Category: Wang

Those pesky magpies

/ Renae / 1 Comment

It’s been over 2 years since I’ve worried about being attacked by a magpie, but it looks like those fears are about to re-surface. In Melbourne, I never got attacked, and apparently it wasn’t that common for people to be swooped, for whatever reason. Growing up in Brisbane, spring was always a stressful time for me. I could hear the magpies calling out in the weeks leading up to their nesting, and my ears would prick up, my hairs would stand on-end, and the sweats would begin.

I had a few terrifying magpie experiences walking to school. One in particular that I remember was when I was about 16 and I was carrying my bass guitar to school along Herston road. I heard it coming and I turned around as it swooped past my head, so I started running. I ran all the way to school and had a massive asthma attack. As you can imagine, I walked a different way home.

If you’ve never been swooped, it’s really quite traumatic! My Dad cut out black and white cardboard eyes to put on the back of our hats or helmets to try and deter them, and I think it may have worked. I’m going to make some for my little hat that I wear to work each day cos I pass HEAPS on my walk to work. Apparently if you look them in the eye they are deterred, but I have no intention of trying to stare one down as it’s shooting towards my head.

Here’s hoping they’re too busy looking after their eggs to worry about little old me. Otherwise I’ll have to find a different way to get to work…

Rusky Business

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One of the things I was most looking forward to about having our own place was all the cooking and baking I was going to get to do. And it has been fabulous! I have been baking up a storm of pumpkin choc-chip muffin cookies, ANZAC bikkies, macaroons, and last weekend, rusks. Being married to a man with South African blood in him, rusks were always something that I wanted to learn how to make. So armed with a recipe from his uncle, and assistance from his Ma, I went to work.

On a side note, I had gone to a garage sale that morning and seen one of those huge ugly silver mixing bowls and thought “hmmmm…. might that come in handy? Naaaaaaaah…” As soon as I started mixing the ingredients (which included almost 2kg of dried ingredients) I was kicking myself for not buying it!!

Anyway, back to the baking. I had to mix the dry ingredients together, then the butter, sugar, eggs and buttermilk.

Note to self: need larger mixing bowl so as not to spray buttermilk mixture everywhere while mixing
Next I mixed the dry ingredients with the wet ones, using my hands and making a huge mess. FUN! Again, I had to mix in 2 bowls and then combine the 2 at the end. I lined 3 baking trays but only ended up needing the 2.
Then I pressed the raw mixture into the trays
The recipe says to bake for 50-60 minutes but after an hour I smelt the goodness and checked it out. I really should have swapped them over half-way through, cos one of them was VERY well cooked and the other wasn’t done in the middle so I had to put it back in.
Then you let them cool for an hour or so and cut them up. The next process dries them out to crunchy-goodness.
Pop them in the oven for 4 hours at 100 degrees with the oven door slightly ajar to let the moisture out (thanks Ma)
In the meantime, cook yourself an awesome omelette with your farm-fresh eggs you got for $3 a dozen from a lady at work who has her own chickens. (see the rusks cooking below?? The smell was heavenly.)
And bring them out, nice and dried, and wait impatiently for Hubs to get home and be mega-impressed!
Remember for next time: don’t have the oven open so much, to increase drying-out; use bigger bowls; buy a bigger tin (this one only fit half of them!); let them cool more before cutting them so they don’t all crumble on me; cut them into longer pieces.
I’m hoping these last us at least a couple of months, though, the way Hubs has been going through them I might be making the next batch before too long. The idea is, you make a whole bunch (I probably made about 100) so you don’t have to make them very often. It was lots of fun, but I’m not sure I’ll be lining up to make something like koeksisters any time soon. Not without the expertise of an experienced SA cook at least!! 🙂

Wang floods

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In case you haven’t heard, Wangaratta is experiencing some pretty crazy flooding right now, but thankfully we are unaffected. I’m going to go for a wee walk at lunch time to check out the rivers near by, as apparently they are quite a site to see.

Bargains galour

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As I have also previously mentioned, Mum and I did some great shopping in that first week while Hubs was away and got some absolute gems! Like….

A $20 couch!

 A rocking chair and bookshelf (pictured here with Wifey and sewing table)

Fold-away sewing table in all it’s glory, and lovely chairs

A Queen-size bed

A totally awesome upside-down fridge (and one of the chairs)

We also got Hubs a couple of tables to set himself up with a little study, and of course, we have the data projector up and running – it’s sitting on the top of the fridge – and the media PC with all our movies, TV shows and music in prime position. I might even get around to taking some photos of them at some stage!
Today has been a bit of a struggle for me hormone-emotion-wise so I’ll leave it there for now. I’m going to go and have a cup of tea and a rusk, and do some more blogging later.

Trying new things

/ Renae / 3 Comments

As I mentioned, Hubs and I have been taking Yoga classes since we arrived in Wang. I wanted to learn some relaxation and breathing techniques, and we both wanted to improve our flexibility. I have been mostly enjoying it, except that I seem to be getting worse, not better. Each week I find the class a little harder and feel like I can’t do as much as the week before, as my belly expands. I do feel I’ve benefited from the relaxation techniques, and have learnt some great “labour poses” (pose of the child, cat pose), and hope that I can apply them when the time comes.

I was watching Hubs do some “Dragon” poses last week and marvelled at how far he had come with his Yoga. For someone who could barely sit cross-legged before we started, he really has loosened up and developed a great technique. I was really quite proud! I’ll just keep plugging along and hope that it pays off in November.

I’ve also started riding a bike a bit more frequently. Now, let me tell you, riding a bike isn’t “just like riding a bike” for me. It does not come naturally, nor easily. Don’t get me wrong – I WANT to love bike riding. I WANT to be one of those people who just jumps on her bike to pop to the shops or to church or to a garage sale, but the thought doesn’t really float my boat. And being pregnant really doesn’t help my cause at all. Not only am I my usual amount of uncoordinated, but I’m now unbalanced (be nice) as well! The fact that I have a men’s bike doesn’t help either. Getting on and off that thing (having to swing my leg over the bar) is not easy, and don’t even get me STARTED on the size of the seat!!!

I found a bike at a bike shop the other day and fell in love. It was purple, it had a massive seat, a little basket on the back, it was a hybrid (whatever that means), and it was oh-so-cute (cos that’s important). And it was “only” $600!! I really think if we were going to be in Wang for the next 5 years I would invest in it, but I just can’t see myself riding much once we move back to Queensland. Mainly because of all the hills! I’ve never owned a new bike before, and certainly not one and pretty and fancy as that one. I just don’t know that I can justify the expense. But every time I have to get on my current bike, I am very tempted indeed!!

I am trying hard to embrace it a bit more, and over the weekend I DID ride my bike to a garage sale on Saturday and to church on Sunday. And it just makes me want that pretty bike even more…

From Newman to Wang

/ Renae / 2 Comments

So as they say, better late than never. I’ve finally gotten around to going through all the photos we have taken the last couple of months, so I’ll be able to fill you in on our big move. First of all, packing up our unit at Newman was a mammoth task that we put off mostly until the Wednesday/Thursday/Friday before we moved. The funny thing about having limited space and trying to move all in one go, is that you end up packing the stuff you hardly ever use first, and have to leave the stuff you use often because it can’t fit in! Ridiculous, no?

I must say a very big thank you to everyone who offered to help and who did help, whether it was by manual labour, bringing over banoffee cakes, packing a trailor load of stuff to take up for us, and taking things off our hands (too many to mention). Oh, and to the cleaners at Newman for cleaning our flat for us on Monday!!! Something I thought I would have time and energy for, but Littlefoot decided to sap all my energy for the weekend so it didn’t get done.

As happened last time we packed the kombi, I just left Hubs to it and he did a great job. Even though it looked like this time we wouldn’t fit half our stuff in!

We were worried about pushing out the windows towards the end! I’m not sure we could have fit another thing in!!!

Deja vu anyone? I wanted a photo with the door open, but everything would have fallen out, so we had to make do. We were all packed by about 10am Saturday morning which was a pretty good effort if you ask me! Now Hubs, where do I fit??

This was a bit unacceptable for little ol’ preggo Wifey, so we dropped by our friend’s place who was already taking a trailor-load up for us, and left a few more things with him. This made for a much more pleasant trip. Victoria put on some glorious weather for us as we drove out of the Newman gates for the last time and onto the Hume.

The next chapter I already spoke about here, but here are some photos to go with our first couple of days in Wang.

Hubs trying to keep warm on our first night
Our lounge room and makeshift bedroom for the first few nights
Where oh where will it all go?

I’ll leave you with the “before” shots to ponder over, and let you get excited that I actually have some “after” shots to show you in the next few days!

Aaaaaah…..

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That’s just kind of how I feel at the moment. Things in Wang are settling down, I started my new job which is going well (after my 2nd day of having absolutely nothing to do and no internet access at work to do it on). I walk to and from work some days, and other days I ride. Hubs rides to the hospital each day and has set himself the goal to arrive at 8am each day. So far this is going well. I have a cold which is a be-arch. I haven’t been sick in a VERY long time so I’ve been rather whiny about it. Plus, and this is just so typical, I’m on casual hours here which means no sick leave. Not that I would have taken time off necessarily, but ain’t that just the way? I’m at a job for just under 2 years and could count the number of sick days I took on 1 hand. Then I start a new job, and in the 2nd week I come down with something. Anyway, I’m getting over it.

I head down to Melbourne this weekend for my Marriage Celebrant Professional Development which should be good. Then I’ve booked up my Sunday with lots of coffee dates which I’m really looking forward to. Hubs is going to hit the ski fields tomorrow and have another day of snowboarding (which means 4 or 5 days next week of him being sore). And then I’m up in Brisbane the following weekend, so as you can see, the fun never stops!

I know I keep promising it, but I WILL have some photos (before/during/after unpacking) of our new place just as soon as we get our computers all set up. Hubs is working on that in his minimal spare time.

So yeah, just another little update for y’all, so you know I’m still here. I’m doing well, Hubs is good and Littlefoot just won’t stop kicking. Aaaaaah. Life is good.

Hangin’ out in Wang

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Wow what a week it has been! Hubs has been living it up in Shepparton for the week (well, he’s been attending lectures and social nights at least) and Mum and I have been spending it up in Wang! After my blog post on Monday, Mum and I headed in to town and as I was talking to a guy at Optus about broadband (bring it on baby!) I also asked him if he knew of any second-hand furniture places around the place. He recommended a place within walking distance so after a (delicious) pie and coffee for lunch, we set off down the road.

And hit the jackpot.

This place had everything!!! We bought a fridge, 4 chairs, a bed frame, a rocking chair (bliss!!) and the coolest fold-down sewing table imaginable. They had free delivery and gave us a tip for a place around the corner where we could be cheap new mattresses, so we popped in there on the way home and made a purchase there as well. It was about 4:15pm by the time we got home, and by 5pm, everything had been delivered! How amazing is that! Wait til you see the photos of the stuff we bought. We just had the best luck! And the best thing is, it’s all second-hand so there was no budget-blowing!

So the last few days have been spent lunching and getting bits and pieces for the rest of the house, and yesterday we had a big cooking day. I’ve been putting the slow-cooker to good use and we’ve already made apricot chicken (a family favourite) and pea and ham soup (so goooooood.) I made some more roosoles to freeze yesterday, as well as some pumpkin and dark chocolate cookies.

It’s been absolutely amazing having Mum around this week and it will be hard to say goodbye to her tomorrow. But before I do that, we’re going to hit some garage sales and look for some dresser drawers, while Hubs spends the day at the snow with a friend who’s coming down. Still so much to do!!

Baby update: Lots of kicks since last Thursday – basically all day, every day. A lovely feeling indeed.

No time to spell-check! 4 minutes remaining on my library internet session!!! You’ll have to proof-read and correct yourself…. 🙂

We’re heeeeeeeeeeere!

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Hubs and I arrived in Wang on Saturday afternoon after a great trip up. We were packed and ready to go by around 10am and after a brief pit-stop at our friend’s place on the way, we were on the highway by 11. We arrived around 2 and as we drove in to our new place, the neighbours came out to say hello. It was really lovely. Charlie next door made an offer of a cup of tea which we took him up on once we unpacked. How is it that it took 2 days to pack the kombi and less than an hour to unpack!?? Hilarious.

Charlie invited us over for dinner but we mentioned we had something organised already. This didn’t stop him though! At 4:30pm there was a knock at the door and there was Charlie, telling us he’d cooked us dinner. Ha ha. It was very sweet. We had pork chops and veges and were home around 6 for some more unpacking.

After the rental debacle, everything worked out fine. We really like the unit we got and it’s in a great location. I also landed a casual job at the Council offices (just finished my interview and signed the contract to start next week) which is absolutely perfect! So you see? Everything worked out wonderfully.

Now Mum and I are off to do some much-needed shopping including buying FURNITURE!! And a fridge. Hopefully. I have a big long list and a whole week to check everything off! Hubs gets home Friday night and our friend is coming down for the weekend which will be great. That’s about all for now. I’ll be baaaaaack….