We Have Enough Time

Sorry this is so small. Double click to read it better.

Hike a Day! The Navajo Loop - Bryce Canyon

We arrive in Bryce Canyon and are itching to go on a hike so we opt for the Navajo Loop which is about a mile and a half. Going Down!

Halfway down

Hmmm, wonder why they call it Wall Street?

Douglas Firs seem to be able to grow just about anywhere!

The trail loops around

More tall trees!

Then back up again!







Just a spectacular hike!

Till Later,

Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n

Melissa & Gary

Left Edge Route on the Ben

Helen, Harry and I headed back up Observatory Gully to find something nice to climb, with no particular plan. We kept going higher and higher in the hope of finding something mixed in good condition, until we found ourselves standing underneath Gardyloo Buttress. Funnily enough, there was a roof up that way I wanted to look at, but it had no ice on until the lip. So we opted for something more slabby and had a chilled ascent of Left Edge Route (VI,5). The ice was a bit unreliable, and protection pretty bad, so it was a good idea to keep the weight on the feet. Thankfully, once over the steepness there was solid ice and a cruise to the top. On the way down there was talk of rock climbing..

MEET OUR NEAREST NEIGHBOURS

I thought I would let you meet our nearest neighbours. They live right across the road.













This pond was only created a couple of years ago, but already it is beginning to look pretty settled.



Normally the pond is busy with ducks, geese, herons, even swans drop by occasionally.





The little river is called 'Great Eau' and it runs through the trout farm nearby and then on to the beautiful Claythorpe Watermill, before meandering away.

It has lots of fish in it - although none were visible today.





Obviously I had remembered to take my camera today - when I arrived there was just one pair of ducks. By the time I had sorted out the camera they had flown off! Camera shy, I suppose.





Toby and I met one of our other close neighbours - John, from next-door-but-one. He is probably in his 90's, very recently widowered, and a nice man to chat with.





He was in the field when we got there, taking photographs and admiring the colour of the tree foliage. The number of sheep in the field was 41. I know this because John told me.





He has worked on farms since the late 1930's, working with animals. He spent many years as a farm manager, with a dairy herd of 150, as well as a flock of sheep. He says it is second nature to count any stock when he sees them in a field!





He's lovely, so was his late wife Hazel. She used to teach all the local children to ride and was a stalwart of the village hall events.

History

After a late night Saturday night I was chasing a shorter ride yesterday, just 117km. Since Springbrook road is still closed after a landslide, I decided to do the old Numinbah Valley ride the old way, via Advancetown lake. There was another detour required, through Latimers Crossing Road, because the road over Hinze Dam is also closed (as it has been since 2006). Still, it was pleasant, but the real attraction started on the old Nerang-Murwillumbah Road near the lake.

The road twists and turns, climbs and descents sharply by the lakeside in the shadow of the Beechmont Range. I should take this route more often, or perhaps I shouldn't. A causeway has been named Shingles Creek since I was last here, I was wondering if Swine Flu was going to be next. Still, the headwind slowed me down much more than any illness would have done. Numinbah Valley is like a funnel when the southerly wind blows, intensifying the wind speed to three times what it is anywhere else in the area.

At the southern end, the valley flattens out, then climbs gradually, revealing spectacular views of Springbrook to the East, and Lamington National Park to the west, while climbing through rolling greenery. When the southerly blows, it's virtually impossible to feel the climb, but the scenery compensates. Just a few kilometres before the NSW border, the Natural Arch can be visited, or at least it could be if it were not also closed. It seems "closure" is the order of the day, but not in a legal sense. It gave me something to ponder as I crested the Macpherson range, and descended into the Tweed Valley.

Here's the Thing....

I've over-committed myself this week; BIG TIME!!!But nothing can be moved, so it is what it is.                                                                                                  Here's what my week looks like: Monday-Three children over for art and music 11-3, two friends over for tea at 4:30 this afternoon with their four children under six to plan Garrett & Mallory's engagement party this Friday.Tuesday- Take Darcie to tutor at 12:00 and pick up at 3:00.  Shop for her Easter shoes then take her to youth chorale at 4:00 and then horseback riding at 5:30.Wednesday & Thursday-Fairly normal days with Garrett coming sometime Thursday.
Friday (the killer)-Bookgroup at my house at 12:00 with the engagement party at 5:00.
Sunday-Multiple family members coming over for Easter egg hunt and Sunday dinner.
Lots of cooking to be done and homeschooling in the midst; not to mention cleaning, cooking,  and laundry.
Here's the thing...I don't do well with a week like this.  I don't enjoy this much busyness.  But I'm committed and have to deal with it.  I'll have to be super organized with many lists in order to get it all done.  The older I get the less I like weeks like this.  I try to have a 'summer state of mind' year round and wide margins around events and less to-do lists.
How I wish I could just have a happy-go-lucky attitude, relax, and do everything in a leisurely manner.  On the outside I've learned to at least look like I'm calm.  After all, aren't older people supposed to be wise and unruffled?  
God gave me my personality along with all it's nuances and quirks.  I read somewhere recently that our temperaments are gifts from God.  I think so too.  Temperaments aren't sinful, but we sure sin plenty through them.
The key is to learn how to respect the way God made me and not sin when I'm overwhelmed or too busy by being short-tempered, angry, or frustrated.  
One of the things I do that I hate most is that instead of living in the moment and enjoying every second of whatever I'm doing, I find myself wishing things would hurry and be over so I could have some peace and quiet.  Yes, that is my biggest idol of the heart.
This is what I see as the solution; pray that God would make me more tolerant of noise and activity and to enjoy the moment and not look for it to be over, to try and avoid busy weeks like this one, to be gracious as I possibly can, and to love all these people I'm surrounded by more than myself, which is the reason I crave solitude in the first place.  I mean I love myself more than I do others.
Any suggestions or words of wisdom floating around out there?  Do you agree with my assessment of the solution?  What do ya'll think?

Drains, Doorbells, Davina, Dogs and Ducks

,

A few notes from home.





Despite all the fun I have been having, writing crazy duck limericks, work has continued as normal around here, although the weather has dictated what has been possible on some days.





Work has halted on the drainage work out by the fruit garden, but that should be completed in the next week - depending on the weather. Leaves are a constant problem, gutters have to be checked frequently at the moment.





The trellis work is now complete and we are both really delighted with the way it looks. That patio looks really settled now. Just needs a gate, a tiny portion of wall next to the house, and then the big slab at the top of the step, we (George) has found the slab which will be used for that.





We finally have the doorbell connected! Amazing. Five years without one and it only took a couple of hours once the job was started. Hopefully deliverymen and postmen will start using it.





Pip is still with us at the moment...





We found out why the Aged A's house sale hadn't progressed - she hadn't told us that she had received the forms from the solicitor (about thirty pages of questions) she'd opened the envelope, taken fright at the work involved and then put it out of sight, just hoping it would go away.





Once we found out (two weeks later) we filled in the forms, sent them off and it seems to be going ahead now for her. We also got the plumber in to fix a small leak at the old house - a leaky valve, or something.





Davina has been told that they will probably induce the baby at around 36/38 weeks as she is showing similar signs of problems to last time. Christmas/New Year should be interesting, one way or another. She has invited 16 people round for Christmas Day... Honestly, your sister!





Final note: I managed to do my first 30 minute run this evening - the first one since I broke that toe! It was so good to run again.





So, I hope you feel that you have caught up on the news from home now. Don't forget to let us know how things are with you. Have you caught up on all the paperwork yet?





Lots of love,





Mum

xxx





PS Now if I could just leave you with this:





There was a young duck in Shanghai ...

Recent culinary adventures

It's kind of embarrassing to admit, but we've never cooked a roast before, other than in the crockpot. (We call it crock roast.)
My husband and I have contrasting cooking styles. I describe his as, "Throw it up in the air - it'll probably come down a roast." I believe his description of my technique includes writing a book on how to cook a roast before ever opening the oven.

We eventually worked our way through the wilderness, with the help of hasty phone calls to relatives. It was tasty.

Homemade buttermilk and butter from this past weekend.

We'd made butter once before. Or actually, I made butter once before, while someone else sulked and refused to participate, because I'd started without him.
Anyway, it's very easy, if you want to try it. There are lots of detailed tutorials on the internet, but the simple version is:
1. Buy heavy whipping cream. Bring to room temperature.
2. Pour into a jar with a lid (and ample headspace).
3. Shake it.
That's about it. You have to shake for about 20 minutes, and you have to rinse it when it's done. From the small cream container, you'll get butter equivalent to one to two sticks.
Now, if I could only find someone with a cow, I could make it from fresh cream, mmmmm. I've had it that way, once, and oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, was it wonderful.

Green and black cicada

Newly emerged Linne's Cicada, Tibicen linnei. Looking pretty spiffy, especially considering the dirt nap.
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I think that this is Linne's Cicada, but as you can see here, the Tibicen cicadas are very similar.
Go here to hear some of the songs.
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Submitted to the Friday Ark.