Wet Wet Wet

1. The Dollar birds were right last week when they were out dancing in the sky on my morning walk
2. The hare's were right to be out gathering food during the dangerous daytime
3. My Mum's aching bones were right too

Because its raining. Nice big fat drops that wet half my face if one lands on me. The wet black soil is sticking to my boots making them look more like wide sleds than shoes.

The creek hasnt run over the little bridge yet but it wont be long. It has been grey skies all day - its turning out to be a good start to Spring/Summer. We might have green grass for a change this Christmas.

Tonight Slippery and I are swapping our boots & hats for the Broncos Rugby League Club's night of nights(that is where Slippery works). I am not overly keen on going out and getting all frocked up but there are times when we must do what we must do. Do you believe they even make stockings without toes in them so you can wear them with open-toes high heels - who would have thought! Still, good idea given my legs are rather lilly white after winter.

All the best
Farmer Bub

Everything Old is New Again

Winter's Fashion....







The Strip...

Ready for the summer Resort!

We have a few sheep...not many just 30 ewes, 25 lambs and 1 texel ram. The ram is called "Adam" and he lives with the horses all year except for a few days when he performs his duty with the girls. Yesterday was shearing day. So off with the old seasons fashions and in with the summer, resort wear.



The New House Site

Old "Red Hill" c1897

Slippery and I also have another little project to move a very old home c1897 from Gympie to the farm. Yesterday the earthmovers were here to build the house site...our house however sits lonely in a removal yard. We hope in time to give her a new lease of life.

Coming to a Stop at the farm.

Around two years ago Slippery and I made a decision to stop traveling the globe and to move back "home" to Queensland. I had moved 14 times in as many years, going wherever my work asked me to and where I felt we could have interesting/fun experiences as a family and where I could learn and grow as a Banker. Interstate, overseas (the picture is me in PNG wearing a Meri dress) moves were heaps and heaps of fun and really made our family unit very tight. In 2006 we moved from Fiji to Melbourne and for the first time in five + years Slippery re-entered the workforce after being a stay-at-home Dad. He also had a complete change with his work - from working his trade in the Railway to becoming a coach/development officer with National Rugby League Club Melbourne Storm. I took a Head Office job with my bank but continued to do extensive travel to the Pacific and Asia.

It was hard, really hard without any family support in Melbourne. After 12 months we decided to return to Brisbane, Queensland. Not quite 'home" but very close. We both transferred with our jobs, I continued to travel and it became a bit easier with family around. However, tragedy struck when Slippery's beautiful mother, Ann passed away after only three weeks of cancer. We were devastated and still mourn her everyday. There was a real magic and warmth about Ann that we miss terribly. Partly due to Ann no longer being close-by and partly because we were still desperate to get out of the city, we finally moved home in July this year to the farm.

I now work in a different role in a different bank and travel to Sydney most weeks for a day or two or three and Slippery still works in his same role.

Working from home is a great option and for anyone considering it - my advice is go for it!! Working from the farm is even better. I get to stay in touch with what is going on, have lunch with Mum and Dad every day that I am home, rise at dawn and spend time with my horses, check on the cattle and then do an hour or so of work online before getting the kids off to the school bus.

Today I had a break at lunch and went into town to collect our new pullets (chooks). I can tell they are going to be keeping us in crackleberries very well as one laid an egg on the way home! Now that is productivity. I caught up on all the news about town and caught up with our good mate and local produce store owner Mick. There are just so many characters in the bush and they really make my corporate life seem so bland and boring.

The Dollar Birds were showing off this morning and the frogs are croaking loudly so maybe we are going to get some rain in the next few days...here's hoping.

All the best,
Farmer Bub

Continuous Glucose Monitoring - The Type 1 Diabetes journey rolls on....

Our Claudia is Type 1 Diabetic and has been since she was 3 years old. There is no family history and of course non one knows quite why this disease strikes some and not others. It was such a terrible shock when she was diagnosed and like most new diabetics she was also very ill. We managed though and today it is simply part of our lives. Needles into her tummy 2-3 times per day, blood glucose (finger pricks) every few hours and monitoring of her diet, exercise etc constantly. The long term affects of a poorly managed diabetic are horrific - loss of eyesight, amputations, organ damage etc but managed well, Type 1 Diabetes is not much of a load for Claudia to carry compared to other illnesses. Plus she is just the most gorgeous natured little girl, with such a zest for life that I think diabetes has really met its match!

Part of on-going management is a three monthly test to calculate accurate Blood Glucose Levels (BGLs) via a simple blood test. The test is called a Triple A 1BC. The aim is to have A1BC tests between 6 and 8. In the five years since diagnosis, including living in developing countries we have always managed to get good test results of between 6 and 8. That is until last week when for no known reason she skyrocketed to a very high 10.2 - thus today we had a trip into the city to have a Continuous Monitoring device fitted for three days to try to determine what is going on. She was so brave and so grown up - questioning this and that and really taking ownership of what was happening to her body. It is so sudden how quickly they can start to become independent of you - sad but satisfying that she can.

Claudia also has an added complication of undiagnosed middle of the night fits similar to epilepsy (but its not) and so she will also have to be reassessed by a wonderful paediatric neurologist as well in the next month to see whether that is having any impacts.

Her little brother, Haydn went back to school today and it was rare to just have Claude with Slippery and I for the day. Just lovely to really immerse myself in her ways.

No storm tonight - maybe tomorrow....us farmers are always looking skyward!

All the best, Carolyn.

Welcome!

In recent years friends have told me I should set up a blog to share my interesting life and my response has always been that my life is far from interesting, just busy. Today I finished reading a book about successful intranet entrepreneurs and it gave a quick description of how to start blogging - I thought why not. Five minutes ago I set up my account and here I am.

Today is such a glorious day - the farm is iridescent green from recent rains and Dad has been busy with the plough preparing for summer crops. The activity of normal farm life combined with the peaceful sounds of the birds & frogs and is making me feel so alive. Claudia and I are about to head off on our horses - she is horse-mad and just loves her horse Shandy. Haydn has an allergic reaction to something he was playing with up the shed and Mum is preparing her normal Sunday roast. The photo is of Slippery and the two kids.

Slippery (my husband) is repairing the slasher, much to my delight. Earlier this year it threw a stone up and it hit me on the leg leaving a pretty purple scar. As a write this I can hear the sound of the welder cutting in and out as he patches the slasher up.

We have a new calf over in the breeder paddock. New mothers dont much like you getting too close but I managed to get a photo of the new addition. Cant tell whether it is a heifer or bull calf but it is so cute I thought you might like a look (albeit from afar).

I really look forward to blogging some more and sharing my lovely life with you. Happy to have your suggestions too on how I can improve my blog. All the Best, Farmer Bub