Get out!

So...it must be the wet weather but last night saw us evict a scorpion and a huge worm and tonight a massive spider, two frogs, a weeta (like a cricket) and a bush cockroach. The later was actually inside the netting on the bed!... Those are just the things we have seen. Heaven knows what is wandering about unseen.The dull day has seen off the fairy lights. It is pitch black outside, the first time in a long while. I am hoping it is due to the lack of sun and not an all out revenge attack by rodents and one eyed possums!

Another Low.

So...it has been another wet day as another East Coast Low travels southwards over us.We should have had our new water tank in place as much of the water off the new shed roof has run away. So far the rain gauge is saying 28 mls and it is still raining.All is damp and miserable and not helping my mood. Last night I saw a possum in the tree outside but as it turned to face me I saw that it only had one eye, it's other eye sunken and festering. I don't know if it is Galore or some other possum but it has unsettled me. On top of that, it is the eve of my 'Dreaded Week' for tomorrow I start my week with the class of Year 5 and 6 children.I feel quite sick!

Red sky at night, Possum's delight!

All go!

So...since I last posted we have been very busy.Tuesday night we were invited round to Bent Road Winery for dinner and to meet Rachel, a friend of Robert and Glen's who was doing a PhD on 'Off grid Living'. We took some cheese with us including a delicious 'Birthday Brie' (which Will made on my birthday). Twice, on the way there, the cheese went flying as two different suicidal wallabies leapt out in front of Roxy. It is a wonder we still had presentable cheese plates but we did. We had a lovely evening out. It was the first time we have been out in the evening in ages!Wednesday I was back in school in the Prep class. We had caught another fairy light nibbling rat and after dropping it off down by the river Will dropped me off at school and went on to the Cheese Factory.I had a lovely day. It was all very well planned, not by me again and it all went smoothly without incident.It was funny that they had all remembered my Superhero alter ego 'Chicken Protector!'I was asked by the Business Manager if she could change my July booking from working with a class of Year 3 and 4 to working with a Year 1/2 class. (It was not Toerag's and Fidget's) so I said "YES!" I was so relieved...I was dreading the Year 3/4 class. On top of that the original booking was for a week but this new booking will be for 8 days...Tuesday to Friday for the first two weeks back after the Winter holiday.Will was delayed at the Cheese Factory so I walked around town twice after school and then set off walking towards home. He picked me up just before I reached the highway.Back at Frogknot that evening Will was interviewed by Rachel for her 'Off Grid' thesis.Yesterday, The Cheese Factory was visited by Queensland Health and passed the inspection with flying colours.I went into school in the afternoon to meet with the teacher of the Y 5/6 class I am taking all next week. They are a good class apparently so although I am terrified I am hoping that it will be fun. I have not taught anything but Infants since leaving College in 1985...eek!Spookily, an idea I had been thinking of doing, in case I was asked to do my own thing for some of the time, has actually been planned by the teacher...creating a story book for younger children. We are doing some work on angles and coordinates in Maths so I will have to brush up on that over the weekend.We had a 'Chinese' for dinner last night and splashed out on ordering an 'all singing and dancing' whipper snipper for outside seeing as our bank balance is the healthiest it has been since last year!Today, I have pressed Jenny to do three loads of washing. I have finished 'twigging' the chooks in and am about to go and collect some more rocks to create a 'chook watching' seat. We do spend quite a lot of time just standing watching the hens...well, now we will be able to sit!

There have been no more rats caught since Wednesday and no attacks on the fairy light wires so hopefully the vandals have been caught.

Into the Lion's Den!

So...it was my phone that woke us this morning."Hello are you available today for relief teaching?" I was asked."Er...where at?" I replied trying to sound alert and not bewildered.It was Toerag and Fidget's school."What age group?" I asked."It is all age groups so I think it will be covering for preparation time."My mouth said "yes" even before my brain had a chance to send the negative reply and I immediately regretted it.What if they were being sneaky and I was really going to be back in Toerag and Fidget's class!Halfway there I had worked myself up into such a state that I nearly pulled over and called the school to say,"Sorry, but you'll never guess what? I can't start the car!"...but I didn't. I faced my fears and thought solely of the money.As it turned out I was in one of the Year 1 and 2 classes I have not yet been in si it turned out really well."Hey, you couldn't do a day in Prep tomorrow as well could you?" Asked the Business Manager before I had even left the office.My mouth and brain agreed on this one and both said "Yes!"Well, I have to say my day was OK.This was a class of many vets, a couple of policemen and doctors, two judges, a firefighter, a scientist, a hairdresser and more unusually a conservationist, a professional ballet dancer, a dishwasher, an X Factor judge and a Linen Party girl?....they sell candles apparently.I knew some of the children from them coming into Toerag and Fidget's class during religion time. Sunny and Jewie were in this class. The teacher had talked to me about Sunny and his issues but he was no problem all day. She didn't mention one of the girls, G, who turned out to be a real wanderer, wanting to fiddle with blu-tac and needing lots of prompts to get on with her work. I think it was mostly attention seeking but it was the only slight annoyance of the day.They were a good class, very capable and well behaved.I had to be given a duty and was sent to supervise the Seniors for 15 minutes at lunch break. I now know how Daniel felt as he walked towards the Lion's Den. Spookily, whilst in my own version of the Lion's Den I was visited by an Angel....yes, she was actually called Angel, though it is the biggest misnomer I have ever come across. My Angel clung to my arm saying "What time is it? What time is it now? Is it time now?" until I was almost driven to kicking the biggest lion and let it eat me.It was the longest 15 minutes ever trying to keep them sat down while eating their 'lunch' before I could finally shout "OK guys! Off you go!"There were Lions back in my class and also Llamas. I only went and gave the Llamas the Lion's work and the Lion's the Llamas work didn't I? Doh! But the rest of the day was well planned, not by me, and went smoothly.We had a game of Hangman in the afternoon."I can spell metamorphosis!" said the class know-it-all."I want to see that" I said and made him write it on the board at the front.Yep, he did it! Not bad for 7 years old.I bought lot's of goodies on my way home. They had McVities Milk Chocolate Digestives in Aldi and Caramels!I deserved a treat!