Easy to please

Roger found a dryer at the dump and took it apart, bought a part and fixed it for $26.  It's very glam - for our purposes that means it has a timer and temperature control and probably won't burn the house down any time soon - and has a digital time display.

Then Roger bought silverbeet seedlings and tomato seedlings and a mandarin tree.

Then I planted the seedlings while Peet cooked dinner and did the folding.

Which brings me to end of a very pleasing day.

Weather Chooks

We call Wonka Bonka and Whitey our weather chooks.  If it's going to be a fine mild night they will sleep in the trees.  But if it's going to be wet or windy or really cold they will roost with the other chickens in the pen.

Tonight I went down at about 5 pm - while it was still light - with the scraps.  I was hoping to lure them both into the pen for the night. (I am pretty sure Whitey is laying somewhere but it's not in the nest we provided.)  And there they both were - already on the roost.  The other chooks were still out and about but those weather chooks had already secured a place in the middle of the roost.  It's not rainy or windy so I think it's going to be a very cold night.

New Hobby

Jesse has announced a new hobby - baking.  This does not bode well for me.  Last week she made chocolate swirled marshmallows, rose petal macaroons with a chocolate basil buttercream, and chocolate butter to have with sourdough bread and sliced strawberries.  They were insanely delicious - but good grief!  She promises that this was just a chocolate week and not every week will be this devastating to the waistline.

Out of order

When we were in America for Jesse's conference, Clarissa*  was moving to her new home in California.  That meant that the timing was right for us to get a visit from Mark, Jeanne, Ammon and Clarissa.  Jesse said it was the highlight of her trip - mine too.  They stayed at the same hotel as us and brought a post conference supper of strawberries and ice cream.  Ammon sent home a present for Max - a photo book of his trips to Australia.  We had it out just a day ago and it reminded me that I really love this photo.

And this one.

*For the Walker/Thomas side of the family Clarissa is my niece - the daughter of Mark (Roger's brother) and Jeanne and Ammon is my nephew.  And Clarissa is tall - but you could see that already.

Things that happened ages ago

In no particular order:

We had an engagement party for Tom and Kathleen - it really was ages ago - engagement parties do come before weddings!  All the rain meant I wasn't quite game to have it at our house - well that and I didn't really want to clean up that much(!) - so we had the party at Susie & Graham's - a blessing on their heads.   Their house is always gorgeous and they made it even more so for the party so all I really had to do was cook.  And send out invitations.  Oh wait - that was Tom & Rogers job.  It was in fact the only job they had while I was in America with Jesse,  And still it wasn't done when we got back - so invitations were late - and I think some never did get out.  (I guess it's just not a boy thing - thinking about parties that is.)

Kathleen's family came up for the weekend which was lovely for all of us.

Daniel came home from his mission in Lansing, Michigan.  Those little boys were so excited - so was Jesse for that matter.  It's lovely to see the boys starting to come home - and nice to know there will be a little break in family missionaries till Peet goes.

This is Tom & Kathleen's garden - they built it the first weekend back from their honeymoon - my admiration knows no bounds.  Roger assures me that we will get on to the garden thing and show those smarty newly weds a thing or two - but we all know that's not going to happen.  They actually have two  gardens - one of which is overflowing with tomato seedlings, some of which are coming to our house.

And they have chooks.  One Saturday afternoon Tom wandered down and across to Roger's shed.  We called out to say hi and what are you doing.   With adorable naiveté he answered "Just getting some tools to build a chook pen - it's the last thing Kathleen wants me to build."  He couldn't understand why we all fell on the ground laughing.

Jesse is not far off her license - poor girl - if her mother didn't have such a paranoia about driving she'd have had her hours long ago.  (Peet has been out and about with the camera of course.)

Kathleen says that our family likes things that are depressing but interesting - she bases this on the movie Jesse, Joan and I went to with her - The Roundup.  An amazing piece of film - moving and thought provoking without being too sensationalist - about the roundup of the Jews in Paris in 1942.  Of course we all sat in the cinema weeping at the end (and hitting Jesse across the head - it was her idea.)  And then we spent all afternoon talking about it and begging everyone else to see it.

But for balance we went to Pirates of the Caribbean that night.   And Max would like it recorded for posterity that he has seen XMen-whatever-it-is-called.  Roger & I also saw Get Low - loved it.

Tom & Kathleen have moved into the hut that Roger and I lived in when Tom was a new born (till he was 4).  It is much more palatial now than it was then.  Thomas painted it and Roger laid new carpet tiles.  A new (from ebay) kitchen is waiting in the trailer to be installed when Roger & Tom get a minute.  Kathleen came with a dowry of quilts she made and crossstiches and books - so it is a charming home.  Peet promises after shots soon.  Here's before:

My "cousin" Michael Larson and his wife Katie and baby Michaela visited.  Luckily the main purpose of their visit was to see some football games before they go back to Canada.  That's lucky because we got to babysit.  Michaela is adorable.  Max and Louisa were besotted - okay so was I. 

Both Louisa and Max got to put her to sleep - I do agree that there is no better way to spend an evening than putting a baby to sleep.

Pine visited the Buddhist temple - Max was a baby last time we went.  I don't go on many excursions these days and every time Max goes alone I fret.  He doesn't need me but he is so proud and happy when I do go.

We had a ward movie and soup night at our house last night.  Someone (that would be Roger) decided to start at 5pm which means it is still light which means that all the windows have to be cleaned and the yard has to be spick and span.  It's a lot of work.  Of course, were we to clean the windows once in a while without a pressing engagement it would be no big deal.  Which means that no-one thought to say "My Kim, what clean windows you have."  But once we got over the cleaning hump it was a lovely night - soup and bread, an outdoor movie and a bonfire.  Simple (if you don't count the cleaning), but fun in spite of the cold.  Do I sound bitter about the cleaning - I might be just a little - I shall try to do better!

Harry came to visit.  I hesitate to include this on the blog because the kids will be reminded that Harry visited and they weren't here - and that does not go down well.  But he's just too cute, musically talented too.

Max has taken up fencing - we had a trial day and I was hoping the instructors were nasty so that he wouldn't want to continue.  No such luck - they are not only really nice but they keep telling Max how good he is.  So because he has no actual fencing equipment Max took matters into his own hands and made a practice sward from dowel and a milo tin lid - I had to buy milo but let that be evidence of how very supportive I am.

We have a new favourite recipe site - witcheskitchen.com.au - today we made mandarin curd to spread on sourdough bread - except that I was the only one who used the bread.  Everyone else spread it on ice-cream instead.

In the last month we have had two baptisms at church (yay), the Relief Society broadcast, the Young Women broadcast, three birthday parties for Max to attend (all girls), Peet has photographed two bands and one of them has offered to pay him for another session, Peet and Joan and Sue went to New Zealand (more on that later), Roger has returned to shift work (not so bad - Louisa and Max love the night shifts when they get to sleep with me), Jesse spoke at the YSA mini convention, exam blocks have come and almost gone, Jesse & Tom both had minor meltdowns about assignments they were certain they failed then got 6's for, have found a fox lurking around the chook pen, a couple of dances,  a Kelvin Grove music concert, I have agreed to run two book clubs, and so on.

And it's cold which means that all I really want to do is read.