Miss Meggy RIP 30.9.09

My darling little boy Mr6 lost his best mate today.

Miss Meggy his very adored dobermann was bitten by a red belly black snake.
When we got home yesterday we found a dead snake in front of the house, it was obvious Meggy had killed it, we also found one she had killed a couple of weeks ago. I looked at her and she seemed fine, the boys and I talked about ways we could protect the snakes and other wildlife from Meg, we didn't think she had been bitten.

By this morning it was horribly obvious and she was too far gone for any veterinary assistance, so after lots of tears and talk we asked one of our local farmers to put her out of her misery.My 2 gorgeous little boys had to come to terms with one of life's big issues and it was very very sad. We dug her a grave and sang her songs, covered her in flowers, Mr6 gave her, her beloved ball. We showered her in tears, and covered her with our soil, her grave is by the banana grove where she died. Our lovely farmer offered to take her away and bury her, but the boys wanted to keep her here.We spent the day talking about her.
She has had a hard life our darling Miss Meggy.

When we got her she didn't even know what a pat was, but we soon retrained her and she became a cuddle monster, always after a pat and a cuddle, but her favourite thing was to chase her ball, and didn't we go through some balls in her short time with us. When she was our dog she learned about love and trust and she gave back what we gave her tenfold. The boys could do anything to or with her and she just loved being part of the gang, camping in the yard, picnics in the garden , walks at the river, romps in the paddock.
She has had time in her past when she missed out on food, so we kept a bucket full of dry dog food for her at all times, along with fresh water, and always gobbled any extras we gave her quickly just in case someone else might get them. She enjoyed left over breakfast cereal most mornings, she loved to eat the fruit off the trees in the garden alongside the boys, oranges and lemons could also do double duty as a ball if her ball was temporarily lost. The mulberries have been popular of late, and still retained a purple red tinge at the end of her digestive cycle.

We are grateful for the time we spent with you Miss Meggy
Grateful you came to know the love of our family and that you had a secure and happy home with us.
We miss you lovely girl.

Mulberry Time

My Mr6 has been sick.

But is feeling better so yesterday afternoon we went for a walk in the paddocks

We went to see our favourite red gum,we have been watching the Pacific Herons
carrying branches and sticks and reeds up there
building a nest and wanted some photos.

We found the nest, but the herons went somewhere else,
they are being elusive and we never see them when we go out with the camera.

It was a beautiful afternoonand Mr6 took his dog Miss Meggy, who took her ball

unfortunately it sank in the little dam

Mr10 was the brave one who went in to find itHe is a very tactile boy and just had to feel that lovely mud

He is also a very cheeky boy!

He decided it was rather nice and visited the next dam as well

where he washed the mud off ,
Mr6 wisely staying clear of all the splashing

We wandered back to our place and took some photos

this one is the boys " hide out"

Next stop was the mulberry trees
the boys soon began to enjoy its treasures

Mr6 had hardly eaten anything for 2 days

and the ripening of the mulberries is a highlight of the year here

he told us the mulberry trees were healing him

every mulberry was packed with healing vitamins

and he feasted

so did Mr10

and they were also the first thing Mr6 kept down in 2 days

so they must have been healing for him

He is feeling much brighter today, and slept well last night.

NOW

I read this chain over at http://whichname.blogspot.com/ and thought it might be a good way to summarise what is happening or me right now- If you like to do the same please post a link in the comments and we can read what is happening with everyone.

Making : a start on packing
Cooking : low carb mini cheesecakes
Drinking : water
Reading: The Life of Pi, the novel by Yann Martel and Raising Freethinkers- Dale McGowan
Wanting: to know where we will be living next. DH is finishing university and applying for jobs all around the country.
Looking: seriously at everything in my life- is it really necesary?
Playing: with art materials making some altered books.
Wasting: time and energy wondering where we will moving
Sewing: an owl pillow was my last project on the seing machine, Mr10 and I made it together.
Wishing: DH could get a fabulous job in town and we could stay here
Enjoying: homeschooling my darling boys
Waiting: for these 4 years of living apart every week to come to an end.
Liking: the big bunck of lilliums DH gave me last week
Wondering: where will we be living next
Loving: my darling husband and my fabulous boys- and my life
Hoping: the move is not too daunting for any of us.
Marvelling: at how much stuff we have accumulated over the last 10 years!
Needing: more book boxes
Smelling: fresh country air
Wearing: barefoot, shorts and a sleveless top
Following: my instincts
Noticing: how much my boys are growing up
Knowing: homeschooling is the best option for my family
Thinking: about leaving our home
Bookmarking: websites with inspitational ideas- the list is very long
Opening: boxes that have been stored for the last 2 years
Giggling: with the boys at old pictures of them
Feeling: very happy with who I am and what I am doing

felted lorrikeet

Mr10s felted lorrikeet is finally finished
10 yo boys are lethal on felting needles
5 were broken on this bird!
So this project had to be put on hold till we got some new needles
and Mum helped finish it off to protect the new needles.

Birds Unit

Some samples of the boys workMr6s Washpool journal entry

Mr10s Double Bar Finches page

Mr6's Ashby pages

Mr10s journalling about Washpool Nat Park

A look into Mr10s lapbook

and inside a mini booka place for English exercisesMr10 at work in his roomworking on this pageand here is a gorgeous page done by my little boy today

Musing on our Future

It is mid September already and DH
has almost finished his 4 years at university.
Mr6 was a baby when Daddy started uni,
and he only remembers living like this,
with Daddy away every week.
Mr10 was only 6
and looking back from here those years have raced by.
But they are drawing to a close
and our family is preparing for a change.

The job vacancies are being carefully assessed
and applications sent off.
The future is looming large and a little frightening.
We have been here for 10 years
and it is the only life my darling boys have known,
my two wild and noisy country boys,
happily running barefoot through the wilderness-
how will they cope with anything else?

The biggest concern at the moment is where will we end up?
city? country? which state?
When will we need to go?
How long will we have to get ready?
The job applications are going far and wide,
we will go wherever the best opportunity for our family is-
it is just scary.

Speaking of scary-
then there is the whole packing up to move.
We have so much stuff!

A great big bus sits outside on our block and it is full.
Full of books, so many books,
clothes carefully sorted waiting till Mr6 grows into them-
art materials, old school work- dioramas and mobiles,
unfired pottery, half finished childish sculptures,
pirate ships, rocket ships, fire engines and toys.

Then there is the yard- swings and trampolines,
animals!
ducks and chooks,
budgies, my lovely cat, where will she go?

We are doing house renovations,
well we started 2 years ago
but they stopped a long time ago as well
and they have left things everywhere
that will need sorting . It is an epic job.

Considering this momentous event is about to swallow us up,
I have decided to wind up our birds unit this week.
We are doing the last 3 weeks worth of bookwork this week.
The boys are also both almost finished their maths books-
great timing boys!

Then we can start sorting and cleaning and packing.
I still have 3 planned field trips
and we will take them over the next 3 weeks
as a reprieve from the packing
and we will do the fun creative things
I have planned in the field I think we will need them.

I wonder if I can fit "The Fig Tree" into the removals van.......

Week 7 - Owls

Mr10 reading to us

We made some paper bag owls

Mr10 working on his lapbooka peek inside his lap book

always making something
this is his recycled bird feeder he made to hang outside his bedroom window.

Mr10 and I made an owl cushion- here he is cutting out the pattern.

and here is our owl

This is the first snake of the season
It was a beautiful baby red belly black snake
It was near Mr6
It was shyly hiding
It was alive before Mr6s dog decided it was too close to him
Poor little snake
We have plenty of snakes here and they are a fellow creature we share our land with-
we admire them if we see them
we know they will be around and are careful
if we see one we give them plenty of space.
We are sad Miss Meggy got this one.