Motherly love

What a roller coaster this time last week, I was in the hospital supporting my daughter – labour had started.

My entire world was about to change FOR EVER!

I wasn’t sure just how helpful I would be?

I didn’t deliver either of my children by normal delivery. I had health issues and was not allowed to go into labour because of the risk to my baby and myself.

Therefore what would I know? How could I help? How will I support my daughter through THE MOST AMAZING EXPERIENCE in her life?

Because of where she lives there were no anti natal classes, no hands on learning with her husband or other expectant mothers. No hospital in case of early complications.

So everything she knew was by her own inner mother knowing. It was INCREDIBLE TO WITNESS. It was the whole package of emotions. I was nervous, in awe, there were some funny things (very early on) the unknown prior information. The excitement of not knowing what gender the baby would be, ONLY CARING FOR A HEALTHY BABY AND MOTHER.

In the past I had RARELY gone into fight for my kids, or for myself on that count. But as new staff would present themselves for the new shift I felt compelled to let them know that my girl has a high threshold of pain and if she is asking for help or showing distress THAT IS HER DOING IT HARD!

Oh my good goodness………..I have been so busy that I am only catching UFO’s.  Yes unfinished objects – or jobs or generally just NOT FINISHING THINGS FULL STOP!

FAST FORWARD to today almost 15months later, my DAUGHTER has embraced motherhood with such knowing and I am SO INCREDIBLY PROUD of everything she does. Fortunately she is supported by a WONDERFUL husband – who is THE MOST DOTING Dad to my ADORABLE GRAND DAUGHTER.

Now, only now have I been brave enough to look back at the short footage I filmed at the time of birth.  Things didn’t quiet go smoothly at the birth, no fault of anyone not doing their job. Just how things went.  I will say every birth is a MIRACLE. To have a mother and a baby both be SAFE AND WELL IS A BLESSING.

Today I can say I am THE HAPPIEST Mum, Mother In-Law and Mema in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD.

 

Buzzing away with a hive of activity

I have been busy with work, getting ready for a VERY SPECIAL WEDDING & then Christmas. During that time I have been observing my very clever bees 🐝🐝🐝coming in and out of the hive. I have downloaded an ebook on beekeeping in Australia & also hopefully I can use my instincts on what feels right at the time. 🤷🏻‍♀️I also had to get in to the hive before my daughter arrives home for a week (she is allergic to bee stings🙅🏻‍♀️) So with the hours counting down until I pick her up from the airport……..JUST CHANNEL MY INNER 🐝 BEE!



Golden, sticky delicious goodness 😋

Lots of departures and arrivals



I quickly made the decision to take out 3 of the heaviest and very full frames (all the time trying to stay calm and be as careful as I can with the bees). I look 👀 over and noticed that my smoker has gone out🤦🏻‍♀️Thankfully I had left back up wood shavings just in case…..if only I could check my watch🙅🏻‍♀️but that is firmly under my bee suit. So I relight my smoker and keep going checking for ANY UNUSUAL? NOT RIGHT? In the hive……all the time thinking 🤔 I hope I will know when I see it? 

I kept going and just felt that checking just the top layer today will have to do. I feel the bees were tolerating me and I was being as gentle as I could be, BUT do not want them to get UPSET😡🐝🐝🐝🐝

I take the full frames right away from the hive without the bees following me and decided to place them into a big container with a lid.

I can get back to this job at a later time, I had to get so much done ✅ 

So I pick up my BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER from the airport, we do a bit of Christmas grocery shopping on the way home.THE DAY HAD GONE!? The next day comes and it’s Christmas Eve-no time for the frames……Christmas Day……still no time! So Boxing Day arrives TODAY IS HARVEST DAY👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻Oh my goodness 🤦🏻‍♀️what do I know about this? I go to my ebook……I was supposed to wait until the comb was capped🤷🏻‍♀️OH BUGGER! I knew I had stuffed it up🤔Oh well too late just get on with it and NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!!

This is the frame 

Oh my goodness golden glowing 🍯 honey 

Straining the wax and wondering how much will I get?

Ohhhh my goodness 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

2 jars weighing 600grams each & the little amounts of my family tasting this EXCITING FIRST HARVEST! 

What an excellent way to spend my day😉

Smoker jammed🤦🏻‍♀️

Everything went really well with the installation of my new colony into my bee 🐝 hive. The only sticking point was the smoker….yep jammed….glued tight! I googled, I searched other bee sights…NOTHING CAME UP ABOUT SMOKERS GLUED SHUT?

Well I put my thoughts 💭 together and came up with – placing the said smoker in the vice and carefully pulling until it was open. Thankfully 😅 & GRATEFULLY I managed to do it! Note to self CLEAN THAT SMOKER AFTER EACH USE IMMEDIATELY! With a rag and mentholated spirits 😀👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻.

Progress check after 3 days of owning 🐝 bees…..they look like their doing ok 👌🏻 & just in time to fill up their sugar syrup supply 😉👩🏻‍🌾

Happy little 🐝🐝🐝🐝🙏🏻makes me 😃👩🏻‍🌾

Bee Touch Down!!

They’re Here!!!! Oh my good goodness I seriously was on such a natural high…..but had to keep grounding myself & keeping on the calm side. This day had finally arrived, all the years of wanting was now here! I have put some financial investment into this project, many hours of planning and labour too. ALL of those negative thoughts 💭 running through my mind…you keep 🐝 bees? What do you know? Your NO EXPERT! What were you thinking? YOU DIDN’T THINK!?

“OH JUST BUZZ THE HELL OFF!” I had to think and just keep moving ahead or I would never do this! I have spent most of my life fearing & listening to others WAY TOO MUCH!

Enough waffling here are some photos of my Beemetropolis 🐝🐝🐝I am buzzing this morning 🤦🏻‍♀️sorry but I did offer up a warning ⚠️ on my last post🤷🏻‍♀️😉🤣

A long held dream….finally coming together🤞🏻

I NEED TO OFFER UP A WARNING ⚠️ HERE BEFORE YOU READ ON…..I may use the bee 🐝 word in many ways from now on🤔🤣 I read many years ago, if you eat honey 🍯 from your local area-it helps with hay fever 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This year is the 50th Anniversary of me having hay fever and I need to do SOMETHING ABOUT IT🤦🏻‍♀️

My beautiful daughter is allergic to bees 🐝 🐝 so I was fairly reluctant to take this task on alone🤷🏻‍♀️I had a friend suggest, he could bring out one of his hives & he would look after it for me. But that never eventuated. Well my daughter grew up and moved 2 states away to a tropical 🌴 paradise, I separated from her father and it’s my VERY OWN PLACE NOW😉

So here I am about to embark on a VERY EXCITING NEW PROJECT. I am nervous, cautious and VERY QUIETLY EXCITING (did I say quietly?) I HAVE NOT SHUT UP ABOUT IT!!

I have saved up, bought all my basic gear, painted the hive, prepared the site (almost) and now counting down the hours to bee 🐝 pick up😲👏🏻👏🏻

Here are some photos until I get my new livestock (the smallest ever 😃)

I hope you enjoy 😉 my little post? Butuntil touchdown I have to BUZZ OFF👩🏻‍🌾💃🏻

Don’t let your dog drive the car

I am such a ‘safety first’ person but in my haste I didn’t put the handbrake on🤦🏻‍♀️I was busy dropping a friend back to the nursing home, there was a car in the way, I was worrying about my friend and keying in the security code. I was busy doing the code and out of the corner of my eye 👁I see my ute reversing towards the garden & wall of the building. OH NO Louie is in the car!!! I ran back to the car (thinking what, why & how do I stop it!) THANKFULLY 😅 the back wheels stopped on the edge of the driveway. Damage 1 toppled pot plant and magpie statue. I was still in shock & Louie was already back in his seat with a VERY GUILTY LOOK 👀. Note to self -shorten his harness strap & NEVER FORGET THE HANDBRAKE 🤷🏻‍♀️

Who stole several months from my Calendar?

To say life has been busy is an understatement…..but EVERYONE seems to be busy. Quick catch up from my last entry in May will say that still with a heavy he❤️rt I took my beloved Lily Girl to the vet for the very last time. She didn’t want to leave & secretly I had wished for her to go in her sleep. But I felt in my heart that it was up to me to be brave for the both of us. Louie was such a comfort during that time and continues to be very intuitive when it comes to how I’m feeling. Louie’s bone 🍖 cake 🎂 wearing his party hat

He found his missing toy Tiger 🐯 that had been missing for weeks All worn out after a play date with over 40 other Cavoodles Waiting while I meditate in the morning sunshine ☀️ Helping in the garden👏Letting his fur sister Ava take him for a walk????😜

Louie is an ALLROUNDER…..I tell him EVERYDAY “YOU ARE THE BEST BOY EVER!” I will be back very soon with LOTS of photos of all that has been going on – in my little Rainbow Farm. 

Autumn….

As the colder weather approaches, my fears and concerns about my little old Lily are weighing heavily on me.

Lily wearing two jumpers, she isn’t quite the shark she used to be😳

Test run for a friend’s beautiful daughters birthday

Keeping myself busy is often helpful……but I seriously don’t want her to be suffering in anyway. I feel that it is time for this old shark to finally meet up with her beloved brother Leon. It is going to take such great strength & a huge adjustment not having my favourite girl helping me in the garden.

 

A long time between posts

Still trying to balance my busy workload with my new life, while processing all that has gone on over so many years before. Resetting my thought patterns, while still working and just living day to day. ALWAYS mindful that this is ALL how things were meant to be and just breath and live in the moment. Fortunately for me I live in a little slice of HEAVEN with the MOST AMAZING feathered and furred friends that HELP ME HEAL EVERYDAY.

 These gorgeous girls and boys are my Indian runner ducks that are very shy & extremely wary of EVERYTHING also very hard to photograph.

I have managed to do a few things around the garden & of course some baking for friends for special occasions ALWAYS brings to mind how time is FLYING PAST & that I shouldn’t waste a second.

  Double layer carrot cake & of course cream cheese frosting

Rose water meringue, clotted cream, raspberries & Pistachio Praline for GF guests

For dessert Kimmys favourite baked cherry cheesecake, this was just some catering for a special work friend & her BIG 50th Birthday Celebrations (things that I LOVE to do for people I love & LOVE ME in return)

COLDEST WINTER IN 18 YEARS

The sun is SO BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL and helping to melt the frost off every surface including Shorty’s mane & beard, he was a cold and grumpy boy!!

I have several songs running through my head that ALWAYS bring me great comfort. ‘Here Comes the Sun’,’A Little Ray of Sunshine’ ‘The Horses’, ‘Let it Go’, ‘Put Your Records On’ & ‘Three Little Birds’. These three little birds on my window were a gift from a VERY SPECIAL FRIEND to me to ‘CELEBRATE’ me now buying my home & farm (along with the bank) and starting ‘A WHOLE NEW LIFE’.  It is approaching the end of the first week here (the only human) surrounded by my two & four legged family and the feathered friends that fly in and fly out.  It has been a strange and unfamiliar load of feelings ranging from crying like a baby with life as i knew it ending…..the good, the bad & the ugly. I have no doubt that I will get through this stage and to help me I am clearing, cleaning and cleansing and a little pottering in the garden and cooking my produce WILL ALWAYS HELP!!! I am so EXCITED to finally find out who I really am.    “STAY TUNED” or NOT ha ha