What's brown and sticky?
Our new pets!

Some friends kindly gifted us with some funky, weird, beautiful little stick insects. We have 3 and yesterday's task was to build them a home...Flex and his Opa built a frame out of metal (we are lucky enough to have a bunch of great welding equipment in the shed - I dream of huge junk sculptures!!), and Flex and I then got busy with mesh and sewing needles to create the perfect enclosure. We had plans for converting an old TV into a 'living TV' but it all got a bit complicated....the critters are now happily swaying on their juicy new gum leaves and enjoying a bit of morning sun. They are ever so cute and strange! Flex has been studying them intently and I have to admit they are captivating - especially the way they sway back and forth to camouflage themselves....They are nearly as crazy as our wwoofer Sun in the pumpkin soup eating photo ;)

If you want to find out more about keeping these fascinating critters there's some info here at the Australian Museum's website. 

Spencer Women's Lunch 2nd Birthday!What a vibrant and joyful community we live in! Friday 30th March was the second anniversary of the first 'women's lunch' held for and by Spencer gals. We gathered at the community hall and shared champagne, coffee and stories of our lives while planning and discussing the future of our eclectic little village and the upcoming 'Taste of Spencer' Festival to be held on the 20th May. A delightful ceremony was held to honour the happiness and sense of connection this group creates and we went on to feast on homemade and homegrown treats. And of course there was cake - it was a birthday party after all!We shared the day with some new guests...Deborah O' Neill (MP) commented on the dynamism of our group and how driving down to Spencer feels 'like a holiday'! Deborah also gave an inspiring speech about the power of women's groups and how together we are all edging ever closer to real and meaningful equality. We also had several members of the 'Status of Women' committee from Gosford Council attend and they spoke of the importance of women supporting each other. Special thanks was given to Eve Leeming who initiated the 'Women's Lunch' two years ago and really gives so much to the community of Spencer.
With all of this 'girl power' in the air it was truly an inspiring get together - we are looking forward to the next one!
Spencer Women's lunch is held on the last friday of each month from 12 midday at the Spencer Community Hall. Bring a plate to share.


The above is an article I just wrote for our community rag - Lucky was the extremely lucky token male at the gathering and even got to blow out the candles and cut the cake! It's amazing isn't it - I have been reading a 'witchy' book and wishing for more 'witchy poo' magic in my life and the sure enough - it turns up in Spencer!

One of my very best friends Ben lives overseas. It kinda sucks, because I miss him, but it does give us a reason to drop everything and go to hang out with koalas when he is in the country on a two week whiparound trip.

We are lucky enough to have not one but two great wildlife parks within a 40 minute drive of our place. You heard about the reptile park (where we took the Swiss woofers last week) on the blog already, and yesterday it was the Walkabout Park that we explored with Ben and his mate Brenton fresh from Toronto, Canada. They were hoping to see koalas, and well, we got up and personal with these little cuties fo sho! The great thing about the Walkabout Wildlife Park at Calga is the animals are pretty much free range (except the really bitey ones) so you actually get to 'hang out' with them.....we patted koalas, kangaroos and emu and a curious little grey kanga even tried to join us for lunch!
Flex and Lucky threw boomerangs, played with the 'pet' rainbow lorikeets and got in trouble for picking up a turtle who was wandering between waterholes. We went for a walk on a twisty bush track and examined stringy bark rope, scribbly gumtree art and Aboriginal rock carvings as well as a cave full of ancient handprints. We sat on a rock at a traditional 'men's site' (we were a very manly bunch after all ;) overlooking the vast green scrub and chatted. Brenton is doing a PhD on the cost of every school 'failure/repetition' in Canada, and was extremely interested in home schooling  so we had lots of stuff to discuss! It started to rain softly and was very beautiful. We could smell the eucalyptus and tea tree in the atmosphere as the Australian bush gifted us with a moment of sacredness.
After distributing the 'suitcase full of Canadian candy' and lots of big hugs, 'Benton' were on their merry way and we drove home eating Oh Henry bars and Cheezies. Oh Canada!

Well it feels like another wonderful whirlwind of adventures has swept through our lives carrying us around to fun places.
Before I go any further, let me say this: I am aware that sometimes my blog sounds like all is well all the time and that we just skip from one joyful learning experience to another. Rest assured dear reader it is NOT always like this. We also vaccuum the house (a lot, I might add, we have two dogs that live inside and it is a farm after all!), argue amongst ourselves, watch TV (sometimes what feels like too much), scoop up a gargantuan amount of chook poo, eat Hungry Jacks when I'm feeling really lazy and generally have many valleys amidst the peaks of mountain life.
But somehow, when I go to write a blog entry, I seem to remember the good stuff and that is what I want to record. I do believe in manifestation - what we surround ourselves with and concentrate on - so shall we create in our realities. So no, I am not ignoring the grit and grime, just choosing to focus on the good and gorgeous instead...
Anyway, back to the story....the boys had their home school swimming carnival on friday ( I turned up on the right day this time!) and it was...interersting! Flex raced and won third in both freestyle and breaststoke, Lucky missed the starting horn and took off after all the others in his race, swam like a man posessed and kept going way past the finish line. And came first! But the whole experience - the strong chlorine, the unfamiliar adrenaline surge and the sense of unsurety was a bit overwhelming for him and one race was enough! The interesting part for me was that the boys were more than happy to "enjoy a few races and then go" (their words) while I, with my years of competetive schooling under my belt kept asking them "Are you sure? You are doing so well! You might win more ribbons!!!"
Sheesh.
So we left early and went to explore Sydney Olympic Park and had the BEST afternoon playing in the crazy cool tunnel land of Armory Park, eating lunch at the Wharf restaurant and taking in the Art Express exhibition. Which you had to walk along old railroad tracks and through a tunnel to get to.....the art was spectacular - so much skill and thought and beauty! Lots of sculptures using recycled materials and lots of comment on the pollution of plastic in our world, which has been a real theme in our 'study' this year....
That evening we went barefoot bowling at a young friends 21st and the boys won a pack of Tim Tams for their excellent bowling efforts. They were MUCH more stoked about this prize that the shiny ribbons of that morning!!!
Back at the farm we prepared for this months markets by picking pumpkins and slicing onions (Flex) and making Chai mix (Lucky). The markets yesterday were a true triumph! Flex ran the sausage sandwich stall and between that and selling pumpkin and cucumbers, made over $100 dollars profit! He is saving for an ipad.....Lucky had a ball as well, spending ages at the new 'fossil and gem' stall poring over crystals and rocks. Our new home schooling friends came up to the markets then back to the farm with us where boating, swimming and tea drinking ensued....a cracker of a day!

I just love watching the boys try something new.
Today it was 'skim boarding' - one of the activities most likely to result in a broken bone so I've heard.
I can see why.

The shiny white and blue skim board was spotted and pleaded for in Aldi a few weeks ago. It had it's debut today at Umina beach, which with it's gently sloping sand and shallow waves, was the perfect spot.
The first couple of goes very nearly ended in disaster. Small earnest bodies running full pelt and jumping onto a slippery piece of wood that seemed as predictable as a day of weather in Sydney.
Run, jump, BAM! Onto the sand bum first. Then head first. At one stage Flex fell so hard that sand splattered up from under the water and into his eye.
"I HATE skimboarding" Grrrrrrrr......
There were tears. And limping.

But they kept trying.

They knew there was joy to be had somewhere amidst all the pain and difficulty. That if they could 'suck it up' and keep going, somehow it would be worth it. And bit by excruciating bit, it got.....easier.
One attempt resulted in staying ON the board the entire time it was sliding along the wet sand. The next attempt resulted in the board spinning a slow 180 degrees....and not sending it's passenger sprawling face down into the drink.
"Wahoo! Did you see that one! That was, like, a trick!"

And their joy was sooooo infectious. After watching them try and fail so many times, being witness to the elation in a moment of victory was all the sweeter. They ran, and laughed and looked to see if I was looking, and I cheered and clapped and laughed along with them, in the silvery evening, salty twilight, skimboarding accomplishment glee.

Well done boys. If you can skim board, you can do bloody anything!

Lucky: What would you rather be - earth, water, fire or lava?
Flex: Lava. I can melt you.
Lucky: I'm earth. I'm obsidian. I can withstand anything.
Flex: I'm nature. I am everything including lava and what it melts.

Lucky: What would you rather have - a monkey or two corn snakes?
Me: A monkey.

Lucky is into random questions at the moment and they reflect the randomness of our current lives. One day we are at the Reptile Park communicating with a galapagos tortoise, the next shopping at Ikea and playing with measuring tapes. One moment hanging out at an all ages rock show, the next digging a hole and planting a nashi pear tree. One morning making pickled cucumbers and organising a festival, and that afternoon making candles out of egg shells.
Random.
Spontaneous.
Interesting.
Busy.
Fun.

The more I embrace the flow of events that present themselves to us, the more I submit to opportunity, the more I 'let go' of the need for a 'plan'....the more.....exactly!

Johanna asked me to write something for her blog:
"What blog?" - No I'm just kidding! Sure i know about her blog..
Hhmm what to write.
Let me start with; it was a really great time "WWOOFing" at Lower Mangrove. We started last year WWOOFing at their farm for a couple of days (or weeks, i can't really remember), and finishd this year for again 1 week.
It was a great experience for me, and it's a good way to get better in english.
Thanks for this experience, for the fishing, the riding, the trip out in the bush and all the other stuff we could do with you... THANK YOU!
I'm really gonna miss you guys, also the little cute dogs Hamish and Any, but not Hamish's licking ;-)
Hope we'll see us again, but i think we will.
 Luca asked me today when we'll come back: 'In one year?' 'No i don't think so.' 'two years?' 'No.' 'Four years?' 'No.' 'Ten years?' 'Maybe.' I tried to tell Luca that i first wanna see some other places on earth before i'll come back to Australia, so all of us don't know when we're gonna see us again...
Thats the way it is when you're traveling, isn't it?

So that little gem was by Manuel, one half of our Swiss wonder-wwoofing team....who are sadly leaving us today, after we take them to the reptile park to watch king browns being milked for their venom...he he he....just making sure they leave with sweet memories of Australia!
I'm glad his time with us was memorable so far...can't even remember if it was days or weeks.( It was actually over a month.) Anyway, the farm - especially the woodpile - looks great for their efforts, and once again our woofing experience has been a positive exchange of cultures and friendship and we had the opportunity to share this amazing place that we call 'home'.
Happy travels boys! Might see you in the Swiss Alps one day......

Another day, another cool experiment....it seems Mondays have morphed quite organically into 'let's make awesome stuff with science' day. Maybe it's because everyone is usually in a state of 'catching up' from the weekend, and doing a fun science experiment takes very little convincing.....
The theme of the afternoon was COPPER SULPHATE.
I just happened to have a bag of the stuff in the tack room to use for the horses. When mixed with some vaseline it is an inexpensive and very effective treatment for the dreaded 'seedy toe' (bacterial infection in the cracks in the hoof usually caused by wet ground). So thats some science right there and we haven't even started!
We brought the bag of blue powder into the kitchen and naturally the first step was to build a fire. Huh? Well, copper sulphate powder sprinkled over a flame turns that yellow/orange burny beauty into an iridescent blue/green special effect right before your very eyes. The boys had great fun building the fire and playing magicians. It's a bit of a celebration when the weather cools down enough to enjoy a fire again...and all the better when you can do a little wizarding!

Then it was onto the next experiment and for that we went to the newly discovered internet pearl : www.instructables.com

Detailed instructions on making, well, just about anything! Lego jewelry, clocks, paper aeroplanes, card games and.....crystals! I'm looking forward to exploring this site. Finding exciting new home school activities is better than porn I tell you ;)

Mixing a saturated copper sulphate solution and building the 'seed' on which to grow the crystal was quite engrossing. We also used half egg shells filled with solution to hopefully create our own geodes. After lots of stirring and close examination to see if the liquid was truly 'saturated' and didn't allow any light through, the boy's future crystals are sitting pretty, quietly growing on the windowsill.

And now it's time for cake.

My little entrepeneurs...
Today the boys participated in the Home School Kid's Markets, and what a great day it was! Held at the Mt Penang 'Tharapy Garden' there was all manner of crafts, cooked delights, and plants as well as heaps of books, activities and resources to swap and buy. An event that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy being part of a vibrant and connected community...
Lucky has been mixing and preparing 'spice' as he calls it, for days...he has concocted a great 'Hot Mix', a yummy 'Salt Mix' and a truly divine 'Chai Mix'. Little 'Mr Spicy' did so well peddling his wares today, nearly selling out and even getting some orders! The gorgeous part is, I think he had just as much fun creating his business as he did making the money.
Flex, on the other hand really flew by the seat of his pants, picking three pumpkins late this morning and with nothing more than these, a knife, a chopping board and some glad wrap - made nearly $40 bucks! Completely sold out!! He also finally managed to sell his bike which sent him into an ecstatic state of happiness, as it meant he had  enough cold hard cash to pay off and pick up his brand new BMX.
A good day of trade....amd joyful, experiential, real life learning....

Well yesterday was excursion time for home school and we were off to learn about organic farming methods at Champion Organics, Mangrove Mountain.
The sun was out but the gumboots still came in VERY handy as there were lots of puddles from all this rain we've been having.
We congregated outside the packing shed at the farm and the farmer Michael Champion gave us a quick rundown on the 'rules'. The kids then contributed what they knew about organic farming and Michael told us briefly about herbicides, pesticides and fungicides. After a last loo opportunity we were off down the lovely bush road, past a full to the brim dam and lots of pristine native land featuring tea trees, gymea lillies and gorgeous rocks.
Our first stop was to see garden beds in three stages of development.
    Stage 1: Chop all the weeds down and lay weed mat over them, effectively killing them by sunlight deprivation. This way all the nutrients from the dead weeds can be absorbed back into the soil. Michael spoke passionately about the wonders of soil and how it is much more than 'just dirt'. He spoke of all the millions of creatures that live in a healthy handful of soil, and how, just like children need constant meals in order to keep playing, so do does soil need feeding in order to stay 'alive'. He also spoke about the food chain that exists amongst soil creatures and later gave the kids a cool handout on this topic. At this stage he also spoke about the three main elements that plants need in order to grow which are nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous. This information came in handy later....
    Stage 2 : Remove the weed mat, then dig trenches in the bed, lay irrigation piping and fertilize. Michael showed the kids what 'drip' irrigation pipe looks like up close and also chatted about the types of fertilizer he uses. We also saw how quickly weeds spring up in a fresh and healthy bed! As Michael said "nature abhorrs a vacuum", meaning if there is an empty spot nature will fill it up!
    Stage 3 : Plant all the gorgeous new seedlings using companion planting ideas. Weed and water as needed......

It was a great deal of information for the kids to take in but they did well! Then it was off further into the farm to look at rows of orange trees. Michael pointed out what happens when the root stock of a grafted tree takes over - you get a dark green spindly shrub with tiny sour fruit and thorns that look like something out of a horror movie! Of course all the older boys had to have a good look at and a  'feel' of these! Michael then showed us some of his weeding tools and demonstrated how to use them without straining your back. Very important for farming (or gardening) longevity...

Then we got the rare opportunity (due to the huge amount of rain) to see a spring bubbling up straight out of the ground! This was a real treasure to behold and the kids were clustered around it accordingly. Michael also showed us the vertical pipe which lead down to an underground river 20 metres below the surface! He dropped a rock into it and we heard it fall.....then splash into deep water - so cool!!!

Then it was the compost heaps where we saw baby corn plants growing straight out of the discarded cob! Nature is truly amazing. On the way back Michael showed us lots of edible 'wild weeds' such as red clover, dock, plantain, dandelion and fat hen which the kids (and parents) delighted in trying. Back at the shed we all had a look inside at the washing area (which recycles it's water) and saw where all the sorting and packing happens preparing food for market. A huge thank you to Michael Champion and his wife Nancy (who kept up the rear answering questions and sharing great knowledge all the time). Organic farming ROCKS!

Then back to the freedom farm we went for an afternoon of pic-nic-ing, swimming, canoeing, horse patting and jumping off the houseboat. At one point I joined the kids on the houseboat and they jumped in amidst cries of 'Nitrogen! Potassium! Phosphorous!'

A lovely day of learning, experiencing, socialising and playing in nature's classroom.