The post I didn't want to make...

Foxes have been a huge problem in our area. It's a combination of factors I suppose - our area is 'fox friendly' in that there are a number of small properties, mostly lifestylers who don't go out of their way to make an area unappealing to a fox. There is plentiful wild game, water sources, pockets of bush for dens, virtually no one trying to do them in as is more common on big farming properties and a number of people who still leave dog and cat food out or toss food into open compost piles. The only real danger they face here is cars and they learn to avoid those easily enough. In short, if you're a fox, this is eden.

If you're a chicken, a duck or a goose or a person who loves them however this is not such a good area. We've battled the foxes since we moved in, putting up pens and aviaries, more fox proofing, better fox proofing, different fox proofing etc. We've buried rubble and wire everywhere around perimeters. We're reinforced pens, we've used sturdy material, put aviaries in pens to lock the birds in at night, never let the birds out unless it's bright daylight and put them away well before dusk even hints at arriving. We've limited the areas the birds can free range in to right around the house and garden. We've banned the waterfowl from going anywhere near the dam or even into the paddocks or small-yard. We've even got a Maremma for their protection although that turned out to be a remarkable failure.

We've had them break through wire fencing, dig under buried bricks, climb over two meter tall fencing, chew 2x4 wood pallets set underneath an aviary to grab the birds out. We've had them bait the birds to pecking at them and grab any bit protruding from the fence before trying to tug the birds through the wire. It didn't work - a rooster won't fit through a 3" square but it did kill him. We've had foxes break into an aviary on the porch by pulling the door until screws on the bolt-latch snapped at the nut. We've had them pull and pry away colourbond from the steel frames of the shed. We've had them take them during the day while the dogs were wandering loose around the place. I lost my first goose 10 minutes after it arrived and got onto the dam when I went to the sheep shed. We've had them take a mature Embden gander while we were a few hundred meters away working on the chook pens. We've lost several adult geese who were spooked by a neighbors 4 Wheeler. I've opened the door to find foxes on my doormat several times, utterly unafraid of my presence. Sometimes I have seen them working singly, sometimes in pairs or trios. Regardless the results are devastating.

Each time up till now we've simply tried to build better, safer, stronger, bigger, more reinforced homes for our birds. We've spent thousands doing so. The results always the same, eventually the foxes work out how to defeat it. We've tried dealing with the foxes 'the nasty way'. We've got a Maremma, Shadow, a breed of dogs who adopt the birds as their 'pack' and protect them. We'd been careful to quiz the owner that he was old enough to start working and had been bonded to animals before. We didn't want a puppy but adopted an older rescue because we wanted one who would be old enough to protect them straight away. He's a lovely boy but I think the guy telling us he was raised with ducks and lambs was nuts because there's no way they were around for long if so. We were persisting with him though, I'd decided to reduce how many birds I had until he was trustworthy with being loose with them full time, adapt how we penned them near him etc. It was not ideal but if it meant investing a bit of time until he matured we were willing to do so.

Then on the 23 I decided to let them out in the garden with us while we were moving mulch. Bright daylight, Nic, myself, La running around like a loonie, Lily babbling, Hope and Si with us. The only ones left were one Silkie, one Wyandotte hen, two Aylesbury girls and my black Muz girl. The rest just disappeared with nothing but a few tufts of the roosters feathers left. Most of my chookies are pets with names, many were born here and will (would...) hop up for cuddles and eat from your hands, sit on your lap, get kisses from La, ride in the pram calmly along with the kids etc. La adores them. Lily adores them. One of my favorite stories is how our geese stood outside the window where I was birthing Lily and honked encouragement to me. The next day we were out in the sunshine and she got to meet them and help feed them. It's just too much to keep loosing our lovelies. I've kept at it this long because I couldn't imagine not having our lovelies greet me and beg at the door for treats and helping me garden. I still can't and keep thinking, maybe I could just keep Lilah, the silkie... and maybe just the rmaining dottie girl... how can I let go of my lovely 'dotties? But at this point I'm not willing to risk anyone anymore. It's not fair to them.

My everyday miracles

I finally fixed it!

Yep - no one will ever accuse me of being overly technically capable, that is the truth! I'm not a total Luddite, I'm just not very well informed and vaguely intimidated. At any rate, it's fixed and viewable again.

This beautiful rainbow at sunset was taken on the last day of January. In a lot of ways it feels like the promise of the new year is finally starting for me and I'm looking forward to the next little while. Not least because La will be starting kinder and my training will be starting back up!

One of the funnest bits of January was my very first major road trip with both kids solo. We wandered up through Blackspur, Healesville, Narebethong, Alexandra, Yarck, Merton, Euroa, Benalla etc. stopping and playing tourist along the way at some of our favorite places. We were transporting a rescued dog up there as well to her new mum and dad. Almost a year on, the progression of the regeneration I see every time I drive up that way struck me with a lot of hope. Despite it all, life is an impossible force to deny.
We went up to Albury-Wodonga, stayed in Tabletop NSW and then later on out near Sandy Creek/Kiewa our nearish Yakendandah to play with Jodie and all her poultry and dogs. I am in total love with the area - it is just beautiful! We came home with some really cute guinea fowl keets as well!

We also have five new foster kittens keeping us busy. Meet Mew (little black) and Milla (black/white), Zap (bigger black) and Sonic (tabby). These lucky little ones as they were destined to be put down originally as their mum was a feral that was killed I believe.

And this is Whisp, he was found on the side of a busy road by a good samaritan. He was so covered in flea dirt and crawling with fleas that it took my friend who took him in from his rescuer four shampoos to reveal he was white under the black-red crust. He is deaf as well but sweet as sugar and quite a special lad.

January was a bit of a chaotic month for us though, as life always is it seems. Laurent has proved to be at the center of some of the most humorous bits too.

While I was changing Lily, my darling tornado child chirped at me words that will make any mums heart stop: "Look mum! I did shaving like daddy!" Yep - you guessed it, the little ferret had opened the door to the laundry, the study and the bathroom before scaling the counters and ceiling high cupboards (what you thought we're dumb enough to leave it in easy reach?) to fetch daddy's shaver and gouge several whacks of hair out the front and side of his head. The result: at four years old, just starting kinder, my child has his very first comb over!

A few other La gems:

At one point I woke up from a way-too-real nightmare we'd been in a bushfire and I'd been separated for the kids. It took me several moments and holding them to calm myself into realizing it was just a dream after waking up. I had a totally mushy-momma-moment snuggling up to sleeping bebe and La, thinking how lucky I am just to have them. La curls into me, accepts a butterfly kiss, leans up to my ear and in the sweetest voice whispers, "Mum?" "Yeah La...?" (I melted, how did I get so lucky to have such a beautiful boy...) "Mum, my butt itches." Ah, four year olds, gods love 'em!

La: Can I have a sip of your water mum?
Me: Just a sip or should I get you your own glass?
La: No mum just a sip! *gulps the whole thing*
Me: LA! I said just a little sip!
La: But mum, I DID have a little sip! It was just a BIG little sip!

While I'm dressing Lily the other day, La reached for the cat food we're given for our fosters which he'd just been told to leave be. "La, I KNOW you're not feeding them after I JUST said no!" He looks at me, caught red handed. "Um... no?" Trying to figure an acceptable 'out', he quickly gulped the food himself and grins at my grimace of disgust. My instant reaction has GOT to be indication of my animal lover status though, as rather than being totally grossed out by the fact he just swallowed cat food I heard myself say - "Gross! That's Science Diet! Couldn't you at least go for the Eagle Pack?!" Then I notice Lily gnawing on freeze dried liver she's swiped from my training pouch during this exchange. What can I say? These kids will either grow up remarkably well balanced or they're going to need 30 years therapy for species confusion.
Lily(shown here with her slightly overgrown, kinda slobbery, very sweet teddy bear) is growing like a weed... she is getting so big now, bubbly and happy, she is officially on the move and scoots herself all over the house. She has two sharp teeth, a plethora of baby babble, mastery of the fine art of clapping and blowing raspberries, a keen grasp of the game of "drop-it-and-watch-everyone-fetch-it-10,000x-in-a-row' and is just gorgeous. Ten months old, where did my little newborn go? And proving she's my child, she has learned to immediate the clicker and takes great delight in making an attempt at a whistle sound near the dogs and then clicking before giggling at the tongue-bath she receives.

Shadow is adjusting pretty well, he's staked out his favorite vantage points and is good about keeping an eye on things from there. He is very protective of our home and we often hear him barking at the foxes at night. He's proven a tad too protective against people (sorry Florence!) so we're going to have to work with him on that a bit. He's still not able to be loose with the birds and sheep as he wants to play with them, which they don't quite appreciate despite his good intentions. We're hoping continued exposure helps him settle so we can let him in the paddocks eventually. Even though I usually pen the birds at night up near the house, the old adage that "management alone always fails" has proven true as we recently lost Old Mother Goose, my Chinese pair and Matilda to foxes after one of our neighbors buzzed by with a four wheeler freaking them out when they were in the far paddock to the point they hid instead of coming in overnight. I'm heartbroken over all of them but especially sweet Matilda who was my baby.

Cinnamon had his vet visit the other day for his well-bunny check up, the first vaccination and a discussion of neutering him. As it turns out, SHE is absolutely the picture of health and will be seeking a spay rather than a neuter! Oh dear... how embarrassing! LOL Once that is done and hormones have settled, we will look at having her go on a bunny play-date to pick out a friend at the shelter as the vets at the Melbourne Rabbit Clinic have advised they really do need a friend of their own species no matter how much attention you give them. Hopefully her new friend will enjoy clicker training as much as Cinna does as well - she's really quite clever!

berk-begurk!

When we first moved in, it didn't take very long at all before we'd added a 'few chooks, just for eggs' to our family. It didn't take long to discover what amazing and social creatures they are, each with their unique personality and my 'few chooks' quickly discovered the importance of heritage breeds in poultry, many of which are now endangered and many genetically valuable lines have died out as most people get their eggs from the grocery or else keep commercial hybrid layers like the IsaBrowns. It was love at first sight when I saw standard partridge coloured Wyandottes. It took me some months and several hours drive to track them down but they're strikingly beautiful, friendly, docile and good layers and mothers. It wasn't long after that we ventured into ducks with the beautiful Aylesbury and Brown Chinese and Embden geese.

Many people don't consider the benefits of keeping a few chickens in their backyard - something that is legal even in many suburban areas. Chickens actually make excellent pets as well as being useful - they produce lots of fresh, tasty and healthy free range eggs. They also clean up virtually any kitchen scraps minimizing waste, scratch in the backyard and provide 'fertilizer' and compost (used bedding) as well. The eggshells can be dried and crushed and put back into the garden or given to the birds for calcium. Having your own layers will help reduce your carbon footprint as all that money isn't spent in producing and managing a large scale chicken farm or transporting the eggs from farm to factory to stores.

In addition, most eggs are produced in a manner that most people would find highly objectionable. Heidi of Operation Gloria, covers some of the conditions of battery cage hens with her rescued girls. Commercial hens are burnt out after a season of laying and disposed of rather than the expense of reconditioning them being paid when they will not be able to lay the same maximum number of eggs for minimum amount of cost input as they do their first year.

However even the supposed 'free range' eggs are not terribly humane in most cases as the requirements for being able to be labeled free range are nothing like the idyllic farm most people imagine when they picture it. In Australia, other than the Qld's basic protection laws there is no legal definition of what free range is. Some companies adhere to the Free Range Egg and Poultry Association of Australia or RSPCA's standards, where the requirements are no more than 7 birds per square meter and no more than 1000 birds per shed or per FREPAA 10 birds per sq metre up to 1000. The 'pasture' these birds have access to is to be shared by the whole lot of birds in the shed. While it is required to have shade, shelter and palatable vegetation, the maximum range density is 750 birds per hectare at 25 DSE [300/acre at 10 DSE].

THIS is a free range system that is being introduced into the EU. This has been rejected in NSW as being 'too liberal' in space. Compare that to the average backyard chicken who is free to engage in the full range of behaviours natural to a healthy chicken and in many cases is only locked up in a shed at night to protect them from foxes. (Who are a real danger even in inner suburban backyards.)

Here are some of my eggs from today... the rear ones are duck eggs, the middle pale brown ones are 1-2 year old Wyandotte eggs and the dark one on the right is from Tiger, a 3 year old little silkieX who is one of my best mums. These eggs are fertile (well, we hope!) and going to be set in the incubator to produce chicks and ducklings.

I began breeding and planned to set up a larger shedding and pens (you can see one a few posts back) for my birds and got an incubator to hatch out more chicks than the mother birds can do by themselves. My incubator is a fairly small, fairly basic one which will take 60 hen eggs at a time. The eggs are set in a batch every week, after which they must be turned several times a day to prevent the embryos from being able to turn. Just like a human baby must turn in the mothers womb to get out, chickens must turn around in the shell in order to pip, tie off their 'umbilical' cord and hatch.

Here are some of the current eggs in the incubator. Below the grate is a little well filled with water to provide the correct humidity for the eggs. The shells are porous and breathe, allowing the exchange of oxygen and water in the form of humidity. The embryos must loose a particular percentage of their weight from day 1 by the end of hatch, which is determined by the humidity and porosity of the eggs. The wrong amount will hinder the embryos from being able to pip and hatch correctly. EG The air cell size is affected, too small an air cell can prevent the chick from being able to inflate it's lungs once it's punctured into the air cell.

The lines you'll notice on them are pencil marks to tell me which side to turn them to. They go from line up to line down and around again. When I collect the eggs from the nests I write the date of collection on the rear (fertility declines in eggs older than 7 days) and on the side where the lines are I write the date they were set. About 8 days into the setting, the eggs are candled - which means they're held up against a bright torch (flashlight) to see if there is any development or if it's clear. At 8 days you can see a little embryo developing and a bit older than that you can see the embryo move around. Clear eggs are removed as they can go bad and explode in the incubator... NOT very nice!

Here is the whole incubator with the lid set back on. The temperature is a bit low here as it's just been set back on after turning the eggs which temporarily lowers the temperature. The eggs require a temperature of 37.7C and 21 days, longer with ducks.

And speaking of ducks, this is our most recent addition - Honey aka Dini (as in Houdini), a little bronze and white muscovy duck who found her way to rescue and then to me. She is a cheeky little thing and an escape artist!

Another brief photo post

I love the light we've got at the moment... the sun is out less often since it's winter but it's gorgeous when it does show itself. I snapped this from our back porch while I was feeding all the birds.

Next is the calorimetry headband. I finished it yesterday morning but didn't get a chance to get the ends wove in till now to photograph it.

Laid flat - preblocking obviously.

And on the head. :)

Last but not least is the newest addition - another little white muzzie girl, come to us courtesy of Flogs! So now we have Matilda, Magnolia and Mazie.

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.

Out-takes

This pregnancy is going beautifully... I've been enjoying this stage I think the most of any so far. I'm a bit more tired with the odd wishful thought of La still having a daytime nap so I could catch a rest as well but I love the constant reminders that comes with the dozens of twirls, stretches and taps I can feel throughout the day. Doesn't matter what I'm doing, it's just nice to be reminded so many times a day that sometimes life is bountiful and beautiful - even if it's also crazy and there are a million and one things that need doing, planning, working on and remembering... lol... one does not preclude or even happen despite the other!

I keep telling myself I want to get more photographs of this stage that show everyday life... it usually seems it's just me snapping photos of Laurent like the ones above and below... when he holds still!



Not that it's not nice to have some like this in it's own right but I've sort of been looking through a lot of my photos and found a lack of 'snippets of life' pictures... not just snapshots per se but nice photos that show the little moments that aren't particularly unique or stand-out but still are so important because they are the majority of what makes up our lives and are so much a part of who we are and who we become.

Nic's holiday leave is over as of this morning and I need at least a few more weeks... LOL I had *heaps* planned for this time and only got about half of it actually finished. Among other stuff:

• Fencing for the ducklings and such done, but I need to repair the sheeps small-yard. I think it also needs an extra tension wire along the top. Here's the ducklings enjoying their own baby-space, two age groups. :-)
• A bunch of large pavers and posts buried at all the new gates (8) so the dogs can't scoot under but sloping enough I can get the mower over
• Did not get the new beds I wanted to get plowed done.
  
• I made a good dent in the weeds, blackberries and assorted pruning and chipped a couple dozen loads of sticks into mulch which is now covering a fair bit of the garden beds. Planted cuttings. Still have a heap of large branches/logs to chop.
  
• 2nd coat of oil on decks but I still need to prime and paint the skirting of the house.
• Nic disassembled the small aviary to the day pen and put it on a fox-proof base so his chookie has a place separate from the big chooks
  
• The retaining wall rocks were sorted into base, large, medium, small and corner pieces and in the front has most of the base excavated and first row placed but will take another few days on the weekend to finish.
  
• The large chook shed is completely undone... I think I'm most frustrated with that
  

And these are a few of the out-takes... from when we were putting in the base-layer of the retaining wall for the dirt I'm sitting on.

Sook-a-boo... Sierra leaning in for a cuddle, looking rather blissed/drugged out might I add... (check the so-relaxed-they're-rolling-back eyes)

*HONK* While La was trying to show me how he was digging and helping (those are his arms and feet on the right) Nic caught Cami being a cheeky-baby. Poor Sierra!

And the two-fer-one special on kissie girls... Veri (blue) and Sierra (red)

More ducklings :-)

Five new little Aylesbury girls - cute as buttons, tiny and fresh! Aw... :-) We'd gotten to talking about what fatlings my older ones are, so of course I had to snap a picture to show the size difference. The little one is only day old, the porker 4.5 weeks. It's still a good ways off it's adult size but growing very nicely! *G*

Other than that we're humming along, trying to get stuff done in between the rain!

As usual weekends are my major "get stuff done" days (read: days when Nic is home instead of gone 7am-8pm and I can pawn my darling spawn off on him) Yesterday I managed to do the usual daily unescapables (sweep, vac, mop, laundry), mow and mostly finish line trimming the yards, did 3 large council bins packed with weeding, mulched 2 loads sticks through the chipper and spread them, clean/fed/watered various critters, up to the LSS to get crumbles/a new salt lick with copper in it/sheep drench and grocery store before rain hit and drenched me! We're seriously rain central!

Sunday was more of the same after training and a Christmas break-up which was a good bit of fun. Hope and Si both got nice compliments on their attention and Hope was doing fairly nicely in heeling and patterns. In her downtime she's been having bouts of anxiety though and chewed in the softcrate, then opened the car glovebox to get into my gloves/spare collars etc and chewed them, finally being grumpy with a few dogs bouncing nearby. :-/ Sierra got to play a game of "tunnelers" in agility for intermediate dogs and did pretty well if you ignore her rusty/pregnant handler and was something like second place in recall times. She also made run-offs for "how fast can your dog snarf a few meter long row of treats" game - truly a proud moment and a sport made for Si if ever there was one! ;p

After getting home I spent the afternoon doing more mulching and edging one of the garden beds with rocks, during which time I displayed my usual catlike grace (which is to say, none at all...) and managed to twist my ankle very nicely while face planting into the gravel. Which given the lovely weather I was more than a bit disgruntled over how much I could be doing!

My ankle does feel better today, it made today interesting though- being the Queen of Timing, this had to happen not only when there's heaps to do anyhow but the fence post tractor guy showed up unannounced right as I was limping around trying to get the child and critters fed/watered/toileted/clean after they found the mud (yes, all of them) and the house tidy before my midwife and backup mw arrived. So then I needed to map out where in the paddock I wanted them to put the posts and gates, shift the (heavy!) dog trailer so he could get through the lane way instead. I'll be VERY glad to get the fencing done but I couldn't help wondering if Murphy wasn't enjoying a bowl of popcorn and laughing while watching me. To boot, La is still not feeling totally over the virus and has been... erm... "special", in the grumpy, tantrum-at-nothing-and-everything, zero frustration threshold 3 year old sort of way.

So after spending a few hours "helpfully" helping the fencing fellows, and then pestering the midwives to see ALL of his toys etc (you can't mean they weren't both there for his entertainment... pshaw!) I had the brilliant idea to take him to the store to get some playdough and painting paper to keep him busy. Oh gosh, you can all just imagine how that turned out right? The pregnancy meantime is going as bog-standard and boringly normal as it's been all along so still nothing terribly exciting to report on that front. LOL

Meanwhile I snapped this one of the little black dog on the post digging tractor. No other particular story, just thought it was cute. :-)

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...