Final call for the old homestead

What you lookin' for here?


The action's elsewhere!
...
You know it had to happen eventually... just letting you know that this blog is coming down shortly.
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I am still blogging madly away over at my new place - please update your readers/sidebars/links to this place or else ... well, you'll end up going nowhere. Come on over - Axel will be waiting too! See you there.
www.bushbabeofoz.com

EDIT: If you have trouble with download speeds, go straight to the ALL YARNS page here.
Have fun!

Cheers
BB

The Birthday Post

I am quickly posting a couple of snaps from yesterday

as I face the clean-up from Dash's eighth birthday party this morning.

(Although I must acknowledge the amazing help I had

from all my fabulous guests in the washing up department last night

- is it an Aussie thing that every woman present

just pitches in and gets elbow deep in the suds?

And while we are on that topic,

I have the very best step-mother-in-law ever!)

~

Anyway, we started off the day bright and early

with Violet enthusiastically assisting Dash

in his present-opening endeavours...

And apparently the offerings were okay...


Optimus Prime regalia discovered by chance at Target.

Please Lord let it last for a few months for the trashing it is sure to receive.

Amen.

~

Dash went to school for the day - well, not school exactly, but the school cross-country.

Where he proved his parent's genetic abilities do NOT score high

in the land-speed department.

Sorry Dash!

And then, after school, half of his classmates

(from the entire school, which totals 18 students)

descended on Granite Glen to party hard.

~

The Optimus Prime cake was a hit too.

Fact: neither of my kids ate any of it.

And yes, they are quite weird.

Everyone else made up for it though,

devouring a good portion of the marble and mock-cream creation.

Especially the adults...

And before you ask, NO I did not bake it

(our local bakery did a sterling job on that part.)

My contribution was the image on top.

(Those two sentences pretty much sum up yours truly!)

Heh...

~

Off to clean up now.

I suspect Axel has already started on all the edible debris on our patio.

I am SO lucky with all the assistance I get around this place!

Kitty, kitty, kitty

There is a feline feel to this post...

because my blog heroine Ree is running another assignment at her place

and I have entered three pussy pics this week.
...
After the over-excitement of getting two photos up in last week's canine contest, I have very low expectations (there are 1000's of entries after all!) but thought I would share the pics here so at least SOMEONE gets to see 'em.

My cousin's tiger/cat sporting a hot pink collar...

some fill flash used

Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 150 mm


Middy the panther, and her lamp eyes ...
Exposure: 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 170 mm

Middy the Victor.

After bashing up Axel.

(Again.)

Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 200 mm
...

If you missed the first take on this love-hate relationship that is enacted EVERY SINGLE DAY here at Granite Glen, then check this post. And this one. The day he realises he is actually bigger than her, she's toast. Luckily she is a LOT cleverer than her canine counterpart. I cannot see the status quo changing anytime soon...

...

So... which is your favourite shot?

If you entered a shot at Ree's, please post the entry link in comments.

Or if you've a story/post about your feline friend, share it there too...

A lunatic by any other name...

Trying to work out my best entry for this week's Pioneer Woman challenge:

Portrait of a Dog.

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I discovered that I have FAR too many dog photos.

And amongst them, FAR too many crappy dog photos.

(Not, not doggy crap photos...

I would need a wide angle and my mother reads this thing!)

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So what did I do?

I gave up searching the archives and just whacked up the most recent dog photo I have taken. Literally... it's the last shot of our ridiculous Great Dane on the camera, taken yesterday (when I was supposed to be cutting down on the Nikon-sniping).

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I give you Axel (Roseberry the First) adoring Mr Incredible to bits.

Nom, nom, nom... ow!

I love the crazy flappy lips, the fact Mr Incredible is absent-mindedly playing with Axel while talking to someone else (out of frame), and I even love the John Deere mower in the background.

It screams 'ludicrous large pooch trying to be a farm dog' to me...

and ' LET ME BE PART OF IT ALL... PWEEEEESE!!'

And for those wondering how big Axel is now (that he is a whole one year old and getting close to fully grown) he measures approximately 107 cm at the shoulder. Which converts to about 42.125 inches. Which cannot be right or he'd be nudging THIS guy. We need a proper measuring stick methinks!

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So, tell me: What's your favourite pet photo?

Share a link to it with us in comments. And if you don't have something to share at your own place, was there a favourite shot somewhere in the archives here that you think I should enter in PW's contest later in the week? All nominations gratefully accepted!

Dancing on the inside (Axel-style)

It's someone's birthday today.
He's beside himself with excitement.

Want to sing with me?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

TO

youuuuuu....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

TO youuuuuu....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

dearrrr AXE-ELlllll....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO youuuuuu....

Axel Rose-berry the First (aka 'the great galut') turns ONE today.

For the record he DID enjoy his birthday corned-meat fritters.

And he's freaking right out with delight at his treat.

You just can't tell.

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(To see his progress since arriving here 10 months ago, check out this post, and this one and this one and this one too. Man this dog has GROWN!)

EIGHT

I am currently knee deep in calves. Well, amongst them anyway - it's branding time and I am utterly exhausted with lots of yard work, cooking for hordes and bookwork. But I have a litte something I prepared earlier...

Earlier this week I was 'tagged' by the inimitable Stephen Baird (The Nikon Sniper) and while I usually duck and weave (metaphorically speaking) to avoid these things, this seemed like a relatively easy one to address. Of course maths is not my long suit, so the whole EIGHT lots of EIGHT didn't really hit me until I was about a third the way through.

Cannot begin to imagine why anyone would want to know these things about me - in fact you may need a stiff shot of caffeine to help you stay awake...

8 lots of 8 things about Bush Babe:

8 TV shows I watch (when I remember they are on, which is sporadic)
1. The Mentalist
2. Top Gear (the British version)
3. e.r. (although it's usually too late for me)
4. Grey's Anatomy (I know, but it's fun)
5. Play School (usually by accident, but I do linger when that cute guy from McLeod's Daughters is on!)
6. Iron Chef
7. The Cook and the Chef
8. Any Grand Slam tennis event

8 favorite places to eat and drink
1. Front patio at Granite Glen
2. Little Tokyo (Brisbane, QLD) location of first real date with Mr Incredible - wow!
3. La Scala (Griffith, NSW) location where real pasta and BB fell officially in love!
4. Pretty much anywhere in Venice (Italy) *drool*
5. My SIL A's house (the woman can COOK)
6. My SIL P's house (great house, great food, awesome kitchen!)
7. In the olden days (pre-kids) a little spot called Gerties (the Valley, Brisbane) for drinks, nibbles and people-watching
8. Brett's Wharf (Brisbane) where a couple of memorable Christmas lunches took place (and absolutely NO washing up by Yours Truly - heaven!)

8 things I look forward to:
1. Seeing my children grow strong and confident
2. A more peaceful world
3. Good, regular rain for all Aussie farmers
4. Travelling with my kids
5. Watching the development of our Brangus herd and knowing I might have had something to do with it
6. Seeing my parents move into their new house (no-one deserves it more!)
7. Having Axel actually obey the 'sit' command
8. Losing weight.

8 things I love about winter:
1. The chance to sleep in til 7am without guilt
2. No mosquitoes (we have clouds of the suckers at the moment!)
3. Less guilt about not keeping the pool crystal clear
4. Less mowing
5. Photo opportunities (frosty fences and frozen flowers!)
6. Lack of sweat
7. Lack of need to bare flesh (esp thighs!)
8. Beanies (hiding any hair faux pas)

8 things on my wish list:
1. To really meet my friend Debby
2. To take my family to New York
3. To be organised
4. To see my parents travel to Europe
5. To participate in and enjoy the lives of nieces and nephews
6. To be a tiny shadow of the person my friend Jan was
7. To be more patient
8. To see more good news on the TV

8 things I am passionate about
1. My family (I am the luckiest woman in the world, and I know it)
2. Our cattle - best beef in the world, baby!
3. Photography - could you guess?
4. Aussie farmers (and farmers around the globe) - feeding the world!
5. Being a mother (and trying not make a massive hash of it)
6. The bush (even if it does test you to your limits sometimes)
7. Travelling (I vaguely remember what this is!)
8. Blogging (of course)

8 things I have learned from the past
1. Never to judge a book (or person) by the cover
2. Always to trust your instinct
3. Not all doctors are equal - a piece of paper doesn't always give a person the insight required for every diagnosis. Just sayin'...
4. Not everyone enjoys The Truth (one man's 'keeping it real' is another man's 'was that REALLY necessary?')
5. Most of the time pictures get you into less trouble than words...
6. ...but not all the time!
7. Never to walk a Great Dane on a beach while six months pregnant (yeah, story yet to come)
8. Life is short - and it's up to ME to make every moment count.

8 things I want/need
1. A new Nikon camera
2. A new Nikon zoom lense
3. A bank account to accomodate # 1 and #2
4. More patience
5. About 10 more hours in each day
6. Susannah and Trinnie to dress me properly
7. Arches in my feet
8. Patience (oh, I already mentioned that?)

8 people I want to tag (Let's see who'd I'd like to torture with this one?)

Kate from A Country Girl
Debby from Life's Funny Like That
Scotty from The Frog Prince
Pam from A Novel Woman
Tracey from Trace Elements
Alison from Three Times Kewl
Jenni from Prairie Air
Ree from The Pioneer Woman (yeah, I know, but wouldn't it be funny if she actually did it!)


You know, I don't really expect anyone to do this - but it was fun to stop for a sec and really think about what is important to me (apparently patience, of which I have none). And it's a good excuse to encourage you all to go visit the people listed above anyway! Feel free to have a shot at YOUR eight things - in comments or in your own blog and leave your link here for us all to peruse...

See you on the other side of the stud branding...
Hugs
BB

Fa La La La La!

Hello there... did you survive Christmas unscathed?

The Granite Glen gang came through pretty well.

Completely sated really.

Food-wise, present-wise, loved-ones-wise.

We had a relatively low-key and quiet Christmas Day (which was kinda nice) and a rowdy Boxing Day with rellies (which I love). There is nothing better than sharing special days with special people, is there?

Even special pooches help make the day stand out...

We did try some reindeer antlers on Axel, but he was not a quiet study with lurid green fake horns atop his scone. Not this this old fella. Never mind. Tinsel was festive enough!

This is my favourite Christmas card - handmade by Dash.

I adored the meticulous work.

And the gorgeous pop-up figures.

Even the completely inappropriate weather depicted made me smile.

And here is my favourite gift - a set of pots from Mr Incredible.

He was a little horrified at giving me something so domestic.

But it was all I really wanted - besides a happy family.

And it was something I badly needed as illustrated here.

...

A regular Canadian reader, Theresa from Alberta, asked last post about what Aussie eat on Christmas Day. (Besides cashews of course. They're obligatory the world over, aren't they?)

So I decided to share a little selection of the snaps from our day - illustrating what THIS Aussie family considers good holiday fare. Keep in mind that it was over 30 degrees celsius here on Friday - that's over 86 degrees farenheit if my converter is working. Toasty. Sweaty. Tummies don't really require much warming up, that's for sure.

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And while the full roasted meal is often served on December 25 Down Under, "traditional" was kind of thrown to the wind in this household this year. This was partly 'cause it was only the four of us for lunch, and partly cause my kids don't get into the whole roast thing too much, and partly because Mr I was under the weather. I see no point in slaving over a hot stove for one person. Especially when that one person is me!

...

I shelved the lamb and chicken I was going to roast. And the Twice Roasted Potatoes I so love in this cookbook which lives on my kitchen bench...

(Bonus points for anyone recognising the famous Aussie in the recipe book behind Ree's).

Reconsidering the needs of my little family, I instead cut open the foam icebox containing seafood I had picked up a couple of days ago while visiting my gorgeous niece. And I let it dictate our strange little menu...


Violet won't touch seafood unless it's fish fingers. She won't even eat ham. So she got some leftover noodles and bolognaise. (She could NOT have been happier). Dash got a bacon-and-BBQ-sauce-sandwich. Which he didn't mind, but then he tasted the seared Moreton Bay Bug meat, and devoured that instead... talk about adventurous, expensive tastes! Ah, but it makes my heart sing to see him revel in food of any kind. Who'd have thought?

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For those who have never been introduced to Moreton Bay Bugs check this site. It's amazing - to me, the best of all seafoods. Anywhere. Seriously. I marinated this lot in olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt before searing in a pan on the gas stove. And I whipped up a little creamy pesto side sauce. Which also goes well with the spinach and roasted pumpkin salad (with bacon and roasted pine nuts).
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And don't forget the oysters. Kept chilled, then topped with bacon kilpatrick sauce and grilled. Mmmmmm.

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And of course, the fruit...

(Ignore the bananas - I try to. They are there because they are the ONE fruit Violet will deign to eat - in smoothie form only. I detest them. *shudder*)

However I just adore mangoes - they say 'holidays' to me like no other fruit.

And I have a serious crush on lychees at the moment.

Soooooo juicy and refreshing....

*groan*

Oh and that most traditional of Aussie foods:

Ferrero Roches.

(Yes, I know. European. Whatever.)

So... your turn for a Christmas review.

Your menu?

Your wild and crazy antics?

(Feel free to leave relevant links)

:-)

Six White Boomers

I feel the need... the need for ... a spot of Festive explanation.

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I put up a new header for December with a bit of a bush Christmas twist. But I realise that for those who aren't .. well... Aussie, it may require a little more description for the line used to make sense.

"Racing Santa Claus through the blazing sun..." comes from a song written by the incomparable Rolf Harris (name me one other songwriter who can also paint like a demon and was a champion backstroker?). The song is called 'Six White Boomers', and describes an Australian Christmas including reference to our very non-snow-like climate and replaces the reindeer with some warm-blooded creatures a little more able to stand the heat.

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Boomers refers to male kangaroos - and yes I had to look that up myself. We don't go round pointing out the boomers in the paddock (I tend to think of Axel's offerings as stinking boomers in the houseyard, but that's a whole nother blog post!). I do remember singing this song as a child though - at a night-time event called a "Christmas Tree" all lined up on stage with my classmates. The event was for the neighbourhood kids in a tiny little unlined timber hall in our blink-and-you'll-miss-it 'town'. I recall absolutely loving this particular item on our playlist - an early taste of the irreverence that tickles me so.

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Here are the words (and below them is the Rolf Harris version for you to sing along to!).

I do apologise to anyone remotely serious about photography and Photoshop for my bodgied-up image of some local roos and a Santa silhouette.

Hey, I tried (it was late, OK?). Heh.

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SIX WHITE BOOMERS

By Rolf Harris & John D. Brown .
(Introduction)
Early on one Christmas Day, a Joey Kanga-roo,
Was far from home and lost in a great big zoo.
Mummy, where's my mummy, they've taken her a-way,
We'll help you find your mummy son, hop on the sleigh.

Chorus:
Six white boomers, snow white boomers,
Racing Santa Claus through the blazing sun.
Six white boomers, snow white boomers,
.. On his Aus-tra-lian run.

Verse:

Up beside the bag of toys, little Joey hopped ,
But they had'nt gone far when Santa stopped.
Un-harnessed all the reindeer and Joey wondered why,
Then he heard a far off booming in the sky.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

Pretty soon old Santa began to feel the heat,
Took his fur-lined boots off to cool his feet.
Into one popped Joey, feeling quite OK,
While those old man kangaroos kept pulling on the sleigh.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

Joey said to Santa, Santa, what about the toys,
Aren't you giving some to these girls and boys.
They've all got their presents son, we were here last night,
This trip is an extra trip, Joey's special flight.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

Soon the sleigh was flashing past, right over Marble Bar,
Slow down there, cried Santa, it can't be far.
Come up on my lap son, and have a look around,
There she is, that's mummy, bounding up and down.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

Well that's the bestest Christmas treat that Joey ever had,
Curled up in mother's pouch all snug and glad.
The last they saw was Santa headed northward from the sun,
The only year the boomers worked a double run.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

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Ready to sing now?

The following clip is slightly disturbing (there's an animated bit which freaks me out slightly) but ignore that and belt it out with me...

What's your local spin on something Christmassy?

(And is 'Christmassy' even a word?)

The Mail Run - by BB and Violet

We get mail twice a week here at Granite Glen.

Our lovely mail lady (who travels hundreds of kilometres each run) pokes our bundle of bills and papers into this old red cream can about one kilometre from the house.

It sits beside a little green shed - a multipurpose venue for parking bikes in (ours when we attended primary school a couple of decades ago... OK three decades ago...) for larger parcels, for calves seeking shade while their mothers forage, and even resting the occasional resting snake (yuh-huh!).

(I wonder what on earth is Violet doing in this shot?)

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Anway, yesterday the shed was housing something pretty exciting, discovered when Violet and I did our bi-weekly mail check.

No not the dog food - well, okay, Axel was probably excited about that delivery.

The boxes on the little bench.

Let's see what's in 'em...

Look familiar?

They ARRIVED!

The inaugural Beauty of the Bush calendars.

In boxes.

In the hot dusty old bike shed.

Near the calf poop.

Doesn't the ROMANCE of it all just knock you out?

Violet didn't care - here she poses delightedly with December.

I am pretty happy with the product - its printed on really heavy paper which means it shouldn't curl while hanging on your wall next year. I hate curly calendars, don't you?

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So I am about to attack the posting out side of this project.

Why don't I let Violet take the last few photos of our parcel-pickup while I get organised?

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Violet-view of the mailbox...

Oh dear...

Violet-view of Mummy picking up the boxes.

(Sorry bout that!)

And Violet-view of the well-stacked, half-opened calendar boxes.

Oh, and here is what Violet was doing beside the shed earlier:

Gimme Gimme Some Lovin'

Letting the pictures do the talking today...

Axel with Mr Incredible.

Proving once and for all that

ANY attention is good attention,

...as far as Danes are concerned.

Oh, and one more thing,

to keep things in perspective:

The End.

A little less conversation, a little more Axel...

So apparently I haven't been sharing enough

of a certain member of the Granite Glen household lately...

someone whose personality is as big as any character list on my sidebar,

and whose growth rate is about ten times any other youngster residing here.

.

THIS guy...

Axel Rose(berry) the First.

Our pedigree Great Dane and official Ludicrous Houseyard Decoration.

Hello darling... you happy, crazy, silly dog.

Or as my father might say: That Great Waste of Space.

We are working on the Dad-Axel dynamic.

We've a little way to go yet.

Old Bushies just don't 'get' House Dogs.

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Axel has grown UNBELIEVABLY since arriving here* just seven months ago.

He arrived looking like this!

*If you click on link above you will see how amazingly he has become like his Mama!
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Invariably, people will gasp upon seeing him looming over the

houseyard fence, and announce in dramatic tones:

"MY... oh, my, he's so... BIG!"

and look at us incredulously.

Like we hadn't noticed that little fact previously.

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He is a member of the family now.

Not a replacement for our darling Coz,

but his own special 'person' nonetheless.

A happy, goofy, smiley pooch,

a guard-dog extraordinaire (well, he's loud anyway)

and excellent boot minder.

He'd love to be a swimmer too...

but he's just too scared (he IS a Dane, after all!)

so he is official onlooker and boot protector for the time being.
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To give you a little perspective of his massive size,

here is Axel being a SuperDog,

with Dash the SuperHero.

He weighs over 50kg

and his shoulder reaches my hip.

He is loveable, laughable and huggable.

He'll never be a Rhodes Scholar

and he poops scultpures the size of a small building,

but we love him anyway!