Belinda Moore

It’s nearly the end of the year! I can feel Summer coming on and it has been lovely to wander barefoot and splash in the creek.

AT HOME: I haven’t started painting yet because I’m waiting for the paint to arrive. Everything about renovations takes 10 times longer than we expect. I’m sure others feel the same. Oh, well, lots of time to pursue other things!

The blocks have been laid and we now have another room! One with no windows and no door! It has so much potential, though. And it’s a great, cool, playing spot for the kids - they make a mess in there daily! It is also a wonderful rollerblading space, in fact, I think some of the family hope we never get around to finishing it.

I went to my first local LETS meeting this month. It was great to meet some like-minded folk and join LETS, which I hadn’t been a part of since we left Townsville in 1995.

The Yungaburra Folk Festival was amazing. Lots of live music, family fun, sunshine and relaxing days.

AT WORK: The future of Education Choices is still uncertain. I have no further info for writers, subscribers or advertisers, but will answer questions as I can. Thank you all for your concern and offers of help. I’ll be in touch when I know more.

I have been asked to write for Warm Earth Magazine in 2008. This Australian organic gardening magazine has just published the 75th issue and I’m rapt to be working with such a great team and new readers.

I will also have a new column in Natural Child Magazine from the December issue.

I wrote some guest posts during September and October for the popular blog Down To Earth. Rhonda is such an inspiring writer, I was flattered to be asked to contribute to her valuable website.

I joined the HEA at the NHEC in May. Last month I joined their fundraising sub-committee in order to assist the HEA to raise funds to recoup some costs from the conferences, and continue the fantastic, varied work they do.

I haven’t announced it yet, but as of this week I have become the proud owner of Spiral Garden. I have taken the reins from the lovely Becky, and hope I can maintain her business and The Garden blooms… The website is currently undergoing some changes, and there’s a lot of new stock to upload. I will post here and send a newsletter to subscribers when it’s ready. Please email me if you want to join the subscriber list for Spiral Garden’s newsletters.

ON THE FARM: The greenhouses are still at the same stage as they were last month. I posted on my garden blog an update on the greenhouse gardens.

I bought some more fruit trees, but will wait for the wet season and do a mass-planting. I am too lazy to cart water! They’re nestled in a corner of the greenhouse, enjoying the regular attention.

Sadly, the bantam hen’s little white chick was attacked and died. On dusk a couple of weeks ago, two chicks were attacked near the pen, we saw a big black cat the next evening, and wonder if it was the culprit? So she has been mothering three of her four adopted babies now. The fourth was the other chick who was killed. Her chicks are bigger breeds than her and almost her size! The four chicks from the feed store are getting so big! Two appear to be cockerels so we will have roosters for our flock yet, it seems. I hope they live longer than the previous three, all taken (perhaps by dingoes). The three new hens we received from friends are still quite shy. One is laying in the pen, but hasn’t joined the flock completely. The other two are jungle birds who just come in for a feed and a drink, but sleep (and probably lay) in the forest.

The mare, Amber, has picked up condition a little, but our gelding, Sam, has become skinny now. I just don’t know what to do with those two!

We had a large herd of cattle for awhile recently. A neighbour’s cows must have decided that our grass is greener! They’re home again now, after kindly doing a lot of mowing in our top paddock until I noticed they were there.

The peacocks are still in the forest, but not coming up to eat every day anymore. We hear them call most evenings, especially. I wonder what it was that brought them up to the house yard, and why they retreated again? We still haven’t seen a peahen here.

HOME ED.: Our Judius order arrived, so there’s been painting and craft happening here. I also ordered a big skipping rope and Elastix. It has been fun trying to remember the rhymes and playing with the children.

Immi and Abby are coming along really well with their violin lessons. They endeavour to practise most days, which is great. I think seeing the musicians at the folk festival was an inspiration to them, especially the young artists on the youth stage.

Brittany is still reading the My Story series, as well as some Shakespeare. Imogen is devouring horse books from the library and Abby is reading the Harry Potter series. Bryce’s reading is improving and he can read most things he wants to now, which makes him proud. Lily is aching to be able to read but doesn’t seem quite ready to grasp it all yet. She wants me to magically impart this sacred knowledge upon her while she sleeps, I’m sure! Her writing is improving, and with that she is remembering more letters all the time.

Brit, Immi and Abby were thrilled to perform their play this month. They had two performances and did really well. They have such fun with their theatre group and the lovely teachers, it has been a real blessing for them this year to meet such great people in our new town.

At art class the girls have moved on from charcoal to pastels, and are looking forward to learning lots of tips from their lovely teacher, Joanna.

The children had dental appointments this month and some of them needed some work done. This led to a lot of discussion about teeth and caring for them. At our first appointment there was some confusion over whether homeschoolers can access the school dental service in Queensland. The staff checked it out though, and all children aged 4 to 15 are eligible to use the service.

October was also a month for visitors and sleepovers, so most weeks were very busy ones. With the warm weather there was also more outdoor play and swimming.

The younger three children have some new toys and have been immersed in complicated imaginative games which seem to last for hours. I love to listen to their various characters develop, and see them interact as the story develops. It’s beautiful that they have time, and each other, for such games.