It was wonderful to be able to see off Mum and Dad at the airport, to catch up with my sister and her family…. and I do usually like driving, with our Land Cruiser getting a regular workout on bitumen and dirt …

… but after 2000km …

…and some dodgy motel beds, it feels goooooooooddd to be home!

I had a lovely welcome back.

The ducks were happy to see us…

And one Great Dane was a TAD over-excited that I miraculously returned…

He always does a few frantic laps of honour when I show up… regardless of whether I have been away a week or an hour.

According to those left behind, when I am away he completely refuses to come in the house.  Which is weird because while I am here, he is wherever is nearest to me.  (I do draw the line at the bedroom and bathroom doors!)

There is nothing like a dog to let you know how much you are missed – they have no filter on their feelings!

Well this one doesn’t anyway…

He has been my shadow (literally) ever since I drove into the driveway 16 hours ago…

Great big lunatic.

‘I wuv you Mum! Don’t evva leave me again!‘

I did get enough elbow space to get a few shots of the gorgeous colours of our Liquid Amber tree.

It’s a few degrees cooler here than the coastal areas I have been this week.

Super-crisp air and clear colours tell me Winter is definitely in the air!

So… what’s been happening in your worlds since I’ve been on the road?

♥

The trip my mother has longed for most of her adult life has finally begun… the French she learned as a student, the novels and autobiographies and documentaries she soaked in over the decades, the travel stories she heard from her sister and her daughter, will become real for her over the next three months.  Because she and my Dad flew out to Europe last week.

As they are in their 70s now (and with me being the eldest child) I have to admit I have become a little over-protective of them in the lead-up to departure.   I urged Mum to get an ipad and tried to get the relevent apps uploaded and logged into.  I helped pack, I checked timelines, made lists, worried lots about everything from passports to health checks to Dad being unable to lift some seriously heavy suitcases.  (It’s in my DNA I am afraid – I worry about pretty much everyone!)

It was kind of fitting that the day they flew out, it was my parents’ 48th wedding anniversary.  Not a bad effort really, especially after Dad decided a caravan honeymoon was the way to go. (Mum has never really recovered I don’t think!).

After filling in prescriptions, repacking a suitcase and leaving Mum alone to do some last-minute shopping, I decided an apple turnover was an acceptable celebratory ‘cake’ (with departure for London in a just a few hours).  I ‘decorated’ it with unlit butterfly candles.  (Yes, I went all out.)

Despite many misgivings in the lead-up (as he gets cow-withdrawal quite easily, and is invisibly umbilically connected to ‘Granite Glen’) Dad seemed to be getting into the spirit of things, as we devoured the pastry and celebrated their anniversary.

Concerned about him getting homesick in the middle of some foreign-speaking culture, I had (what I think was) a bit of a brainwave that morning and bought him one of these…

…an ipod-shuffle, and packed it full of Slim Dusty, Johnny Cash, Lee Kernaghan and Tex Moreton.  It’s tiny but reasonably easy for very large fingers to negotiate and he immediately plugged in the earpieces, pressed play and began his signature ‘shoulder shrug jig’ to a bit of Slim.  Am just hoping he remembers to pull it out of his pocket at laundry time!

We said our farewells before they took a late-night flight out from Brisbane International – I think you can see the anticipation on Mum’s face as she said ‘bye to her worrywort daughter…

(And I think you can see the lead-up worrying on my face too!) And then it became all very real…

Love the message in this pic – as my parents literally gave the oncoming Aussie winter ‘the boot’ for a European Spring/Summer.

And before you ask, yes I have checked (about 20 times) that they landed safely in London town.  And yes I have sent instructions so Mum can get into Facebook and share some of the action.  Apparently half of the globe is not far enough away to escape a bossy daughter!

Luckily I will have lots of work to keep me distracted here – weaning coming up and winter well and truly making it’s presence felt this morning.  My fingers are icy as I type this!

Doesn’t an Italian Spring sound enticing at the moment?

*sigh*

PS Anyone wondering about the line in the header here… it’s borrowed from a Toni Child’s song here. (Out of left field!)

She knows I haven’t always had it easy, and that she is a major part of the reason I bounce back from Life’s challenges as well as I do (although I note that she is careful to assign the stubborness/pigheadedness of which I am capable firmly at my father’s feet).  I think that our city pharmacist, working solo-in-the-bush in the 60′s Ma has been an amazing role model for her offspring, and is a pretty cool chick all-round.

Today, however, I want to be a little selfish and focus on my own version of Motherhood.  It was a life ambition that I never really felt as an adolescent or in my early 20s. Not til I found a certain tall handsome blue-eyed bloke who made me see the light.

For me, despite initial misgivings about my fitness for parenthood, having children has proven a treasure trove of wonder.

First and foremost amongst these revelations is that I struck gold when I chose their father.  (He will of course claim that I chased him and wore him down, which is so far from the truth it’s hilarious, but I like to humour him when he tells the story!).  Seriously though, the man is an awesome Dad.

I have also discovered many MANY things about myself.

I found out that I am not QUITE as self-centred as I suspected.  For instance, I discovered I can clean up vomit without ‘going out in sympathy’… but only just.  (And let me tell you, for the first year or so of his life, our Dash tried out that particular reflex on a close-to-daily basis).  I discovered I can go without sleep, don’t really need to paint my nails and Life will not come to a screaming halt just because I don’t fit perfectly into on-trend fashion.

I also discovered a whole myriad of previously untapped nerve-endings. My capacity to feel exploded with the arrival of these two little people.  My ability to experience their pain and their anguish and their joy and their humour is stunning.  It’s exhausting and exhilarating and fabulous and gut-wrenching.

Nobody warned me of the emotional rollercoaster of parenthood. And I am so glad they didn’t.

I hope to get some trinkets and cuddles in bed this morning, as the sun rises on Mother’s Day in Oz.  But as any mother knows, the real gift is not so much in the trinket or breakfast offering, as it is in the wriggling excitement of your kids as they await your reaction.  I anticipate that fizzing fabulous moment above all others…

I realise this post is hopelessly self-indulgent… I am adding a PS below to temper the message here. But first…

To Dash and Violet – thankyou.  For whatever you give me today.  And for my everyday rollercoasters too.

love always

The Luckiest Mum in the World…

Special Footnote:

I want to note that I don’t think motherhood needs to be for every woman.  As an ex-journo I chanced upon a number of people who should never have chosen to be parents, and whose children suffered terribly (and often tragically) as a result.  It’s part of what made me nervous about being a parent. ALL kids deserve to have parents who truly want them – I don’t know that there is a greater gift. 

And I deeply admire women who can clearly and logically assess their own situations and outlooks and choose NOT to have children.   It is a courageous choice (in a society that holds family upon an often unrealistic pedestal) and should really be celebrated too.

That said, my heart breaks for each and every woman who yearns for motherhood and has that choice elude them.  Nature is so bloody unfair sometimes.

In the words of my sweet husband: How’s it hanging?

Heh. I don’t think he wants intimately personal info when he asks this question, just an entertaining variation on ‘How are you?’

Me? I am fine.  Preparing myself for a bit of a big week over the next week – with two lots of visitors this weekend and then heading to the Big Smoke to see my parents off, on a jet plane!  They are off on the overseas adventure of a lifetime.  Mum (the dreamer and instigator) is rearing to go. Dad… well, when I asked him today if they were visiting Pompeii, he said:

“Dunno.  Probably. Seeing everything else!”

Funny man.  We are all hoping he and Mum have an absolute ball seeing the sights of Europe.  I wonder, however if the British, French, Italians and Germans and Swiss are fully prepared for Bruiser’s very Aussie brand of visitation?  Time will tell.

While I am away I have a lot of appointments and two cities to visit.  I won’t see my family for four whole days… I will be in some serious withdrawals by the time I get home.  For an independant chick, I sure pine for my hubs and kiddos when seperated. I also worry about the (lack of) washing in my absence.

All these things were running through my mind as I visited the river pump this morning after taking Dash and Violet to the bus stop.

This section of river is much-photographed (by me and others who live nearby).

The mood this morning was incredibly still.

Almost eerily peaceful.

A million miles from Paris…

Yet almost Monet in its tones…

(Is Monet an adjective?  It should be.)

I think I might be peeking back at these peaceful pics over the next week… and I bet my folks do too!

Bon Voyage, Nana and Pagi.

(And look OUT Europe!)

Our school’s Cattle Club members (Dash and Violet) donned their best hat and jeans, crisp blue club shirts, newly arrived ties and scarves and stepped out into the judging arena.

It was all serious business, as they assessed the four red bulls patiently displayed by their handlers.

Love this Black Hat/White Hat image – both deep in thought!

Violet was there with her… er… violet folder!

Again they presented their findings to the crowd – both kids were very nervous (afraid neither their Dad or I are great in front of a crowd) but did manage to get through their presentation.

Teacher Miss H taped their efforts and will go through it with them this week.  Aren’t bush teachers amazing?  Both of ours are often seen outside school hours working to help our kids get the extra-curricular things not always available in more remote schools.  We are very, very lucky!

Of course, there were many other things to see at the show… like sideshows and pavilions showcasing local produce …

That’s will be one HECK of a pumpkin soup, coming up!

Nom, nom, nom…

I think numbers might have been down a little this year.  I have to say I enjoyed the less-frenetic atmosphere and catching up with friends there…

Both kids flaked out on the drive home, and I have to admit (contemplating the Everest of dirty laundry awaiting them) their mother was just a teeny bit envious of their slumber…

Saturday brought with it heavy fogs and nervous excitement, as Dash and Violet competed in the Junior Campdraft (under 13 years) .  (Please check here and here if this sport is not familiar to you yet.)

After a 5.30am wake-up call  and 7am starting time, the kids were all butterflies in the shifting Autumn fog.

They warmed their horses up before heading to the arena to compete.

Dash is notoriously nervous about riding (beforehand, and then once he’s on board his trusty steed Pickles, it’s All Systems GO).  He was second into the camp yard (after a VERY good little local rider who chased her heifer like a seasoned pro).

Pickles behaved himself nicely, although not NEARLY speedily enough for his jockey. They carefully hacked around and did a nice first peg before going slightly off course at the second.

Violet has been BUSTING to campdraft for a couple of years now. Turning eight was beyond exciting for her, as she is now officially old enough to take part.  (I suspect she has a lot of her great-grandmother in her – Pagi’s mother – who was a mad-keen horsewoman and Aussie campdraft champ in her day).

Here she is getting last-minute advice from her Dad, while Sandy snatches a last mouthful of grass before getting into business.

A picture of focus as she sets her mind to the task at hand…

That gaze did not waver from that beast… and she was barely parted the rest of the day from that saddle.

Unlike her brother who was delighted to cart away a third prize ribbon for his efforts, leave Pickles to recover beside the truck and muck around with his mates.

The kids’ event was all over by 7.30am.

The fog which had seemed like it was going to lift then came rolling back in…

Making spectating quite the guessing-game for a while… as horse, rider and bovine emerged from the mist as they navigated the course…

They may not be classic campdraft pics, but I do love the effect of a misty white background!

The day then opened up to a glorious clear Autumn  day – startling sunshine and some serious action in the arena…

If you are paying attention you will recognise this guy (who also features in this campdraft Go-Pro footage).

If you are wondering, the tails-aloft thing the cattle sometimes do is a great indicator of a potential good run – the beast is enjoying a bit of a gallop too!

My hubby was delighted to FINALLY get to play a little… it’s been a long wait for a local draft he could attend (with lots of post-flood postponements).  His first couple of runs were a little rusty, but Jill gave him a great ride in the Open Draft.

Look at them fly – look at that determination!

Look at that great position. Look at that hat go flying! (heh).

And look at that (almost) full course!  A great feeling when you get it right…

Of course, for me, it’s all about capturing some of the action and catching up with friends… recognise this little steed anyone?

Rob Roy himself, out and about with his new jockey, Miss Josie!

‘Twas a lovely day, well worth the early start…

How bout you? 

What did your weekend activities consist of?

Any early mornings?

This shot was taken Saturday morning about 6.15 am as I drove to one of our local towns for a sporting event.

Sunrise, heavy fog, dirt road, bottle tree silhouette…

I kinda had to stop briefly to get that for you, didn’t I?

More coming soon…

♥

I am very, VERY normal, somewhat forgetful, a little bit stubborn and while I enjoy a good debate, I really dislike arguments. I do like to think I am a positive, mostly-happy person who has (over the years) come to terms with her many shortcomings (way too boring to list here).

Someone recently asked me how I find my ‘mojo’. (I adore the word mojo don’t you? There are many definitions, but my version of it’s meaning is: the state of that inner peace and contentment we all seek.)

Now my mojo comes and goes, but I admit that at least some of it comes through blogging – I definitely find some sense of order and peace by filtering out the negativity (that seems to be part of everyone’s lives, including mine) and distilling the wonderful.  Sometimes I need to be reminded of the wonderful, even though it’s really all around me.  Blogging is my distilling time, my ‘me’ time and I always walk away feeling better.

Of course I am so lucky to have access to scenes like these to assist in shrugging off the negatives…

Can you just FEEL the nasty sliding away into that reflection?

Shimmering fronds of elegance reflected by ripples of calm…

The hint of rainbows to come peeking through groves of soft-wrapped trees…

Droplets of pure and good…

Golden glows through living art…

Ludicrous lolling tongue of silly, deaf, lovable hound.

*deep breath*

Works for me.  Hope you walk away feeling a tiny bit better for the visit.

♥

PS What give YOU your mojo?

After driving almost 5 hours  seeing Cal ride in his rodeo finals on Saturday, we drove the 450km home at got up early to get to the local show.  The kids had a special event to participate in, and it’s a good chance to catch up with neighbours and locals we don’t see very often. (It’s one of those things in the bush – we might be neighbours, but not actually see each other for months at a time!)

We also caught up with Jeanie and her gorgeous girls…

Dash took Paris for a walk around the sights of the show – sideshow alley was top of his hit list I think!  She didn’t seem to care, just happy to be around her big cousins…

While Salina was the leader of the pack, as the assorted cousins (our brother’s offspring too) joined in the hair-raising merriment…

Violet’s whisps started the day neatly tamed. But they didn’t stay that way!

There were the usual gorgeous animal exhibits…

Goodness ME that is a sweet little equine thing… and one FABULOUS normal-size horse!

The crowds were fascinated – by the machinery, the bovine beauty and by our Showgirl…

The divine Donna… she knows her way round a cow, runs a local business and always looks fabulous.

We think you can go all the way, Don… (Not that I am biased at all – just cause she is my SIL’s sister!)

Then (just seven hours after we arrived) it was time for Dash and Violet’s event…

The Young Judges competition…

Where those under 21 try their hand at some beef cattle judging – sizing up animals of the same sex and age (but varying breeds), scoring and placing them, and then sharing their results on the microphone…

Our little school has just started it’s own Cattle Club for students to practice and participate – it’s very popular with almost half the students involved.  Violet takes it very seriously (as you can see by the nail polish she slaved over before we left the house).

There was note-taking, adding up, working on wording…

And then the hard bit… talking in public!

Violet was very shy, but with some encouragement from Mr S (their mentor) she handed down her verdict (almost exactly matching the overjudge!).

Dash spoke too – he is a little more confident on the microphone.  He scored second top in the school’s participants (and, most importantly*, agreed with my placings).

While our kids didn’t take home any of the major prizes on the day, they all did themselves proud and got some wonderful encouragement from organisers who handed them some special ribbons, and from the overall winner, Nicole (pictured with them here).

Nicole is a very successful cattle fitter (showing animals at shows throughout the state) and we reckon she can go ALL THE WAY in the National Young Judges title. (Not that we are biased.)

Encouragement means a lot to these kids. Not all are from cattle properties and most are pretty shy in front of crowds – but because they get encouragement from people like Nicole, and their parents and their mentor and their teacher (who voluntarily took on this additional role beyond her teaching duties) I reckon they will all go far too.

I know that despite my house looking like a bomb hit it, and despite kilometres covered, despite the lack of relaxation on this weekend…

These grins…

Make the madness of weekends like these all completely worthwhile!

What is your most encouraging moment from childhood?

What mad things did/do you do for your kids?

*None of these things is actually true!

That’s right… RODEO!

The first half of our weekend past was spent attending a small rodeo in Caboolture – the crowd was small anyway, mostly made up of parents cheering on their sons and daughters, competing in the High School Rodeo Australia finals.

The competition however, was BIG.  A bit of man versus beast (where the men – and women -were all under 21 years of age).

Sometimes the beast won.

Sometimes the man won.

And sometimes (in the eye of this little cowgirl anyway) …

The BLING won!

Our own Callum competed on saddle broncs and bulls …

This ride on a big twisty tan bull didn’t quite make the eight seconds he needed…

But I did like this shot while he was still on top!

This series takes you through his first bronc ride…

Getting safety gear on…

Tightening and checking gear (note brother Lachy helping out crush-side).  Note also the young commentator – he did a great job!

Cal in the saddle and ready to go…

Riding a tricky, flat-out, twisting corner…

Then off (a fraction of a second short of the bell!).

And his second ride on day one, on a grey horse…

And riding time!

Yay!

Violet and Dash checked out the action and were very proud of their honorary big brother. For his weekend’s work (this lot doesn’t even showi half of his rides) he’s won himself a great trip to compete in America… I know he’ll be poring over my pics, working out what he did and how to improve.

We loved (finally) watching him do what he loves doing.  And we will be cheering from afar when he rides in The National High School Rodeo titles in Wyoming, USA.

I have to admit though, as I was sorting the images I took on Saturday, a little part of me loved the part where the bull get’s his own back…

Run Forrest, RUN!!!