Then I fly out to California to prepare for the jump over the ditch to New Zealand.
I will stay the night in L.A. – before I fly out. I often feel like a diver decompresssing up into the world. If I do it slowly my blood will not bubble. I have to ease my way back into civilisation. So I stay the night alone in an hotel and catch up on all my writing and mind organisation. And rest, there is a headlong dash to get everything in order so I can leave. Sitting quitely in an hotel lobby sounds like a holiday all in itself right about now. I always write better when I am in a strange place, like a cafe, or a restaurant. Is that odd?
And then when I launch off into the skies to fly back to my family I will be calmed and prepared for the celebrations.
Today we move Aunty Del and the sheep back to the home paddocks. Aunty needs to be with Queenie and the sheep are escaping, so back they come. I can round them up easily, but the young men who will be minding the farm while I am away will not be able to. So I am making everything as easy as I can. There are always lots of minders coming and going when I am away so the animals will be well looked after.
The Soy Beans are beginning to dry. When we get back here, you and I, the fields will be very different.
I miss Daisy dreadfully and have trouble only putting two bowls out for the dogs and still no-one is laying any eggs at all. And Boo is wondering just how long he is meant to live in the chook house. But we are getting there. The beautiful weather makes it easier to say goodbye. Saying goodbye takes a while – it is meant to be like that.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
We will have a good day I think.
Your friend on the farmy,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
43 responses to “Eight More sleeps”
We always decompress in Sydney before flying out to the U.S. and it is good to ease oneself into the next stage of things. Wishing you loads of energy with your preparations this week. X
I have you back with me at last. For some unknown reason your posts did not reach me and it was a couple of days before I realised something was missing…so I went in search and now I am happy.
But I was not at all happy when I read the uptodate news.
I reckon that you are in need of a holiday and I ,for one, am looking forward to trotting along with you.
I wish you well my friend and I feel sure that you will leave the farmy in the most capable hands…
Funny, hey… We go on holiday to have a break, but in order to go away, we have to work twice as hard to prepare for that break, and so we’re really, really tired when we go and it eats up a load of our time away just to settle, calm down and start to enjoy ourselves. Relax, Miss C, your furry and feathered boys and girls will still be there when you get back, fresh and happy.
I hope so Kate, I think everything that can go wrong has gone wrong already.. fingers crossed anyway.. it is a good time of year to go, lots of feed in the fields..how is your new house? c
I love the house! It’s a lot bigger than the last place and has lots of stairs, so I’m getting plenty of exercise trotting up and down those, not to mention hauling boxes and unpacking and shifting furniture. But it’s the garden that has me truly excited… so much space for chooks, fruit trees, vegetables and flowers.
Love and hugs to you C.
🙂 Mandy xo
It does take time to say goodbye to your best friends; for the pain to ease so you can remember the fun times. I hope you have a wonderful holiday 🙂
Not to worry, nor fret, c., as all comes right in the end. I’m not sure how that happens, but time has proven this to be true. xx
I’m sure the herd misses Daisy as well and the dogs miss Cooter too. When Stanley, my 18 year old yellow tabby died, it seemed like there was a giant hole that appeared. The remaining cats and humans realigned slowly, relationships changing and animals taking on some of his duties, his sleeping places, looking for him still. I would hear him or see him out of the corner of my eye as the hole gently repaired itself as we became a smaller group.
The farm looks good in the changing season, golden in the sun. California, here you come to change out of your farmy self into your NZ self and revel in friends and family.
Have a good Sunday C.
A huge change of scenery may be good for us all. I’m so glad you’re taking us with you across the ocean that is really a ditch. You seem to have things well in hand, as usual! Have a wonderful day!
I wish you happy travels,in a few weeks I will be heading from Australia to the USA to see my American fiancee in Wisconsin ,so I will be thinking of you in a few days as you prepare for your holiday.
Cheers
You two are a long way apart,where will you live when you marry? c
My darling is coming to live here in Australia with me,the process to get a visa for her to come here is a bit easier than for me to move to the US.
We hope to marry early next year but we are still organising it..
Cheers
Nigel aka TheAussieChef
that sounds wonderful, next year is not too far away, plus where you are will have a much longer growing season that wisconson..and its all about the food!.. c
I don’t envy you the stress of preparation, but you are wise to take a day in LA to wind down a bit. Daisy’s ‘hole’ will take a lot of filling. Perhaps queenie will produce a new character for the farmy. I’ve put some pictures on my blog of my new view since they cut a lot of the corn yesterday. Day of rest today!
“Eight more sleeps” How interesting that you use that set of words. It must be that many mothers have used that to describe the passage of time to their children when they are too little to understand what days are.
I was just thinking about the awfulness of the past week for you. While it doesn’t lessen the pain, it is good it happened before you left. Having Daisy go down when you were half way across the world would have been torturous for you.
I’m sure Queenie appreciated the company 🙂 You might be interested in this – Radio 4 broadcast a programme about bees this morning – I think it’s free to listen in any country via the web:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04jhmhh
morning mad, and thank you, I hope my bees get enough honey to feeed themselves this winter, that is our goal anyway… c
I hope so too – I know you give them lots of nurturing 🙂
Good morning! I use roof flashing (comes in rolls of various lengths and heights) that I dig 3 or so inches into the ground around the perimeter of my chicken pens and house and below the gates. It then extends up above or meets the side of the fence, or gate , or solid foundation. It has worked like a charm to keep the mink from burrowing under to get in my spaces. I too met up with them one too many times. My dog however only barks and I’m much like a chicken….I run away! I’m trying the flashing this year around my greenhouse to see if I can reduce the mice that like to come in out of the cold. I am anxious to see the sights of your trip and wish you happy and safe travels. Enjoy!
That sounds like a super idea, miserably the run is on top of gravel, deep hardpacked gravel. The digging is impossible. But their actual house is huge and has one entire wall of mink proof mesh for lots of light,so while I am away they will stay inside, absoutely safe, otherwise they free range and are locked down at night.. no more run at all.. but that is OK, it will work out.. and the dogs can patrol the area much better when there is no run they are locked out of.. c
I write with much more ease away from home as well…the constraints of life in our homes are strong and breaking free every so often is necessary.
Very beautiful Australian farming images. Too close to nature.
actually this is in Illinois, but the colours are australian looking at the moment I suppose.. c