Maeve was excited when we picked up Elsie’s new birthday puppy. ‘I’m not getting a puppy, am I?’ she double-checked as we drove into the breeder’s gate. On the way, we’d shown them a photo of the pup that we were going to pick up. Elsie held the phone, looking at the photo the breeder … Continue reading My new invention: modified baby carrier
I’m sorry I didn’t do my homework but…
I haven't done any exercise or written a blog post since my last smug entry. Few reasons for that (notice I called them reasons, not excuses...): I used up all of our internet service and had to wait a week for it to renew. Yes, one of the pay-offs of living in a rural area … Continue reading I’m sorry I didn’t do my homework but…
The worst smell in the world? That’s easy.
Roast lamb. That's the worst smell in the world. Because it smells like live lamb. As a kid, lambs topped my list of the best things in the world, just ahead of sheep coming in a close second. Now I'm grown with kids of my own and the list has changed. Except the first two … Continue reading The worst smell in the world? That’s easy.
The best smell in the world is…
The best smell in the world is puppy's breath. If you've never smelled a puppy's breath, go to a pet shop now and ask the shop keeper if you can. Do not buy the puppy. You're obviously not that into dogs. 'The best smell in the world is…' is today's prompt in Clairey Hewitt's I'm … Continue reading The best smell in the world is…
Compromising on emergency first aid to save the planet
Whoever came up with the treatment for superficial burns didn't grow up on a dry land farm in the early 1980s drought. I loved my old top loader washing machine; when I'd hear the last lot of rinsing water start to drain, I'd run from wherever I was in the house (even if I was … Continue reading Compromising on emergency first aid to save the planet
It’s not me. It’s you.
It's like when you'd break up with your boyfriend. He'd be upset. You'd be upset because he was upset. And you'd get to thinking it wasn't that bad when you were together. But it was, obviously. Bad enough that you ended it. Just that vital fact would get forgotten in the 'he's-upset-now-I'm-upset; have-I-done-the-right-thing?' moment. Remember … Continue reading It’s not me. It’s you.
Near-death experience
It happened again. I was feeding our chook, still crouched down after opening the low latch on the gate when she started pecking pieces of bread from the little honey bucket that we use for her scraps, before I'd even had a chance to tip it on the ground. I squealed. And flung the lot - … Continue reading Near-death experience
When you want something done properly, do it yourself
I was just thinking how I get a little annoyed when Maeve undoes something I've done for her and redoes it herself. I walk away and wonder what the point of it was. Mostly it's when we're trying to get out the door in a hurry and I move things along a bit by putting … Continue reading When you want something done properly, do it yourself
You asked for tops for boys?
That was the autumn break. Sixty-one millimetres of rain in 12 hours. It fills empty water tanks and the cracks in the ground, puts moisture in crop beds and waters those already sown, it lifts the spirits of the older generations and creates puddles for the younger ones. Oh dear, all of a sudden I … Continue reading You asked for tops for boys?
