Kerry's "Letter from Australia" - July 2007 This month has been very wet, I think their ten year drought is having a respite this year. Like England, towns have been flooded: a place called the Goulburn Valley that grows fruit was about to have their water restricted to the point that keeping their fruit trees alive would have been near to impossible, when down fell the rain in such huge quantities that they now have enough in the reservoirs to keep them going for three years! Speaking of water, whilst fixing up the new bathrooms, Kevin turned off the water at the stop cock, very inconveniently located at the bottom of our drive, some 200 metres away (he intends to move it inside later) so that he could do the showers and sinks. I was out at the time, anyway he did all the pipe work and then went down the drive to turn it on and came back to find water spraying out from a small unsoldered gap in the pipe, so he had to dash down the drive again to turn off the water and by the time he got back water was in the hallway (it always amazes me how a little bit of water can spread so far). He fixed it but this time wisely waited until I came home, so he could go to the stopcock and I could check the pipe and then run out and give the thumbs up or down. It was fine the second time though. The winter is certainly starting to bite so much so that even Kevin was fed up with shivering at night so we went out and bought a wood burner, we had to dismantle a bit of the lovely (read ghastly) fire place to fit the new fire in, but as the existing chimney is about 3ft in diameter we were able to put the new flue up it without too much hassle. So at least the lounge area is now warm, the rest of the house still requires thermal insulation before you venture in though. My Mum had a fall (she felt peculiar and wobbly and then passed out) that required a hospital visit (she was battered and bruised), it is then it brings home to you just how far away you are! She had to stay with my brother until she felt steady enough to go home, but appears to be fine again now, although she is going to the hospital for follow up tests to find the cause. Holly had a good end of term report and we are going in for an open evening next month. Lauren is on Uni holidays for six weeks after a fortnight of exams, she is working on a game reserve for experience and some much needed money. It is about 13 hours drive away from George, where the campus is. They have horses there, which those of you who know Lauren will know is her passion. She has been given the job of taking guests out on horse treks, which she is really enjoying, as well as working in the kitchen, she said when she left school last year if she couldn’t work with animals then she would love to be a chef. Mind you, you wouldn’t want to eat a lot of what she cooks, reading recipes (a bit like bank account numbers) is a mystery to her and the ingredients often differ widely from the amounts quoted!!! Luckily, she just has to follow direction. She says the head chef is a Zulu woman who serves up the most amazing meals. More of this next time as she is there for a month. Kevin has developed a taste for the local bakery/café’s Apple scrolls and it has now become a bit of a habit to pop down the town for a coffee and said scroll at 11am each morning if we are not out and about somewhere. I have to say my waistline is suffering, Kevin’s okay because he trains on his bike each day, I am just going to have to exercise self control. Not easy when he is munching away!! Hope you are all enjoying the Summer, think of me shivering away here. Love Kerry