On the road again and the joy of snail mail

I adore snail mail.  I love the snap of the letterbox when the flap shuts and I know that the postman has dropped something inside.  I don't love the letters with the windows that come with regular monotony, but the little notes, and the sometimes gifts that arrive, oh they are sweet.

Yesterday I was thrilled, blessed, smiling, my dear friend Sharon in California, sent me this beautiful bookmark from our tour reunion in Edmonds.  We couldn't go, unfortunately the 20 odd hours it takes to get there put a dampener on that.  I was so sad to be missing out on seeing my dear friends again.  Sharon and her hubby John and my dear buddy Gretchen especially.  So Sharon bless her heart sent me a little gift instead, I am blessed I tell ya.  So a little tip to ya all I know we all love emails, blogs, everything techy these days, but if you really want to ring some bells post it, not on your blog but in the letterbox.

We sign the contract this evening....oh my goodness what have we done.  We are officially becoming farmers.  Well the closest thing to it as far as I can see.  We are purchasing the 9 acres property with the 5 horse paddocks, (they will be empty, remember I am not a lover of big animals) and the granny flat.  Yep in 45 days we are on the move.  We now have the oh so daunting task of marketing and selling our home.  I really don't like this process, I stress a little too much.  We have marketed and sold the last couple of homes ourselves.  Saving us anywhere up to $12,000 in commission.  Yes you read that correctly the agent commission on the sale of our current home at approx $650,000 will be $16k that is soooooo much money.  I don't think we are going to have a go at selling this one ourselves, we have to have it sold in the next 45 days and as it is in the higher price range, we feel it will be better marketed with an agent.  Pray for us please we don't want to end up with a huge mortgage if this house doesn't sell.  I am trying not to think too hard about all that will need to take place in the next few weeks.  All the address changes, that no matter how hard I try to remember everyone I need to inform, I always seem to still have mail go missing.  Me or them making a mistake, I'm not sure.  Then the telephone company, the internet provider oh and I have to buy a new fridge ours is too big for the opening provided.  Arghh!!! oh well a nice new fridge will be lovely, never mind the one we have now is only about 5 years old and a great size.  We will move in about 5 weeks before we head off to France, so we should be settled by then.  The girls will be on their own for a few weeks, thank heavens we still have neighbours out on the farm.  Well off now to teach cooking so have a great day.

Twelve in 28 years

So I admit officially, I must have gypsy blood mixed in with my British Blue and Green & Gold Aussie style.  I worked out this morning that if we move again, which is on the cards, we will be moving into our 13th house in 28 years.  Yep offically a gypsy.  We even lived in one house twice, actually bought and sold it twice, crazy I know! 

When we move this time, whenever that is, this little man has to come with us.  He is so sweet.  Adrian came home from the gardening shop with him one day, much to my surprise. I planted up his big bowl with a ground cover with pretty mauve blooms and I think these are crocus, if I remember properly, and they are blooming so well at the moment.  Must be the rain we have had.  At the moment we are in negotiations for a house on nearly 9 acres with horse paddocks etc, the one I mentioned a few days ago.  We've made an offer, they didn't accept it, we have counter offered and are waiting to hear today.  We love the spot, but the house needs a little work and so we just don't want to pay too much for it.  Gotta watch that we don't get all caught up trying to win the bidding war.  There will be other houses.  If it's not meant to be then ok it isn't, I'm cool with that I think.

I am teaching ladies to cook on Wednesday afternoons now, starting tomorrow.  When I worked at TRAMS in 2008 I always enjoyed being there when the cooking class was on.  The ladies who come are from all over the world.  Mostly refugees and mostly not used to cooking in firstly a kitchen and secondly with such western food. I got to sample some really great food.  The preparation of it was often very different to how I would make things, but the taste was mostly pretty amazing.

The family I have talked about before, from Uganda, go here, have given Adrian and myself quite a few giggles around the kitchen table.  I remember a day not so long ago, I was helping Taban on the computer.  Jane was in the kitchen cooking and Adrian was in the lounge with the children.  Nancy Juwa 7years old, loves to play with the hair on Adrian's arms.  She is fascinated by all the hair.  I had never noticed until she started touching it that the African people have no hair on their arms and legs. Not one, that I have seen, so Adrian is a constant source of fascination for Nancy.  Anyway Jane dishes up a plate of this really strange looking greyish stuff.  It is kind of bulb like on one end and has root kind of things on the other.  Little Gloria had been walking around gnawing on one of these and Adrian had no idea what it was.  One of the girls brings the plate to Adrian and he is freaked out, this stuff looks weird and I have to say Ade is extrememly fussy when it comes to food.  He asks one of the boys what it is, they sheepishly shrug their shoulders.  He asks the eldest daughter Mindraa Gifty (don't you just love the names) and she gives a little grin and shrugs also.  Meanwhile Jane is in the kitchen grinning.  Taban comes into the lounge and Ade asks him what it is, he starts to laugh out loud and says it is chicken.  Ade screws up his nose and says what part of the chicken and Taban says chicken gizzards.  Poor Adrian is gob smacked, there is no way he is eating chicken gizzards.  Taban and Jane and the children are rolling round laughing so hard and I come out of the room and join them on the floor when I see Adrian's face.  What a crack up!!!

My cooking job will entail, teaching the ladies the names and uses for the ingredients they will find now In the stores.  I think I will focus a little on children's lunch boxes, nice easy and quick but nutritous, food to take to school.  Some neat breakfast ideas too I think.  Last year the recipes were a little to involved, carrot cake for instance is just too overwhelming for many of the girls.  They don't read recipes for a start, all of their recipes are in their heads.  So too many things make things too difficult.  I have to remember that most of them will have little or no English speaking or reading skills, so it is challenging, but fun.  I love these girls, so much fun, very kind and so grateful to be here.  The stories I have heard of their lives, loves and losses in their homelands have changed how I think about the world.  So I am looking forward to my little foray.  If you have any good ideas I can share easily please comment I am open to all suggestions.