Many hands make light work

I have never been so grateful for our wonderful neighbours, who helped clean up after we fell the trees in our driveway over the weekend. 

It was a massive job, that is not completely finished, but we smashed it, thanks to them. 

It's totes corny, but it's like the Neighbours song goes - "good neighbours who become good friends".

We've been neighbours for over 10 years, nearly fifteen actually. We have kids around the same age, but haven't been close friends or socialised for that long. Only in the last seven years or so. 

Back to the trees. They were huge Melelucas, by my guess probably about 50 years old and starting to become dangerous. The decision was made to cut them down. We had a gorgeous shady driveway, and getting used to it without the trees will take a while to get used to.

Hubby hired a cherry picker to cut the tops out of the huge trees, they would have been close to fifteen metres high. There was LOADS of mess in the driveway and over two days we managed to clean most of it up. Glad we live at the end of the cul de sac because the road was covered with it, and our job would have harder if it was in the middle of a normal street.

The bigger logs remain, and they will end up being cut up for firewood. 

It's still going to take a bit to clean up around the trees and along the fence, there's garden beds under all that mess and I can't wait for it to look gorgeous again. There is still some tree trunks to be dropped and cut up, it's looking fairly shabby! I did learn to use an electric chainsaw! Pretty cool.

We left the red flowering gums, we all like them and the birdlife they bring. I know it as Eucalyptus ficifolia, one of the latin plant names I remember!

A couple of branches got broken off accidently when the taller trees were being felled. I couldn't let the flowers get thrown away, I now have a huge bunch on the table and I gave some to our pet birds.

An InLinkz Link-up

Goodbye summer holidays, hello school!

I am so ready for the kids to go back to school, that this last week of school holidays cannot go quickly enough.

At the end of school last year, I wondered how the hell was I going to get through the next six weeks without losing my marbles all over the shop. I might jinx myself here, one week out from the most peace I have had in the last 7 years, but I survived, hanging by a thread.

I speak too soon, because book day is on Wednesday, and I've yet to cover two lots of school books. I have three rolls of contact, which I know wont be enough, waiting in the wings writing desk. Why do I get nervous just uttering that word? Contact. I can feel the frustration of crinkly lines already. Last year Isabel was lucky enough to have a teacher who supplied plastic sleeves. I wait with fingers crossed.

That aside I am a little excited for Summer's first day. How gorgeous! I won't be the emotional mother, I will be the mother leaving burnt rubber marks in the carpark, in a hurry to leave! Good luck with that one Miss Newsom! 

I've recently donned Summer with the nickname of Jonah from Tonga. for the lovely way she calls everyone a 'dickhead', when she gets upset with them. I am hanging on the hope, and I know it's true, that she is an angel for other people, which is the most important thing. Most kids are the same.

I left an arm and a leg at the shops a couple of weeks ago, buying clothes, hats, drink bottles and backpacks. I will be applying for disabilty at the end of the week, when I leave my other limbs at the school front office for school fees, when I pick up the books.

We did have a great Summer holiday break. The best thing we did was buy them a pool for Christmas, it has been well used and loads of fun had. 

We've had more visits during the day with Granny at the old folks home. The residents actually loved seeing the kids, commenting they don't see enough little people. Bit sad really. 

We spent heaps of time going here and there, meeting up with family and friends. We really didn't have too many lazy days really. My lazy days are coming up. Who knows what is in store for me, as the kids both go off to school. 

I do know I will be starting to walk everyday, I need to lose the summer holiday flab, it's crept up on me. 

I am going to enjoy the time to myself at first and am wondering how long it takes me to get bored with myself. I am looking forward to seeing where this year takes me.

An InLinkz Link-up

Adventures at the Rocks

We spent some time at Carpenter Rocks and the surrounding beaches last week. 

Family from Adelaide and Melbourne were renting our holiday home, they had a fantastic week, and LOVED exploring and having fun in the area.

It was a pleasure to have them and look forward to seeing them again next year!

Sharing over at Stephs Joy

and Lovin' Life with Leanne

Hitching a ride up the hill

I took the photo above with my phone yesterday. Another one of those times when my camera was sitting at home and I was wishing I had brought it with me.

You can't see it very well, but on top of that hill, in between the hay stacks, is a tv tower. 

As a trucky, Brett's carts chip from forests all over the region. Last week the chipper was operating at the top of the tv tower hill. Being so close to home, the girls and I hitched a ride for one run into the forest. It was pretty cool, and something completely different for the girls in the school holidays.

I wasn't leaving my camera home for that.

I sat up front, and the girls sat in the sleeper cab. They got pull down on the horn a few times. 

I never forget growing up in a small forestry town, with trucks rattling past the house all day. Us kids would stand out the front, with our fists in the air, furiously pumping our arms at the drivers, for a horn blast. What fun that was.

There was a spectacular view from the top of the hill, one that isn't visible when the pines are there. I am going back on a clear day to try to capture it better. 

A friend who grew up rambling through these forests on his motor bike, commented on the weekend, that I'd better do it now, as when they replant and the trees grow, that view will be harder to see.

I could see all of the wind towers, a great view of town, and Mount Muirhead looked like an ant hill compared to the mountain it looks from town.

Besides the views, the other thing that was uber cool was seeing how they move the chipper. It was a big remote control unit. 

It was amazing to see the operater standing beside it with his remote control and this monstrous beast, which I expected to be bigger actually, moving on it's own. Amazing!

An InLinkz Link-up

Southend, you big beautiful beach

Friday was a stinker of a day, it was one of those 38 degree, feels like 50, kind of days.

Every man and his dog was at the beach, and so were we, in gorgoeus Southend. 

Sharing with Leanne at Deep Fried Fruit