All rounder

The past few weeks have been interesting. I call it the month for things to break down. I cannot believe the number of repairs needing attention! Sarah had a friend sleepover, and guess what happened to her bed? It broke! The supporting legs warped, which caused the bolts holding it all together, to loosen.

warped bed leg - or otherwise known as the lynch pin

It was a secondhand bed (given to us for free) but still, of all nights to lose complete integrity, it had to be on a sleepover night. Everything under the bed was removed, and the mattress placed on the ground. The bed could not be repaired, it was a complete write-off.

It wasn't me!

Same sleepover, and the friend also broke one of our dining chairs too. Not entirely their fault, as our chairs have been threatening to come apart for years. Every Christmas I wonder if we'll end up eating Japanese style, on the floor. I'm determined to fix them before this Christmas...although they are my famous last words. Just mention Christmas, and you'll have to guess which year I get cracking.

But of course, it doesn't end there...why not lose a door-handle to the food pantry, while we're at it?

At least one handle works, so we won't starve

The handle had been semi ripped out, just from regular use. It was a cheap, hollow, door. I removed it completely, recently, to see how I could repair it. Going to need a wooden plug and more screws, rather than just glue I'm afraid. This now joins my growing list of things to repair.

Of course, it wouldn't be complete without some obligatory electrical appliance going kaput, and our front-loading washing machine, was the culprit to apply for its standing vacation.

Drain hose and filter plug

If I wanted to complete a load of washing, I had to manually drain the machine twice, with a fiddly little hose right at the base. My back really loved that idea by the fifth load of washing. Technology is a great thing when it's actually working. Enter the magic of the internet however...is there anything Google cannot solve?

I was able to find the problem was an elastic band which had wrapped itself around the water pump propeller. Hello my dearly beloved, rubber band collector, who doesn't always check his pockets before putting on a wash. ;)

So this is where I start to look for those clouds with silver linings. The washing machine is now fixed without a repair bill, and my back is saved - yay!!

New double bed

We purchased a new bed, after searching for a secondhand one. Sadly, it's a mass produced bed from China, but it's also solid wood and purchased from a local, small business. We could have saved $30 buying from a flat-pack furniture store, but decided to support a local business instead, who also dealt in second-hand furniture.

Native ginger and puddles!

The long months of drought finally broke too. It wasn't enough to rehydrate everything properly, but it was still a very welcome relief. The kangaroos were out and about the very next day, getting the new shoots of green grass. I was happy to see them back at their regular spots.

Click to enlarge

Kangaroos in the garden, really make a difference to why we choose to stay here. In the past when we've contemplated selling, it was the kangaroos which had a big impact on keeping us here. We enjoy seeing them frequent our garden, the new generations of Joey's practicing their jumping skills on our slopes - but its also a reminder that our garden isn't just about us. It's a shared community.

Veggie magic

Of course the silverbeet also enjoyed the drop of rain recently. I've been watering them by hand, but they seemed to really love the rain because they've doubled in size! They're planted with my ginger, while they remain dormant through the winter. I use the soil to produce another crop in the meantime.

So life has been a mixed bag of challenges and relief lately, - truly, can life be anything else?