Bits-n-bobs and The Show!

BITS 'N' BOBS
My favorite cheeky little chubby toddler cheeks... omg it's going to be less than a month until he's TWO! I can't believe it! I finally got the pic I'm going to have the artist use to do a portrait of him for his b-day I think.

She won't use the background obviously, that will be just plain so the focus is on him. The other one I'm thinking I could use is the one of him on the merry-go-round today (scroll downward to see!). Let me know what you think of them - leave a comment! (Heck, leave a comment anyway if you're reading. It makes me feel like I'm not just some crazy person talking to myself!) It's going to be a head and shoulders style portrait and I'm going to ask her if she can put in a picture of Hope next to him. I could NOT get the two to hold still and both give nice expressions at the same time! They're BOTH far too hyper and wiggly!!!!!

Random funny moment: After very seriously pondering our aquarium for a few minutes, La suddenly pipes up, "Mummy, da fishies in the waddah get a BIG dwink!" (Yeah, about 80 liters of it kiddo...)

Another random funny moment: Laurent had been calling out what we initially thought was his attempt to say "Canine". It was the only thing I could think of that he might have heard me use and he was using it in definite context to the dogs. After he did it around Nic, we worked out he's actually saying, "Cade Ethan!" All my dogs have middle names, started out when I mockingly used it as a full name to "sternly speak" to them, addressing them in a mock serious voice - they know it's one of our little jokes and dance around wagging, wiggling in glee and all but laughing while I "admonish" them as several people have seen. At any rate, apparently La had heard Nic and I addressing Cade as Cade Ethan and has taken to using it... Cade-e'en! ;-p

Now for those who have known La for awhile, you KNOW how much we've struggled with his dairy allergy in the past two years! Some of you found out the hard way when he got into some even! Buuuuttt he's apparently grown out of it! Witness: his first pizza... declared yummy even though it's eatten in a rather non-traditional manner! WHOO HOOOOOOO!!!

And since this is the week for bad habits... okay, now up until the last few weeks Laurent hasn't watched television. At all. Partly because I don't want a baby watching tv, partly because there wasn't any programs I felt merited him watching and partly because we just busy doing other things. However I've decided that at almost-two he can watch occasionally and so I got him a Charlie and Lola dvd. As part of their extras they have a "find me!" feature where you see a black screen and the blinking eyes of the characters hiding in a dark room. You shine the "flashlight" on them to find the two characters and then the lights turn on and reveal the whole picture. So here is La, mister "I love buttons and technology!" working the remote for that game! LOL

Our little lambs also finally got their tails banded and the boys got their bits banded as well to neuter them. They are growing like weeds and strong!!! I'm hoping I can retain two but it depends on if I decide I want to take them in lieu of agistment payments or prefer the money if they won't sell me Boofhead as well as one of the gold tag ewes ewe lambs. I'd like to keep Boofhead for sentimental reasons - he was the first lamb born here and born on the anniversary of Nic's mum's death. They usually keep the boys for lambchops and there's only two so they're not keen to let him go. (All the others ewe lambs, go figure!) I'm also keen on adding Brown Chinese Geese, which avg about $60 a pair for day olds and would be more profitable long-term to invest in so if I can't get Boofhead, I'll probably just opt for the payment to buy the geese or save it for Euroa.

I also sold two of the Sussex chooks, a bit sad but nice to make my first "sale". I also got my agistment payment and I have to say I love bringing in some money again and the fact that I'm doing so from starting to turn this into a little working hobby farm!!! My Wyandotte hen is laying her first clutch with the rooster, so fingers crossed she lays a few more eggs and then goes broody!

THE SHOW
Today we went to the Royal Melbourne Fair. It's the first one that Laurent has really been old enough to enjoy and go on some of the rides, so it was so neat to introduce him to his first fair! The county fair was the highlight of our summers as children and I absolutely loved it! Watching him have his first-fair moments and discover all the fun was so gorgeous and nostaligic all at once! He got to ride on the miniature train, which he loved! I had to have a discussion with him about how he couldn't DRIVE it and sure enough, as soon as it stopped for us to get off, he started making the mad dash for the engine! He was heartbroken when I took him out the gate, fell down crying and then ran along the fencing trying to catch up with it when it took off again! Poor bubba! LOL

He also got to go on the merry-go-round and loved that!

Then we went to the petting farm... oh dear, I think we annoyed the staff. He kept trying to round the cows and sheep up... and I know he was doing this rather than chasing because he nabbed a piece of straw for a crook, holding it up to direct them the way I move the sheep and when they didn't cooperate hollered, "Oy! OYYYYYYY!!!! BACK 'ERE!" at the (considerable) top of his toddler lungs! Hn... no idea where he got that! ~_~'
Then the little bossy two-shoes was *insisting* the gate-keeper close the gate instead of holding it open for ages. He knows darn well we're fanatic about closed gates around here and that they're not supposed to be left open like that.

I also went to watch the chook judging and coloured sheep. I'd been told that many chooks would be for sale and so had hoped to see lots of nice ones to buy some but I think mine are actually better than what I saw of their class. I have to say while I had a great time, I was a bit disappointed. I expected that for the Royals people would turn up in droves and bring some really outstanding quality birds because it's such a public spectical and everyone make's a big deal about the quality of the ones who win at the Royals. (Not to mention a lot of folks use the "Royals Winner!" thing to boost prices on what they sell!)

There was only a single pair of partridge std wyandotte, not that I expected heaps of them but I've seen at least a handful at other shows. They were very small, almost half what they ought to have been. My pullet - who is not only a hen but immature - was bigger than the rooster! X_x

The silkies had a modest but more sizable entry but mostly for whites. Only five coloured - three blacks and two partridge - no blues, golds, greys etc. The only super nice ones I saw were a few of the white's, which incidentally the judges agreed with me on that so it's not just my opinion but none of them had good middle toe feathering. A few had a stub or two but that was it! I know it's the middle of breeding season but it was really disappointing not to see them better represented in numbers or quality. :-( Geese were disappointing as well, only four of them all up and all Brown Chinese. Okay, so that's my favorite kind but there are a LOT more kinds out there and you'd think they'd be represented at the ROYAL of all places and in larger numbers.

This is the rooster I liked... he was just a gorgeous guy! Dark pigment, dark eyes, dark legs and skin, good comb, nice crest, feathering filled out in all the right places, good tail, build etc.

And the hen I liked. Pretty little girl, even if this shot isn't her standing at her best. You can still see she looks like a walking tribble! ;-)

I was going to go Friday to buy but don't think I will at this point. I will be going again on Sunday to see Aussie's even though (*sniffles*) I'm not entered. (*sobs*) On the up-side, I think Nic will be home to watch Laurent, so I may actually be able to go and watch without being constantly interrupted with a hyper, bored toddler wiggling to run away and chattering, "Mum? Bibi? Mum, a train! Mum lights!!! Mum I see a tree! MUM! GREEN!!! Mum, a dog! 'Nother dog! Mum? Mum? Mum? BIBI? Mum (put me) down? Mum, a dog!" ;-p

Of course, there ARE times he's quiet and sweet... LOL