It’s been a week of scurry, zoom, hurtle and quease; not my ideal environment at all. I’m much more of a systematic plod, one task following the other, tick it off the list and move on with ample time to smell the roses (and drink the coffee) along the way kinda gal but I fully acknowledge the benefits of mixing it up a little. Spice up your life and all that.

For The Bean Counter, it was another week off paid employment and you all know what that means; Yep, another Homestead birthday. This time it was The Resident Engineer blowing out the candles on her requested carrot cake with cream cheese icing of which very little remains.

The stockpiled presents largely reflected her adoration of the, in her opinion, perfect culinary marriage of orange and chocolate. All were very much appreciated too but by far the most impressive gift was one that she gave herself.

Not keen for a photo, The Engineer finally acquiesced, requesting it be of her looking wistful and accomplished. She said nothing about having the sign in the frame or being in focus. Sorry, no other photos of the abode until it’s been scrubbed up

Yes, our Resident Engineer is now a property owner!

When the agent suggested her special day as settlement date we knew it just had to be but, like most things in life, it was not the desired operation of smoothisity we had hoped for. In fact, there were moments when it looked like the anniversary of her birth would end up being spent with car and ute ready and set, Homesteaders at their marks but, due to issues on the vendors side, no starters gun sounding. In the end there was just time for a quick off-loading of furniture and property peruse before shrugging into our party duds and heading off to her celebratory birthday meal.

While the rest of week has been spent, by some of us, with buckets and sponges sprucing up her newly acquired Homestead Urban Outpost, Farm Girl has had other things on her mind. This week saw the start of NCEA exams; first up Mathematics and English. The mix of new homeowner euphoric trepidation and examinee nerves, despair, and resignation makes for a heady cacophonic ambience.

We all know Farm Girl will be fine, she puts in the work and her results more than reflect that, but her pre-exam, no-I-can’t-eat-anything, pale, terror-filled face puts part of me right into bundle, coddle and protect mode which is kind of the same place I end up when contemplating the main Homestead minus The Engineer’s permanent presence. This is not welcome by anyone, least of all me, so it is just as well there are any number of jobs from vaccinating, drenching and reintroducing Buttercup (and baby Clover) to the flock to picking up the shelterbelt trimmings (because, yes, I managed to schedule that for this week, too), along with the pre-move polishing, to keep me busy.

You get quiet weeks and then you get ones like this. Sing it, Spice Girls.