Category: Life

I had a post ready about Toddlers and chocolate milk (aka kiddie crack), but then Amy decided to stop her silliness because A) I got the camera out (just typical!) and B) Playschool came on TV (Oh Playschool, how I love thee).

So I was granted a few moments of toddler silence, while the sugar and milk make their way through her system.

She was funny though, spinning in circles, dancing, singing and just generally being a chocolate fuelled tornado.

In a good way.

Well she didn’t break anything, she didn’t hurt herself (or me for that matter) and she didn’t get too hyper.

It has to be good right?

So instead of a funny Amy tornado post, I give you

Da da DUM!

Lolcats!

Everyone likes lolcats right? Especially when they are my very own kittens.

See more Tickle Me Tuesday participants here!

Today was Project Support Beauty in Nature.

I totally want to rename it, Project Make Nathan Come For A Walk With Us By Telling Him That We Are Only Walking To The Mailbox, Then Continue To Walk Further Down The Road, Thus Making Nathan Push The Pram Further While I Pick Up Rubbish.

Too long?

Okay, Project Support Beauty in Nature it is.

Because I am completely slack (and spent the entire morning taking photos of Amy in the garden) the camera’s battery was flat so I didn’t take play by play photos like Lotus does.

However, I did go for a nice long (okay it was short, but my roads are dangerous because we have no footpaths. Plus it was hot. And hello? We have snakes about the place. And the gravel was slippery. And it was 26C. And I was sweating. And the bag was heavy. Okay I will shut up now.) walk, with a plastic bag.

We picked up

One (1) empty long necked bottle of beer.

One (1) empty (and badly deteriorated) ice cream container.

One (1) empty chip packet.

One (1) empty can of Black Douglas and Cola (ICK! Who drinks that stuff?)

One (1) empty Boags Beer can.

One (1) plastic thingy that holds the beer cans together. (I can hear the penguins thanking me. Wait? I don’t have penguins? Okay, fish. No fish either? Dolphins? No? Eels? No? WELL! What was thanking me? Oh the rabbits? The wallabies? The *shudder* possums? Okay, I can deal with that. Maybe the cows even said a moo of thankyou. Those things could get tangled around a cows tail don’t you know! They are nasty those plastic things. Just waiting in the bushes to LEAP out and attack innocent animals.)

Lots (LOTS) of bits of broken glass.

AND

Some clingwrap (WTF?) an empty broken plastic pot plant container thing and some funny looking blue plastic bits that I am not questioning too closely.

Definitely worth the walk.

Even if the picture looks shoddy.

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As for green living, baby, I am all about the green. Especially as we don’t really have a choice.

We are on tank water so that means, a front load washing maching. (77 litres of water per full cycle as opposed to 167 litres)(Ooop’s sorry. 19.25 gallons vs 41.75 gallons).

It means shorter showers because we don’t have the water to waste.

It means bucketing water from the bathtub to the garden.

We don’t have roadside rubbish collection, so everything possible gets re-used. Plastic bottles get used as drink bottles or ice blocks. Actually, Amy has a bunch with lentils in that she shakes.

I re-use plastic bags as rubbish bags, freezer bags and covering the food in the fridge bags.

We try to be green. (Or would that be brown because we are in the middle of a drought?)

I want to set a good example for Amy when she grows up. I want her to put rubbish in the bin and food scraps in the compost. I want her to make less of an impact than I do, and her children even less still.

I don’t want much do I!

It’s that time again! Welcome to my weekly winners

Amy, hamming it up for the camera.

Vegemite on toast. Amy loves it, but I can’t stand the stuff!

Amy’s cat loves her.

I know a few people asked about about my water tank. Here it is, 5000 gallons worth of water tank. It’s probably only a quarter full at the moment.

The apples are getting bigger. I’m starting to wonder if maybe will get to eat them before we move out!

Blue skies today. Thankyou for all the condolances Friday and Saturday, I truly do appreciate it. Today was a much better day. Amy was funny and happy and I have felt more together. I *heart* you all.

See more Weekly Winners here!

My Great Grandfather had a massive heart attack and died this morning, aged 81. He had been married to Nan for 54 years. She was devastated when I spoke to her earlier.

Honestly? I don’t think it has sunk in yet. I feel a bit numb still, even though I have been processing it for hours.
We had a brilliant Christmas here. Nan and Pop brought up loads of meat and Pop wouldn’t take no for an answer when he gave me all the leftovers to keep.

He joined in the cricket game and bowled like a champion. He even had a bat as well. For a man that was blind in one eye, he played a mean game of cricket.

He would probably hate this photo of himself, but it captured the spirit of the day.

Thank you Pop for the wonderful memories, for showing me where to find the best raspberries when I was a kid, letting me eat all the black currants off the bush and laughing when I ate the jam cherries.

Thank you for the black currant bush that you grew especially for me. I plan to take it with me when I move.

Thank you for everything. You will be horribly missed.

Love Veronica, Nathan and Amy.

Place Toddler away from you. Lament the lack of childrens DVDs you have all the while getting ingredients together.

Remove Toddler from your ankles. Remove onion from Toddlers mouth. Wonder how the hell Toddler manages to munch on an onion like that.

Peel and slice onion. Ignore the chunks that toddler has nibbled out of your (last remaining) onion. Get sick of Toddler trying to bend your knees backwards and pick her up.

Race to the bathroom to rinse Toddlers eyes as she screams in pain. She can eat raw onion, but not look at it? Weird kid. Towel Toddler off and place her away from you.

Sauté off the onion and some bacon. Remove a cling-on from your leg. Give in and open the door so Toddler can harass sit on molest play with the kittens.

Remove Toddler from the puddles. Place back amongst the kittens. Resume sautéing the onion.

Race down the path as Toddler disappears from sight. Promise her a nice tasty RIPE apple if she will juse leave the unripe ones on the tree alone.

Swear lots and race back to your onions, Toddler on hip. Save them from burning just in time. Remind self to remove pan from stove before chasing Toddler.

Toss up the odds of the kittens crapping inside vs your Toddler not running away. Decide that it is worth it and bring the kittens inside.

Remove a smaller, spikier cling-on from your leg. Swear. Lots.

Add mince to pan and cook. Resist Toddlers attempts to climb your body. Drag yourself, the Toddler and a kitten (all attached to your legs) over to the cupboard. Swear when you realise Toddler has lost the tomato paste. Search for tomato paste in toy box. Recover tomato paste from bookshelf. WTF?

Add tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings to pan. Add water and cook for 45 mins stirring occasionally. Avoid stepping on kittens. Throw them back outside and tickle the Toddler to avoid a tantrum.

Spend 45 mins entertaining Toddler.

Sit Toddler in her highchair and dish her up dinner. Realise that you completely forgot to cook pasta.

Give up.

Eat the mince without pasta, just add extra cheese.

Enjoy.