The scariest day there ever was…

A photo says a thousand words and a snakeskin says I don’t want to be here anymore. I’m almost too afraid to go and feed the chickens and water the garden in case I get eaten by a snake. Ick!!

In fitness news, we played a great game of volleyball last night, winning 3/4 quarters.

And in service news, tonight I will be helping to organise a scout camp in two weeks time that will assist the scouts in earning their campcraft badges, which is super important for them! So tonight we will be finalising the weekend and doing a practice run of the construction activities for the week.

Escapee Chickens – 12th November

Look.

I know at this point it’s getting unbelievable how… terrible I am at times at this whole ‘being a farmer business’.

The only thing I’ve grown successfully are my tomatoes and a helluva lot of thyme.

A while back, maybe three months ago, my boyfriend decided that there’s no point having a giant empty chicken cage at his place. Seriously, this thing is huge. Anyway, Matt went and purchased four adorable tiny baby chicks. And we (mainly Matt) hand raised these little cuties. So they’re really good around people, they come and sit on our knees when we go in to feed them and they have zero fear around humans.

The original gangstas

Then, because we already own chickens, my mum asked if we wanted four more. Last year, my mum had two chickens (white and a red) that were very sweet and laid the biggest, most delicious eggs. However, they were terrorising the backyard, pecking and digging up the grass. Mum decided they had to go, so she gave them to a friend of hers. Then the friend got given two more from another friend until she decided that they were too much for her as well, so the circle came back around to me. GREAT.

Anyway, being the sucker I am, I said “Hey, yeah sure, more chickens. Just what we need.”

Thursday, four more lovely, ready-to-lay chickens were delivered by my mums partner, to Matt’s house. And we set them up, gave them food and water and straw and everything a little hen could want. Well, except a water proof shelter. They had shelter, sure… but it wasn’t waterproof.

 

BUT COME ON IT HADN’T RAINED IN BRISBANE FOR LIKE THREE MONTHS.

 

And then I went away to the coast Friday night. And it stormed. And it stormed and rained and stormed.

When we got back Saturday night, I took Matt straight down to meet out brand new chickens.

 

No chickens. Ours were in their cage (the one with proper WATERPROOF cover). But the four new ones. Gone.

 

It was pouring down rain, so we had a quick look in the sheds that had open doors, and underneath the balcony etc etc but still no chickens. The next morning (still raining) we got up super early and headed far into the back yard, shaking the food in the container hoping they’d come running. No chickens, but our next door neighbour called out “ARE YOU LOOKING FOR CHICKENS, COS I’VE FOUND SOME CHICKENS”.

Thank god. Over we went to collect them. We had three round up and back in their pen when I said “And the fourth…?” 

Our neighbour: “Fourth? No, I only found three.”

Oh well, three is better than none. So we began living our seven chicken life and all was great. And then YESTERDAY we were having a BBQ on the patio when some random man shows up and says “I’m Dan… have you folks lost a chicken?” 

Matt and I are back to being the proud parents of eight chickens and goddammit if they’re not all there tomorrow when I go to check on them.

On the plus side, delicious breakfast!

Volleyball Extraordinare

Who is? I am?

You better believe it.

Anyway, haven’t updated on my progress in a little while. Last night I had volleyball and my team mate Jaime and I kicked some major butt.

Even though our third player was out due to exams (damn exams), Jaime and I managed to absolutely defeat the heck out of a four player team. However, Jaime was playing like a boss and I probably can’t say I was compleeeetely responsible for our win but we still did play great as a team. And there’s no I in team. But there is an I in “I am awesome at volleyball”.

Operation Christmas Child

This week myself and members from Mirrabook Rover Crew volunteered sorting, packing and wrapping Christmas boxes of goodies to send to children overseas in countries less fortunate than Australia.

It was super fulfilling work, watching all those finished boxes stack up, ready to be shipped overseas. Some boxes were filled with gorgeous gifts, perfect for a child with little or nothing. All boxes contained the basics, a toothbrush, bar of soap, note pad, a ball or skipping rope. Then it all depends on what else the families who had created the boxes decided to add. Some absolutely adorable clothing. Personal letters and pics of the family, face washers, pencil cases, dolls and all sorts. So amazing to see what a group of kind-hearted people can create!

I had planned to stay from seven until nine, but somehow nine turned into ten and I couldn’t believe that the time had literally flown by. I could have packed for hours more.

I definately aim to go back next Friday night to help again, it was great fun and for an absolutely worthy cause.

Residential Project – AGOONOREE – September 2012

As I think I mentioned in one of my previous entries, my Residential Project was the first thing I completed for my Duke of Ed award. Go me.

For my residential project, I attended Agoonoree, a Scouts Initiative that invites young children with disabilities to attend a scouting camp to get the opportunity to participate in activities they might have never had the chance to experience. It also gives both the guests and the scouts parents a break for a week of the school holidays. This year, Agoonoree was held from September 22nd to September 28th (though I unfortunately had to miss the last day due to work).

This was actually my 7th year at Agoonoree, three years as a wee scout, one year as an activities Rover and three years as a Trooplines Rover. As a Trooplines Rover (in Yellow, the bestest colour at camp oooooobviously) I, along with usually about four other Rovers, are responsible for the hygiene, mentality and spirits of about forty Scouts and Venturers and twelve Guests. So basically, they’re our responsibility when they’re not participating in activities. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, all break periods, shower time, night activities, when they should be in bed (emphasise on should you pesky venturers).

It’s hard being a professional farmer.

To be honest, when I saw the list of suggestions for ‘skills’  approved for the Duke of Ed award, there were two reasons I chose gardening/horticulture.

Firstly, because I love food, and what better than a skill I can EAT!

Secondly… It looked easy. Now I know that’s not the point of doing the Duke of Ed award, to pick the easiest options and go with it. But it looked easy and useful. I can see myself when I’m older and independent, picking my veggies from the garden and going off to make soups and stuff. So I figured, I may as well learn how to do it now AND benefit from it.

Turns out, this is not a particularly easy skill. Or perhaps I am just terrible at it.

This morning I went to water my plants, to find that they had been eaten! Only last night my mum had warned “You better pick them soon or something else will eat them first” to which I said “No mum, they’ll be fine.”

They weren’t. However, I did manage to salvage a few.

Don’t they just look delish!

The day I nearly died. 23.10.12

Yesterday, my neighbours probably thought I had just been murdered. 

It began as your average morning, awake at 5.45, getting ready for work much faster than predicted, then having lots of time left over while slow boyfriend gets ready at a snails pace. With so much spare time, I decided to go feed the chickens and water the garden. 

There I was, filling the watering can at the tank, I turned around about to water the garden when BAM! A damn toad is swimming around the top of the watering can. 

A TOAD! I HATE TOADS. 

Anyway, the story ends with a bloodcurdling scream and the watering can AND the toad being hurled half way across the back yard. And aforementioned boyfriend dying with laughter on the patio. 

However, good news is that the tomatoes are starting to look like THIS…

 

Now I don’t eat tomatoes, but I think these will be damn tasty… Not bias or anything. 

Also, I didn’t make it to volleyball this week as my nan had very serious surgery so I’ve been with her all evening and missed the first week of the season. But I have no doubt my lovely team did a great job without me and I will back to kicking some ass next week. So that’s my Physical Recreation update for the week. I did do a lot of walking today to make up for it though. Anyway, I’ll do a service update tomorrow night with a couple of pics from my long weekend at Service Moot being a Bar Maiden. In the kitchen where I belong.