When I met Jack ... a story

One morning, without notice to me, my bun mum popped me in a cage and took me out to the animal shelter.
Once there I was introduced to a rather handsome, and large, bun of no known name.
Since we seemed to get alng OK my mum purchased this new pal for me and boxed him up and took him back to our house.

Once at our house, we were placed in the bathroom together. Now I dont usually hang out in the bathroom so wasn't sure why I was there and suddenly there was this new pal there too. We weren't sure of each other at first so mum popped us in the bath tub so we were forced to be nearer one another.



at first we just walked around the tub and ignored one another. Then my new friend (who is now known as JACK) flopped out next to me so I flopped out too.


Mum thought we were becoming friends so she moved us to the bathrom floor together.
On the floor we wandered around and jack kept stamping his feet at something so in return I showed him how well i could stamp my feet too. this didnt seem to faze him much.
Since jack was all new and exciting mum's kids were hanging about and I think they made Jack feel a bit nervous. After a while mum kicked the kids out and it was then finally that Jack and I could get to know one another a bit better.



I made the first move, moving in close I bowed my head submissively to see if I'd get a bit of a smooch and a grooming.
Sure enough I did and I liked it. Jack groomed my head all over, all over my ears and my back too. I just kicked back and enjoyed it.

I was begining to really like Jack i think so we snuggled in together.



After that lovely snuggle I figured I'd repay the favour and do some grooming myself so I set to cleaning Jacks head and ears with much affection.



After being so cozy, mum scooped us both up and moved us! Where were we going???



Oh! Hang on this is MY room!
I had to do some jumping around and thumping just to let Jack know that he was in MY place now! Jack responded by thumping back and chasing me in circles. I think he was trying to HUMP me!!! He didnt succeed though!

Jack was quite fascinated by this new space and through the hard clear stuff were these strange creatures over looking us. Jack wasn't used to them. I'll need to let him know they're OK and that you can play good games in the yard once were eventually let out with them.


After a bit I submitted and dropped my head for a snuggle. I was rewarded with some more ovely licks to my head







I think Jack could feel a presence nearby!




I whispered into Jacks ear that it's only a harmless sticky beak chook!


unfortunatly it kinda spoiled the mood



before long we were back to snuggling again.


and even sharing food!


I think I like jack. He's a very handsome fellow. I've never met a bunny bigger than me before but am sure glad I have now because i think we're going be fabulous friends. How could I not love him, he's just sooo handsome!





Thanks Mum, I won't forget my husbun George but thanks for finding me a new friend now, I 'm much happier now
_________________

another month on!

I havent done an update for quite a while again!

I will get back to regular blogging here eventually!

I took a month off work and spent lots of time wiht the kids which was good, also went away to the beach for a week which was also relaxing (or as relaxing as 6 plus kids in a small 3 bedroom house can be!)

I'm still going along with most things.

The chooks are giving us lots of eggs and boy are they yummy! I think 2 are still not yet laying, but the rest are and we get 4 eggs most days. I'm having alittle bit of drama with themlaying where they please at present instead of in their house as they free range from sun rise til sun set!

Our bunnies and guonea pigs are great, all healthy and thriving and all the animals are giving us loads of mulch and manure for the garden. I have been heaping it below the lemon tree and the tree looks healthy now. I'll have to take a photo.

I'm participating in FebFast
http://www.everydayhero.com.au/Susan_Darcy
If you wish to sponsor me you can but please don't feel you have to. I just think its a good idea health wise for me and also to raise funds for youth drug and alcohol users.

The vegie garden is going OK. The lettuce/silverbeet bed has mostly gone to seed so i am hoping to get a fair amount of lettuce seed for future use as the guineas and rabbits love it all.
The tomatoes have been great though the chooks stole a few! I have a few plants I planted later that are just coming in to ripen now and the other ones are nearly ready to pull out.

We've been enjoying plundering the potato patch and feasting on home grown spuds! This is first time I have had success with spuds!

The garden does need a bit of work though. I need to plant more and start preparing the front beds and try to improve he soil. Everything out the front stayed stunted all season, very weird! I need to do a soil test still, I just didnt rush due to holidays and being busy.

I'm still knitting, still only dish cloths though i did knit wrap to use for photo sessions for newborns!

thats it for now. Lots more to update but will do it later :)

echo echo echo.......

Yes yes I'm here :)

Thanks for the messages asking after me :)

The biggest reason for my absence in posting is that this time of year is the busiest for me business wise. I am behind business wise also which isn't at all good. Everyone wants photos in time for xmas, every year I say I will organise it better and havent managed yet again. I will rectify it though and I will get on top. Plus I am shutting up shop for 6-8 weeks over december/Jan to be ready to start afresh all organised in the new year.

Now lets see, other than work.

Queensland:
It was really great! I worked but most of my jobs finished by 10am so I had the days to explore. I drove all along the coast (from Brisbane down the gold coast) and also drove inland and through the part of the hinterlands and Mt Tambourine. I loved tamborine it was gogeous!
I sipped wine with new friends often and ate fabulous often too and I made the most of my child free time but just enjoying the peace.
Poor Husband at home ended up haivng to deal with 2 sick kids with gastro! Oh well, he definitely had a new appreciation for me once I got home!

The Garden:
Out the back is growing great! My Tomatoes are thriving, I also have them self sprouting everywhere form lasts years crops so have transplanted some and given some away.
One chilli plant died but the other 2 are going really well. zuchini, pumpkin, cucumbers, beans, lettuces are all going great. some of the capsicums are thriving too.
Out the front is a different story.
I think the soil sucks! I used mostly a heap of dirt we got from someone who mulched a tree. The father in law brought it home and I didnt really want it at the time but hoped it would be OK. I added manure and compost and blood and bone to it but nothing wants to grow in it.
Everythign is turning yellow and dying and just stunted in growth. I am now adding lots of the animal litter to itin the hope it improves in time. i am going to transplant heaps of the self seeded tomatoes to it and just see what happens. I focused more out the back this year anyway.
Oh my potatoes out the back are booming too as is my passionfruit. I have recently planted a heap of seed too - radishes, silverbeet, spring onion, parsnip, carots and some lettuce out the back beds too and they have all sprouted now.
My lemon tree seems to have coped so far wiht the heavy prune I gave it and is starting to show alot of new growth. I pile most of the animal hay and litter under it all the time too so maybe thats helped.
I reconnected the hose fomr the washing machine this week too as the grass is already starting to really brown and die, earlier this year!

The house:
is CHAOS!!!!!!
Because I am snowed under wiht work the house has been sorely nelgected!!!! I just aim for the bare basics each day and am happy if that gets done. I think I might to get osme paid help in to get back on top :(

The Kids:
are all great!

The animals:
are all growing! Stella the rabbit is gorgeous. she free roams out the back now as well as the house. she eats form the vegie garden but doesnt demolish it, probably because there is plenty there. The guinea pigs are all gettign bigger and healthier.
The dog is the same old same old. actually we realised she is getting old! she is about 13 or so now!

The worm farm:
takes care of itself mostly :) I just add every few days and they are multiplying well now!

Op shopping:
I still go most weeks, if not more than once a week. Its my release! I've picked up loads of great books and stuff for the kids. When i have more tiem I'll start reposting my bargains!

Oh I am still knitting, still basically, nothign fancy but i am building a collection of dish cloths now and I find it really relaxing!

NEWS!
After much discussion we are seriously considering selling in a year or so and moving into the Dandenongs! very exciting!

I am sure there is heaps I have forgotten but will try to get back to more photos and updates :)

Just so you have at least one photo here is my Bunny Stella, taken this morning in one of the vegie gardens.
isnt she pretty :)

another piggy :)

Yesterday my middle daughter and I had some time together so we headed off to the keysborough animal shelter andJaime picked out a guinea pig for herself.
This is Ginger (middle guinea) and she starting to settle in here at home. There has been a bit of nippiong going on as they assert who is the dominant piggy which clearly being an adult guinea pig, has become the head of the trio.
I today gave them a nice bath each and a blow dry and did a thorough clean out of their hutch. Am bidding on ebay for a bigger hutch too now.


Also our rabbit has fallen in love with our dog! I am cracking up laughing here watching them play with each other and Stella is doing binkies all over the place showing her happiness.

Knitting, gardening and more new pets!

I haven't been a very good blogger recently!
I've been a bit flat emotionally, need to see the doc to discuss my meds. But then again it is also that time of the month so maybe thats all it is.

I have been busy again though and have lots to update on!

The wrom farm is coming along well. I havent set up the second one yet but will soon. I give the worms food every few days to once a week and they are getting it though most of it now. You can see a mouldy apple in there the kids add to it sometimes too!


I planted tomato plants and some basil and chilli and a mini capsicum in the front bed of the new beds. Yes they are bought seedlings, I am going to grow more by seed though too, we just eat loads of tomatoes in the summer season and I magaed to grab quite a few different varieties including some heirloom toms and some diggers toms as seedlings.
My parsely self seeds each year and i always have an abundance with our new animal friends enjying it I have made sure i am transplanting the constantly emerging seedlings as they grow so we have an even more plentiful supply.
The radished are coming up more each day!
The snow peas are coming along very very nicely.
This is the potato bed and I also planted parsnip seed at the far end.
Last weekend the girls and I went to the market shopping for new pencils and a visual diary for them to make into their 'nature diary'
Each of them decorated their books and are journelling some of the things we are gorwing, writing about our pets and writing about any projects we do.
This week are growing carrot tops!



and here is my beautiful bunny Stella again. She has settled so well into our lives. we love her dearly :) She is a indoor house bunny mostly though she has a run outside she goes int for some sunshine and grass munching.
nibbling parsely leaves, one of her fav snacks!
and yes I am a sucker! We have 2 more new additions ot the house!
Meet 'Puss'
and 'Boots'

our darling new guinea pigs. Puss is just 5 weeks old and Boots is 12 weeks old.
The kids adore them and they are much more kid friendly than the rabbit so Stella is happier too :)
Plus I have so much more animal manure and hay for the compost and garden beds now.
I found a good cheaper produce store yesterday too and I will be growing a lot of their food for them.

Oh and my sugar n spice yarn came in so am part way through knitting my first dishcloth!

Busy

Not much of an update.
Been busy working. Built a mini run for Stella, who bny the way is slotting nicely into the family. I think she may be living indoors a fair amount in the long run, just have to work out living arrangmenets :) She now comes to us rather than running away and will be hand fed too now. She loves being outside in her run and burows in the hay and jumps about.

Garden news:
the cucmbers in the hot house have finally sprouted!
the radishes out the front have sprouted too.
the snow peas are growing rapidly now out the fornt too.
I dug into all the vegie beds a heap of horse manure today, fun smelly stuff!
I planted out a diggers tomato seedling too. It had been in the hot house but weas time to move it as t was getting too big for its little pot.

Still waiting my yarn delivery to start knitting my dishclothes!

Stella

Meet 'Stella' Our new 8 week old rabbit.
I have seen lots of rabbits being offered through freecycle and I wasn't sure about it, but I jumped for some reason on this one. I am unsure if she is a 'he' or a 'she' how do you tell?
The people I got her (we are referring to her as her for now) breed their rabbits for food for their snakes! They do let the mother keep and feed 2-3 each litter then give them away to people who want them as pets.
Stella is currently living in our bathroom. I pick up a hutch from a friend who on Monday. In time we will build a bigger one for her and will also build a run in the yard for her, thinking along the lines of a chook tractor with a wire floor, something we can move around. If I can secure the yard i will let her roam also. So far the dog is fine with her, had a sniff and then left her to it.
Her name is courtesy of the girls, Liam anted to call her Josh.


Now to teach the kids to stop picking her up! Hope she survives their over enthused love for now!