Some piccies as promised!

hi guys

ive finally got around to downloading a few piccies, some of the farm, and while not very exciting, pete in action with the holes for the fence...

the cows are going ok...we are all still so desperate for rain...everyone in east gippy is doing it pretty tough...but i know melon will come good and give us some much needed rain...

the holes were dug on sunday just gone..in preparation for the fence that we are putting up around melon's garden...hopefully we can have it all done by august or so...the guys who are helping us (Gippsland treated pine in bairnsdale) have seriously been fantstic...they have written the recipe and told us the 'ingredients', we just need to bring it together and hope its going to be palatable!

anyways..enjoy the pics...

luv

the simpsons

xox

evidence of the 'holes'..i know..not too exciting to look at, but it was cool for us...small steps

pete on the stupid digging machine..ask us about it one day...lets just say we were happy to see the end of it!

the girls hoofing into the hay..yummo

eli's cow 'moowhistle'...she will always stay with us...she is as big as a bloody hippo at the moment...cant wait to see what her baby is going to be like...not long to go now!

Angels everywhere

Hi guys

i had the most loveliest email from my aunty michelle and uncle alf who live in stratford.

We lost our beautiful nan on 8 July 2008 to pancreatic cancer and all of our world's were rocked. We were very lucky to see nan before she died as at the time, eli was right at the end of his bone marrow transplant. The day we left hospital (Tuesday)...we raced down to sale to see nan for the last time. Nan held eli and eli was wonderful and played with nan's glasses which made her giggle. Nan was so sick, and passed away the following saturday. At the time, we wondered with eli being so exposed whether it was the right thing to do. We literally waited at a set of stoplights and was very tempted to just take eli home, but we turned right and made our way to sale. It was the best thing we could have done and something i will NEVER regret.

So, after we lost nan, i thought more and more about the 'angel quilt' which was created by a wonderful stitcher "annie downs"...It was a quilt pattern i had bought just before eli was diagnosed and i always had in my mind i was going to make it for nan, because she always loved my quilts!

when eli died, i started stitching and for 6 weeks i worked every day on the quilt, and the blocks until it all came together. To me, it was a symbol of hope and a future with our beautiful angels in it...It was something that should be used, and be thought of as a positive due to all the gorgeous angels in it...

I was able to finish the quilt (all hand stitched and hand quilted)...by far the biggest project i have ever done...i gave it to my aunty michelle who with my aunty jen and pa, nursed nan until she passed away. I thought it would be awesome to give the quilt to aunty chell in nan's and eli's memory. I know nan would have loved the idea.

So...last night, i got a beautiful email with the attached photo. Its 'harry', aunty michelle and uncle alf's first grandson (cousin Daniel and Hayley's first son)...wrapped in the quilt. Aunty chell said that harry loves the quilt and she is thrilled to bits and will keep it as a family 'heirloom' to be passed down from generation to generation. Its lovely to know that such a special quilt means just as much to others and i know its in the 'right' home...all the angels to watch over all of us!

so, here is a piccie of harry and the 'angel quilt'...here's to many more snuggles with the grandkids!

lots of love

the simpsons

xox

Little Harry Bartlett in amongst the angels...love u nan and eli

xox

The long weekend!

hi guys

firstly, thoughts are to Belinda, Michael and Holly who have just passed 6 months since the passing of their gorgeous little boy "Nicholas". Nick was about 6 months older than Eli, so sparkly and very switched on. Nicky, Chad and Will used to play heaps and would often be in hospital at the same time...So thoughts are with Nick's family and we hope that there is lots of pink and purple in their lives rather than blues and brown.

We had a lovely long weekend...we headed to buchan to play with the cows...and just to take some much needed time out...we loved it so much that we are heading back there for an overnight stay again really soon. The cows are pretty big now, and we reckon that the first little arrival will happen over the next few weeks. The girls are starting to lumber a little bit. Moowhistle is the size of a hippo...she is massive...and still prances around like she is half her weight!
We had a lovely visit from belinda and kate too on sunday. It was nice...kate (2 and a half) was very keen to step in every cow pat she could find, feed moowhistle some carrots and walked up and down the hills that we have pretty easily. Betchya she slept pretty well!

We are heading back this saturday to build a makeshift verandah off the caravan. Like everywhere, gathering water is our achillies heel so we are keen to get some water catching happening. Petes also playing around with some hot water techniques so we can have hot water 'on tap'...instead of boiling the billy all the time. Pete's also keen to set up an outside bath (which is crazy given when we were there it was like, umm...minus 5 degrees - probably not that cold...but sure felt like it!)...so the verandah and the hot water are the next 'buchan' projects.

Now that we have almost finished the paths, we are keen to organise the fencing around melon's garden. I think we are planning on digging some post holes this coming weekend as well...so all hands on deck again!

touch wood, we have not lost one plant so far although it was touch and go for a little while...but the white paper daisies are starting to bud up...and a few of our little daisies around the edging are looking nice too...cant wait for everything to 'fill in' and grow!

alrighty..will fly for now...will post some piccies of the cows really soon...
luv to all
the simpsons
xox

a few piccies as promised

Sorry bout being the wrong way...glitch between computer programs!

this is the side of the house...

The bird feeding section...

the roundabout...

the other side...

hi guys

a few pics of the new pavers and paths as promised...

A year ago tomorrow (5th June), eli received his new 'mojo'...his new stem cells to cure his leukaemia. We cannot believe it has been a year ago already. I remember breastfeeding him while he was going through the very strenuous 'conditioning' period. 10 days of pure 'stuff' going through his little body to kill the off 'everything' in the factory that was producing his bad leukaemic cells. on about day 6, i put my fingers through his hair and it fell out. I was very sad as i knew that it was the result of some pretty major things happening.

We felt like it was a positive step forward...small steps to a cure.

we have many more of these 'anniversaries' to come...and eli will be always remembered for the massive fight he fought. I wish we could bring him back, but all we can do is live our lives the best we can and keep living. In a way we can keep him living through everything we do, and to keep his memory alive.

Luv ya melon...and think about you every single day

anyhoo...love to the rest of you 

the simpsons

xox

The path is almost done!

Hi guys
good news...pete has been working hard and we are just about finished the paths...i will try and get some piccies on over the next couple of days...

we actually ran out of the recycled concrete and were just short (dont you just hate when that happens) so we only have the east of the garden (where the palms are) to go...we got through a massive truck's trailer load (= lots and lots of dirt!)...and are chuffed with the way it has come up...lots cheaper than gravel/pebbles and good for the environment - win/win all round!

Pete instigated the fencing around the garden as well...so we are keen to start work on that...then we will have finished the 'cottage'...and the fun begins building our house! Its going to be awesome to just watch the plants grow...the hardest part! We were guilty of adding plants because there are too many holes! but i guess once it all grows, there will be hardly any room! We are especially excited about the 'lil daisy patch'...thats an area where people will be able to hopefully pick some flowers...!

anyhoo...best be off...
have a lovely day and i will get some pic's up soon.

the simpsons
xox
Dont forget, that if anyone wants to get in touch with us privately, the can contact us on
eli-simpson@hotmail.com