Yesterday was a sad day here..............late December I decided we were not going to manage when the school holidays were over.............no rain in sight............FIL out of action for many more months....I work part time in town so no able to work everyday with Mr Chooky.....I knew I needed to work out some assistance.......We decided to get a backpacker but instead found a young couple from Belgium - Kim and Damien......they arrived early January.......as I got them earlier then expected they came to stay with us instead of staying in a cottage on another property.........
16 weeks later they have left us.............it was a sad departure.......they never went to the cottage.......
they have learnt so much from knowing nothing about farming at all.............
they jumped into everything and never complained about anything.......and things were pretty bad when they arrived................
feeding cattle and sheep, driving tractors, motorbikes, bring sick sheep home then taking some who died away, pulling bogged sheep out of dams, doing mixes for feeds, fencing, molasses mixes, looking after the numerous poddy calves, mechanics, shearing, and once things slowed down a little and we had a few wet days they learnt to sew in the chookshed.......
Very quickly they became part of our family, being so young I am about the same age as their parents....
they just fitted in perfectly..........pulling crazy faces in photos etc they are just like my extra children and I think it is the only reason I stayed sane over the worst of the drought...........I still had to smile and be nice to them.............it sure did help........we have so many funny stories, a few translation issues.........but we will have memories forever........they did not want to leave and surely don't want to go home.......Damien wants to be a farmer in Australia and as they survived the worst of things here he will be able to manage in the future.........was so nice we got some green before they left and finally stopped feeding cattle only a few weeks ago.......
they have headed off on more of there adventure in Australia and will head home to study and will be back in a few years to visit us again............and if I" win lotto" I will be heading to Belgium to see them.........
a piece of my heart is going to live in Belgium............
Catch you later
Chookyblue.............
33 comments:
It's hard to say goodbye to special people but as we know from blogging the other side of the world isn't really so far away. And Kim and Damien will have many special memories of you and your family too. Chooky, I hope that one day you will make it to Belgium to visit them; they are obviously dear to your heart and it is such a beautiful country.
I hate goodbyes... how wonderful they fitted in so well... special memories and extended friendships...
Hugz
Oh chooky how special they came into your life when you needed them and i know Kerri is looking forward to them coming down her way.
Isnt life funny how it works out,people come and go in your life for a reason,some stay some go away and some come back again,what a special couple who will now be forever friends with the chooky family,have a lovely weekend chooky,take care .xx
Sad yes but they will have left you with many happy memories & photo's. Hugs, xx
What an adventure for them. You have a big heart Chooky, and took a risk...but you touch many lives and they are truly lucky to have landed in your back yard.
It wont be "farewell" for ever.
I don't like goodbyes. Sounds like they were lovely people.
You helped them learn a lot. Hope you do one day make it to there country.
Looks like you all had a wonderful time even during the hardships of farming.
Such lovely memories for them and your family..
A fab time had by all obviously. Would have been awful to say goodbye, but there is Skype, email and a heap of other programmes that will keep you together. Good one chooky you are one good woman
That is so very special Chooky...lovely memories for you all!
They sound like a very special couple....
What a blessing this young couple were for you. They came just when you needed them and fit right in. And it looks like they learned a lot from you. Quilting included! Hope it won't be goodbye for long.
Such a great opportunity for all of you, and lovely of you to open your home to them. I'm sure you will stay in touch.....you can add them to all the bloggers you will have to visit overseas!
it is always good to have visitors .. and when they join in and pull their weight it is even better with the wonders of modern technology it is so much easier to stay in touch with such good friends as these 2 have become x
LOts of wonderful memories for you all to treasure and with all the IT stuff these days it is so easy to keep in touch!
I know you don't really like facebook, but this one begs for a 'like' button.
It's so good to know, that through the worst of it you were able to take strangers into your home and your hearts, and that you helped each other through it. XX
Such a lovely post Chooky. The young couple will be in your heart forever and hope you do get to visit them I. Their homeland as well as they return to you for a visit.
That was an amazing experience. Do you take old couples? Your age?
Goodbyes are always so hard...but the friendship will last forever.
It is so hard to say goodbye to someone whom you have grown attached to...lovely pics and memories you have stored in your heart.
Hi Donna, I'm sure that they had the time of their life staying with you and your family!!! I hope that one day you will win the lottery and come to Belgium so that I can meet you to!!!!
Love Martine
Its so great to meet new people and to forge new friendships. Especially when they help shoulder the load during hard times. how lucky you all were to meet! Good times! Kx.
Goodbyes are sad, but sounds an everlasting friendship has been built. Happy Sewing,Donna :-)
Wonderful new friends with many happy memories xx
You were certainly blessed to meet such a wonderful couple when you needed a bit of a hand. Fortunately, with all our current technology it is easy to stay in touch, and I'm sure you will.
What an fabulous experience for them and you, it's amazing how people can enter your heart so quickly
had a little tear in my eye reading this post Chooky. Hope you are OK and hope that lotto win eventuates.
They sound like lovely young people. What an experience for them and your family as well. Hugs......
Oh how wonderful to have had such fun visitors. I hope you all see each other again. What great memories!
They came to you just at the right time! Looks like they enjoyed themselves and glad they could help out when it was needed.
Chooky you & your family have shared an aspect of Australia that they will never forget - a blessing for you ALL...
How wonderful they got to stay with you and that you gave them an experience of a life time. I'm sad you had to say "Goodbye" but very glad you all got so much out of their visit. Hope you get to go to Belgium one day!
Sounds like our life- except we don't have sheep, just cattle & chickens & dogs. I'd like to add a goat, a donkey and a sheep. Please,Lord, bring us your healing rains.
I do thank you for sending them down to me. I couldnt have looked after the whole farm by myself while Malcolms away. I think Im not use to being the go to person when things go wrong in the dairy and having to make the decissions about the cows. Damien has been feeding out the hay and looking after the sick calves which takes so much time that I would have had.
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