The Good News is:
The ducklings are getting bigger and this means life is a bit safer for them in their wanderings.
My little duckling is now 11 and is getting bigger (she is probably going to be the tallest in this family).
The not-so-little girl had a terrific birthday weekend with our house turned into the house of girls, loud noise and lots of partaying.
The school holidays are nearly upon us and I will be able to get stuck into some serious writing – this year has been a bit of a write-off in the writing and submitting arena, but I plan to make up for it in the summer lull. A manuscript I will finish by February next year – I hereby pledge – and if I do not finish it, you may chuck me in a bathtub of water filled with ice cubes! The non-fiction manuscript shall be the Autism Files and will be written under a pseudonym (suggestions for names are welcome, but will probably be ignored – hahaha). I obviously will be letting people know the pseudonym in due course (if the thing ever gets published).
I love the school holidays 🙂 Bring it on!
The Bad News is:
The not-so-little girl sprained her ankle during her birthday celebrations and has been hobbling around the house using crutches for much of the last week 😦 We’ve been to hospital and had x-rays and ultrasounds and lots of time in waiting rooms. The girl doesn’t like doctors much anymore – she refuses to acknowledge that they know anything 😉 and is loathe to follow their advice.
The ducklings are much bigger, we have too many of them and they can be quite messy (and no-one has come forth to take them off my hands even though I am begging all passing tradies and unsuspecting parents who drop in – ‘will you please take a ducky’ or ‘can I pay you in ducklings?’ 😉 One trady responded with ‘do they lay golden eggs’ Ha!
The Abbott Government is still in power and becoming increasingly embarrassing (but I won’t elaborate).
The Ugly is:
In the eye of the beholder (and if you call this alpaca ugly he will spit at you – so there) 🙂
Gabe Feathers McGee 
Hi Gabrielle. Hope your ‘not-so-little’ girl’s ankle is healing okay. Fancy doing that during her birthday celebrations. I won’t comment on your ‘lovely’ alpaca’s face as I definitely don’t want to be spat on. Hope your menagerie are doing well.
We are all doing well (my family and other animals as Gerald Durrell once wrote 😉 ). The girl was on the trampoline and hit the pole that holds the safety net – ha! thanks Helen (can’t believe you share the same birthday as the not-so-little girl – hope you had fun too, but no accidents of course).
Yes, I had fun on my birthday and definitely had no accidents.
A spat with an alpaca is definitely to be avoided.
Hope the sprain is coming right!
The government is developing an increasingly bad Abbott?
apparently their spit is very smelly – avoid the ‘spat’ at all costs – hahaha – you are very punny colonialist 😉
Belated Happy Birthday, Tessa 🍰🎁 Gosh, Gabe – the blog years are flying!
I know! I was looking at some older posts and the kids are so young – ha! thanks for the birthday wishes for Tessa 🙂 bb
Hope your young lady is feeling better & the Drs told her arnica & magnesium would be helpful. Ducks are growing up so quickly – & looking very healthy. Finding time to write – you would need a Tardis. A new pseudonym for you – so many options. Have you got a few favourites in mind? Thanks for the alpaca tip off – will avoid spit where possible. Yukky.
I’m revving up the tardis as we speak Jane 😉 I’ll probably use my maiden name and change the boys name (he wants to use his Dad’s name). The girl is getting there – still hopping about though – she is supposed to be walking on it and ‘feeling the pain’ so the doc says but the girl is very good and ignoring advice from doctors. I can’t believe your girl is off overseas – huge for you and for her – she’ll have a great time I’m sure.
My you have been busy there…your farm/ranch seems to be growing quite rapidly in terms of number creatures you have about…ah and it seems like we all have governments vying for the World’s Dumbest…sadly.
managed to say goodbye to 12 ducklings and a rooster this weekend Charles – which was the plan in the first place, so the numbers are slowly going down (lost a mouse the other day too – suspiciously disappeared during the birthday celebrations – hmmm) 😉