Exhaustion is taking over

 For the last month or so I've been visiting Mum in hospital which means 1.5 hour trips each way. I have been staying for an hour or so. I've also been trying to fit in my normal life.

This weekend I've be dog sitting as well  - Ponyo who is very ill and Mei who is very young and just learning the etiquette of living at Ma's.

Prior to that I took on the job of lengthening Alec's curtains so they fit in his new bedroom. When we went over to dinner (bog night) he was able to hang them and yes they worked well.

There was a day trip to Underhill with Geoff and family where Mei learned a bit more about obeying commands.

Ponyo enjoyed a good chew on a bone.

The girls helped their Dad with a bit of ring barking but a chain saw need to come down for the next bit.

Kate from the USA came to dinner and was convinced to try Vegemite by Alec. She managed very well.

Bog night a few weeks ago was also the site of the great bed making venture. It was a flat pack bed but went together reasonably easily.

After it was finished the new quilt was added and the bed tested by all the family. Much approval all round.

Just because... I started a new jigsaw...

but I am now going to give up as the pink donuts with white sprinkles and the chocolate donuts with caramel sprinkles are more than I can cope with. There are no edges, no picture and 5 extra pieces. However I did get two corners done and 3 donuts. If you'd like to give it a try just let me know.

Time flies when you're having fun

But boy does it drag when things go wrong.

I've had some wonderful days. Days of long zooms with Chooky's patchwork ladies during which I worked flat out on Alec's bed throw.

The grand girls have been coming for a sleepover each week this year and activities have included cooking, sewing, sorting games and toys and jigsaws. The jigsaw Ivy wanted to keep was a Wasjig puzzle that slowly came together as the weeks rolled on. 

I helped Pete and Ellen with the last of the move to just south of Goulburn. When I arrived the house was all closed up except for the kitchen in which they had set up their bed. Ruby thought this was a lovely idea.

The day before, Pete had removed all the carpets and taken them to the tip while he still had the truck so all the rooms had the edge nails to remove before Ruby or furniture was allowed in. 

When Pete and I arrived with our two cars full we were able to unload, have a tour and feed the alpacas and llamas before the rain started.

I spied the fruit tree up the back and, thinking they were plums I picked some to take home. They are actually nectarines. A week or so later they are all ripening and taste delicious.

I even had a chance to feed the "Jackson 5" while I was there.

Then Mum ended up in hospital, discharged herself, then was back again the next day. They thought it was heart but it turns out it is pneumonia. The 4-bed ward she is in at the moment has 2 very noisy women in it. Mum gets quite stressed with noise and is very angry. Both Desley and I have decided to keep our visits short as we cannot handle the anger. I pray for peace for her.

The jigsaw is finished except for a few bits of sky which I have chosen to ignore.

Amongst all this one of my power lines decided to trip and when the electricians came (very quickly) we traced it to the cable to the garage. As I rarely use the garage power we decided to disconnect the garage power completely and if I want any power out there I can run an extension cord from my outside powerpoint.

Luckily the girls and I had sorted all the things in their bedroom because we had to find the manhole which meant wheeling one of the beds out and lifting the carpet. Then the two electricians drew straws to see who was going to descend into the tiny space. More sorting to do after that job was complete.

To confuse issues even more I had a dentist appointment to fit my Invisalign braces. That was 1.5 hours at the dentist! Now I cannot eat or drink (except water) for more than 2 hours a day. This is proving quite demanding for someone who usually has 5 small meals per day. I am now on 3 with no cuppa at morning or afternoon tea. The whole process is quite tiring but is now improving. Each time I take them out I have to clean them and my teeth and floss before I put them back in. It is quite a process.

The girls and I were given the job of making 2 dozen cupcakes for Heather's birthday party. That was a lot of fun. I hope the icing was good enough to hide all the issues.

Then it was time to start the next jigsaw. This one has no picture and no edge pieces so will prove to be a bit of a challenge.

 Yesterday I had a day completely to myself so I was able to finish Alec's quilt and present it to him when he arrived home from all his travels. It is a scrapbook of our time together in the colour scheme he likes.

Today I am going to have another day to myself to cope with my new teeth routine.

Week 1 of 2026 has flown by

 After some very hot dry weather I was pleased that my tiny meadow was surviving so well. At the end of autumn I will probably mow it all and have lawn as the Durban grass is growing well underneath the Cosmos, Dill, Marigolds and Buckwheat.

My Fuchsias are also doing well and flowering profusely.

 

On Sunday Alec and I headed to Underhill for a few nights. On the way down there was a huge hail storm and we had to pull off the road 3 times along with most of the other cars.

We picked the plums that were ripe. Most of them had already fallen.

The following afternoon there was another hail storm accompanied by lots of lightning and thunder and very heavy rain.

To fill our time Alec spent time being a child again.

Then we took a walk to the far dam armed with loppers to cut some of the scrub on the dam walls and we were also able to clear the track down to the far dam. Now at least you can recognise it as a track.

We also spent a lot of time watching "Slow TV" - a double rainbow forming and wildlife passing by occasionally.

One amazing thing was listening to Alec practise the saxophone  while the rain and hail made an incredible noise on the metal roof. Unfortunately the video is too large to add here but it does sound great.

It was a great few days despite the weather.

Today I even visited my Mum.

Welcome to 2026

 During the week between Christmas and New Year my home was a hive of activity and visitors culminating in a double bed being delivered and installed in my guest room upstairs. It fits very well.

However, this did mean that the old single bed is now downstairs joining the Christmas lunch extension table in the back room temporarily.

It also meant that lots of stuff found temporary storage on my quilting table...

... and in the girls' room downstairs, along with all my Christmas things.

When Stephanie came just before New Year's Eve we started putting things away upstairs and finding new storage spaces. Today I am tackling all the Christmas things before my cousin comes for a visit. The front of the house is now done.

So Happy New Year to all. I am told that what you do to start the new year is what you will continue to do. I started with a whole lot of problem solving so it looks as though that will now continue.

What a Christmas

 ... and now I have 5 days completely free.

The festivities began last Sunday with singing at church then our church Christmas lunch. Then an extended rehearsal in the afternoon to get ready for our 3 Christmas Services.

The extreme heat over the last week devastated my native bees and I was witness to the ones that survived cleaning out the hive of their departed comrades one at a time and dropping them off the edge of the stove. Hundreds lay dead on the top and the floor below.

I then spent two very hot days at Geoff's with family and on Monday while the girls all visited Jen's parents Geoff and I worked in the garden most of the time weeding, tidying and moving rocks. We come in every hour or so for a break and a drink while we sat watching slow TV - train trips through Japan and cooking from Azerbaijan.

Home again to set up the table for 9 for Christmas dinner before heading for the city on Christmas Eve.

Lynette and I stayed at the Fullerton in Martin Place overnight so I checked in before heading up to the church at the top of Martin Place for rehearsal at 6pm then 8pm and 10pm services.

Another service on Christmas Day after about 4 hours sleep then 3 of us headed home for lunch.

Alec had stayed home in the morning to cook a ham and potatoes (we had grown the potatoes ourselves) the the church group descended, Stephanie arrived and Alec's family came. My grand boys Alex and Luke called by to wish me Merry Christmas but were not able to stay for lunch. 

Over lunch we had a very lively time sharing stories, hearing about the progress on the new house and eating ourselves silly.

Everyone had contributed to the meal and we ate so much we did not get to enjoy Lynette's contribution of cheeses. At least they'll keep as will the quince paste I had made to have with it. We even had my home grown beans, tomatoes, eggs and parsley. Not bad for such a hot dry season. Andrew also brought a bag of Nice Rice puffs from the Riverina made by a co-op of rice farmers who now market their rice independently (Australian owned and grown). I'll have to buy my rice from them next time I need some.

After the lunch crowd had cleared the table and departed I was able to set 3 dishwasher loads on and was therefore ready for an unexpected visit from Esther and Paul (neighbours) bearing wine and a calendar featuring photos of their many travels into the inland. We enjoyed a drink and a catchup before they had to leave to get back to family and dinner.

So now, after a good long sleep, I have time to get onto my computer, finish the kitchen cleanup before thinking about what I am going to do in my 5 free days.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.