Easter Holidays on the Farm

It’s Easter Holiday time here in Queensland and all the grandchildren are enjoying the week’s break away from school. Six of them have come out to the farm for five days.

Creator of the Holiday Plan

17 year old G1 has organised his four cousins to come and give us a hand to catch up on a few jobs that he felt needed doing. He has a nine year old sister and has brought her along too. The five boys, 13year old twins, their 16 year old brother, a 14 year old cousin and G1 are all “batching” in a little cottage we have on the farm.

G2 returning to the cottage with eggs for breakfast

G1 has spent most holidays with us as his parents both work. When he was smaller he would arrive with an esky full of ingredients and his recipe book. He’s always loved to cook and each day he’d cook one meal for us. Sometimes we’d get breakfast in bed; other times it would be lunch that he prepared and his speciality was meat balls. But these holidays he’s graduated to cooking all the meals for “the boys”. His sister is staying with us much to her disappointment. I think she’d rather be part of the new adventure over in the cottage. I’m rather envious myself. Last night they enjoyed a pork roast and tonight it’s Swedish meatballs.

Dawn reflections in a rain puddle

His crew has been a great help. Today they’ve completed the mowing of our very large house yard and farmyard surrounds; ploughed a paddock; relocated irrigation pipes that have become buried in grass and vines with the excellent wet season we’ve had; burnt the offending grass and a crop of hay that was ruined when we received 60 mm of rain in a storm that was followed by two days of mizzle; fixed the creek fences washed down with flooding yet again and been able to find time to help me move furniture around the office of a local community project I support as a volunteer.

Afternoon reward for a good day's work

They have had great fun swimming in the creeks when it was hot during the middle of the day and riding on the quad bikes in the late afternoon as the galahs came down to drink in the puddles at the front gate. I think everyone should sleep well tonight.

It is just great seeing them all together, negotiating roles, allocating jobs, keeping tabs on each other to make sure nobody is shirking responsibilities anymore than anybody else and generally just enjoying each others company and being “grown up”!

Day Done!

I didn’t believe it would happen but I have to give credit to G1 and G2 for pulling their random thoughts together so successfully. Good on you boys! Love you all…and Missy Moo as well!

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