Aussie (Alpaca) Gardening.

Hi! It's not that nothing is happening, it's just that working, having a 3y.old, a hubby that does shift work and a small farm....well, enough said!

It has been raining on and off, but we have still managed a few beautiful days.  I love Autumn in Tassie, it is actually a season here! In Perth we went from Summer to Winter and back, like flicking a switch.  Here we have a huge variety of trees that actually drop their leaves; toddler and I have been appreciating the many colours we find on the ground.  I tried to get a few nice photos, but I think they may come off as just soggy!

Some updates, little man is still having to complete speech therapy (drills urghhhh).  We are working on his /s/sh/f/.  He has quickly mastered the /sh/ and /f/, but that /s/...I have found myself with my fingers in his little mouth trying to push his tongue behind his teeth and close his teeth...tricky! Luckily I have a huge amount of reinforcers, the latest is an obstacle course in the hallway whilst holding a beanbag on a spoon...he loves it!  Every drill completed results in in a hallway race, I'm not sure who is more exhausted.  His little friend also attends the same speech therapist, so he must think it is normal for Mum's to elongate words in conversation lol!

Speckles

'Baby' on perch, 'Red' underneath and 'Curious 2' at back

Speckles the rooster is still alive and crowing.  We have had some discussion on whether he needs to 'visit his mum and dad'...or whether he stays and we see how this pans out.  Hubby and 3y.old purchased three more GIRLS (can you believe I trusted them not to return with another rooster?).  The babies are currently locked into the hen-house enclosure, until they get used to the others, and the other girls get used to them.  With all the moulting, my old girls look a sorry lot, and we sadly lost my favourite, Curious, as she became egg-bound and we couldn't relieve the problem.  Regardless of staying away from the chooks for a few weeks (they cause me too much heartache) - I just can't help becoming attached...I have of course named the newbies.  There is Baby, Red and Curious 2.  They join Speckles, Snowflake, Penny, Rasputia, Tufty and Priscilla.

I was getting frustrated at the amount of gardening I wasn't getting done, we have about an acre of garden that needs weeding, mowing and looking after.  I have been working at least one day every week, and with taking little man to playgroup in town, playdates, weekly pre-kinder class and then just the usual shopping/cleaning/washing etc...where does the time go?  So instead I decided to enlist the help of some hungry boys...why didn't I think of this earlier?

My new gardening crew

After making sure the gates were shut, we opened the pen to allow the boys out in the front garden, around the sheds and into the orchard.  I was worried about them eating poisonous plants, so they were watched for a couple of hours as they meandered amongst agapanthus and ornamental apple trees.  They were soooo good! I laughed at how inquisitive they are, looking behind the shed whilst eating giant mouthfuls of soft grass...you know that look...stretching their lips right out whilst looking at the same time...like it's too good to stop but what's over THERE?!  I have to say I have the best behaved boys, they immediately established a poo pile in the orchard, thoughtfully positioning themselves just near the vegie beds and compost heap.  A few nibbles of the tree leaves was all it took to work out that the grass was much tastier!

Adlin - 'So much to do!'

'I can't possibly do this all on my own'

'You guys leave all the big jobs to me...'

'Better just get on with it then...'

So, apart from the fact that I have to rake up the soggy leaves (or wait until a dry day and just blow them away), those wonderful boys are mowing all my lawns (and best of all, they are eating the grass in those places where I would have had to get the brush-cutter out).  Few things make me chuckle as much as the boys watching me on my spin-bike through the window (I wonder what they think of a 42 year old woman sweating profusely whilst staying in one spot LOL?), or walking up the driveway in single file, or kushing outside 3y.olds bedroom window watching him play with his trains.  I never thought in my life that I would see some of the things that my little man just takes for granted...alpacas in the garden!!

Everyone on the job!

Not to be out done, the girls were placed in charge of the back garden...

Where they did a great job of eating all of the grass between the roses...oh, and pruning the roses too!

'Gee! I hope we don't have to do that side too?!'