What a weekend!!

Wow! What a great weekend, and what a way to top it off....

That's right! That is MY WATCH! That dad found 2 minutes before they left. He was standing in front of his car, then he looked down and said -"oh, that wouldn't be your watch would it?". I looked down and here it was, a shiny gold watch, as real and solid as you could ever imagine, just sitting at the bottom of our feet! I said nonchalantly "mmm...yes..."I was waiting for somebody to say SUPRISE! WE HID IT FROM YOU THE WHOLE TIME! But nobody did. Dad said "Really?!" I said "mmmmm...yes...." Next thing we both start jumping up and down screaming, and then dad goes SPRINTING down the driveway, waving the gold watch yelling "DARRIN ! DARRIN! QUICK!! I FOUND IT ! I FOUND IT!!!"

Yes, that's right! My watch! FOUND! Don't know HOW it got there. It wasn't there earlier on. Or any other time we scoured the paddocks for the thousandth time. Nor was it there on either of the two times Darrin mowed over there. Or last night when we were looking at the ground there where it is apparent that there used to be a shed there. It must only be one thing - a bird DROPPED it there this afternoon. At dad's feet. Unbelievable. I have been waiting to wake up and it was all a dream, but it hasn't happened yet....what a GREAT FIND!

As I said, that just topped off the weekend. We had a great weekend. Alex and Dad arrived at about 3pm. Miss Daisies, yes. Apparently they got lost and had to do dirt roads and river crossings. We showed off the house for the first few hours; think they liked it......Dad was commenting he liked it even BETTER this time. Alex said he liked it (whew!). We walked around all the paddocks, gardens, and every other part of the property before we even bothered looking at the house. They seemed to like that too (whew again!). The men had cracked a few beers by this time. We played with Bonnie. We showed off the wagon wheels. We explored the orchard. We mosied up and said hullo to the neighbours pigs. Alex and Dad played silly buggers in the shed and tried climbing on the roof and skateboarding down the walls.

A great afternoon! Put dinner on about 7pm - T-Bone and wedges and had an early dinner. The house was snug and warm - it was already onlky 4 degrees by 8pm. We played dares with the mousetrap.

Darrin proved that he has less pain and hence less brain when it comes to snapping his fingers in a mouse trap. Brown hurt his fingertip going for second place. Afterwards, we went up to the local Kootingal Pub for a beer or two. Dad tried to stay out of trouble by trying to smuggle their bar mats and pour his own beer. Alex and I competed each other for status of fastest reflexes in a few "friendly" games of knuckes and slaps. And Darrin just made enemies by threatening weird and non-smiling men with his brightly coloured red fingernails that he so carefully painted before we left (too bad his red lipstip came off before we got there).

Got home, had one game of cards and went to bed. Boy it was cold Friday night! By the time we went to bed at midnight it was 0 deg.

Next morning started with bacon and eggs and sausages. The temp got down to -3 overnight and everything had frozen over. Including Bonnies play pond and Dad's car. We mosied through the gardens again. Then then men decided to put the big concrete pipe over the old well site. That was interesting while I waited for one of the men to fall in or to drop the concrete pipe on their feet, Luckily they didnt. Then Brown decided to act the Clown by doing his circus trick - rolling the concrete pipe while he balanced on it. It was pretty funny when he almost got rolled back into the hole we were trying to cover.

They finally got the pipe to stay on by placing metal bars underneath it.

Then the men went and fixed the bore that had timed out and lost pressure. They then found a new game - throwing Bonnies ball into the pipe that goes under the road and making her get it. Then they started destroying Telstra property...

and then my letter box.

We took the letter box up to the house and dad painted over the old owners name. He also painted Darrins tractor rims.

Then me and Alex took the ride for a spin - with Brown sitting in the trailer going for a tracter ride! We went on a poo hunt (horse poo of course) and found lots of great poo for the gardens. Everyone had a tracter ride over the weekend actually.

Darrin fixed the plough on the tracter and then got that going and ploughed up a paddock. Bonnie thought that was great fun.

Then the men fixed the sprinkler. Bonnie thought that was great fun too.

Until she tripped over the hose.

Leanne had a crash course in tracter driving and managed to reverse park it into the shed without wiping the roof out.

Dad and Darrin played in the shed for a while while Alex showed me how to get some music off the net. Brown also managed to fix my big screen that I haven't been able to use since I got it at Xmas. And dad fixed the DVD player that was jamming.

While tea was cooking we learned out to play texas poker. And then normal poker. I was going really well until I got cocky and lost all my money to Darrin. Then Darrin lost all his money. Then it was between Dad and Alex, and I do believe Dad won. Probably cheated.

Tea was great (because I made it!). Had a yummy roast beef with lots of veges. Desert was chocolate biccies and all the men then fell asleep on the lounge.

Lucky Alex woke up just in time to help me with the dishes.

Sunday morning started the same way as Saturday. Leanne up first, then darrin, then alex and then dad :) Alex hacked into my photos and also showed us a new game on the computer. Then we got breaky started early. Had a HUGE breaky - done on the stove and the BBQ. Had bubble and squeak, eggs, bacon and sausages. Had it on the verandah and listened to the birds. It was another perfect day. Then me and Alex rushed off to go to doggie school (I got in trouble for being 10 minutes late). Bonnie was the best behaved dog there as usual. Although Alex thought the naughty dogs were more fun to watch - especially the dog that only sat when his owner sat on him.

Afterwards we went to Bunnings to buy an exension cord and a puncture repair kit (ride on mower rides yesterday!) and ended up buying half the shop out. Lucky Brown refused to help me carry anything and I had to put half of it back. Stopped at Central park on the way back and bonnie showed off her agility training. She then got into a fight with a corgi. Driving back home Alex took us the way he went to get to my place -river crossings, dirt roads etc. Got very lost and drove around dirt roads before finally finding our way back to where we started. Thanks Brown. The car is filthy now.

Got back home and the men played around with the grey water tank pump to get it going. After a lot of mucking around they finally got it working and we were pumping stinky sludge stuff onto the orchard in no time.

We then had coffee and cookies and Brown and Dad packed. That's when Dad found my watch in front of his car. Then they left. So sad. It was such a good weekend. It went way to quickly. It was great having them up here. Maybe next time they come up we will hve a lot more junk on the bonfire and can get that roaring.

Poor Brown having to survive Dad's driving for the next 5 hours to get home again!