to near the Feathers Pen by the Chinese goose, who after sat on the nest, rearranging it to her satisfaction, and then laid. Eventually, the Chinese left, and the nest was deserted for a time before the original occupant came back. 

The rain has come down in buckets lately, and yesterday it was "Hail, hail, the gang's all here."  I'm so glad it was Brian who did the driving over to Portland.

Alice did very, very well.  We are so proud of her, not just because of her tally, but because on the apparatus that is her worst, the beam, she scored a First Place.  She is so scared of being on the beam, and then she saw one of the competitors on the beam at the Olympics, who was visibly terrified but faced down her fears and competed anyway.  And at Olympic level!  Alice took heart at this.

 

Our wonderful daughter scored second overall, and her team was again placed first.  She also scored a second, a third and a fifth.

 

But my heart went out to a girl on Alice's team who kept slipping off the uneven bars in her warm-up and eventually hurt her wrist.  The girl, much taller than Alice, went on to compete anyway.  What courage!  And she didn't slip.  I was crying for her in sympathy, and Alice had to explain about her weird, sentimental Mum.

 

Yes, the tagasaste are still in flower, and looking like a Hollywood production in their magnificence.  The daphne is finally finishing, and I'll be sorry to see that go.  The camellias are gorgeous, as they have been for the past few weeks.

 

Mud everywhere.  We went to visit the Hopkins Falls today, and there was more foam there, flying off the muddied waters than a car wash gone mad.

 

We have been blessed by Peter dropping off more bread.  Brian chucked a loaf over into the paddock today, and Muppet went mad for it!  At first it was a case of, "What are you doing?"  And then it was, "Bread!  Bread!  Charge!"

 

It's a bit up in the air as to what is happening with the Farm.  Jim has Power of Attorney (Jim is my brother, for the uninitiated) and Mum is losing it, fast and big time.  She has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia.  So Jim is to look after her assets, including, of course, this Koroit property.  We believe that we are okay here for around another two years, but we are not certain.

 

I think it is time, and Brian agrees with me, to set up a mortgage saving account.

 

I don't want to fight Jim for this property.  I hate that sort of thing.  I told a good friend of mine that I would rather live in a bedsitter with all five of us together than argue over who gets what. 

 

From the book Swinging the Billy: Indigenous and other styles of Australian Bush Cooking by Kingsley Palmer, 1998, Aboriginal Studies Press.

 

"Witchetty grubs (Xyleutes leucomochla)

 

"Witchetty grubs are perhaps the most highly prized delicacy of all the bush foods eaten by desert people.  Women traditionally collect them but men and boys also participate in this popular social activity.

 

"The grubs are the larvae of the goat moth (Cossidae) and are to be found in the roots of Acacia kempeana, as well as in other acacias such as Acacia murrayana, Acacia victoriae and Acacia ligulata.  The discarded skins of hatched grubs around the base of the plants indicate their presence.  The roots are located with a crowbar, traditionally a digging stick, and dug up.  The grubs will be found within the root at a slight swelling.  Small twigs can be ued to prise the grubs out.

 

"In more northern desert areas the grubs are found in the outer trunks of eucalyptus trees (unidentified species) growing close to claypans.  Their presence is indicated by a bore hole in the trunk.  They are extracted by pushing a hooked stick... into the hole till the grub is encountered and impaled on the hook.  Pull it out.

 

           "Prepare a hot sand bed close to the fire on which embers have been burning.  Clear

            it of all debris and lay the grubs on the sand.  Cover with hot sand and then hot ash

           and glowing embers.  Take care to ensure that the live coals do not come into contact

           with the grubs.  Leave for a few minutes depending on the heat of the sand.  Uncover

           the grubs, turn them over and repeat.  Remove from the fire and dust off.  Eat.

 

Maralinga Lands, South Australia, 1988         

         

 

          "You may prefer not to eat the head which can be a little crunchy.  For a delicious alternative,

           lightly fry the grubs in oil or fat, with salt, garlic and pepper to taste.  Eat hot."  pps. 42-43.

 

I have eaten witchetty grubs many years ago, and they are delicious.  A nutty/chicken flavour.

 

From Lisa McInnes-Smith - "Work together.  Don't think in terms of one winning and one losing... We're a team!"

 

Happy Days

 

A rainbow, a sunset

these things make me happy

rain on a roof and me, snug and warm inside,

hot soup, a blanket, how lovely!

 

The smell of Spring

the joy of youth and the wisdom of age

boundless energy on those "conquer the World" days

a puppy on the lap, trusting, snoozing

 

a little girl's smile

merriment in the eyes

"I love you" from my husband

and a home to come home to.