Tag Archives: Arthur

Waiting for Baby . . .

by . Posted on
22 Sep

I was so sure that by now we’d have a baby to share with you.  However, it was that little curly haired blonde girl who told me she was going to be a Virgo, 9 months ago.  So since she is a boy, instead of a girl (presumably that means dark haired too), it is inevitable that he will be a Libra instead!  Oh well, we need a bit of BALANCE in our lives . . .

So here I sit, gross with child, puffy feet, wrists and ankles . . . it’s not quite 2 in the morning and I have been up since the witching hour.  Tinkerbell has a chronic case of laminitis so I sat out with her for an hour, doing reiki on her gurgling tummy and tortuous toes and now I am catching up with you all . . .
Waiting for a baby to come is a very funny feeling.  You clear the decks, refuse to plan anything and then life comes calling and you have to get back into it, regardless.  I had sworn that I was going to be a little stay at home farm girl for the next few weeks.  The midwife has my 4WD in case of flood so I am grounded and dependent on my husband for his wheels.  Feeling that birthing was imminent he did a huge shop last Tuesday and came home to me smiling sheepishly saying that one of my clients needed me to second interview staff for him (all part of the ‘how we grow your business better’ service!!) so I was going to glam up, grab the car and get gone . . . .
It’s a good thing he has the patience of a saint . . . !  I got heaps of work done last week, actually, perched in my little nook above the washing machine, even though my clients have to put up with my Baby Brain, and a few suppliers have been on the receiving end of the ‘don’t mess with the pregnant lady’ temper.  My fuse was always shorter than most  . . . it’s non-existent now!
So we have been adding finishing touches – we have curtains in our bedroom now and hooks on the back of doors and all those little details which make life easier and a house a home.  One of the neighbours came over on Saturday night bearing a home-made baby quilt for Benjamin which was very kind . . . and Ged came back from the Post Office on Friday laden down like Santa Claus with parcels for this very spoilt Baby Love – amazing how kind and generous everyone has been – thank you!  After forcing the poms to go Baby Gap shopping for organic clothes for us, we have FINALLY found a nice, reasonable, online store where we love the products and they even have a ‘specials’ department for seconds and sale items – can’t recommend it highly enough: www.babyecostore.com.au
Meanwhile we are enjoying the community parenting displayed by the mixed horse/cow herd.  Arthur gets babysat by whoever is willing and can be a long way away from the rest of the herd with his chaperone.  Both Arthur and Phoenix are desperate to be friends (the latest is Arthur keeps wandering up to Phoenix) but one of the over-protective herd nannies puts its head down and charges to shoo Phee away.  The definite down side of having Arthur is that Phee has discovered a new doggie delicacy – calf poo.  I’m sure it’s very tasty but it doesn’t agree with his digestion – Ged and I are suffering from his constant and cruelly overpowering wind as a result . . . phew!
I guess I’d better go to bed and TRY and get some sleep  . . . maybe this time next week I’ll have someone to show off . . . meanwhile here’s the only baby we’ve got for now!

Arthur, King of Avalon

by . Posted on
08 Sep

Well that Mad Cow FINALLY had her baby!  Her udders were so swollen she could barely walk so Ged had a big chat to her when he fed her on Saturday night and said ‘that’s enough, Paddy, you’ve got to have that baby now.’  And when he woke up yesterday morning she was standing apart from the rest and looking a little strained so he went out to give her a hand.  Apparently the nose and hooves were out but Paddy was heaving so he got his hands in there and eased the head, neck and shoulders out.  The rest came out with just one push.  (Good that he is getting lots of practise!)  And we have a little bull for the farm.  Arthur, King of Avalon.  He’s VERY cute and cuddly with the longest, spikiest lashes you have ever seen.

So we wasted quite a lot of time oohing and aahing over him yesterday and making sure that he was on the udder and sucking properly – Ged had to help him get on the teat and work it all out.
Last week was pretty quiet – we had grey skies, wind and rain for Wednesday and Thursday and I took to my bed with a mean old cold.  I can’t work out whether I am exhausted and it’s finally caught up with me and now I am the incredible sleeping giant, or whether I am just trying to bank some sleep for the future . . . probably a bit of both!  It seems strange that after months of not sleeping properly, now that the head is engaged and all the books say I should be weeing more frequently and more uncomfortable at night etc, I am sleeping like a log!  Typical, contrary me!
Friday we had torrential rain and we both had plans to be in Port Macquarie.  Even though the rivers and creeks were rising we made the call to get in and get out as quickly as possible.  Ged was selling his car, so that couldn’t be put off, and I had to pick up the sander etc but the conditions were terrible so we really were running around!  We finally left Port Macquarie just after 4 and the closer we got to home, the less likely it seemed we would get in.  Every creek and causeway was flooded and we were in Ged’s new van which hasn’t had the suspension raised yet so we weren’t taking any chances . . . Sure enough, we got to Tom’s Creek and didn’t like the look of it.  Ged waded across to gauge the depth and flow and remove a lot of branches from the bridge (he was securely tied on to the car to do this – don’t try this at home!) and it was a foot deep and whereas that would have been fine in the Pajero or the Hilux we had just sold, no good for the Delica.  We need to toughen it up first!
So we decided to walk home and come back for the car in the morning (5kms).  We put on whatever waterproofs we had (Mel, you will be pleased to hear that the only hat Ged had in the car was his UK flat cap and since we have now discovered that it suits him, it has become a firm favourite, getting lots of wear this weekend!) and then were lucky enough to see a hitherto unmet neighbour on her way home and she drove us all the way to the Flying Fox.  Thank God, I was not looking forward to getting my feet wet and cold and then the long march home, especially when I was only just recovering from a cold.  The lovely Chris Latimore came and picked Ged up on Saturday morning and took him back to the car, so we are well served with kind and compassionate neighbours out here in the country!
Ged was sick on Saturday with some sort of horrible tummy bug so I dosed him all day with homeopathics and reiki, knowing he just needed a rest – he has been working really hard both during the week and at the weekends, so his body finally forced him to take it easy.  Thankfully he was better on Sunday though – lots to do!!!  He sanded back the floor in the baby’s room which is now looking and feeling lovely and I have got two coats of Tung Oil down so far.  In a couple of days we will have it all ready for the little man and then he can move in!