Leannes World: Mum and Sandra and Ruben visit Kootingal

Mum and Sandra and Ruben just left after spending the weekend here.
What a great weekend! They got here at 1:30 on Friday 8/8/8. Not too late really - they didn't even get lost! (Like some other people we know...)
First we showed them around the house. They were pretty tired so we had coffee and biccies whilst we checked out the new house. They loved the house, Ruben was particularly fascinated by the HUGE cupboards in the kitchen.

We then mosied outside to check the gardens. It was pretty cold, you could almost mistake this picture below for being taken in the snowies!

I'd like to say we went skiing after this shot, but we didn't - we just check out the gardens. Ruben loved the wattle - he even knew what it was called.

Sandra and Mum knew the names of most of the plants like we knew they would.

Then we went for a walk up to the top paddock over yonder. Bonnie bought her ball all the way up, happy to be bestest friends with Ruben all the way up.

All was going well for a while. The birds were singing, sun was shining and we were pottering along in a happy trance - oblivious to the danger that we were walking into......

Sandra was so close to danger....but she was lucky today....

First, Mum dove head first into the ground after being tangled up into a big scary ball of sharp, jagged barbed wire.

As we pulled her up, Ruben was not so lucky. With an electrifying explosive zap, like the sizzle of a bug on a zapping light, the fence BIT Ruben! It was tears all round and it took a little while for us all to recover from the shock and trauma of the situation. After mum stopped shaking, and Ruben stopped screaming, we all walked at a very solemn and tentative pace for a while thereafter.

Little Ruben had to face his fear of fences again, when we had to climb through a fence to get home.

Lucky there wasn't too many dramas after that. Except when Bonnie stole Ruben's ball and took off with it into the ploughed paddock. You can see them as a speck on the horizon. (Ruben -red spot, Bonnie - black spot) :)

We played in the garden for a while and Bonnie and Ruben had heaps of fun together with the ball. Then it got dark so we all came and snuggled in front of the fire.

I ran mum a huge bath to unwind in and soak away her worries. But alas, her worries became my worries as we realised there was not enough hot water to finish running it. Poor mum, I know she likes her bath water scalding, but this only searing. She perserved, however it was a quick bath (for mum).

Our hot water system seemed to die, so Darrin called the plumber, who said to call the electrician. The electrician came and told us country energy had missed the pulse that switches our off peak to on peak. So he hotwired our HWS to our stove, but then we had no stove. Me and Sandra took a drive into town and got pizza. And we all sat around eating yummy pizza in front of the fire.

I'd like to say they all partied hard that night, but this tells the truth....

However, after this picture, the party really started....

(and yes, that IS kibble in ruben's hand!)

Needless to say, everyone else slept well and was toasty warm.

We tried to stay awake to watch the opening ceremony of the olympics but all fell asleep about 20 minutes in.

The next day we had a lazy start. We eventually got down to the Tamworth Marsupial Park. There, we saw cockies, galahs, walked through a big bird avery, saw peacocks and emus and goats. Ruben played in the park. He learned how to monkey bar walk...

And so did possum!

He also figured how to go down the big pole by himself.

Mum and Sandra bravely rode the swings.

Sandra fed the emus frozen bread. They weren't impressed and kept choking on it.

We then went home and Sandra met her energy healing friend Tony, who turned out to be a really nice bloke and is going to get some sheep for us. He is also into rehabilitating horses and stuff. Wow! He stayed for lunch with us.

We had a really nice lunch on the back verandah of serloin steaks, salads and cheese.

This was followed by a Nanny nap.

After we all recouped our energy, we drove north to Banalasta (except Darrin who had tractor stuff to do!).

We checked out the nice shop and tried all their nice creams and sprays, and then taste tested all their wines. All the wines Sandra liked, I hated - and vice versa! We bought a few nice little things and then played in the garden out the front - Ruben showing off his new type of cartwheel - cross between a cartwheel and a somersolt and a flying jump!

We played on the statues out the front....

and then Ruben spotted the huge tracters!!

We then went and played in the lavender patch. It was freezing cold but Ruben had heaps of fun running through it while Sandra and Nanny learned all about the varieties of lavender.

Ruben didn't want to leave, but eventually we got away. We saw HEAPS of huge easter grey kangaroos and wallabies on the drive out.

Sandra got the shot of a mother and her joey. Lucky her shot was just with a camera because these dumb kangaroos didn't move -they just froze and stared at us!

On the way back, we stopped at Moonbi lookout and looked down. Ruben loved that. There was heaps of "WOW!!!"s.

Nanny started getting a bit peckish at this stage and poor possum was almost a casualty.

This was possum just before we saved him from the eternal jaws of Nanny....

Lucky it was a happy ending for all.

We stopped via Kootingal town on the way home - and what a co-incidence! - Tony's car was parked out the front of one of the houses we passed! We stopped in at the shops and bought Rubens some cool sunnies.

Then we went home and tried to work out what to do with dinner - we still had no stove. Sandra and Darrin ended up having left over pizza, Nanny had fruit and custard, Leanne had a vege burger and Ruben had rice and veges. Not bad for no stove!

We were gonna play cards, we were gonna watch a movie, but we all fell asleep by 9pm!

Sunday was a sleep in followed by a big fry up on the bbq. Leanne cooked while Daz played with his mower and Sandra weeded the gardens! Breaky was scrummy. Afterwards Sandra and mum and Darrin all got in and weeded the gardens - it looked GREAT!

Ruben and Bonnie and Leanne played a bit of soccer. Ruben won (as usual!).

Then we had afternoon tea and prepared to leave. Ruben was inconsolable when it was time to go - he didn't want to leave because he was having too much fun!