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Tuesday, 3 July 2012

Ahh home sweet home

Back after a massive trip away - kids survived the trip, as did I, hubby is a bit tired though (I'm not allowed to do any driving, but I'm not the one who lost a plastic binin the middle of the busy highway!).  Great to be home.  My own bed, own shower and own toilet.  Bliss.  Downside though - IL's are still here.  hmmmm.

Thursday, 21 June 2012

What? For me? Awwww...

Wow, I am humbled and amazed to receive an award from a fellow bush blogger.

 Thank you to Bush Govo for awarding me the Liebster Award.


I have also shamelessly ripped almost this entire post off from her site.  Which is awesome, by the way.  A very impressive piece of work and a credit to a young lady who is passionate about her job, the bush and her lifestyle.

This award is passed on from blogger to blogger.


The rules for the Liebster Award are:

  • Choose 5 up and coming blogs to pass the award onto.
  • They must have less than 200 followers.
  • Give lots of thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to their sites.
  • Post the award on your blog.
  • List the bloggers you are giving the award to with links to their sites.
Now the tricky part - awarding the Liebster Award to 5 more up & coming blogs....

I may have to get back to you on that one.

Now is the right time!

Apologies

Dear Readers, I am so sorry for the huge amount of time that has passed since I last posted.  Almost 2 whole months has gone since I shared something with you and for this - I am deeply apologetic. 

So, you may ask, what hs been happening to keep me away from the computer for so long?  Well, where do I even begin?

Firstly, there was Easter.  A fairly painless event this year - thanks largely to my parents who visited and saved me from the torturous goings-on at the IL's. 

Secondly, I give quite a large amount of my time to a few local community organisations and April/May is always a busy time for us.  I am sure other wives/mothers/girlfriends/govos would appreciate that if something is going to be organised in the bush, it is the women who generally do it.  The menfolk all get together and agree to do something - but the actual doing is done by those who are most capable and that is the ladyfolk. 

And last, but certainly not least - SOMEONE ELSE HAS BEEN USING MY COMPUTER!  My lifeline to the outside world, my sanity, my dear friend, has been sullied by the touch of our grubby English backpacker.  And has he is not what you'd call blessed with brains, I had to log out of all my accounts and clear my cache, lest he stumble onto my secret identity and go shooting his big dumb mouth off to the IL's. 

I am a fairly generous person, and don't mind sharing, but I was a bit nervous about letting anyone use my computer.  I guess it's the modern equivalent of the diary I guess and I don't know that he would have the common sense to keep his mouth shut.  Nice guy, but yeah, not smart.

So, what's new with you all?  I'll try & squeeze a few more posts in, because at the end of the week we are off for a few days R & R.  Just have to survive the drive first. 

Monday, 2 April 2012

Repeat to self & stay calm....

Cooking - who knew it was a competition?

So, I am a pretty good cook. I am exceedingly modest too, so that should read I AM AN AWESOME COOK. Most of the time. I have had my fair share of disasters in the kitchen, but unlike others in my extended family - I learn from my mistakes.

The MIL has this thing where she makes my kids their favourite food & then sends it home with them so they can 'share with mummy'. Yeah right she is trying to beat me at my own game. My kids are not fussy, they will eat just about anything provided it has enough sugar/chocolate/combination of both, so you know when they refuse - it's pretty bad. And then, when our greedy guts horse won't eat it - you know it's not fit for human consumption. This pretty much applied to everything MIL has ever baked, made, frozen, cooked, whatever. She can even ruin packet food, which is a pretty mean feat.

My mother (who happens to be an extremely awesome cook) lives in fear of being invited for a meal to the IL's house. I live for the day when my mum gets drunk enough to tell MIL exactly what was wrong with the meal - I have witnessed something similar at another dinner party when the hostess innocently asked 'how was it?'. Mum was 3 sheets to the wind on cheap wine coolers and proceeded to give a detailed description of exactly what was wrong with the meal – I (an impressionable teenager at the time) found this hilarious, the hostess was mortified and the other diners (including the hostess’ husband) in complete agreeance.  Needless to say, we weren’t invited back again!

 Anyway, my kids are wise to the MIL’s tricks, they usually ditch the food in the garden bed on the way home (seeing as how no human or animal in its right mind will eat it) and ask mum to make PROPER food, using a recipe from a book, and not just a random procession of ingredients thrown in the mix master, beaten to within an inch of its life and baked at 5000 deg until burnt beyond all recognition & covered with any revolting concoction that involves icing sugar & alcohol & butter.  (Snarky much?  Who me?)

 So it turns out cooking is a competition & I’m winning.  How do I know?  Everyone eats my food………


Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Taste...do you have any?


Thanks to Miss Lyd at www.soberinanightclub.com

Rednecks

For those who know of him, Jeff Foxworthy is a pretty funny guy.  I was reminded just how funny the other day when the MIL was outside her house shouting at the FIL.  In one of his shows, Jeff often has a section "You might be a redneck if......."  One of my personal favourites is  "you might be a redneck if you wear a strapless dress with a bra that isn't".  But I was reminded of yet another you might be redneck moment when I thought I heard the MIL shout 'come move this transmission so I can take a bath!'  What she really said was ' get off the couch and come help me with this calf!'.  But it was too late, the damage was done and the association between the IL's and rednecks was made forever....
If you're interested you can listen to some of Jeff's work here.... http://www.jefffoxworthy.com/media/

Tuesday, 28 February 2012

Rain!

Well, it's been raining here.  Quite a lot.  So far we've gotten over 60mm, which is a great boost for us, the rivers & dams will be full until Christmas & give us green feed to get through the winter.

It's funny the sorts of things that come out in the rain & wet that we who live here pay absolutely no notice to.  We've got a young guy here at the moment, a friend of a friend from overseas.  We were treated to the sight of him running almost naked from the bathroom the other morning becuase the flying ants had invaded overnight.  WASPS!  WASPS! they'll bite me!  We hadn't even noticed them but then again, we live in Australia after all.

Thursday, 23 February 2012

And also in-laws (ILS)


I have heaps of these on my computer.  I save them in the hope of sharing them with other like-minded people.  I don't always keep references of where I have saved (stolen) them from.  So if it's yours, I'm sorry.  But I really appreciate you putting it on the internet for me!

Busy Busy Busy

Sorry all my loyal followers (lol!).  Things have been a bit hectic here & I haven't had time to post over the past 3 weeks or so...

We're mustering here at the moment - so of course in the midst of proceedings the MIL has to go away & leave the men to fend for themselves....

That won't do of course, so I've been trying to run 2 households (the IL's & my own), teach school to a 6yr old, wrangle a 18 month old & keep up with my community commitments.  As you all know it can be bloody exhausting!  Some help would be appreciated but (whinge time now!) I know I'm not going to get it.  I'm just trying to keep a little bit of time for myself.  I'm a terrible gardener, but I love being outside with the kids & the animals, so we spend some time with the horses every day, me grooming them and doing their feet while the kids hunt for frogs and tadpoles in the dam.  They have a great time, enjoying the freedom of 'mum's not watching' when they end up knee deep in the mud, while I quietly look on from a few metres away, resisting the urge to shout GET OUT OF THE MUD!, focussing quietly on the nags and at the same time keeping a watchful eye on the boys.  They love it, I love it and we all head in for dinner tired, dirty & mozzie bitten, but happier and a bit less stressed.

Hopefully, now we have trucked some of the steers away, I will have a bit more time to spend at the computer and entertain you all with my angst!

Tuesday, 14 February 2012

Monday, 23 January 2012

While hubby is away I will......

Sit around and buy shit off the Internet.  No really.  Now is my best time to get in and make all those expensive purchases he would criticise me about.  Now I can look at him and say 'no honey, I've have this for ages' (ages = the amount of time you have been gone).


Ahhh...my new strategy of dealing with the IL's.  It's perfect.

Monday, 16 January 2012

A week already?

Wow, it's been ages since my last post.  Sorry for those who wait with bated breath to hear the next crazy instalment of my life!

The horses arrived safe and sound and they have been keeping me kind of busy.  Which is good, because quite frankly I need to spend more time outside moving around and less time on my fat arse in front of the computer.

We are thinking of getting some backpackers to help out on the station.  Friends of ours have them and say they are generally cheap and hard working, which would be different to the IL's who are expensive and lazy.  What do you think?  Is it worth the drama?

Tuesday, 10 January 2012

Phew!

Well, it's been a busy five days or so - husband's wallet was found (left in the truck - so not my fault at all!)

Mustering & branding cattle.  Our own personal herd is coming along - we have 7 steers to sell the next time the truck goes.  It's not a lot, but it's a start, and we're keeping all the heifers at the moment.

We had a nice spot of rain that has cooled things down a bit - the temperature has dropped 20 deg in a day (from 40 deg to 20 deg).  So, very nice.

I'm home alone at the moment (except for the baby).  Hubby & No. 1 son have gone to take cattle to the feedlot & pick up supplies in the truck.  And my horses!  It might sound odd, but I have never really had a horse of my own before.  I inherited 2 ex-racehorses from my Dad, both of which are completely useless to me, one because he's dead (killed himself in the cattle yards) and the other because she thinks she's still a racehorse.  Not a good trait in a horse when she's over 20 years old and the last time I was jockey weight I was in primary school!

So, I splurged and spent the princely sum of $300 for a horse and $600 on a horse for my sons.  I am very excited about having a horse of my own, it's just one more piece of independence from the family.  Of course I have been invited to ride their horses, but I never feel comfortable doing so.  There is always the implied critisism and that they are doing me such a great favour. 

I was banned from using the MIL's horse because I called her a fat bitch (the horse not the MIL).  Apparently I hurt the horses feelings.  Suits me just fine, the horse IS a fat bitch and not worth my time.  I was doing them a favour by exercising her prior to a competition (the MIL doesn't ride - hasn't been on a horse in 20 years, just buys horses and lets you use them if it suits her).   Sounds like sour grapes I know.  But bluuu... don't care.

So, home alone, me & No. 2.  I was meant to go with Hubby and leave 1 & 2 with MIL, but she's sooo terribly ill she can't possibly look after my kids.  Now if my kids were little bastards I would understand, but my kids are exceptionally well behaved - sometimes weirdly so.  Hubby said it's just a coincidence, but it seems to me that every time I NEED help from the in-laws they are too sick, too busy, too wrapped up in themselves to give a shit about me & my kids. 

Phew!  Rant over.

Thursday, 5 January 2012

Awww crap

I have lost my husbands wallet.  Not on purpose or anything, but as he hasn't seen it for over a week in his mind I have lost it (not him!).  Still, it's a great motivation to clean the house, but with a 6yr old and a toddler, the damn thing could be anywhere!  Back to work I go.

Wednesday, 4 January 2012

Crazy town update

SIL was last seen heading to the big smoke.  Score that teenager 1 - parents 0.

All aboard for crazy town!

OK so we had a bit of an incident here today.  Luckily I wasn't involved, because, quite frankly I've had my share of crazy for the moment.

My teenage sister-in-law (my husband's youngest sister) decided that she was leaving home today and heading to the big smoke.  So far so good.  My mother-in-law didn't agree with her decision so ordered my brother-in-law to sabotage her car.  That done, my other brother-in-law saw that the car was disabled and helpfully fixed it (now he is in the MIL bad books but that's not unusual).  MIL then hid the car keys, SIL found them. 

A stand off is continuing as MIL sits in the front seat of the car with her dog, refusing to budge, letting the dog fart and stink out the car for all eternity.  SIL is sulking on the veranda while FIL wonders who will cook his dinner.

All in all, situation normal here in crazy town.

Monday, 2 January 2012

New Year New Me

Wow.  This is it.  Starting my own blog.  My husband suggested that I needed a place to be able to vent, share, get on my high horse and mouth off - without upsetting anyone around me.  Where to do such a thing?  The internet of course!

So, here I am.  Sharing my life and my frustrations with the world.

Why the name 'Just a Wife' you might ask.  Before all you multitasking superwomen out there get your knickers in a knot - the title 'Just a Wife' is meant to be slightly sarcastic, a little tongue-in-cheek and hopefully will speak volumes to all the other women out there just like me.

See, I am in a pretty interesting situation.  Not unique by any means, but it might seem a little odd to many others out there.  I am the wife of an eldest son on a family owned and operated agricultural enterprise.  I live with my parents-in-law, in an isolated part of Australia over 1000km away from my family, more than 400km from the nearest supermarket and the closest person my age who I have anything in common with lives more than 3 hours drive away (on a dirt road).

Before I married, I had a job, hobbies, friends, my own house and I gave it all up for love.  I don't regret it for a moment - my husband is the best, most awesome man alive (better than Hugh Jackman, Brad Pitt & George Clooney all rolled into one!).  But sometimes it is really hard to go from being a real, live person to being Just a Wife.

So this blog is for the others out there like me.  Those who love their husbands and families but get a little crazy sometimes when their life takes turns that are hard to deal with.  Families are complex, dynamic and often unstable things (a bit like old explosives) and it can be hard to live with your in-laws day in and day out, removed from the 'real world' and often miles away from friends and family.

I will share my experiences with you and those of my friends (names & locations changed to protect privacy of course - because at the end of the day we still have to live with these people!).  Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry and some will make you shake your head and wonder why we just didn't pack our bags and go.  But this is my life, and for better or for worse, I chose it.  I just need to bitch about it sometimes!

Feel free to share or comment.  Pass this blog on to anyone who might benefit from it.  All those women out there who are just a wife unite! and share, learn, laugh and love with me as I share my life with you.