I'm pleased to say that Hubby fixed the Whipper Snipper after a quick trip to Bunnings. Thanks darl, your a clever man.!
There are a few things that have been happening with Hubby being away that we hadn't planned on
...and they are:
- When working, he has a place to stay.
- When not working, he has NO accommodation.
- When he returns to the house at the end of his 12 hour shift, he has just a 2 hour window to prepare a meal, have a shower & sit down and relax, all before going to bed.
Two hours may seem like plenty of time to prepare a meal, but it's not really, especially if you need to supply everything yourself, keeping in mind that you share the one fridge and top freezer with anything up to 5 other workers. Oh and you have to pack it all up again, ready to move out of the house while your not working. Now it doesn't sound so easy, does it? If you fly home on a regular basis, all that cooking equipment would need to be included in your luggage. Not the best situation to be in at all!
While walking around the supermarket yesterday, Hubby pointed out all the foods he has been eating. I was feeling quite powerless to say the least when he showed me all the pre-packaged/pre-prepared foods he had been surviving on. My husband along with all my family, are used to having foods cooked from scratch. Good wholesome meals! I'm old school, and believe if a man goes out to work all day to provide well for his family, then he should have a good hearty meal at the end of the day to give him sustenance and energy for the next.
I received a lovely email from a lady named Del, the other day offering support for Hubby while he is away from home...Del is a new reader to my blog and we both thank you for your kindness! I have replied to your email and am waiting for you to confirm a convenient time for Hubby to phone you. I'm sorry it took so long for a reply.
Del lives outside of Sarina, which is rather close to the mine that Hubby works at. She has offered support for him along with her phone number....which is more than appreciated! What a lovely lady!
Hubby works 6 days on with 6 days off! We worked a few things out on paper yesterday, and while Hubby is a contractor and not working Full Time, if he flies home every 6 days.....his wage would be the same as from his last employer. So we aren't adding to the mortgage just yet.
We really need to think long and hard at accommodation which is very scarce around Moranbah. We also need to decide if he will take the family car with him, which would involve having one or two days at home before driving the 3 day drive to get back to Moranbah. Lots of big decisions to make in the coming future, but if we can find somewhere for him to live while not working...he will probably fly home once a month. If he gets full time employment instead of being a contractor, I think at least his meals will be provided...but it's early days yet.
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My pumpkin leaves are turning yellow!
My pumpkin plants weren't looking too flash the other day, so I took a few photos, and sent them to Richard, my gardener and teacher of the gardening course I am doing. I knew Richard would be the one to ask what was I doing wrong. I had pumpkins in the front yard, which were turning a sickly looking shade of pale greeny/yellow...and they had slowed down in growth too.
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| After having the mulch removed and given a feed of Liquid Nitrogen |
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It puzzled me as to why these had turned yellow, and the ones I hadn't planted out yet, were growing great!
Richard replied to my phone message and told me to remove the straw I had been using as a mulch. It had given the pumpkins an overload of Carbon, and to balance it out, I was to give them a good dose of Liquid Nitrogen.
I'm pleased to say that just 2 days later, I can see them recovering, you can't tell from these photo's, but they are reaching for the sky again, and getting their colour back.
Thanks Richard for your friendly advice!
My pumpkins are looking like they have life again.
Some friendly Seed Saving advice to finish off!
Here is my Corn Salad which has gone to seed, the plant is very fine, and I have been finding the seed scattered on the ground....Easy fix....while they are dying off, I have placed an organza bag over them. This way I can retrieve what seed is left on the plant without it all falling on the ground.
