Miss 10's been at camp for the past three days and every day the boys ask if she's coming home. They say they miss her and if I know anything they will be all over her this afternoon when we collect her from school but she will be so tired and cranky, it"ll all be a big fight. Optimistic aren't I? Hope she sleeps on the bus on the return trip is all. For some one who a few weeks ago did not want to go and was crying most nights about it...I'm glad her teachers generous offer of allowing her to call home if she felt homesick was not taken up. I know one child who was allowed to call home after he found the stash of choccie biccies in his PJs with a note for his mum to have a good time. MEMO TO SELF: Do not write note with goodies stash EVER. Mr 7 has announced that he loves his sister, she is his favourite sister....out of who? He only has one hahahaha. Mr 4 really does not care but he and Mr 7 are playing together more.

I have been upsetting the apple cart at the kinder committee ( what's new?) I am the fundraising committee and had submitted TWO timetables for discussion and decisions of prospective fundraising activities for the whole year on a term by term timeline. I missed the last two meetings because 2IC was OS. No one had bothered to get back to me about the next fundraiser...Mothers Day Raffle and chocolate drive. Then I discover that a major office bearer had not only decided which supplier to use but what product we were ordering and how many...all without consulting committee or putting it to a vote. Now, I am all for iniative but a committee is representative of the parent body and needs to be transparent and equitable in their decision making. How we were to justify this decision on any level I do not know. Not only was it not tabled correctly but it was not voted upon either. I bought the matter up a tthe last meeting and whilst I agree that the new secretary had only just taken her guidance from the previous meeting notes that we were running the meetings a la casual , I have requested that the motions be correctly tabled and items discussed fully and voted upon...other wise why have a committee? I always seem to be pissing of kinder committees, either the ones I am on or the ones who are a joke. Thank goodness, I did not accept the request to be treasurer of the PFTA at school when asked this week. I did not even attend the PFTA meeting but got hunted down and asked to take on the office. To many things on right now.

I received an special invite to a herding workshop in June and I think I may go as I really want to see if the traits Lawson is showing now are true to his breed. Also, it will give his sires owner a chance to see if his dogs offspring are multi skilled. If Lawson and I can pull this off, he'll be one a a few who work in obedience and herding. If he shows potential, I start working him in both. This is were he was always heading multiple disciplines, he has the ability and brains to be able to do both. Here's hoping I can do his sires owner and ancestry proud, not to mention my mentors.

Hard yards for a backyard paradise

It rained over the weekend and late Friday night, so the grass seed we had sown has commenced to germinate. 2IC has been re designing the back yard as it is built on a slope with the slope enhanced so now it is all level and rises in stages. It was a tacky lay out which was the lazy gardeners answer to greenery and flora..AGAPANTHUS...YEEEECH along every fence line. Over the past two years we have removed over 100 plants along approximately 80metres of fence line, put in two kitchen vegetable gardens, removed the slope in the entire yard, created new garden beds, replaced most of a lawn pop up sprinkler system with drippers along the fence line and int the beds, and mulched the most of the lawn area ( read dust and now mud) with sugar cane mulch. ALL the soil removal and reassigning was done by hand by 2IC! We planted out some natives along some of the fence line before Christmas and put drippers in place, these are going well. The back fence line needs to have about 50 plus aggies removed and the beds shaped and natives planted, them another 30 plus of them to be removed from under the fruit trees and the beds there shaped also. The tiered area to the children's playground..also built by 2IC will have a retaining wall of rock so over the weekend we jammed in rock hunts on our usual trips about the place.

I like gardens, I enjoy being in them and working in them. Last night, rocks were being placed for stepping steps-cum-bed border near the kids playground and spring onions, oregano and parsley were being planted in the veggie patch for winter fare. I have a mix of cottage garden seed I got and whilst I have tried these before at the old place it was not the most ideal spot for them...so today or tomorrow I will prepare the bed for them and see where it takes us. The kids enjoy the garden to and both Mr 4 and 7 like to help Dad. Eventually it will be what we want.