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Is it too late to say HAPPY NEW YEAR?
Already a week has gone of 2010 and this is the first time I have been onto the blog.
I have been spending a lot of time at the swimming pool in Darkan. Not actually swimming, but watching the swimming lessons. Matthew, Sophie, Bonnie and Odette were all taking part in the vacswim (vacation swimming) lessons. Bonnie started at 9:00, Sophie at 9:55, Odette and Matt at 11:00. That means three hours each morning were tied up. But I did actually manage to slip away a few times and go to my studio to download photos. This morning was the last day and I didn't need to get into town until the 11:00 lesson, because all three girls slept over at their friend Kirtsy's house last night. So I slept in!!
Kirsty's brother Jake has spent three nights here this week. He is mates with Matthew and has been a good help to Roger with sheep work on the farm. Last night I thought the swap of three girls for one boy was well and truly stacked in my favour!

Matthew had to swim in his clothes to pass stage 12 - he's just taken them off.

Floating in the water with discarded shoes...

Matthew and Jake on the farm

Shearing started on Monday, and will finish this afternoon. We didn't have a long shearing this January because we shore a lot of sheep in November. That means we should have time to take a holiday! I have booked my parnets' house at Bremer Bay for ten days (15 - 25th of January).

Here is a before and after shot of some sheep.

Before...

After...

We had a Lovely Christmas

Our Christmas started with a church service in Darkan on Christmas eve. When we got there I thought there was a great turn-out for the 8:30pm service as the street was lined with cars. But it turned out the young people across the road from the church were having a party! So it was just the usual few faithful who turned up. And us.
Before bed on Christmas eve we allowed the children to open one of their presents, so the girls all slept in their new pyjamas. During the night something magical happened, and Santa made a trampoline appear on the lawn.

Pretty in pink...

The girls jumping on the trampoline.

 

There were plenty more presents to unwrap before breakfast. Lots of excitement as a skateboard, watch, computer game, earrings, toy cars, books, chocolates and more appeared from the pile of presents.
Then we had to leave them all behind when we got in the car to head to York for a Solly family Christmas.

The long table for 26

The kids with their nine cousins on the Solly side

The kids love dressing up in Nanna's clothes and putting on a play.

We took the obligatory family snap

Then worked it for the camera... 

Later in the afternoon the pool was the most popular place

Christmas Wishes

We wish all our friends in blogland all the very best for a happy Christmas time. We will be with the extended Solly family on Christmas Day, and the Telfers on Boxing Day. We hope you experience the true Joy of Christmas, while enjoying the proverbial good cheer.

Merry Christmas!

Four Years Old

Hugh turned four years old today.

I was woken rather early this morning by one very excited little boy. He was excited because Dad told him he had to get up early because they were going to Busselton to pick up Matthew, and they were going to go to the motorbike shop.

It also happened to be his birthday, so he had to wake the rest of the household before he could open his presents. He didn't have to open Pompon, his puppy, which was his early birthday present.

I wish his Nanna could have seen his face when he opened the present she and Granddad posted to him. His face looked puzzled, and then his eyes grew wide and his face beamed as he removed the remote-controlled car from the packaging. Luckily Nanna had told me the gift needed batteries, so I had charged up four batteries in preparation. (She had tried to post the batteries with the car, but they were lithium and not allowed to be posted.)

Hugh also unwrapped a toy motorbike, a toothbrush and a few other things, and a cricket bat and ball. I was required to run around outside in my nightgown (well my knickers and singlet, but nightgown sounds much more respectable, don't you think?) playing cricket to Hugh's rules, which involved him doing most of the batting and me doing most of the fetching balls.

After breakfast Roger and Hugh left, and they are staying the night at Busselton. For his birthday dinner Hugh chose fish and chips to be eaten in a park. I hope they enjoyed it!

Preg Testing Cows

Today the vet visited to test the cows to see if they are pregnant. She does it the old-fashioned way, none of this ultra-sound technology here. Maybe you can see in the photos what the technique is. It involves a very long glove, and some lubricant.

 

Here you can see which side of the race has been painted...

  

Roger with his dog Bobby

Can you spot me? I'm the cow wearing the red hat!!

The end result is that we should expect about 40 calves next year...

P.S. Photos today are from our helpXchange visitors Enya and Eliza.

School Presentations

School will finish on Thursday, and today the Darkan District High School held a final assembly and concert at the town hall. This will be the last DDHS assembly, as the high school part of the school has been closed. From next year it will be the Darkan Primary School.
The book awards were presented, and Sophie won the academic achievement award for year 6. No surprise really as she has won it every year she has been in primary school. It will be interesting to see how she goes at school at BCGS next year when she is in a different environment, with more classmates. I hope she will thrive in the new environment.
Bonnie and Sophie also won awards for their achievements in French (Odette's class doesn't do French - they start in year 3.)

 

Sophie receiving the Year 6 Academic Achievement Award

After the awards each class presented an item on the Christmas theme that they had prepared, starting with the kindy and pre-primary class with a nativity play. Odette's class performed an Australian "Twelve Days of Christmas" and Odette was a kangaroo and a possum.

Odette's class presentation - she was a kangaroo

Bonnie's class dressed up in warm coats for a cold Northern Hemisphere Christmas carols performance. We could hardly see Bonnie as she was in the back row.

Bonnie was hidden at the back of her class group

Sophie's class also had a snowy theme for their items, and they danced and sang several songs, interspersed with lively rehearsed banter.

Sophie singing with her class

 And dancing...

 

We saw Sophie very well as, being one of the shortest in the class, she was in the front row. They finished by throwing shredded paper out into the audience as "snow"!

The "snow" that was left after the room 4 performance.

After the performances there was shared afternoon tea, and the opportunity to view displays of students' work.

Odette read out her story to me.

Smoke, but no Fire

The fire was not near here - it was probably one hundred kilometres away (somewhere just north of Harvey I heard). One thousand hectares of forest was burnt yesterday, and the smoke made its way to our place.

At this time of year, when everything is dry, fire is a constant threat. Harvesting operations, or any use of machinery in paddocks increases the risk, so a fire ban is called when the conditions become dangerous. Yesterday it was very hot and dry, with a strong wind. So we were not able to go out in the paddocks. What a good excuse to stay inside in the airconditioning?? And then after five o'clock when the sun was not so hot we took the kids into town and went to the swimming pool.