For anyone who hasn't heard (which I suspect is down to one hermit who lives in a cave in the middle of nowhere and hence is out of hearing range of the victory shout...) Nic GOT HIS DRIVERS LISCENCE yesterday! It took me since shortly after 2005 to convince him and after we moved out here and planned for a second child it became non-negotiable. So this is a major celebration!

Completely unrelated, I brought my camera with me while we were doing the rounds this afternoon. Some "chores" are more enjoyable than others and this is one of La's favorites... a bucket with several scoops of wheat to hand out.

Good for flinging out so that the birds all run around hunting through the grass...

giving out hand outs...

and the inevitable catch-n-cuddle sessions, with one of the Wyandotte roosters above and Matilda the Muscovy below.

Can I just say I love weekends???

I LOVE WEEKENDS! Saturday we had a nice day working in the garden all day and then in the evening attending a poultry meeting and catching up with folks. There is something very nice about productive days spent with growing plants and watching the garden be born.

Today we took Sierra and Hope to Hastings & District Obed club - I think I've finally found a club I'm happy with, though I wish it were a smidge closer at just over an hours drive each way and that I'd found it sooner. Hope did well and got her first taste of agility equipment. Sierra got to play a bit of agility also - she remembered more than I thought for not having done a lick in 4 years and went absolutely gaga when she saw it set up - whining and shaking with excitement. ;-) Gee... I think she might've missed it!

We came home and did more gardening before deciding to just let dogs and child hoon around because I'm beyond tired atm. (We've had roofer and electricians over the whole week, coming over at absurdly early hours so that neither Laurent nor I got much sleep.) Between this we had cuddles and kisses, at which point La wrapped his arms around me and told me, "Mum, youse my BESTEST friend!" Cute little thing!

Nic snapped this one of me Sierra (on her back, tummy up) and I watching Laurent, Verity, Hope and Cami at the dam while they played with the tennis ball.

A close-up of the rare Australian Retriever in it's natural element after it's prized tennie-ball.

"Ah-WHOOOOOO!!!!!!!" The victory howl... Hope's trademark upon fetching a ball.

Her other trade-mark... shaking half the dam onto the child...
Repeatedly. Every time she fetches the ball. ~_~

And it was bound to happen eventually - we've warned Laurent time and again but he always figures the dam must be so fun given how much the dogs love it. He managed to step a bit too close today and splashed into the edge. He was less impressed than he thought he'd be... *snickersnort* Bad mum that I am, I just snapped a picture before he got hauled into a warm bath.

A nice day out yesterday at an Australian Shepherd seminar put on by the ASCV hosting for Sheila Polk with the extra bonus of having Nic being at home and minding La! Mind you I wasn't totally alone as Squidge V. 2 was alternating between a storm of little kicks and hiccups the entire time... LOL This show, combined with the agility/obedience/herding/MVA comp and then the seminar this weekend has been such an absolutely lovely thing for the club (and a few hardworking individuals in particular who saw to all the behind-the-scenes stuff you don't always get much recognition for) and very impressive that it's come off so well. I hope we'll be able to have something like this, if not annually, then every few years! What a fantastic resource to be able to see and put your hands on so many of the dogs you don't always get to see outside of photos and to hear from someone who has long and varied history and get their perspective on our breed!

When I came back in the afternoon from the seminar, I snapped these pictures of the little artist hard at work.

The artist ponders... A bit more here? A loopy squiggle missing there?

Inspiration hits."Ohhh!"

Success! (And a manic grin!)

Baby related I've also arranged to book into the back-up hospital (Warrigul) though have yet to speak to the OB there. Hopefully shouldn't be too much worry, given how cruisey the whole mood of this pregnancy has been so far. I was e-mailing my MW this morning and it got me to reflecting how utterly different this pregnancy has been to La's. Nothing is a drama, everything will get taken care of, everything is lovely-happy-good atm. It's amazing what not feeling like something the cat dragged in and not having to contend with a doctor who got his degree from Acme will do for one! Most days, despite the obvious reminder (I have certainly popped and plenty of little taps and kicks and hiccups) and having seen bubs on the ultrasound I just don't really FEEL pregnant odd as that sounds!

Meanwhile the weather is slowly turning to summer and the rhododendrons are putting on a show. I've had to slow on the major progress in the garden for a little while but the existing plants are making up for it now that they're happy enough to bloom and covered in a carpet of flowers! The pics are from a few days ago but La and I ended up spending the day puttering and planting today after I realized we were a few weeks overdue for someones vax and couldn't go to the obedience sign up like I'd thought. Doh! (Meantime the ratbag ate ANOTHER freaking collar!)




Meanwhile I've sold several chooks, which leaves me at my breeding groups and broodies waiting for eggs to hatch. Candling looks promising for most. Little Lucky the lone duckling has been joined by three little Aylesbury duckling buddies

Before long they'll be joined by Wyandotte chicks, Old English Game bantams, another Aylesbury all of which candled as looking nice last night. Possibly goslings! Baby birdies are lovely little creatures, they help curb the cluck-factor over puppies atm (and I do realize a baby puppy anytime soon is probably rather insane alas... *sigh* very sad as Cami will probably be flying out before long...) as La and I love our soft, warm, cheeping little "chicky babies".

The sheep are officially Yarn On The Hoof! LOL

Despite having lower rain than we should things are quite lush at the moment and increasingly (and welcomely!) warm golden days for the chooks to putter around searching for tasty bug between naps

For La this means he's able to run his ever-abundant energy off. Unfortunately he instantly recharges - when I nicknamed him Bunny I should have specified NOT the Energizer bunny! He's hunting for clover flowers and other such treasures here.

This also leads me into other treasures we've found lately. I'm generally not a fan of Stuff and my rule for buying things (well, aside from things like toilet brushes) is that it has to be something that will make me smile every time I look at or use but I do enjoy finding them when they appear in my life! Hence my too cool chook doorholder - solid metal, heavy and get this - she's an op shop score - $3!

Laurent also spent some of his birthday money on this really funkliscious dinosaur which he cannot be parted from for love or money. In the grand traditions of 3 year old logic I'm informed it's name is "Brontosaurus Rex", aka Rexie. Well... I suppose it fits with the toy croc named Gator right? LOL

And because this is turning out rather La-centric... it occured to me that some of the La-isms I posted on the joys of "chatterbox children" on AB the other day might also be appropriate to blog. I'm sure they'll be amusing when he's, oh, around twenty...

• The other night La was sound asleep... had been for four hours. Well and truly ZONKED, limp and snoring. I crawl in bed, he rolls over, snuggles into me and says, "Mum? Where's race car gone?" Even asleep he doesn't stop.......

• I've lost track of the random strangers who've been stuck in waiting rooms, trains, at a picnic or near us whom he's decided are new playmates who after being subjected to his enthusiastic and LOUD non-stop verbal barrage have asked in tones of fascinated horror, "does he ever stop?" or "how much red cordial and candy have you given him?!?" because he won't stop moving or chattering at hyperspeed. (Answer btw is he's had NONE... the idea of La on a sugar/cordial induced high sends chills up my spine...)
• I told him to shush at the dogs training class as he was making all sorts of weird screechy noises and cracking himself up doing so in this big echoy building. "BUT MUM! I LIIIKKKKEEEE TO MAKE NOISE!!!" Hn. Y' don't say... I never would have guessed!

• "Mum, what are you DOING?"
  "I'm making a cup of tea."
  "WHY?"
  "Because I'm thirsty."
  "Why???"
  "Because our bodies need drinks to stay healthy."
  "But WHY?"
  "Because that's how bodies work."
  "Mum, what are you DOING???"
  "I'm drinking the tea La - what does it look like?" (Ever so slightly exasperated!)
  "But WHY??????????"
  "Because I didn't make it to stare at."
  "Why?"
  "Because that wouldn't make any sense."
  "WHY???????"
  ....fastforward through fifty thousand whys to this afternoon...
  "Mum? Are you getting my chicken noodles soup?" (noodles is not a typo - that's how he says it)
  "Yes La."
  "Why?"
  

  He's the Elephants Child poem incarnate I swear...

Little man is THREE!

While I was snapping pictures of him I also noticed it was blooming from what was previously a rather unassuming little mass of leaves... and it rather amused me that it happened to be a green flower in blossom on his birthday, given green is rather his favorite colour. (I'm sure no one has noticed... LOL)His birthday started out as a rather lazy morning - having to get the dogs, cat, poultry etc taken care of before we could get a start in on any other plans. Meanwhile from the moment he woke he was asking every 10 minutes about his "bunny cake". Things taking the time they do of course means while everything is being done, one must play and getting oneself good and grotty. I asked him what he wanted to do on his birthday, since his birthday falls on a weekday and we weren't having the party until the weekend at least. (As one person is due to have her bubs, Nic's cousins are up in the air, I'm in a No-Fuss-We'll-Get-Together-When-We-Get-Together frame of mind of pregnancy and I'm sure La won't mind having multiple celebrations!!! LOL) Did he want to go for a ride on Puffing Billy the Steam Train, to the zoo etc?

He was pretty set he wanted to go to the zoo - he wanted to see crocodiles like Gator (his stuffed croc... and yes I've tried to tell him it isn't a gator several times but 2 year olds follow their own peculiar brand of logic and apparently this is a croc named Gator you see... imminently logical really) , pretty snakes, butterflies and helicopters. I did try to point out that helicopters aren't traditional zoo exhibits but again with that lovely sense of logic! *G*

At any rate, after a train ride in to the city (which took twice as long as driving, thank you Connex) we discovered the connecting train to the Zoo was somehow glitched and so I asked if he'd like to go to the Aquarium instead. Meanwhile he did get to see his helicopter - one flew fairly close to us for several stops getting to Flinders St which thrilled him no end.
The aquarium was a fair hit, though I think the most impressive bit for him was the fact there were several other little boys around with almost as much energy as him and they spent the time making fish faces, having hopping contests and pretending to be divers while running madly about.

(Fish face... note the pursed lips... Blop blop blop)

Part of the kid-sized walk through exhibit in the basement
After we made our way out we visited a few places in the city and he got to have a bit of junk food as he requested pizza, a snake lolly and a drink. Caught the train back, by that time tired.

Of course that just meant it was time for the most important part - the chocolate bunny wiggle cake with fires. After he blew out his candles, Nic lit a sparkler for him which he was delighted with even if it was difficult to get a decent pic!

After eschewing chocolate on his first birthday party and not being so sure of it on his second, he seems to have gotten over his distaste for it by the third. LOL The use of forks was quickly forgone for more... erm... 'effective consumption techniques' shall we say...The resulting mess after licking off the frosting and only nibbling on the cake resulted in a birthday bath and change of clothing...

I wanted to get a few non-grotty, non-wildchild shots in if possible so I plopped him on a kitchen chair and started asking him questions as I snapped.

"I wanna go OUTSIDE for my special photo!""How much longer is she going to keep snapping pictures?"

Apparently Newly Being Three does not confer any better skills at sitting still and not wriggling all over for three nanoseconds. ;-p Of course after a full ten minutes of sitting still we were rather over it but still... mum wanted one last one... had to get the girls in after all... poor La, can you tell he's rather tired here?