Our neighbourhood

Our neighbours over the back fence are really good. They don't have late night parties, and, on the whole, they are a pretty productive mob.

But, boy.... they get up with the crack of dawn!

Tea Party - Small Town style!

We have had a very busy few days - first a family dinner in The Big Smoke (mmm... night away in luxury room at affordable price... more about that later!).

Then, being a country gal, I couldn't miss the Mareeba Rodeo, which is on this weekend. I didn't get any great shots of the rodeo events, but we DID take Naomi on her first ever show ride... the spinning tea cups. She looked very serious most of the time, but when I got her to wave to Daddy as we went round, she waved and gave him a big grin! Afterwards she declared that it was fun, and has been asking me all day if she can have another ride on the Teapot Machine.

And because I am an equal opportunity Mamma, here is a shot of Ryan, laughing at his Mummy and sister spinning around in a large blue teacup.

WFMW - tub gardening

I love gardening - the feel and smell of rich earth, the quiet pleasure of watching plants thrive (or not, as the case may be!). And fresh vegetables to feed my little family. But I do not love weeding, bending over, or the cost of expensive containers.

So this round of vegetables are being grown in these inexpensive plastic tub trugs instead. The tubs are flexible, lightweight and have very convenient handles. They cost A$9.00 each (about US$7.20).

Just be sure to drill some drainage holes in the bottom (being soft plastic, the drill goes through very easily, and the plastic doesn't crack).

Then fill with soil or potting mix and plant out your seedlings. We have tomatoes and cauliflower in at the moment. I am just using a single stake in the centre of the tub, for all of the tomato plants. We will see how this goes.

The tubs get hardly any weeds, are higher up for ease of planting, they are light enough to move around the garden easily and could even be put up on a bench, for no-bending gardening. Perfect for balconies, and renters (like us).

For more WFMW ideas, visit We Are That Family.

What a weekend!

We had a long weekend here in Queensland, and on the Tablelands, the May long weekend is always dedicated to the Mt Garnet races and rodeo. It is about 90 minutes drive out west into the bush. Mt Garnet has a population of about 100, and about 2000 for this weekend. The rodeo, races and obligatory B & S ball brings people in from all the stations.

I love rodeo - it brings back vivid memories of childhood times spent huddled against the cold, watching the open bull riding ... or working in the Scout canteen, selling burgers to fundraise. And the music, dust and checkered shirts just make me happy - I am a country girl at heart.

This was the view of the sky over the arena, as the sun was setting behind me -- is there anything as beautiful as big sky country?

We camped the night and Naomi was thrilled to sleep in the tent.... she even slept through the music, and the mine trucks that drive through the night along the road behind the campsite!