So, now that I have been dumped by my husband am a single parent, everything is up to me around here.

At first, the task seemed really overwhelming.  There have been sleepless nights (Thank God there is a time delay, so I can call people overseas and they are still up and awake) and alot of tears. The ex geeky toy boy lover and I have held negotiations. Not everything is 100% final. It will take time. A plan is being formed slowly.

Each step has hurt. Each strand that connected us together is being cut. It has been painful. Small things like opening my own bank account in my own name has hurt. A reminder that there is no ‘us’, there is just me.

And while this is all going on, we have to live life. We can’t just get off the merry go round for a bit and get back on when we are ready. I have busied myself with ‘distractions’ ,  video nights for the kids, letting them sleep upstairs with me on the odd night. I have a couch that folds out into a bed and it is always folded out right now, just in case.

I have been saying goodbye to a dream.

While I have been saying goodbye to that dream, new dreams are emerging. While I have been feeling such grief, new empowerment is forming.

I have low days where I give myself permission to be kind to myself.  I ordain the day a “can’t be arsed’ day. It’s a quiet day where we just chill.  I will not tell myself I am letting down the kids or myself or anyone on those days. It is simply the kind of day that is needed.

With my new found energy, I am throwing myself into what energises me. The children, Supernatural, the animals, Supernatural, Fundraising, Supernatural, and persuing my goals and dreams. Oh and Supernatural….lol

I need to be realistic about the animals. I simply can not keep them all, it is no longer financially viable.  Another painful decision that I have had to make, but make it I have.

I have used a chain saw !!!! I cut up some firewood that has been sitting there for yonks. It was so cool. I have no idea why I thought it would be so hard.

On fine days, I get the kids outside with me and we clean pens, feed kids, collect eggs and tidy around the place. One of the things we I had wanted to do outside was planter boxes. We were I was going to build them ourselves myself with the help of Celtic Dingo of course, as he LOVES to work with his hands.

So on Tuesday, I went and bought the wood needed for a simple planter box.

I used 100×100 posts and had them cut at 0.5m long We needed 10.

I then got 8 planks that were 1.8 m in length. I had 2 of them cut into 0.6m lengths.

I have to say, the lads at Bunnings were really helpful !!!

I also bought some black polythene to line the box.

On Wednesday morning, we got outside and set to work.

Being the scrapbooker that I am **rolls eyes** (soon, I keep telling myself, one step at a time) I had to document the event, much to Celtic Dingo’s joy.

Celtic Dingo just wanted to get on with it.

WGO was in charge of handing out the nails, as you can see Celtic Dingo was in his element and Celtic Lad shared in hammering the nails in as did I.  These are the short ends.

When I did the long ends, a strange thing happened. When Celtic Dingo knelt on the plank and I hammered, the sound of the hammer hitting the nail further and further in to the plank and post, did a scale. We honestly heard it Doe, rae, me, so, far, la, tee, doe. Though sometimes the last tee, doe sounded a little off key.

When Celtic Dingo got off the plank, we heard nothing. This obviously just wowed the kids, (Ok, I was wowed too) and we discussed how the vibrations could be creating sound.  All of a sudden, I felt like Miss Frizzle in the Magic School Bus.

So WGO and Celtic Lad sat on each end of the planks while Celtic Dingo hammered out a tune !!!

Here is the almost final product !!

Is it just me, or does it look incredibly like a pine box coffin?? **snigger snigger** I did suggest to the Coven, that if Jock goes missing in the next wee while, they know nothing.

Another good thing about building this myself is the cost: approx NZD$75.  So once I finish this one, I will be making more to put around the place.