I left Ged and the plumber ripping  out the bathroom the other day.  After I had bossed them both around and got in the way I decided I had better not ask any more questions when I saw Colin drilling a hole in a strange spot in the floor.  I figured they both knew what they were doing and just had my bath outside under the jacaranda tree, revelling  in nature while they toiled.  Then I made them scrambled eggs on toast and iced coffee and left them to it.  When I came home I was thrilled to see the shower base in and to get a sense of how good my shower will be.  Then I walked into the rest of the room.  ‘Why is the toilet there” I asked.  ‘That’s where you wanted it, honey’ Ged replied.  Oh God, that is NOT where I wanted it . . . you can imagine the rest!

The upshot was that since Colin went away for the Christmas break early the next morning, Ged was given all the instructions and had to spend Saturday moving the loo . . . less than six inches to the left!!  Control freak?  Moi??

I went to Sydney and found a dress so you will be pleased to hear that I will not be fronting up at the hitching rail in my Birthday Suit on 15th March!  It’s going to be made by a fabulous gay Aussie designer called Adam Dixon who I found through a strange set of coincidences and it is exactly what I had in my head so we won’t worry about the dollars!!  Well, I got my wedding shoes at Target for $20.00 so that should offset some of the cost!!  It was good to see Shirley and Marcel and be inspired by their lovely home and it is testimony to how tired I am that I slept through all the cars and trains which create the Sydney soundscape.  I put myself through DFO (Direct Factory Outlets) which is rather like being in a huge fluoro lit maze and first it seems exciting when you come across a dead end and then you become more and more frustrated and fearful as you can’t find you way out, every way you turn is the wrong way, until you finally stumble back the way you came and stagger into the sunshine, heaving deep breaths of relief and vowing never, ever again . . . .

I went to Ikea to look at the kitchens and have found one so we will go back into the breach once more in January to find Ged a suit for the big day and bring home my country kitchen from the big smoke.

I got one of my Christmas presents early . . . I have wanted a Jersey cow ever since I read and fell in love with Colleen McCulloch’s gorgeous ‘Ladies of Missalonghi’ many years ago.  And she arrived on Friday!  She was immediately christened Daisy and when I was out trying to befriend her on Friday night I must have not fully locked in the yard gate bolt.  When Ged got up to make the tea on Saturday morning he found Daisy was long gone!  So we went hunting and eventually Ged and Phee found her hiding on the other side of the river and tried to tempt her with honey sandwiches to no avail.  So I went and played Parelli games with her for three hours until she would follow me home.  We only  had one bad moment when I decided to rope her to get her to cross the river with me and she showed me her strength by hauling me head first and bouncing on my ass through a briar patch . . . so i gave that up as a bad idea!  Bloodied and battered I persuaded to forgive me for such rudeness and love me again and she followed me home across the river, up the bank, all the way down the flat and back into the yard – good girl!!  She kisses on command and she definitely thinks I’m a cow!  She tried to mount me three times that afternoon and played head butting games with me so I had to slap her down a bit.  On Sunday we let her out again and she went off at a leisurely pace to the same spot but when I went to retrieve her a few hours later I just had to call and she came wading across the river to me and followed me home again.  We might be two mad cows together but we are very happy!

This Mad Cow is signing off for 2007.  It’s been a crazy year.  Who would have thought that my single-minded pursuit of my dream farm would bring me my best friend, my life partner and a love I’ve longed for all my life?  Who would have thought I could have found this much happiness someone who understands me and loves me anyway!!

We are in a mad push to get the house done over the holidays so Ged can start building the office and I can plan a wedding and orchestrate all the different things that have to happen at Avalon before she is on show in March.  I hope we also get some time off to enjoy each other and this land which holds and nurtures us and is our much-loved home.

Here’s love to all of you at this time of togetherness, hope and promise.  Let’s see what 2008 will bring us all . . . .

DAISY!