Snakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needed to add this as a seperate post.

We are fortunate enough to have some vege patches ready to use so Mum and I decided to get some seedlings and plant a variety of veges. So here we were hoeing and raking the weeds and my job was to peel back the plastic on 2 of the beds which had been covered and left to rest .

Happy, happy me enjoying the life of a farmer when i peel back the plastic and there is a red belly baby black snake coiled up starting at me. Much to my families delight I managed to jump 2 garden beds, scream near wet my pants and run in mid air.

I still dont see the humour in it and am double checking the loo, garbage and even too nervous to collect firewood! I am sure i will get over it but bloody hell!

By the way we bought lachie 2 alpacas!

Here at last

Hooray i am back on the net and can add more to our journey. My god where do I start? Big thanks to Helen for journalling some of our trip this has been a great help (see comments section).

Its gorgeous here - well the scenery and Mum's house is. Funny enough our first days here Greg was SOOO happy (still is) and I mentioned this to him . His reply was "of course I am" and I then realised the reason it was so noticeable is that I don't think I have actually seen him happy lol!

Needless to say in the 10 days we have been here its definately been a culture change. I am still reeling from the shock of the hardware store accepting a personal cheque (can you believe it?).

First day here and eager to sweep out the shed ready for when our things arrive so we can move straight in (some of us at least rest will stay in Mum's house) . On wlaking into the shed there was some sort of contraption that looked like a wooden cage linked to a pulley system (a bit sus I thought) then adjacent was a machine contraption with a long probe attached (clearly this shed had been used by aliens to probe humans I think) and the place smeeled of animal poo. I am reassured by our friends later that this is a wool baler and a sheep shearing machine later (still not convinced). About one third of the shed is covered in pallets where sheep have pooed in between. The last week has been spent by Greg claening it out before he can fix the walls and roof but I assure you the smell is all but gone.

I have spent loads of time in Melbourne watching Dylan swim but he is home with us now. On return from one recent visit i find the verahndah of the house covered in toilet paper. The septic has blocked and now there is human poo everywhere (you think working in childcare for all those years would render me immune to this smell). Thank goodness i came in at the end and greg and Mum had to deal with it and as children do - all needed to go to the bathroom once the toilet was unavailable so back in the car for another 8km trip to the local town toilets.

Today the friggin toilet is leaking again but I am trying to see the humour.

Other than that my Galah seems sick and I tried to take him to the vet yesterday (Sat midday) but the only vet who would be available after many calls advised me it would cost $120 for after hours (for gods sake its mid day Saturday not frigging 11pm at night) and that I must be there by 1.15pm (by now its almost 1pm). Aftewr 15 minutes trying to bribe, force, conjole and beg a stubborn bird its 1.15pm and its a 20 minute trip so i had to cancel , as I then realised its the AFL grandfinal day thats why the time limit! So here sit with the wood oven on the bird in front of this to keep him warm with a pot of water on the stove to keep the air moist. Will keep you posted. Keep checkin in !

The Property

I've called this a property but really to me its a farm.

After my cousin Mark's wedding to the gorgeous Heidi on her parents farm in Yarragon (March 2008) , I felt forever changed. Suddenly I found myself in my ideal location, in awe of how amazingly beautiful the area is. When it was time to leave I honestly felt like I was being dragged kicking and screaming from here, I did not want to leave and it haunted me day and night from then on.

A month of real estate internet searching (the equivalent of porn for women!) we found 2 places to "have a look at". All the boys agreed to the move so Greg and I took the trip to have a look, after all perhaps the wedding had made me romanticise it all. First property ended up no where near where we wanted to be , too far out from Mebourne and in Greg's words "you would need to be a mountain goat to enjoy it". Back to Yarragon South and my god once again I am overwhelmed by its beauty and I am sold. A little mud brick cottage for Mum and we can build. Amazingly Council approves this and I know then its our fate.

Five months later and here we are packing to leave our homes, leaving a job I have worked SO hard to get (another story) and our friends.............