A Touch of Christmas

We have been a bit slow to get into the Christmas thing this year. As we recovered from this....

I decided that it would be a nice idea to add a few festive decorations around the place. I threw a few bits and pieces on the tree as things kept on ticking around the farm as there are always things to be done. I insist each year that a special decoration that was made in preschool or primary school become part of the tree even know we range in age from 21 to 15. I like it as Christmas for us is a very last minute thing. We don’t spend months organising presents, decorations and food. It just sort of creeps up on us very quickly and we realise that we have to pull a few things together but we always have a nice day surrounded by family and friends.

Just thought I should check in as update that the engagement party was a complete success as we had perfect weather and plenty of food and fun.

I shall post some photos in the new year with a 2 week wrap up (well I plan to but you may gather that plans aren't a very good idea around these traps as there is never a dull moment!).

I wish each and everyone of you and your families a beautiful, peaceful and restful Christams and the very best wishes for 2012.

Merry Christmas from the paddock,

PP xx

Brewing

Excitement along with storms are brewing around the traps at the moment! Tomorrow is my older brother’s engagement party. The gardening, the food (the cool room is chockers), the logistics, the setup has all really bounced into full swing. I am a little nervous about the weather as we are hoping to have it in the garden and we just had a down pour. I am talking 16.5mm in half hour and looked something like this.

So I shall be saying my prayers tonight that firstly we have a good time, secondly we are all safe and sound and thirdly no serious downpours! I wondered if I put on my best rain dance that I would scare it all away, just a little indication there of my dancing skills!!

Take care,

PPx

Sunsets, Storms and Harvest By Night!

The two-way (UHF radio) sounds. “Are you on channel?” The thoughts on the way to the two-way that go through your head are along these lines. Will I have to go to town to pick up something (possibly a part that I know nothing about), will I have to race out to the paddock to assist in some way. Are they requiring food? As I answer with my best “Yes Dad” as the thoughts run through my head, he replies with..... “Have you got your camera, have a go at the sunset.” Just quietly I love sunsets, I miss them ever so much when not at home and I am often know for just pausing to admire as everyone else races around.

So I grab the camera, dive into the closest vehicle and off I race as I was told to be quick! Here is a little of what I got, you can see the storms rolling in.

Just as I realised that possibly I could capture some lightning, I worked out pretty darn quickly that that is actually a skill that is difficult to master and I could not seem to get anything. So I had a little bit of faith as I put the camera in a few different settings and pointing in the right direction I would be able to come up with something. Here is the one photo with any lightning in it... mind the blur, it was pure luck! Oh and then the battery went flat! Yes another rookie error.

I returned home realising that I would not get harvest by sunset I gave it a rather quick charge and the sun had fallen and dinner had been prepared for the troops. Off Mum and I went to the paddock at 8:30pm. Here is a little of harvest by night. Mind the blur! The older trucks have been around for many years. The all green one (if you can decipher) has been around longer than me and the other two are additions to the famous “fleet”. They are very treasured around these parts especially this time of year. The little red one is my favourite by far ever so cute!

An incoming road train

The fleet by night

Trying to store what we can before the storm hits

Being a little biased towards the little red truck!

This morning's storm rolling in!

PP xx

Traffic!

In our 6^th day of rain straight here so not much harvest happening and it will take several days for it to all dry out! I had a couple of trips to town this week when on my quite country road (if you pass 6 or more cars in 30kms it is a very busy day) when I came across what I would like to refer to as a “traffic jam”. Due to the raining conditions 500 cattle were being walked along the road. As they have been on the road in and around the immediate shire for several years now they are VERY used to traffic. I was trying to be as polite as I could and not use my horn to avoid upsetting the drover. I realised that they really were not going to share this road. They were not fazed in the slightest by the fact that I was in a moving vehicle and in a hurry to get grooving into town! That was it, the horn had come out...do you think the cattle moved any where away from the car or were troubled in the slightest by such a sound.... NO. When I headed on home after my time in town they had decided they would eat some grass away from the road and only 20 wanted to share the road...possibly they felt the steam out of my ears.

I am somewhat annoyed that I didn't have my camera on the front seat as I am sure it would of made and interesting photo! The look on the cow’s faces would have been worth it, 'what sharing with you, I think not'.

I really shouldn’t complain though as some city folks put up with a lot worse each and every day!

Take care,

PP x

Busy Times

Sorry I have been out of action for a while but I am back into it now and am sure to bring you the best bits of the summer holidays!

I managed to get through exams. I meet Mum in Sydney for my cardiologist visit (which occurs every 2 years) which went very well! Mum, my Grandmother and I all went to Mary Poppins whilst in Sydney. It was simply spectacular. The sets, the signing, the costumes, the dancing was out of this world and I may of just possibly shed a tear at the end!

Homeward bound I was the next day and wasn’t it nice to be home, although I am not going to lie I hit the ground running! I woke to a fog in November, very rare around these parts. Day 1, I took upon the massive task of volunteering to clean out the infamous “toy cupboard”!! In the cupboard is stored all the toys and an accumulation of “stuff” which could possibly date back to us moving into the house in 1998.

A November Fog

The comings and goings

What some do for a bit of service!

In between cleaning, doing a little gardening and a touch of cooking we had another go at harvesting. It was full steam ahead until the rain brought us to a grinding halt on Sunday, the rain has just stopped but the cloud is yet to leave.

Just as the rain started coming down we were also down a tyre!

A bit of muscle and off for some repairs!

I hope all is well,

PP

A Historic Day

Lest We Forget.

The men and women who have fought for our country and made Australia the country we are today, we pause for them and their loved ones.

At 11.11am on 11/11/11 I will be more than likely pausing in the middle of packing to head home for the summer holidays. I will be sure to take a photo or two. 

What will you be doing?

Whatever you may be up to on this historic day I hope that it is a good one!

Best wishes,

PP

Quoting

Little crazy at the moment so I shall just leave you with a quick quote and I shall get myself together once exams are all sorted and all the other bits and pieces and summer holidays arrive!

Remember what is most important...

It’s not having everything go right;

it’s facing whatever goes wrong.

It’s not being without fear;

it’s having the determination to go on in spite of it.

Remember that everyday ends and brings a new tomorrow.

Love what you do,

do the best you can,

and always remember how much you are loved.

Vickie M. Worsham

Take care,
PP

 

A Beautiful Gift

I have always had an interest in photography and a lot room for improvement. I have mostly borrowed my mother’s camera to take photos of bits and pieces.

Let’s go back a step and develop some context. My parents own two properties one which they have had for 25 years which is where we have grown up and still growing! Three years ago they brought another one 16kms away from our family home from my grandparents (Dad’s parents). There is a nice house there. The property is watered by bore water which requires constant monitoring of tanks and troughs etc and there is always stock down there.

We have a lovely couple who has lived there for most of those three years and they have really become part of the family. Also the first people to sign up to my blog, they are such treasures! Anyway the male member of the couple team is a wonderful photographer (check him out here on Flickr). As he has developed his skills and takes more and more amazing photographs he has brought himself new cameras.  He let me borrow one from time to time which was always very exciting!

One of their cameras they longer use and they decided that they would like to give it to me. I was so honoured that they would just give me such a beautiful (Canon 30D) camera. So I try to take it most places with me and will be learning lots as I am currently a pointer and shooter. I plan to do a TAFE course next year to have a little idea about what I am doing.

Around the same time that they told me about the camera it had crossed my mind that in 4 years time after finishing uni I might be able to save enough money to buy myself a nice camera but I am just a bit too blessed for that. I have had my camera now for 1 month, we are getting on quite well and I am eternally grateful for it.

I will try and share some photos with you as I blog but be warned so much room for improvement!

I hope that you are having a very picturesque day,

PP x

A Wonderful Weekend

I had a lovely weekend as all of my assignments have been completed for the year and I am just had a little bit of time to myself prior to beginning exam study this week, oh the joys. I have discovered that I am much more into assignments than I am exams!

A couple of course friends and I went to Josh Thomas’ stand up comedy show on Friday night. It was quite good, not something I have ever been to before.

Saturday I went out to breakfast for one of my close friend’s birthday prior to her parents coming to visit her, which was lovely. This was topped off by a walk on the beach with one of my course friends.

Sunday I went to mass before visiting a school friend who lives in Newcastle and is very very good to me. I shared with her my first mango for the season! Last night I saw that My Sister’s Keeper was on TV. I knew I should not have watched it due to the affect it had on me when I saw it at the movies but I couldn’t resist. I didn’t think I would sob like I did at the movies..... yes I did only more as I knew what was going to happen! Rookie error!

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends as I do. I had a gorgeous one come and visit me last weekend and off to visit another gorgeous one this weekend coming. She has been overseas for 3 months and this will be the first time I shall see her she is about a 4 hour drive away so that shall be lovely! I am wee little bit excited!

I hope your weekend was just a splendid.

Take care,

PP

An Introduction..

My first ever blog post, welcome. Thank you for stopping by to read it firstly. I shall introduce myself. I am a young woman in my first year of University, studying Speech Pathology. I have lived in Central NSW on a property all my life, although spent my high school years at boarding school in Sydney. I am a sister to three wonderful people and a daughter to an awesome set of parents, all of whom I am eternally grateful, I am ever so blessed.

You may ask why paddock princess. We the truth is I love to get out the paddock and give a hand but I will be honest with you I love my comforts!

I am not sure where this blog shall take my but I share it in the hope of brightening ones day, unleashing gratitude in the world and trying to make the world a better place as this is what I believe my faith is all about.

Congenital heart disease is something I have lived with all my life and will continue to, most people are very unsuspecting of my condition. I would hope that I can provide some hope to those who are affected by this, especially the parents of the children affected. 

The long and the short of it that my parents are the ones who have done the really hard work, sitting in nail bitting corridors as they wait for next update on open heart surgery, understanding full what the implications are and having to give everything a shot in the hope of their precious baby having some hope at a brighter future. It worked, I am so lucky to get out of bed every day and live a life of independence.  

I hope that through this blog I may gain inspiration from others and hopefully create some awareness of congenital heart disease!

Looking forward to meeting some great people,

Paddock Princess x