Sleepy heads yet lots of fun

A general feeling of tiredness was looming today, yet there were still many smiles and great moments of friendship between everyone.

With five pairs of tired legs, we didn’t manage to make it too far around the farm.  As you can imagine with ten little legs and ten very interested eyes, sometimes it can take up to an hour to reach even one destination.

We had a picnic very early on in the day; in fact that was our first mission. Food was eaten and lots of fun was had. Dan started a game of putting his hat on me and everyone copying him, I kept pretending to be each of them, then Dan pretended to be me by putting my sunglasses on. It was lots of fun!



We then went to the beach (horse chorale) and played there for quite some time. Freya kept bringing me things she had made, like chocolate cake, and bickies but my favourite was brocciflower, a nice combination of broccoli and cauliflower!

As Freya was calling out things she was making for me, Mac and Frieda joined in with making me a big cup of seaweed stew and some apple juice. Minnie had been putting sand in my shoe, after hearing apple juice she presented me with “apple shoe”, boy was I full after all these tasty treats!





We tried to head back to the barn to have another picnic but we came across a bucket of water and that was the entertainment for the rest of the day. Dunking hats in the bucket and putting them back on their heads. Lots of laughing and big gasps as the water went down their backs. Then Frieda started a new game of dunking the hat in, then hanging them all up to dry and singing a song about it. The farmers setting up for the weekend market were also very entertained by this.



We did finally make it up to the barn, with enough time to have some very yummy and healthy cake that Frieda and her mum Emma had made for us to share, Thank you Emma it was very yummy!

I’m very certain that all will sleep well tonight.

Enjoy the photos as well ...



Love, love, love

Love abounded today for Magnus, Jyra, Dakota and Ted.  They showered each other with it and were all so incredibly gorgeous together.  So with sunshine and life at the farm green and good, we really enjoyed our day.

Take a peek at these little moments ...

... feeding the chickens ...

Dakota making sure the spinach stalk is just right to poke in the fence ...

Magnus mooching along ...

What .. ? me a princess, how about a clown as well .. I love having a good laugh with my friends and mostly laugh at me being me !!

Like baby goats ...

I like you Ted ...

Dear boy ...

In the Pink

All I can say about Milana today is that she was 'In the Pink' ... everything in every game for most of the day was ... well ... pink!

She arrived in a pink skirt and pink t-shirt with pink and purple gumboots and as we started to play, she'd announce, 'I think I'll go on my train, do you want to come? It's pink.'  'Come on, come and have a drive on my pink train.'  From game to game we'd go and she'd say, 'Would you like some soup?'  'What sort Milana?' 'Um .. it's pink soup.' 'Look at the pink flowers.'  'I'm going to have my pink sandwich.'  and eventually, 'danella, you like my pink skirt don-chu?'

Which of course I did.

It wasn't a problem at all for her playmates Daisy and Anna, both happy and full of joy and enjoying rides on pink trains and pink soup and pink ... pink ... pink.

Cosmos and Farrah were away, so we were a tiny and very delightful little gang.

The three girls getting to know each other more and all being very gorgeous with each other.

Anna is loving the farm adventure with us and fitting in like she's been part of the crew forever.

Daisy getting braver each week, she loves sticking with me and dipping herself into things, often with a look of surprise on her face that she managed what she just did, e.g. having a big climb or jump.

Have a peek at some of today including what Maggie the old farm cat with now ear got up to before anyone arrived this morning...

Hmm...

Smells delicious ...

Just a little dip while no ones around ...

Yum, fresh cream, how delicious ...

Wings for little Miss Pink ...

... and look at my pink house

Anna feeding Mickey the donkey ...

Anna and Daisy discovered a 'swimming pool', was very tempting to climb the fence and jump in on such a beautiful day...



From Collages

... and the collage is of our time in the vege garden and under the big Oak tree ... a big long walk, beautiful play, gentle time together and lots of love shared ...

...while the day finished with a big long play in the sand down the back, everyone going home covered in it and Milana .. ? with a pink sock full of it of course!

How dirty can you get ..?

Well it wasn't the first thing we did today though must say it was a lot of fun.

Mika, Kornelius, Samson, Oliver and Frankie played in a pile of dirt ... and I mean PLAYED !!  They climbed and slid and rolled and lay in it, sat in it, covered themselves in it and all loved every minute ... how dirty did we get? Very!

From Collages

We also wandered down to the vege garden, fed the chooks some spinach.  Watched a digger in action.  Oli was in heaven at that point, diggers, tractors, mowers, whipper snippers ... all his passionate fascination in life ... click on any photo below to link through and see some shots of our day ...



We found out just after midday that the farm was closing for the afternoon as all the work going on meant there was going to be no water and no toilets.  Hmm..mm..mm what to do.  A quick phone conference between Carly and I and we decided a visit to the convent gardens was called for.

Now that made the day quite a hike.  We packed up all our gear and managed to get to the front gate when everyone announced, 'I'm hungry!'  In our usual spontaneous way, we stopped right there and picnicked.  Best thing was everyone was fuelled up to acutally get to the convent.  After all the walking and all the play so far, it was a mighty effort for us all to trek on.

Once there, the gardens, the blue sky, gentle sun and all gave us some nourishment and space to be and the afternoon finished with a choir having a sing in the pergola.  The children all placed themselves to watch and listen ... my gang and Carly's and they were quite gorgeous.

A tiger and hunting and more ...

When we walk from the barn down through the garden, there's a spot just before the bluestone seat where you can feel the looming vines and trees.  The garden moves from gentle shade, soft flowers and rose bushes, a seat in the sun and the plant nursery, to raspberry vines and feijoa and apple trees.  It gets a little shaded and cooler and greener.



There's a place where the flowers give way to the looming green.  At this very spot Ted always has a little gasp, 'Oh..oh.. a Tiger!'  He feels the loom of the changed landscape and instantly expects to see a tiger somewhere ahead.

This little spot in the road, feels to Ted like he is entering the jungle and in his little weekly 'Oh..oh.. a Tiger!' moment he expresses that very simply and deeply.

Same spot, each time we walk through.  Totally immersed and drawing on his life experience to express how life feels at that point for him.

We spent time on the hill we climb on near the Witches Garden.  Ted was very brave and Magnus very supportive.  Ted made the climb 2 or 3 times with me close by to help him over the trickier bits.   Next time he went on his own.  I encouraged him all the way for the first trip and then Magnus followed and he did the encouraging for Ted who was being so brave trying on his own.



The sun shone for us all and we found it a great time to play in the sand.  After a good while there, Dakota walked up to me followed by Monique.  Dakota announced she was tired.  I asked what she'd been doing.  'Hunting', announces genteel Dakota, to my surprise.  I asked, 'What have you been hunting for?'  She opens her skirt held tight in front of her and with a big smile and followed again by Monique, she announces, 'Rocks'.  Both girls standing with their skirts full of little rocks they'd picked from the sand.

They both played for ages and even attracted other children to their game.  Magnus came and let me know they were Cheetahs.  I asked him where they were and he looked at me as if to say, 'Are you kidding?' and said, 'In the sand.'



Magnus was determined to do a big puzzle that is kept in the barn today.  He tried fitting pieces together and when we got our first two laid out on the floor in front he shouts, 'Scrach-el-ay-shons' with his voice full of joy.  Each time we got a match, he'd announce again, 'Scrach-el-ay-shons' so in the spirit that each acheivement is worth a celebration.

Jyra came up to me while we played in the sand, and got me to follow her to where she'd been diggin and playing to show me what she'd done.  Little sand piles and holes on display.  She then set about making one pile with a rock and announced, 'Birt-day'  I asked her whose it was, and she said, 'To tu.'  Me knowing it was for me.  She Ted and I sang and ate cake and Jyra was in total delight to be entertaining and celebrating with us both.

She also showed her determined will and happiness getting her boots on for herself.