January 26 2016

It is Australia day, and everything is pretty quiet.   We read about mega snowstorms in the American east and massive hailstorms in Canberra but here all we have is a valley full of hazy smoke.  We are told the smoke has travelled all the way here from the bush fires in Tasmania.  This does not happen like this very often so we keep checking the CFA web site just to be sure.

It is still very dry but luckily we had some rain last week, which has helped things keep going.  Edd has spent the week fitting filters into the water lines from the tanks because they are pretty much empty and if we pump more water in it stirs up all the dregs on the tank floor.  We talked to a friend this week who is doing exactly the same thing.

I am slowly working my way round the old house site cleaning up mess and weeds. Watering also takes a lot of my time but the vegetables are being very productive and rewarding my efforts.  We still get lots of strawberries and raspberries for breakfast and we now have a cucumber glut to add to the zucchini glut.   We give all the extra produce we cannot sell to Bo for use in her restaurant.  Bo often gives us free meals so this works well.

Indi is trying a new job at Debortoli’s, a large winery that has a restaurant very close to our farm.  It is a full time job and a step up from the work she has been doing at Bo’s.  She could have a career with this company if she wanted to.  Bo has encouraged her to move on, but I am sure she will really miss her. This probably means Indi will go on living with us for a bit longer.

We spoke to Arj, her brother, on skype.  It is the first contact we have had with him since he went to Germany over a year ago.  He tells us that he can now speak German and that he plans to travel next year.   He looked fit and happy, which is all that really matters.   I still phone my mum every night.   Yesterday she told me she had fallen off her chair but she seemed OK.   She thinks she could have pressed the eject button!   That seems rather a dangerous thing to have on a blind person’s chair.

Poor Silky had to have a general anaesthetic to take out lots of teeth last week.  They were too badly damaged to leave in her mouth.  It knocked her around quite a bit but she was back bouncing yesterday when we went to Bo’s for tea. Bo has struggled with all the kids at home for the long Summer holidays.  Luckily the school year starts at the end of the week and some sort of sanity can be regained. I am so glad I am past this stage.  I have no idea how parents cope these days.

Al is still in Tasmania. We are planning to go over for the exhibition at the end of his stay.  I only have a hazy idea exactly what he is doing but if we go and look I might find out.  The problem now is finding a way to look after everything here whilst we are away.  Indi has offered but she will need it all set up now that she is working longer hours.