousins and they had a grand old knees up with some emotional speeches and lots of laughs over a few days. She sure doesn’t look or act like a 90 year old and is about to hop on a plane to come to Australia to celebrate all over again with the Aussie contingent! Via Japan as it is one of the few places she hasn’t visited. My sister is coming too and I know they will have an awesome adventure checking out the uniqueness that Japan offers before continuing on to recover in The Meadow. I am so looking forward to seeing them and to our family get together in Tasmania where Party #2 is planned…watch this space folks 🙂