We go country

This is me doing it wrong.

A good friend is home from New Caledonia to visit family, and because she loves us we were invited to her parent's farm for a chat, sausage sizzle and (big bonus) pony rides. Marie's little angel, Maylia, played so well with our slightly less angelic bunch, and little Savanah was a sweetheart too. Morgan was fantastic fun too, keeping Master7 amused with piggy back rides and games while all the girls played.

Initially all my kids were petrified of the pony. There were tears and a bit of ranting. Eventually my ranting paid off and Miss8, Master7 and Miss5 gave it a go. Predictably we now have demands for a pony for birthdays.

Only drama was when I was leading the pony and, because the only thing I know about horses is what I learned from watching Mr Ed, I did it wrong and Master7 was thrown off. Immediately he hit the ground the pony moved over him and from where I stood horrified it looked like he'd been stood on at least twice. I was expecting broken bones. Instead he cried, shook himself off, called it a 'Wonky Donky' and got back on for another go.

A good hour was spent collecting and hammering macadamia nuts to eat, petting soft feathered chicks and stripping their vege patch of cherry tomatoes.

There was even a wonderful surprise just before we left, with Midget, their little foxy, putting on a dog show for the kids. She'd beg and roll and commando crawl when asked, all for a tidbit of dried liver. The kids were very impressed and Marie's mum showed them how she did it - I hope Jazz is up to the challenge because I could see a few gears turning. Inparticularly, Miss5 was really taken with the whole idea of training - she walked up to Marie's mum as we were leaving, showed her a lolly and snapped succinctly, "Sit!"

On the way home Miss8 asked if we could drop into a pet shop and pick up a couple of ponies. When we explained we had no room for them she disagreed, suggesting we could keep them in the backyard and Jazz in the front yard.

"It was the best day I've ever had," Master7 announced as we arrived home. Well it's not every day you get to be a rodeo cowboy.

Great fun. Great friends. Great experiences. Great day.