Driving Miss Lana

Last week I had a cancelled appointment which meant I had a free day.  This fit in perfectly with Lana so we could visit nearby shops similar to ours.  Nearby for us means within 50km/30 miles.  It also meant a good chance to test drive the new VW Bug.

A local VW enthusiast heard we had a 1968 bug and volunteered to have a look at the engine. He came out and spent about 90 minutes fixing this, fiddling with that, and twisting the thingummy (aren't I technical) and the car was running so much better.

A convertible Bug is really a Summer car.  The day we drove was wet and cold, but this just added to the experience. I  tried to take some nice photos from inside the car, but even with the camera's image stabilisation, the minimalist suspension meant shaky pictures.  But I'm sure you can get the idea.  A car that has fluffy purple hearts has got to be "cool". Every time we went over more than usual bumpy roads and we bounced around, Lana just laughed.

Learning new skills

One of our locals owns a number of horses and was looking for someone to help care for them during the week.  He came in on a recent weekend asking to put an advertisement on the notice board to ask for help.  I quickly asked him how old he wanted this person to be and suggested Eric.  15 was quite OK, especially once he saw that Eric was quite a tall, physically capable lad and obviously responsible.

Lana went there with Eric on the first visit to meet the owner and have a second ear to know the tasks required.  So Eric now has a new job feeding the horses, ensuring they have enough water and occasionally meeting a vet or delivery vehicle. 

As part of the deal, the owner will also teach Eric lots of skills about horses and horsemanship.

The horses are very impressive animals, bred for racing and they are all getting used to this new lad who feeds them every day.  I popped out there earlier this week with Eric to see what he had to do and took a number of photos, including the one above. 

Eric is enjoying his new job, as well as his work with us at the shop, lawn maintenance and his homeschooling.

I told you NOT to play in the rain

It's raining again - which is always a joyous event in a place dependent on rainwater for all our water needs.

It is also joyous for little boys who love puddles and dirt and mud.  Martin just came into my home office grunting in his communicative way and showing his hands covered in wet dirt.

Eric looked at him and said, "I told you NOT to play in the rain."

Lana and I both looked at Eric and started laughing. "As if THAT would work!"

So Eric cheerfully cleaned up Martin's little face and hands and Martin rushed in to us showing his lovely clean hands before rushing back outside.

I'm sure he'll return shortly, equally amazed that his hands somehow became dirty once again.

Like a kid in a lolly shop

There is a saying to describe a situation where someone is in a very desirous position: "Like a kid in a lolly shop."

We provide a traditional service of bulk lollies served individually.  Customers can select a bag of lollies by choosing exactly which lolly and how many they want.  It is great seeing the children squat down and look at all the containers arrayed under the counter behind the glass, deciding which ones would be just right.

"I'll have 2 Cobbers, 3 Bananas, 4 Milk Bottles, and ... how much is that so far?" 

"70 cents," I reply, looking at the change in the child's hand, "You have 30 cents left."

"Hmm, OK, I'll have 3 Teeth."

For those in more of a hurry we have pre packaged bags of lollies valued at $1 and $2. 

In this photo Peter is responsible for filling the lolly bags.  He works at the shop for a few hours on the weekend.  His duties involve serving at tables, cleaning up and providing general assistance as required.  

"If I drop one, can I have it?" asked Peter.  We use tongs to select the lollies to ensure adequate health and safety and occasionally a lolly slip through.  "So long as you don't drop too many," we advise, knowing that this can provide the wrong set of incentives.

I think I'll have coffee

Yesterday was my day of shopping for the shop.  This meant Eric and I leaving home at 5:30am and travelling 2 hours to the wholesaler in Sydney.  We have been listening to a number of audiobooks together which makes the time rather enjoyable.

After the wholesaler we stop in at the Serendipity ice cream warehouse and purchase very yummy gourmet ice cream for the shop.  This time they packaged all the ice creams in a foam box with dry ice so they would survive the drive back home.  This worked very well and there was quite a bit of dry ice when we unpacked the ice creams back at the shop.

Then I had the difficult task of keeping Eric and Ariel focussed on unpacking the groceries when all they wanted to do was play with the dry ice.  This photo is of Ariel offering a new drink.  I think customers will prefer coffee.

It has been an interesting time building up the grocery section.  I had some basics with which to begin and then whenever a customer asked if I had a certain product, my answer would be, "No, but I'll be getting it next week." And I did get it in next week.  This has certainly built up customer loyalty, and helped to build up a comprehensive selection tailored for the village.

Rain is fun, puddles are funner

Today I was able to get a part day off so I could spend some time with my parents who were visiting. They visit twice a year even though they live about 800 km (500 miles) away. The first day is always very tiring for them as the children rush to get in all their "Look at this Grandma" and "Grandpa, see this". By day 2 everyone is able to have a more enjoyable, relaxing visit with the older children playing games with Grandpa and Grandma being shown whatever is vital that she must see. 

My Mum is actually known as "Just Grandma". When Ariel was about 3 years old we were calling Lana's Mum Grandma A and mine Grandma B. Ariel was saying "Grandma B this" and "Grandma B that". My Mum helpfully suggested, "No, just Grandma is fine". So it has been Just Grandma ever since. Even the birthday cards are signed "Just Grandma and Grandpa"
Today it was raining which is great. Not flooding like it is up North, just good soaking rains that fill the water tanks and get deep into the soil. When it rained a bit harder, Martin pointed and grunted so I went outside with him. He was happy to just look, but I rolled up his sleeve and showed him how to "catch" the rain drops coming off the edges of the awning. That was fun. Then he noticed the puddle and that was even "funner" [as the little ones like to say].
There are time when being home doing "not much" are some of the best times.

Where have we been?

It has been 3 months since we last updated Bruggietales and many have wondered where we have gone. We have not gone anywhere and in fact are pretty much rooted to home base as we run our little Village Store.
While I get to apply all my business experience and advice to a real business - putting my money where my mouth is - the children are also getting a practical real life training in business, customer relations, systems and a myriad other essential life skills.
We live in a small village in country Australia and the shop we have just purchased is the only shop in town. The nearest shops are smaller ones about 15 minutes away in either direction, or larger ones 35 to 45 minutes away. So our shop is basically an "everything" shop. We are a licensed Post Office and newsagent, we have DVD movie rentals, lollies, chips, ice cream, stationery, greeting cards, groceries, milk and so on. Our coffee is top quality with all our staff Barista trained. Hot food and cafe service is also provided.
The whole family is involved in different aspects, with me directing operations, Ariel managing during the week, Eric assisting with Mail and stock, James sorting mail and making home deliveries, Peter helping wait tables in the Cafe on weekends and Lana makes muffins and biscuits (cookies) as well as going to the bank and some local suppliers. The younger three will get involved when they get older.
Here you can see Lana in the new car for the shop. Rather than drive to the local suppliers and bank in the 12 seater family bus which is a bit large for the task at hand, this little bug does the job much better. With magnets on the doors advertising the shop and the great lilac purple paintwork and fancy conversion Lana gets plenty of attention which suits our marketing plan very well. And Lana is able to drive the car she has always wanted to drive since she was 16!
I'll try to post more.

Order vs Disorder

Do you ever get sick and tired of cleaning up the house?  After all it will only get messy in minutes or hours anyway.

Well, a new study reported in The Economist shows that disorder leads to more disorder and crime.

AHI reports on the story and it is fascinating.

When the researchers had graffiti on the nearby wall, petty crime and littering increased dramatically.  I suspect this study can also be applied to homeschooling.  Although you can be too over the top in having a spotless home, an organised home is much more efficient for work, study and play.  At last you can find your things easier!

A Tale of Two Kitties

We now have two kittens. The Ginger one is called "Coffee" and the patchy one is called "Tea".
We had resisted any animals for a long time, but have finally succumbed.
Before Christmas a dog - some type of Jack Russell cross - adopted us. His real owners had moved out of town and left him behind. They supposedly wanted the dog, but weeks went by with one failed attempt (the dog went walkabout the day they visited) and vague promises.
Meanwhile we were visiting friends whose cat had just had kittens. One of the reasons we had avoided pets was because we had to worry about them whenever we went on a holiday. Our planned US trip has been cancelled because of the global economic challenges and changes to foreign exchange rates. And we have bought the shop, so our travelling will be reduced.
James has wanted a pet for some time so I relented and we agreed to pick up the kitten in a few week's time when it was older.
On a Monday evening I popped past our friends' home and picked up the kitten. The kitten got lost somewhere in the car on the way home but we found him in the back somewhere and all were excited at the new addition. The dog was VERY excited. So excited that on the Thursday Martin left the door slightly ajar, the dog rushed in and killed the kitten in seconds. Trauma, distress and sadness all round.
The dog was promptly given to his owner's relatives who lived in the town. We then asked if there were other kittens around.
Next day we received the two female kittens.
The hardest part about the kittens? Training Martin to handle them with care. But I think this photo is showing how he is improving. At least he has them cleanly around their waists.  Or that is where he began holding them but they have squirmed out of position.

What did you get for Christmas?

Many have asked us where have we been.  It has been a month since our last post and we have a pretty good excuse.  We have purchased a General Store and Post Office.  That was our Christmas present!

I have been very busy liaising with existing and new suppliers, ensuring existing and new staff will be properly trained, and lots of new plans are being worked out.

The shop also has an active coffee shop.  Our aim is to upgrade the presentation and quality and consistency of service and ingredients.  We are using experienced Baristas (the fancy title for those that are experienced in making coffee) to train all our staff.  I have learned lots about the art and science of making a quality cup of coffee!

Lana and her mum have been making tablecloths for the coffee tables, I have been designing all the printed material and it is looking pretty good.

The two photos here are some of the clever little cross stitch patterns Lana has been stitching.  They will be placed appropriately around the shop to improve the country/homey feel of the place. The pattern was part of the UK CrossStitcher Magazine Issue 198 (April 2008). Margaret Sherry is the clever designer and the set is called "Coffee and Cuddles".  They are pretty cute pictures.

We will have more cross stitch pictures coming soon as Lana has now some new wall space to fill with her artwork!

The Relocator strikes again

It all began slowly on Sunday Evening.
We noticed that the water in our toilet bowl was higher than normal and was taking some time to drop to normal levels. Then Dad came in and asked if we had noticed the issue as he had the same problem. We checked the other two toilets and we knew we "had a problem".
Next morning, Lana did a marathon ring around to find a plumber that could visit us and clean out the septic pipe. Lana called about four and talked to answering machines. Then one answered his own phone and Lana exclaimed, "Wow! A real person!"
"Now, don't get excited yet." was the reply. All the plumbers had long lists and couldn't get to us before Christmas. We had eleven people who couldn't hold on quite that long!
Eventually one lady answered the phone and said, "Hang on, I'll just get him." and Lana grabbed Dad in excitement saying, "He is there! We have hope!"
The plumber arrived mid afternoon and went to work with his "electric eel" which went down the pipe and found the blockage. The plastic spade (pictured) was the culprit. It had been dropped in by "someone" into the access hatch (also pictured), and wedged in the pipe. Our relocator strikes again! $280 later and it was all over.
"Now you're back in business." said the plumber as he left.
"In more ways than one." replied Lana.
But this was only part one!
Unbeknown to us, the release of the blockage caused a wave of muck to rush into the first septic tank. This then surged into the cleansing tank and blocked the exit pipe which is designed to pump out excess water - not muck.
The first we knew of this problem was on Wednesday after lunch when the warning light and alarm on the septic started.
"Opa," Eric informed Dad, ominously, "The warning light is on."
We opened the tank and started a new call around. We needed a pump out of all the muck from  both septic tanks on the day before Christmas. And all the muck disposal venues were closed for Christmas.  Lana eventually got to a local fellow and mentioned we have eleven people here. He explained that he couldn't get it done until after Christmas. Lana then played the "sympathy card", talking about the number of bottoms using the system. He sighed and said, "Everybody should have a toilet - and a telephone."
Lana paused in hope and he continued with a sigh, "Give me your address. Give me half an hour to go down the shop and buy my wife a card and a couple of bottles of red and I'll be out there."
He arrived and cleaned out the tanks, with Dad helping and working together with him. Meanwhile, Dad pulled out the pump and cleaned out the muck from there.  Eventually all was OK and we were once more back in business.  He was supposed to charge us $560, but he only charged us $500.
Phew. 

Merry Christmas.

What are you doing?

The children have been enjoying our large tree, climbing and swinging on many limbs.  I noticed Rose hanging on a branch with her feet about 6 feet off the ground.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I moved in to assist.

"This!" she replied happily swinging on the branch.

Ask a dumb question ...

So I just stayed close to catch her if she fell, but she reached across to the ladder and got down quite safely.

Elephant stamps all round

In our State there is quite a procedure for a person to gain a driver's license. First they pass a written test to obtain a learner's permit. They then have a minimum of one year and up to three years to gain 120 hours of driving experience, covering a number of key learning areas including at least 20 hours of night driving.
That is a lot of driving!
Ariel passed her written test first go. She knew that if she failed she would have to try again and pay another fee but I don't think she needed the financial threat as she remembers what she reads very well.
We then decided to use a professional trainer for 20 hours to make sure she learned the basics in a structured manner. Now the remaining time she is mostly spending with me. 

For all you Dads out there, think of this as a great bonding experience. Together you face danger and stress, calmly suggesting improvements to your daughter's driving like, "Slow down ... slow down, SLOW DOWN! STOP!!!".
"I was stopping!" comes the calm reply, as you get your hand off the hand/emergency brake, and breathe again.
Ah, this is what memories are made of.
But that was early days. Every time we go out, Ariel is my chauffeur, driving at up to the maximum 80km per hour (50 mph).  The trip may take a little longer for highway trips, but it all counts gradually to those magical 120 hours.
Ariel is improving greatly. So much so that she earned her first Elephant Stamp on her hand.

Hair Fashions

Ariel likes to have her hair "just so" and Lana has been assisting her for many years. On Saturday Ariel decided that twin platts joined together would be the correct style for the day.
I only had a small improvement. A little Lego lady could sit quite comfortably in the join, swinging delicately while holding on to some strands of hair.
But Ariel didn't approve.
Spoilsport.

Opa's little helper

Lana's Dad ("Opa") was working in the workshop/garage and Martin was doing his usual thing - tagging along and providing valuable assistance.
While Opa was busy and being noisy, Martin found the ear protectors and put them on. Of course, he began talking louder because he couldn't hear himself properly. 

Then Martin found a hammer and centre punch and started copying how he had seen Opa work with the tools. Noticing the potential danger, Opa thought quickly,  pulled out his phone and took a photo.

The Fort grows

The next playground stage is "The Fort". This has the main building and then a bridge to a tower.

Attached to the tower is an old swing set friends had which was partly broken - now fixed and back in action.  Underneath the tower will be a sandpit and some netting to climb upon.

This playground is getting bigger all the time.  Speed of growth depends on funding and sourcing of second hand materials. 

As you can see from the second photo, the bridge and most of the top level are finally complete.
See how all the children are gathered along the bridge? The construction is strong enough to handle adults as well as plenty of children, running, jumping and otherwise playing around.
Funding and materials are currently in slow down mode again, but the next steps include a roof over the fort, linked to a water tank to collect rain water.  This way the children have their own water to play with without using our reserves.

Like many areas outside main towns in Australia, our water supply is entirely supplied by rain water.  We are all used to using water wisely and every roof around here is attached somehow to a water tank.

The four red plastic things in front of the fort are covering the hole into which we will be putting a large pole ready for the flying fox.  This time I hope to develop a safer testing system than the last time we had a flying fox. But that will be reported in due course...

Bruggie Brothers Garden Maintenance

In line with our financial training for the children, the older boys Eric (15) and James(12.5) wanted some more funds for the things they wanted. This meant finding a way of earning money from people other than Dad and Mum.
One of the local village residents only comes down every couple of weeks and found the maintenance portion very draining to their enjoyment of village life. So they pay the boys a fixed amount per month to keep the grounds maintained - mowing, leaf clearing, gutter cleaning and so on. This is apportioned to us as a contribution to capital costs (lawn mower, trimmer and so on) and then each of the boys splitting across their savings and spending accounts. This then led to getting more mowing work for a couple more residents on an ad hoc basis.
This photo is the one we use for their business cards for their business: Bruggie Brothers Garden Maintenance.
This has led to another milestone. When the children earn a consistent $10 or more per month they can open up a bank account. This is pretty exciting for them as they see interest received as a bonus money.
"So the bank pays me not to spend my money?" James asked in amazement the other day.

"Yes," I replied, "Ariel earned a week's wages last quarter for leaving the money in her account."
"Cool."
Although the children earn their own money and at least 1/3rd goes into savings, we retain veto rights over their purchases. This has allowed them to learn what is - and more importantly, what is not - appropriate spending.
The other condition to having their own bank account is maintaining their own set of accounts in Quicken. That way we can do reports and see all the money they earned and where it all went.
Reviewing their accounts involve me asking questions like, "Look how much you spent on these items over the last year. How much do you still play with them? Do you still have them?"
This is a great training tool.
I was very interested when James came up to me the other day and asked, "Can you change my savings/spend mix? I want to save half rather than a third."
Woohoo! Tick off that little check box marked "Learn basic financial responsibility".

Where is Matt?

Matt Harding is a funny guy. He has been able to turn a funny idea of dancing a jig in front of a video camera for family and friends into a business! He details his travels at his website: Where the Hell is Matt? and the Sydney Morning Herald has an interesting story on him too.
In these days of media telling us the world is ending, Matt is a good example of how opportunities are everywhere to enjoy life and make a living too. I just felt here is a good example of the one man's love of life spreading worldwide.
Matt's site tells his story here.

Getting real close to Jesus

Today Clare made her first Holy Communion.
We have been working up to this for the last few months. I have been part of the parish team who taught all the children wishing to have their first Confession and Communion. Clare has joined me in all the lessons, which was some special "time with Dad" time.
The parish has a great programme whereby the children attend the classes with at least one of their parents. We know that it is really important for the parents to learn what we are teaching as much as we want the children to learn as well. After all, we only are able to share the faith with them for the 6 lessons, their responsibility is to pass on the faith full time.
The trick is to pass on the fundamentals of the Faith in a manner which the children can understand but also opens up the Faith to the adults.
For example, Clare asked me, "Why is Jesus fully God and fully man?" Good question. We then went through salvation history where God made a deal (covenant) with Man from Adam (a couple), Noah (a family), Abraham (a tribe), Moses (a people) and David (a Kingdom) and each time the human side of the deal was broken. But God still had to make a binding deal with Man so we could get back with him after the Failure of the first Man, Adam.
So Jesus became fully Man, while still being fully God. Therefore he was able to uphold both ends of the agreement and we were able to get past the impasse of fallen Man.
That made sense and Clare was OK.
It was fun teaching the children. My method of teaching is very much question and answer format, getting the children to think about what we are discussing. And I am the type of teacher that catches napping students by asking them for an answer using their name.
One question I asked the children was '"How do you know you have a soul?"
No one knew how to answer. So we went through our material senses - sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.
"Can you use these senses with anything at all?" I asked.
"Sure!" was the reply.
"Ok. Where are you?" I asked.
They all pointed.
"No, that's your nose. No that's your cheek. No that's your belly button."
The children looked perplexed. Where were they?
"If you chopped off your leg, where are you then? In fact, your whole body you call YOUR body. So YOU must be somewhere that you can't get at with your material senses, but obviously you are here because we are talking to each other. So you must be more than just the material bit. You are body AND soul."
So after all this Clare had her special day. She wore a very fancy white dress (as you can see) and sat in a special seat right at the front of the pews during the Mass. Rose had a special red dress so she could enjoy the day too. Clare has been so excited she would inform us each day for the last two weeks how many days were left until her First Communion.

DMC Bankrupt - not long to go ...

The administrators of DMC have announced that they will extend the deathwatch by 4 months.  The other two parts of DMC have been dismantled and sold off.  The time for potential buyers to put in their bids has been extended to 21 November, and the final decision is deferred to 5 March 2009.

Basically the levels of debt prior to this period of administration has compromised the chances of DMC coming out as an operating entity.

Click for Press release in French, and automatic translation to English.

The same issues that were in existence at the start of administration that I mentioned before are still in place, but now you can add a likely downturn in the market as well.  So if the business has high levels of debt, a downturn in trading terms (via Exchange Rate differences), a downturn in the market (less sales) and trust in the company reduced by the troubles in the company the chance of coming through alive are low.

This will cause a huge change in the Cross Stitch market, especially considering a huge portion of the kits come standard with DMC colours and coding.  Also, many non DMC threads are still based on DMC dyed threads and blank/white stock.

The photo is a fine hangman's noose in DMC colour 316.