Adventures at Hideaway Too

Mother's group fun!

2007-11-20T13:47:00.000+11:00

Melia and I went to our mother's group this week where it was held at a "play cafe" (basically a place where parents can have coffee etc and lots of toys/jumping castles/ball pits, etc for the kids to play on)

I think Melia was a bit overwhelmed by all the activity around her and was a bit "considered" in her approach. While her little buddies crawled head first into the ball pit, Melia preferred to watch from the sidelines. And, after plenty of coaxing, she finally agreed to ride the plastic horse long enough to get a picture.

Til next time...

Update for October

2007-11-13T13:41:00.000+11:00

I know this is late...but what can you do? Here are some pics from Oct and the start of November. Melia is growing, has 2 bottom teeth and has learned how to "cluck" at the horses! She sits up well and continues to love her books, toys and the great outdoors.

The alpacas have been shorn and the horses are over the horse flu...so hopefully everthing is back to "normal" for a while.

Happy First Father's Day Dad!

Her first trip to the zoo (great backdrop!)

Life in quarantine..(very welcoming for visitors)

The scary swing

Computer games with daddy

Fanks for the top Auntie Tita!

The papparazzi follow me everywhere!

Reading is fun and reading is tasty too...

Tummy time...

Playing the "piano"

Balloons from heaven (?)...they just appeared out of nowhere one day...

Sitting on daddy's lap is the best!

That's all for now.

Spring has sprung

2007-09-05T19:34:00.000+10:00

Spring has finally sprung. Auntie Tita just missed the warm weather. A few pics of Auntie Tita's visit below - we really miss her, as well as a few pictures of spring on the farm. Aunt Claire also made a visit - please come back soon. Enjoy!

"Decapitating" the magnolia blossoms must be some form of ikebana....

Showing Auntie Tita the sights, here's Auntie Tita on the rocks... (this could be a new drink!)

Thanks goodness for warm bunny suits (thanks Katrine & Alistar) when there's a power failure...(which Melia actually made into a fun time for me and Auntie Tita)

Making sure her niece is properly dressed (thanks for the euro shoes Dave & Lis)

We knew we could make a country girl out of her!

A recent picture of "Farmer" Bloch who was recenty "shorn" and looking all the better for it!

Aunt Claire visits the farm and brought us some lovely flowers.

OK enough for now, we're all wiped out.

The Scene of the Crime

2007-09-05T19:15:00.000+10:00

Ok, so one day a few weeks back, Melia and I came back to the farm in the car and normally Laurella will come running up to the fence, especially now since Donnie is away (I think she expects the horse trailer to be in tow), but on this particular day...there was no Laurella greeting. Needless to say, given the antics we know she is capable of, I got suspicious. I put Melia down for a nap, and took a walk outside to investigate. You wouldn't have needed to be Colombo to solve this crime...I think the pictures speak for themselves. I was laughing so hard, I had to run back for the camera. As I was cleaning up the mess, I was thinking to myself, I sure hope she enjoyed herself. And, I give her some serious dexterity points for opening the latch! I will be padlocking those stable doors, and moving my stash of empty feedbags elsewhere!! Come to think of it, I better hide the car keys as well. And of course she would pick a rare rainy day to do this!

What are you looking at? There's nothing to see here...

Leave no bag unturned...there may just be some leftovers in there!

Who, me?

"Winter" Playtime

2007-06-30T12:21:00.001+10:00

This girl just loves to play! She plays in the morning, she plays in the afternoon and she plays at night. She even plays while she is going off to sleep. We put her in her crib and she chats and chats and squeals until she finally goes to sleep....only to wake up a while later chatting and squealing again!

She just loves the hula hut and the little toys that came with it - here she is showing off how she can use both hands now!

It has been pretty cold lately and we bundle her up! Dave and Lis, thanks for the green "snowsuit" it comes in very handy when she feeds the animals with us! (I thought I had a picture of this, but I can't find it...I think I need to organize my files a bit better!!??)

Melia and Hugh also love watching the rugby on tv together - she actually watches it!

That's all for now...we are all blogged out! (Next entry will have pics from Auntie Tita's visit!)

Autumn Update (eventhough it is already winter!)

2007-06-26T18:12:00.000+10:00

Ok, yes we win the award for slowest updates, and I am still playing catch up trying to get current with this thing. Here are some shots from autumn down unda' - beautiful leaves at the farm, a WIN for Hugh and our prized alpaca Momma's Boy at the State and local Hawkesbury show and Melia in her element as a regular farm girl. Hugh is also now a qualified midwife, having helped Primrose give birth to Momma's boy's little sister - we are still thinking of a name.

Momma's Boy gets 1st prize at the state and local competitions! (This is a big deal for first time, small time farmers like us!)

Momma's Boy on show...

Melia can't contain her excitement at the alpaca show..... The little elf

Happy little farm girl

Future horsewoman??? (this picture may be too small to see it, but Melia is smiling at Donnie)

Beautiful fall sunrise

Melia at our "mother's group" (Melia is at the bottom center - blue dress and white cardigan)

Someone has decided that she really likes to suck her thumb

Primrose's new baby - just born..

That's it for now, will do our "winter update" soon!

Hawaii No Ka Oi

2007-05-14T21:10:00.000+10:00

We had a great time in April. Celin and Melia spent the whole month over in Hawaii with Tutu and Grampy, and Hugh took a break from his farm duties came over for 10 days to join the fun. Melia enjoyed the relaxed hawaiian lifestyle and slept and ate her way to doubling her weight. She also learned how to use her voice and hasn't kept quiet since! We enjoyed lots of walks and lots of playtime and especially lots of spoiling by Tutu, Grampy and Auntie Tita. Pictures below of our visit, and of Melia's baptism which was the highlight of our trip.

Our little angel on Easter Sunday

With Auntie Tita at the sewing shop - hahahha!

Ready for Baptism Melia's baptism was a very special day. Auntie Tita was on hand as Godmother, and although Uncle Dave couldn't be there in person as Godfather, Tutu was his proxy on the day. The ceremony was very special as Melia was baptised "Melia Shannon" in memory of our lovely, amazing, special and irreplaceable Shannon. I know there will always be a special angel watching over Melia. Father Grogee gave Melia a wonderful welcome and it meant a lot to us that the Bradys and Sawyers joined us to celebrate. Auntie Tita made the most amazing lasagne and chocolate cake and Sabrina did a great job as "official" fotographer.

Proud Tutu

Melia, Tutu and Uncle Dan

Melia with her Auntie Maryann

The young sawyers

Melia also went to her first outdoor concert (thanks for the warm outfit Auntie Tita!), where Tutu got to hear her favorite Danny Couch in person...

And right before we came back to Australia, Melia was serenaded with a Hawaiian Lullubye by a fellow Hawazzie, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Lounging local style with daddy Mahalo and Aloha Tutu and Grampy!!

New Old News

2007-05-06T15:56:00.000+10:00

OK, we are really lazy and have not updated this blog in nearly 1 year! Oh well, I guess we have just had a lot more to occupy our time with in the real world vs. cyberspace.

So obviously the BIG news has been the wonderful arrival of our beautiful little Melia Tiana Bloch. Just for documentation purposes a few pics from birth up to now. For a little one she has done alot so far in her 3 months. She has already doubled her weight, she has 2 passports, she has made 2 transpacific flights, she has been to 2 alpaca shows, 1 horse show and countless trips to the mall. She has been baptized and absolutely smothered with kisses and cuddles from all who meet her. She has even "expressed" her opinion at a recent horse seminar....when the lecturer asked the group what they thought of a certain stallion, Melia broke the silence by LOUDLY filling her pants on cue! hahahhah

Just before arrival

Just born

Month 1

Month 2 Welcome to Hawaii! (Melia with her namesake flower)

Ok, that's it for now - it is taking sooo long for the pictures to upload. I'll add some more later to bring everyone up to present!

Primrose Baby continued

2006-05-14T19:19:00.000+10:00

Who's cuter?

Autumn colors at Hideaway Too - I think this looks like a postcard, grass just needs to be a bit greener with some rain. All the leaves changing color is not a typical Ozzie scene..thanks to the previous owners who planted such pretty trees.

Happy Mother's Day Primrose!

2006-05-14T18:45:00.000+10:00

Hideaway Too welcomed the first baby to be born on the property today! After lots of watching and waiting Primrose (our big brown girl) finally gave birth to a gorgeous little fella this morning. I'd kind of given up on waiting but Hugh went to have a look out the window this morning and started carrying on "oh...cute, a little brown baby...cute..." I thought he was just winding me up so I kept eating breakfast and resisted the temptation to have a peek myself. All those years of dad trying the "look - girls it's snowing!" trick in Hawaii have made me more street smart than to fall for something that lame. But then H dashed out the door and I realized it was actually true! Very cute and healthy...the pics speak for themselves. No name decided yet, but given the Mother's Day arrival I was thinking that "Hideaway's Momma's Boy" sounds appropriate!

Pls. send rain - look how dry it is...

The proud "father" / farmer

About 1 hour old

First breakfast
Trying to get a handle on those legs...

This is all just a bit too exhausting...

Pony Rides

2006-05-14T18:34:00.000+10:00

These pics are from April. Laurella made her pony ride debut. The Zwi's came over and Steph took a spin on Laurella. A great time was had by all - Steph did an awesome job riding and Laurella did a great job being ridden - hurray!

Steph was a real natural and looked so at home in the saddle, she's even got my old chaps on!! (I've finally had to ditch riding in them...even all the extra duct tape and leather elbow patches isn't enough to hold them together any longer for me to use them) I've replaced them with half-chaps, much more practical in the Ozzie heat.

Castle Hill Show - Alpacas

2006-05-14T18:13:00.000+10:00

This was the big day for our crop of young alpacas. Sopresa and Barossa (our babies from last year) had their show debut. Hugh was a master at halter training them....I was absolutely useless, the alpacas finally let me in a little secret they they are not little horses and the same rules don't apply! Hugh was all decked out in his snazzy white lab coat and was a real showman in the ring. He walked - out with a 2nd place for Sopresa (boy) this is a great achievement!! and Barossa our little girl didn't get anything, unfortunately "cute" doesn't get ribbons in the alpaca world. I was the official photographer for Team Hideaway Too and failed miserably...I thought I had lots of great shots but this is the only one that turned out. Showing alpacas is a lot easier than horses, no cleaning tack, no baths, no grooming, no braiding, no lunging them down...just a bucket of water and a "biscuit" of hay and your all set. Also, trailer loading is much easier too, if they don't want to get in you can simply pick them up, but these guys loaded like champs.

Hugh is in the distant background in the above photo. He is looking down at the ground next to the woman with the blonde ponytail. He's in the ring with Barosa.

Donnie & Laurella showed in the horse division. Donnie was Reserve Champion Part-Bred Connemara and Laurella got a 2nd for Connemara Pure Bred Mares. The horse that beat her is this amazing text book classic Connemara - a real beauty. Donnie and Laurella were a real pain in the @#$%! at this show though...I haven't taken them out together before and the "seperation anxiety" when I took one away from the other was really a bit much!

Other barn shots

2006-02-27T20:12:00.000+11:00

If you couldn't tell we are just a tad excited about the barn...just a few more pics to give the full picture.

This is from the back...the stall doors open out to the paddock...they will have seperate little yard areas.

And then, this is the front of the barn. The wash bay will be just out front and all that garbage will be cleaned up!

Hugh has been a very busy farmer indeed! (especially all his handiwork with the grass/seeding, irrigating, etc!!!!!!!!!!)

Introducing the full cast of characters

2006-02-27T19:59:00.000+11:00

No farm is complete without da ani-mules...so in no particular order here are recent shots from Saturday.

Donnie & Laurella are enjoying VIP grazing on the front lawn while the paddocks continue to fill in. I think he's saying "eh..what you lookin' at?"
While, Laurella is just trying to figure out how she can eat the camera.
In the back we've got the boys and girls....

That's Leroy Brown and Primrose - the brown ones
And...all the "white crowd" of Pablo (moved out of frame) Escobelle, Sorpresa, Barosa and of course Ray Charles!

Inside the new barn

2006-02-26T19:10:00.000+11:00

And, here is inside the new barn. As you can see we have one very lovely horse....he smells a bit and he might bite if you get too close...but as long as we keep him locked in there he does just fine.

We also have these neat feeder things. The one on the Right (i think) is a feeder that has been spun around..you dump in the feed and then spin it back around into the stall. This feature is nice so that junior horse handlers don't get pounced on when feeding..and our guys get very excited at dinner time.

We might stain the outside wood with something non-toxic. Haven't decided what colour yet...and then we will hang up those harness things from Hideaway! (Thanks Beth! ;)

And the arena!

2006-02-26T18:54:00.000+11:00

I haven't figured out yet that if I want to tell a story in a certain sequence that I need to tell it backwards...so this is supposed to come next, but whatever.

Here are some pics of the arena! Very exciting...beautiful sand surface - perfect in any weather...not that it rains much, but more of a concern is that the ground gets so hard here. Also we've got lights, so finally I can ride after work...and Hugh can also just go out there at night and dance around. I thought Donnie might be afraid of his shadow at first, but he is fine. The lights are up on that telephone pole. This view is looking down from the new barn.

In the other photo you can see the view from the arena back up to the barn...they had to cut thru all that rock...its amazing we have any teeth left with all that pounding (and the poor neighbors...it went on forever, i think people thought we were building some new cross city tunnel or something.)

Its awesome to ride in!

Da-da-dah!! The barn!

2006-02-26T18:31:00.000+11:00

Well I finally found the blog address of the blog that we started a few months ago. Still getting the hang of this, so please be patient.

Here are some recent pics of da farm...as you can see Farmer Bloch has been hard at work (they call it "hard yakka" in these parts)

First - da-da-dah! the barn! With the amount of time it actually took to get this thing finished you'd think we had re-comissioned the frescos for the Sistine Chapel, instead of just asking for a simple four-sided building and a concrete slab...

The colour scheme is to match the house. This is the back of the barn...and I think Hugh is pretending he is a horse or something..?

Welcome to the Adventures of Hideaway Too!

2005-08-25T21:40:00.000+10:00

2005-08-25T21:34:00.000+10:00