Mmmmm …. Flex day (which meant 4 days off, with the Australia Day Holiday on Monday – nice!) … did some good things, hanging out with husband not the least!

Finished a box he has been working on, which is just gorgeous, we went and put the lid on it, the rope handles, and painted it with Danish Oil (smells lovely!) and had it dropped off at home, courtesy of a friend with a ute!

It is now sitting outside the front door, and is a repository (in it's four sections) for his shoes, my shoes, dog gear, bike helmets, gardening gear, my parents shoes (yes, they're gradually building up a wardrobe down here, so one day they can just jump on a plane with carry on luggage and have it all here waiting for them!), and my fly screen making equipment.

It also doubles as additional seating for our verandah – it's AWESOME! It's so good to have a handy husband! Who is also into good design, so likes things to not only do the thing they're made to do, but to look good as well!

He cleaned out the landrover, in preparation for our trip to Bruny Island this weekend, and I made a flyscreen for our bedroom – which meant that last night we were able to have the window open without the slimy little mossies buzzing on in and sucking our blood! That's three flyscreens now, two more definites that I want to do, then a couple of ‘if I get around to it's) … so much easier to make them than have them made – and less expensive!

We finished off our day by going for a swim down at the beach … 19deg Celsius, or thereabouts, lovely lovely lovely – took the breath away a little on getting in, but that was mainly ‘cause the external temperature was so high – but once in, didn't really want to get out! Gorgeous!

I have done a heap of gardening today with, hopefully, a bit more to go. Mr Tasmania headed out early with his brother and sister in law on their boat to go fishing at Sisters Beach …. result – 1 flathead …. which has gone home with the others because she caught it and I hate ‘em!

In the meantime I slept in for half an hour, got up and washed my work uniform, got yesterday’s washing in, and decided, as the sun had not yet crept around to the front of the house, that I would get into the garden, which has been sadly neglected since before Christmas!

I washed the salty sand off some seaweed that I’d collected from the beach and, as well as some cow manure, put it around the fairy fishing rods – bought 4 for 50c each at a school fete last year – two look good, two look dead – we’ll see! Watered in well with Charlie Carp and hopefully they’ll do okay!

Put in some lovely fuchsia’s – no idea what name they are – selected by Mr Tasmania (part of my birthday present from his parents). Also put in some lemongrass kindly given to me by a lady who has a shack across the road – don’t know how well it’ll do but it’s in front of the old chimney so will be nice and warm so should be okay I hope.

I’ve cleared out a heap of horrible cooch grass (grrrr) and cut back the scented geranium (they go nuts!) and the English Lavender (likewise, nuts!). I chucked a bit more cow poo about the place … and I’ve decided where to plant the ‘hen and chickens’ … which are overflowing their pots. Haven’t put them in yet, but it might happen today… if not, I have tomorrow off, so I’ll do it then

Oh, also put some cow and water on the three lemon bottlebrush I’ve planted out the front – they’re going to, one day, fill in some gaps and give us a bit of privacy from the road – probably just in time for us to move out into our house – but that’s okay! Gardens are always for the future – unless you spend a fortune on advanced plants and instant gratification … I haven’t got a fortune but I think I’d still prefer mostly delayed gratification … some advanced plants can be encouraging!

Happy Australia Day … we didn’t do anything particularly Australian on the day, though we did have many visitors and a BBQ … but then we have a BBQ nearly every night in Summer, it’s just easier, and the house doesn’t smell like cooking – or heat up anymore than it already does. I’m not complaining about the heat because, even though the winter here doesn’t get as cold as it does at home (remember, I’ve got a couple of ‘homes’ – this one is the one I grew up in, Southern Highlands of NSW) the cold does last for longer … so warm is GREAT!

I’m sayin HAD today as we’ve got a long weekend to celebrate it (as it was on SAturday 25th and we get a public holiday, hence, HAD today, Monday) … we have a church BBQ today, conveniently for us it is on ‘our’ beach, so we’ll just walk down. I have tomorrow off as well, which is great.

We have 8 coming over for a BBQ tonight, friends of Mr Tasmania’s arriving tonight (3) to stay until Friday, we’ve had one of his brothers and his wife here since SAturday afternoon, his parents are staying at another brother’s place around the corner, and we’re going away next Friday – Monday (Bruny Island) … house full! Nice to have people around but I had to retreat to the bedroom and close the door (with the sunday papers!) yesterday for an hour or so, after friends of the sister in law turned up … all became just a bit too many people!

It can be a bit hard sometimes … this house has been the ‘family shack’ ie beach house for a very very long time … though it was the actual home for a while early on as well .. Mr Tasmania and his brother own it now, his brother lived in it for a while, then moved into his own home, and Mr Tasmania has lived in it since he came back from Sydney, quite a while ago now, but it has still been the traditional family holiday shack. Which is lovely … it really is, I wish my family had had one … only problem really is that while they’re all on holidays, or taking holidays – I’m not … I’m working .. and my weekends are my time off … in my HOME … not my holiday house. So, while it’s great for everyone to relax, I’ve still got to get stuff done … and it gets a bit much having a house full of people doing the relaxing thing when you’re actually just trying to live your normal life in your house.

Mr Tasmania knows I’m kind of torn on this … I like people coming to visit and stay.. but I also get a little frustrated that they’re not quite taking on board that it’s our HOME not just ‘the shack’ … but then I guess they’d probably be really upset if I tried to say that and not understand me … sometimes I don’t understand me. Ah well … I guess it’s nice to have people stay, and also nice when they all go away again.

Just makes me more determine to scrimp and save as much as we can to get our house started (and finished!) as soon as we can … so then the shack can go back to being a holiday shack and not our home … and that will make life easier for me … I don’t think anyone else actually has an issue!

Our Banksia Serrata receive a well overdue pruning yesterday. I was at home with a headcold but did participate in pulling branches into a pile – couldn't sit and watch Mr Tasmania and the neighbours do it! Anyway, they've received a bit of a bashing, but will be much better for it. There are bare patches which I'm thinking of filling with tibouchina, or camellias, or other shrubby colourful flowering plants … or maybe a jacaranda, it'd be protected from the frost amongst the bigger trees but they wouldn't overwhelm it with shadow … should be fun! I've got a little cleaning up to do of random branches but otherwise it looks good and the neighbours are now no longer in permanent darkness and cool … they may feel they're having a summer heatwave for the next couple of months but in Winter they're going to love it! hmmm … maybe a frangipani? (that’s plumeria for you northerners!)

Mr Tasmania went for it with the chainsaw like a madman … and also managed to do a slow motion fall down the ladder as it folded in half, complete with flinging the chainsaw to the side so he didn't land on it … quite spectacular, if slow, and knocked about 10 years off our neighbour's life I think! I wasn't bothered, somehow, guess I know he's safe and protected … and it was such a slow motion fall that I could see that he'd managed to move the chainsaw clear, and that was the main thing – he landed on nice soft pea straw mulch, so was unharmed.

We are hopefully going to get a chipper and chip the lot into mulch, which will stay on his brother's block next door and be turned (occasionally) and then used as mulch on the garden once it's nice and dry and cured a bit … might even throw a bit of blood and bone on it to speed things along. Don't really know about the mulching properties of banksia, but nothing seems bothered by growing next to it so I think we can safely assume it won't poison anything!

not much happened yesterday, head cold and hot weather, as well as a husband who spent the night stealing the sheets, do not an energetic Miss Lisa make! Still, we had a nice day reading papers and hanging out, finishing with a BBQ with The Hairdressers and some others.

Puppy is recovering well, back to normal I’d say, he had to go back to the vet for a bit of a tune up of his previous surgery but is now happily ‘houghing’ away (he thinks he’s barking his head off!). I can hear him from inside the house but Mr Tasmania and the next door neighbours can’t – so that’s okay.

SAturday was good, we watered all our plants at the block (they are growing so well, it’s phenomenal) and then, of course, it started to rain

We had 7mm, which is great, as it all goes in … mum/dad had 35mm, awesome for them! PIty the poor Queenslanders, flood and famine, unbelievable amounts of rain … one dam is overflowing (Charleville I think) .. it was built in 1970 and has never ever been full … so great .. but bad luck if your house has flooded!

I love cream cheese … any cream cheese … any time … anywhere (almost) …. but I love Jindi Triple Cream Brie more!

I love Blue Brie.

I can ride a horse .. haven’t for a long time but it’s .. easy as falling off actually … and I’ve done a lot of that too!

I LOOOOVVVEEEEEE gardening …. if we won Lotto I’d get a ‘little man’ in for the heavy stuff but I’d be doing all the rest of it myself.

I collect very old (early) editions of Biggles books … and yes, I know they’re probably worth lots but I really only collct them ’cause I like them, not ’cause I want to sell them … mind you, whichever sprog produced by the brothers turns out to be the biggest book lover may well one day bless Aunty Miss Lisa for her wise investing!

I like spicy but not hot

My brothers call me alternatively Sis, the Oracle, or the Sisinator … depends on what sort of mood I’m in and if they want something, obviously

I’m not at all a fan of sand … and I live about 400m from the beach.

My all time favourite movie is A Room With A View … but I could sit down and watch Dr Who or Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth edition) or Star Wars any time too.

I like the Spice Girls

I also like a lot of other far more serious music …. but I like the spice girls and I don’t care if you don’t

I’m not small … but am working on being less ‘flabulous’ …. very strong naturally and quite happy to end up toned and healthy and large … have great blood pressure btw

My hair is currently red … and long … both are subject to change without notice

I love Anne McCaffrey books (but not the Acorna series – boring!)

I have a large collection of Agatha Christie paperbacks

I have a sweet AND a savoury tooth

YOUR TURN

We got up early this morning, as we knew it was going to be a hot day, and were up at the block ready to attach chicken wire to the wallaby wire fence by 7:30am. By 12 we were finished, 100m attached and therefore rabbit proof. We only have one 20m stretch to go (need more wire) and a little bit of work under two gates and the entire ‘house’ paddock is wallaby and rabbit proof (from the outside) and JD proof (from the inside). Hooray!

The grevilleas are growing really well too, they look amazing, and the bottlebrush have taken off like mad things – and we haven’t lost any yet! I’m still a bit amazed at the dirt I have to grow things in … amazing.

One of our favourite restaurants is located in Wivenhoe, selling fish etc (which I hate) but lots of other things that I like. They’ve just started serving chicken or lamb souvlaki and I tried the lamb today …. beautiful! Mr Tasmania is very excited ’cause he’s a fusspot and uses me as a tester to see how things are … so he’ll have souvlaki next time.

Perfect weather today, cloudless, people we know were married on Sisters Beach at 4pm this afternoon and thankfully the gale force winds that have plagued us all week showed no sign of turning up to join the party!

JD is off his nut with clear light weather, lots of dogs barking, lots of summer visitors, noisy parties, etc etc etc … so he’s currently asleep at my feet. Yep, I think he’ll be spending a lot of time in the house this summer!

Lots of fun things whilst away, including a trip to Wombeyan Caves. I LOOOOOVVVVEEE Wombeyan Caves, it is one of my favourite places in the world [http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/NSWWombeyanCaves.shtml], and we have camped there quite a few times over the years.

I wanted to go because I haven't been since October 2000 (we had the family trek for my 30th birthday – awesome weekend, torrential rainfall, floating in the tent, ChiliGirl arriving pale green as my brother had driven a Volkswagon Polo through window high waterfalls to get down … they left before the road was closed officially to come down and just had to keep coming! … and I'm serious about awesome, it was heaps of fun!) but I also wanted to show it to Mr Tasmania.

I must admit I had an ulterior motive … the road in, Wombeyan Caves Road, is interesting, to say the least. On the gravel, sheer drops, very narrow two lanes, if you meet a hay truck YOU back up until it can pass, a LOT of blind corners – and mad mad mad four wheel driving tourists who have NO IDEA!!!! It's not a ‘caves' experience unless you go in via the Caves Road! Mind you, we came out via the Taralga / Goulburn road, which is tarred and much more civilised

We took the parents and our landrover and headed in on a very very hot and sticky day … and it was lovely. Great to cross over the Ford at the Wollondilly River and see not only water, but enough water that people were floating down it on floaties – yay!

The caves itself is hard to describe (I know that sounds like bad grammar, but that’s what we call it, the caves), you drop in over the cliffs and come down to a flat area with cabins and campgrounds and a feeling of serenity which is quite amazing. Lots of very big old poplar and pine/cypress trees, as well as gums, lots of green lawn, and heaps of grey kangaroos – Mr Tasmania was quite amazed by the size of one at least, a big daddy at about 6 foot tall and muscly!

We did the self-guided tour through the Fig Tree Cave and it was great – nice to be underground in the cool air too, as you start the tour by walking up a long hot dusty trail to the top of the hill.

I took some very blurry pics and some nice ones, [see www.flickr.com - Mrs Tasmania], but they might give you a small idea of what it's like. I’ve left the blurry ones out

I love caves … when there's lights, at least – not interesting AT ALL in going caving