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Gatton and beyond

A few moons ago, Mum, Grandad and I took a trip out past Gatton, just to drive the roads and see what was around. It proved to be a great day for me taking photos with my then new to me 135mm f2 lens. Here are some of the photos
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The first set were taken by the side of the road looking at a field of what had contained cabbages and broccoli. I just loved the colour and the patterns. The second series were taken at the Glen Rock recreation park, where we had lunch, a little walk, a read in the info shack and some photos. It was a relativity brisk day for September and at one stage I had a tea towel wrapped across my back to keep out the wind. The wattle was just gorgeous and I loved taking these photos. There was also this gorgeous field of long grass which has the most amazing seed tendrils.

20080906_1613920080906_1613520080906_1613320080906_1613020080906_1614120080906_1617120080906_1620220080906_16180_1617820080906_1615820080906_16187dew drops

The day ended with us having afternoon tea sitting on the footpath outside the Gatton craft shop as the parks were too windy, which was something we have done before but still quite a sight to see.

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Getting closer

Monday night is SES night and last night was Monday night. Myself and one of the other newbies got to out with a crew instead of staying at group training like the others. We got to do real jobs this time as well, like filling sand bags to hold tarps down, climbing ladders with said sand bags to pass to the workers on the roof, clearing branches and wet carpet. Man why on earth did it take me this long to finally join? We only have about a month or so now left on probation and then we get to go on all sorts of things.

In other news, my teeth are still driving me mad. “Braces, free to whoever removes them”. I went back last Thursday and had a new wire put on them which is slightly less painful in some ways but more in other and I got pink and purple bands put on (I let the girls at work pick a colour each). That whole biting, chewing thing is not something that my teeth enjoy doing at the present and I can’t yawn too much as it causes the wires to grab on my cheeks. sigh. I only hope that in another month they are relatively pain free as I need/want/have to be able enjoy Christmas and all the goodies we will have this year. We have been organising our list of Icelandic goodies that we want Karl and Toti to bring out, they of course include Appelsín, Prince Polo Bars and Dried Fish…. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Dried Fish.

Unlike a yoyo craze, unlike a marble phase,
I love it everyday – Dried Fish!
Unlike a hopscotch craze, unlike a knucklebone phase,
I love it everyday – Dried Fish!
I love it everyday – Dried Fish!

I chatted to my nieces on MSN last night, I have never done that before. We had a great little chat and I think I will make more trips to the beach this coming month than I have in the last couple of years! I am so looking forward to next week.

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Sunday, day of cleaning

I spent this morning cleaning the windows in my room, they were filthy. First I scrubbed, then I scrubbed again and a rinse and then a polish with the window cleaner. Now I have windows that I can bear to look out of. I also managed to get rid of all the cardboard boxes as well, my room is now looking quite homely. I didn’t get my ironing done though, that will need to be done in the morning I guess nor did I get a chance to tackle the stove in the kitchen. I am slowly cleaning my way through the house.

One downside of new house is that I am now in high possum area and said possums are eating my lettuce (not that I can eat lettuce now anyway but I have been giving Mum and Matthew picked leaves once a week). I have moved the pot so it is now beside the kitchen stairs where there is more light at night so I will see how that goes.

When I was cleaning my windows today the resident Scrub Turkey came for a visit as well (yes my street has a resident Scrub Turkey, I tend to see him/her at least once a day). So cool.

My room has picture rails so when Mum and I went to Bunnings yesterday I picked up some picture hooks and wire. I was so excited then when I got home and tried them they didn’t fit! I was devastated. I was sooo looking forward to using the picture rails. At the moment I have some of my foam core mounted photos and LPs propped up on the picture rails and my framed pieces wrapped up beneath my bed.

Once I had cleaned and cleaned some more it was off to Mum’s and then off to The Farm. We have crumbed fish and veg every time we go to The Farm for dinner but tonight the fish tasted even better than it normally does. We also spent time counting the linen to make sure Grandad has enough to house the NZ contingent as well as other general planning. Man oh man I can’t wait for December! Only nine sleeps to go till the first of the outer towners arrives!

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Christmas Pudding

The 2008 Christmas Spectacular aka all the family coming home for Christmas is fast approaching. My dear brother Karl arrives in 9.5 days (I am sooo looking forward to having Karl around for a couple of weeks) then in 10.5 days Toti, Anna and the girls arrive (kids to take photos of!) then a week and a bit after that NZ starts arriving and then Tasmania starts to arrive as well.

Today Mum and I made the Christmas Puddings, using Grandmum’s recipe. The recipe makes a big, big, big pudding (it uses 8 eggs). We split the pudding into two though, one big one with coins in for Christmas Day and then another smaller one as a back up in case we run out or to eat as left overs in the new year.

Pudding time

Oh I am so looking forward to Christmas this year

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day 18

A blog a day in November, what on earth was I thinking?

Today I got up had a shower/breakfast and rushed out the door to work, then it was home for a bite to eat and then over to Group for another night out with the SES. We spent the night travelling to various homes that placed calls since Sunday night to see if a) they still needed assistance or b) what assistance they would need. It’s raining a lot more tonight than it was last night. I have now been home long enough to grab a shower and start this post and all along all I can think is that man oh man I just want to go bed but I’m not about to pike on making a post a day when I have managed to stay on track for the last 17 days.

Today though apart from been work, rain and SES also marks the day in two weeks time that Karl will be walking off a plane at the Airport to spend Christmas with us. Excited? Very! Then the following day Toti and his crew arrive! Two weeks! and I will have my brother home (well one of them)

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a missed chance

Mum and I went to The Farm today and just before Mum started cooking tea, my phone rang. “Hi Helen, it’s Leanne from SES, are you free tonight?” It broke my heart so much to say that I was up north so I couldn’t go out tonight. I so dearly wanted to say yes as it would have been my first activation and it would have been a storm activation at that and I would have gotten my oranges.

sigh. We have had one hell of a storm this evening though. We left Brisbane round 1545 ish and as we drove the view out the rear just got progressively darker. A while after we got to The Farm, it started blowing a gale and then it got darker again and the rain started. It rained, and it rained and it rained.

As we drove home there were branches down all over the place and traffic lights and street lights out all over the place as well. I thought about giving them a ring to see if it was too late to come down and join a crew but then I thought that I am fairly exhausted from a big weekend moving and I have 38 Navy kids enlisting at 0700 or 0730 in the morning, I need sleep!

I am now sitting in my room at Auchenflower and the rain stopped probably 10 minutes ago. The only sound now is the trains as they zip past and the various bug noises.

Oh well I have SES tomorrow night and I am sure I will hear all about what I missed out on (clearing gutters I bet)