Garden of Earthly Delights... er...I wish cont

Bad news first: My tomatoes and basil didn't survive...

Funnily enough we have a thriving pea patch on our hay that we haven't used yet.

Our surviving baby vegetables. I was really concerned about the survival of seedlings in a Tassie Winter, but these have most definately done so and are thriving. There has been alot of rain, some have died from being flooded, or being thrashed about in high winds. So we have around 9 plants still going, plus the pea patch, so we are pretty happy with what we do have. No where near able to see ourselves eating from the garden any time soon because they still are babies, but we might yield some edible food from the vege patch yet!

Our Jasmine, which I haven't gotten a photo of, is growing very well, and I am sad we'll have to leave it behind to be honest. Thats nearly 3 years of growth on those two plants! But they won't be happy to be moved and I couldn't move them interstate anyways. I guess I've grown attached to it!

As for homeschooling, it couldn't happen again today, as it was their day with their carer. As it turns out though I think we won't be needing her services for much longer at all. She's probably losing her best paying job and I feel sorry for her, but we have some issues - and there is the broken feeling to the week and to their lessons that I don't like and have never appreciated. Having a break from them is all well and good but we've done better in the past without that.

So, that is all really, Q.

Just a quick update and some art...

First up is Dante's Dragon and next is Labyrinths The Flower and the Butterfly. Dante's was just so good I had to blog it, and Labyrinth's is pretty but that isn't the only reason, it's the type of art she draws for her psychiatrist, is it any wonder he has no clue about her? He probably thinks we are just panic mongering, argh!

Other things on my mind: Just starting to get things in boxes, cleaning the place up in anticipation of making life a bit simpler before we move. That and Tuesday was another day with their carer, so unfortuately no lessons. Sometimes its hard not to resent those two days of lost lessons but they are good (but rarely necessary) breaks. Sometimes its good to be able to put gifts on layby etc so they are unawares, and somtimes a break means I can do my various projects (but Andrew and I are both good for that kind of thing for each other (but still, once in a while it can be good to be just by ourselves... again a rarity as the carer likes to take them out a lot and can't legally take the fifth child...)

Our savings are just under $4500, thanks to the Family Tax Benefit Supplement. Although the green fridge and the eco friendly Sony Bravia TV's looked good, those will be great to get once the house is built. Andrew and I had a disagreement about that actually. I thought he wanted to put the move off for another few years (confused! We sold the big fish tank etc) rather than a few months (the quicker we have the land the larger the grant, naturally). We will do this without a bank loan and construct the house piece by piece, fortnight by fortnight if necessary, but with any luck we might be able to secure a loan and get a larger slice of grant, but really... how much will be offset by the interest we pay?

Off to see a friend who is doing living the dream with any luck on Monday, composting loos and all that, to see how it's working out for them! That is all really, Q.